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Florida gets a lot of rain, and all that water has to go somewhere. In a state this flat, this coastal, and this ecologically sensitive, rainfall has real impact — for the environment, for communities, and for every development project that breaks ground. That’s where stormwater management comes in.
In this post, we’ll walk through what stormwater is, how stormwater infrastructure works, and what it takes to get it right in a place as unique as the Florida Keys.
Stormwater is rainwater that runs off the land instead of soaking into the ground. When rain falls on natural surfaces like soil or grass, a good portion of it gets absorbed, but when it falls on rooftops, parking lots, roads, and other hard surfaces, it can’t seep into the earth.
So where does stormwater go? It flows across the surface, picking up whatever is in its path — dirt, fertilizers, oils, bacteria — and eventually makes its way into storm drains, ditches, and waterways. In a natural landscape, this process happens slowly. In a developed one, it happens fast and in high volumes.
In Florida, that effect is compounded. Our state is exceptionally flat, which means water doesn’t drain quickly on its own. The water table is high. And the array of hard surfaces covering the state — roads, parking lots, rooftops — means there’s a lot of runoff to manage after a routine afternoon rain, much less a major storm.
Unmanaged stormwater causes real problems, and in Florida, those problems show up fast.
The most obvious issue is flooding. When water moves faster than a system can handle it, it backs up. Roads flood, properties flood, and infrastructure takes a beating. But flooding isn’t the only concern. Stormwater runoff is one of the leading sources of water pollution in the state, carrying nutrients, sediments, and contaminants into rivers, springs, and coastal waters that Florida depends on — economically and ecologically.
Florida has strict rules around this, for good reason. Under the state’s Environmental Resource Permitting Program, any project that disturbs a certain amount of land has to show how it will manage stormwater before it can move forward. And with the 2024 passage of SB7040, those standards got tighter, requiring developers to demonstrate that their stormwater systems actually improve water quality, not just contain runoff. If you’re building in Florida today, stormwater is a core part of the project.
A stormwater management system is a network of structures and features designed to control where water goes, how fast it gets there, and how clean it is when it arrives. Think of it as a hidden framework that keeps a developed site from flooding every time it rains.
How Stormwater Systems Collect and Control Runoff
Here’s how a typical system works. When rain falls on a site, it’s collected and directed through stormwater infrastructure: a series of inlets, pipes, swales, and basins that slow it down, filter it, and release it at a controlled rate. The goal is to mimic how the land would have handled water before it was developed. That means reducing the speed and volume of runoff, and removing as many pollutants as possible before the water reaches a natural waterway.
Types of Stormwater Infrastructure
The actual infrastructure built may vary based on each site’s needs. Common structures include:
Each solution is chosen based on the size of the site, the volume of water it needs to handle, and what the surrounding environment can absorb. In some cases, green infrastructure is preferred for natural stormwater management.
What Is Green Infrastructure?
Features like bioswales, vegetated channels designed to slow runoff and filter out pollutants as water moves through them, and bioretention areas, which hold water in a shallow depression and let it soak through an engineered soil mix, fall under the umbrella of green stormwater infrastructure.
It’s a nature-based approach to stormwater management that works alongside traditional systems and tends to be a good fit for projects where environmental impact is a priority. You’ve probably seen these features without realizing it; the planted strip running along a parking lot or roadway is often a bioswale.
Building anywhere in Florida comes with stormwater considerations. Building in the Florida Keys takes that to another level.
The Keys sit at sea level, some areas even lower, which means there’s almost no grade to move water away from a site naturally. The ground itself is primarily porous limestone, which sounds like it would help with drainage, but actually creates complications. Water moves through it unpredictably, and the connection between ground and ocean is close enough that what soaks in can quickly affect coastal water quality. Add hurricane-level rain events and tidal flooding into the mix, and you have one of the more demanding stormwater engineering environments in the country.
That complexity is exactly why the engineering side of stormwater in the Keys is typically handled by licensed civil and environmental engineering firms that specialize in this work. Charley Toppino & Sons partners with those firms on projects where stormwater engineering is required. Our team takes on site preparation, grading, drainage installation, and stormwater infrastructure construction from the ground up. It’s a collaborative process, and having a contractor who understands the environment is just as important as having engineers who design the system.
A stormwater system is only as good as the upkeep behind it. Over time, inlets clog, sediment builds up, and bioswale vegetation needs managing. Without regular stormwater maintenance, even a well-designed system can underperform. In a regulated environment like Florida, that can create compliance issues on top of functional ones.
For developers and property owners, stormwater maintenance typically means routinely inspecting drainage structures, clearing debris from inlets and outlets, removing sediment from retention and detention areas, and keeping vegetated features healthy and functional. That upkeep allows each system to do its job year after year — especially through Florida’s storm season.
Charley Toppino & Sons has been building in the Florida Keys for over 100 years. That kind of history means we’ve worked through every variation of what this environment can throw at a project, including the stormwater challenges that come with building at sea level in a hurricane zone.
Our work in stormwater infrastructure sits within a broader set of capabilities that includes site development, underground utilities, and civil infrastructure construction. Whether we’re preparing a site, installing drainage systems, or coordinating with engineering partners on a more complex stormwater management design, we bring the same approach: know the environment, follow the rules, and build it right the first time.
If you’re planning a project in the Florida Keys or anywhere across South Florida, we’d love to talk through what it takes. Contact our team today.
What is the difference between a bioswale and a bioretention area?
Both are green stormwater infrastructure tools that filter and slow stormwater runoff, but they work a little differently. A bioswale is a vegetated channel that moves water along a linear path while filtering it through plants and soil. A bioretention area holds water in a shallow depression and lets it soak through an engineered soil mix. The right choice depends on site layout, water volume, and project requirements.
What is green infrastructure?
Green infrastructure uses natural or nature-based features — like bioswales, bioretention areas, and vegetated buffers — to manage stormwater. Instead of just moving water through pipes, green stormwater infrastructure slows it down, filters it, and lets it absorb into the ground where possible.
What is stormwater infrastructure?
Stormwater infrastructure is the system of structures that manages rainwater runoff on a developed site. It includes pipes, inlets, retention and detention basins, swales, and green features like bioswales. The goal is to control the volume, speed, and quality of water leaving a site.
What does stormwater maintenance include?
Regular stormwater maintenance typically involves inspecting drainage structures, clearing debris from inlets and outlets, removing sediment buildup from basins, and managing vegetation in bioswales and other planted features. Consistent upkeep keeps the system working as designed and helps property owners stay in compliance with Florida’s stormwater regulations.
Does Charley Toppino & Sons do stormwater engineering?
Stormwater engineering, the design and modeling of stormwater systems, is typically handled by licensed civil and environmental engineering firms. Charley Toppino & Sons partners with those firms and handles the construction side: site development, grading, drainage installation, and infrastructure build-out.
References:
Florida Senate: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/7040
Florida Department of Environmental Regulation: https://chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/Stormwater_Guide_for_Floridians.pdf
