Loxahatchee Groves and The Acreage fared well in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Gordon, which swirled through South Florida last weekend.
Loxahatchee Groves Town Manager Bill Underwood said there were few incidents.
“I think we were fine,” Underwood said. “The only report I heard was a tree down on Folsom Road around Collecting Canal, an Australian pine, and the county took care of that. There was no flooding. I didn’t hear of any roads collapsing or troubles — nothing like I’ve heard in the past.”
Underwood added that the rainfall was minimal and easily handled.
“They were coming in like squalls, so it would hit and go away, but I never saw that much. I know that we opened up the gates several times a day if it was to a certain level. We wanted to make sure that nobody flooded. I haven’t heard of anybody having an issue. If there is, I am certain I will hear about it Thursday night,” Underwood said, referring to a Loxahatchee Groves Town Council meeting set for Sept. 6.
The council meeting was rescheduled due to the county’s budget hearing Tuesday evening, and the school district budget hearing on Wednesday. State law forbids municipalities to have budget hearings that conflict with the countywide agencies.
“We were on top of the drainage, and I think that we did OK,” Underwood said. “I know that there are people waiting for me to fall down on my face, but we’ve had the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District since the 26th of June and nobody has drowned yet, and the roads are actually getting better. We’re putting in catch basins. The swales look nice. It’s all looking a little better.”
Indian Trail Improvement District President Betty Argue said that ITID staff was well prepared for the rain.
“I’m not aware of there being any washouts,” Argue said. “I don’t think that there has been any significant flooding anywhere. I think that our staff prepared quite well in advance. I had seen that our canals were drawn down last week. They were drawn down as far as they could be drawn down. In fact, there were people complaining about that, and I explained that there is a system coming in, and that you’ll be grateful that we drained it. So sure enough, we got a lot of rain.”
Argue said she was not aware of any issues.
“Our staff is managing it, and I think they’ve done a phenomenal job this year,” she said. “They’ve been prepared well in advance. They’ve been very proactive. We had all that rain in May, and they’ve been acting very diligently in trying to adjust those problem areas. It’s going to take some [time] to solve all of those problems, but we’ve identified them, and we’re making improvements.”
