TAMPA FLOOD BARRIERS. BUILT FOR THE WATER HELENE BROUGHT.
Custom aluminum panels measured to the openings on your house, fabricated in our own shop across the bay in St. Petersburg and installed by our own crew.
Most Tampa flood barriers are sold as one-size kits shipped in a box. Ours are measured to your exact doors, garage and sliders, from Davis Islands and Bayshore to Ballast Point and Port Tampa.
Ask about monthly payment options.
- Measured to your openings. Doors, garages, sliders, each one custom.
- Exact, itemized quote. Free assessment, no obligation.
- Built in St. Petersburg. One team from measure to install.
Helene put Hillsborough Bay in Tampa’s streets.
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene passed well offshore and still pushed record water into Tampa. The National Weather Service measured a new record of 6.86 feet above mean higher high water at Old Port Tampa, and 7.2 feet at East Bay.
On Davis Islands, almost every street went underwater and 47 people and eight dogs had to be rescued. Bayshore, Ballast Point and the low streets of South Tampa took water too.
When surge comes in, the damage starts at the lowest openings: garage doors, front entries and sliders. That is exactly what a flood barrier is built to seal.
record water level at Old Port Tampa during Helene
Measured above mean higher high water by the National Weather Service. Peak levels along coastal Hillsborough County generally ran 5 to 8 feet.
people rescued on Davis Islands
Plus eight dogs, as almost every street on the island went underwater. Most of that water came in through the same few openings on every house.
The bay comes to you.
Much of South Tampa sits low and close to Hillsborough Bay and Old Tampa Bay. In a surge, water does not need to come over a seawall in one spot. It finds every low opening on the block.
Davis Islands and Harbour Island
Surrounded by water on every side. When the bay rises, garages and ground-floor entries are the first things it reaches.
Bayshore and Ballast Point
Some of the lowest ground in the city sits right behind the bay. Helene pushed water across Bayshore Boulevard and into the streets behind it.
Port Tampa and the Interbay peninsula
Old Port Tampa set a new water level record during Helene. Homes on the southern end of the peninsula sit close to Old Tampa Bay.
The 50% rule
After a flood, Florida’s 50% rule decides whether you can repair or must rebuild to current code. Keeping water out keeps damage below that line. How the 50% rule works.
This is what it looks like when a storm is named.
The channels are already mounted on your house, flush and out of the way. When a storm is coming, the panels slide in, stack and seal. Garage, front door, sliders onto the lanai, every opening that faces the water.
Every panel is labeled for its opening, so if you are traveling when a storm is named, a family member or neighbor can put the whole system up in about an hour.
Schedule my free flood assessmentEvery way the water gets in, closed.
Water is not picky. It comes through the front door, the garage, the sliders, the vents and the sewer line, sometimes all at once. Sealing one opening and leaving the rest is how houses still flood with barriers up.
Flood Barriers for Home
Custom panels measured to every opening on the house, not a one-size kit.
Door Flood Barriers
The threshold gap under every exterior door, sealed below the water line.
Garage Door Barriers
The widest and lowest opening you have, and usually the first one to let go.
Sliding Door Barriers
Lanai and pool deck sliders, where the track weep holes start running backwards.
Backflow Prevention
The drains. Barriers work above ground, this handles the line underneath it.
Flood Vent Covers
Foundation vents and utility penetrations, the openings nobody counts.
One free assessment maps every opening above ground and the sewer line below it, and puts all of it in a single plan.
From the call to a protected house.
Free assessment
We come to you, walk the property, and give you a straight answer on which openings actually need protection and which do not.
Exact measurement
Every door, slider and garage opening measured to the millimeter. Your system fits your house and nobody else’s.
Built in our factory
Panels cut, welded and gasketed by our own people. No dealer network, no shipped kit, no subcontractor with a box.
Install and walkthrough
We mount the channels, fit every panel, and put you through one practice deployment so you are not learning it in the rain.
Ready when it matters
Most homes deploy in about an hour. Prefer hands off? We offer storage and deployment service too.
Built heavier, sealed tighter, made in Florida.
2.5X thicker. Sealed under pressure.
Aluminum profiles roughly 2.5 times the thickness of most competing products, paired with larger, age-resistant dual-phase EPDM compression gaskets that seal tighter as water pushes against them. Rated to hold back up to 10 feet of water.
