TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera met with homeowners on Friday to discuss flooding in North Tampa after Hurricane Milton.
Viera covers District 7, which includes the Forest Hills neighborhood. Homeowners living in the area had water inside their homes.
Ray Ortiz has lived in Forest Hills for 14 years. He recently moved into another home four years ago in the same neighborhood.
"Milton was kind of surprising for all of us," Ortiz said. "Helene gave us a little rain, and 20 minutes later, it ceased. But Milton, it kept growing."
Previously, city officials said pump stations in Forest Hills failed because of power outages. One pump had a backup generator but it did not kick on.
"These streets here got flooded and people are very nervous not just about what they’ve gone through, but what next year could hold for them," Viera said.
Viera has been pushing for an outside review looking into flooding concerns in North Tampa.
"I always believe that we trust our staff, we love our staff, we honor their work, but after catastrophic hits like this in Zone X, we need to have an independent review of what happened because people deserve transparency on that issue," Viera said.
Earlier this week, Hillsborough County officials briefed city council members regarding a county-city investigative review of post-Milton flooding in Zone X areas. Leaders agreed to move forward with a review.
"Temple Terrace and Plant City want to be a part of it because a lot of areas got flooded, Viera said. "Town 'n' Country, North Tampa, and parts of South Tampa got flooded. We want to make sure we have a countywide approach because water doesn't end at the city line."
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