SUMMERFIELD, Fla. — Manatee County commissioners recently heard the results of a study conducted by a third-party firm on last year’s flooding after Hurricane Debby and the water that was released from the Lake Manatee Dam.

However, there is still disagreement about the source of the flooding between the county and some Lakewood Ranch residents.

Jill Sauchinitz lives in the Summerfield neighborhood in Lakewood Ranch.

“Well, I’ve never been more of a true believer in the saying, ‘There’s no place like home.’ This is my home. Things are different inside,” she said.

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That’s because her family spent more than $100,000 fixing up their home after it flooded in August. They were displaced for nearly four months.

“We had to get new floors, new walls, new furniture, new cabinets — basically, everything you see in here is brand new," she said. "It had to be replaced. Everything in here was destroyed. It was a very stressful, long process."

It all started on Aug. 5, 2024, when Hurricane Debby impacted the Bay Area. Sauchinitz said her family had to be rescued after her entire home was flooded with 17 inches of water.

“It’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy," she said. "It was a horrible day. It was a horrible experience."

Manatee County officials say there was record rainfall during Debby, but Sauchinitz believes her home was not flooded by the rain. She thinks the 18 billion gallons of water released from the Lake Manatee Dam led to the flooding in her neighborhood.

(Spectrum News)

“Our neighborhood was swallowed by the Braden River," she said. "The water was coming from the east, and it was overwhelmed."

Tom Gerstenberger, the Stormwater Engineering Division Manager for Manatee County’s Public Works Department, said a study completed by an environmental and water resource consulting firm shows that the flooding in Summerfield and other areas in the county was not caused by the water released from the Lake Manatee Dam.

“If we’re actually looking at the distance in the riverine system and the Manatee River and then back upstream on the Braden River, you can ultimately see how long of a distance that even if it was possible for that runoff to have affected Summerfield, it could not have, based upon the timing involved in the release of the floodwaters from the reservoir to the time in which the flooding was observed,” he said.

(Tom Gerstenberger)

Gerstenberger also said that other areas, such as Gamble Creek, Summerfield, Shadybrook, and the Centre Lake subdivision, all have histories of flooding. The Summerfield neighborhood previously flooded in 1997. Gerstenberger said that in November 1997, Summerfield received 7 inches of rain within six hours.

He also said the county is working on several solutions to prevent flooding in the future.

“County staff is further investigating revisions to stormwater regulations," he said. "Staff has also identified debris removal projects, which will address blockages and drainage systems prior to the upcoming 2025 hurricane season."

(Manatee County, Florida)

But Sauchinitz lives less than half a mile away from the Braden River. She believes cleaning up the debris could potentially help, but says more needs to be done now.

“The most important thing right now, with storm season being so close, is that we need to get the Braden River cleaned up," she said. "It’s got to be cleaned up. The water cannot flow."

While Manatee County officials say they are moving forward with a solution, Sauchinitz is still concerned about future storm seasons.

According to the county, by the end of the month, targeted maintenance activity is likely to begin in watershed areas, which will hopefully prevent flooding in the future.