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Palm Coast, Fla. — Some Palm Coast residents say they are experiencing a particular type of flooding that they believe is being caused by new construction around them being built at higher elevations than existing homes.

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What seems to be a quiet corner in London Drive and Lakeview Boulevard in Palm Coast is met with construction noises as a new development moves forward nearby.

The lot right next to where all the construction is happening belongs to homeowner Beverly Taylor.

“They started by coming in and initially taking down all of the trees," she said of the development. "And then what they did was they brought in dirt to build up the land."

Taylor said the project is being built at a higher elevation than existing properties, which is causing flooding in her yard. She said that in the 15 years sh has lived in her home, that has never happened before.

“It floods our whole backside of our yard and it's coming up further and further to our home," she said. "So eventually, if this continues, it will flood our home as well."

As Taylor goes through the pictures that she’s taken of the several times her backyard has flooded, she said she can’t help but feel anxious about the future.

“It's awful. You know, we wonder, are we going to walk out, or we're going to have to buy boots now to walk into our own yard?" she said. "Will we need to concrete the whole thing over causing flooding on neighboring properties?"

Taylor is not alone in this situation: Dozens of other Palm Coast residents have also reported flooding in their yards due to neighboring properties being built at higher elevations.

That’s also the case of Katrina Friel, who said she's been a homeowner in the city of Palm Coast for the past five years. As she walks through her property, points out the damage.

“The grass is starting to rot. The yard is eroding," she said. "So, we have actual basins now, because when the water flows out the front, it ends up going into a gully over there, which is not a real gully, but it's created a gully."

She said even with a light rain, her yard floods. Over the last three years, Friel said it’s gotten even worse, because as the soil eroded, her backyard is holding more water.

“The last time it rained, the water came all the way up to here," she said. "And when I opened the door, the mat got wet, so the water was starting to come in."

She said due to the erosion of her yard, she's had to bring new soil in and put French drains in place, which she said will cost around $10,000.

“This is a situation that isn't standard in homeownership, that they would build a house to a higher grade around you," she said. "And I’m scared of what's going to happen to the next lot. And with so many new houses being built on the street, everything's flowing down to this end of the street."

Friel said she is not opposed to new development, but she would like the city to take care of the existing homeowners whose properties are experiencing yard flooding issues.

“Bottom line, some kind of grant for people suffering through this right now to help alleviate some of the costs," she said. "Give back to the homeowners who are already here."

Spectrum News reached out to the city of Palm Coast to ask about how it handles water management, especially in new developments. In an email, Brittany N. Kershaw, the city's director of communications and marketing,​​​​ gave the following response:

“We understand the importance of ensuring that new developments are designed with the safety and well-being of nearby residents in mind.

Lakeview Estates is a brand-new subdivision, and as such, it has its own stormwater management system designed to handle the site’s stormwater needs. The City of Palm Coast carefully reviews and approves development plans, including stormwater management. Additionally, new developments are required to obtain a permit from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), which imposes strict guidelines on how stormwater is handled.

Under SJRWMD rules, any new development must treat and retain all stormwater on-site, and the discharge from the property cannot exceed the same discharge rate that existed when the land was in its natural, undeveloped state. The stormwater is collected in retention ponds and other stormwater management control measures that are part of the development's dedicated stormwater system, ensuring it is managed effectively and is only discharged at predevelopment rates.

We understand the importance of maintaining proper stormwater control, and we take these concerns seriously.”