ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — It's been more than a year and a half since Hurricane Milton hit Zephyrhills, and residents are still dealing with the aftermath. So, city leaders are now considering a new stormwater fee to reduce future flooding.
Retention ponds like the one on 9th Avenue overflowed during the storm, leaving some residents unable to drive through their neighborhood.
WATCH: Zephyrhills considers stormwater fee after Hurricane Milton flooding left residents underwater
One resident, Jim, said he has lived in the area for over 20 years and has never seen flooding like what Milton brought.
"Milton was relentless. It would not let up," LeBlanc said. "The water was over the fence, over my mailbox, the fence across the street was totally underwater."
Jim said he did not get any water inside his home, but the house across from him had over 4 feet of floodwater get inside.
"That's pretty deep, and they had to get in with a canoe," Jim said.
Through a records request, Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez learned that 64 complaints about stormwater drain issues have been filed with the city since Hurricane Milton.
Public Works Director Shane LeBlanc said the storm was a major wake-up call.
"Hurricane Milton, which was what we call a biblical rain event, we had 18 inches of rain in 12 hours that we were inundated with flooding, trees down," LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said he hopes the proposed stormwater fee assessment passes.
"The fee will go towards stormwater-related projects, design, permitting, personnel, maintenance, it'll be an enterprise fund. It is just for stormwater only," LeBlanc said.
Currently, stormwater funding is grouped together with other city services, including public safety, parks and recreation, and libraries.
"It'll give us a pot of money to work with that we don't currently have right now," LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said the city has already taken proactive steps, purchasing properties that flooded during Milton and demolishing them to expand retention capacity.
"We're trying to be proactive in our approach. We've actually purchased 3 properties that flooded from Hurricane Milton. We've, um, demoed the houses and now we're having them designed and permitted for additional retention ponds," LeBlanc said.
If the assessment passes, residents will see the fee reflected in their tax bill in November. City council members are set to vote on the stormwater fee assessment at the next city council meeting on June 22.
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