'We need some help': 'King Tide' trapping Florida homeowners, flooding streets near Indian River

High tides leave Brevard County residents stranded, mail undelivered

Homeowners along the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County are being cut off by rising waters, with standing water on local streets leaving some residents trapped in their neighborhoods and unable to receive mail.

Florida homeowners who live near the Indian River are experiencing the impacts of "King Tide," exceptionally high tides that happen during a new or full moon, which have led to saturated yards and flooded roadways. 

It comes as several inches of rain have fallen along Florida's Atlantic coastline.

What we know:

Homeowners reached out to FOX 35 after King Tides moved in earlier in the week from Indian River Drive to Point View Place – and haven’t receded. It’s a concerning sight on the lagoon-front road. Several inches of water are saturating the street, and cars are barreling through because it’s the only thoroughfare for several subdivisions on the outskirts of Cocoa.

It’s been a problem for several years, and residents said they’re struggling to make headway with the county. Neighbors think the road needs to be elevated or the shoreline protected with better stabilizers.

The county argues funding is a major barrier and makes the project near impossible. The new D1 County Commissioner is fighting to keep the low-lying wetlands from being developed and pushing for better budgeting of county money when it comes to infrastructure spending.

What they're saying:

"Many are under the misconception that it’s only a hurricane-related issue. As you can see, there’s no hurricane today," said Tom Kennelly, who lives near the river and constantly worries about flooding.

"Our tax dollars should be going to fixing the roads so that we have access in and out," said Andrea Sadler, who also lives in the area and believes this is a public safety problem.

The other side:

In a statement, Brevard County said it's nearly impossible to elevate the road as neighbors have suggested, citing significant infrastructure and funding concerns. 

"The Brevard County Public Works and Natural Resources Departments have conducted a joint high level study of conditions along the North Indian River Drive Shoreline. Based on 50 year sea level rise projections, approximately 9000 LF of the roadway would need to be raised to at or above the projected level to be eligible for federal funding.

Much of the road would be required to be raised over 6.5 FT with total wall heights exceeding 10Ft to the top of the rail in some areas. The raised roadway would also include significant secondary impacts to properties, drainage, and utilities that are currently undefined. Based on other projects throughout the state, the County anticipates that a project such as this would range between $500 Million to $1 Billion dollars.

A full Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study would be necessary to fully evaluate this as well as any alternative scenarios including but not limited to possible full relocation of the roadway. A PD&E study is estimated at a cost of $1.2 Million. Any and all alternatives are anticipated to involve significant eminent domain in order to implement.

At this time there is no available funding for the PD&E study and project implementation is determined to be cost infeasible."

Commissioner Katie Delaney told FOX 35 that she's worried about how the county is budgeting.

"This is a result of decades of not budgeting properly, not knowing what is the actual cost of maintaining our infrastructure," she said.