Residents of the Harshaw Lake Park neighborhood in St. Petersburg’s Disston Heights community — one of the city’s higher-elevation areas, reaching 60 feet — say they’re seeing more frequent flooding and want the city to step up stormwater maintenance.

“It just seemed that the water was coming up faster than it used to,” resident Heidi Stiller told Bay News 9, who noticed heavier pooling after this summer’s storms.

Stiller blames clogged drains and ditches following Hurricane Milton last October, when the storm dumped 18.3 inches of rain on St. Petersburg and sent nearly an inch of floodwater into her home.

“No system built 40 years ago is going to handle a thousand-year storm like Milton,” said Stiller, a former NOAA employee. “But with climate change, we’re also getting these ‘rain bombs.’ A warmer atmosphere holds more water.”

Stiller said she and neighbor Jen French have documented repeated high-water incidents on the city’s SeeClickFix app and asked for inspections, but typically receive only a generic response.

Frustrated, the two addressed City Council on Aug. 21. “Please do the maintenance on the systems we have today,” French urged. Stiller added, “Don’t soft-pedal the risk. Residents need clear information to make economic decisions.”

Soon after, Public Works crews visited the neighborhood. City spokesperson Samantha Bequer said staff cleared vegetation at the southern end of Harshaw Lake, scoped drainage pipes with a camera, and will remove additional growth if needed.

“The City regularly maintains drains to prepare for wet weather events,” Bequer said, though she noted flooding isn’t always linked to drain cleaning. “SeeClickFix remains the best way for residents to report stormwater issues.”

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