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Safety Harbor approves creek studies, sets aside seed funding for private stormwater grants
Summary
The City Commission approved study task orders for two creeks and backed startup funding for a private stormwater grant program while asking staff to pursue design work for a problematic pond; residents urged faster action and questioned responsibility for repairs on private property.
Safety Harbor’s City Commission on Aug. 4 approved technical studies of two local creek corridors and signaled support for a new private stormwater grant program as part of a multi-year effort to map and repair damaged creek banks and stormwater facilities.
Public Works Director Renee Cooper said the studies are intended to produce a comprehensive picture of creek conditions, ownership and repair options so the city can pursue construction projects and grant funding. “We’re here tonight to do another watershed update. The difference tonight is we actually have some action items to discuss,” Cooper told the commission.
The commission voted 5-0 to approve task orders for engineering work on Bishop and Mullock (Mullet) creeks totaling $648,736. Cooper also asked the commission to dedicate $250,000 to a private stormwater grant program this fiscal year and $200,000 next year, and to authorize roughly $200,000 for modeling and design work at the Fifth Street Pond — a site city staff and residents identified as contributing to downstream erosion. Cooper said the Fifth Street design money would initiate hydraulic modeling and conceptual design but that construction is not budgeted until that work clarifies options and cost.
Why it matters: commissioners and residents described erosion and flood damage stretching across public and private parcels; the studies are intended to clarify where repairs are the city’s responsibility, where private owners or homeowners associations must act, and where grant funding might be used to bridge those gaps. “There may be some issues along the way that need to be addressed either through a grant program or somehow obtaining state funding,” Vice Mayor Diaz said.
Residents who live beside impacted creeks urged faster action and clearer guidance about whether private property owners could expect city help. “The time for us to know that is now, quite frankly,” said boat slip holder Ken Reynolds during the public-comment period about an unrelated marina question that residents tied to overall transparency. Several residents who spoke directly about creeks said they had already spent substantial sums to clear debris and shore banks and were worried about eligibility for reimbursement or grant support.
What the studies will do: Cooper said the consultant proposals will include a full creek walk, hydraulic modeling, erosion ratings, title searches and recommended repair alternatives so the city can prioritize work and assemble shovel‑ready projects for grant applications. She described the Army Corps of Engineers’ earlier, narrower study as useful but incomplete: the new work will evaluate entire creek reaches from McMullen Booth to Tampa Bay to capture upstream and downstream interactions.
Funding and next steps: the city has roughly $900,000 budgeted this fiscal year for watershed work and roughly $680,000 next fiscal year, Cooper said. Staff recommended doing Bishop and Mullock creeks this year, Alligator and Briar/Possum creeks next year, starting design/modeling for Fifth Street Pond with about $200,000 now, and establishing the private stormwater grant program with $250,000 in this year’s budget. Commissioners approved the engineering task orders; staff will return with program documents for the grant framework and with the Fifth Street design scope as those items are refined.
Residents urged the city to pursue county and federal funds if possible; Cooper said the county’s forthcoming federal allocations and FEMA claims may present opportunities but stressed eligibility questions around private-property work. Lobbyist J.D. White told commissioners that a tighter, prioritized study tied to the watershed management plan would improve the city’s chances when requesting state appropriations.
Commissioners and staff framed the work as an incremental, multi-year effort rather than a single fix. “This gives us the playbook that we need,” Commissioner Burnett said, noting private-property easement and ownership issues remain a barrier to immediate construction on some parcels.
The commission vote approving the task orders was 5-0. Further actions on the grant program and Fifth Street design will return to the commission after staff and legal review the draft program and consultant deliverables.
