PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — When Jennifer and Angela Haywood moved to their Pasco County home ten years ago, they didn’t know they were buying waterfront property.
However, more often than not lately, their home has been partially surrounded by water.
“That’s the worst it’s ever been,” Angela said Monday as she surveyed her yard. “By a lot.”
WATCH: Early into hurricane season, Pasco County subdivision partially flooded again
The water that partially surrounds her home, which is located north of Zephyrhills on Phelps Road off Fort King Road, should not be there.
As Hurricane Milton swept through last October, flooding followed. It inundated their yard, multiple homes, and Phelps Road, the road they use to access their home.
That flooding finally dried up, for the most part, just a couple of weeks ago.
“All the water was gone with the exception of our access road,” Angela said.
Days ago, however, that changed. Water started rushing back into the subdivision even before rain fell there specifically.
“I mean, I don’t know how to say it. It’s disheartening. It’s frustrating,” Angela said.
The Haywoods are now more than worried. A hurricane, tropical storm, or even heavy downpour this rainy season might flood their home this time around.
“This isn’t just my story, right?” Jennifer said. “Like you have veterans out here, like you have people — hard working people out here.”
In January, ABC Action News viewers asked county leaders for a solution to fix this drainage problem. However, little has changed.
“I’ve been emailing county commissioners, senators, DeSantis, FEMA, SWFWMD, EPA — I just get pushed around between agencies, and nothing happens,” Angela said.
In an email, a spokesperson for Pasco County government said the flooding is on private property, so there is little the county can do to help.
However, the county said it is making progress in the Zephyrhills area as a whole.
“Pasco County Public Works has conducted extensive maintenance on Zephyr Creek to enhance water conveyance and mitigate flooding. We have also inspected surrounding county stormwater infrastructure—including pipes, swales, and other assets—to confirm they are in optimal working condition,” the county spokesperson wrote.
“Looking ahead, the Zephyr Creek Regional Flood Abatement Phase 1 Construction project is set to begin in FY2026. This initiative will significantly improve water flow and establish a dedicated outfall for floodwaters, further strengthening the area’s flood resilience,” the spokesperson continued.
For Angela and Jennifer, those updates provide little comfort or relief.
“The county has no problem taking my taxes or my $12,500 impact fees, which is fine, because you have schools, you have roads, you have everything, but where are my impact fees, because we’re barely hanging on back here,” Jennifer said.
