Like many in my community, we chose our homes to be in a designated non-flood zone, drawn by the sense of security and assurance against flooding. However, what we’ve experienced has been the opposite. We have witnessed our fellow neighbors lose everything to tragic flash floods, while some of us got lucky (this time) with only a garage or yard flood. Given the current worrisome trend, we fear 'worse' is just a storm away. 

Our community has been grappling with persistent drainage issues since Crosstown homes began to be condemned for flooding in 1973 but the situation has markedly deteriorated with flood events in 2015 and several in 2024. The most recent flash flood devastating over 30 homes. We believe this is due to excessive water runoff from adjoining neighborhoods, presupposed defective stormwater culverts, flawed Crosstown drainage, erosion, and a faulty design of Concordia Park. 

We desperately need the City of Tampa, Stormwater, Parks & Rec, City Council, and Hillsborough County Expressway Authority to take our plight seriously. It's imperative that these bodies act collectively and urgently, commissioning an independent engineer to investigate these issues and offer immeadiate, practical, and sustainable solutions to our recurrent flooding problem.

We cannot continue to bear the brunt of the city's flooding. We are in a non-flood zone. We're calling on these authoritative bodies to give our ask the weight it deserves. Join us in this important call for action, sign this petition, and help us bring much-needed change.