PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of St. Pete is working to improve our waterways.
After hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated some of our seagrass, a new project could bring new life to our coast.
"When the water is clear, it just feels good, it feels peaceful, it feels right," said Shelby Rhodes, who lives in St. Pete.
WATCH City of St. Pete and Tampa Bay Watch team up for seagrass restoration
Many people who live in St. Pete said they moved here for our clear blue waters.
“That’s part of the reason that I moved down here; because I love the wildlife and nature here," said Micah Rich.
“I walk or run or ride my bike at least once a day and come out to see the dolphins and birds and occasional manatees," said Rhodes.
In order to keep our waterways healthy, the City of St. Pete is starting a new project.
“This is a project to restore about 32 acres of seagrass and protect another 170 plus acres of seagrass right off of North Shore Park," said Peter Clark with Tampa Bay Watch.
The city, in partnership with Tampa Bay Watch, will fill a large dredge hole near North Shore Park and plant seagrasses on top.
“That dredge hole that was historically created creates problems for water quality, it also very deep. If people walk off the shallow area into the deep water, plus it also causes erosion along North Shore Park," said Clark.
The project also aims to protect the seagrasses in our area, some of which were impacted by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“When you put 20 inches of rainfall from Hurricane Milton, it picks up a tremendous amount of material and pollution from the watershed and bringing it down into the Tampa Bay ecosystem,” said Clark.
“I definitely noticed the difference, and I can imagine, I mean, I’m no expert, but I can imagine that it's had a really big impact on the local animals, and birds and fish," said Rhodes.
Local leaders said the project will help create habitats, food for marine animals, and solidify our shoreline.
Seagrasses are scheduled to be planted in 2026.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
