SEMINOLE HEIGHTS, Fla. — Tampa Bay is in the thick of the rainy season, and daily storms dump massive amounts of rainwater on roads. Flooding has notoriously been a major problem.
A project to help fix that in Seminole Heights is almost done.
Heavy trucks, underground pipes and construction signs have been the main roadblocks neighbors in Seminole Heights have had to dodge for years now. The detours and ripped-up roadways were all in the name of progress.
WATCH full report by Heather Leigh
“We can’t control how much rain falls, but we can have some degree of control over how quickly it gets out of our neighborhoods," said Brandon Campbell, the Interim Mobility Director for the City of Tampa.
That was the goal of the Seminole Heights Stormwater Improvement Project, which the city said is working.
“We’ve seen a reduction in flooding. We’ve seen those systems handle significant events better than they did before, of course," said Campbell. "They all have their capacity, and sometimes it’s a matter of quicker clearance and not instant clearance.”
Which is key to remember, especially after what we saw last year with Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“I’m the fourth house up on Crest, and the flooding was right up to my neighbor’s house. Fortunately, my street is on an incline," said Robin Cahill. She said that was a surprise after she moved to South Seminole Heights last August.
"The first thing I did was I went and asked the neighbor here, George, he’s lived here for many, many, many years, and I said, 'What have you experienced in the past?' and he said 'In the past, I lost my home completely,'" she said. "It was scary. It was the first time I’ve really been through anything like that.”
“These kinds of projects are not designed necessarily to fix all flooding and major events, but what they are designed to do is to convey as much water into those water bodies as quickly as they can," Campbell said.
Which Cahill has seen firsthand. Crest is one of the main roadways that the city focused on. Crews installed curb inlets to capture stormwater as it travels downhill—those are connected to the new stormwater box culvert, which works to channel water underground.
“Even during these past few days when we’ve had a significant amount of rain, you look at the street, my street, and it looks like a river coming down the street," said Cahill.
The city says whatever work remains will be done by September, which means the entire project will be finished by the fall. But the work to keep drains and roadways clear happens year-round.
Right now, during hurricane season, crews are working six days a week. So far this year, “We have cleared around 600 tons of debris from our system. That includes clearing out ditches, clearing out pipes, and it includes clearing out ponds as well," Campbell said.
The city has also secured portable generator pumps in case of power outages, but it's working on getting permanent ones installed soon.
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