JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sandbags already line the streets on a part of San Marco Boulevard that constantly deals with flooding.
Just a month ago, water was pushing into businesses near LaSalle Street after some heavy rain.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan addressed the area during a news conference Wednesday.
Unfortunately, a new pump station won’t be ready until next hurricane season, with construction set to wrap up on phase one early next year.
However, the mayor shared the city brought in seven temporary pump stations, which should help over the next few days as impacts from Hurricane Helene will be felt.
"My sandbags are already on site, which means I do not have to risk driving to get them there," said Flame Broiler Owner Jackie Grzebin.
Grzebin lost a car to the LaSalle Street flooding three weeks ago while trying to get to the Flame Broiler to help her employees with the water lapping over the door.
Despite losing the car and getting water inside, Grzebin has no plans to close Flame Broiler during Helene, which is expected to make landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category four storm.
"We want to be that place to go if they have nowhere else to go because a lot of people don’t in that area," Grzebin told First Coast News.
Deegan said the permanent pump station is a "$40 million investment that is going to be a game changer here in San Marco."
Phase one of constructing the pump station itself will be done early next year and it will be operational. Phase two will take another year after that, and consists of connecting the pump station through the LaSalle basin to places like Naldo Avenue and Belmonte avenues.
“The really cool thing is that when this station is done, we’ll be able to pump a whole lot more water," said Deegan. "We’re going from about 7,000 gallons to 75,000 gallons that we’ll be able to pump.”
Deegan points out the pump station isn’t a cure-all, however, as it will pump flood water out to the St. Johns River.
If the river surges, it won’t have anywhere to pump it to.
“There’s going to have to be a more long-term solution at the end of the day, and I think part of that is knowing where to build, where not to build," said Deegan.
City Councilman Joe Carlucci drove around San Marco, helping stuck drivers in stalled cars like Grzebin three weeks ago.
That's something he plans to do again.
"Absolutely, and the mayor’s going to come with me," said Carlucci. "Look, if we get the calls, we’re going to show up."
Carlucci said the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are prepared to close these streets down if the flooding is anything like what we saw three weeks ago, because he says most of the water pushed into businesses was due to the wakes of trucks as they passed through.