Clearwater has a $100 million plan to prevent this neighborhood from flooding

As Hurricane Idalia swept past Tampa Bay last summer, storm surge topped seawalls and inundated David Hooks’ Clearwater Beach neighborhood.

Though his home was spared, many others up and down Hooks’ street weren’t so lucky. Neighbors soon mounted full remodels, only to be flooded out again months later when another storm washed away that progress in December.

After these back-to-back floods, city staff started to research why the area didn’t flush out as quickly as it should have, said Marcus Williamson, Clearwater’s public works director. They found that decades-old stormwater pipes were unmaintained and blocked by debris. There was another, much larger, issue: The network of pipes didn’t connect and many were too narrow to push out floodwaters effectively.

“At the time it was developed, it probably made sense,” Williamson said. “A lot of folks have said we’ve always struggled with flooding. It does feel like it has gotten worse.”

But booming development along the Gulf Coast coupled with rising seas fueled by climate change have pushed current stormwater infrastructure to its limits. Now the city is looking to fund a decades-long project that may cost up to $100 million to safeguard Clearwater’s most vulnerable and low-lying neighborhood from future floods.

The city started by cleaning out pipes and upgrading valves that prevent high tide flooding from rushing into underground pipes meant to allow rainwater to drain away from streets and homes.

Before Idalia, one permanent stormwater pump was in commission. The city since has installed eight temporary ones in North Beach. The pumps move stormwater from low-lying areas — where gravity alone isn’t enough to drain streets — and out to sea. Staff expects to install five more permanent pumps over the next two years.

Williamson said these pumps are “trying to buy us some time,” while the city hashes out long-term solutions.

In 2022, Clearwater developed a North Beach master plan for increasing stormwater pipe sizes among other projects to prevent future flooding.

Williamson said the plan, which could total between $70 million and $100 million, is out for bid. It may take six months to award the project to a company, followed by an estimated two-year design process. Because the city can’t close all the roads in North Beach at once, streets will be replumbed in five-to-seven year phases, Williamson said.

Williamson said the city is working with U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-St. Petersburg, who is trying to earmark $7.5 million for the project.

The city will also pursue other grants as it works through future phases of the plan. In a worst-case scenario, the work will be paid for through increased stormwater fees and bonds, Williamson said.

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North Beach residents say upgrades are long overdue.

With hurricane season in full swing, Sam Hutkin, president of Clearwater Beach Neighborhood Association, said he feels safer from flooding knowing the work is in progress. Tropical storms that could have devastated homes last year seem like less of a threat now.

“I think we should be okay. But if the perfect storm happens, I’ve been told some things are unavoidable,” Hutkin said. “I mean, I’m still on an island.”

Hooks, the longtime North Beach resident, said he and his neighbors are feeling the effects of climate change in their backyards. Prolonged rainfall and higher tides have crept up streets more and more over the past five years, he added.

“The environment is changing. We’re seeing that when we walk outside — it’s hotter and it rains harder, longer,” he said.

Tidal trends from the National Oceanic Administration show sea levels have risen more than 4 millimeters each year since the 1970s along Clearwater Beach. Climate scientists believe the rate of sea-level rise is also increasing.

That means coastal waters around Clearwater Beach may be more than 2 feet higher in 2060 than what was seen in 2005. By 2100, that figure could reach 7 feet.

“This is just the reality of living in Florida. This isn’t particular to north Clearwater Beach,” Hooks said. “We’re going to have problems for a while out there, but at least somebody’s doing something now.”