St. Pete Beach considers how to control flooding amid rising sea levels

The mayor says it's likely to get worse in the future.

ST. PETE BEACH — The mayor and St. Pete Beach officials discussed the impacts of rising sea levels on the area, plus possible ways of mitigating flooding in several neighborhoods.

"You see people walking their dogs on bikes, and they can't get across the street because there's like this much water," Chris Steele told 10News.

Steele says he's lived in the area for about two years and he's seen saltwater flooding the whole time he's lived here, seeing saltwater on the roads on nearly a daily basis.

He's concerned about the bay spilling into the streets in his neighborhood.

"First of all, it can cause damage to all the surrounding areas, the houses -- it causes damage to the streets," Steele said.

At a city commission meeting Wednesday, St. Pete Beach Mayor Al Johnson said they're fighting a losing battle against rising sea levels.

"I think it's, somehow I think it's gonna get us. You might fast forward a couple hundred years, and this place will be gone," Johnson said. "It's unfortunate, but we live on a sandbar."