University Area still mired in long recovery from Hurricane Milton
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An aerial view of a neighborhood in North Tampa after Hurricane Milton made landfall. Photo: Pedro Portal/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Four months after Hurricane Milton flooded the University Area, some locals have been displaced, others remain in mold-ridden apartments and most still lack basic necessities as recovery efforts drag on.
Why it matters: For many in Hillsborough, the crisis ended when the skies cleared — but in the University Area, it's far from over.
Catch up quick: University Area, a neighborhood named for its closeness to the University of South Florida, is designated as flood zone X. That means it faces a 1-in-500 chance of flooding each year.
- Milton defied those odds. Floodwaters overtook Fowler Avenue, which Mayor Jane Castor dubbed "Lake Fowler."
- Hundreds of properties sustained damage, leaving residents — 89% of whom rent — dependent on landlords for repairs. Some owners have deemed the losses too great to fix.
The big picture: Before the crisis, affordable housing was already scarce, but now, per the nonprofit University Area Community Development Corporation (UACDC), it is almost nonexistent.
- Floodwaters and wind gusts caused extensive damage to homes, tree branches pierced roofs and mold spores developed after severe water damage.
- Many residents had no choice but to leave. "We lost at least 15% of our community," says Sarah Combs, CEO of UACDC. "And we think that number is only going to rise."
Between the lines: The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners has, for years now, axed funds and programs designed to encourage affordable housing development.
- Last year, the board cut a program that, for three decades, made building affordable houses cheaper. Experts told Axios then that doing so would result in fewer homes for those in need.
- And after Milton, the board relied on an affordable housing fund it has repeatedly gutted to help those the storm displaced.
State of play: The UACDC cleared debris and restored landscaping at eight properties and three homes in Milton's aftermath, in addition to serving over 10,000 individuals hot meals.
- Hillsborough County and Tampa launched an investigation into what caused the historic floods. The city also approved $3.2 million to provide grants of up to $20,000 for households affected by Milton.
- The UACDC, Hillsborough County and USF secured a nearly $15 million federal grant to, in part, improve stormwater systems in the University Area to reduce flooding.
The bottom line: "It's taken a long time for us to recover," says Combs of the UACDC. "We're still not out of it yet."