Four months after Hurricane Milton devastated the Lake Bonny area, residents continue to face significant challenges with insurance denials, elevated water levels, and slow recovery progress.

Ongoing Water Level Concerns

Residents around Lake Bonny and Little Lake Bonny are anxiously monitoring water levels as they attempt to rebuild their storm-damaged homes. Many fear that the elevated water levels, combined with upcoming spring rains and the approaching 2025 hurricane season, could lead to additional flooding.

“My lake is two feet higher,” Nicole Ramirez told city commissioners at a Monday morning meeting. Her home on Little Lake Bonny flooded during Hurricane Milton in October and remained submerged for weeks.

“We’ve called the city and told them — nobody is listening,” she said. “Somebody needs to figure it out, because we’re all still rebuilding our homes.”

Insurance Challenges

Ramirez and many of her neighbors are facing significant difficulties with their insurance providers:

• Citizens Property Insurance denied Ramirez’s damage claim and subsequently canceled her policy, transferring it to another company
• Ramirez did not have flood insurance because she was informed her property wasn’t in a flood zone
• She has received only about $11,000 from FEMA, which has covered materials but nothing more
• A neighbor must pay $49,000 to fix a cracked foundation slab before their insurance will provide any assistance
• Another resident has taken out a $160,000 loan to fund home repairs

Financial Strain

The financial burden on residents has been substantial. Ramirez’s back porch remains filled with construction debris because she cannot afford the city fees for dumpster service. While her family has installed new drywall, they continue to watch anxiously as water encroaches on land that was dry when they purchased the home in 2011.

City Response

City Manager Shawn Sherrouse noted that Lakeland is about six weeks into a four-to-six-month study of what happened during Milton, which brought historic rainfall to already elevated lakes. The study aims to prevent similar flooding in the future.

Following the storm, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) limited how quickly the city could pump water from Lake Bonny and Lake Parker, citing concerns about potential flooding at Bartow’s wastewater treatment facility on the Peace River.

Ramirez contends that current pumping efforts are insufficient and that she’s receiving conflicting information from city, county, and SWFWMD officials regarding responsibility for the pump operations and water management.

The city recently inspected a drainage pipe to Lake Parker and found no obstructions.

Adding Insult to Injury

Some Lake Bonny residents have received code violation notices from the city for issues like overgrowth and open storage on their properties. Sherrouse confirmed that five residents were cited, though not fined.

One notice, shared on Facebook, stated that Lakeland’s mission is “a community working together to provide an exceptional quality of life” — language that struck residents as tone-deaf given their circumstances.

Charity Efforts

In November, Commissioner Mike Musick promised $50,000 through his charity to help affected residents. He also contributed to a GoFundMe campaign organized by Misty Wells, though to date, only he and his mother have donated a total of $2,600.

Musick explained that he approached two non-profits about distributing the $50,000 but was told it was outside their mission scope. He’s now in discussions with a third organization. “The distribution of the money after the fact seems to be where it’s a headache because it shows as income and they have to reconcile that at the end of the year,” Musick explained.

Ramirez, who is going through a divorce amid these challenges, hopes to connect with Habitat for Humanity for assistance with renovations.

“Nobody is showing up to help me, showing up to help any of us,” she lamented.

Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Google, & X

(Image credit: Kimberly C. Moore/LkldNow)

PIE-Sun.com: local St. Pete-Clearwater news