Punta Gorda prepares for heavy rain and possible flooding

Punta Gorda is expecting more flooding with the possibility of approaching severe weather on Tuesday.

People around Charlotte Harbor are staying on their guard in light of the frequent winter flooding over the last few weeks.

Locals are telling WINK News they aren’t too worried about Tuesday’s potentially severe weather because the tides aren’t at a concerning height. They said the high tide combined with heavy rain is usually what causes their roads to turn into lakes, and that’s when they worry about water getting into and damaging their homes.

For Punta Gorda residents, along with much of Southwest Florida, it’s become the norm even more so over the last 24 hours.

“I’ve never seen this much water in the park where it hasn’t drained at all. I mean, there you go all the way down the park. There’s there’s water issues,” said Mike Polk, a Punta Gorda local.

Mike and Jeannie Polk have two homes in the historic district of Punta Gorda, one on Barry Street, which flooded after 20 to 30 minutes of rain last week.

“Fix this flooding, and basically not flood out all the historic homes. That’s right, historic district, because, basically, the reason why people come upon to Punta Gorda is they liked the small town feel, and they liked the historic district,” said Jeannie Polk.

They’re worried because flooding has been a common occurrence in the area. It’s flooding unexpectedly during the winter, which is puzzling in 2024.

Long-time Punta Gorda resident, John Peterman bought a Jeep so his car doesn’t get destroyed on the road.

“The flood district area is the big thing. And I checked my garage floor and made sure that everything was elevated,” said Peterman.

Neighbors in Punta Gorda are saying the pickleball court was flooded from Monday’s rain. WINK News has been in the area through the day and will be into the evening to keep an eye out for anymore rain and flooding.