PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Petersburg officials and community members met Wednesday to discuss the city’s latest flood mitigation plan for Shore Acres.

Officials said a new $32-million neighborhood resiliency project will help fortify the area against flooding.  

What You Need To Know

The City of St. Petersburg plans to build a new pump station and replace part of a culvert on Connecticut Avenue, with construction expected to begin in October 2026 and last about 20 months
City officials say the project, combined with other improvements, will eventually help lower insurance rates for residents
RELATED: Shore Acres Flood Mitigation Project

Residents used the meeting to talk about continued flooding concerns during storm season. Still, residents are counting on to reduce flooding in that area.

Markus Koeppku is one of those residents in Shore Acres who was affected by the 2024 storm season. His home flooded and when it came time to make his next move in protecting his home he knew what to do.

“I’ve lived here for four years,” he said. “And the first three years living here, I had to evacuate every hurricane season.”

After experiencing his first flood during the 2024 hurricane season, he and his family have been renting a place. Now they are raising their house 14 feet above the ground. Markus said it will be done in a few weeks.

“Yeah, it’s just mental security, you know, for the future. You know? Just don’t want to go through this. If I renovate my house, I only want to do it once, you know?,” he said.

St. Pete’s flooding mitigation plan for Shore Acres and surrounding areas would build a new pump station and replace part of a culvert on Connecticut Avenue.

Brejesh Prayman, Director of Engineering and Capital Improvements for St. Petersburg, said he is optimistic about the plan.

“What it will lead toward is what we would typically see during a heavy rain event during the summer — mitigating that on-street flooding and also providing that resiliency, because now we’re going to mitigate that backflow from the stormwater system,” said Prayman.

Accoring to city officials construction is set to begin in October 2026 and will take about 20 months to complete. Funding for this project comes from different sources, Prayman said. 

“Now that project, that funding will be used to cover the pump station, the pipe replacement, some utility adjustment and also restoration after the construction money. Some of it is partially grant funded, but a lot of this money is coming from the stormwater fees that our residents pay,” Prayman said.

So as far as this hurricane season, Prayman said the city is focused on staying prepared.

“So during this hurricane season, we’ve been active with our maintenance operations,” he said. “As well as continuing to install backflow preventers for some of the lower-lying and heavily impacted locations.”

So for residents, it’s a waiting game.

“People just need to have help. You know, for us, it’s also financially a tough situation,” Koeppku said.

Koeppku hopes that this plan will help many residents not just in Shore Acres but in St. Petersburg who have been impacted by storms.