EDGEWATER, Fla. — The first step in a city-wide development moratorium passed in Edgewater. This comes after repeated flooding issues from recent rain events and hurricanes.
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While the water has mostly dried up, Mayor Diezel Depew said the problem is far from being resolved.
“We need to pump the brakes, we need to figure out what’s going on, we need to figure out what the stormwater master plan is going to say and where our watershed is going,” said Depew.
A plan is in place to find the answers to all of those questions, but Depew doesn’t believe development can continue while that’s happening.
“The major concern is elevation. You know you’ve got these new subdivisions coming in 12 feet higher around Florida Shores in particular. It just can’t continue to happen,” said Depew.
City leaders passed a series of ordinances that place a citywide residential moratorium on things like rezonings, site plans and building permits. Industrial and commercial projects will not be impacted.
“We still have to continue and grow and the city council is not anti-development. We just really have to figure out what’s going on with the flooding concern,” said Depew.
The moratorium still needs a second reading to become official. That will happen on Jan 6. If it passes, it will be implemented immediately and will be in effect for a year. The Volusia County Council is also looking to move forward with a county-wide moratorium. That discussion is also happening in January.
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