What REALLY Caused the Flooding in Sarasota Fl?

[@Insanity_Crow]

If Sarasota county did, accidentally or negligently, turn this development into a drainage basin for the newer surrounding communities, they need to do something for these people.

[@grimreaper4801]

It because new home are built higher then the older home which cause all their water to run down to the older home. Same thing happen to a parking alot where I work. A sorccer field was built where it was built several feet higher. Which cause all their water to run into my company parking alot and tthe city doesn't law doesn't force new building to be on the same level or require them to add drain to capture their own water that leave their property.

[@johnphillipsplumbing7148]

@@Insanity_Crow get the guy who was standing watch at the sewer plant under oath!

[@michaelparker2225]

I had a engineer tell me building structures higher then the old ones didn't make the water flood the the older homes? I said this ! Your wrong! He asked if I had a degree in land management! I said no ! I have common sense and it's like this... put ice cubes in a glass of water, and the water rises . Get it?

[@drjanines3301]

@@Insanity_Crow hahaha we're talking RepubliCANTs who care nothing about ppl but only about lining their pockets. These facts are easily obtained on government websites if you know how/ where to look. Duhsatan says "dont say gay or climate change" - he's ruined housing, the economy, the environment + relationships - it'll take decades to recover

[@NalaRichenbach]

If she smelled raw sewage... the county is responsible IMO. Sarasota County doesn't want to acknowledge anything unless they absolutely have to... the liability factor. They would be on the hook for millions and millions of dollars. The county wants nothing to do with this mess. They know what really happened... it was not the rainfall. Nobody was watching the sewage plant. Funny how it's right next door to this community.

[@sharonholdren7588]

I don't know how old this young man is, but his work is truly professional.

[@NalaRichenbach]

Because he's not employed by the media censorship machine. He can talk about anything he wants... no employer to hold him back and censor everything he says. He's also not coddling the viewers and treating us like we are children, as the media does, thinking that we need to be protected from seeing and hearing bad things.

[@MrJoshcc600]

Man that's good journalism. Can't find that in corporate media

[@MandyMoto]

only lies and corruption- Hey kinda sounds like government

[@drjanines3301]

True - duhsatan has a lock on what can be reported in MSM - only independent channels are getting the TRUTH out ! TY - Flori-duh will take decades to recover from Duhsatans "don't say climate change" law. He's evil - ins companies won't fix it

[@drjanines3301]

So true. Duhsatan has a lock on what MSM can report. It'll take decades to recover from Duhsatans "don't say climate change" law. It's absurd - he's pure evil ...lining HIS + HIS ILKS POCKETS. then he'll run off with the $$ LIKE R SCOTT DID - STEALING FROM Floridians

[@Cr8Lck]

Exactly!

[@NalaRichenbach]

That's because he's working and reporting independently. He's not employed by the media censorship machine.

[@filispirit]

Great reporting by this young man, Zack Payne.

[@lindseywalker6925]

@filispirit - If you throw out that information absorbed from watchibg too much MSM about climate change and global warming. I'm betting that he's watched so much TV that his eyes have turned rectangle.

[@leticiabeanguido]

Us locals know that this was due to the county! Sarasota county has been so quick to approve new developments but fail to upgrade their drainage/sewage system!

[@john5712]

Sarasota has done no upgrades for all the taxes they are receiving that I can see, I bought a house built in the late 70s there is no sewer no curb drains the ditches don’t flow properly it’s terrible mismanaged.I’m paying 4000 a year for property taxes and I’m not seeing improvements you would expect for that kinda money

[@sharoncrawford7192]

Sounds like the same problem with roads.😢

[@johnhovorka3062]

Build,build, build, but nothing done for the infrastructure.

[@pinschrunner]

Same in Polk County

[@claudiahansen4938]

Tight and professional reporting. You are getting at the truth of what happened here. Good work.

[@ralphjessee2688]

Very. Zack is the man.

