Parts of Pasco County still dealing with flooding months after Hurricane Milton

Pasco residents still struggle from storm flooding

FOX 13’s Aaron Mesmer reports on parts of Pasco County that are still dealing with flooding stemming from Hurricane Milton, with some homeowners in Dade City desperate for help.

DADE CITY, Fla. - Parts of Pasco County are still dealing with flooding stemming from Hurricane Milton, with some homeowners in Dade City desperate for help.

Dozens of properties in the Hickory Hills neighborhood of Dade City remain partially underwater, including Victor Lemus', who has to drive through a neighbor's yard to access the road.

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"If it wasn't for the grace and kindness of my neighbors to allow us to pass through their yard to access our property, we would literally not be able to live here," Lemus said Friday. "We'd have to take that boat to get in here, and it's ridiculous. This is four months post hurricane. This shouldn't be here."

Down the street, at Robert Tucker's house, it's a similar situation. His home sits on the edge of a retention pond that remains overflowed.

"There is a retention pond right behind that fence, but typically the retention pond water is about eight feet down from the fence," Tucker said, referring to a fence separating his property from the pond.

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Some homeowners in Zephyrhills are also still dealing with flooded yards.

According to a Pasco County spokesperson, state-owned pumps were used to help remove water from these areas following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Those pumps, however, were "re-deployed" elsewhere in December and, "the flooding is on private property, and the county is not able to pump water from private property. If the homeowners applied for FEMA assistance, we suggest they follow up with them," the county told FOX 13.

"We're stuck here. I mean, even if I wanted to sell this, I can't even sell it," said Lemus, adding he's worried about what might happen if there's an emergency, because private roads leading to his and his neighbors' homes are flooded. "If we have a medical emergency or a fire hazard or fire issue, we're burning up, or we're dying in here."

MORE: More than 10,000 households living in hotels after Helene, Milton through FEMA program

Neighbors said they're unable to pump the water out themselves, because they'd need to access other private property, but they don't have permission to do so.

They told FOX 13 they haven't been able to get any assistance from FEMA, or from their local and state elected officials.

"This right here now is left up to God, and it's up to God, because we can't pump it out," Lemus said.

"They say, well, it's flowing, but you go up to the culverts, and it's really not flowing. It's trickling. And we're afraid when the rainy season comes, we're all going to flood again," added Tucker.

FOX 13 reached out to Pasco County commissioners, state representatives and the governor's office on Friday. So far, none have responded with any potential solutions for these communities.

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