Flooding in Shore ACRES DURING A recent hurricane | cITY OF sT. pETERSBURG

The City of St. Petersburg is adding another $1 million to its Shore Acres Flood Mitigation Project, a major infrastructure effort aimed at reducing severe flooding in one of the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.

City Council approved the funding on December 11th through a grant agreement between the City and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

The project will upgrade stormwater infrastructure along approximately 10 miles of roadway near Connecticut Avenue, the lowest and most flood prone area of Shore Acres.

The project now carries an estimated total cost of $33 million. About $7.9 million is funded through an FDEP grant awarded in 2023, with an additional $1 million provided through a separate FDEP grant. The City of St. Petersburg will fund the remaining cost.

A manhole in St. Petersburg | cITY OF sT. pETERSBURG

During Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, more than 80% of homes in Shore Acres flooded.

While much of the damage was caused by storm surge, the neighborhood also regularly floods during high tide and heavy rainfall, even without major storms.

City officials say the project is necessary because Shore Acres sits just one to two feet above mean sea level, limiting the effectiveness of traditional gravity based stormwater systems.

As tides increasingly exceed two feet, stormwater struggles to drain, often backing up in roadways during heavy rains.

To address these limitations, the Shore Acres Flood Mitigation Project relies on a pumped stormwater system to better move water out of the neighborhood.

A FLOODED STREET IN sT. pETERSBURG DURING hURRICANE helene | cITY OF sT. pETERSBURG

Improvements include upsized pipes, new stormwater pump stations, box culverts, and raised roadway segments and intersections.

At the heart of the project is a new underground stormwater pump station, largely tucked beneath the public right of way at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue NE and Bayshore Boulevard NE.

From there, underground piping will carry stormwater toward Tampa Bay, where an existing outfall will be upgraded to move water into the bay more efficiently.

The pump station will include approximately six large underground pumps, each roughly 10 feet tall, providing both capacity and redundancy so the system can continue operating during maintenance or repairs. The station is also being designed with emergency backup power to ensure operation during outages.

Electrical controls for the system will be housed in a new structure located east of Bayshore Boulevard NE and elevated above the FEMA floodplain.

The discharge piping will be built in an inverted U shape beneath the electrical structure, a design that naturally blocks high tides from flowing back into the pump station and removes the need for separate backflow preventers at that spot.

The recently approved $1 million will be used to purchase the generator and startup components needed to support construction of the permanent pump station.

A FLOODED STREET IN sT. pETERSBURG DURING hURRICANE iDALIA | cITY OF sT. pETERSBURG

“With climate change impacts becoming more frequent and severe, it's vital that we invest in disaster mitigation projects across our community,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. “The Shore Acres Flood Mitigation Project will provide flooding relief to residents and ensure essential stormwater operations can continue during power outages.”

The $1 million FDEP grant was secured in partnership by State Senator Nick DiCeglie and State Representative Lindsay Cross during the 2025 Florida Legislative Session.

“Shore Acres is among the most flood-prone neighborhoods in Pinellas County, where frequent tidal impacts and intense rain events have taken a serious toll on residents,” said Senator DiCeglie.

“I was proud to sponsor this appropriations request to support the City of St. Petersburg’s efforts to engineer and construct new stormwater infrastructure that will reduce roadway and home flooding, strengthen neighborhood resiliency, and enhance public safety for families who call Shore Acres home.”

Members of St. petersburg cITY cOUNCIL being presented with a ceremonial check by rEP. lINDSAY cROSS | lINDSAY cROSS

Representative Cross said the project represents a key step in long term planning for the neighborhood.

“This project is essential in the long-term resiliency, planning, and flood mitigation of the Shore Acres neighborhood,” said Representative Cross. “The new stormwater pump station, back flow preventers, box culverts, and other mitigation measures that will be funded through this grant marks a step forward in proactive flood protection and strengthens our citywide push to fortify neighborhoods against damaging storms.”

Pending permitting and final approvals, construction is expected to begin in summer 2026 and last approximately one year.

During construction, the intersection of Connecticut Avenue NE and Bayshore Boulevard NE will be closed, along with Connecticut Avenue NE east to Tampa Bay and a portion of the roadway west of Bayshore Boulevard NE.

City officials acknowledged the disruption but said a construction manager has been brought on to work closely with the design team, with the goal of minimizing impacts on the surrounding neighborhood as much as possible.

A public meeting is expected in early 2026 to share additional details on the project.