After record king tides and heavy rains, South Florida is struggling with flooding. Local governments have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on drainage in recent years, but experts say far more is needed.
According to the Tampa Bay Times (story by Alex Harris), the recent king tides flooded more places than ever before, and the water stood deeper and longer than in previous years. Heavy rains then fell across the region, flooding both coastal and inland areas. Keeping the region dry over the next decade would require billions of dollars, and possibly tens of billions.
Local authorities are raising roads, upgrading drainage pumps and replacing stormwater pipes with new ones of very large diameter. Some golf courses are being converted into temporary retention parks that take in water from nearby neighborhoods. Seawalls are also being raised.
Fort Lauderdale has spent about $200 million on drainage upgrades in the Edgewood and River Oaks neighborhoods. They were among the areas hit hardest by the 2023 downpour, when more than 100 homes were flooded. Under the city’s plan, it still has to design, build and fund at least 22 more projects. Two projects, worth about $75 million, are now under way in the Edgewater and Shorecrest neighborhoods. They are meant to protect 1,143 homes and businesses.
The city’s flood plan, last updated in 2024, calls for $2.3 billion in drainage upgrades over 50 years. The projects have at times been delayed by opposition from residents, who worry about construction disruptions, the loss of parking spaces and pumps being installed in public spaces.
Tiffany Troxler of the Sea Level Solutions Center at Florida International University says projects in Miami neighborhoods have clearly reduced flooding. In her view, flooding will worsen without further adaptation measures.
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) said its pump stations in the affected areas are running around the clock. The district manages the regional canal system, while smaller neighborhood systems are the responsibility of cities, counties and local drainage districts. Residents of flooded neighborhoods should report the problem to their local drainage operator (the address can be found at SFWMD.gov/FloodControl). Life-threatening situations should be reported by calling 911.
Source: Tampa Bay Times
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