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Locally crafted bill would outlaw wakes on flooded streets
St. Petersburg officials and local legislators have partnered to mitigate the number of vehicles that push floodwaters into otherwise dry homes.
A homegrown bill would circumvent state preemption and allow local governments to regulate vehicle speeds on flooded roads. The proposed legislation would also enable law enforcement to cite drivers who create a wake – small waves – of stormwater.
City council members and administrators discussed the initiative at a Jan. 16 committee meeting. Amber Boulding, emergency management director, noted flooding is now a citywide problem that occurs without a named storm.
“We hear the cry from residents,” Boulding said. “It’s not only the water getting pushed into their house. It’s their ruined yards from people who can’t see where the road is, or they’re cutting curbs to keep from staying in the deep part.”
Boulding lives in a flood-prone neighborhood and said she knows the feeling of “sitting on pins and needles” as water overtakes a driveway and encroaches on a home. She called watching water recede, before a passing vehicle causes it to inundate a garage, “the worst feeling ever.”
Boulding noted cars traveling through flooded streets often stall and impede first responders. However, state preemption prevents local governments from enforcing lower speed limits.
Councilmember Brandi Gabbard, Rep. Lindsay Cross and Sen. Nick DiCeglie have worked with city officials, including Boulding and Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev, to craft a bill that negates the state’s oversight. “We have brought forward some language to our delegation, and there is a bill that has come out of drafting,” Gabbard said.
She recently met with DiCeglie, who said lawmakers could include the legislation in a “very large hurricane package.” That would increase its odds of passing through the Legislature, which convenes March 4. Gabbard said DiCeglie “would like our support in a resolution, regardless of the path it takes.”
The first step is passing the resolution at Thursday’s city council meeting. Gabbard said local legislators also requested support letters from individual city departments.
Kovacsev said the St. Petersburg Police Department also regularly receives complaints from residents regarding vehicles causing wakes on inundated roads. “It’s traumatizing for them that they flooded once, but then people are driving through streets excessively fast and pushing water back into their houses.”
Kovacsev noted officers prohibited traffic in flooded areas during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “You can’t do that throughout the city,” he said.
While citing people for speeding is not a departmental priority during a storm, Kovacsev said the ability to do so when needed and the corresponding educational aspect is a “huge component.” Chief Anthony Holloway and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri support the initiative.
The resolution states that local governments in flood-prone areas of Louisiana and South Carolina have outlawed any motor vehicle or watercraft from traveling faster than 5 mph on flooded streets “or in such a manner as to cause water, waves, or wakes to damage property.” The proposed legislation would follow suit.
City officials believe the bill would help protect first responders and reduce accident risks on damaged roads. The resolution also notes that floodwaters can hide debris and other obstructions.
Lawmakers could amend the bill during the committee process. However, Gabbard said she has not heard any opposition to the legislation, and stakeholders are working to establish a statewide public safety coalition to support its approval.
“This alone isn’t going to solve the issue,” Boulding said. “But it’s going to bring awareness to it.”
Ryan Todd
January 22, 2025at6:33 pm
Don’t fix the infrastructure problem, but find a new way to penalize citizens. Way to go, St. Pete. Send me a citation!
Tim K
January 22, 2025at6:15 pm
We ask for traffic enforcement we get speed bumps how they going to enforce this law no wake sign ☢️
Jim Swallow
January 22, 2025at4:47 pm
My street flooded 4 times last year and water got into the house from wakes from vehicles on 9th ave it is all because the city has not fixed a 30 year old issue that they have known about and everytime we post on see click and fix they say it’s fixed. I hope this law will help keep speeding trucks from going down out street. on the second of 4 storm floodings on our street the water at the crest of the road was above my knee cap at 23.5 inches. that is the highest in over 30 years.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
January 22, 2025at12:13 pm
I see this situation being taken wrong. Why not work on stopping the streets from flooding, then there would Not be any ‘wakes’?????
S
January 22, 2025at11:58 am
I agree with the law.
But old timers tell me here that flooding in the city is nothing new.
And it’s because of mismanagement of the stormwater system.
Mismanagement like the library that is years late and wildly over budget. The ruined stadium. The insurance on the stadium debacle. The stadium that never paid the community back. The crazy idea of for an even more expensive one. DEI. The list never ends.
Mike
January 21, 2025at4:43 pm
Anything to avoid fixing the streets. ANYTHING.
John Donovan
January 21, 2025at4:03 pm
Pick-up trucks can create a wake and not stall. A mile long wake.