The council voted to reallocate $21.5 million from the Stormwater Bond Series 2023 Fund in the FY26 budget.

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council approved a resolution Thursday evening to advance the long-anticipated South Howard Flood Relief Project.

The council voted to reallocate $21.5 million from the Stormwater Bond Series 2023 Fund in the FY26 budget for the project. Those funds will help close the gap on a project that was once set to cost $65 million but has since risen to a $98 million price tag.

The project seeks to address decades of severe flooding in South Howard through a massive overhaul of the area’s stormwater drainage system. It would also include widening sidewalks, enhancing landscapes and expanding tree cover.

Many residents, businesses and council members have said the need is immediate for some improvement.

“It’s traumatizing,” council member Guido Maniscalco said. “You don’t sleep at night when your house is destroyed and all your possessions are in the front yard.”

But businesses have expressed concern over the significant construction project they say could cause them to lose profits over its four-year term. Others have wondered whether the project will, in fact, resolve the flooding issues. 

Council members participated in a workshop Thursday morning to discuss the project’s budget, why other alternatives haven’t been as seriously considered and the impact it could have on businesses.

“This isn’t the only project, obviously, that’s going to potentially economically burden workers, small businesses and so forth,” council member Luis Viera said.

Some residents say the workshop shouldn’t have taken place at all. SoHo Business Alliance sent a letter to the city council, accusing it of trying to mislead the public about the topics of the workshop and violating Sunshine Law by not “provid[ing] reasonable notice” of the workshop. 

SoHo Business Alliance claims it only became clear that this topic would be on the agenda last week. The alliance asked the city to postpone the workshop as a result.

The City Attorney’s Office said it reviewed the letter and “[did] not believe there’s a legal basis for the Tampa City Council to delay the workshop.”

If a final vote on the project passes this fall, construction is expected to start in January with a completion date of 2031.