The City of St. Pete Beach is moving forward with 47 capital improvement projects totaling more than $17 million, with wastewater infrastructure and hurricane recovery accounting for the largest expenditures.

Public Services Director Camden Mills presented the comprehensive plan at the January 27 commission meeting, detailing 10 projects currently under construction and 37 in design or procurement phases.

The highest-priority items include $6.25 million for the rehabilitation of Pump Station One and $1.9 million for wastewater system improvements. The wastewater work became urgent after chlorine intrusion from saltwater leaks led St. Petersburg to warn the city of contract violations. The pump station project, running from January through October, will add odor control upgrades, new pumps, and a backup generator. A separate $2 million wastewater cleaning and inspection project covering multiple areas is 12% complete, with 65,000 linear feet of pipe already cleaned.

Storm recovery projects account for $2.1 million in facility repairs at four locations: the Don Vista Art Center, Public Services Building, Recreation and Aquatics Center, and Warren Webster Community Center. Most facilities are expected to finish repairs by summer, though the Public Services Building is delayed due to coordination issues.

Other major initiatives include $709,000 for beach access improvements, including dune walkover replacements at seven locations; $650,000 for the 36th Avenue seawall replacement with drainage improvements; and $1.44 million for Phase 2 of utility undergrounding along Gulf Boulevard. The city has applied for FEMA reimbursement for some projects.

Mills announced plans to create a public online dashboard providing real-time project updates, scheduled to launch before the next quarterly update. Commissioner Lisa Robinson praised the transparency initiative.

Funding will come from city capital budgets, state grants, and FEMA storm reimbursements.

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