TAMPA - The repeal of the All for Transportation State Sales tax has stalled another project - the Palmetto Beach Seawall Restoration Project.
Nearly $6 million was needed to repair the deteriorating seawall.
Plans have been in the works and on the books by the city of Tampa to repair the decaying century-old seawall along Bermuda Boulevard. Now residents are asking, what's the hold up?
"You can see the cracks," said Thomas Reynolds.
Four generations of Reynolds' family have lived, worked and walked along McKay Bay.
He's now a member of the Palmetto Beach Seawall Restoration project to preserve the site for future generations.
"The rebar is exposed, it's rotting, you can break off chunks of it with your hands," he adds.
The issue has come up before. The Seawall project was approved in the City of Tampa's budget and master plan for replacement with revenue coming from the now defunct All State Tax. City engineers are now looking for alternative funding. Reynolds explains what has residents most concerned is property damage.
"The seawall is going to break and Bermuda Boulevard is going to crumble into McKay Bay and that's really our last barricade before homes and everything else starts to be impacted," added Reynolds.
Reynolds says talks about repairs have come up over the last 20 years and time is running out. He says it's become a safety hazard.
Sinkholes have developed as a result of the instability of the wall. Reynolds says the city is on top of repairing that damage, but overall funding is needed to fix the root of the problem.
"It's desparately needed to keep our hidden gem vibrant, and a place that folks want to visit," he said.
A representative with the city says plans are still in the works to restore the seawall. They declined to go into further detail of when and how those changes will happen.