Tampa council approves $3.4M ditch rehab, hears $10.5M pump-station resiliency plan and short-term generator rollout

The Tampa City Council on Feb. 6 voted to approve a contract to rehabilitate two major stormwater ditches and heard a presentation on short- and mid-term steps to keep pump stations running during storms, including portable generators staged this summer and a proposed $10.5 million resiliency upgrade program.

Council members unanimously approved Item 64, a contract to rehabilitate the 40 Third Street ditch and a ditch near Grady Avenue and Spruce Street. Mobility staff described the work as structural bank stabilization, with concrete-lined banks and bottomwork where needed to stop erosion and extend the system’s useful life. “This is a heavy maintenance project,” Jeff Toposier of the City Stormwater Engineering Division said, adding that the open grass-bank ditches had eroded and were causing slope failures at adjacent industrial property.

Vic Bide of the Mobility Department told council that, as a short-term step, staff has issued a purchase order for $125,000 to Carter Electric to stage portable backup generators at pump stations. “We have 16 pump stations; 14 of them we will stage,” Bide said, and two smaller stations will be supported with auxiliary pumps and hoses. He said the staged generators are expected to be in place and tested before June 1.

Bide also outlined a midterm proposal to install permanent generators, raised pads, water-level sensors, improved communications (cellular) and cameras at prioritized pump stations. The resiliency package is estimated at about $10.5 million and includes contingency. “They’re prioritized in two levels. Priority 1 is where we had the worst flooding and Priority 2 is where there’s relatively speaking lesser flooding,” Bide said. He said city staff believes funding is available to proceed and that design and construction would take about two years under current estimates.

Dennis Rajero, the city’s chief financial officer, told council the funds for the near-term actions are available in the current fiscal year and that the city also has other potential sources including a hurricane emergency funding block and federal recovery dollars administered through Hillsborough County. “We can move as fast as the assets and operational expenses are needed,” Rajero said, while noting some federal and county funds are not immediately cashed and cannot be relied on until they are disbursed.

Council members asked technical and policy questions about where the 40 Third outfalls discharge (Toposier said the ditch outfalls north of McKay Bay), whether concrete banks would reduce water quality functions, and how the proposed work balances conveyance versus percolation. Toposier said the concrete-lined banks would stabilize steep slopes while leaving a dirt bottom in many locations “for our water quality.”

Council members praised the short-term generator staging and asked for community outreach in North Tampa, including neighborhood meetings and pump-station tours before storm season. Bide said operations staff will fuel generators before and after storms when safe and that an emergency response crew will be dedicated to pump-station operations during events.

The council took the vote on Item 64 by roll call because of the contract amount; the motion carried unanimously with council recording the vote in roll-call form.

Why it matters: Tampa’s recent storm seasons exposed pump-station vulnerabilities and damaged low-lying neighborhoods. Staging portable generators this summer provides a near-term safety net; the $10.5 million resiliency program aims to make pump stations more autonomous and remotely monitorable — reducing the need for risky in-person fixes during storms.

Next steps and caveats: Staff said portable generators will be staged and tested before June 1. The permanent generator and monitoring upgrades require design and construction through CAD and an estimated two-year timeline; staff said vendors’ pricing and contingencies were included in the $10.5 million estimate. Funding sources cited include current fiscal-year funds, the city’s hurricane emergency block, and potential county/federal hazard-mitigation or disaster-recovery grants — funds that may not be immediately available.

Votes at a glance • Item 64 — Contract for two ditch rehabilitations (40 Third Street ditch; Grady Avenue near Spruce Street): Motion to approve carried (roll-call vote). Motion mover: Council Member Clendenin; seconder: Council Member Viera. Outcome: approved. Tally: recorded by roll call as unanimously carried; Miranda recorded as absent for part of the roll call notation in the minutes. • Item 56 — Continuance: Council continued Item 56 to May 15 at 1:30 p.m. at 315 East Kennedy Boulevard (motion carried). • Item 57 — Withdrawal: Council granted motion to withdraw Item 57 (motion carried).