As South Tampa continues to recover from a devastating hurricane season, a long-awaited $65 million flood relief project is dividing the community. While city leaders say the project is critical to preventing future flooding, residents and business owners worry about traffic disruptions, business losses, and the timeline—especially with another hurricane season just months away. South Tampa is no stranger to flooding. In neighborhoods like Parkland Estates, heavy rain often leaves streets and driveways underwater. The issue worsened after Hurricane Milton, which overwhelmed Tampa’s aging stormwater system, leaving more than 150 homes and dozens of businesses along South Howard Avenue severely damaged. “With heavy rain, we’ll see water come all the way up the driveway, sometimes even into the garage,” said Parkland Estates resident Anders Norremo. “It’s very stressful. Anytime you see a rainstorm coming, it’s like, okay, we got to prep. We got to put up sandbags.” For local businesses, the financial impact has been severe. A South Tampa restaurant owner described the toll: “In October, we were closed for eight and a half days because of the storm. We lost over $100,000 in sales and $20,000 in product due to power outages.”