Easton Park boil water notice tied to K-Bar Ranch cut-through

The City of Tampa Water Department issued a precautionary boil water notice Wednesday for customers in the Easton Park neighborhood in New Tampa after a significant drop in water pressure.

The pressure dropped while crews were flushing a 24-inch water main in preparation for placing it into service. According to the city, the work is associated with “the developer’s roadway connection project between K-Bar Ranch and Easton Park.”

Affected customers should use bottled water, or bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and let it cool, before drinking, cooking, making ice, brushing teeth or washing fruits and vegetables. The notice stays in effect for at least 24 hours and until testing confirms the water is safe and the city lifts it, even if pressure has returned to normal. More information is at tampa.gov/water or (813) 274-8811 during business hours.

The K-Bar Ranch cut-through

That roadway project extends K-Bar Ranch Parkway from its dead end across Basset Branch into Easton Park and out to Morris Bridge Road. Council has been asking about it as a way to shorten Tampa Fire Rescue response times in K-Bar Ranch since at least May 2025, when the agenda carried a staff report on “the potential cut through from Morris Bridge Road for Tampa Fire Rescue, to get into K-Bar Ranch for shorter response time.” Council Member Luis Viera has kept it on the agenda since, pointing out that four of the five city fire stations with the longest response times are in New Tampa. In August he said the connection “will reduce response times in parts of New Tampa by 40%.”

It is not a city project. “This is not a City of Tampa or Mobility department project. It is developer driven,” Mobility Director Brandon Campbell told council on July 16. The last step before final paving, Campbell said, was “utilities testing and acceptance,” after which the city takes over the road and the utilities for maintenance.

The September 15 target opening came and went. On September 17, Richard Mutterback of Contract Administration told council the road had its first lift of asphalt and street lights, with “flushing and testing week of 9/21” and the second lift of asphalt “probably within a month.” The city has no contract with the builder to enforce, Mutterback said, which limits its leverage.

Easton Park residents have their own concerns about the connection. In August, Viera announced a community meeting in Easton Park over “increased traffic from Morris Bridge Road through the Easton Park neighborhood.”