LAKELAND, Fla. — Nearly two years after devastating flooding during Hurricane Milton, Lakeland city leaders are looking ahead to prevent the next disaster.
“Here we are years later, and nothing’s been done, and there is another season on the way,” said Janise Morsey.
WATCH: Lakeland increases stormwater fees, Lake Bonny residents say not enough to prevent flooding
For Morsey, the memories of Hurricane Milton are still fresh.
“It destroyed everything; we had nothing. We had no furniture left, we had no walls. We had taken everything out and we had to have high trucks to be able and get into the homes or boats to be able to float in and get our things out,” Morsey said.
In Oct. 2024, floodwaters from Lake Bonny rushed into her home. For more than a year, Morsey and her husband rebuilt.
City leaders say preventing that kind of flooding again will take serious investment. The Lakeland City Commission has approved a 10-year plan to raise stormwater fees.
For single-family homeowners, that means going from $9.72 a month, about $116 a year, up to $21.42 a month, or $257 a year, in 2036.
“Something that’s palatable that gets us going and gets some of these projects moving but doesn’t overburden some of our residents and businesses,” Commissioner Stephanie Madden said.
City leaders said the increase will help fund nearly $70 million in stormwater improvements and water quality projects. Right now, most of the stormwater budget goes to day-to-day operations, leaving $700,000 a year for major improvements.
Morsey told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Rebecca Petit that the fee increases fall short of what is needed.
“To keep a city from flooding, that is not enough. I’m not so sure what they’re proposing is going to be enough either because it also shows that we’re grossly behind. We're developing like mad, but we don't have the infrastructure or the funding,” Morsey said.
For homeowners like Morsey who’ve already lived through the worst, the question is what are leaders doing to address more immediate issues, including a nearby canal she says hasn’t been cleared out in years.
“Right here at the end of our street it hasn’t been maintained. You can take a look at it, and it’s got trees down in it, so there’s no flow between this lake, as far as a really clean area for it to go to and from. So, we haven’t seen anything.” Morsey said.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the City of Lakeland about short-term water projects and was referred to the County.
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