Heavy rain floods Punta Gorda streets, sparks city field study

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. —

Punta Gorda saw three inches of rain on Wednesday morning, bringing relief to an extreme drought but also causing significant flooding across the city.

"Over the past several months, everything was beginning to turn crispy brown," said Tom Virtue, a Punta Gorda resident.

The heavy rain led to ponding water, with cars struggling to navigate flooded streets. Sidewalks and front lawns overflowed with water on West Olympia Avenue, and residents reported seeing white caps on the Peace River. From their condo, one couple said the rain made the Peace River Bridge nearly invisible.

"It was a heavy rain and definitely a lot of water in the streets, and see some residual here in the park," said Al Morgan, another Punta Gorda resident.

The city is working to address the flooding. Assistant City Manager Mike Bonasera said, "So we did see the videos on social media, and obviously it’s concerning, and we want people to know that we are in the midst of a field study."

Punta Gorda’s city manager said she is working to improve technology to help residents during strong storms and the rainy season.

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