ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The mayor and St. Pete Beach officials discussed the impacts of rising sea levels on the area, plus possible ways of mitigating flooding in several neighborhoods.
"You see people walking their dogs on bikes, and they can't get across the street because there's like this much water," Chris Steele told 10News.
Steele says he's lived in the area for about two years and he's seen saltwater flooding the whole time he's lived here, seeing saltwater on the roads on nearly a daily basis.
He's concerned about the bay spilling into the streets in his neighborhood.
"First of all, it can cause damage to all the surrounding areas, the houses -- it causes damage to the streets," Steele said.
At a city commission meeting Wednesday, St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson said they're fighting a losing battle against rising sea levels.
"I think it's, somehow I think it's gonna get us. You might fast forward a couple hundred years, and this place will be gone," Johnson said. "It's unfortunate, but we live on a sandbar."
But for now, the city is trying to hold back the rising tide by considering raising sea walls and controlling street flooding.
"Instead of trying to get the stormwater, the rain, off the island and in the Intracoastal, now we're concentrating first on keeping the Intracoastal from coming up through the drains and into the streets," he said.
While daunting, Johnson understands the importance of keeping everyone informed and taking action.
"It’s going to get worse. We’ve built on a strip of sand and it’s, mother nature wants it back, I think," Johnson said.
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