Osceola County just landed more than $13 million in FEMA hazard-mitigation funding, split between two big-ticket infrastructure projects: roughly $10.03 million to overhaul drainage in the Buenaventura Lakes subdivision in Kissimmee and about $3.06 million to reinforce traffic signals across the county. County officials say the drainage project is meant to improve stormwater discharge and bring down peak pond levels, while the signal work will swap out vulnerable span-wire setups for sturdier mast-arm poles so intersections keep working during hurricanes. U.S. Rep. Darren Soto announced the awards today.
Rep. Soto sells the projects as safety upgrades
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto rolled out the funding news and zeroed in on the safety angle. In a statement to ClickOrlando, Soto said "we need to make sure that our traffic system is safe," pointing to the signal work as a way to move away from the "dangly wires" that tend to fail in storms. The station reported more than $13 million total, along with the line-item amounts set aside for the drainage and signal projects.
How the Buenaventura Lakes drainage overhaul is supposed to work
The Buenaventura Lakes plan calls for dual 8-by-6-foot box culverts, a new positive outfall, and upstream canal upgrades to send water toward East Lake Tohopekaliga, according to One Osceola. County project materials say those improvements are expected to remove 142 homes from flooding in a modeled 100-year storm event. Officials add that the work should lower peak pond stages and cut both road and structural damage. As detailed in an Osceola County public notice, the project is moving forward under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and a draft environmental assessment was prepared by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Signal upgrades built for 150 mph winds
On the traffic side, the grant includes about $3,060,716.57 for wind-protection retrofits at five intersections and 13 traffic-control devices. The plan is to convert span-wire-mounted signals to mast-arm poles, so signals stay operational in severe weather. Officials told ClickOrlando that the new equipment will be designed to withstand winds up to 150 mph and will meet Florida Department of Transportation standards. County engineers say hardening the signals reduces the risk of dark intersections during evacuations and helps first responders move faster after storms.
What happens next for residents
Design work and permit submission for the Buenaventura outfall are already complete, but county officials say actual construction still depends on final federal contracting and scheduling. The county’s public notice explains that the draft environmental assessment was available for public comment and includes contact information for questions, and FEMA’s environmental documents for the project are posted online. Local officials did not provide a construction start date in the announcement.
