A flooded street view of South Howard Avenue near West Bristol Avenue in Tampa, Florida, during September 2016. High, murky floodwaters cover the entire roadway and parts of the concrete sidewalk, reflecting the sky. In the center, a white Brookdale shuttle bus and a white pickup truck wade slowly through the deep water, while other vehicles are visible lined up further down the flooded street under an overcast sky.S Howard Avenue new W Bristol Avenue in Tampa, Florida in September 2016 Credit: City of. Tampa

Last Friday, the South Howard Business Alliance filed a lawsuit against the City of Tampa.

They argue the city failed to provide records requested under Florida’s Public Records Law.

The alliance requested backup materials used to justify the South Howard Flood Relief Project.

The plan calls for the construction of a new major stormwater drainage system. It is designed to relieve flooding along South Howard Avenue and nearby neighborhoods.

Nearly 35 businesses make up the coalition.

They oppose this initiative, arguing a lengthy construction process would disrupt access to the district. 

Some of the documents the alliance requested are engineering reports, design build contracts, alternative analyses and more. 

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“We put in the first request for the backup documents to justify the project 3 months ago, and there’s a statutory time limit associated with public records production, and they missed those deadlines several times,” said Stephen Michelini, the General Manager of the SoHo Business Alliance.

Michelini adds they sent an urgent request letter nearly two weeks ago, warning they would file a lawsuit if the city didn’t release the records.

The suit further argues the city charged the group unreasonable fees for the records.

Michelini said the costs amounted to almost $20,000. 

In an email to WMNF, the City of Tampa wrote it does not comment on pending litigation. 

The city council is set to vote on the project by the end of the year.

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This article appears in June 18 – 24, 2026.

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