ORANGE CITY, Fla. — Months after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, many people in are still feeling the effects of the storm, particularly in Volusia County. 

What You Need To Know

  • Some residents along Miller Road in Volusia County say they're still feeling the effects of Hurricane Milton
  • Reese Linton, whose property is adjacent to Miller Lake, says be is still dealing with flooding from the storm

  • For a long time, he said the flooding affected his ability to access running water from the well on his property
  • In November, Volusia County officials started to pump out the water with help from the city of DeBary, but those efforts stopped in February.

For Reese Linton, he dealt with flooding on his property along Miller Road. 

He said the rising water left his well inoperable, which left him without running water.  Linton said his day-to-day life is getting easier now that his well is back in operation.

“Life getting back to normal is great," he said. "We’re just worried about hurricane season coming up."

He said the sound of running water is music to his ears, because he didn't have it for so long.  

“It’s really tough roughing it, going outside, getting buckets of water, not being able to shower, having to carry water upstairs,” Linton said. 

He said he doesn’t know what the future holds, but he’s afraid that if something isn't done, the situation could happen again.

“It feels like a ruse," he said. "But seeing more and more of our land get taken over by water, our private property, just really has added to the frustration of this whole situation with water being dumped on us."

He and other residents say they believe runoff stormwater from nearby business developments is making matters worse. 

He’s relieved his property is somewhat back to normal, but said there is still a long way to go. Of the 5 acres that make up his property, he said 3.5 acres are still underwater.

"Water just comes here and sits,” Linton said. “The amount of flooding is just amazing," he added. We were completely unprepared for this."

And Linton said it was help from a neighbor that went a long way. 

“The solution we came up with our well underwater and no water access was to attach 300-foot hoses from our outside faucet all the way to our neighbors house to their outside faucet," he said. "We turned on both spickets, and thankfully we were able to get water access."

With hurricane season approaching, Linton is trying to work with local leaders to ensure his home and his neighborhood are less exposed to flooding. 

“We have been asking — we have been imploring Volusia County, the city of Orange City, St. Johns River Management, to help us remove this water,” he said. 

A statement from the city of Orange City said, in part, that officials are actively collaborating with Volusia County on a water basin study which could identify potential solutions for lakefront property owners.

Officials with the St. Johns River Water Management District told Spectrum News 13 that they have received notice from an attorney representing several residents in the Miller Lake that potential claims are being investigated. The district officials did not give further comment.

Reese is one of the residents represented in the lawsuit.

In November, Volusia County officials started to pump out the water with help from the city of DeBary, but those efforts stopped in February.

Volusia County officials said their counterparts at the city of DeBary requested they halt pumping operations to allow their borrow pit, where the water was pumped into, to recover.

County leaders say the pumping caused the water level in Miller Lake to be reduced by approximately 6 feet.