Water levels rising across Seminole County

Boating advisory issued, boat ramps close in Sanford, Geneva​

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – From the main roads to the backyards, the water is rising in Seminole County.

Two county boat ramps are closed and Tina Boyles, a server at Jolly Gator Fish Camp in Geneva, fears the boat ramp where she works will be the third.

"The water's getting pretty high," Boyles said. "Every day since Mother's Day, it has rained, usually good downpours with probably an inch to two inches."

The C.S. Lee Park Boat Ramp on the St. Johns River was closed for two months after Hurricane Irma and the restaurant lost thousands of dollars in sales.

After 22 years living on Lake Harney, Mark Woods is again seeing flooding.

"It's at 7.7 feet, and we've seen it up to 11.2," Woods said.

The Lake Harney Circle resident said Tropical Storm Faye in 2008 was the worst, and the water right now is just a few feet shy of where it was after Hurricane Irma last year.

"It got up to 10.2 feet, which is right about that line there. Everything we're standing on would be flooded," Woods said. "We've been discussing that throughout the neighborhood, that we're in a bad posture for another hurricane."

The county's emergency management office issued a boating advisory warning boaters to be cautious as lakes Harney, Jessup, and Monroe are all swelling.

"Mullet Lake is closed down right now, so that will increase boat traffic to our area," Boyles said.

The Mullet Lake Park and Wayside Park boat ramps remain closed until further notice.

As part of the boating advisory, the office of emergency management is asking boaters to take it slow out on the water and to stay mindful of debris and other objects that may be harder to see due to higher water levels.


About the Author

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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