The Venice City Council voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to execute a purchase-and-sale agreement with Edmond and Debbie Campbell for a drainage easement intended to increase local stormwater storage and reduce recurring flooding in the Flamingo Ditch neighborhood. The action followed a final public presentation by Coastal Protection Engineering (CPE) on a yearlong feasibility study of flooding and possible fixes for Flamingo Ditch and nearby streets.

The study, presented by Tom Piero of Coastal Protection Engineering and senior coastal engineer Joe Morrow, modeled existing conditions and a set of alternatives that ranged from modest pipe and road-raising work to large diversions and surge barriers. City Engineer John Kramer and the city manager described next steps including a capital-improvement (CIP) project and pursuing grant funding.

CPE’s modeling showed the most practical near-term benefits come from a suite of smaller, incremental measures rather than a single large fix. The consulting team found that adding a new diversion pipe at the San Marco/Harbor Drive area (their “alternative 8” series) and other modest upgrades would reduce flooding in the most frequently occurring rain events (the 1-inch and 2-inch events) that now prevent residents from getting in and out of their homes. The study found little reduction in peak water levels for low-frequency, large storms (25-year and 100-year events).

CPE also modeled a scenario that would route roughly half of the stormwater east of Harbor Drive away from Flamingo Ditch toward Deertown Gully via a new pipe. That alternative reduced local flooding for frequent storms but could increase water levels in Deertown Gully by about a half-foot in some simulations; the presenters said that impact requires further analysis to determine whether it would be acceptable at the receiving location.

The consultants cautioned against building a static surge barrier without additional engineering and coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because a solid barrier could trap rainwater behind it and worsen flooding during non-surge rain events. Joe Morrow said the dune/surge barrier option showed an adverse effect in the models for some storm types: “If you block all of the surge from coming into this area … you’re also going to block the rainwater from getting out.”

CPE provided order-of-magnitude, conceptual costs for planning purposes only: excavation and use of the Campbell lot as storage, about $1.5 million; pipe improvements roughly $500,000; raising portions of city roads (to the elevation used in the study) about $2 million; diversion options and large culverts were characterized as major capital undertakings with substantially higher costs; surge-barrier costs were labeled “to be determined” pending more study and coordination with federal agencies.

City staff said they can fund acquisition of the drainage easement and a real-time water-level monitoring system from existing stormwater funds without raising stormwater rates. City Engineer John Kramer listed grant applications already submitted in support of this work — including applications to the Economic Recovery and Resiliency Program, NOAA transformational habitat/coastal resilience grant, Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard-mitigation grants, and other state and regional programs — but said no grant awards had been received as of the meeting.

Council members pressed for design details and for the next steps. Councilor Smith asked why pipe upgrades were sized to 18 inches rather than a larger diameter; consultants and staff said sizes shown in the study are conceptual minimums and that physical constraints, site-specific inverts and gravity-flow requirements could limit increases without additional design work. The consultants and staff said a larger or paired pipe could be examined in detailed design but warned that merely enlarging pipes will not help if downstream capacity to the Gulf remains constrained.

During public comment, residents and neighborhood representatives spoke about repeated flooding, sediment and vegetation concerns in Flamingo Ditch, and erosion at private properties adjacent to the ditch. The Flamingo Ditch Steering Committee chair, Israel Salinas, asked for documentation of maintenance procedures and urged city coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers because Corps-managed beach and nourishment projects affect the outfall.

The council then voted to authorize the mayor to execute the drainage-easement purchase and sale agreement. City staff said closing would occur within 90 days after execution, after which staff will scope a CIP project to implement the study recommendations and pursue grant funding.

The package reflects the consultants’ conclusion that there is no single, immediate “silver bullet.” The report recommended pursuing near-term actions — buy and excavate the storage lot, install targeted pipe upgrades and one-way valves, install a real-time monitoring system, and plan road-raising tied to the new storage — while continuing longer-term studies and coordination (including with the Army Corps) for potential diversion or surge-control measures.

The council vote on the easement was unanimous; councilmembers noted the Campbell family’s cooperation during negotiations and thanked staff for the expedited work on an item many residents listed as a priority.