[@dereksmith2828]

You did this community a great service by doing this video. The more exposure this gets the most people will be held liable that caused this. Very well made video

[@KatieB1776]

Great reporting! I live in Sarasota. People should be livid. This type of financial loss is extremely hard to recover from…🙏🙏🙏

[@Gator7333]

Thanks so much. We live on Vintage Street and we are just devastated. It was the most disgusting experience and it lasted for days. We are so tired of the County just lying about what happened. How come only our neighborhood flooded for 4 days and none in the actual flood zones had anything happen? We heard they let raw sewage drain in to our homes for 38 hours before “fixing “ the leak.

[@robwaddell3661]

Ding ding ding plus they stopped clearing out the drains post 2020!!!

[@randaltotten9358]

Didn't DeSantis send the Florida guard to help you that's what he supposedly got them for. I guess he was just saying fairy tales

[@victoriaporter8665]

​Yesssssss I have been complaining about this in manatee county also,since Ian our canals and drains haven't been cleaned,they used to cut the grass a few times a year... Nothing!!!but code enforcement is out daily,🤔🙄​@@robwaddell3661

[@res887]

How come you all live in Florida (capital of flooding), but you all never think of flood insurance!

[@drjanines3301]

It's Duhsatan - it'll never get better until a not for profit governor + senator (Rick Scott) who are BOTH STEALING FROM FLORIDIANS + TOURISTS

[@theathenachannel88]

Zach Payne hard-hitting investigative reporter bringing the absolute GOODS to KZbin! Sending prayers💜

[@truthonly7699]

he did a much better job than main stream media

[@ninapopova3208]

We live in East Sarasota. Residents- they are trying to build 127 homes on the farm that exists next door to the celery fields on Raymond Road. A company based out of Texas purchased the land D R Horton. The Audubon society wanted to buy the land but failed. We must stop this continued building from happening….enough is enough. It not only affects the wildlife but the existing residents and their communities

[@truthonly7699]

i been saying we need to stop the building in Sarasota for over 20 years, very sad what they are doing. Soon we will be like Tampa

[@Cerceify4645]

Celery? Then it is probably old wetlands.

[@ninapopova3208]

@@Cerceify4645 yes, exactly

[@_PatrickO]

Stop voting republican. All republicans did was create the perfect storm of an insurance and condo fee crisis on homeowners. The banks are going to end up owning everything all over again. Florida's own self made version of the 2008 collapse.

[@DonGlassjr]

It's going to get worse, just ask people that live in Houston Texas. The same thing with all the development and no place for water to flow.

[@gardeningforfunandlongevit6076]

Fantastic and impressive reporting. I thought I was listening/watching a major news station. Very bright future, young man.

[@tfm362]

Much better than 'major news stations' They only say what De Santis wants them to say. He is the problem.

[@Caturday123]

It’s better than a major news station. He actually asked good questions.

[@bstrongdog]

Great reporting, I was shocked to hear my coworker had cars floating in sewer water out front of his home right off the freeway and bee ridge. Its ironic Sarasota country is so strict about lot drainage and sewer infrastructure for a new home but yet they dont mind or take care of the big picture of massive developments or even water conditioning plants and their effect on their neighbors.

[@terrynorthern38]

Horrible

[@dianaashton2512]

I really had heard there were flooding situations but honestly 8n had no idea of this tragedy. It does feel as thought this has something to do with treatment plant. 15 years is a long time without flooding, something went terribly wrong,

[@DillonLoomis22]

great reporting brother thanks for this!

[@mikeglynn5824]

Had a winter residence in Ft Myers and after Ian I just had enough. We just had wind damage but driving around and seeing ppl had lost everything I said I’m out. Sold made money I’ll miss it but the insurance just got insane to be there 3 1/2 months. All the best to these ppl Sometimes bad things happen to good ppl. God bless them

[@LindaChapman-u2c]

I'm one of the lucky Sarasota USVets they already took the home from, so I'm blessed I didn't have to go through all this. TY so much for speaking up for these people. It has been heartbreaking in retirement watching gangs of Sarasota taxpayers & homeowners going to County & City Commission meetings begging to be heard about the destruction being done to wildlife & our waterways by Investors overdevelopment methods undertaken recently.

