“There\u2019s a tremendous amount of people who are still in harm\u2019s way, and we need to fix that,” Barry Rubin, vice president of the Shore Acres Civic Association, said during a city-hosted resilience meeting Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Flood resilience planning meetings<\/p>\n
The backstory<\/p>\n
The city of St. Petersburg<\/a> held the first in a series of public meetings focused on flood risk and long-term resilience planning, asking residents to weigh in on how the city should prepare for sea-level rise, storm surge, tidal flooding and heavy rainfall in the decades ahead.<\/p>\n Why you should care<\/p>\n The meeting comes as many families in Shore Acres, one of the city\u2019s most flood-prone neighborhoods, are still rebuilding from the devastating 2024 hurricane season.<\/p>\n “Here we are in May of 2026 and probably 30% to 40% of the homes in Shore Acres<\/a> still have not been touched,” Shore Acres resident Kevin Batdorf said.<\/p>\n Two years after hurricanes<\/a> brought catastrophic flooding to parts of Shore Acres, some homes are still under repair, being elevated or remain unoccupied.<\/p>\n Residents say that reality makes the start of another hurricane season especially nerve-racking.<\/p>\n Rubin said many families remain vulnerable if another storm were to hit before recovery work is complete.<\/p>\n Long-term flood vulnerability plans<\/p>\n What they’re saying<\/p>\n Tuesday night\u2019s meeting gave residents a first look at a citywide vulnerability assessment examining how climate-related flooding could impact critical city-owned infrastructure in the years ahead.<\/p>\n City leaders say this is the beginning of a public planning process expected to continue over the next year and a half.<\/p>\n St. Pete City Council member Mike Harting said the meeting is a chance for residents to be heard and for them to give feedback to help shape decisions going forward.<\/p>\n Harting said the city is trying to think ahead as flooding threats become more severe.<\/p>\n “The city is thinking about this and planning for the fact that different things are coming,” Harting said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6e0cdd6586c3f8f426106c26c7a3714c.jpeg\"\/)
Shore Acres families still rebuilding<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3918ac4917b24e9509e4557e99429321.jpeg\"\/)
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New flood mitigation projects<\/p>\n