Are flood-weary Tampa residents ready to pony up for drainage improvements?
After several weeks of heavy rainfall, city leaders are exploring ideas to deal with the excess water and widespread flooding problems.
The Tampa City Council held a public hearing Thursday morning to discuss stormwater fees.
The city is looking to increase fees significantly.
Property owners currently paying $36 a year for stormwater services would end up paying $180 annually by 2022.
The extra funds would be used to update and better maintain Tampa's aging pipe systems and institute new projects like more ponds, larger culverts and expand the capacity of Tampa's drainage network.