MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Our Weather Experts have been tracking significant rainfall in Manatee County since Saturday. They say areas of East Bradenton have received five to six inches of rain, leading to localized flooding for residents.
There’s been a lot of rain in Bradenton the last few days, and with this rainfall, you’ll see pockets of flooding here and there while driving through the area. But one resident said flooding has been a consistent battle on her property for the last few years whenever it rains.
“It’s a complete lake all the way out to the road. This whole property from here forward floods. It’s a huge lake,” Barbara Ficklin said.
Ficklin lives off Waterline Road in Bradenton. She says rainfall and runoff from nearby developments flooded her property. The water rose to within feet of her house.
“It just starts coming and rising and rising from the runoff upstream,” she said.
Ficklin says this has been happening for about three years now and she has contacted county commissioners several times.
Manatee County officials released a statement regarding this specific area:
“We have received numerous reports of standing water and street flooding in various areas around the county.”
But her main priority is keeping her animals safe.
“We haven’t let the horses out in two days because the land is so wet. If they run, they could hurt themselves. So, they have been in the barn for two days and they’re not very happy,” she said.
Because of the consistent flooding on her property, she’s had unexpected expenses.
“This year, we have paid to secure a hurricane flash flood stall at a facility — a stall for each of these horses we’ve reserved. And you pay in advance. But just to have that peace of mind was worth it,” Ficklin said.
Now she’s hoping there will be a solution soon, not just to protect her home from potentially flooding, but also to protect her animals.
“Fix what’s going on, put proper drainage in,” she said.
Ficklin said she spoke with County Commissioner Carol Felts on Monday about the ongoing flooding issue. She hopes the commissioners can work together toward a solution.
Julia Hazel
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