November 7, 2025
Eustis Commits Up to $700K to Rebuild Collapsed Culvert, Help Families Return Home
By Frank Stanfield
Eustis Commits Up to $700K to Rebuild Collapsed Culvert, Help Families Return Home
The city of Eustis is going “full throttle” to fix the culvert system collapse that forced the evacuation of 21 families in the Spring Ridge Estates neighborhood when nearly 20 inches of rain fell in four hours, Fire Chief Mike Swanson announced at a press conference Friday.
The City Commission voted 5-0 Thursday to pay contractors an estimated $500,000 to $700,000 to install new pipes and a crossing.
“The HOA asked for help, and we didn’t want to wait,” Chief Swanson says, referring to the homeowner group’s insurance, state or federal help.
Commissioners at first wondered if it was legal to help the private association. But the storm damage threatened a wastewater lift station that serves over 120 homes, and if that failed, it could have dumped sewage into the environment.
Eustis Fire Chief Mike Swanson speaks at a press conference on Friday. Photo by Frank Stanfield.
The city immediately shut off water to the area, which averted catastrophic damage to the water main, Chief Swanson says.
“Once this event occurred, the city staff jumped in right away,” says Mayor Willie Hawkins. “The city is supporting the HOA and making sure that in a couple of weeks 21 families will be able to get back into their homes.”
Photo by Dean Simmons II.
Nine families were initially put up in hotels. That number has been reduced to six, with the rest staying with friends or relatives, including people within the community.
Residents can return to gather a few things but can’t stay. Hopefully, the evacuation will end around Nov. 13, before Thanksgiving.
The city will be reimbursed, Chief Swanson says. Contractors are already at work on the site, and pipes were delivered Friday.
Photo by Dean Simmons II.
“We’re not putting the pretty brick back,” Chief Swanson said of the bridge. “That’s up to the HOA, but the contractor is putting down three inches of asphalt.”
The storm hit Oct. 26, and first responders were busy rescuing people from cars and homes. “The firemen were asking, ‘Where do we put these people?’ I said to bring them to the fire station. I’ve never done that,” Chief Swanson says.
The culvert system collapsed Oct. 30, several days after the storm.
Photo by Dean Simmons II.
The extreme weather also caused road closures on Hazzard Avenue from Mary Street to Prescott Street, and on Palmetto Street from Sims Place to Gottsche Avenue.
Reporters asked about the quality of Spring Ridge Estates’ infrastructure, which is 20 years old. The engineering was sound, Chief Swanson says.
“This was a crazy event,” he says. “Did things fail? Yes, they did fail, but how many things are built to take 20 inches of rain in four hours?”
The storm has been classified as a 1,000-year event.
It also caused massive damage in Mount Dora, forcing the evacuation of residents at Waterman Village and destroying the bridge and parts of Donnelly Avenue.
Frank Stanfield has been a journalist for more than 40 years, including as an editor and reporter for the Daily Commercial, Orlando Sentinel and Ocala Star-Banner. He has written three books, “Unbroken: The Dorothy Lewis Story,” “Vampires, Gators and Wackos, A Florida Newspaperman’s Story,” and “Cold Blooded, A True Crime Story of a Murderous Teenage Cult.” He has appeared on numerous national and international broadcasts, including Discovery ID, Oxygen and Court TV. He maintains a blog at frankestanfield.com. Stanfield graduated with a political science degree from the University of North Florida and a master’s in journalism at the University of Georgia.
