TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County government will hold eight community meetings in April and May for a regional storm water evaluation.
The meetings come after historic flooding during hurricanes Helene and Milton last year.
“A third of the volume of the entire Tampa Bay was dropped on the Tampa Bay region during the course of Milton, and created widespread devastation and flooding across the county,” said Josh Bellotti, Engineering and Operations Director for Hillsborough County Public Works.
Bellotti says the county is right now working to clear ditches and storm drains of debris in preparation for hurricane season beginning June 1, and it is also asking for feedback from neighborhoods that saw inches to feet of flooding during Helene and Milton.
“The county has underway currently a regional storm water evaluation that is being conducted by an independent consultant, and so that study is going to involve community outreach. There’s eight community meetings across the county in the months of April and May,” Bellotti said.
One of those community meetings will happen in Town ’N Country, where several neighborhoods were swamped with two feet or more of storm surge and flooding.
Bay Crest Park homeowner Samantha Freeland says the damage was so widespread in the neighborhood, even starting the recovery process was difficult.
“You are just completely overwhelmed when this happens to you,” Freeland said. “And it’s back to back, you don’t know where to begin. It’s almost like you are having a nervous breakdown because it’s so overwhelming.”
For residents still working to recover from last years hurricanes, the county has a resource page setup online here: https://hcfl.gov/residents/stay-safe/storm-recovery-resources
Dates, times and locations of the community meetings in April and May will be released soon.
