'We're at our wit's end': Lakeland community flooded out by Hurricane Milton

Floodwaters remain high in parts of Polk County

Carla Bayron reports

Lakeland, Fla. - Monday marks five days for residents of a mobile home community, and neighborhoods surrounding Lake Bonny have been dealing with floodwater caused by Hurricane Milton.

Laymon Hackney uses his old boat to help his neighbors reach the street from their flooded doorsteps at Lakeland Livin’, a mobile home community off Longfellow Blvd.

"Most of everybody in here is, I'd say, over 50 years old," Hackney said.

He says he has been dealing with flooding in his backyard since August. When he called the City of Lakeland and Polk County, he said nothing was done to drain the water. Now, this latest hurricane has caused his community to flood.

"There's a pipe that's not letting water go to where they're pumping. Someone needs to either open the pipe; there used to be a gate in it," Hackney said. "The last time, they had to pull it out with a crane, but they put a new sidewalk down, so they might've covered it up."

Hackney's mobile home community isn't the only neighborhood dealing with flooding around the lake. A high-water rescue vehicle toured a neighborhood south of 546 and east of Highway 35, and the parking lot at Bonny Apartments off of US 98 remained flooded.

Image 1 of 3

▼

Flood water caused by Hurricane Milton has flooded out the Lakeland Livin' community.

Kevin Cook, a spokesperson for the City of Lakeland, says the issues stem from the build-up of back-back-back storms in the region.

"The issue is we had Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton," Cook said.

Cook says there's no blocked pipe at Lake Bonny, as Hackney claims. Rather, water bodies across the Tampa Bay area and Central Florida are just at major flood levels.

"We totally understand their frustration, but we've been pumping water out of Lake Bonny since August 5th, out of Lake Parker, and the water at Lake Parker eventually goes to Lake Hancock and the Peace River," said Cook.

Cook wants to reassure Lakeland residents that the city is working to drain the water build-up.

"Some of those flows are also regulated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District," Cook said. "They can rest assured, we've been pumping water since August 5th out of Lake Bonny. There's so just so much of it."

Hackney hopes there's a fast solution; otherwise, he fears the worst.

"We're at our wit's end," said Hackney. Sewage is about to go. We can hardly use the bathroom, so it won't be long. If they can't get it down some, then we can't stay in here—none of us."

There's still electricity at most of the homes at Lakeland Livin,' and Hackney says church members have been coming by to give residents food and water.