Latest news with #PascoCountyPublicWorks
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
One of Pasco's largest parks finally reopens after Hurricane Helene
The Brief Seven months after Hurricane Helene, one of Pasco County's largest parks has reopened. SunWest Park officially reopened last Saturday. The park suffered major flood damage due to Helene's storm surge. HUDSON, Fla. - Nearly seven months after Hurricane Helene, one of Pasco County's largest parks has reopened. SunWest Park in Hudson is built on a former limestone mining operation and features a 70-acre spring-fed lake. It's located right near the coast. Pasco County Public Works staff said it became inundated with water from the storm surge. Dig deeper The storm surge pushed sand to the middle of the lake and into the parking lot. Milton brought strong winds that damaged some structures. Public Works Director Jason Mickel said heavy equipment was necessary to clean it up. Crews first clawed out the now dirty, mucky sand from the lake. "They pulled a lot of that sediment out, got it back onto the exposed limestone that's around the perimeter of this lake," Mickel said. Mickel said it wasn't just for aesthetic purposes but also because it was a safety hazard. 26 truckloads of fresh, clean sand were hauled in to restore the shoreline. What's next The park hosted a formal grand reopening last Saturday. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, click here. The Source FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis collected the information in this story. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS LIVE: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pasco residents plead for help with floodwaters still surrounding homes post-hurricane
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Frustrated neighbors in Pasco County are calling on city leaders for help pumping out floodwaters still surrounding their homes four months after Hurricane Milton. The water is blocking access to Victor Lemus' home on Fort King Road. For months, his trash service has been suspended because his driveway is completely blocked. 'I get to keep my own house': New Florida program covers 75% of cost to elevate homes 'We are passing through our neighbors' backyard. Without that we would be taking a boat,' said Lemus. 'It's unacceptable.' On Tuesday, Lemus and other neighbors voiced their concerns to Pasco County Commissioners during their meeting. 'We now have lakefront property,' said Toni Clayton. 'Which we never wanted.' Pasco County Public Works Director Jason Mickel told 8 On Your Side that because the water is on private property, the county can't use public funds. 'The Public Works Department for Pasco County— we do work in public right of way and on public roads,' said Mickel. Mickel said the state was pumping water out of some neighborhoods but stopped in December. Tampa hires outside help for street hole repairs 'Those resources have been deployed to other areas now. We no longer have them,' said Mickel. With growing concerns over health and safety neighbors are demanding something be done. 'Stagnant water will breed mosquitoes which will breed diseases, so has this become a public issue, a health issue,' said Clayton. 'If there's a medical emergency, or a fire emergency back in our neighborhood for me or any of my neighbors, we're either going to be burnt up or we're dead,' said Lemus. 'Our priority is safety of our residents,' said Mickel. 'We want to make sure that emergency vehicles can get to our residents, so we will evaluate and take a look to see if there are any roads that our emergency vehicles can't get down and will address those. We've looked at this in detail, but we will investigate again to see if there's any areas we can help.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
