Carrollwood residents urge county to assign lead agency after repeated inland flooding

Neighbors from Carrollwood Village told the Hillsborough County Board on June 4 that recurring flooding has left some families unable to return to their homes eight months after Hurricane Milton and urged the board to assign a single lead agency to resolve long-standing drainage problems.

“My street becomes a retention pond every time it rains,” resident David Hill told the board, saying county records show more than a dozen work orders, photos and videos spanning eight years. He asked the board to “assign a point person or agency, start a formal interagency review, and help us make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Hill and other speakers said responsibility for the flooding has been deflected between the county, homeowners’ association and the regional water management district. He said county findings identified a silted, unmaintained ditch as a likely contributor and that flood maps show homes would be fully submerged in a 100-year storm scenario.

“Eight months after, and already in hurricane season,” resident Robin Andohar said, describing repeated meetings, studies and “finger pointing” without a permanent fix. She said neighbors are living with “trauma” from the uncertainty of whether heavy rain will destroy homes rebuilt after last fall’s storm.

Speakers asked the board to move beyond short-term repairs and to provide a clear path to resolution, including accountability and a named county lead. At the June 4 meeting there was no formal vote or commitment of capital funds; commissioners acknowledged the speakers and staff offered to collect contact information and follow up.

The speakers said they have sought help from Commissioner Ken Hagan’s office and county staff; in public remarks they named county staff members assisting with the matter. Residents said they want a definitive, publicly tracked interagency process and a timeline ahead of the next storm season.