St. Pete leaders tackle flooding problems, residents concerned [Video]

It’s one of the city’s top priorities, but the necessary work comes at a massive cost.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — “For the first time ever we actually had debris lines in the backyard,” said Anna Hellerqvist, pointing to where the sandbags are situated up against her St. Petersburg home.

Hellerqvist said she’s lived in the Meadownlawn neighborhood for 20 years and has never seen flooding like they’ve experienced this summer.

“Every blade of grass you see here was completely underwater,” she added.

Her neighborhood is one of several that were essentially underwater after a September storm in St. Pete, during which officials responded to hundreds of calls for service, and 55 cars were found stalled out on roads.

Hellerqvist said she believes the problems have become worse due to the surrounding infrastructure and clogged storm drains in the area.

“The tree roots were taking over the drain and its been …