Zephyrhills to buy house at 6109 Sixteenth Street to enlarge retention pond and reduce flooding

The Zephyrhills City Council authorized purchase of 6109 Sixteenth Street for $250,000 on Oct. 13 to allow the city to expand a nearby retention pond and address chronic flooding in the neighborhood.

Shane LeBlanc, the city’s public works director, told the council the retention pond north of North Avenue lies in an AE flood zone and has caused roadway overtopping during Hurricanes Milton and Helene. LeBlanc said staff and the city manager discovered the lot was on the market while responding to a complaint; the city obtained appraisals, negotiated with the seller and prepared a standard residential (FarBar) contract. The contract was signed by the seller and the city manager and was contingent on council approval.

LeBlanc said the city intends to demolish the house after closing, salvage appliances and other usable materials where feasible, perform boundary and topographic surveys, retain an engineer to design an enlarged pond and obtain a SFWMD ("Swiftmud") permit for the work. He estimated that enlarging the pond could double its capacity and materially reduce neighborhood flooding. Staff said the current pond was installed before SFWMD permitting rules were in place.

The council approved the purchase by unanimous voice vote. Council members asked staff to pursue salvaging reusable items before demolition and to move forward with surveying, engineering and permitting once the city owns the property.

Provenance The item was introduced by Shane LeBlanc (public works director) in transcript block 1672.03–1778.0349; the motion and unanimous voice vote are recorded at 1997.795–2006.09.