SAN CARLOS PARK, Fla. — You might have already received a notice from the county moving personal property to make way for a flood mitigation project if you live in San Carlos Park.
“Even right here, the water was pretty high," says Julie Davidson, a resident of San Carlos Park for fourteen years.
Hurricane Irma was the starting point for flood mitigation efforts - with the board of county commissioners awarding a $7.1 million community development block grant from the state in August 2021.
“They were clearing things out to help the water flow better through the area," says Julie, describing the letter that she and two thousand other residents got from the county - informing them that they would need to move certain items that could be considered obstructions to work crews.
Those items include fences, hedges, sheds, and even docks.
Julie isn't a fan of that idea, and doesn't think her neighbors will be either.
“We pay to get our fences put in, we pay for our stuff to be there…don’t move our stuff to clear out a way for the water to move."
But, she agrees that something should be done.
“Sometimes the canal will flood into the yard, but yeah the ditches will get high and overflow a little bit.”
Work near each individual property is expected to take less than a week, with the full scope of the project expected to take about two years.
“This area is bad for flooding so something definitely needs to be done, but don’t take away from our property," says Julie.