[@truthonly7699]

we need to know who was paid off to approve all this building. Who should of seen the lower level land disaster coming? They surveys should show that lower land around would be impacted. water flows down to find its level somewhere. they failed the people of this neighborhood. class action lawsuit is needed.

[@LindaChapman-u2c]

@@truthonly7699 Right. They seem to divide Government Operations into so many departments so they can all point the finger at someone else in these times.👈🤡👉

[@Cerceify4645]

Don't forget Death Santis doesn't want to hear about Climate Warming and wetlands are being sold off for more developments, even golf courses in our state parks if he can get away with it.

[@AStanton1966]

For anyone installing a new sewer line, always install a back flow devise. It costs only a few hundred bucks and prevents city sewer water from entering your house.

[@Gestapo943]

unfortunately that would not have helped these folks; the sewer backup was just the beginning in this neighborhood; but I agree with the recommendation

[@guarnibl]

Is that not also code for new development in Sarasota? (I know this community had been there for 20 years).

[@RoseanneSeason7]

​@@guarniblI doubt it. You can plumb an entire house with PEX these days.

[@JM-st6ut]

West Bradenton residence here. I’m originally from Louisiana. I told my wife a year ago it’s time to cash out.!just had a new development go up across from the bridge off Cortez to get to Anna Maria Island. About 2 miles from where we live there’s an entire new development being built. My neighborhood doesnt flood. Didn’t have a puddle after Ian or Helene. But 5 years from now I’m not convinced this won’t be us too. Where I grew up we never had flooded streets and I lived between 4 bayous. Fast forward and we had 8 feet of water at my parents home for Hurricane Katrina. Our spot where I grew up crabbing on Salt Bayou is gone. Why? Million dollar waterfront homes apparently were a necessity. Wetlands used to satisfy demand for more housing. How about let them find another place to live? Developers want the money. The county wants the taxes. Except the biggest tax is ultimately paid during moments like this. Stop letting capitalism govern everything. Because those same developers will come rebuild these homes and get paid again. They keep winning. Citizens keep losing

[@NA-FL]

We’ve been trying to save the wetlands since the 70’s, I wonder why….

[@Cerceify4645]

That is why Babcock Ranch had very little flooding during Idalia. The Sierra Club sued the developer to keep the wetlands. They finally settled out of court but the wetland, part of it, was still there!

[@Barnest1981]

We always said 20 years ago when they started to build out there that it would flood it's a swamp they built on

[@barbarahering484]

Excellent job reporting on this , the reason no one is answering the questions you are asking is because they don't want to assume blame and bare the responsibility.

[@johnphillipsplumbing7148]

Great job,we need to get a petition to DEMAND answers from our county leaders. I do not live there,but these people are victims, they need attorneys!

[@SoulfulVeg]

These poor people. This is a middle/working class & retired person's neighborhood. Most people cant tolerate this kind of expense. After Irma, I sold my house. I felt like the storms were getting worse and the insurance costs were skyrocketing.

[@dearmepa1]

Zack, you are heading to a future of investigative reporting! Great job! My thoughts and prayers are with all of these victims.❤️🙏🏼

[@filispirit]

This is a failure of the Sarasota county commissioners allowing fast track developers. I hope they all sue them. Expect it again, with higher water levels. Living in a house with septic damage is a medical nightmare waiting to happen. ❤

[@Gwen3344]

Sue the government? You do realize that government is funded by tax dollars, right? By we the people, including you? Outrage is best directed at the elected government officials who failed to properly regulate development. Hold them accountable and vote them all out!

[@draganbumbar2505]

@@Gwen3344 Are you serious? What about these people who lost their homes? Imagine being buried in government expenses and this happens to you. Of course they should sue. If we had any moral values left we would all organize and help these people reclaim their loss. Be a good coward and offer one of these people a place to stay.

[@Gwen3344]

@@draganbumbar2505 Yes, I'm serious. And I am mindful that tax dollars spent helping these homeowners are tax dollars that will not be used elsewhere, and are tax dollars have not been used to help others who were expected to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Why wouldn't the same "principle" apply here? Sounds like a double standard. Having said that, yes the government has a role to play in helping these people get back on their feet.

