Residents and businesses clash as Tampa council prepares to revisit $10M state flood grant for South Howard

Tampa — A heated public-comment period at the Tampa City Council’s Jan. 8 meeting made clear the South Howard Flood Relief Project remains deeply divisive as the council prepares to consider a major grant amendment.

Residents who said their homes flooded in 2024 and 2025 urged the council to accept and extend a roughly $10 million Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) grant aimed at flood mitigation. "Please do the right thing. Accept the grant money and help us feel safe in our homes again," said Tina Adams, a Parkland Estates homeowner who said more than 300 properties flooded.

Business owners and technical consultants countered that the current grant amendment—described by one attorney as a ‘‘complete rewrite’’ of the 2024 agreement—lacks required technical and economic analyses. Civil engineer Dave Deloce told the council the project record does not show a sufficient alternatives analysis, lacks a ‘‘slip study’’ on sea-level impacts, and omits a side-by-side comparison of previously rejected options. "If these deficiencies persist, a prudent step today would be to delay the approval until staff provides a side‑by‑side comparison," Deloce said.

Soho Business Alliance attorney Edward de la Parti warned that the proposed amendment contains new obligations and unclear financial commitments. He said the amendment requires the city to represent that the project information is "current, complete and accurate," while completion dates and protection scope differ between the grant text and the city's public materials. "This grant agreement says this project will be completed in June 2027, but your website says it won't be completed until 2029," he said, asking how the council would reconcile those differences.

Representatives of South Howard businesses said the selected construction route (Swan to Howard) places heavy disruption on restaurants and other storefronts. "This project currently would use all of the funds intended for the entire city stormwater issues, leaving nothing for other neighborhoods," said Jared Dyer of Bella's Italian Cafe, warning of job losses and lasting economic harm.

Supporters stressed the human cost of delay. "My home flooded in October–November 2024. Hundreds of homes flooded at over $1,000,000 per property," homeowner Elizabeth Dinwiddie told the council, urging immediate use of available funds.

City staff have previously described the project as eligible for DEP resiliency funds but also have acknowledged complex compliance steps, permit risks and required deliverables that may limit use of grant money. Several speakers asked council to require additional deliverables—such as an economic impact study and an updated alternatives analysis—before accepting or significantly amending the grant.

Council did not vote on the item during the morning session. The chair recessed for lunch and said the council will reconvene at 2 p.m. to take up items 57, 32 (the flood-project grant item), and 59. No formal action on item 32 is recorded in the Jan. 8 morning transcript.

What happens next: Council members will hear staff responses and may amend the proposal or delay a final vote to secure supplemental technical or economic studies. Public speakers asked the council to require those analyses before committing city matching funds.

Speakers quoted in this report spoke at the Jan. 8 council meeting: Tina Adams (public comment), Greg Campbell (Parkland Estates), Dave Deloce (engineer), Steven Michelinie (Soho business representative), Edward de la Parti (attorney for Soho Business Alliance), Victor DeMaio and Jared Dyer (South Howard business representatives), and Elizabeth Dinwiddie (homeowner).