Tampa streets flooded with potholes

It started with the washout. But now, drivers have a new problem: potholes.

The City of Tampa has so many reported potholes, employees can hardly keep count.

"We'll be talking about hundreds, city-wide," City of Tampa Public Works' Brad Baird said Tuesday.

Baird says the ground underneath the asphalt simply couldn't stand up to the moisture, causing roads to crack left and right.

"We haven't seen rain like this in a long time, if not ever," Baird said.

Unfortunately, the city thinks the more than 600 calls for cave-ins and pot hole problems is just the start.

"We'll be dealing with storm water and sanitary sewer cave-ins for another couple months," he explained.

Catching up on all those repairs will take time. They're prioritizing calls, starting with the major thoroughfares and then moving to the side streets.

As for a “guesstimate” on the money needed to mend the roads: Last time we saw significant rainfall during El Nino in 1997 and 1998, the city spent $1.5-million more than normal to cover all the collapses.

"We have to fix it, we don't have a choice, so that's where the money has to go," Baird added.

If you spot a pothole or cave-in in your neighborhood, call the City of Tampa Utilities call line at 813-274-8811. For storm water issues, call 813-274-3101.