Flooding from extreme rainfall, not storm surge or high tides, is most on Tampa Bay residents’ minds.
That’s according to recent results from a survey that asked residents to map and describe flood-prone spots. The survey, which spanned Tampa Bay counties from Citrus to Sarasota, had nearly 400 respondents.
A few themes emerged. Among them, rainfall was the most identified cause of flooding across the region. Additionally, respondents cited development as a cause for worsening flooding woes, and said that solutions could come from reviving natural systems, such as restoring mangroves or replenishing wetlands.
“We’re seeing flooding from a bunch of different drivers, not just surge,” said Alana Todd, the principal environmental planner at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
The survey, conducted by the planning council and the National Wildlife Federation, is one piece in a puzzle that will go into creating the Tampa Bay Coastal Master Plan. The plan, spearheaded by the planning council, will be a blueprint for identifying areas prone to inundation and solutions that can crisscross cities and counties.
“We know a lot of these issues don’t stop at jurisdictional borders, like flooding,” Todd said. “We’re taking more of a watershed approach to planning.”
A majority of survey respondents — 43% — came from Pinellas County, followed by Hillsborough County with 24%.
Amanda Moore, the Gulf program senior director for the National Wildlife Federation, said the plan aims to keep community input at the forefront. The survey and other community feedback will be used in combination with regional flooding data, Moore said.
“We want to make sure that’s married together with the community experience,” Moore said.
Of the nearly 400 respondents, 38% identified extreme rainfall as a cause of flooding, followed by storm surge at 24% and high tide flooding at 18%.
A map published by the planning council shows respondents’ answers to the type of flooding they often experience.
One person described streets flooding in St. Petersburg’s Disston Heights neighborhood during rain despite cleared-out storm drains. They cited “increased area pressure” caused by nearby development.
Another respondent, in a neighborhood a few streets from Sligh Avenue in Tampa, wrote that a pump to a nearby retention pond isn’t reliable and may contribute to flooding.
A Pasco submission, near Hudson, said creeks and ponds often back up into the streets during heavy rains. They said mangroves and maintained creeks could help address the issues.
The survey results surprised Todd, she said. Besides the survey, the planning council and the University of Florida held listening sessions to let residents share their views. Often, residents highlighted their fear of tidal flooding caused by hurricanes.
Beyond identifying flooding concerns, residents also highlighted possible improvements, including restoring and protecting natural habitats to combat the issues.
Todd said the emphasis on greener alternatives is validating.
There are two major goals for the plan, she said. The first is to protect people by reducing flooding, and the other is to preserve and restore habitats so they can act as a flood defense.
Work on the master plan began in May 2025 and is expected to run through 2028. It will be the first of its kind in Florida.
The plan will allow communities to have a solid base and a better chance when applying for grant-funded resiliency projects, Todd said. The next phase will be to develop concepts for flood-prevention projects.
The National Wildlife Federation has worked on other coastal master plans, including one in Louisiana that began after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Moore said it’s one of the more mature and complex master plans in the country.
Tampa Bay’s plan will be modeled after Louisiana’s, Todd said.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is paying for the Tampa Bay project through a $1.99 million grant. To put that into perspective, Louisiana’s coastal master plan cost upward of $30 million, Todd said.
Louisiana updates its master plan every five or so years. The hope is that Tampa Bay’s regional plan will start the same cycle.
“We are really focused on building a strong foundation for this plan, so we can keep iterating upon it in the future,” Todd said.
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