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The project includes:<\/p>\n
Construction of a pump station on Connecticut Avenue, between Overlook and Bayshore, an area known as “the bowl,” the neighborhood\u2019s lowest point.The potential for a second pump station on Delaware Avenue NE, which would be funded by the state.Stormwater gravity mains. <\/p>\n
Currently, Shore Acres has 56 backflow preventers for 146 outflows, meaning 90 outflows have no mechanism to stop water from flowing back into the neighborhood during high tide events.<\/p>\n
The goal of the pump stations would be to push water out of the streets when tides rise. It would not prevent surge flooding.<\/p>\n
The backstory:<\/p>\n
Flooding has repeatedly devastated Shore Acres over the years, leaving personal belongings drenched, damaged and piled at the curb.<\/p>\n
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Kevin Batdorf, the immediate past president of the Shore Acres Civic Association, said the repeated damage has taken an emotional toll on residents.<\/p>\n
READ: Clock ticking for Florida lawmakers to strike deal on property tax changes<\/a><\/p>\n “This neighborhood has suffered so much over the past several years,” Batdorf said.<\/p>\n Vice President Barry Rubin, who has lived in the neighborhood for 28 years, said even areas that had never flooded before were impacted after Hurricane Helene<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Even parts that had never seen flooding before experienced it this time,” Rubin said.<\/p>\n The other side:<\/p>\n While many residents see the project as a long-overdue step in the right direction, some question whether it will be enough to protect the community in the long-term.\u00a0<\/p>\n “They replace the 56 [backflow preventers] that we have. Now, they’re installing this pump station to help alleviate some of the pressure on the system, and then they’re going to determine from there,” he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n Batdorf, who is now running for mayor, argues infrastructure improvements have not been properly maintained over the decades.<\/p>\n READ: Florida citrus growers fear another freeze after statewide crop losses<\/a><\/p>\n He points to historic flooding in 1979, saying fixes were implemented then but not sustained.<\/p>\n Batdorf has proposed using revenue tied to the city\u2019s gas plant redevelopment to help fund broader infrastructure improvements, saying the city needs hundreds of millions of dollars to address long-standing needs.<\/p>\n What’s next:<\/p>\n Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on the project during a public meeting\u00a0on\u00a0Wednesday, March 4, from 6-8 p.m. at the Shore Acres Recreation Center. City leaders are expected to outline the project timeline and gather community feedback.<\/p>\n Construction would begin in Spring 2027 and will be completed in 20 months.<\/p>\n The Source: This story is based on on-the-ground reporting in Shore Acres, interviews with Shore Acres Civic Association leaders, and information provided by city officials about the resiliency infrastructure project.<\/p>\n St. Petersburg<\/a>Hurricanes<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – For years, flooding has become a harsh reality for homeowners in Shore Acres, from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163153,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[47,944,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628,221],"class_list":{"0":"post-163152","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-fl","9":"tag-hurricanes","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pinellas","12":"tag-st-pete","13":"tag-st-pete-headlines","14":"tag-st-pete-news","15":"tag-st-petersburg","16":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","17":"tag-st-petersburg-news","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-weather"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/vlcsnap-2026-02-20-17h00m09s368.png\")
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