The City of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council are partnering with local neighborhoods for a “resiliency bus tour” next Saturday, spotlighting flood-prone areas and exploring long-term solutions.
At the heart of this effort is the newly formed Resilient St. Pete Resident Task Force, created to address persistent flooding challenges. Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf, a task force member, said, “One of the requests we made was to get us a seat at the table. This is our seat at the table.”
The inaugural task force event includes tours through Shore Acres and Riviera Bay—areas still recovering from the impacts of storms like Hurricane Idalia, Milton, and Helene.
“The City is bringing in a third-party engineer to meet with residents and city engineers,” Batdorf explained. “We’ll share what we see as the main issues, and the City will provide its engineering assessment.”
Among the potential fixes discussed: a citywide seawall that could block storm surge—though that would require complex coordination due to private property boundaries. Another idea involves a hydraulic dam system that could raise during storm events.
One project already in the pipeline is a new stormwater pump station on Connecticut Avenue NE. Local resident Bonnie Carter, who lives nearby, is eager for progress. “Having water in the house—for me, my head is still spinning,” she said. Carter plans to join the tour, hoping to better understand how to protect her home and what the city is doing. “At least they recognize something needs to be done and they’re working on it. But it’ll never come fast enough.”
The tours are open to the public and first-come, first-served, though residents are welcome to follow behind the bus in their own vehicles.
Resiliency Bus Tour Schedule:
- Riviera Bay: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Shore Acres: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Meet at the Shore Acres Rec Center)
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(Image credit: AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
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