LARGO, Fla. — Frustrated neighbors in a Largo community voiced their concerns to city leaders about damage from Hurricane Milton.
Many said it stems from a lack of maintenance to a creek that runs through their neighborhood.
One by one, neighbors voiced frustration over the lack of maintenance of McKay Creek.
“This water is all directed to this area. You got to know as a homeowner we are scared to death,” Leslie Caplin said.
After Hurricane Milton, many homes in the McKay Creek neighborhood were damaged, including Judith Campbell’s.
“The force of the water flowing down McKay Creek was such a strong force that it took half of the backyard,” she said.
Campbell said it's hard to recover when the wreckage from the storm is lodged in the creek.
“They say they're not going to help fix anything at all. It's pretty discouraging because our neighbors and us have been flooded,” she said.
The city said this is a regional issue and it is starting several initiatives to address the concern.
“We're starting the conversation about what the investment would take to harden our infrastructure to handle 100-year rain on a regular basis. There's a solution but it's expensive,” Largo City manager John Curp said.
All projects will be on public property. The city said any maintenance needed to the creek area on private property is the homeowner's responsibility. It said these rules have been in place since the 50s.
“People who live on our creeks are responsible for maintaining the banks,” Curp said.
"In the past, we've all worked together as a community but now they're saying we're on our own," Campbells said.
After meeting with the McKay Creek neighborhood, city leaders shared updates on upcoming projects coming to the Church Creek neighborhood.
That community also saw a substantial amount of flooding after Hurricane Milton. The city said it's waiving fees for permits needed to make any repairs.