[@Caturday123]

Nothing more corrupt than local government

[@MandyMoto]

@@draganbumbar2505 Nope only illegal migrants get free housing and visa cards full of thousands of dollars and dont forget thousands of dollars of food assistance.

[@amyaldrich780]

ZACH!!! Great job, friend! You know we live in the neighborhood across from Lorraine. We were stuck in our home for four days! (Thankful for electricity and water!) What a shocker for ALL of us!!!

[@nancygerhart4372]

Great job in advocating for these folks. Keep pushing for answers

[@ZachPayneSarasotaRealEstate]

@@nancygerhart4372 thank you!

[@chriswestlake9401]

Very nice report. Thank you for focusing on the residents experience. Very impressive shooting, editing, use of b-roll. From a former tv news director. Keep it up, you are very talented!

[@DeanofMachines]

This is a great video and deserves waayy more traction. A note about wastewater treatment plants, they are designed to handle a certain amount of water. The issue is sewers are often tied into rain water drains. In this situation, with so many variables releasing water into the world, all of that water MUST go through the waste water facility. Its a choke point that will get backed up. Imagine all of that runoff not being shed properly. Its a known issue due to urban expansion in the area. If the water treatment plant wasn’t there, they would have still dealt with flooding.

[@Shade_Tree_Mechanic]

Excellent journalism. I'm subscribed for updates you may have in the future

[@CarlWithACamera]

Insanely great investigative reporting!! Your effort to tell their story is a huge gift to the people living in that neighborhood.

[@moonoggin]

You have the best report of anyone!! Keep doing what you are doing ❤

[@dianaashton2512]

Zach you are a true professional. Thank you so much.

[@ldlifestyles9930]

I'm happy that you are bringing this to the light. It's actually ridiculous that the drainage control in FL isn't the MAIN focus of our cities! Praying for the families that were impacted.

[@eljefe2963]

This was awesome, a real man of the people

[@flygirl6108]

Zach, you do an excellent job reporting!!

[@dianaashton2512]

ZACH YOU HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB. THANK YIU

[@kathyanderson8347]

Great job !!! We hope our elected officials see this and do something to help these people and give them answers!!!

[@Indiana-u4z]

Very professional. I really hope these people get the help that they need.

[@KennethGreenCMP]

I appreciate how everyone has become Hydrologists. In 23 years there has been a whole lot of development around that neighborhood. My guess is the drainage pipes have not been enlarged and the same set of requirements that have been in place for 23 years. What's the problem - Everyone wants no regulation, small government and low taxes. We had the same problem near me. A development with shopping center opened up. Every house down stream on creek behind the shopping center was flooded. The developer said they followed every requirement.

[@ralphjessee2688]

WRONG! The new developments are required to have a drainage plan that takes into account the totality of the circumstances for the area. And the County planners are tasked with ensuring these things are done and the new buyers are saddled with CCD and other fees. What happened to all of that oversight is the mystery not there wasn't any. Wake up!

[@kenitsanoutragecandia3939]

What about all the increased tax revenue going into the local government coffers? All the new homes pay property tax. What about the inflated property values due to the planet moving to SFl bumping housing prices continually higher thus increasing revenue collected by the government? Higer taxes and bigger government? HELLO! Civil Engineers failed or the water plant screwed up. Hydrologists Oath should be "DO NO HARM" not "LET IT FLOOD"

[@semproblemas8634]

Darwinian correction to overcrowding. 😊

[@wendywhite2642]

Then the people need to pressure their government to make better standards, don’t you think?

[@ralphjessee2688]

@@wendywhite2642 Enforcement of current standards, streamlining them.

[@mw354]

Zach, you’re doing an awesome job of reporting on this. Thanks for all the updates.

[@purplesocks9745]

Good video Zach. But, as far as getting a straight answer from the local government, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. If they just keep quiet long enough maybe everyone will forget.

[@ralphjessee2688]

I think Zack is the man to get those answers from the gov. He has the insight, intelligence, temperament, and wherewithal to get it done. GO ZACH.

