Overview
- City Council is set to vote on a package that includes a design‑build contract with Kimmins with a guaranteed maximum construction price of about $92.7 million.
- The city estimates total project costs at roughly $100.4 million and is seeking an $11 million contribution from the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority plus transfers of about $50 million from city stormwater, bond, grant and capital funds.
- City simulations show the proposed larger drainage system would eliminate flooding in Parkland Estates and substantially reduce flooding in Palma Ceia Pines during a modeled storm of more than five inches of rain over eight hours.
- South Howard businesses and the SoHo Business Alliance oppose the plan because staged, multi‑year corridor closures — the city’s project page lists April 2027 through August 2030 — could force closures and affect an estimated 1,100 workers, and they have proposed alternative approaches.
- If the council approves the measures the project would move into final scheduling and construction planning with the city signaling a hope to begin after major local events; the vote frames a trade‑off between long‑term flood safety for nearby residents and concentrated short‑term economic harm to corridor businesses.