HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Danielle Ferrari owns Valhalla Resale in Seminole Heights. But in some ways, the business owns her.
"Every penny that I ever make has gone into this," she said.
Her unique boutique — located at the corner of N Central Avenue and E Hanna Avenue — allows members to rent clothes instead of buying them and buying is also allowed.
"So, these are our casual dresses and if you're a member, you can come in and say, 'Oh, I would like to wear this this weekend,'" she said as she perused a rack at the center of the inviting boutique. "Wear it, bring it back, we do the laundry, and you can get something different for the next time."
So far, as her business passes its sixth anniversary, the investment has been worth it. But, right now, Ferrari is worried about the boutique's future and she can't help but feel hopeless.
"Yeah, when you know there's nothing you can do," she said as she struggled to hold back tears.
As the City of Tampa seeks to relieve flooding in Seminole Heights, its contractor — Nelson Construction — is in the middle of a major project to upgrade the neighborhood's underground stormwater infrastructure.
So far, the work has impacted streets like N Florida Avenue, W Crest Avenue, and N Central Avenue south of Hillsborough Avenue.
Now, the portion of N Central Avenue north of Hillsborough Avenue is due for work.
Starting on March 1, construction crews will close N. Central Avenue to through traffic from Hillsborough Avenue to E Paris Street. The closure will last for at least 13 months.
Ferrari, whose business is located just feet outside that closure, worries her business, which is her livelihood, will take a financial hit.
"Going into the closure, I'm worried that we'll lose some members," she said. "We'll definitely lose customers, and it's just a really hard time to have something like that happen."
N Central Avenue will not be the only road partially closed in March.
In late March, Nelson Construction also plans to close part of N Nebraska Avenue from Hillsborough Avenue south to E Osborne Avenue.
Even though Nelson Construction has said the roads will remain open to both local traffic and people traveling to and from businesses, Ferrari remains worrisome after a similar closure on N Florida Avenue last year which negatively impacted several businesses for longer than anticipated.
"The impact [here] is going to be much, much, much, much longer," she said.
The project, which is known as the Southeast Seminole Heights Flooding Relief project, has also caused headaches along other streets in Seminole Heights.
On E Caracas Street, just west of I-275, neighbors are still dealing with the inconvenience of a severely torn-up road after a 72-inch storm pipe was installed incorrectly.
At a public meeting about the project Wednesday night, neighbors like Steve Elwood did not mince words as they shared their complaints with the project team.
"It's abuse!" Elwood shouted at the team from Nelson Construction and the City of Tampa. "'I'm sorry,' ain't cutting it no more! Cut me a check!"
As Elwood and other neighbors and business owners explained, some roads have become hard, if not impossible, to traverse.
Access to some homes has also been tricky. Delays to certain construction milestones have caused mounting frustrations. The work has damaged some homes and vehicles.
Neighbors and businesses have also complained about a lack of quality communication about the project's progress.
At the meeting, Nelson Construction and Jean Duncan, the administrator of Infrastructure and Mobility for the City of Tampa, ensured that they are taking the concerns seriously, shared that the project is ahead of schedule, and promised changes to mitigate disruptions as much as possible.
"We have compassion. We have sensitivity. We care that there's so much disruption to you," Duncan said. "We're all committed to doing better than we've been doing; however, we need to do that."
That's a promise Rev. Tiffania Icaza Willetts hopes the city will keep since her church — Seminole Heights United Methodist Church — will soon be in the middle of the construction.
The church could be impacted by the work on N Central Avenue when it begins next week.
In addition to that work, starting this summer, crews will install underground infrastructure at the intersection adjacent to the church, N Central Avenue and E Hanna Avenue.
"The messaging just hasn't been clear or consistent," the pastor said. "We feel like we're completely in the dark."
Rev. Willetts is most worried about how the parents of 120 children will access the church's daycare during the construction.
"We have to have some kind of access for parents to get onto our property," she said.
Meanwhile, on Nebraska Avenue, Uzi Ramirez is also unsure about what the upcoming work will mean for his restaurant, Xtreme Tacos. The span of Nebraska in front of his business — which is north of Hillsborough Avenue — will see construction work starting in the late summer.
"Well, it's scary to think about it," he said. "I think it's going to affect all the businesses that are on Nebraska."
Right now, he's brainstorming ways to serve his customers if the work prevents them from easily accessing his restaurant.
Xtreme Tacos might consider free delivery within a 2-mile radius. It might also rely more heavily on services like Uber Eats.
Back at Valhalla Resale, Ferrari doesn't have such a luxury.
For her clothes rental concept to work, customers and members must have daily access to the physical store.
While she isn't sure about how the construction will impact her daily operations, she said she is sure about one thing: her loyal customers' support will be vital to her survival as a small business owner.
"They helped us get through COVID, and that's really the only thing that can get us through it is our support of our community and our members," she said.
During the Wednesday night meeting, Nelson Construction also shared other updates about the project and its timeline:
- Work on Florida and Crest Avenues is nearing completion
- The pipe installed incorrectly on East Caracas Street should be reinstalled by the end of March and the street should be repaved by May
- New fire hydrants have been added on two impacted streets, Miami and Osceola Place
- Another portion of Caracas, between I-275 and Nebraska Avenue, should be paved by the end of March
- A new outfall has also been added on the Hillsborough River to "equalize" stormwater dispersal in the neighborhood
- The entire project is on track for a late 2024 completion
According to the project team, you can visit the Seminole Heights Storm Water website for more information and frequent updates.
You can email questions to projectinfo@seminoleheightsstormwater.com.
You can also relay questions and concerns by calling the project hotline at 813-580-5313.
