By Rhiannon McIsaac, Kadin Knowles, Paola Bisbal and John Mancini
During major storms, Pinellas County residents face the real threat of speeding vehicles pushing flood water into their front yards and homes, leading to damage that could have been avoided.
Pinellas County lawmakers hope to regulate vehicle speeds in areas vulnerable to flooding, as well as bring awareness to the issue with the proposition of a new bill.
“You get victimized twice, once by the storm, once by the drivers that are not necessarily understanding that they should slow it down,” said St. Petersburg Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev when emphasizing the impact speeding vehicles have in flood zones.
Flooding begins when heavy rain or storm surge overwhelms streets, turning familiar roads into unfamiliar and dangerous ones. As drivers return home, head to work or venture out after a storm, many speed through floodwaters, creating wakes that push more water onto properties and cause further damage.
“[If] you live in a house, you have flooding that comes right up to your garage door, and then the pickup truck decides to go through at 15 mph and push all that water right in your garage,” Kovacsev said.
Shores Acres in Pinellas County is just one of many neighborhoods that have had to deal with wake-induced flooding and been left to deal with its aftermath. The water pushed onto front lawns and into homes can lead to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage costs. This is an additional financial burden for residents that have already been majorly inconvenienced by debilitating natural disasters.
Longtime Shore Acres resident Charles Wood said that most of his neighbors have had unfortunate experiences dealing with wake flood damage, leading them to make hard decisions.
“It’s just getting too expensive to keep building over and over again,” Wood said. “Those guys in the next house over have sold their property. They have had to rebuild their house three times in four years.”
The vulnerability caused by the city’s frequent flooding is due to the county’s unique geography, low-lying topography, rising sea levels and drainage issues. Major Hurricanes Helene and Milton have cast an unfortunate spotlight on the importance of reduced speeds during flood times.
The bill, labeled Senate Bill 350 and House Bill 241, is being proposed by Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Lindsay Cross. Even though SB 350 and HB 241 have different numeric labels, they are the same bill.
SB 350 and HB 241 would prohibit slow motor vehicle speeds that would block or cause traffic congestion. During flood periods, like the one that occurred during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, vehicle speed limits would be reduced by local government standards to prevent additional wake-induced flooding.
To become a law, bills must go through legislative committees before they hit the general assembly floor and are voted on by both chambers. When a bill gets put into committee, as HB 241 and SB 350 have, it’s in the early stage of being approved or denied. A lot of bills quietly die in committee before they can reach the prepubescent stage of life, the voting stage.
DiCeglie initially proposed SB 350 on Jan. 27, and it was moved into committee on Feb. 3. On the other hand, HB 241 was filed by Cross on Jan. 24 and moved into committee on Feb. 6.
After reaching the general assembly floor and passing by a majority vote in both chambers, the bill needs to be affirmed by the governor before officially becoming an enforceable law.
Law enforcement has long received complaints about drivers speeding through flooded streets but had no authority to act beyond issuing warnings. If passed, the bill would give officers the power to enforce reduced speeds.
First responders play a critical role during floods, responding quickly and helping keep communities safe. Their firsthand experience with wake-induced flooding has shown how damaging it can be, and the St. Petersburg Police Department supports the bill’s passage. However, the state must change its laws regarding vehicle speed regulation before the city can act.
The proposed bill was also included in a larger hurricane response package during the March 4 Florida legislation session.
“It seems to have a lot of backing from the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association,” Kovacsev said prior to the March 4 meeting. “If you get the amendment, put in there, then we can start enforcing it.”
In the past, during deadly hurricanes, Kovacsev said that the city would just shut down certain neighborhoods that are prone to flooding. The devastating impact of Hurricane Helene and Milton made things more difficult and shifted lawmakers’ and community safety workers’ mindset on the proper way to prevent unnatural and additional flooding.
Kovacsev also said that keeping homeowners away from their residences is only a temporary fix. When a storm surge occurs and lasts for long periods, as it did due to Hurricane Helene, it gets harder to tell people to stay away, he said. Many St. Petersburg residents were starting to demand change.
Amber Boulding, St. Petersburg emergency manager, points out the good impact that the bill has already had on Pinellas County.
“Whether it passes or not I feel like it’s already done a lot,” Boulding said.
The proposal of a wake zone speed limit bill highlights the important but oftentimes underestimated issue presented by cars during flood periods. When hurricanes get covered by the media, they are usually only covered from a present-tense standpoint. By pushing this bill forward, Florida lawmakers are shining a light on this issue and encouraging drivers to consider their actions more carefully.
“I think that there should be speed limits when the streets are flooded,” Wood said. “It’s a safety issue for the driver and a safety issue for the homeowners.”
Residents like Wood see the proposed bill as a necessary step toward addressing wake-related flooding. While storms and speeding drivers remain ongoing challenges in flood-prone areas like Pinellas County, the legislation aims to provide law enforcement with a tool to help protect neighborhoods when streets are submerged.