ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County officials say they are 95% finished with their $23 million Orlo Vista mitigation project, which has tripled the capacity of the retention ponds to hold water.
“We are confident that this system will perform the way it is designed, which will provide protection for a 100-year event. We’ve already seen something similar to that with Milton,” Orange County Public Works Public Relations and Outreach Specialist Darrell Moody said.
Construction began in 2023 and Moody explained that all three ponds are now 12 feet deeper and connected through pumps, pipes and inlets.
This allows for better water management.
“The reason we did that was so that we can draw the levels down in advance of an incoming weather system,” he noted.
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Julius Amos, a resident of Orlo Vista, shared his thoughts on the project.
“I’m proud of what they’re doing. I am not complaining, and I thank God,” Amos said.
Amos recounted the struggles he faced recovering from Hurricane Ian.
“Our house was flooded and messed up, then the insurance company didn’t want to pay off. It took me 4 to 3 months before I got my pay from my insurance company, and I had to get a lawyer for what I did get,” he said. “You’ll see houses still in this neighborhood haven’t been repaired since the last flood, and a lot of them got torn down.”
Having lived in his home for 34 years, Amos hopes the project will protect his property for years to come.
“It looks good, and it looks like they’re doing a beautiful job. I just hope it holds up,” he said.
Orange County has approved a federal $12.6 million grant for equipment to collect and treat some of the floodwater for reuse in irrigation, storage for later use, or to recharge the aquifer.
Moody mentioned that they expect to fully complete the Orlo Vista Mitigation Project in July.