TAMPA, Fla. — Anneliese Meier lives in Parkland Estates, a South Tampa neighborhood that's no stranger to flooding.
Her frustration over the city's focus on aesthetic improvements at the expense of essential infrastructure is growing.
"They wanted all pretty shiny new but we forgot about the unsexy part, the systems that support all the shiny and new. And now we have to go back and reassess that and look at it," she stated.
WATCH: Tampa neighborhood residents worry about rainy season
Meanwhile, in North Tampa, flooding is relatively rare in Forest Hills. However, following Hurricane Milton, many homes, including Jerry Washburn's, experienced significant water damage following a pump station failure.
"I still say the city should be paying for damage done to everybody's house in this area," Washburn said.
He is still in the process of rebuilding his home, acknowledging the long road ahead.
"Well, ain't much I can do about it but bite the bullet and hopefully with time, I'll fix it," he added.
Meier's concerns were amplified by a recent audit of the city’s stormwater management practices released early this year.
The audit, covering the period from 2021 to 2024, revealed inadequacies, such as a lack of maintenance schedules and standard operating procedures.
"There should be maintenance schedules. There's none of that. And the audit showed there's not even a standard operating procedure. How can you run a city with no standard operating procedures?" Meier said.
Many residents echo her sentiments, including Washburn, who noted the disconnect between city classifications and the realities of flooding.
“This is classified not as a flood area. We still got flooded, and that’s because a mistake was made and everybody in this neighborhood has got to pay for it," he explained.
In response to Meier's outreach on the Nextdoor app, the city’s communication director acknowledged the flooding concerns and emphasized that they are being prioritized in meetings with Mayor Jane Castor and her senior staff.
"We’re hearing your concerns about flooding loud and clear," the director wrote, encouraging community members to attend upcoming meetings to voice their concerns.
The city has already begun implementing changes this year, allocating $94 million for pump upgrades at 28 stations and elevating electrical connections to improve resilience. More backup generators are also being installed at pump stations, and crews are actively monitoring and clearing drains and drainage ditches to prevent future flooding incidents.
In addition to these local efforts, audits surrounding what went right and wrong during Hurricane Milton at the county and city levels are currently underway.
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