Safety Harbor staff to draft comprehensive plan after residents press for fixes to Bishop and Mullet creeks

The Safety Harbor City Commission directed staff on Jan. 21 to prepare a comprehensive plan and financing options after a series of presentations and extensive public comment about erosion and stormwater damage along Bishop and Mullet creeks.

City engineering staff and private consultants told the commission the creeks have long histories of erosion that were made worse by recent hurricanes and heavy rains. John Sutton, a water-resources engineer with Kimley‑Horn, said a 2023 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study identified priority problem sites and recommended preliminary engineering but also left data gaps in survey, geotechnical and environmental analysis.

“The Army Corps study highlighted several key problem areas, but it did not include surveys of existing crossings, geotech, or detailed environmental work,” Sutton said. He and his colleagues proposed a three‑phase approach — a preliminary engineering report, full design and permitting, followed by limited construction phase services — and estimated a worst‑case planning+design and construction-assistance fee of about $1.2 million and an overall program timeline of roughly 40 months from notice to proceed for the areas in the Corps study.

Engineering director Michelle Giuliani told the commission the city currently has roughly $900,000 budgeted for design this fiscal year and roughly $580,000 budgeted the next fiscal year, and that construction costs for the Corps‑identified sections are currently estimated at about $5 million and are unfunded. Giuliani said the city’s GIS team is building a parcel-level database and a prioritization tool to track damage, permits and property ownership.

Public works director Renee Cooper reviewed the city’s maintenance policy and standard operating procedures, which limit city crews to work on city‑owned property and city easements and exclude routine maintenance on private property unless there is an emergency or a city easement. Cooper said the city is dredging a city‑owned section of Mullet Creek now and gathering quotes for clearing and dredging in other sections.

During the public comment period, more than two dozen residents described damaged banks, ruined yards and cracked foundations, urging the commission to act. “It is not our creek — it is the city’s stormwater drainage system,” resident Gary Rosenberg told the commission, describing a recorded 25‑foot drainage easement on his lot and saying erosion is threatening homes.

Residents repeatedly warned that piecemeal private fixes could shift impacts downstream and that some neighborhoods are already seeing property values decline. “We’re playing whack‑a‑mole,” Baywoods HOA president David Gallagher said. Several speakers, including Huntington Trace residents and HOA leaders, urged inter‑jurisdictional coordination with Pinellas County, the city of Clearwater and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud) because runoff from adjacent development and county roads flows into Safety Harbor’s watershed.

Staff presented two options for immediate direction: (1) create a private stormwater improvement matching‑grant program (example: 50/50 match capped per parcel) using remaining ARPA funds and city matching funds to help homeowners pay for bank stabilization on private property, or (2) authorize a task order with Kimley‑Horn for engineering, permitting and construction services for the Corps‑identified sites (estimated not‑to‑exceed $1.2 million) and bring back contracts and funding details.

Commissioners and the city manager emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach rather than a patchwork of individual repairs. City Manager Josh Stefanczyk told the commission staff would prepare a budgeted, comprehensive plan that includes: the Kimley‑Horn scope, legal review of easements and rights‑of‑way, funding options (including bonding, special assessment districts and pursuit of state and federal grants), and an outreach plan for resident engagement. Stefanczyk asked engineering to be the focal point and report back through the budget process for FY26 with recommended next steps.

Commission guidance: commissioners generally favored a broad, systematic approach and asked staff to pursue state and federal grants while preparing local funding scenarios (including options for special assessment districts, bonds or CIP allocations). The commission did not adopt construction work orders at the meeting but asked staff to return with a finance plan, legal analysis of easements and a prioritized list of recommended projects.

Ending — next steps: Staff said it would prepare a comprehensive package for the commission and include legal review of easements and maintenance obligations, estimates for long‑term maintenance, and possible funding pathways for inclusion in the FY26 budget process. Engineers and staff emphasized that permitting, design and construction take time and that grant applications will require a prioritized, shovel‑ready set of projects.