PLANT CITY, Fla. — We may be a few months away from hurricane season, but community leaders in Plant City are already thinking ahead, hoping to come up with a plan that will address flooding concerns.

What You Need To Know

  • Plant City commissioners and city leaders are working to address flooding in the northern part of the city

  • City Manager Bill McDaniel says it will take the help of several organizations to work on how to solve the problem

  • John Haney lives in the flooded area and says he’s looking forward to what the city will do to address the issue

During a recent commission meeting, flooding was a top issue discussed in the northeastern part of the city.

City Manager Bill McDaniel heard those concerns and addressed what the next steps are. “It’s going to require a great deal of coordination from many partners at the federal, state and local level, and it’s going to require some very creative problem solving,” he said.

McDaniel said flooding in the area has been an ongoing issue for years.

John Haney is no stranger to the outdoors. He’s been raising cattle for years and it goes back four generations.

“The first part of this for us started at about 1979, originally began as mostly orange grove and a few cows,” he said.

Although he loves feeding his cattle, he might love the view from the lake a little bit more.

Haney said it’s a place where he feels calm, that is, until it rains. “It’s a heartache when we see it flood, not only because of the damage that it does, but also there’s an environmental and ecological damage that floods cause,” he said.

Haney said the flooding isn’t just a concern for the lake, it begins where his property ends.

“We’ll have water that will come back from the Polk County side over here. It comes in and it can be anywhere from six to eight feet of water,” said Haney.

It’s why he wants to see the city take steps to address flooding in the area where he lives. “I think some of the issues that they’ll look at will be looking at cleaning out Itchepackesassa Creek, also the by county canal,” he said.

He says with more residents moving to the area, it’s important to create a place everyone can live worry-free of heavy floods.

“We’re vested here, we want to see it improve, we want to continue seeing this area continue to grow and improve,” said Haney.

He hopes the land can continue to be passed down from generation to generation, rather than getting washed away.

The city recently wrapped up a storm water survey to address flooding in other parts of the city. The concerns from the community are what city leaders are keeping in mind as they move forward with this project.