LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Lake County is set to hold a second public meeting for its Vulnerability Assessment through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida Program on Thursday.
The meeting comes just weeks after parts of the county experienced 14 to 19 inches of rain that caused road washouts and carved out ravines.
[WATCH: Road repairs underway after rain in Lake County]
The project began in December 2024. The study aims to identify critical areas and infrastructure that may be vulnerable to flooding.
“This event that happened, you know, earlier in October, really just underscores the importance of doing these kinds of events and the hazard vulnerability assessment,” said Megan Milanese, Emergency Management director for Lake County.
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The county is taking a proactive approach to protect against future flooding events.
“This is supposed to address possible flooding 50 years into the future,” Milanese said.
According to the county, the study supplements ongoing work by identifying critical local and regional assets that are exposed and sensitive to flooding due to rainfall. It will identify geographic and infrastructure focus areas and allow the county to develop actionable steps to address vulnerabilities.
“Then obviously those have to be analyzed for cost benefit and what it makes sense for us to invest into. And then from there, it actually opens us up to additional funding from the state in order to tackle some of those projects,” Milanese said.
During the October flooding event, the city of Mount Dora experienced a water main break that led to a nearly week-long boil water notice throughout the entire city.
In Eustis, a road washout in the Spring Ridge Estates neighborhood threatened city utilities including a sewer line and nearby lift station. The county confirms both incidents would fall into the project’s guidelines.
“While we don’t necessarily have that tidal influence, we don’t necessarily have the coastal influence, we are still looking at just where is water going to be going? What are our vulnerable spots?” Milanese said.
The meeting will take place Thursday, Nov. 13, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Training Room A at the Lake County Agriculture Center along Woodlea Road in Tavares.
The county emphasizes that this assessment focuses solely on infrastructure and critical areas prone to flooding, not personal homes.
If you would like to submit feedback for the assessment, click here.