One year after Hurricane Milton sent Lake Bonny spilling over into dozens of homes, many residents are still reeling — emotionally, financially and, in some cases, still displaced.
Lakeland and Polk County have a plan to prevent it from happening again. But much depends on whether the Florida Division of Emergency Management approves the county’s application for an $11.8 million hazard mitigation grant.
Serious infrastructure gaps
A six-month watershed study commissioned by the city and completed in July by Tampa-based engineering firm AECOM revealed why flooding during Hurricane Milton was so severe.
The study found that:
- Current capacity is underpowered. The existing pump and drainage system is designed to move 18.56 cubic feet of water per second, but actually only effectively moves half that — about 9.7 cfs — which is far too low to manage larger rain events.
- Big upgrades are needed for larger storms. To hold off flooding in a 10-year storm would require a capacity of about 50 cfs. A 100-year event — akin to what Milton produced — could need up to four times that.
- Starting levels were high. Heavy rainfall in the months before Milton left the lake and watershed nearly full, leaving no room for runoff when the storm arrived.
Three options
Ultimately, the water from Lake Bonny needs a place to go. The report outlined three potential solutions:
- Upgrade the existing pump station and send water to Lake Parker at a higher rate, diverting overflow to an old phosphate mine along upper Saddle Creek if needed.
- Relocate the pump station and send water directly to the old phosphate mine, which could serve as a temporary or long-term reservoir.
- Build a new pump station and send water to a wetland buffer north of Colonial Avenue, with controlled release into Lake Parker, effectively using the wetland as overflow or intermediate storage.
Trade-offs abound
None of the alternatives is simple.
“Each option outlined in the report involves complex considerations and will require coordinated decisions from multiple jurisdictions and agencies, including the city of Lakeland, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, the state of Florida and the Southwest Florida Water Management District,” former Communications Director Kevin Cook said when the study was released.
For example, the pump at Lake Bonny is operated by the city on land owned by the county. Some solutions would require the purchase of land that neither entity owns.
Urgency is clear, but timeline is murky
For Lake Bonny residents, who have been living in a state of anxiety — watching lake levels and tracking weather alerts — the urgency could not be clearer.
A coalition of homeowners called Citizens for Flood Prevention of Lake Bonny launched a petition on Change.org demanding swift action.
But the timeline and scope depend on funding, which can be unpredictable.
- The $11.8 million grant would fund changes around Lake Bonny. Polk County, as the lead agency, has hired an engineering firm to select the best approach.
- The county has also applied for a $100 million grant from the Florida Department of Commerce for comprehensive, regional stormwater improvements from Lake Gibson to the Peace River, according to City Manager Shawn Sherrouse.
- And the city has applied for a $400,000 grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management to update its stormwater management plan, which is about 20 years old, according to Laurie Smith, the city’s manager of lakes and stormwater.
For now, residents can only hope that promised fixes arrive before the next major storm.
If you need help
Homeowners who are still struggling with unsafe or unstable housing due to Hurricane Milton might qualify for free home repairs, thanks to a $150,000 grant awarded to GiveWell Community Foundation and United Way of Central Florida.
The organizations recruited two nonprofit groups to fix homes for Polk County residents who have exhausted all other options.
- Rebuilding Together Greater Florida can help with basic renovations as well as structural damage, roof replacements and accessibility modifications for disabled residents. They work with homeowners, not renters, and cannot repair mobile homes built before 1976. Apply here.
- Inspiritus is a faith-based nonprofit headquartered in Atlanta. Like RTGF, it can help with most home repairs and construction. Apply here.
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
