WILDWOOD, FL (352today.com) – It was something a Wildwood resident never expected.
Mary Wimberly has been a resident of Woodlane Meadows for some time. The place she calls home was subjected to something she hadn’t previously encountered in her Sumter County home. Last week that all changed in the wake of Hurricane Debby.
She had never experienced flooding. The water damaged her home, yard and neighborhood.
Wimberly’s distress prompted her to go before the Wildwood City Commission to represent not only herself but her neighbors during the public forum on Monday, Aug. 12.
However, the flooding wasn’t just Debby’s deluge. Wildwood officials say a privately owned stormwater pond overflowed and flooded the neighborhood.
Wildwood City Commissioners acted accordingly, voting 4-1 to rejecting a request from the commercial pond’s owner to direct water from the pond to city property.
“Our number one priority is protecting those residents,” said Jason McHugh, Wildwood city manager, in a news release. “We understand the need to continue working with the pond’s owner to rectify the situation, but we do not want this or other neighborhoods at undue risk while the best solution is determined.”
The city says its engineers are conducting tests to determine the cause of the problem and had precautionary measures in place in the event of more rainfall.
“We have equipment in place and are well posed to continue assisting residents if and when we get more rain,” said McHugh. “But our engineers cannot provide certainly that we could accept the proposed discharge without creating the potential for more flooding.”
The commission urged the pond owner to search for other options for water displacement while the city’s engineers evaluate the situation and attempt to resolve the issue.