West Palm Beach woman says flood fix damaged her garden, could cost $40K

A West Palm Beach woman says work intended to address flooding along Flagler Drive has instead sent water onto her property, damaging a garden she has spent years building and potentially leaving her with a repair bill of up to $40,000.

After she said her calls to the city went unanswered, Luann Parmelee turned to WPTVs Michael Hoffman for help. Hoffman contacted the city and learned officials say the work is not finished because flooding has delayed its completion.

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Parmelee, an artist and gardener, has lived at her West Palm Beach home for nearly 15 years.

Her property and garden are something she calls her oasis.

You see how seriously I take it, Parmelee told Hoffman.

And she said flooding was never a serious problem on her street before.

It never flooded before in the street, Parmelee said. Now, I mean, its over the swale.

Video provided by Parmelee shows flooding in front of her home during heavy rain and a King tide.

Parmelee told Hoffman that West Palm Beach performed work last month aimed at addressing flooding along Flagler Drive. But she says that work has made the situation worse at her home.

After recently redoing her garden and installing new plants, Parmelee said flooding damaged the area.

I had just put in, redone the garden, put in the beautiful new plantings, and you see what it looks like, Parmelee said. Now I got to hire a professional to come in and make it so that it wont flood. Thats expensive.

Hoffman asked her how much contractors were quoting her for the work.

With everything, including permitting, this can run up to $40,000, Parmelee said.

The $40,000 figure is Parmelees estimate of what private work could cost to protect the property from future flooding.

Parmelee said she tried contacting the city about the problem but wasn't getting answers.

So she called WPTV.

Hoffman contacted a West Palm Beach representative to ask what happened and when the work would be completed.

The city told Hoffman the project is not finished. According to the city, flooding itself has prevented crews from completing the work intended to address the flooding.

For Parmelee, what matters now is whether finishing that work solves the problem at her home. Adding that it's expected to be finished within a month.

Well wait and see if they do the remediation again, Parmelee told Hoffman. I dont know if they will.

Hoffman told the city he plans to follow up in a month to see whether the work has been completed.