VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) — A rotting tree that fell onto a vehicle along Gornto Road is sparking concerns about hazards going unreported in one Valdosta neighborhood.

Bobby McKenzie said neighbors had seen the dangerous tree for years before it came down.

“The tree issue, yeah, I believe it could have been prevented based off of multiple citizens who passed by and saw it and believed it was a hazard,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie said if residents knew how to report hazards and the city took action, the incident could have been avoided. He is urging residents to use the SeeClickFix app to document complaints about dangerous trees, flooding, drainage and other concerns.

Years of reported problems

McKenzie said he has reported issues in the Gornto Road and Sugar Creek area for five to six years, including trash buildup, log jams in creeks and flooding in homes.

“When the trash and the log jams block up the storm drains and the overall storm drainage, and then it blocks up into people’s yards and into their homes, and it destroys those homes,” he said.

McKenzie said one resident experienced flooding for 10 years before the city recently dug a drainage ditch. He said SeeClickFix shows over two dozen reports from residents in the area about standing water in homes and drainage problems on Gornto Road over that period.

“The city would come out, they look at something, and they point it to another agency, or they take the can to another department, and nothing got resolved,” McKenzie said.

McKenzie also said he has reported overflowing trash cans in a nearby parking lot, and he claimed the reports were closed without action.

In March 2025, McKenzie said he asked the city council if the trash can ordinance requiring that establishments maintain trash cans based on the number of parking spots in their lots was still valid, and council members confirmed it was.

“They reiterated the validity of that ordinance, and they know what the ordinance says, and they know what it means, but they’re just not doing it,” he said.

Not all residents have found success with the reporting app, SeeClickFix. One resident said they reported multiple problems for over a year with follow-up phone calls that were never fixed.

Devices installed after years of advocacy

McKenzie said some improvements have been made after years of pushing city officials. A litter trap was installed at Sugar Creek after he presented the idea to stormwater manager Angela Bray five years ago. The device stops trash from entering the river, which receives 80% of drainage through Sugar Creek.

“After five years of harping and blasting, there is a litter trap that five years ago when it was presented to them, they wanted nothing to do with it,” McKenzie said.

A water goat was installed three years ago behind the Salty Snapper and has stopped trash from going into the river, he said.

McKenzie said he lives in Valdosta with his three children and wants to provide them a safe community.

“I feel like I deserve to live in a decent, clean town, community,” he said. “My children are going to inherit it. Just because we’re citizens, and we’re not in those roles doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re talking about, or we don’t have valid concerns,” McKenzie said.

You can download the SeeClickFix app using the links below:

• Apple App Store
• Google Play

WALB requested information from the city of Valdosta on whether any previous complaints about the tree were filed, how hazardous tree complaints are handled, and what protocols are in place to identify dangerous trees before incidents happen. WALB also asked city leaders to respond to residents who claim infrastructure and public safety concerns have gone unaddressed across parts of the city despite reports.

No injuries have been reported from the tree incident.

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