ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg is aiming to address concerns in multiple flood-prone communities with a seawall project. As a part of that push, the city plans to raise the seawall in the Riviera Bay neighborhood.
Construction for this project will cost more than $1.5 million.
Neighbors said they've had flooding problems for years. While they're happy progress is being made, some like Steve LeCouve have mixed emotions about this new project.
“I know how the system works, and it works extremely slow and I think more action needs to take into cutting through the minutia,” LeCouve said.
Next year, the city plans to install flap gates, which let water flow down storm drains. It prevents water from backing up out of the drains and flooding the streets.
The city also plans to raise a seawall near LeCouve's home, adding 18 inches to make it as high as the wall next to it. A move to help control flooding, but LeCouve has concerns.
“Where the city wall stops and my wall starts there's going to be an 18-inch channel that funnels the water around the wall and back into my street and into my yard,” LeCouve said.
The city can't build on private property, so homeowners like LeCouve will have to pay to improve their own seawalls. LeCouve said he understands, but the situation isn't ideal.
“It's very stressful now because every time there's a major storm we're worried about a storm surge,” LeCouve said.
Lecouve said he's had to make repairs to his home three times due to flooding. He believes officials should look into dredging the canals.
“This canal is only two to four feet deep back when it was freshly dredged. If this were dredged it might save 40 or 50 homes from getting flooded,” LeCouve said.
Neighbors near Boca Ciega Bay and Smacks Bayou can expect construction to start this year. Those projects will include replacing parts of the seawall and repairing any cracks.