Volusia County is moving forward with a major road and drainage project along Orange Camp Road that could bring long-awaited flood relief to the DeLand area.
County leaders are asking council members to select an engineering firm to design the first section of the Orange Camp Road widening project — running from Woodland Boulevard to Kirkaldry Court. The project includes adding retention ponds, expanding lanes and potentially constructing a roundabout. It comes after the county purchased and demolished several homes along the corridor to make way for the improvements, which are located just outside DeLand city limits.
Annette Stengo, who lives near the vacant properties, said the demolitions felt incomplete without a clear follow-up plan.
“At one point they had the hose going from Orange Camp all the way to our rear retention pond,” Stengo said. “So when I saw the houses being knocked down, it was like seemed unfinished, like there needed more to be done.”
Neighbors say the area has struggled with flooding for years. A resident who identified herself only as Sheila described the danger residents face when floodwaters rise.
“People get stuck in the flood sometimes and there’s nowhere we got to go,” she said.
Beyond flood relief, the county says the project is also designed to improve traffic flow and safety along a stretch that has become a major thoroughfare in the DeLand area. Orange Camp Road is currently two lanes but has seen significant growth in use. The county identified it as a top priority among roads countywide needing this type of improvement.
Stengo said the road’s traffic congestion is something she navigates daily.
“With the traffic, sometimes I’ll usually go out that exit because getting out here and turning left sometimes is quite difficult,” she said.
Sheila said the growth happening around DeLand makes the project not just welcome, but necessary.
“I know that this whole area is growing. There’s a lot of houses being built. I’ve been living in DeLand for over 20 years. So I know, you know, it’s growing, which is a good thing but this has to be done,” she said.
If approved at Tuesday’s meeting, engineering will begin the design and permitting phase. The county will still need to negotiate a final contract and bring it back to the council for approval, meaning construction remains some time away. Still, neighbors say the progress is a step in the right direction.