The Riviera Bay Civic Association in St. Petersburg, Fla. (WFLA) reunited neighbors as they returned to the community after being displaced by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Some residents are still waiting to move back into their homes, while others are in the process of returning.
More than a dozen individuals attended the meeting on Tuesday evening. Although the meeting mirrored the one held last year, the community has notably changed since then.
This hurricane season, residents and leaders are aiming for improvements, starting with the enforcement of the No-Wake Zone law that many community members have long supported.
“I can’t tell you how many times I was out in a neighborhood and people would tell me that one car put us under,” said James Fuchs with the St. Petersburg Police Department.
Fuchs said officers would have to consider road conditions, speed limits, and the impact it may cause. The violation has to be witnessed by an officer. Pictures and videos do not help. Fuchs said violators can receive a $60 fine and three points per violation. It also does not have to be a major storm for police to write a fine.
To help address flooding, St. Petersburg City Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard said the city is going through the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget right now, and there’s a $700 million cost for the stormwater master plan for projects across the city.
“The administration has worked very hard to try to figure out how to accelerate some of that, but quite frankly there is no funding that will help us to be able to accelerate that at this time,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard said there are proposals to let residents vote in 2026 on a mileage increase toward infrastructure funding. But she said if it passes, they won’t recognize the increase until 2027-2028.
The meeting also took time to emphasize residents having a plan in place for storms, evacuating when told to do so, and knowing your threshold.
“Don’t make it harder by not controlling the things you do have control over,” said Amber Boulding, the emergency management manager for the City of St. Pete.
One resident said she felt hopeful after the meeting.
“We learned a lot of things from last year,” said Toni Michalove. “We prepared somewhat, but I think we’ll prepare better.”
For more information on the details from the meeting, click here.