[@info781]

Excellent investigative reporting, I feel bad for the people. You pose many questions that everyone is asking. The county will have to hire an engineering firm to piece it all together. When a new subdivision is built , they are supposed to handle their own water, they can not send it next door, but in the end it has to go somewhere. As for what happened at the water facility, that is a big question mark. In a better situation it all would have drained south-east into the water facility and Rothenbach park.

[@laurakilmer8652]

I feel so sorry for you folks. We lived in Winter Haven during the 3 Hurricanes in 04. We had a lot of damage but not flooding. (tree on house, hole in roofl, had a blue tarp on roof for six months. ) But we expected that damage. There is no way this should have happened to you folks. so sad.

[@bobjeffrey8863]

ZACH,, Great video,, Keep researching Looking forward to your updates.. Stay on it

[@DawgTunez]

There was a reason the old County Commissioners (pre-00's) had a moratorium on building east of I75 ... but all the newbies came down and thought they knew better when the old timers like Robert L. Anderson retired. Water out there drains via rivers and sloughs - it flows inland, not to mention these rivers and sloughs, many of them dry the majority of the year (or several years). but when transplant people come down without understanding this, you get situations like Laurel Meadows. What developers and engineers, and new transplant home buyers fail to realize is that 3-6 inches of elevation can mean the difference from desert like conditions and a pond

[@crfflashforward]

Good job, young man! You definitely have a future in broadcasting and journalism

[@lizbundick6334]

Zach you are a wonderful reporter! We appreciate your investigative work!!!

[@danlowe8684]

I heard an administrator state that 1000 gallons had been discharged from the water treatment plant!! Such a ridiculous statement. 1000 gallons is a volume about the size of a pickup truck!! smh.

[@tfm362]

try 35 million gallons from the Manatee River

[@Cerceify4645]

Next you'll have cyanobacteria and red tide. Finally state board members are saying "Agriculture Runoff!

[@danielorzech4563]

Outstanding job reporting kid. You are a journalist. Keep it up. Don't bring an agenda into your reporting, just the facts. We'll done.

[@kelboodha]

These residents should ask the Stormwater Department what happens in our subdivision when 14 to 18 inches of rainfall within 24 hours is inputted into their large watershed drainage models, specifically for Phillippi Creek and Cow Pen Slough.

[@mt-kp2tb]

Bingo

[@nolongeranurse3369]

You do know slough is just a fancy word for SWAMP right?

[@randaltotten9358]

Cowpen Slough is a canal and has been for my 65 years of life

[@DawgTunez]

Once upon a time, all water in Laurel Meadows used to run out the east and south sides to Cow Pen Slough, but now Artistry blocks the flow on the East side, and the Water Reclamation plant blocks it on the South ... the place should be renamed to "Laurel Meadows Pond" because they literally turned it into a pond/lake

[@christhomas4515]

The County has allowed a LLC to control the flow of vanderipe slough. Which blocks the flow of Howard creek and the Myakka River Lots of negligent and malicious intent by the county and the DEP

[@danlowe8684]

Great job on this. I have been posting comments since this happened that the city/county are lying about what happened. They need to FOIA the SCADA system data from the Water District and have a forensic engineer analyze what happened.

[@odeszarules5125]

I see huge lawsuits against the city of Sarasota incoming. My god. What a nightmare

[@Gwen3344]

Settlement dollars are paid by taxes. You act as if government is a thing that exists separate from the citizens. Governments are funded, even lawsuits against governments, by the taxpayer.

[@DawgTunez]

@@Gwen3344 ... not to mention, it's county, not city

[@mg-by7uu]

​@@Gwen3344the gov is funded by printed dollars, don't be so naive

[@MandyMoto]

@@Gwen3344 That should not matter at this point There needs to be accountability Sounds like a good reason for the taxpayers to get more involved in what the county is doing instead of not caring and just keep letting the same people get elected.

[@Gwen3344]

@@MandyMoto I totally agree: there should be accountability, and that accountability should come from the citizens through their votes, and if necessary civil disobedience. But for the first and likely only quest for accountability to be 'sue the government", I am not in alignment with that. Before we are taxpayers or voters, we are CITIZENS!

