HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — On Thursday, the Tampa City Council will address the construction causing a major headache for people in Seminole Heights. Crews are working to replace the stormwater system in the area.
The major project has come with many delays and frustrations.
Parts of East Caracas Street have been under construction for months now. A pipe was installed incorrectly the first time, so the contractor is now reinstalling it.
Neighbors say they are fed up after months of construction blocking the street.
Charles Piatt, who lives on East Caracas Street, said, “Well, it is very frustrating because when they dig up the street, we can’t get out of our property.”
Blocked driveways, cracked sidewalks, and constant construction is causing a major headache for people in the area.
Teresa Cordoba also lives on the street and said, “It is kind of a hazard. I have to park on the side of my house.”
Cordoba has two toddlers, who she said are spending the Florida winter indoors because of the construction.
“There are kids on this street, and we can’t really be on our sidewalk with our children because of the dust,” Cordoba said.
Neighbors said they want their life and neighborhood back, but they are not hopeful that will happen anytime soon.
”They told me two months ago that it is going to be done in two weeks. Two months and we still have dust, so I can’t keep my car clean. There's mud and dirt on my car, so its just kind of delay after delay," Cordoba said.
Constant delays are the chief complaint from most neighbors.
The contractor, Nelson Construction, said they expect to wrap up the construction by the end of March.
Neighbors say they also want some accountability from the city.
City Councilman Guido Maniscalco sent the following statement:
"I have spoken with and heard from a variety of neighbors affected by the continuous construction delays at Caracas and surrounding areas. We recently invited the contractor to speak with city council and I look forward to them giving us another update. We are in constant contact with the contractors and try to address any issues that our constituents bring to us. They are always very responsive, however the frustration and the anger from the community is heard loud and clear. We want and expect the best from anyone we contract with, especially on a project of this magnitude and especially with how much the neighborhood is being affected. I look forward to asking more questions of the contractor as well as hearing from my other council members, so that we make sure this project wraps up and concludes as quickly as possible. We will continue listening to the community and will continue to be as responsive as possible and continue to hold the contractor accountable.”
Thursday's meeting starts at 9 a.m.
The city of Tampa will hold a construction update meeting for the Southeast Seminole Heights Flooding Relief Project Wednesday, February 22, at 6 p.m. at the A.W. Windhorts Lodge at 5011 N. Nebraska Avenue.
