Tampa to deploy temporary generators at pump stations; generators to be ready June 1, city says

Tampa officials told residents at a Stormwater 101 virtual town hall that temporary backup generators will be available for stormwater pump stations beginning June 1 as part of preparations for the 2025 storm season. Mobility Director Vic Bede and Mobility Operations Manager Brian Roger said the city is completing retrofits to pump stations so they can accept portable generators and will test hookups in May.

The announcement follows last year's heavy storm season. "We do not prevent all flooding," said Josh Cascio, Communications Coordinator for the City of Tampa Mobility Department. "Tampa will never not flood, but it's our job to do all we can to maximize our systems' functions and make the most impactful improvements possible using the limited resources that we have." The city is emphasizing readiness rather than eliminating all flooding risk.

Brian Roger said the pump-station retrofit work is scheduled to be finished by May 1, with generator hookup testing during May and readiness by June 1. "We're also gonna be transferring power to the generators proactively and manually before the storm gets to us," Roger said, describing plans to deploy a pump station response team to activate generators and coordinate fueling. He said a vendor storing generators will deliver and hook up units within about 24 hours after a request.

City officials said permanent backup generators and additional equipment are planned for installation within two years and that $11,000,000 in funding is already in place for that work. The department has also taken immediate procurement steps: officials said two emergency affidavits were executed recently to address a backlog of storm-related cave-ins and other urgent repairs, with the total value of those affidavits discussed during the meeting.

The Mobility Department described its maintenance capacity in detail: 62 full‑time stormwater operations employees in the field, roughly 22–23 full‑time engineers and planners, five vacuum trucks, a television inspection truck for pipes, and a regular street‑sweeping program. Operations staff maintain nearly 600 miles of pipes and culverts, roughly 80 miles of ditches and canals, 886 outfalls, 148 retention ponds, and more than 28,000 inlets and manholes. The department said it handled about 3,700 calls for service related to stormwater in 2024.

As part of readiness, staff will "pump down" certain overflow ponds before storms to create additional capacity, Roger said, but warned they will not be completely dry. Officials also described micro projects (inlets, grates, localized piping) in neighborhoods such as Palmasia Pines and Parkland Estates intended to provide near‑term relief while larger capital projects continue.

How residents can reach the department: Tampa mobility/stormwater resources and monthly maintenance reports are posted at tampa.gov/mobility/stormwater, and stormwater requests can be made at (813) 274-3101. The department plans to publish answers to additional submitted questions on its website within about 7–10 days after the meeting.

What officials did not announce: no formal city council votes or ordinance changes were taken during the town hall; the event was informational and focused on operations, planned procurement, and ongoing capital projects.