PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Is it a lake, a pond, an ocean?
Whatever you call the big body of water near John King’s rural Pasco County neighborhood, it shouldn’t be there.
King and others live off Phelps Rd. north of Zephyrhills.
“The water came in about three to four weeks after the hurricane,” King said.
More than three months later, the water is still there.
“My whole garage was circled with water, but luckily, it stopped a couple feet before it got in my house,” King said.
Matthew Johnson’s nearby home wasn’t as lucky. It is still flooded and still inaccessible.
“I was scared and angry,” he said. “I was all the above.”
He and his spouse have lost everything inside their home, and their home’s likely a total loss, too. However, they’re still paying the mortgage.
“And it’s made me cry. I’ve gotten exhausted from FEMA,” he said. “We’re 62 and 72 years old, and we’re on Social Security/Disability. What the hell does this country want from us?”
It would be one thing if the flooding was an act of God, but neighbors here feel it’s partially manmade.
They said infrastructure in the area hasn’t kept up with explosive growth, and stormwater from elsewhere is ending up trapped there with nowhere to go.
It’s just the latest drainage issue we’ve highlighted in the Zephyrhills — issues magnified by last year's storms.
“Holistically, something can be done. There’s always something can be done. Now, if they want to do it, that’s another problem,” said King.
ABC Action News reached out to Pasco County to see if more can be done there to fix the flooding problem. If we get a response, we will post it here.
"I’ve gotten exhausted from FEMA. We’re 62 and 72 years old, and we’re on Social Security/Disability. What the hell does this country want from us?”
John King shared with ABC Action News the flooding in his Zephyrhills community - more than 3 months after Hurricane Milton.
