The St. Petersburg City Council approved a state grant agreement Thursday to invest an additional $1 million in a pump station for the Shore Acres Flood Mitigation Project.

State Rep. Lindsay Cross and Sen. Nick DiCeglie secured the matching state grant to help fund the pump station at Connecticut Avenue NE and Bayshore Boulevard.

The station will feature six underground pumps, each approximately 10 feet tall, with emergency backup power. Discharge piping will extend eastward to Tampa Bay and feature an inverted U-shaped design to prevent backflow during high tide, according to Director of Engineering and Capital Improvements Brejesh Prayman.

Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026 and take one year to complete, pending permit approvals.

The pump station is part of a $33 million comprehensive flood mitigation project for Shore Acres, which also includes box culverts, backflow preventers, and roadway elevation improvements. Last year, Hurricane Helene flooded nearly 2,200 homes in the neighborhood, representing 82 percent of Shore Acres residences.

Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf expressed frustration with the timeline, noting residents were originally told construction would begin in September of this year, but said he remains grateful for progress on the shovel-ready project designed to eliminate sunny-day flooding.

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