HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Two days after Hurricane Milton, Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) helped rescue neighbors in Pemberton Creek, between I-4 and Lake Thonotosassa. The ABC Action News I-Team spoke with people in the community as water from nearby lakes and creeks continued to rise, trapping people in their homes.
County leaders then voted to create a task force to determine what caused those lakes and creeks to jump their banks and destroy lives and land.
“You got to get people out here, you know, like you’re doing right now. Let ‘em see what’s going on," Jay Bolnick told the I-Team the same day as the rescues. “We reached out to the county and we told them, even before Helene started, we had a mess out here that — you couldn’t even see the creek, it was so full of vegetation.”
Bolnick later showed the I-Team emails he and his neighbors sent to the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) on August 13, a week after Hurricane Debby.
In the emails, they said, "the surrounding area water levels are still at crest levels", they warned, "it has not receded as it has in the past after hard rains" and they pleaded for "information on what is being done to prevent unnecessary flooding from Baker Creek overflow."
Then, in the days that followed, they persisted and asked about "any progress on removing vegetation from the Baker Creek Canal."
“We would still be flooded. But it wouldn’t be as high," Bolnick told the I-Team after Milton. "There’s complacency, you know, people just sort of move on to something else, so I want action this time."
The I-Team contacted SFWMD, who said Lake Thonotosassa "...was lowered to the maximum amount possible" before Milton. However, due to historic rainfall, the Flint Creek Water Control Structure was "completely under water." When pressed about removing vegetation ahead of time, SFWMD said, "... the district does not maintain these systems" and directed the I-Team to FWC and the county.
FWC has not yet provided any answers.
County commissioner Christine Miller represents the part of Hillsborough including Pemberton Creek.
“When I got here, they were doing active rescues in the community," Miller said. "It was shocking”
When asked what she wants people in the area to know, who feel like they've been ignored and not prioritized when it comes to concerns about flooding and mitigation of the nearby creeks, Miller said, “I want them to know they’re being heard. At least by my department, I know the Board of County Commissioners — it was a unanimous vote."
That unanimous vote was for the county to bring SFWMD, the City of Tampa, the City of Plant City, and property owners like Bolnick together to address the flooding issues.
“We owe it to the leaders that may follow 10, 20, 30 years from now, that we actually did something," Miller said in the meeting.
Bolnick said that so far, there's been "a lot of talk and finger-pointing," and he knows they're not the only neighborhood in Hillsborough with these issues.
“The person that experienced the flooding doesn’t care who owns the ditch that maybe caused it. They just want it cleaned. And so that’s what we need to do is get these agencies working together," Miller said. "I’ve been told I’m not an engineer, and I’m not an engineer, but I also know enough that you don’t need to be an engineer that 17 days later if we still have roads underwater, something didn’t quite work as it was supposed to.”
“I’m glad she’s looking into this," Bolnick said. "It goes back before her, so I welcome help and I’m thankful that, that you’re helping out with this too, because sometimes that’s what it takes to draw attention to it.”
After the I-Team's original story ran, county officials also followed up with Bolnick and his neighbors to schedule a meeting and said they're working with the Public Works Department on steps to address any immediate relief or water flow assistance.
This story started with a tip. If you have something you'd like the I-Team to investigate, contact Kylie:
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