TAMPA, Fla. — It was standing room only at the Bayshore Baptist Church Fellowship Hall Monday night as people who live and work in neighborhoods along South Howard Avenue attended a meeting on a major flood relief project. 

"This project is a function of about seven years and three different consultant studies' worth of planning," said Tampa Director of Mobility Vik Bhide. 

What You Need To Know

  • A meeting was held Monday night on the South Howard Flood Relief Project

  • Neighborhoods around South Howard Avenue, including Parkland Estates, are prone to flooding due to insufficient drainage systems

  • Tampa's mobility director says the project will involve installing large box culverts along South Howard

  • Residents said during the meeting the project is overdue, but businesses are worried about impacts from the project

Bhide said the goal of the South Howard Flood Relief Project is to prevent flooding in the Parkland Estates area and the watershed associated with it, which he said goes from the Palma Ceia Pines neighborhood to Bayshore Boulevard.

According to Bhide, insufficient drainage is the cause of rising waters in the flood-prone area. Project Manager Brett Sillman said during a presentation that 150-250 homes flooded in Parkland Estates and Palma Ceia Pines for 13-16 hours during Hurricane Milton.

According to that presentation, five times more capacity than what the existing storm water system provides will be needed to alleviate flooding there. The design phase is yet to begin, but Bhide said the project will include installing box culverts along South Howard. He acknowledged that will impact area businesses. 

“For about two years at least, we will not be able to have even one lane on Howard open because the segments that are impacted would be completely closed. The boxes we’re proposing are 10 x 5 feet, so they’re huge boxes,” Bhide said.

That won’t happen all at once. Bhide said to help lessen the impact to businesses, closures will happen in several segments — around 15-17 — where one or two blocks of the street will be closed for seven to nine weeks.

According to that presentation, five times more capacity than what the existing storm water system provides will be needed to alleviate flooding there. The design phase is yet to begin, but Bhide said the project will include installing box culverts along South Howard. He acknowledged that will impact area businesses. (Spectrum News/Sarah Blazonis)

“We recognize that’s also really high, so we’ve made sure there are resources in this contract, actual dollars, both for engagement, so communications, two-way communications, between the design-builder and the community, but also for mitigation. So, before the project begins, before major construction begins, we have an early works phase that will pave side streets to make sure access from all directions is possible through construction as much as feasible,” said Bhide. 

A number of people who own or are connected with businesses raised concerns at the meeting. A few speakers argued the phased closures won’t just impact the one or two blocks that are shut down. They said a block or two on either side of that closure will also feel the pain.

Bre Peterson wasn’t able to make it to the meeting. She’s the assistant general manager of Taco Dirty on West Platt Street. The restaurant’s outdoor dining area is along South Howard. She told Spectrum News there’s a definite need for flood relief, but she doesn’t think this is the best move for her employees or the many others along South Howard.

“I live about five minutes down the road, and it brought tears to my eyes seeing some of the people’s homes that were damaged from the water,” Peterson said. “In that same breath, we have hundreds of jobs on this street that, essentially, people would not have if we go along with this project.”

Meanwhile, some residents told city officials this project is overdue.

“I think this is an absolutely wonderful plan,” said Fountain Boulevard resident David Adams.

Adams told the panel there was 33 in. of water outside his house and 12 in. inside after Hurricane Milton. He said his garage also took on water during another major flood event in the neighborhood in 2015.

“I started working with the storm water department in 2015. Every single engineering report since 2017 has recommended this solution. We’ve waited long enough,” said Adams.

It’s up to Tampa City Council members to decide if the project will move forward. They’re expected to vote Thursday on a design-build contract with Kimmins Contracting. If that’s approved, the design process is expected to begin this winter with early works and road paving beginning in the summer. Construction on the project itself would begin in spring 2026 and wrap up by summer 2029.