ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — So many people, all across the Tampa Bay region and beyond, are now members of an undesirable club.
Whether it was in Tampa during Hurricane Milton or Sarasota during Tropical Storm Debby, they all flooded during last year’s storm season. Some are still recovering, and their futures’ are still unknown.
Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Pasco) has seen the pain firsthand.
“Watching what they’re going through is tragic,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
His Zephyrhills neighborhood flooded last year. Water had to be pumped from the subdivision because of issues with drainage.
“People are still reeling from these impacts,” he said.
Now, Burgess is trying to help by being proactive before future rain storms.
A bill he filed ahead of the upcoming legislative session would require cities and counties to inspect storm infrastructure, such as drains, canals, culverts, and ponds, ahead of hurricane season each year.
Burgess hopes the accountability measure will spur cities and counties to fix any problems and unclog any blockages they identify.
Burgess believes problems with infrastructure likely contributed to some of the recent flooding.
“There’s a myriad of instances from Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco, and Lake Counties where these situations did occur,” he said.
If passed, his bill — Senate Bill 810 — would also create a paper trail so the state can verify those inspections are happening.
“We are trying to be proactive,” he said.
Burgess expects his bill will get bipartisan support in Tallahassee.
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