Developer resolves flooding for Buckingham landowners after Fox 4 steps in

When Buckingham landowners’ yards flooded after construction blocked a drainage ditch, they started seeking solutions.

Part of Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski’s job is to make sure your voices are heard - the builders listened, and took action.

Austin Schargorodski

Inches of water filled the yards on Wednesday. Just two days later, that changed.

“We’re starting to see pockets of areas that had water that no longer have water,” said Michelle Sullivan.

Sullivan said the developer unblocked the drainage ditch early Friday morning as a temporary solution to the flooding.

Austin Schargorodski

You could see the water line left in the ditch, showing how much the water receded It's water that Sullivan’s horses were standing in, making her worry about hoof-rot.

“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and a tremendous amount of relief that they can go back to being horses - out on grass and enjoying the pastures,” said Sullivan.

Austin Schargorodski

After Sullivan and her neighbor had complained to Lee County about flooding, an inspection revealed the contractor did nothing wrong, that the former property owner illegally dug the drainage ditch.

So, Sullivan expressed gratitude over the developers willingness to work on solution.

“They stepped up, reached out, and said ‘We’re gonna’ solve this, we’re gonna’ work on this together.’ We don’t have the final solution to this yet, but we have commitment from them that they’re gonna’ work on one - we appreciate that tremendously," Sullivan said.

Austin Schargorodski

Schargorodski reached out to the developer, GL Homes, about the work being done.

John Asher, director of land development, said they worked with Lee County and the South Florida Water Management District to keep the ditch open all weekend while they pump water to a containment area.

Asher said they aim to adjust their berms to maintain the flow of the ditch, and he expects to have a permanent solution figured out by next week.