[@Lescqe3uj]

With the sewage treatment plant being down during the hurricane and all of those newer higher developments surrounding this community still using water kept raising the sewage at the treatment plant. This community became the overflow for the sewage treatment plant.

[@debdeb5093]

Looks like North Port everywhere in Hurricane Irma and Ian....it's horrible when you loose everything

[@thrumyeyesphoto]

Our home in North Sarasota was about an inch from taking on water in this storm. Our lanai had 2-3 inches of water in it. We also aren't in a flood zone and our neighborhood has never flooded before. Very, very strange! Something out of the ordinary definitely happened.

[@Floridastoughestswimmer]

Insurance companies are a ripoff

[@scottmaz4063]

So I heard that sometimes the county would put in balloon blockers to plug up the drain lines if they were checking out the pipe. Now they sometimes forget to remove them and this happens. A guy who's a plumber there has been saying this.

[@ASkyy166]

A lot of people moved here last 4 yrs and they have no idea what to even expect from this area. Half of people at my job in sarsota are from places all over the country. Last year they were all surprised by the drought. This year by the rain. I get the sense that no one is doing any research what so ever before moving here. I also hear complains about outdated infrastructure and services taking a long time like getting oil changes on car or doctors appointments. I mean sarsota was a pretty small town with not that many services in the first place. I’m astounded that people really know nothing about this area.

[@d.m.5017]

I tell people all the time, it's one thing to visit & another to live. In for a rude awakening, in the worse way!

[@prn24]

Do your homework before you move to a new town or state. I left SRQ after 46 years in 2022. There is too much development and no end in sight.

[@dirtycommie2877]

The problem is that most people will move their entire lives simply off of vibes. Which is very impulsive.

[@krozmon6677]

What you have heard is not accurate imo....24.5 year resident and services are plentiful. This amount of rain (from a tropical storm around 90 miles away) would have flooded many people in almost any town!

[@d.m.5017]

@@dirtycommie2877 Exactly! Research the southern states fully. At will/Right to work, low salaries & no union protection. Rent first & feel it out b4 you purchase a home, that's not worth the paper it's written on. Atlanta is the same, full of hype. Everyone's experience isn't the same, but not me & that ever again! So sorry to everyone thst lost their livelihood, in the floods. 🙏🏽

[@dangerczak8916]

The county engineers and politicians knew this was going to happen during the development review process of the nearby properties. There was a decision to make to either buy out the neighboring developers building rights and turn those areas into open space or kick the can down the road and hope for the best.

[@ThankYouJann]

Thank you for the coverage!

[@bkschannel1823]

I commend this young man. Someone other than these homeowners is responsible. Good job zach.

[@claudermiller]

I lived in an 1884 house in Covington KY which had never flooded until the early 2000's after a huge subdivision uphill from us was built. A house that hadn't flooded in 120 years isn't going to suddenly flood because of a heavy downpour.

[@barbaraemanuel1379]

Thank you for these reports on the ground & in the air. Heartbreaking to see this is a cluster of mistakes and the county needs to step up and make it right so it never happens again. Rain and flood water is totally different scenario. Sewage water does not come from the sky.

[@roccoelleto9900]

This is a great report. This man did a fantastic job. The problem with flooding in these never before flooded areas is all the new growth and poor planning that Florida has absorbed. They build on land that used to be a sponge. That sponge naturally absorbs this water. Builders dug out the sponge, covered the area with clay and hard pack, then built on top of it. Any water that then falls on this once spongy land runs off somewhere as it can no longer drip into the earth like nature designed. I'm experiencing the same thing in Zephyrhills. Been here 40 years. 1998 El Nino caused flooding. 2004 back to back T/S and Hurricanes caused some flooding. 2021-today, thousands of homes built around me and now we flood if we get more than 4 inches in a week. Government doesn't care, they get tax revenue from the new home owners and business.

[@pacjam418]

Good reporting. When we have a natural disaster or any disaster in my state, the Governor always visits. The Governor of Florida should be attending to this.

