Indian Rocks Beach spends $844,000 to protect City Hall

Indian Rocks Beach has spent more than $844,000 to surround City Hall with a reusable flood barrier, nearly two years after hurricanes Helene and Milton forced the city out of its headquarters.

The AquaFence was installed this month around City Hall at 1507 Bay Palm Blvd. State lawmakers provided $476,250 toward the project, but the final cost reached $844,009.21 after the purchase and installation of the barrier, and extensive work to prepare the property.

Robin Gomez, the city’s administrative director, said the AquaFence equipment cost about $559,000. Preparing the site and installing concrete and asphalt added $285,009.21.

“State funding was $476,250 in appropriation, which covered the cost of the fence,” Gomez reported. “The equipment is $559,000; roughly, the state covered 85% of the cost of the fence. In addition to that cost, which includes preparing the site, installing concrete and asphalt, that cost $285,009, so the total was $844,009.”

The final price is substantially higher than the city anticipated when it sought state funding. Indian Rocks Beach initially estimated the project would cost $635,000, with the state paying $476,250 and the city contributing $158,750. The city’s share was expected to come from capital improvement funds, according to March 2025 City Commission records.

The Legislature approved the full $476,250 request. The application described AquaFence as a reusable, rapidly deployable system that meets Federal Emergency Management Agency standards and has been tested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The investment follows extensive damage from the 2024 hurricane season that left City Hall unusable and displaced municipal operations for nearly a year. The city completed repairs before installing the new flood protection system.

The barrier is six feet tall along most of its perimeter and reaches seven feet at the corners, according to Gomez. Its purpose is to redirect storm surge around City Hall rather than allow water to reach the building.

“If water rises above it then that would be catastrophic,” Gomez said. “The fence is six feet tall, save in the corners where it’s seven feet tall. The design is to force the water to go around the fencing.”

The system was designed to defend City Hall from a storm surge comparable to what the city experienced during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. When asked whether having the barrier in place in 2024 would have changed the outcome, he was unequivocal.

“Yes, this would have prevented flooding and damage to City Hall,” Gomez declared.

The city announced Sept. 2 that deployment of the system was underway. City officials said protecting City Hall would reduce potential storm damage and allow essential municipal services to resume more quickly after a hurricane or major flood.

City Hall is not the only municipal property exposed to storm surge. Indian Rocks Beach’s Public Works facility also sits on the barrier island, but officials decided against purchasing another AquaFence for that property, since it mostly houses equipment, rather than space for people and workers.

Instead, the city moves equipment off the island when a major storm approaches. Gomez reckons that difference in how the two facilities operate made City Hall the priority.

“We have one other structure. The Public Works Facility. The employees work the majority of the day in the field. The city did not contemplate putting it around that structure. It mainly houses equipment. During Milton and Helene, that equipment was taken off the island. That’s why City Hall, and not Public Works, was contemplated for an AquaFence,” Gomez said.