Patricia Fahlbusch bought a house on Buenaventura Lakes about 15 years ago. It was meant to be her safe haven.

  • Flooding issues persist in Buenaventura Lakes neighborhood
  • 1 homeowner said she's worried if any more rain comes

"I fell in love with the house," Fahlbusch said.

Holding a picture frame, she explained what her backyard looked like just two to three years ago.

"This was my first fence, and it was not in water," she said. "Now you turn around and look, you can't see half the fence."

Fahlbusch said she's slowly losing property to the pond in her backyard as water keeps coming closer. She said the first fence is now underwater — something that wasn't the case years ago.

After Hurricane Irma, the first floor of Fahlbusch's home flooded. The situation then worsened.

"You couldn't see the pool, you couldn't see the patio, you couldn't see nothing but lake," she said.

Her bedroom floor was uprooted because of the flooding. Now, her living room walls are filled with mold. Fahlbusch's family from Wisconsin is helping, but they're worried about the woman's health because she has a lung disease.

"This is all more than an inconvenience," Fahlbusch said.

Osceola County officials said some of the issues predate the county's management. For almost a year, the county has conducted a study to look at the pond system as a whole. Officials said they are trying to find a long-term solution for everyone affected.

Carmelo Garcia, a community advocate and the president of Christians & Christians in Action, said something needs to get done soon for the 12-15 families.

"They're losing land, they're losing money, they are losing time," he said. "It's not fair to them. They pay their taxes, they vote, they are your constituents. It's time to do something about it."

A spokesperson for the county said this is the type of project that a stormwater utility fee could be used to address — something commissioners are exploring.

Fahlbusch said she's just afraid her home won't survive another hurricane.

"We need the sea wall and we need it now because any rain storms come, because we're going to keep getting flooding," she said.

Labor alone for Fahlbusch's home repairs is estimated to cost $75,000 and it could take months to complete.