Seminole County Begins Drainage Construction to Ease Midway Neighborhood Flooding

Decades of standing water and flooded driveways pushed Bettenhausen to make a ritual of picking up trash that collected in the ditch in front of her Midway home after every heavy rain. That routine may soon be over. Seminole County crews began construction this week on the Midway Drainage Improvement Project, a phased overhaul of the stormwater system serving the neighborhood north of Orlando-Sanford International Airport that locals say has been neglected for generations.

"I'll be really happy when they get this done and it'll stop the flooding and I won't have to do all this again, so that'll be nice," Bettenhausen said.

The work involves installing new stormwater pipes, inlets and ponds, improving roadside swales and drainage systems, all to increase the capacity and reliability of Midway's drainage system during heavy rainfall. Project manager Jeff Sloman described the scope as "the construction of new storm drain structures, upsized storm drain piping, and also new stormwater management ponds." A formal groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for March 25.

The sense of urgency runs deep in the community. Hurricane Ian left flooded roads and yards throughout Midway, and resident Timothy Wright said any intense rain still risks swamped streets and homes. His ask was simple: "Hopefully it just don't flood no more." Emory Green, Jr., executive director of the Midway Coalition, put the stakes more bluntly. "It's bad, it's so bad," he said, "like messing up a lot of houses."

Funding for the project draws from federal, state and local sources. According to Seminole County's figures, $3.5 million comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, $8.5 million from state grant funding, $9.5 million from the county's One Cent Infrastructure sales tax, and $6.5 million from the county's general fund. Published cost estimates have varied, with one report citing approximately $26 million and another placing the figure closer to $30 million; Seminole County has not publicly reconciled those totals.

Before construction can advance across all affected parcels, the county must secure access from property owners throughout Midway. Commissioners have already approved easement agreements with about a dozen landowners. Neil Newton, Seminole County's real estate management supervisor, said the county was still in talks with roughly 50 additional property owners. Sloman clarified that the county is not seeking to purchase land outright. "What we have to do is not acquire the property from the community, but acquire the rights to use the property through an easement," he said.

The project is structured in phases and is not expected to wrap quickly. County officials described it as a multi-year effort, though one conditional estimate put potential completion as early as 2027 if the project stays on schedule. Once each segment of drainage work is finished, the county plans to repave the affected roads. Spokesperson Andy Wontor confirmed that "those roads will be a part of the repaving program, paid for by the Penny Sales Tax, upon completion of those segments."

For a neighborhood where thousands of homes were built with little accompanying investment in drainage infrastructure, the project represents the most substantial public works intervention Midway has seen.