EUSTIS, Fla. — Families displaced after the collapse of a bridge in the residential community of Spring Ridge Estates are finally seeing movement from city leaders to help begin repairs and relieve the crisis.
On Thursday, the City Council of Eustis unanimously approved an emergency resolution to allocate funds for rebuilding infrastructure after the destructive storms swept through the region nearly two weeks ago. At the meeting, Commissioner Michael Holland motioned to approve “Resolution 25-97,” prompting the vote to begin the emergency funding process.
The storms that hit Central Florida on October 26 brought more than 19 inches of rain in some places in just hours. The torrential downpour caused the bridge at Spring Ridge Estates, the only access point in and out of the subdivision, to partially collapse, forcing more than 20 homes to be evacuated and families to seek temporary housing. “We’re one of the families that were evacuated,” said Robert Roorbach, who has been displaced since. “I’m expecting that this engineer’s report is going to tell us what happened. And then somebody has to figure out how we’re going to fix it.”
He and his wife have been staying with relatives since the evacuation order. During the council discussion, Commissioner George Asbate expressed concern about using city funds for work on a privately owned bridge. “They’re all our community, but when you add private, it changes a lot of the guidelines,” Asbate said. “And we are putting ourselves in danger as a commission legally.”
Still, leaders agreed the situation warranted immediate action. Although a final dollar amount for the project has not yet been released, pending engineering studies and insurance evaluations by the homeowners’ association (HOA), the residents will receive city-backed emergency support to cover the repairs.
The community’s nonprofit partner, Lake Support & Emergency Recovery (LASER), has been covering hotel stays and other relief efforts for displaced families.
Residents are expected to repay the city-issued funds within five to seven years once insurance claims are finalized. The repair work itself is estimated to take about two weeks once contractors are cleared to begin. “I just hope it gets done,” Roorbach said. “Legally and quickly.”
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