Lake Monroe basin study shows 24 areas of concern

Over the past few months Seminole County officials have been updating residents on potential fixes for insufficient drainage areas along certain basins.

The Lake Monroe basin study began in 2020, but has since been amplified following last year's hurricanes Ian and Nicole, which caused severe flooding.

Experts say it is important to note that the downtown Sanford portion of Lake Monroe that saw major flooding is not part of the study.

Officials say the study found 24 areas of concern that have insufficient drainage.

Area residents say flooding is a concern.

“We are at a low point right now,” said Joe McKinney, who lives on a boat on Lake Monroe. “I haven’t seen it much lower than that. high point is it gets to the seawall up here.”

He said it was rough riding out Hurricane Ian last year.

“It was really rocky,” McKinney said. “The water, of course, was coming up real quick, and you were just rocking back and forth.”

Ian left its mark in more ways than one. Pilings and trees with water lines are still visible from when the waters were at flood levels.

During the storm, water entered Lake Monroe from communities like Judy McMickle’s, who said it took days for the water on her property to eventually find its way to Lake Monroe. Her problem, however, is it doesn’t take a hurricane to see flooding in her part of the county off Michigan Avenue