Marianna resident raises concern over flooding

MARIANNA, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Almost every time it rains, one Jackson County family finds their backyard underwater.

What you could see from the yard Friday we’re told is a much different story than what you could see last weekend.

“You step off your deck on a bad day, and it’s a foot deep worth of water,” Marianna resident Starla Simco said.

Starla didn’t buy waterfront property.

She said, believe it or not, the standing water in her backyard on Friday, filled with snakes, tadpoles, and mosquitoes, actually looks good.

Every time it rains in Jackson County, Starla’s property becomes a pond; a deep one at that.

She said the flooding is a result of years of bad planning.

“You’ve got to fix the drainage. You’ve got to fix the ditches. You’ve got to have a place for the water to go, and you’ve got to get on the ball and do it,” Starla said.

She’s not the only witness to it.

“The water was all over to their shed. They couldn’t get off their back porch. It was pretty significant,” neighbor Angela Byrd-Martin said.

Starla’s pleas for help left unanswered.

“I’ve tried to contact the County Commissioners office, and I’ve tried to work with the County Commissioners office, and I’ve tried to work with [the] Road and Bridge Department,” Starla said.

Although Starla commends the actions of Public Transportation Director Scotty Taylor, she said the county needs to pitch in and pick up her calls.

“I’m known as the lady on Pilcher Street is calling again. That’s who I am; the lady on Pilcher Street’s calling again,” Starla said. “I’m not calling for nothing.”

Starla said there are talks of adding an additional drainage system to her backyard but right now that’s all it is.

“I’m not the only one in Jackson County going through this. I’m just the only one who is not giving up,” Starla said.

We made several attempts to get in touch with Jackson County Commissioner Clint Pate for comment on the flooding issues.

We have not heard back.

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