Flooding

As you know, yesterday’s mid-day deluge of rain coincided with our high tide and caused serious flooding issues throughout Snell Isle. We got somewhere in the range of 4” in one hour and, by any standard, that is hard for any drainage system to keep up. I spoke with a City Engineer today to inquire specifically about the Snell Isle Blvd & Appian intersection. I wanted clarification to understand IF the Appian area fed into the huge drainage improvement project the City undertook 2 years ago at Rafael / Brightwaters / Maron. It does not. As a matter of information, that completed project functions well, per the engineer.

The Appian Way / Snell Isle Blvd area is a different story…it in no way connects to the Rafael / Brightwaters new storm drains. The excess water from the Appian area processes through a drainage basin to a canal / creek near the Vinoy Golf Course. Yesterday that canal was overflowing with water - due to previous rains and the ground being soaked - causing no place for the rain that fell to drain. The City placed DETOUR signs so traffic avoided the “river-like” roadway at that intersection. The City intends to place a pump this week near this intersection to be used for situations like we experienced yesterday. It will remain in place until our rainy season is over. This is not the final solution. A feasibility study is underway determining the scope of work for a longer-term solution which we will hear more about in the future.

As a matter of information, our featured speaker for our September 26th SIPOA meeting at the Woman’s Club will be Jake Holehouse, talking about Flood Insurance and FEMA’s plans to change the maps that will negatively impact Snell Isle’s flood insurance rates. We all recognize water issues that impact our daily lives, especially at this time of year. Do mark your calendars to join us at 6:30. Your September Panther newsletter will be in your mailbox early next month and will provide additional details. You can RSVP to Howard Pollack now at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 516-356-0988. We hope to see you there!

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About Snell Isle

image Snell Isle is home to the historic The Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, one of the Nation's premier golf courses.
image Our tropical surroundings provide waterfront vistas for most residents. Over 80% of the homes on Snell Isle enjoy waterfront views.
image In 1920, local developer C. Perry Snell began construction on what was originally, a muddy mangrove island.

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