ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg is receiving more than $2.2 million in federal funding to help speed up two stormwater projects aimed at reducing chronic flooding in some of the city's most flood-prone areas.
Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) joined Mayor Ken Welch and city leaders Monday to announce the funding, which will support projects along Martin Luther King Jr. Street South near Lake Maggiore and near 88th Avenue and 4th Street North.
The grants, awarded through FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program and secured through Community Project Funding requests submitted by Castor, will help the city accelerate improvements designed to move stormwater away more quickly during heavy rain.
Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley said the projects include larger stormwater pipes and additional drainage inlets to improve water flow. He said the funding will allow the city to move the work forward sooner than it otherwise could.
The MLK Street South project will raise a section of the roadway south of Salt Creek, which city officials say frequently becomes impassable during heavy rain. The 88th Avenue and 4th Street North project will replace and expand stormwater infrastructure in an area that experiences recurring flooding.
Neighbors who live near Lake Maggiore say flooding has become a constant concern.
"We need the rain today, but the rain is also a form of anxiety for some of us," said Erica Hardison, president of the Lake Maggiore Shores Neighborhood Association.
Hardison said flooding has stranded vehicles and, at times, made it difficult for people to leave the neighborhood.
City officials say the projects are expected to improve public safety by helping keep roads passable for drivers and emergency vehicles during storms.
While Monday's announcement marks an important step, officials say it's only one piece of a much larger effort. Tankersley said St. Petersburg estimates it will need roughly $2.7 billion in stormwater improvements over the next 24 years to address flooding across the city as heavier rainfall and rising tides become more common.
Construction on the two projects is expected to begin in fiscal year 2028.
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