Commissioners push to reclassify Don Cesar/Boca Ciega stormwater work as top priority amid resident frustration

St. Pete Beach commissioners and residents pressed staff on June 10 to elevate stormwater and neighborhood resiliency projects in the Don Cesar/Boca Ciega area to the city’s top funding priority, saying longstanding flooding problems have made daily life difficult for residents.

The dispute centered on a staff list that placed the Don Cesar/Boca Ciega Area Resiliency Adaptation work and related street reconstructions as priority 2 rather than priority 1. At the workshop, Finance Director Devin Schmidt said staff has sought design grants that could put design work in 2026 with roughly $600,000 in outside revenue and about $200,000 in city cost.

Residents and several commissioners said the projects should be priority 1 because flooding is chronic and has worsened after recent storms. “It’s number 1,” one commissioner said during the meeting, calling the priority 2 designation “beyond me” and describing…