Search for answers continues amid Gotha community flooding

Neighbors join together in search for solutions

GOTHA, Fla. – Several homes in Gotha have been dealing with flooding problems because of Lake Nally.

News 6 first shared residents' concerns in a report last week.

Now, residents living along Lake Nally, as well as nearby Lake Fischer, Gotha Pond and Mills Pond are sharing their stories of flooding in hopes that county leaders will assist in the rising problem.

"We have about two acres under water," Stacey DeHart said.

[RELATED: Flooding problems plague West Orange County neighborhood | Drivers need rescuing after rain causes flooding in Orange County]

Nearby affected homeowner Nancy Doughtry said she and others in the area are just trying to get help.

Representatives with Nehrling Gardens and Camp Ithiel were also on hand Tuesday to discuss how they've lost portions of their properties due to rising water levels they've never seen before.

"What concerns us is it's not raining and the water levels are still rising," Theresa Schretzmann-Myers, vice president at Nehrling Gardens, said.

DeHart and her family, along with neighbors, are fighting back by creating a website called Gotha Floods, detailing the problems and lack of response they say they've had from local leaders.

"We are very disappointed by the response -- or non-response -- we've received from our officials at all levels," she said. "You'd think they would protect you in a time of need, and they've really turned their back on us."

David Boers said something had to have gone wrong along the way. Otherwise, residents wouldn't be seeing such high waters.

"There was a mistake somewhere and somebody needs to own up to it and that's why we're all coming together," Boers said. "If things were really done correctly, nobody should be flooding."

[MORE: I-4 floods again in construction zone, drain blocked again | Drivers rescued after heavy rain causes Orange County roads to flood]

Orange County leaders previously told News 6 that Lake Nally is a private, not a public, water body.

"The county is amenable to discussing options for the homeowners to undertake to alleviate any flooding on Lake Nally Woods Drive," leaders said.

County leaders recently told News 6 they do not have an updated statement, but did expand on their position in a Sept. 9 letter from the assistant county attorney. Read the full letter here.


About the Author

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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