From left: St. Petersburg Councilmember Brandi Gabbard; Enrico Palmerino, co-founder of Dam It Defense; and Erica Hall, executive board member for the Storm Squad, participate in a recent flood mitigation panel. Photo by Kayla Avirett.
Enrico Palmerino could have fled St. Petersburg after Hurricane Helene inundated his St. Petersburg home. Instead, he turned a harrowing experience into a thriving business.
Palmerino and Danny Fustar, a close friend and neighbor, launched Dam It Defense in June 2025. The cofounders have since scaled the family-owned flood barrier fabrication company, which has sold several hundred systems and now employs nearly 20 people.
A community-focused company, Dam It Defense partnered with Cajun Navy Relief to provide local resources after a disaster. But Palmerino and Fustar never had a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for its headquarters. That changed on Wednesday, as the two families led tours of the facility, designed to resemble a castle, and hosted a flood resiliency panel that provided expert insight.
“We want to make sure everybody hears this story of not just a solution that’s going to help them, but of a community of entrepreneurs who create their solutions in St. Pete,” said Chris Steinocher, CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. “That is how you become resilient.”
From back left: Enrico Palmerino, co-founder of Dam It Defense; Carlie Palmerino; Kristin Fustar; Danny Fustar, co-founder of Dam It Defense; their children; and Christ Steinocher (right), CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Kayla Avirett.
Valuable insight
A group of neighborhood leaders, known as the Storm Squad, are utilizing new technology to help vulnerable communities mitigate the impacts of flooding. Executive board member Erica Hall kicked off the panel discussion by highlighting the free, publicly available platform’s benefits.
The CRIS-HAZARD app provided a “completely different” view of storm impacts during Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Hall said. “We saw flooding happening outside of designated flood zones, we saw streets becoming impassable before alerts went out, we saw clusters of impact in neighborhoods that historically deal with disinvestment.”
“But what we also saw was community data moving faster, because it was coming from people experiencing it in real time,” Hall added. “If we’re only relying on official data, we’re already behind the storm.”
Councilmember Brandi Gabbard stressed the importance of proactive, individual flood mitigation efforts. She encouraged attendees to ensure their storm drains are clear and “be good neighbors and good stewards.”
Gabbard said that St. Petersburg’s infrastructure cannot currently withstand increasing environmental threats. The city’s Stormwater Master Plan outlines nearly $1 billion in projects that should have been implemented “five years ago.”
Officials must prioritize stormwater initiatives according to impact, Gabbard said. “We’re going to have to eat this apple one bite at a time.”
A ballot referendum in November will ask residents to fund infrastructure projects through an additional property tax.
Cristian Bragano, an insurance adjustor with VIP Adjusting, encourages home and business owners to invest in a flood barrier system, such as those fabricated by Dam It Defense. He also highlighted the importance of safeguarding flood insurance documents before a storm.
The panelists agreed that all St. Petersburg homeowners, regardless of requirements, should consider maintaining flood insurance due to evolving risks. Bragano also explained that standard National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies do not provide payments “for you to live elsewhere while your home is substantially damaged.”
“So, I would just push for understanding the policy and what is covered,” he said.
Erica Hall (right), executive board member for the Storm Squad, and Cristian Bragano, an insurance adjustor for VIP Adjusting. Photo by Kayla Avirett.
Palmerino does not guarantee that his flood barrier systems will prevent water from entering a home. However, he said those and other commercially available products can drastically mitigate “devastation.”
Now is the time for residents to prepare a “go-bag” that includes copies of insurance policies and photos of their property and possessions, Palmerino said. He also encouraged creating a flood plan; Dam It Defense provides a template.
Residents should seal doors and windows, put valuable possessions into sealed, plastic bags, and use risers to lift furniture valuable inches off the ground as a storm approaches. “All you have to do is keep water out of your home for hours, not days, in most cases,” Palmerino said.
Nearly all of Gabbard’s district sits within a Coastal High Hazard Area. Her passion for promoting environmental resiliency stems from the people who “cannot do this work for themselves, but they love this city.”
Average residents can also have a significant impact on their communities, Hall said, as Storm Squad ambassadors had an intimate understanding of their neighborhood’s vulnerabilities. The organization hopes to expand into other areas.
“Your neighbors should be the number one team that you build around, because preparedness isn’t just about your house,” Hall elaborated. “It’s also about your network, and it’s about your community.”
Dam It Defense is now another local resource. The company will utilize its fleet of military Humvees to support search and rescue efforts after a storm.
Palmerino encourages anyone who needs assistance to call the company, which also stores supplies and will become a safe haven for displaced residents during storms. “I wanted to let the community know to consider this home when disaster strikes,” he said.
Local artist Kris Markovich painted the fabrication facility at 695 28th St. S. in South St. Petersburg to resemble a castle. Photo by Kayla Avirett.
More photos
Clayton Percy, director of field sales, demonstrates a Dam It Defense flood prevention system. The company stores and deploys its products for customers as needed. Photo by Mark Parker.
St. Petersburg-based Dam It Defense serves the entire Tampa Bay area and has partnered with other companies for deployments outside of the area. Photo by Mark Parker.
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