The Town of Cutler Bay will receive $500,000 in state funding for stormwater improvements in the flood-prone Saga Bay neighborhood.

State Sen. Alexis Calatayud and state Rep. Omar Blanco announced the funding Thursday, Oct. 1. Blanco, who represents House District 115 and serves as a captain with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, said the money would go toward the Saga Bay Stormwater Project.

"We delivered $500,000 to the Town of Cutler Bay for the Saga Bay Stormwater Project, with Senator Alexis Calatayud, bringing better drainage, safer streets, and real improvements to Saga Bay families," Blanco wrote on X.

Calatayud represents Senate District 38, which includes Cutler Bay. Her account also shared Blanco's announcement.

The money targets a neighborhood with a history of serious flooding. During major flooding in 2022, Saga Bay's lake overflowed and streets became difficult to navigate. Mayor Tim Meerbott said at the time that Saga Bay had 589 homes, while Miami-Dade County officials described roads as completely flooded and access to the neighborhood as extremely difficult.

The town has previously invested in drainage improvements in the neighborhood. The Saga Bay 1.7 Sub-Basin Water Quality Improvement Project cost $838,397.07, with a $600,000 Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant covering most of the cost. The town's Stormwater Utility Fund supplied the remaining $238,397.07.

That project included drainage improvements, roadway resurfacing, pavement markings, sidewalk repairs and site restoration. The town said the existing drainage infrastructure did not adequately discharge runoff and that the neighborhood was experiencing flooding. The project was completed in 2022.

The $500,000 state appropriation adds to other recent infrastructure funding for Cutler Bay. U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar announced in September that the town would receive $2 million in federal funding for stormwater improvements. Salazar's office has separately identified federal funding for Cutler Bay drainage upgrades among its South Florida flood-mitigation projects.

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins also said in May that flood-relief and stormwater infrastructure improvements were headed to the area of Southwest 216th Street and Old Cutler Road in Cutler Bay.

It is not yet clear which Saga Bay sub-basin or phase the new $500,000 state funding will cover or when construction will begin. The town's current project listings identify the earlier Saga Bay 1.7 project as completed and also show other Saga Bay drainage projects, but do not yet provide a detailed project page for the newly announced $500,000 allocation.