St. Petersburg will receive more than $2.29 million in federal funding to address chronic flooding in two vulnerable areas, the latest investment in the city’s effort to harden infrastructure after back-to-back hurricanes.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced the funding Monday alongside Mayor Ken Welch at City Hall. The money, secured through congressional Community Project Funding requests, will support drainage improvements along Martin Luther King Jr. Street S. and near 88th Avenue and Fourth Street N.

The award follows months of federal assistance flowing into St. Petersburg after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including a $159.8 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development disaster recovery grant and FEMA reimbursements for storm response costs.

“Investing in our city’s resilience and infrastructure continues to be our top priority,” Welch said. He credited Castor with repeatedly securing federal funding that allows the city to accelerate major infrastructure projects.

About $1.15 million will elevate a section of Martin Luther King Jr. Street S. near Salt Creek, where flooding can make the roadway impassable during heavy rain. The project also includes replacing undersized storm culverts that have struggled to handle runoff.

Another $1.15 million will improve drainage near 88th Avenue and Fourth Street N., where high tides and intense rainfall routinely overwhelm the existing stormwater system. The work includes larger underground pipes, new inlets and additional stormwater storage.

“The relief will have a strong impact on residents that traverse those roads,” Welch said.

Castor said the projects reflect the need to prepare infrastructure for increasingly frequent severe weather, rather than reacting after disasters strike.

“We need to invest now,” she warned. “It’s not going to get less expensive down the line. What we invest now will save money in the long term.”

District 5 Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders said residents in flood-prone neighborhoods have waited years to see projects like these move forward.

One Lake Maggiore resident echoed that sentiment at the podium during today’s announcement.

“We cannot wait to see the progress, our property protected and people to thrive here in St. Petersburg,” the resident said.