[@RobotsCanDoAnything]

Excellent reporting Zack.

[@nshaver24]

Zach your an amazing investigative reporter!!

[@Mike-ew9zn]

Wow! Great reporting!!!

[@MathiasMeasinger]

The greed of developers converting farm and wet lands being covered with new neighborhoods. If people keep wanting to move to low lying areas so they can have access to water. It's not going to stop unless there is a total ban on developing. Open wet and farm land in the area.

[@throttleitup]

Good job on the reporting kid. The county is trying to negate any responsibility. Reality is they approved and signed off on every single negligible issue which ultimately lead to this catastrophic event. Hope these people are made whole.

[@truthonly7699]

some people got paid off, living large now

[@davidstepka4364]

Thanks for your honesty; GREAT journalism.

[@reginacarrithers4454]

It's quite OBVIOUS, that storm sewers and drainage systems were NOT installed OR for whatever reason, they are NOT CLEARED to allow for drainage. SOMEONE IS RESPONSIBLE for it NOT draining away.

[@johnhovorka3062]

You must be a journalism major. If not you should become one. Well done.

[@johnmaxwell4072]

Sorry for your troubles folks. Been there. Corp of Engineers and U S government lied to us in New Orleans about how our levees were constructed. Sheet piles not driven to designed depths. That’s what makes my Katrina experience so maddening….it didn’t have to happen. We all want to “trust” our government and no body wants to spend spare time studying sewer lines and levees BUT we can no longer trust that folks in charge will do “the right thing “ without public scrutiny and supervision.

[@karenzorn773]

Great job on this developing story, keep us posted on how it turns out, it looks like you will be eventually become a real reporter.

[@patrickmasi4851]

I think I heard it right when they said our sewers and drains can only handle up to 5-7 inches of rain. We’ve been getting that every afternoon

[@Cerceify4645]

An Oceanographer gave a lecture and said if you live in Florida you should live at 100ft above sea level. 30 feet is to laugh at. I think I'm at 70ft. high and 31 miles inland. Some developers have attached their drainage to other older communities that has caused flooding in River View.

[@jordane813]

As other developments were built at higher elevations around it, Laurel Meadows became the bottom of a bowl, with water flowing from neighbors onto their property and no where to go.

[@sarasotamermaid]

How did the elevation of this neighborhood change?

[@jordane813]

@@sarasotamermaid the neighboring developments raised the elevation of the land when they were built. The neighboring communities are newer communities. The developers brought in fill. Laurel Meadows didn't sink but as other developments were built up around it Laurel Meadows became downhill.

[@throttleitup]

Impermeable surfaces,and inadequate runoff.​@@sarasotamermaid

[@ralphjessee2688]

Great reporting

[@ZachPayneSarasotaRealEstate]

@@ralphjessee2688 thank you!

[@dianaashton2512]

Brilliant journalism. Not offered by any professional arena.

[@pzozzie]

I firmly believe its a result of the new developments around them being higher and the new drainage system they put in on the main road not having anywhere to go because its at the lowest point of all surrounding areas. This was poor drainage planning from developers and poor oversight from county who allowed it. Also, while others area didn't flood or flooded less and quickly receded, 14-18 inches of rain in 24 hours is a lot. Thats going to cause flooding somewhere and its going to take a bit of time to drain out. It has happened in my community with 14 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Isaac.

[@caz4523]

They are destroying Sarasota by continually building... I have lived here since 1993, and it makes me sick to see all this construction .

[@truthonly7699]

fully agree, very sad

[@caz4523]

Very sad...it was a hidden gem back in the day

[@gregjames1212]

Sarasota county has a huge liability suit heading their way.

[@Shopsktkolsc]

This was very interesting and well researched. Nice work.

[@solargod3671]

Weird things happened in Katrina , the pump’s system and dams was exploded people say they heard explosions that made the city flood.

[@MandyMoto]

Yea that was reported by the locals who also saw them open up the levys. that did not happen organically

[@hi-friaudioman]

I live in manatee county and i barely heard about this. I knew there was some flooding and i was shocked. Thanks for making this video and making people aware. Maybe you could setup a neighborhood repair fund. Im sure people would donate and every little bit helps.

