Tampa City Council approved a massive flood control project for South Tampa on Thursday. It comes after residents of the Palma Ceia Pines and Parkland Estates neighborhoods complained about chronic flooding for years.
So the city proposed a nearly $100 million system to route stormwater down South Howard Avenue and into Hillsborough Bay through box culverts.
Councilman Charlie Miranda said it can't wait.
"We have to do something sooner or later, " he said, "and sooner just arrived."
The project narrowly passed by a 4-3 vote.
Voting no were Naya Young, Guido Maniscalco and Bill Carlson, who said the project would take away from flood control projects needed in other areas of the city.
Those in favor were Miranda, Lynn Hurtak, Luis Viera and Chair Alan Clendenin.
Hurtak said the area includes several medical centers and the HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital on Swann Avenue.
"Not being able to access a hospital is just not OK," she said. "Anything we do, we have to be able to access a hospital. So, it's not perfect, but it really has to happen. We have no other opportunity."
Clendenin said it was one of the hardest decisions he's had to make on the board.
"The most basic responsibility of a city government is to protect the safety and security of the people that we serve," he said. "That means police and fire protection. It means emergency response, but it also means protecting homes and businesses from flooding. Keeping streets passable and making sure people can reach hospitals and medical care and first responders."
Many businesses in the SoHo corridor of Hyde Park are opposed to the project, which would close sections of South Howard during the three to four years of construction.
John Lister is executive chef at Ava restaurant on South Howard.
"I want what's best for this town, but this is not it," he told council members. "There's multiple businesses that will fail. We will fail. We won't survive this. This is too difficult."
Linda Misner owns the personal training studio Body by Design, just off South Howard.
"No one living or working in historic Hyde Park wants this project," she said. "We are against the long-term destruction, detours, building damage, business loss, and the possible creation of new flooding issues for our area."
On the other side of the argument was periodontist Dr. Mark Abdoney, who has a surgical facility that regularly floods on West Azeele Avenue, near the HCA hospital.
"This project is going to, if it does not go through, it's going to leave the city with a potential health crisis of epic proportions should during a hurricane or some other flood event, and HCA Hospital shut down," he said.
