The projects are designed to alleviate flooding issues throughout the county
Hillsborough County, Fla. (April 15, 2026) - Hillsborough County Commissioners on Wednesday approved spending $95 million for 10 additional projects that will help improve drainage and alleviate future flooding across the county.
The Rebuilding for Tomorrow projects include removing obstructions in a channel in Northdale to improve water flow after rains, acquiring or restoring natural lands to reduce storm surge and flooding in Gibsonton, building a low-pressure sewer system to decrease the risk of post-storm wastewater flooding in Ruskin, and replacing or repairing culverts at more than 100 sites across Hillsborough.
In all, the work is estimated to directly benefit 370,000 residents.
The funding will come from $709 million of Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant funding awarded to the County from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
Here is a look at some of the projects approved Wednesday and their estimated costs:
- Ruskin low-pressure sewer system conversion ($30 million): Construction of a centralized vacuum sewer collection system, lift station, and pressurized sewer pipe in a low-lying, flood-prone area. The project will decrease the risk of sanitary system overflows during and after flooding.
- Kracker Avenue Coastal Habitat Restoration ($2 million): Restores 25 acres of highly disturbed coastal wetlands and uplands adjacent to Tampa Bay to capture stormwater runoff and lessen the impact of storm surge along U.S. 41 in Gibsonton.
- Stacy R. White Nature Preserve Hydrologic Stream Restoration ($6 million): Restores 93 acres of disturbed stream habitat and wetlands within Little Bullfrog Creek headwaters to increase on-site water storage to reduce downstream flooding in Riverview and Gibsonton.
- Acquisition and Restoration of Natural Lands along the Eastern Tampa Bay Shoreline ($10 million): Restores disturbed wetlands and reduces storm surge flooding along the coast.
- 76th Street Drainage Improvements ($8 million): Replaces a large concrete pipe and reworks the drainage system to reduce flooding in this portion of Palm River.
- Pettie Road Drainage Improvements ($4 million): Ditch and side drain restoration and manhole replacement in Dover.
- Brushy Creek Restoration ($2.5 million): Clearing and removing obstructions from nearly 10,000 linear feet of the channel to improve conveyance of floodwater within the creek.
- Culvert projects ($24 million): Repair or replace 150 culverts throughout the county that are critical to maintaining the flow of stormwater.
In addition to the $95 million approved Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners approved more than $70 million of drainage projects on March 4 and another $9 million earlier this year.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage throughout Hillsborough County. Most of the damage from Hurricane Helene came from storm surge, while Hurricane Milton's strong winds and heavy rains brought flooding throughout the county.
About the Rebuilding for Tomorrow Program
Rebuilding for Tomorrow is a Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program administered by Hillsborough County and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that provides funding to help communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The program supports long-term recovery efforts, including housing rehabilitation, infrastructure restoration, economic revitalization, and mitigation projects, with funding prioritized for the most impacted areas and low- and moderate-income households.
As part of this initiative, the Rebuilding for Tomorrow Infrastructure Program, in partnership with the cities of Plant City, Tampa, and Temple Terrace, focuses on rebuilding and strengthening public systems in Hillsborough County damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.