PLANT CITY, Fla. — Being that it is now peak hurricane season, flooding will remain a concern for many a bit longer. The heavy rain has left residents in Plant City battling years of flooding concerns.

Earlier this year, Spectrum News reported that Plant City leaders were working to address flooding issues in the northern part of the area.

Now, Plant City residents are showing the impact flooding from Debby has caused and the cleanup process ahead.

This might be the perfect weather for the ducks in resident John Haney’s yard, but for him, personally, it’s a different story.

“Part of dealing with these floodwaters that we’ve been dealing with is basically to try to protect and preserve this land as best we can,” he said.

Haney says that land has been owned by his family since 1979. He grew up there and it’s where he is raising his own family now.

But over the years, he says flooding has continued to get worse.

Now, weeks after Debby, he’s still seeing impacts. “The water is not going out, the water is being held back on us and that’s creating more damage than we would even see in some of the prior floods,” says Haney.

Even after the floodwater recedes, Haney says they have a long cleanup process ahead.

“These are agricultural fields so it damages the grass, what we try to do out here, and that leaves a big mess as you can see the dead fish to the rotting vegetation.”

He says it’s what brings an ecological issue.

City leaders are working on a plan right now to prevent flooding like this from happening, but Haney also attributes some of the problem to new development in the area.

“I’m not opposed to the development, that’s a natural part of our society in this area, but I am opposed to the water being dumped on the people who did not create the water,” said Haney.

When Spectrum News last spoke with Plant City Manager Bill McDaniel in March, he said flooding in the area has been a long-standing issue, and that the city is working to partner at the federal, state and local levels to come up with a solution.

Now, the city says they’re currently in the process of gathering information and research on the complex situation.

Haney understands that it’s an issue that will take time, but he wants to be part of those conversations to help.

“Takes a lot of different agencies, take a lot of different work to move it, but this has been another example, this has to be a front burner topic. It needs to be dealt sooner rather than later.”

So that he can continue living on this property for generations, come rain or come shine.

In the meantime, Haney says they prepare their property any time a storm is anticipated by moving their cattle and clearing the land.