02:32 Rising Lakes Threatening to Destroy a Florida Community At least three lakes in Gotha, Florida, are rising and no one knows why it’s happening or how to fix it.

At a Glance Several lakes in the area are overflowing onto adjacent property.

At least three residents have been forced out of their homes due to the flooding.

It's not clear what's causing the water to rise. Paul DeHart and his wife bought what seemed like a dream home in 2017, situated on a 4.5-acre picturesque lakefront lot outside of Orlando, Florida.

Even better for Florida, the home wasn't in a designated flood zone.

Two years later, the dream has turned to a nightmare as rising water from the lake inundates their land and moves dangerously close to their home and others in the neighborhood.

DeHart estimates he's lost about two acres of his property to the water so far. Others have had it worse.

"We have two neighbors right next to us that are underwater and they've had to leave their homes," DeHart told weather.com Tuesday.

A third nearby resident, affected by a different body of water that is also flooding, has also had to move.

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DeHart and his neighbors live in the small community of Gotha, about 11 miles west of downtown Orlando. Much of Central Florida is dotted with lakes and ponds, and Gotha is no different.

DeHart estimates the water has risen about 15 feet on Lake Nally, adjacent to where his home sits, since he bought the property. Fischer Lake, also nearby, and two large ponds in the community have the same problem, he said.

Photos posted on the Gotha Floods Facebook page and a website set up by DeHart show standing water in a home and the aftermath of flooding.

It's not clear what's causing the water to rise, or how to fix it. DeHart and others have a few theories, including runoff from nearby roadways and the construction of a new subdivision on land that was filled in and raised higher. Those issues and others were highlighted in an engineering report earlier this year.

Orange County officials have been aware of the problem since at least 2007, when a study commissioned by the county stormwater management division indicated that flooding was affecting one home in particular in the Gotha area. The study noted that the four bodies of water in the community are landlocked, with no drainage. It looked at the feasibility of connecting them, and putting a drain well near Lake Nally.

No action was taken.

Florida's rainy season runs from about May to October, but the state has experienced periods of extended drought over the last two decades. Drought conditions have eased in the past couple of years, though, as rainfall has increased.

"By the end of last year's rainy season, the lake had gone up about 6 feet," DeHart said. "And then during the dry season, it didn't really recede much. And as soon as the rainy season hit this year, it started right where it left off and went up about another six feet."

DeHart said he and others have repeatedly contacted Orange County officials who have told them that Lake Nally is private property and therefore not the responsibility of local government. In recent weeks, the county has expressed an interest in working with homeowners on a solution.

The Orange County Property Appraiser's Office said this week that research shows the lake is jointly owned by several entities , including residents and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

"We understand and share concern with the residents regarding water levels in Gotha. As you can imagine, it's a very complex issue," County Commissioner Betsy VanderLey, whose district includes Gotha, said in a statement issued to the Sentinel.

"There is no magic bullet to solve this, but we have been engaged in this issue for quite some time and we continue to work with county staff to assist."

Meanwhile, there's been so much water across DeHart's driveway – as much as 2 feet – that the U.S. Postal Service won't bring them their mail anymore.

The potential for changing weather patterns brought about by climate change have DeHart worried, even if a fix is found. He thinks about those things when he looks out at his flooded property and the abandoned homes of his neighbors.

"Unfortunately, I didn't three years ago when I bought the house," DeHart said. "If we're now heading into a longer period of wet conditions, we're in trouble."

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