[@FLORIDAHOODVLOGS]

17-21 inches of rain.. and it came down really quickly after the storm passed.

[@BizLorax]

Great job Zach! Good reporting! I learned a lot.

[@macalister8881]

The new developmet areas should have watercatch zones to hold water but this upside down world we live in only gets worse each year

[@filispirit]

Failure of Sarasota county. I was flooded in a no flood zone, it is so mentally and physically devastating. I hope you get a resolution and a lawsuit should be installed. 🙏

[@kennethwarger318]

Hi there, I’m sorry that happened to you but you’re mistaken about flood zones. We all live in a flood zone in Sarasota. If you live in a unshaded x flood zone, the best flood zone, you have 0.2% chance of flooding every year or said another way 1 in 500. Flood zone x unshaded can and does flood.

[@subicstationditosailor4053]

​@kennethwarger318 100% correct.

[@marileesteele7992]

Welcome to FREE FLORIDA; free to sell a home to anyone with cash in any old lake bed a big developer buys and sells to unsuspecting buyers. Y'all need to study FLORIDA history. The development of Florida began with the influx of people who knew/know nothing about the typography of Florida. You need to look beyond your yard to the swamp that has been drained, fill dirt trucked into make it look dry. Everyone of our counties has these problems. And once the palms of the politicians are sufficiently greased by the developers, the homeowners are on their own. The old residents of Sarasota County know about the celery fields. It takes a lot of water to grow celery. Buyers beware. Sad but true.

[@moe9246]

Duh. My whole life, in Ohio, the saying was “If you believe that, I have some swamp land in Florida I’ll sell ya”. This whole state was a swamp at one time. Bertha Honore Palmer purchased 140,000 acres of swampland, filled it in and Sarasota was born. Greedy contractors, a poor civil engineering department, and BAD planning caused this. The more concrete and asphalt you have, the less area to absorb all the water.

[@Cerceify4645]

My late sister in law's father grew rich selling swampland to old people in Naples. My niece inherited wetland parcelled out in Golden Gate. If you fly over it you can still see miles of water shining in the sun with roads and parcels maked out.There are actually wet areas with people living in the swamp. The rest of Golden Gate on the east is paved over. My nephew was surprised when we went there about 8 years ago. He said he didn't see the prostitutes out there anymore but I was to stay inside at my meeting and call him to pick me up at the door. We successfully stopped a big petroleum rig to be set up near homes and wild areas still left there for a rich former politician.

[@Jclay619]

The government allows public and private facilities to dump wastewater before, during and after storms. The phosphate mines take full advantage of this as well and they all save a ton of money with this practice. All of the surrounding counties experienced the same and Manatee County was still releasing wastewater as of a couple days ago. The same happened during Ian and there is definitely more to this story. Great reporting and proper job Zach!

[@ForThePeople777]

I live in sarasota and a few people I know have had standing water puddles in thwir yard since like August 4th

[@laurakilmer8652]

Some developer screwed up BIG TIME Wonder who developed it. What company ? Who owns that company ? Something Rotten in Denmark ( Sarasota )

[@petgranny194]

Great reporting, Zack. If the County would rebuild that road along to water plant, I wonder if that would be the quickest action to at least keep the sewage out of the neighborhood. Seems like the LEAST the county could do.

[@Stitch0729]

I appreciate u…I have family in Sarasota close to siesta key and Bradenton…and I used to live on Cornelius circle off of fruitvulle rd…i appreciate all the info u have provided u have a new sub

[@globalcitizen3425]

good job in putting this together

[@kenlewis3641]

Wonderful job reporting. The County is possibly very likely at fault. However, the builders are at fault as well. Living in a New Lennar Community myself. With 7 roof leaks in the first 10 months. It is clear that builders don't care about quality or their customers.

[@michaelplunkett8059]

Sounds like a blocked drainage canal.

[@jdh23h]

That and the canal had no where to go . It just dead ends into the neighborhood across the corner into a wetlands area