TAMPA, Fla. — Roger Boh is trying to stay positive. For months now, his neighborhood street in Seminole Heights has looked like an active construction zone — because it is.
“Used to be Caracas Street, but we call it Caracas Trail now until they actually put a street back in here,” he said with a chuckle.
All across his neighborhood, the City of Tampa and its contractor, Nelson Construction, are completing an ambitious project to solve flooding issues in the Seminole Heights area.
As part of the Southeast Seminole Heights Flooding Relief Project, the city is replacing the current stormwater system to relieve flooding, improve fire protection, and increase safety for cars and pedestrians.
However, as ABC Action News has reported, the work has triggered complaints from frustrated neighbors and businesses.
During the course of the project, some roads have become hard, if not impossible, to traverse. Access to some homes has also been tricky.
Delays to certain milestones of the project have caused mounting frustrations. Neighbors and businesses have complained about a lack of quality communication about the project's progress.
At his home on E. Caracas Street, Boh feels fortunate to have experienced a somewhat minimal impact and a friendly rapport with construction crews.
“They always say, ‘Anything that we break, we’ll fix. Anything we destroy, we’ll replace,’” he said of the work crews.
He also believes the project will have a huge pay-off after years of flooding.
“You know, we had an issue because the water would come up over. It would come all the way up to the yard here,” he said.
Jason Marlow, who also lives in Seminole Heights, agrees. The flooding needed to be addressed.
“You can flood the City of Tampa with an eyedropper,” Marlow said. “These are super important needed improvements.”
Marlow, however, feels the city and its contractor could have done a better job through more communication and compassion.
“If I were a senior citizen or if I had a disability, my home would have been basically inaccessible,” he said.
The work is now done on Marlow’s portion of E. Caracas St., but work continues in several other parts of the neighborhood.
According to a spokesperson for the project:
- The work is nearly complete on Central Ave. south of Hillsborough Ave., except for about 200 ft. of pavement striping.
- Crews now have clearance from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to install a stormwater structure on Central Ave. north of Hillsborough Ave. After it is installed, paving work will begin.
- Crews are waiting on clearance from FDEP before more work can be done on Caracas St. east of Nebraska Ave.
- Crews are waiting on clearance from FDEP before more work can be done on Ellicott St. east of Nebraska Ave.
Get more alerts and updates on the project on this website.
The project team will meet with neighbors and answer their questions in a community meeting on April 16th from 6 to 8 p.m. at the City Center on Hanna Avenue.
Marlow hopes to be there and hopes to hear a candid, sincere message from the city.
“I want to hear something to the effect that they have heard us. They appreciate the fact that they’ve put undue burdens, and they are going to be more responsive and more receptive to our community going forward,” he said.
The project began in late 2021. Its completion date is projected to be in January 2025.
