This story was updated at 7 p.m. on May 29 regarding Dan Diggin’s suggested stormwater fee calculation method.
HOLMES BEACH – On Thursday, May 28, Holmes Beach Public Works Director Herb Raybourn distributed an email to the mayor and city commissioners regarding the heavy rainfall and flooding that occurred earlier that morning.
“At about 2:40 a.m. this morning, it started raining with an intensity of about 2.4 inches per hour and stopped at about 4:40 a.m.,” Raybourn stated in his email.
Raybourn’s email referenced the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). NAVD 88 is the official vertical datum of the United States and it serves as a reference system for surveyors, engineers and mapping professionals to measure and relate elevations to the Earth’s surface. A tidal datum is a standard elevation framework used to track local water levels as measured by a tidal gauging station.
“The tide measured at the Key Royale Bridge was between about 0.54 ft and 0.26 ft (NAVD 88). The low tide measured at the Key Royale Bridge was about 0.21 ft (NAVD 88) at 5 a.m. The peak tide since this morning was about 1.39 ft (NAVD 88) at 10:20 a.m. This led to flooding in various areas around Holmes Beach and Anna Maria Island, causing road and facility closures, including Manatee County closing the southern parking at Coquina Beach,” Raybourn wrote.
“Public Works responded to the flooding and was onsite at about 5 a.m., working with the police department to implement safety measures, assess flooding around the city and begin recovery efforts,” Raybourn wrote.
“I would like to provide an update to the situation along Marina Drive,” Raybourn wrote. “The stormwater infrastructure improvement project under construction has not been completed. Therefore, the existing stormwater system provides the only available drainage capacity along Marina Drive in the area of the library. While the existing system has been connected to the new outfall constructed as part of the aforementioned improvements, the undersized pipes and their condition (e.g., fouled with barnacles, sediments, etc.) limit the ability of the system to discharge.
“Flooding at the intersection of 56th Street and Marina Drive was exacerbated by the rainfall intensity, high tide and limited discharge, as well as the area low, about 1.75 ft (NAVD 88). The stormwater infrastructure improvement contractor, Harris McBurney, has a pump at the discharge point to help with the discharge. Unfortunately, it could not discharge the volume of water experienced this morning,” Raybourn wrote.
“To help alleviate the flooding along Marina Drive, Public Works contacted Manatee County to request an additional pump. Because of the expected rain over the next few days, the county was not comfortable lending Holmes Beach a pump. So, this morning Public Works rented a pump and it is expected to be delivered by the close of business today. Our plan is to keep the rental pump through the next two weeks as they are expected to bring large volumes of high-intensity rainfall to the city,” Raybourn wrote.
Stormwater fees
The not-uncommon localized flooding occurred two days after Raybourn and the city commission continued their ongoing discussion about potentially increasing the annual stormwater assessment fee, which is currently $2.95 per 100 square feet of property. The annual stormwater fee is currently applied equally to all properties in Holmes Beach. The fee revenues are used to maintain and improve the existing stormwater system. The stormwater fee revenues also provide the matching funds the city must contribute when pursuing and receiving state grants for stormwater-related projects.
Raybourn recently proposed a 40-cent per 100 square foot rate increase per year for the next 10 years, beginning with a 40-cent increase for the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
During the commission’s May 26 meeting, Commissioner Terry Schaefer proposed a $1 to $2 per hundred square foot increase for the coming 2026-27 fiscal year.
Commissioner Dan Diggins said he would support a fee increase of some sort. He also said he would be in favor of eventually switching to an impervious surface-based stormwater fee calculation method similar to what the city of Anna Maria expects to implement for the coming fiscal year.
Commissioner Steve Oelfke said he’s open to a stormwater fee increase, but he would like to eventually switch to a stormwater fee calculation method that takes into account vehicle trip counts for residential properties used as vacation rentals and/or the impervious surface calculation method Diggins mentioned.
Commissioners Carol Whitmore and Jessica Patel currently oppose enacting a stormwater fee increase for the coming fiscal year.
Patel supports eventually switching to an impervious surface-based calculation method that takes into account a property’s impervious surface area. Schaefer also supports changing the current calculation method before the 2027-28 fiscal year fees are established during the 2027 calendar year.
