ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The community is still pushing for answers on flooding and affordable housing after recent record rainfall inundated neighborhoods.
Neighbors in St. Petersburg questioned Mayor Ken Welch and city staff about their plan to fight sea level rise and stronger storms. It comes with a price tag of more than a billion dollars but it hasn't stopped the city from thinking big.
The chance to talk face-to-face with Welch and city departments happens a couple of times each year, but tonight was the first since repeated flooding over the past two months.
“We need to make sure that our infrastructure addresses the need that's going to continue to increase,” said resident Wanda Stuart. “We have no control over mother nature.”
The city's new stormwater master plan calls for the billion to be spread over the next 25 years.
“Our stormwater management system is another billion dollars plus that we are planning,” Welch said. “The issue is we need to do that quicker, not over a span of 10 or 15 years.”
As for this year, there's been a rise in personal consults for people with individual flooding problems.
“Mostly personal stories, particularly if it deals with flooding issues,” said public works administrator Claude Tankersley. “We're having more of those conversations.”
Those upset with what's happened in the past few weeks were told that currently, no system in the country can handle the intensity of recent storms.
“I have concerns about all of our infrastructure,” Welch said. “It was not built to handle the volume of rain that we've seen, 7 1⁄2 inches in 24 hours. No system is built to handle that.”
The conversation picks up again Thursday with a resiliency workshop with the city council.
Utility fees could also go up — council votes later this month on whether to raise rates six to eight percent.