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Whitmore, whose home sits safely elevated on 14-foot stilts, says she still wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about the "visual impact" floodwater has on neighboring lawns. She reportedly still suffers night sweats recalling Hurricane Milton and how long some residents allowed standing water to remain visible from the street.

"The water itself isn't the issue," Whitmore clarified while peering through binoculars from her second-story lanai. "It's the standing."

For years, Shore Acres has become one of Tampa Bay's most flood-prone neighborhoods during heavy rains and hurricanes, leaving many residents ankle- to knee-deep in water.

Whitmore insists she sympathizes.

"I just wish they'd flood more neatly."

Neighbors say Whitmore regularly distributes Flood Aesthetics Committee bulletins reminding residents that while flooding is unavoidable, "unsightly flooding" is a choice.

One recent bulletin encouraged homeowners to "consider the neighborhood experience" while waiting for floodwaters to recede.

Another recommended removing floating trash bins "before they begin conveying the wrong message."

The committee also unveiled an official Flood Color Palette encouraging residents to "maintain consistent earth tones" whenever possible and avoid allowing debris to introduce "competing visual elements."

One resident said Whitmore once suggested residents "rotate their submerged patio furniture" so it looked more intentional.

"She called it 'flood staging,'" said homeowner Mark Delaney. "Meanwhile, I was trying to keep my refrigerator from floating into my living room."

Residents whose homes regularly take on water say they're doing the best they can.

"I've got two feet of water everywhere" said one homeowner.

"Yes," Whitmore replied. "But have you considered how that reflects on the neighborhood?"

Another resident said Whitmore knocked on his door during the last flood, not to check whether his family was safe, but to ask if he could "angle his canoe a little farther from the curb."

"It was creating visual clutter," he recalled.

Emergency responders also found themselves the subject of committee recommendations after parking rescue vehicles throughout the neighborhood.

A subsequent bulletin politely requested that fire trucks, high-water vehicles and rescue boats "consider preserving residential sightlines whenever operationally feasible."

The committee recently announced plans for its inaugural Most Tastefully Inundated Property award, recognizing homeowners who demonstrate "exceptional commitment to flood presentation despite challenging hydrological circumstances."

Despite never having personally flooded, Whitmore says she has endured years of emotional hardship.

"You don't know what it's like opening your curtains after a storm," she said. "Sometimes the reflections are uneven."

Before ending the interview, Whitmore reminded residents that if floodwater exceeds two feet, it should be "arranged in a way that complements adjacent properties whenever possible."

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