Relief and Resilience for Flood-Prone St. Augustine Neighborhood
For years, a typical afternoon rainfall flooded the historic Court Theophelia neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida, for hours, sometimes days. Standing water clogged streets, damaged pavement and often left residents unable to leave their homes. The main problem was that a lone storm inlet and a single, insufficient storm pipe had to drain the entire neighborhood.
But now, several streets in Court Theophelia have new resiliency against flooding. In summer 2026, the City of St. Augustine completed a project that replaced aging utilities, added mobility features, reconstructed roadways that are more resistant to high water conditions and added sidewalks with disability-compliant curb ramps. Freese and Nichols provided stormwater and environmental services, analyzing climate and flood vulnerabilities and delivering design-hardened infrastructure to mitigate these threats.
At a Sept. 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the improvements, St. Augustine Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline called the project “an accomplishment we can all be proud of.”
Funded by federal dollars distributed through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Resilient Florida Grant, the project mitigates flooding in the area and improves the water quality discharged back into the nearby bay to the east.
The project was a 2026 Urban Land Institute North Florida Awards for Excellence finalist in the Public Sector/Non-Profit/Education category.
Tackling Persistent Stress on Roads and Utilities
Court Theophelia sits in a low-lying floodplain vulnerable to rain, coastal surge and tidal flooding. Over time, the standing water and saltwater deteriorated the roads.
The drainage system couldn’t handle the demands, and the aging water and sewer systems required upgrades.
Our Freese and Nichols Stormwater team provided design, permitting and construction services to upgrade utilities and stormwater infrastructure and reconstruct the roads.
The work included:
• Replacing aging water and sewer utilities and installing new water mains to improve water pressure, creating redundancy and improving resiliency throughout the neighborhood
• Installing touchless water meters and adding fire protection by increasing the neighborhood’s fire hydrants from just one to six
• Adding a new stormwater drainage infrastructure system that includes nutrient-separating baffle boxes and bioswales to enhance the quality of water that’s distributed back to the nearby bay
• Replacing damaged roadways with more flood-resistant pavement
• Adding new sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists
Our team partnered with St. Augustine firm Castle Bay Design Studio, Tampa-based Meskel and Associates Engineering, Wildwood Consulting, CDM-Smith and others on the project.
Securing Court Theophelia’s Resilient Future
These stormwater and roadway improvements give Court Theophelia a higher level of flood protection, significantly decrease roadway flooding risks and enhance mobility, improving roads and sidewalks.
“This project is a great example of how thoughtful investment in resilient infrastructure can make a meaningful difference for our residents,” said Jessica Beach, City of St. Augustine Chief Resilience Officer.
The project has also drawn attention and is a topic of discussion at state conferences.
A presentation titled “Modern Stormwater for Historic Cities: Resilience Lessons from St. Augustine,” presented by Freese and Nichols Engineer Travis Terpstra at the 2026 Florida Floodplain Managers Association annual conference in Orlando, highlighted how the new stormwater system enhances resilience in Court Theophelia and improves water quality.
