Auburndale woman asks Polk County to fix flooding problem

AUBURNDALE, Fla. (FOX 13) - An Auburndale woman is finally seeing a break in the clouds that have been hanging over her Polk County home.

The county says it’s going to help relieve the constant flooding on her property on Seville Road.

Kristen Thompson’s says it's been flooding since she bought it a year and a half ago. 

“It’s surreal,” she told FOX 13. “I never thought I would have to deal with this in my yard.” 

When it rains, she says even a little, her property is almost completely underwater. 

“Of course, with the heavier rains, it’s worse. It’s catastrophic,” she said. 

The rainwater is supposed to flow downhill along Seville Road into Lake Lena. Instead, much of it dumps onto her property because it is lower than her neighbor’s yards. 

She says the floodwaters attract snakes, snapping turtles, and swarms of mosquitos. 

Thompson says she was given a heads-up about the lack of drainage, but she had no idea it is as bad as it is. On the disclosure paperwork, the seller wrote that water pools in the front yard when there is heavy rain. 

Thompson says now she knows that was a major understatement. 

“When I bought the house, it was February,” Thompson explained. “I didn’t see any evidence off flooding or anything, so it didn’t even cross my mind.” 

To try to solve the problem, Thompson has installed a drainage system, bought two sump pumps, which gives her a little relief. 

On Monday, Polk County announced that it will dedicate funds to pay for a new drainage system in Thompson’s neighborhood, but it could take up to a year to complete. 

In the meantime, Thompson can’t do much more than hunker down and wait. 

“It’s all muck and mire,” she added. “It’s just nasty.”