EUSTIS, Fla. – Amber Brooke Farms will proceed with its fall festival this weekend despite significant flood damage that destroyed a retaining wall and damaged crops Sunday night.
The flooding tore down a concrete retaining wall and left parts of the farm underwater, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage, according to farm officials.
“We lost our entire retaining wall,” said Caleb Bradley, general manager of Amber Brooke Farms. “Luckily, none of our major infrastructure is damaged, but there’s a lot of cleanup to do. A lot of damage and some damage to the crops as well. Strawberries and the young sunflowers.”
[VIDEO: Flooding caused by over foot of rain washes out roads in Lake County]
Farm workers spent Tuesday cleaning up debris and repairing damaged areas, including the children’s playground which required fresh dirt. Crews worked to salvage remaining crops after flood waters destroyed portions of the strawberry and sunflower fields.
Bradley emphasized that despite the extensive damage, the farm’s fall festival activities will continue as scheduled this weekend.
“We are 100% confident we will be open this Saturday and Sunday,” Bradley said. “All the same offerings, all the tractor rides, the playgrounds, the jump pillows, the food, the donuts. It’ll all be up and running. It may look a little bit different, a little battered, but we’re going to be open.”
[VIDEO: Washed-out major roads shut down indefinitely in Lake County]
The immediate recovery focuses on ensuring visitor safety and restoring damaged areas. “It’s going to require, at a minimum, filling as much as we can back in here and working off to make sure our guests are safe,” Bradley explained.
While the financial impact is significant, Bradley expressed gratitude that no residential structures on the property were affected. “We’re lucky nobody who lives on this farm’s home was damaged,” he said.
The fall festival at Amber Brooke Farms will run for its final two weekends of the season as planned.