'We just feel helpless:' Nassau County homeowner battling significant flooding

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Rain continues to cause widespread flooding across our area, and one Nassau County homeowner has water covering his driveway and yard, and in some spots, it is knee-deep.

That homeowner has been pumping water for several days, and he has three pumps running for about 13 to 14 hours a day.

“This has been our life,” said Gilbert Cote. “Our life has been water.”

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Cote never imagined his driveway and front yard would turn into a pond.

“By Monday night it was coming into the house and in the garage,” said Cote. “It was entering the house through the weep holes down there and coming up through our floor in our dining room.”

Action News Jax walked through the flood water with one of Cote’s family members as they were desperately trying to lower the water levels with several pumps.

Cote moved into his current house in Nassau County nearly 4 months ago and on Thursday he and his wife almost decided to evacuate.

“She got to a point where she looked out the window and grabbed the bags, started packing a bag,” said Cote.

The Action News Jax First Alert Weather Team said some neighborhoods in Nassau County got up to 9 inches of rain on Thursday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Cote said he is not in a flood zone, and he now has about 8 inches of water inside his garage.

But he said the problem is the water has nowhere to go.

“There’s nothing, nothing for the water to flow to,” said Cote. “We just feel helpless.”

And he said the county is not able to help him because he lives on a private road.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Action News Jax reached out to the county and a spokesperson said, “the county cannot expend public funds for private road work/improvements.”

But Cote is pushing for better water management.

“If there was a culvert going under our private road there, it could flow down Barnwell and continue to flow toward 200,” said Cote.

The county said it continues to investigate and respond to every call, but in some situations, they are limited.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.