St. Pete taking proactive approach to hurricane season with resident task force
The city of St. Pete is taking a proactive approach to hurricane season with a resident task force.
The City of St. Pete, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council are teaming up with flood-impacted communities for resiliency bus tours next Saturday.
The bus is first come, first serve. But all are welcome to trail behind and follow the bus.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - The City of St. Pete, Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council are teaming up with flood-impacted communities for resiliency bus tours next Saturday.
The city recently established the Resilient St. Pete Resident Task Force to tackle ongoing flooding issues.
Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf is a part of it. He said, "One of the requests we made was to get us a seat at the table. This is our seat at the table."
One of the first orders of business is the bus tour in Shore Acres and Riviera Bay, two communities that are still grappling with Milton, Helene, even Idalia from 2023.
What they're saying
"The City is paying for a third-party engineer to come in, discuss the situation with the residents and the city engineering staff," he added, "We're hoping to get some insight. We're going to showcase what we think the problems are. The City is going to showcase what they identify from an engineering standpoint."
Batdorf has brainstormed some ideas. "One idea that's been floated out there is to build a seawall high enough to prevent surge. That's going to cause some consternation with neighbors because each seawall is privately owned," he added, "In order to do something crazy like that, they'd have to go out like ten feet from property line, build a seawall that stretches all the way around the city."
Another proposed solution is building a damn system, "...that's hydraulic that could raise up when a surge is potential," he said.
READ: Hurricane season begins June 1: Here's what to know
One solution from the City is already on the books: a stormwater pump station to be built on Connecticut Avenue NE, just down the street from Bonnie Carter. She said, "Having water in the house for me, my head is still spinning."
Carter plans to join the bus tour in hopes to learn more about what she can do to protect her home and what the city is doing on a larger scale. She said, "At least they realize that something needs to be done, and they are working on it. But it'll never come fast enough." Carter also hopes to see the permitting process sped up next time.
What you can do
The bus is first come, first serve. But all are welcome to trail behind and follow the bus.
Riviera Bay's resiliency tour is from 9:00am-1:00pm
Shore Acres' resiliency tour is from 1:00pm-3:00pm, attendees can meet at the Shore Acres Rec Center.
CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
23-07-2025
- Forbes
How Water Companies And Architects Can Lead The Way On Sponge Cities
TOPSHOT - Residents walk on a flooded street in Morocco's Ouarzazate city on September 7, 2024. When ... More powerful thunderstorms hit Morocco's arid south, they brought deadly floods but also provided some relief to farmers as the country grapples with its worst drought in nearly 40 years. (Photo by Abderahim ELBCIR / AFP) (Photo by ABDERAHIM ELBCIR/AFP via Getty Images) As various parts of the world continue to experience extreme weather events, many authorities must now grapple with how to make cities more climate resilient. One of the leading climate resilient concepts is the sponge city, where a variety of technological and nature-based solutions can be used to absorb water flooding and future-proof developments. Urban designers and infrastructure experts are playing a key role in the debate around sponge cities, but other organisations, such as utilities also have a role to play. Earlier this year, Bentley Systems published a white paper, which highlighted how water companies could take more of a lead to develop plans to reduce surface water flooding and create more sponge cities in the process. The paper warned the cost of surface water flooding incidents in the U.K. and beyond shows how climate change is impacting towns and cities. It said it was 'essential' water management plans for towns and cities are integrated, and focus not just on the management of water, but on land and the built environment as well. Bentley Systems' vice president of infrastructure policy advancement, Mark Coates said it is important for people to know that while floods are the world's most common natural disaster, the largest flood risk people and places face in many developed nations is surface water flooding, in a statement. Coates added the U.K's Environment Agency now estimates 4.6 million properties are now at risk from surface water flooding in England, around 1.4 million more properties than in 2018. He said it is a similar situation in the U.S. One analysis shows around 18 million residents live in surface-water related floodplains in the US mainland, which is more than three times the 5.2 million residents living in floodplains caused by rivers and streams. Adam Boucher, was the operational lead operational lead for Severn Trent Water's £76 million Mansfield sustainable flooding resilience project, which was the largest retrofit profit of its kind in the U.K. Boucher said the scheme aimed to make the town of Mansfield more resilient to extreme weather events, like flooding, by providing the equivalent of 31 million liters of additional water storage through nature-based solutions. He added Mansfield was selected for a number of reasons, including issues with surface water not draining away, being in a flood risk area. Boucher added Mansfield also had the right ground conditions to ensure water could be infiltrated into the soil if properly managed. As part of the project, Severn Trent developed basins designed to separate surface water from entering the combined sewerage network during heavy rainfall and to capture water by providing additional storage capacity before entering the sewerage network. Permeable paving was also installed in carparks, walkways, and other hard surfaces to allow water to pass through and soak slowly into the ground beneath. And small rain gardens on the verges alongside local roads were also installed. These mini gardens use plants and soil to retain and slow the flow of rainwater from surrounding hard surfaces. 