SEFFNER, Fla. — Residents in a Seffner neighborhood are looking for solutions after their homes were flooded during Hurricane Milton.

Some are doing that by getting involved as government agencies debate what steps to take in the future.

What You Need To Know

  • Residents of the Shangri-La community in Seffner say they want solutions to flooding concerns
  • Resident Kevin Cash's home was flooded with because of Hurricane Milton
  • Cash is looking for measures to help prevent flooding from happening again

A few months ago, the street outside Kevin Cash's home was too flooded to drive on. And while the storms may have passed, Cash says he’s hoping something can be done to keep the flooding from happening again.

Cash is familiar with doing home improvements, but said his current painting project hits a little differently,

“I’ve painted this entire house at least twice over the years, inside and outside, but I’ve never had to do it all at once,” he said.

His home was left flooded by Milton in October and he's still recovering and repairing the damage.

“We saved a lot, but you know tools, clothes, you know mementos — there’s so many things that got thrown away that just weren’t salvageable,” he said.

He’s come a long way since then, but said he still has a lot of work ahead of him. Not only is Cash a homeowner, but he’s also become a community advocate.

He’s been reaching out to county leaders and recently attended a Southwest Florida Water Management meeting, where he spoke about potential solutions to the flooding issue, starting with the lake behind his home.

“Take this down in March and April, when the downstream flow will not affect anybody," he said of the lake's water level. "Instead of waiting three days before a storm."

Officials with the Southwest Florida Water Management District said they are aware of the flooding issues and have been in contact with Hillsborough County government to establish appropriate lake levels. That will involve staff looking at the previous water levels set on the lake to determine if they should stay the same or be revised.

Cash said it’s been an ongoing issue, and he would like to make sure his home is safe the next time a storm hits.

“They want to keep water out of people’s houses — that’s their goal and I get it," he said. "We can live with a flooded street. I can live with a flooded yard on a major evet like this. It was a major event, but there’s got to be solutions."

It took about a month for the water in his home to recede with the help of water pumps from the county. He said there isn’t going to be an overnight solution, but he hopes government leaders will weigh their options to help communities like his.

“We would just like to see it be more proactive in the future,” Cash said.

Several other residents said they were also concerned, and are hoping something gets done before the next storm season.

Hillsborough County officials said their stormwater team is closing monitoring water levels in the Shangri-La Lake community, and levels are expected to decrease during the dry season. They also said that portable pumps will be re-installed at the lake as conditions warrant them in the future.