Tampa’s flooding isn’t just about climate change. It’s dysfunctional governance

Tampa city leaders deserve a quick and indomitable responsibilities for decades of negligence and incompetence in dealing with city stormwater management. It is totally dishonorable that a city as important and prominent as Tampa continues to be drowned by bureaucratic inertia and broken promises, residents suffer from avoidable flooding. The so-called “modification” of the work is merely a window dressing. It’s like a band of gaps in wounds given by years of ignorance, self-satisfaction, and misguided priorities.

For years, city officials have biased responsibility by hiding behind buzzwords of climate change and environmental concerns. But let’s make it clear. Tampa’s flood nightmare is not just a by-product of global weather patterns. This is an artificial disaster that was promoted by the failure to maintain and modernize stormwater infrastructure. Other cities have taken proactive steps to protect their communities, but Tampa leaders have chosen to prioritize political optics over practical solutions.

The current stormwater system is dishonorable. The patchwork of broken drains, overgrown ditches and unmaintained dark verts would make you laugh if it wasn’t so tragic. Residents have accepted photos and complaints from city council members, but their response remains unslow. Taxpayers are justly infuriated. Why should they keep billing for systems that don’t run?

Where is accountability? City leaders have published quarterly reports and maintenance figures, but this data is opaque and lacks meaningful insights. Residents deserve a transparent, accessible report that clearly outlines the status of the stormwater system, tracks progress and provides a calendar of improvements. More importantly, staff must be required to submit a written report to the city council, rather than a vague verbal guarantee that evaporates like a puddle on a sunny day.

A political malpractice is a city that did not promote stormwater management to its top priority. Millions are allocated to police, housing and parks, but flood control continues to suffer at the bottom of budget totem poles. This is not merely myopic. That’s dangerous. Protecting coastal communities from flooding is not an option. It’s fundamental governance. However, Tampa leaders have consistently failed this most basic test.

It’s time for a radical overhaul. Fragmented improvements and reactive measures will no longer reduce them. The city needs to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy that prioritizes flood control at the same level as other critical infrastructure. This strategy requires focusing on better connections with existing drainage facilities, adoption of new technologies, and stormwater capture and reuse. Additionally, costly repairs require strict enforcement of regular maintenance schedules and prioritize them based on clear criteria.

City leaders must also acknowledge that unenforced Hillsboro County suburban growth affects Tampa’s drainage patterns. This requires a coordinated, county-wide approach to flood management. This transcends jurisdiction and political turf wars. But first, Tampa has to keep his home tidy.

Enough is enough. The time for excuses has passed for a long time. Tampa residents deserve leadership that not only talks about resilience and sustainability, but actually provides it. If the current city officials are unable to gather the will to act decisively, it is time for them to stand aside and give way for a willed leader.

The message to Tampa city leaders is clear. Stop political stance, roll up sleeves and fix the stormwater system.

Larry D. Clifton is a native Floridian who graduated from Eckard College, a former print reporter and author of science fiction thriller Martin’s Secret.