Bob Witzig stood in front of his St. Petersburg home Wednesday and watched neighbors wade through two feet of water on Shore Acres Boulevard. Cars were useless. Nearby, a school bus was stuck.
Witzig's house was dry. His lawn was under water.
"This sure beats Minnesota," said the 77-year-old retiree and former Minnesota resident. "Snow's bad. Wet is okay. Snow's not okay. I don't care how flooded we get. I'm Minnesota stubborn. Maybe I'm dumb. Anyway, this isn't that bad."
Coastal areas around the Tampa Bay area suffered irritating but generally minor flooding Wednesday afternoon as distant Hurricane Ivan created high tides 2 to 3 feet above normal.
The waters flooded some streets, stalled cars and left lawns submerged in low-lying areas, though there were few reports of flooded homes.
There was some flooding along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, the streets of Clearwater Beach and elsewhere along the Pinellas coastline.
Little rain buffeted the region, which may have helped minimize flooding. The only other effects from Ivan were winds of 20 mph with gusts to 25, according to meteorologists.
With another high tide expected early today, residents braced for the possibility of more flooding.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Sharp said the Tampa Bay area might see similar flooding during high tides overnight. But he said Ivan was moving away from the region, which might diminish flooding.
In Tampa, water lapped over Bayshore Boulevard as police closed a flooded lane and warned motorists away.
Puffing a cigar on his back porch, Mike Frost, who lives just off Bayshore on Oregon Avenue, shrugged about the puddles across the street.
"I don't think the city can do anything about it," he said. "It's nature. Living on the water, you've got your problems. I don't think there's any kind of storm sewer system that could handle a hurricane."
The waters off Davis Islands were choppy, but no street flooding was reported.
"If it rains, I think it could start to flood," said Davis Islands resident Dina Samuelsohn, 32, as she sat on a bench along Channel Drive. "I'm kind of getting used to preparing. We are tired of it all, but grateful that Ivan didn't hit us."
At Clearwater Beach, a 2 p.m. high tide saw jellyfish move down streets that had been turned into creeks.
"The water came in so fast. It streamed in so quick," said Tom Prevas, a beach homeowner who watched water creep toward his front door. "But when you live on the water, sometimes you live in the water."
Nearby, tourists slogged through ankle-deep saltwater to watch the waves and take pictures.
Canadian travelers Peter and Marion Rigby plodded across South Gulfview Boulevard with a video camera. Several streets were closed to traffic because of rising water.
The Rigbys had been to the beach in the morning, when the water was where it should be.
"It's still a beautiful day," said Peter Rigby, 66, in his swimsuit. "If you think this is bad, try Ontario in February, dressed like this."
Along Casablanca Avenue in St. Pete Beach, near Boca Ciega Bay, residents sloshed through knee-deep water that stopped short of homes.
Don and Claire Dougenik committed their third high-water experience in five years to film.
"We took pictures and put 'em on my postcard to show our waterfront property," joked Dougenik, 72, as his wife, 68, waded in from the street. "It's a great spot here, despite all the little things that happen."
From Treasure Island to Belleair Shore, the same story was repeated: some high water for a while, but minimal damage overall.
"It's an infrequent inconvenience citizens on the barrier islands have to go through," said Indian Rocks Beach City Manager John Coffey.
A business in Tarpon Springs took in some water as some streets flooded.
"If this is the worst that we get of Ivan, thank God," said Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverley Billiris. "Our prayers are with those who will get it worse."
Some of the worst flooding was in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, where police set up road blocks by 3 p.m. to prevent residents from driving their cars into waters up to 2 feet deep.
It's not just that some cars would stall. Moving vehicles create waves that can drive waters into homes. Residents were asked to park their cars and walk into the neighborhood.
Kent Knepper, 53, of Alabama Avenue NE, put furniture and other items in his home on concrete blocks in case water came in. At the peak of high tide, they were still dry.
Knepper said his wife, Rhonda, 50, is sick of the flooding and wants to move.
"You live here, you learn to understand the tide charts," said Knepper, a computer consultant. "This is the price you have to pay for living in paradise. My wife has pretty much had it. She wants out. I'm hoping to convince her otherwise."
Rhonda Knepper peeked out from the boarded-up home and said, "I'm so out of here."
Doug Dawson watched as water filled Overlook Drive NE and inched up his driveway in Shore Acres. He had reason to worry: His carpet got soaked during Hurricane Frances, and he needs to replace the wall boards in half the house. He's been sleeping on a mattress on the living room floor.
"This whole thing has been a pain," said Dawson, 35, a restaurant manager. "It's getting a little tiresome. But it's the price you pay for living by the water."
In Tampa, J. Sayers, who lives a couple of blocks off Bayshore, had a decidely positive take on the weather and rising waters.
On Bayshore, he allowed the saltwater spray from Tampa Bay to drench his white T-shirt.
"I love this," said Sayers, 28. "I just love the weather."
Times staff writers Leanora Minai, Stefanie Green, Carrie Johnson, Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler, Jade Jackson Lloyd, Jay Cridlin, Aaron Sharockman, Chris Tisch, Nora Koch, and Andrew J. Skerritt contributed to this report, in addition to photographers Carrie Pratt and Edmund Fountain.
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