EDGEWATER, Fla. – Edgewater residents living in the Florida Shores neighborhood believe all the new developments in the area are causing their streets to flood every time a heavy rain rolls in. Many say this problem didn’t start until those new properties were built three years ago.

Richard Loveless, who lives on Lime Tree Drive, said the flooding has worsened over time.

“The problem has become worse and worse,” Loveless said. “And this is not a hurricane or anything, but it’s a simple downflow of rain.”

After a major downpour Friday, Loveless’ street once again filled with rainwater, forcing drivers to plow through flooded areas to avoid road closures.

“They create the wakes and they splash the water up even further,” Loveless added.

Chuck Martin, another Edgewater resident, said poor maintenance and aging infrastructure are part of the problem.

“We’ve had a lack of maintenance for a long time,” Martin said. “And these ditches down here, they just don’t flow anymore.” He also believes recent development has made things worse.

“The water can’t go that way anymore, so it has to try to find a different way to go,” Martin said. “This area never flooded like that.”

Mayor Diezel Depew agreed that new development has played a major role. “I think development 100% added to this because you’re adding more concrete, which means you’re adding more stormwater,” Depew said.

Depew, whose family has lived in the area for generations, said he’s personally seen the change.

“Unfortunately, over the span of three years, they’ve flooded twice. She’s flooded three times. It can’t continue,” Depew said.

To address the problem, the city is unveiling a new stormwater master plan in December.

In the meantime, Depew said the city has purchased two pumps and has crews clearing culverts and ditches.

“The 18th Street Canal and our retention areas are receding because we’re pumping that area,” he said. “We got $1 million from Tallahassee to go toward our stormwater infrastructure for our canals, which are full.”

With more rain potentially on the way this weekend, residents like Loveless are hoping those efforts make a difference.

“I see that they’re trying to dig out the ditches and try to make everything better,” he said. “But here we are with water standing, and it’s just not great.”