ZEPHYRHILLS — Benjamin Catlett says constant flooding ruined his home.
Then, even more flooding from hurricanes finished it off.
Watch full report from Erik Waxler
“We were going to try and fix the house but the joist were so rotted you could literally crumble them with your hands,” said Catlett.
He says there was nothing left to do but tear it down.
“I lost everything in it. If that ain’t a rough year I don’t know what is.”
Benjamin and his neighbors say flooding wasn’t a problem before a new housing development was built a block away.
“That housing development wasn’t there and it would rain super hard for a week and the water would just go away and eventually it didn’t go away no more,” said Diego Rodriguez.
Rodriguez says the flooding was a problem even before Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Pasco County officials came to take a look.
But Diego says there were promises and no action.
“I’ve been emailing them since October 9th with zero response,” Rodriguez said.
“Just buy me out and let us go on with our lives because this has been eight months and every day it rains you are praying for the rain to stop. It’s too much,” said Tania Johnson.
The homeowners say a retention pond across the street needs to be maintained better.
They also say this empty lot next door is owned by the county and retention pond here would help.
I reached out to Pasco County’s communications department to find out more about what about why the flooding here is such an on-going problem.
I asked Pasco County officials about the problems these residents are dealing with and they emailed me the following response:
Pasco County addressed flooding concerns reported in the Otis Allen and Tall Drive areas of Zephyrhills, conducting site visits and confirming that county drainage assets were functioning properly. At the request of affected customers, state-allocated Tiger Dams were installed in September 2024, followed by state pump trucks removing standing water in October 2024. Throughout the process, homeowners were kept informed, and as of March 2025, formal letters were issued stating the county considers the flooding concerns resolved. We encourage these customers to contact SWFWMD or FEMA for further guidance on drainage concerns around their properties.
Meanwhile, Benjamin is living with his girlfriend in Kissimmee because he says there’s no point in rebuilding here, where it continues to flood.
“This all could have been prevented and that’s the sad part,” said Catlett.
Pinellas County wakes up to storm damage after tornado rips through the area
The tornado ripped off roofs, snapped trees and scattered debris throughout the area, but thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported.
