Friends and neighbors across Tampa,

My family lives near Swann and Audubon.  Flood Zone X.  Twenty feet above sea level.  Rainfall from Hurricane Milton still put a foot of water through our townhome, due to undersized drainage systems built 50+ years ago for an entirely different city.  Hundreds of my neighbors, families and business owners, have their own version.

This isn't about hurricanes.  It's about a summer rain closing parts of our city: 5.3 inches in eight hours, a one-in-five chance any given year, puts water in 96 ground floors here in the City's own model.  Council votes Thursday, Sept 17 on the fix that's designed, priced, and sealed by a licensed Florida engineer.

August 2, 2026: less than 2 inches of rain.  Swann and Audubon underwater and impassable.  Aug 23, a lighter rain, same thing.

If it rains at the wrong time, parents are unable to reach multiple schools and daycares for pickup.   Emergency vehicles are detoured, a patient had to be pulled from an ambulance stuck in floodwater.  HCA South Tampa Hospital and the medical offices beside it are cut off.  Patients miss appointments they waited months for.  Cars flood out crossing Swann between MacDill and Howard. 

The fix: a gravity drain to the bay.  No pumps.  In the storm it's built for (5 inches of rain), 96 of 96 ground floors protected; in a Milton, 225 of 333.  A concrete box up to ten feet square under the street, downhill all the way to the bay.  Future neighborhood projects tie into it.

The cost: $92.7 million, a guaranteed maximum price.  If the project is not approved on September 17th, nearly $17 million in grants/spent funds is completely lost.

Additional frequently asked questions about this project can be found at https://shstormwater.com/facts-vs-fiction/

If you're a Tampa resident, sign and put your neighborhood in the comments.  Skip the donation screen if prompted, that goes to Change.org.

Thursday, Sept 17, 9 AM, Old City Hall, 315 E. Kennedy is the final vote.