We build it. We install it. Nobody else touches your house.
Our founders’ own homes flooded, which is the reason this company exists. Every system is assessed, fabricated and installed in house. The people who measured your openings are the people who mount the channels.
View system specifications
Reinforced cross sections, deeper channels, solid cast stainless hardware and dual-phase EPDM gaskets. Put ours next to anything else on the market and the difference is visible.
Living close to the bay, without the worry.
Nothing blocks the view
Panels go up only when a storm is coming. The rest of the year the channels sit flush and out of the way.
Up in about an hour
Every panel is labeled for its opening. When a storm is named, your system goes up in about an hour.
Fits historic homes too
From Hyde Park bungalows to new builds on Davis Islands, every panel is measured to the opening, so the system fits the house you have.
Our crew, not a subcontractor
We fabricate in St. Petersburg and our own team does the measuring and the install in Tampa. No middleman.
Measured to the opening. Built to seal.
What homeowners say after the install.
After our home flooded from storm surge, we decided to install flood barriers. Dam It Defense installed them at all our garage and door entryways, and they store and deploy them for us when hurricanes threaten. They answered all of our needs. The product is well constructed and heavy duty.
Lee was very informative about the system. The panels are light enough that anyone can install them, and they provided extra pieces and even offered to move the sliding system once my patio is finished. The company has been easy to work with. I have peace of mind if another hurricane comes. Would recommend this company!
We feel very fortunate to have found Dam It Defense. The pricing was lower than any other company and the product far superior. The install team led by Andrea was thorough, professional, and did an amazing job. Everyone from the owners to the installers was knowledgeable and incredibly service oriented. It was a no brainer to go with them.
I reached out to Dam It Defense and Lee came out the very next day, on time as scheduled. He went over the process, showed us samples of the panels, and measured all the entry points. He was extremely personable and patiently addressed every concern and question we had. It really put us at ease.
Don’t just take our word for it.
Our founders’ own homes flooded. They built the company local news has covered ever since.
Their homes were both flooded by Hurricane Helene, so they built a flood prevention system with sturdy aluminum and modular height options.Read the story
A pair of St. Petersburg flood victims opened Dam It Defense to provide residential flood barriers after Hurricane Helene impacted their homes.Read the story
The company opened its first factory in St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District a year after Helene, with family and community atop the founders’ priorities.Read the story
Dam It Defense launched in 2025, sold several hundred systems, and grew into a local team of nearly 20 employees.Read the story
Tampa flood barriers: common questions.
Do you install flood barriers in Tampa?
Yes. We install across Tampa and Hillsborough County, from Davis Islands, Harbour Island and Bayshore to Ballast Point, Port Tampa and Apollo Beach. Every system is measured on site, fabricated at our own shop in St. Petersburg and installed by our own crew.
How much do flood barriers cost in Tampa?
Systems start at $499 per opening. Your exact price depends on how many openings you protect and their size. The free assessment gives you an itemized quote, and flexible financing is available.
How high did the water get in Tampa during Hurricane Helene?
According to the National Weather Service, Old Port Tampa set a new record at 6.86 feet above mean higher high water on September 26, 2024, and East Bay peaked at 7.2 feet. Peak water levels along coastal Hillsborough County generally ranged from 5 to 8 feet.
Do flood barriers work for South Tampa and Davis Islands homes?
They are built for exactly that kind of home: low ground close to the bay, where water reaches the garage, front door and sliders first. Our barriers are rated to hold back up to 10 feet of water and are measured to each opening on your house.
When should I schedule an install?
As early as you can. Every system is custom, so it is measured, built and installed before the next storm instead of during it. The off season is the easiest time to get on the schedule.
Serving Tampa, Hillsborough County and the rest of Florida
See how our flood barriers are built, or compare flood barriers and inflatable flood tubes. Comparing providers? Here is how to vet flood prevention companies in Florida.
Tampa
Davis Islands
Harbour Island
Bayshore
Ballast Point
Port Tampa
Apollo Beach
Protect your Tampa home before the next storm.
Book a free flood assessment. We measure every opening on your home and give you an exact, itemized quote. Systems start at $499 per opening, with flexible financing available.
Serving Tampa, South Tampa, Davis Islands and all of Hillsborough County