PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local community is dealing with flooding issues, prompting a Largo homeowner to reach out to ABC Action News.
Chris Girard, who lives along Dahlia Place in Largo, said the problem hasn't improved in years.
"I'm frustrated, yeah," he said.
Girard said whenever there's a short rain shower, his neighborhood floods.
"18 minutes to fill up, twelve hours to drain," said Girard.
So, every time it rains, he gets nervous.
"18 inches to two feet inside the garage, so I've lost a lot of electrical tools, all kinds of stuff, just have to throw in the dumpster. I've lost three or four rounds of carpet," said Girard.
The issue is a clogged ditch behind the neighborhood.
"The bottom of the ditch has been having organic build-up, leaves, sticks, everything else people throw in the ditch has been building up for years," said Girard.
Three years ago, ABC Action News spoke to Girard about the problem, and he said nothing has improved since then.
He said he's been contacting the City of Largo and Pinellas County, asking for a solution, but hasn't made much progress.
We did contact the City of Largo to see if they were listening to Girard.
The Assistant Engineering Services Director said staff has been in contact with him over the years, and they are currently coordinating with the county to address the issue.
City leaders said a proposed design of the ditch, which includes plans for piping, cannot be constructed until Pinellas County conducts improvements downstream.
ABC Action News is currently working to learn more about the county's timeline for that project.
Residents said that because of how much it floods from a small rain shower, they are worried about potential hurricanes in the future.
"It does worry me a bit with how my yard floods during a small storm, let alone a big storm coming through here," said Andrew Poppell, another resident.
Girard hopes the flood issue becomes a priority.
"Somebody needs to put the foot down and say we are going to give these people relief," said Girard.
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