MANATEE -- Neighbors who use Palmetto Point Drive are glad the county plans to repave the road, but they're complaining that flooding should be addressed, too.

"Palmetto Point Drive slopes down to a low spot," said Victor Coveduck, of the 5200 block of Palmetto Point Drive. "They need to re-engineer the whole area."

Coveduck said drivers frequently get stuck at a low spot where the road approaches an intersection with U.S. Highway 19 north of Palmetto, where water gathers in the road -- and not just when it has been raining.

His neighbor, Dave Kraner, who lives nearby in the 5300 block of Beacon Road, said that he sought a flooding fix the last time the road was repaved years ago, but it never happened.

"They swore they would repair it before they repaved, but they didn't," said Kraner.

County Commissioner Larry Bustle said he had driven the road Wednesday, adding that it "will be paved very shortly."

He also said the county's public works department is aware of the flooding issue.

"They'll take a look at

it," he said. "I'm sure public works is able to solve it."

Bustle said he didn't know whether they would solve it now or later, saying, "It depends on what the solution is."

Chad Butzow, Manatee County's deputy director of public works, said one of his engineers was considering several possibilities, including maintenance of drainage in the area and ensuring all the drainage pipes are open and working properly.

Coveduck said after a heavy rainstorm, he's seen a couple of feet of water in the road.

"It's just like a pond," he added.

Several roads in the quiet neighborhood had already been repaved Wednesday, and county trucks and workmen were out in force.

The neighborhood sits west of U.S. Highway 19 and north of Palmetto, adjacent to Terra Ceia Bay.

Sara Kennedy, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7031.