'This is the first time a water company has put these interventions directly into a street under its own kind of scheme,' he told me. 'So far, we have increased flood resilience for 96 households, which are now better protected. In addition, a further 128 households assessed to be risk by 2040 have been moved to a lower risk category.' And Marion Baeli, principal for sustainability and transformation at 10 Design, said other cities like Dubai are also investing in new drainage systems and retrofitting cities with the infrastructure they need to survive extreme weather events, in an interview. Baeli added while it is difficult to prepare every building and city around the world for the eventuality of an extreme weather event, it is important to carry out risk assessments and put mitigation measures in place. 'The future is going to be quite random, and it's going to be quite extreme,' she told me. Baeli added planners and decision makers will also have to rethink where the habitable zones in the future will be, as the climate changes. She said that many seasonal residents in the south of France are now temporarily relocating towards the north during the summer months, as temperatures in the south are regularly reaching 40 degrees Celsius, and on occasion going over 45 degrees. Baeli added it is also important to educate the architects of the future about resilient design, and how overheating, low energy and decarbonization go hand-in-hand. And 'Climate mitigation and good design are not just for the good of the planet. There is actually a business case you need to consider, so you can carry on benefiting from these buildings and infrastructure in the future when you know the conditions are changing.'
UPI
17-07-2025
- UPI
Wave of future: AI-powered app helps surfers track conditions, chat
Colin Dwyer rides a small wave in the first heat at the Titans of Mavericks surfing competition in Half Moon Bay in Northern California on February 12, 2016. File photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo July 16 (UPI) -- Onda on Wednesday launched a free app for surfers that personalizes weather forecasts and allows users to chat with one another, starting first in Northern California. The app can be downloaded on Apple's App Store and Google Play. Onda primarily means wave in Spanish, and also used to represent the vibe or atmosphere, as well as an informal greeting, "We built Onda because we were tired of missing good sessions," Quincy Carroll, founder and CEO of Onda, said in a news release. "Most surf apps are just weather data in disguise. Onda makes it personal. It's like having a surf guide who knows your break, your level, and your performance." It was developed by lifelong sufers, product and AI experts, and designers "who believe forecasting should be more accurate, more personal and more fun," the company said in a news release. The app relies on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coastal Data Information Program of wave measurement, swell modeling and forecasting, and other sources. The company is designed "to become the go-to-app for surfers of all levels looking to ride better waves and connect with their crews while staying plugged into the ocean lifestyle," according to the company. Personalized surf recommendations include real-time updates of wave size, wind direction and tide window. The local weather forecasts include breaks across Northern California updated frequently. The app allows users to chart privately by coordinating dawn patrols, sharing stories or "staking each other out," Onda said. AI can be used to ask things, such as "Where should I paddle out right now?" or "Will the swell hold through the weekend?" Users also can track sessions, post conditions and share them with crews. Onda will be handing out Treeswax, a local provider of eco-friendly wax, this week in Santa Cruz, Pacifica and Ocean Beach. On Aug. 1, there will be a launch party at the Steamer Lane Lighthouse in Santa Cruz. "Northern California is truly a land of feast or famine," according to Stormrider. "The elements are harsh, the fickle reefs aren't perfect, the sandbars are temperamental and it's seemingly 20 feet and unridable all winter. But classic days do exist and NorCal does occasionally serve up a heaping portion of coldwater perfection. Bottom line: unless you live here, it's most likely one of those places you'd really like to visit someday, but never quite muster the time." Counties listed by the surf website are Del Nortre, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin with 55 surf breaks.
Android Authority
14-07-2025
- Android Authority
Survey reveals this is everyone's favorite weather app, by far
One of the staple apps ever since smartphones came into existence are weather apps. While weather apps have existed for decades, user preferences have changed over the years. The weather apps that we once loved have shuttered, and their place has been taken by newer competitors with their own advantages. In our quest to find the current best weather app, we asked you what weather app you prefer on your phone, and the answer has been overwhelmingly in Pixel Weather's favor. With over 47% of the votes, the Pixel Weather app was the crowd favorite by a wide margin. This result is even more surprising because Pixel Weather is a Pixel-exclusive app, so you can't use it on any other Android phone without jumping through a bunch of hoops. Still, the app works well enough to hook all Pixel users in and provide them with everything they need, so they don't have to look for alternatives.
