The Seawall Master Plan will assess and potentially raise nearly 15 miles of city-owned seawalls as officials plan for flooding, erosion and sea level rise.<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 The City of St. Petersburg is launching a long-term plan aimed at strengthening nearly 15 miles of city-owned seawalls as coastal flooding, erosion and sea level rise continue to pose growing risks along the waterfront.<\/p>\n
City leaders say the Seawall Master Plan is designed to assess the condition of municipal seawalls, identify vulnerabilities and guide future repairs, upgrades, and extensions \u2014 with some sections potentially raised as high as six feet. The effort comes after years of storm damage<\/a> that residents and city officials say are impossible to forget.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re always thinking about hurricanes \u2014\u00a0always,\u201d said Brejesh Prayman, St. Pete\u2019s director of engineering and capital improvements.<\/p>\n Prayman remembers the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene, when storm surge pushed bay water into neighborhoods and living rooms along the coast.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were collapses,\u201d he said, recalling damaged seawalls that failed under the pressure of the storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those memories stretch back even further. In 2019, storm surge inundated the Vinoy Resort\u2019s parking garage, trapping dozens of vehicles.<\/p>\n City officials say those events underscore the need for a proactive approach as extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re trying to be proactive for our residents,\u201d Prayman said.<\/p>\n St. Petersburg owns roughly 80,000 linear feet \u2014 about 15 miles \u2014 of seawalls. In contrast, privately owned seawalls account for an additional 500,000 linear feet, or about 95 miles, throughout the city. Across Pinellas County, which is nearly surrounded by water, there are approximately 588 miles of coastline, nearly half of it hardened with seawalls.<\/p>\n