PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — People in a Largo neighborhood are experiencing major flood issues. They reached out to ABC Action News to say every time it rains, their community floods, and they aren't getting any help from the city.
Residents who live near 2nd Avenue Northwest in Largo said the flooding has recently gotten worse.
"I've lost of sleep over it, and had to do a lot of work in my home and in my yard because of this flooding...We've been getting flooding after every rainstorm now, it doesn't matter how little or how heavy the rain flow is," said Lisa Casey, a resident in the area.
Casey said water has not only flooded her porch, it's also caused damage to her car.
"I had to leave for a meeting on a flooded day that was very deep, and so yes, I had to have my car in the shop," said Casey.
Neighbors said the construction of the new City of Largo building has created more of an issue, saying water builds up on that property and flows onto their street.
"This construction of city hall has created a lot of runoff," said Casey.
"The water runs downhill and we have our own little pond here," said another resident, Gary Smith.
Casey and Smith said they had contacted the city several times about the issue, and after several failed attempts to get a solution, they contacted ABC Action News.
We reached out to the city, and a spokesperson responded with this statement:
"The City of Largo is aware of the flooding challenges in the 2nd Avenue area of Downtown Largo. Our Public Works and Engineering teams are assessing possible solutions to alleviate the issue.
The City does not believe any flooding is related to the Horizon West Bay Project, which is under the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) oversight. The project's SWFWMD permits require construction sites to manage stormwater effectively through design, best practices, and ongoing maintenance to prevent surrounding flooding."
Casey said the more it rains, the more concerned she gets.
"It's really actually nerve-racking because that's just a little bit of rain when it floods…what happens when, again, there's a lot of water coming in?" said Casey.
Smith wants stormwater drains constructed along his street and hopes the community can reach a solution soon.
"Something needs to be done now, we don't have time to wait," said Smith.
Back-to-back storm events brought record storm surge, rainfall and winds to the Tampa Bay region. The question some are asking now isn’t where people should rebuild, but where we should let nature regain control.
