PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — The City of Punta Gorda is moving forward with a $744,995 study to evaluate flooding in its downtown and find long-term solutions.
For residents like Ninette Warren, who lives in the city’s historic district, the damage from flooding during last year’s hurricanes is still keeping her out of her home.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the flood study:
"It’s a 1910 cottage, so all the walls are original, all the ceilings are original," Warren said. "Helene was 19 inches in the house and then Milton was 31."
While those storms left her home gutted, even routine rains leave water standing in her yard, and surrounding neighborhood.
City Manager Melissa Reichert said the study will give Punta Gorda its first comprehensive plan to address downtown flooding.
"The consultant will be looking at the hydrological and hydraulic models for the city," Reichert told Fox 4. "So, they’ll be running scenarios at various different rainfall events, tide events, to determine what can be done to solve the flooding issues here in Punta Gorda.”
The contract, approved this week by City Council, runs through 2027 and includes Punta Gorda’s historic district, business core and parts of the east side of downtown.
"They will be making recommendations to our city council as to what the best, most cost-effective methods are that we could employ to minimize the flooding in the downtown area," Reichert said.
Reichert added that the study will also help Punta Gorda pursue state, federal and private grants for construction projects once the recommendations are in place.
"They’ll be identifying grants that could be applicable to the fixes that they develop and recommend in the next phase," she said. "The actual grant writing will take place, and we will certainly be looking at any sources of federal, state and private foundation money that we could acquire to help with these."
While the study runs through 2027, Warren says she hopes the investment will bring real change.
"This study is not just about infrastructure and planning,” she said. “It’s about safeguarding the community and the people that live in it. So, hopefully this will make a really big difference.”
In the meantime, Reichert said the city is continuing day-to-day flood protection efforts, from inspecting Tideflex valves and daily drain clearing, to keep water from backing up into homes and businesses.
