LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Nearly fifteen years after devastating floods wrecked North Loxahatchee during Tropical Storm Isaac, a brand-new levee is finally complete — taller, wider, and safer than ever.
WATCH BELOW: 'We watched it breach. It was like a waterfall,' Everett Mitchell tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
The failed levee back in 2012 left homes underwater, roads impassable, and residents stranded for days.
For people in the area, the memory isn’t just history — it’s personal.
“I think we have peace of mind that levee will hold up,” said Betty Argue, a longtime advocate for getting the project done.
A Disaster That Couldn’t Be Ignored
Argue, with the Indian Trail Improvement District (ITID), remembers the uphill battle to secure funding for a critical upgrade.
She told WPTV funding never got final budget approval claiming lawmakers didn't see the project as a priority.
“Everybody said that was a 100 year storm — I think it was worse than that,” she said. “It seems that our 100 year storms are coming more often than 100 years, they’re coming more frequent. And the more development you have, the more demand on drainage that you have. So it was a huge risk for our community and it was something I could not ignore.”
In 2013, the state appropriated $4 million for Phase I, protecting mostly agricultural land. But the eastern portion — the section shielding neighborhoods — was left incomplete when funding dried up.
It would take years of lobbying, partnerships, and persistence from multiple organizations, local/state officials and residents to finally secure the $10.4 million needed for Phase II, which stretches in total over 5 miles and now completes the levee system.
Front-Row Seats to Disaster
Everett Mitchell still remembers watching from his front porch as the old levee collapsed during Isaac.
“We watched it breach. It was like a waterfall,” Mitchell said. “The band of rain — it came right through here, and it just kept coming, it kept coming and kept coming. We didn’t know when it was going to stop, and you couldn’t take a bucket and bail it out either.”
Water poured into homes, from his home south, trapping neighbors inside. Some escaped on boats and canoes.
“There were places down there where the water was 2-3 feet into their houses, so yeah, it was devastating,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell attended the ribbon cutting ceremony calling the new levee “beautiful,” but says there’s still work to be done.
“The wind can blow, but it ain’t gonna knock us down. That is a beautiful levee, but we still have some weak spots that need to be taken care of.”
What's Next in Flood Protection
The new levee also provides a road across the canal for vehicles and bikers.
Improvements aren't stopping at the levee. Work is underway for a water control gate on the M-0 Canal — a kind of adjustable floodgate that lets water managers control flow into the L-8 Canal managed by the South Florida Water Management District.
Right now, water flows freely with no regulation. Once complete, this gate will help manage flooding, conserve water during dry seasons, and give local officials more control during heavy rains.
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