OVIEDO, Fla. – What if you could know your home was going to flood — and how badly — before it actually does?
The City of Oviedo is weighing whether to invest more than $216,000 in a real-time flood forecasting system that aims to answer that question. On Monday evening, the city council will vote on the proposal: spend $216,018.56 on software and engineering services that could predict flooding days before a storm makes landfall. But not everyone is convinced it’s money well spent — including the mayor.
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What the technology does
The system, called FloodWise™, is a software-as-a-service platform developed by Winter Springs-based Streamline Technologies, Inc. (SLT). It works by tracking specific “flood risk points” — locations like roadway intersections, homes and critical infrastructure — and forecasting whether they’ll flood in real time and up to several days into the future.
When modeled water levels reach a warning threshold, the system flags the location in orange on a dashboard. When levels hit an alert threshold, the indicator turns red — giving emergency managers a clear, visual picture of where to act first.
The technology isn’t new to Central Florida. SLT previously developed a FloodWise system for Orange County using the same Econ River basin model. During Hurricane Ian, the platform predicted flooding hotspots in Orlo Vista three days before the actual flooding occurred, allowing the county to issue evacuation notices faster.
Oviedo’s focus area: the Econ River, Sweetwater Creek
The Oviedo system would cover approximately 9.3 square miles of the city that falls within the Big and Little Econlockhatchee (Econ) River watersheds — areas with a well-documented history of flooding.
“The Econ River and Sweetwater Creek both have histories,” said Mayor Megan Sladek. “They carry water in massive quantities towards Lake Jesup, and there’s no way to get to that body of water except through these natural flooding rivers.”
Documents attached to Monday’s city council agenda show the engineering and technical work would be led by Ardurra Group, Inc., one of the city’s continuing civil engineering consultants, with SLT serving as a subconsultant. The project is expected to take approximately 18 months from the notice to proceed.
Mayor pulls item for discussion, questions return on investment
The proposal was originally placed on the consent agenda — a block of items typically approved without debate. Sladek pulled it, putting it up for open discussion and a separate vote.
Her reason? She’s not sure if the investment is worth it.
“It’s a cool thing, and it’s a fun-sounding gadget to have,” Sladek said. “And if it was free, I’d say, ‘yes, let’s do this thing.’ But when we were talking about trying to cut the fat, I would say that giving people a couple more hours or detail about how badly they’ll flood, like if you flood one inch or you flood three feet, what’s it matter?”
Sladek pointed to Hurricane Ian as an example of hard-learned lessons — and said the city may already know enough from experience alone.
“I look at this and think, ‘Well, the rain is coming. We can’t stop the rain. We saw what Ian did.’ Maybe we can anecdotally remember that, yes, these places will flood,” she said.
“We recommended people evacuate during Ian. And some people just didn’t do it, because we had no data,” Sladek added. “Now that there is data, there is a predictive model.”
She encouraged residents with strong opinions to show up and speak.
“If people think it’s a great idea, and they really want to have a lot of detail about the extent of flooding, they should come and speak out in favor of it,” she said.
Building on existing models — and saving money in the process
One of the key selling points of the FloodWise™ platform is its ability to build on modeling work Oviedo has already paid for. According to Streamline Technologies President Gregory Sauter, the system’s StormWise hydrology and hydraulics engine is the only one capable of directly importing the city’s existing HC-SWMM models — potentially saving hundreds of thousands of dollars by avoiding a full rebuild.
Seminole County also recently completed an updated Big and Little Econ Basin Study, which Ardurra would incorporate into the new system. The result: a more accurate, current model without starting from scratch.
How it would be paid for
The $216,018.56 project cost would be covered through a combination of existing stormwater funds and a budget amendment. The FY 2025-26 Stormwater Fund (Fund 410) includes $99,750 in professional services already earmarked for the system. An additional $76,269 from the stormwater basin studies professional services account would be redirected to the project, and a $40,000 budget amendment — transferring funds from the Stormwater Repairs and Maintenance account — would cover the remainder.
The FloodWise™ platform was advertised as a sole source purchase on Vendorlink on Dec. 9, 2025. No competing vendors responded.
A tip from the mayor — storm season or not
Regardless of how the council votes, Sladek had a practical reminder for all Oviedo residents.
“Take pictures of your house and take a live video of your house every year,” she said. “So you have something documented — what was my house like before the hurricane came — and do it now, so it’s uploaded and safe before a storm comes.”
The Oviedo City Council meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall at 400 Alexandria Blvd.