SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Flooding along the St. Johns River is still causing some problems and making for an interesting sight along a couple major roadways.
- Cows seen grazing in floodwater due to St. John River flooding
- Expert says cows shouldn't be harmed if they move to higher ground
- Official: heavier-than-usual start to rainy season to blame
People driving across the Lake Jesup Bridge on toll road 417 — or along State Road 415 near the Seminole-Volusia County line — may have seen cows grazing in floodwater.
A livestock expert says it’s usually not harmful to the cows, as long as the animals periodically move to higher ground. And that expert says the cows are probably seeking the soggy spots because that’s where a lot of grass is growing.
But the owners of a couple horses out on a ride in the Lake Monroe Conservation Area say the water was just too high for them.
“Usually this area is all dry,” said Peggy Warren, a horse owner. “You can go straight through to the river and ride along the river, and today we had to turn around and come back. The horses were just getting too wet.”
Seminole County emergency management officials say a heavier-than-usual start to the rainy season this year is to blame for the higher water.
“It was like two weeks straight, we had rain all day long and all night long, and it’s just saturated our ground and our rivers,” Warren said.
They say despite a decrease in rain amounts recently, several boat docks and wilderness areas remain closed.
“You hate to hope for a dry season because then we get the fires, but we need an in-between season,” Warren said.