Flooding has been an issue for much of the greater Tampa Bay region following three hurricanes.
It certainly has been for people in South Tampa. The Tampa City Council voted 5-2 on Thursday to move forward with a new stormwater management plan for the area.
The South Howard Flood Relief Project officially moves to the design phase — the second of its five stages. The council brought Kimmins Contracting Corp. on board with a $7.7 million contract.
The $65 million dollar flood relief project is meant to improve longstanding drainage issues in Parkland Estates and on South Howard Avenue.
But residents and small business owners have been at odds about the proposal’s practicality.
Joanie Corneil, owner and CEO of Bella's Italian Café, was one of many at the meeting wearing black shirts reading “We can do both: Save The Businesses & Stop The Flooding.”
The group took the stance that the construction on SoHo’s two-lane street would drive away customers, make parking almost impossible and lead to an overall loss of business.
“This is certainly going to destroy me, my family and my long-term employees,” Corneil said about the SoHo restaurant that she’s owned for 38 years.
She also denounced a proposal by Brett Sillman, Tampa's project manager, that stated, “...the contractor will provide off-site parking and will use a golf cart to shuttle residents [to businesses].”
The idea was discussed at a February Business Alliance Meeting that covered the project.
Corneil said it was a “ludicrous idea,” and that other options should be considered.
Frank Russo, one of Bern’s Steakhouse’s 300 employees, said, “We love our people, we love our community, we love what we do. We want to know that we are loved by you, the City Council, as well.”
“It's a false choice. It's either agree to the South Howard plan and blindly take the word of these particular engineers, or continue to flood,” said Joe Collier, general partner at Bern's sister business, the Epicurean Hotel.
“It's a ridiculous and unnecessary choice," he said, adding that the city is pitting one community against another.
Parkland Heights resident Harry Coleman advocated for moving ahead with the plan. But he said he stood with the SoHo business owners because their establishments are the main reason he moved into the neighborhood.
“If you want to run your delivery trucks down my street [during construction], well I trimmed the trees back up to 17 feet, so have at it,” Coleman said.
In contrast to the others who spoke, Colemen wore a white t-shirt reading “Stop flooding in Parkland Estates and Palma Ceia Pines” in large black letters.
For Coleman and others, a longtime solution to the flooding problem is worth “any temporary inconvenience.”
In tears, Tine Adams said she was “angry and sad about the inadequate stormwater system.”
Adams urged the Council not to delay the decision for another 120 days, which would be the result of a “no” vote.
Others recounted stories of losing their homes or children being unable to trick-or-treat this Halloween because of the excessive flooding.
According to a City of Tampa presentation, Hurricane Milton flooded up to 250 structures and rendered hospitals inaccessible.
Killman Construction Corp. could take up to a year to finalize designs and costs, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The project won't be complete until at least 2029.
