TAMPA, Fla. — The City of Tampa is planning a multi-million dollar project to relieve flooding in a popular area.

The Parkland Estates neighborhood, which is home to several bars and restaurants, could soon see construction that blocks large portions of their street.

“They will close parts of the street,” said Thiago Mendes, owner of Cinnaholic on Howard Avenue. “So, when a customer wants to come here to get a cinnamon roll, he wants to have somewhere to park and if he sees that the street is closed, he will go home.”

It’s called the South Howard Flood Relief Project, and the city says it’ll build a stormwater conveyance system to help with draining excess water from the area.

It’s a $65 million plan that Mendes says is far from ideal, because it involves closing 500 to 800 feet of road to get it done. That means Howard Avenue, right in front of Cinnaholic, will eventually experience some kind of closure.

“It’s really difficult to find park (sic) here,” Mendes said. “It affects our business, so I can’t even imagine how it will be with the street closed.”

He says the city recently told him about the project and he says he’s speaking with his landlord to figure out what to do next.

While he has some time before construction begins, Mendes is looking to grow his business and having a roadblock literally might create a roadblock fiscally for him.

According to documents from the city, the project is expected to begin in June 2025 and wrap up in December 2028.

It’s expected to upgrade water infrastructure for this area while potentially creating wider sidewalks and on-street parking.