SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A Sumter County family faces an ongoing battle with flooding that has turned their front yard into a water-logged landscape, forcing them to periodically evacuate their home and causing extensive property damage.
For Rein Williams and her family, what should be a simple task of accessing their home in Coleman has become a significant challenge. Their property has been submerged under water for the past month, marking the latest chapter in their years-long struggle with flooding issues.
“We’ve been out of power a few times because the trees are just sitting in water, falling,” Williams said, describing the cascade of problems the flooding has created.
The severity of the situation has forced the family, including Williams, her husband, and their three children, to seek temporary shelter in hotels multiple times when water levels become too threatening.
“Depending on what month in a year, I would say we go at least two to three times in a month,” Williams explained.
The family’s flooding troubles began in 2017 with Hurricane Irma, which destroyed their original home. Williams told News 6 the property, which they have owned for 15 years, had no flooding issues before that devastating storm.
Their newly rebuilt home then suffered flooding damage during Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
Recent rainfall has only exacerbated the situation.
“The water got as tall as the top step of the home,” Williams said, describing how the flooding damaged her car when water reached the gearshift.
Despite repeated attempts to get assistance from Sumter County officials, Williams said she’s found little help.
“The county basically telling us because it’s not an emergency that there’s nothing that they can do and it will cost them millions of dollars to build a dam or a canal or anything to help us,” Williams said.
According to Williams, county leaders have not visited the neighborhood since Hurricane Milton struck last year. When contacted about the situation, a Sumter County spokesperson told News 6 that public works is investigating the case.
“It’s our livelihood. It’s our family,” Williams said, urging officials to witness their situation firsthand. “Come out for yourself and see what we are going through.”
The flooding’s toll extends beyond immediate inconveniences. Williams estimates it will cost approximately $100,000 to repair flood damage inside their home and raise their property to prevent future flooding. Williams told News 6 she wants to move, but has to repair the property first.