A small Lee County neighborhood nowhere near the gulf is finding itself underwater more often as it continues to dry out from Hurricane Milton.
The question is what's causing their flooding issues along Coyle Road near the Orange River, and what can be done to prevent it?
Drainage ditches and culverts were never installed along parts of Coyle Road. That leaves the water with no place to go for the dozen or so residents who live along that stretch of road. They say even a heavy rain right now is putting their homes underwater.
Polly Janick lives there and believes there is no proper drainage.
“Every time there is a storm, we're sitting ducks,” Janick said.
Sitting ducks because she and others in her neighborhood say their homes have flooded out at least three times this year alone.
Lenny Donato and his wife Kim also live on the road and reached out to NBC-2 for help. Donato said he was actually sitting on his porch during Helene, watching the water rise in his backyard, and insisted something was wrong.
The couple shared videos of water accumulation from Helene and Milton, along with other heavy rains causing flooding to invade their home.
“It's because water is just getting dumped on us,” Kim Donato said.
The Orange River and other bodies of water surround the community.
Chris Francis’ home has been in her family since 1989, and she said the storms come their home, and property is literally in the middle of the river.
Her home is still ripped apart from Ian and only recently settled with her insurance company from the storm that happened over two years ago.
“I actually just got my first insurance check before Helene,” Francis revealed.
Her home flooded during Helene and Milton, causing even more damage as large fans ran around the clock to dry out the home. She called the delayed repairs a blessing in disguise.
“If I had rebuilt, I would be redoing everything over again,” Francis said.
Her neighbors were so disgusted with the ongoing flooding that they spent the extra money to lift their home nearly four feet off the ground.
The county says a newly installed gauge revealed the nearby Orange River reached 5.7 feet during Helene and just over 6 feet during Hurricane Milton.
The county said in a statement, "Unfortunately, during surge events, the river will not allow the surrounding areas to drain as they would under normal conditions.”
Matt Plumley, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, agrees it's not normal.
“We've never experienced any problem with water intrusion,” Plumley started.
He and his neighbors blame the new building around them for contributing to the excess water and flooding.
“Then developments started happening, and it's gotten to the point that even a minor rainstorm,” Plumley said.
He wants the county to do more, and he said it's hard to watch my neighbors constantly lose stuff.
The county said the Department of Transportation and natural resources staff will continue to inspect, assess, review and communicate with these residents. “We have been responsive thus far,” a county spokesman insisted.
Residents, however, say that's not enough.
“Let's get out there and hold somebody accountable for this stuff that is what I'd like to see,” Plumley concluded.
The residents are hopeful county leaders will come and see for themselves the issue and consider installing new drainage ditches and perhaps a deeper retention pond to help prevent future flooding.
Lee County Department of Natural Resources shared the following with NBC2:
Hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton were all storm surge events that produced the three highest recorded elevations on the Caloosahatchee River. On Sept. 11, a new gauge was placed on the Orange River Boulevard bridge to monitor the river elevations during storm events. The Orange River was recorded to be at an elevation of 5.7 feet during Hurricane Helene and 6.1 feet during Hurricane Milton. These elevations are about 3 to 4 feet higher than normal for the Orange River. Unfortunately, during surge events, the river will not allow the surrounding areas to drain as they would under normal conditions. When the Orange River becomes unusually high during a storm surge event, the surrounding tributaries (creeks, ditches, swales) are unable to drain properly; therefore, the water in the tributaries are forced to pond and/or find the path of least resistance. Additionally:
- During Hurricane Helene, the rain gauge at the Waste to Energy Plant recorded 1.44” of rainfall between Sept. 26-27. During Hurricane Milton, the same gauge recorded 1.81” of rainfall from Oct. 9 -10. Neither event produced unusually high rainfall totals. Any flooding observed would be directly related to the impacts of the storm surge. There is no evidence that the Orange River has formed an additional route.
- Lee County performs maintenance on natural waterbodies and drainageways to benefit the public. As these creeks and drainageways are on private property, the county does not have any responsibility for maintenance. Regular maintenance of these waterways is the responsibility of the individual property owners.
- In 2020, Lee County Natural Resources obtained permission from property owners to conduct maintenance along a portion of the creek that crosses Coyle Road. There were different scopes of work performed based on what the property owners would allow on their property. The work included things such as removal of nuisance vegetation and debris from top of bank to top of bank.
- DOT and Natural Resources staff will continue to inspect, assess, review and communicate with these residents. We have been responsive thus far.