Nearly 500 NSB residents attend flooding presentation following development moratorium
NEW SMYRNA BEACH — After adopting a six-month development moratorium earlier this month, the city Wednesday night took the first step to address the concerns that prompted the measure.
City officials hosted approximately 500 residents at the Brannon Center for a presentation from Gainesville-based engineering firm Jones Edmunds & Associates, Inc., the company hired to analyze the flooding experienced in New Smyrna Beach during Tropical Storm Ian and review the city’s stormwater regulations.
The firm’s managing director and vice president, Brett Cunningham, led the presentation, which explained the goals, scope and schedule of the study.
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Residents received a sheet with questions about their current situation and how they were affected by the storm. The sheet also asked residents to email any photos or videos of flooding that they feel may assist the firm in its study to nsbfloodinfo@cityofnsb.com.
Cunningham said the more information he and his team have about how high waters rose in different parts of the city, the more it will help the study.
Gauges throughout the city registered about 20 inches of rain from the storm last year, Cunningham said during his presentation. One of the hardest-hit spots, the Turnbull Bay area neighborhoods, saw waters rise to 6 feet.
“This is a town that was devastated,” said Mayor Fred Cleveland before the presentation. “Over 1,200 people got somewhere from 4 inches to 4 feet of water in their homes, and many are not in their homes today.”
The moratorium is limited to residential developments of 10 acres or more, or 25+ homes, in FEMA-designated flood zones A and AE, which cover most of the city.
Study’s goals
Cunningham began by reminding residents that the city has already applied for the Resilient Florida Grant program, which includes “a selection of grants that are available to counties, municipalities, water management districts, flood control districts and regional resilience entities,” according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website.
“To effectively address the impacts of flooding and sea level rise that the state faces, eligible applicants may receive funding assistance to analyze and plan for vulnerabilities, as well as implement projects for adaptation and mitigation,” the department says.
Cunningham said that the city is likely to receive the grant and, since it entails funding for a vulnerability assessment, it would “add to the value of this project.”
The study will also “analyze the impact of large new developments and their associated stormwater management systems for potential adverse offsite impacts.”
“Once we put together a model and make sure that it’s matching all the observations we have for it, we are going to kind of go back in time, if you will,” Cunningham said. “We are going to take out some developments on the mainland side and on the beachside and see how things would have been in Hurricane Ian without those developments.”
The study will also “review the city’s stormwater code and standard for appropriateness and potential improvements.”
“(We are going to) compare those to what other similar communities are doing and see if there are other recommendations that we would have,” he added.
The firm’s team will “present findings and recommendations to the City Commission” in May.
Residents call for better infrastructure
Richard Malaszowsky, a resident in unincorporated Volusia County but whose neighborhood mostly covers New Smyrna Beach, held up photos of his house and backyard showing what they normally look like versus how they flooded Sept. 29 of last year.
“I remember when the water started breaching our house, and I realized our home was no longer the safe place we thought it was,” Malaszowsky said. “It just came in and we couldn’t stop it.”
He encouraged the city to treat the issue as “comprehensive infrastructure problem.”
“Until we do that, there should be a moratorium on any more building permits in New Smyrna Beach,” he added.
Michelle Lindsey, another resident whose home flooded last year, said that for the past 21 years, she has seen “massive growth on State Road 44.”
“I do understand that the builders are responsible for keeping their water on their property,” Lindsey said. “But in 20 years, I have a palm tree that sits in my yard, it made it through Ian … Over the 21 years, the water (from past storms) has encroached on that palm tree, and last year my husband and I started talking about moving, because the water came on the house side of the palm tree.”
She asked the team to come back to the City Commission with improvement suggestions.
“This is New Smyrna; it’s a gem,” Lindsey added. “ … Folks, I’m one of the weird ones – I’m not opposed to growth. But we have to do it responsibly. We have to make sure our infrastructure can support the stormwater.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Smyrna Beach flooding study slated during development moratorium
