VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – As Florida prepares for hurricane season, one Volusia County couple is spending thousands to protect their property before another big storm.
Over the years, the bank of the retention pond behind their home has severely eroded, driving the pond dangerously close to their property.
Norman and Barbara Blodgett said they are in a race against the clock.
“We’re at the end of the rope, you may say,” Norman Blodgett said.
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The land separating his home from a retention pond has gotten smaller and smaller. He said the progression has been slow but steady.
“If we didn’t do what we’re doing right now, God only knows what would prevail,” he told News 6.
The couple bought the home in 2004 and started seeing changes in 2009.
In 2020, News 6 reported on the problem while the backyard was on a full slant.
Three years later, back-to-back hurricanes haven’t helped.
“It’s creeping up more and more on our Florida room,” the couple said.
Their homeowner’s insurance company hired an engineering firm to investigate and write a report.
“The north pond bank, south of the Blodgett residence, was unstable,” according to the report.
The reason was “long-term erosion from currents, turbulence, and stormwater runoff,” the report explains.
The report also confirmed the Blodgetts’ biggest fear.
“If the erosion continues, it could result in catastrophic failure of the lanai structural elements,” according to the report.
The foundation has already started to shift.
Jesse McClendon is a manager with Ram Jack Foundation repair, the company the Blodgetts hired to stabilize his property.
The foundation of their lanai has sunk 4 inches in the back close to the retention pond, according to McClendon.
“In this corner, I got a negative 3.8, so that’s right at 4 inches low,” McClendon said.
“We had to draw the line and say it’s time to do something before anything actually happens, where we lose our Florida room,” Norman Blodgett said.
First, the company digs holes next to the foundation and then inserts helical piles into the ground.
Next, they drill them until they hit solid ground. In this case, it was 10 feet.
They secured a bracket that supports the foundation, and they installed four of the piles across the back of the home to lift the foundation and secure it.
Blodgett’s property insurance is not covering it because they said the problem is caused by the retention pond, so it is $7,000 out of pocket.
Blodgett and his wife said there is no other option but to get results for themselves.
“We have to,” Norman Blodgett said. “If anything happens, we don’t want to lose our Florida room and possibly do more damage to inside the house.”
Norman Blodgett’s Homeowners Association documents clearly state the HOA is responsible for maintaining common areas, which include retention ponds.
He said he tried for years to get the board to do something, like install a retaining wall, but it never happened.
Florida has more than 70,000 retention ponds.
They’re designed to prevent flooding and remove pollutants from storm runoff.
They are in many neighborhoods and often behind homes.
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