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Residents urge city to apply for federal funds for Flamingo Ditch; council directs staff to file mitigation project
Summary
Neighbors said Flamingo Ditch flooding traps residents and urged the city to seek federal stormwater mitigation funds; council directed the floodplain manager to prepare and submit a project sheet by March 14 and add the item to the countywide mitigation list.
During the audience participation portion of the March 11, 2025 Venice City Council meeting, resident Bayat Lyman urged the council to apply for soon‑to‑be‑announced federal funds to address flooding tied to Flamingo Ditch in the Golden Age neighborhood.
“Please don't pass up this opportunity to receive free money for a project that is desperately needed and will prevent the stormwater flooding that trapped hundreds of people in their homes in 2022 and destroyed many homes in 2024,” Bayat Lyman told the council. He said the city has an easement to use Flamingo Ditch for public stormwater drainage and that the ditch is part of a larger drainage system for several streets and many properties.
Council members discussed the public comment during the floodplain agenda item. Christina Rimes, the city’s Community Rating System coordinator and a certified floodplain manager, presented the CRS annual materials and explained how participation reduces policyholders’ premiums. Councilmember Farrell moved that the floodplain manager submit a project sheet for a Flamingo Ditch watershed/feasibility project and add it to the Local Mitigation Strategy project list, with a March 14 filing deadline; the motion passed unanimously.
Council and staff noted that the Flamingo Ditch item remains in a feasibility stage; the motion asks staff to prepare the required project summary that county and state grant programs use to rank projects for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and other funds.
The council action does not obligate local matching dollars; it adds Flamingo Ditch to the prioritized project list used by regional partners. Staff said a consultant’s cost estimates and feasibility findings—provided by the city’s hired consultant—will be important to complete the project packet.
The council also heard that the city removed a large outfall pipe at Flamingo Ditch a few years ago and that residents attribute part of the neighborhood flooding to that change; staff said the feasibility study will examine jurisdictional, easement and technical constraints before any construction is proposed.
