Study warns of increased flooding in Broward due to rising seas, stronger storms
FORT LAUDERDALE - Broward County residents can expect more frequent and severe flooding events in the coming years as rising sea levels, stronger rainstorms and King Tides combine to overwhelm drainage systems, a new resilience study warns.
The study, commissioned by Broward County, found that "compound flooding" - a mix of tidal flooding, storm surge and heavy rainfall - will become more common.
The findings suggest mitigation measures such as installing pump stations, raising seawalls to seven feet in the coming decades, narrowing some roads to allow for more green space and adding more swales to improve drainage.
Residents already feeling the effects
For Thomas Godart, who lives in Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas Isles, flooding is nothing new.
"Some of these homes, people are up to their knees in water. They can't even get to their homes," Godart said.
Many city-owned seawalls in his neighborhood have already been raised to the new standard of five feet, but private homeowners have not all followed suit.
"You can see this here," Godart said, pointing to a lower seawall beside a taller one. "This is a much higher seawall because that was a brand new house."
Rising flood risks and potential solutions
Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Broward County's Chief Resilience Officer, said the study confirms that flooding events will continue to worsen.
"The headline is that compound flooding is going to increase in terms of its occurrence and its impacts within our community," Jurado said.
She emphasized the importance of proactive infrastructure improvements, including higher seawalls, drainage enhancements and more green space. Swales, she noted, could play a key role in managing floodwaters.
"If we have functioning swales, we'll actually see that water dissipate in potentially a couple of hours, certainly less than a day," she said.
Next steps
County officials will now review the study to determine priorities, a process expected to take several months. The findings will then be presented to the county commission for consideration.
