15hp flooding after carburetor rebuild

[Klamath14]

I have a 1996 15 hp Johnson that was running a bit rough so I bought a carburetor rebuild kit for rebuild. Cleaned the carb, blew out all the ports with compressed air, rebuilt it and replaced it in the motor. Now it won't start and gas floods out the top side port when attempting to pull start the engine. Have taken it back off, checked to make sure the float is free and the needle and seat centered under the float arm. Have done this repair several times before with no problems. Not sure what I missed this time.

Any help appreciated!

[boats.net]

Check the float, does it float in a cup of water? Inspect the float valve and seat closely for damage or something preventing it from sealing. I install the float, turn carb upside down to let float valve close and suck on fuel inlet fitting to see if float is seating, if you suck air with float closed then have a problem with float valve sealing.