Punta Gorda City Council addresses flooding issue in historic district

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The Punta Gorda City Council addressed the ongoing issue of flooding in the historic district due to heavy rain.

The area has notoriously been known to flood during periods of heavy rain. Homeowners had expressed their concerns toward the city council after severe flooding had occurred following Hurricanes Ian and Idalia.

Flooding in the Punta Gorda Historic District (CREDIT: WINK News)

Homeowners in Punta Gorda want the city to develop an efficient plan to deal with the flooding so that they do not have to worry about their homes flooding every time it rains.

WINK News spoke with Ashley Harris, a resident who lives in the historic district about how little assistance she received after her home flooded.

“Right now, there’s no help. There’s no FEMA and there’s no aid,” said Harris. “There’s nothing here for Charlotte County, and everybody who has any kind of damage is really just unfortunately stuck being left high and dry.”

Harris’ home had several inches of floodwater inside her home after removing the plywood underneath her flooring in December.

Residents who live in the historic district want a quick solution.

“Something needs to be done, because we can’t and insurance can’t and, you know, our pocket was can’t bear, you know, to have to restore our house every every year,” said Christian Harris, Ashley’s husband.

City leaders discussed flooding in the historic district during their regular Wednesday meeting at 9 a.m. They considered raising seawalls in some areas, but that is not the answer to the flooding problems.

Council members said a lot of the time the seawalls aren’t breached and there is still street flooding from clogged storm drains.

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