Confronting Tidal Flooding in Southern Florida

As I’ve mentioned, one of my best friends from college, Beam Furr, has spent his career in local politics and is currently mayor of Broward County, FL, which, for better or worse, contains the coastal city of Hollywood.  Why “for better or worse?”

Flooding, driven largely by sea-level rise. Of course, storms are getting more severe at the same time, adding to the problem, but now Southern Florida is experiencing tidal flooding, also known as sunny day flooding or nuisance flooding.

Characteristically, Beam is “on it,” working with the Army Corps of Engineers, and writing in a recent newsletter:

Coastal Resiliency Study: This week, we received the Broward Climate and Coastal Resiliency Study from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The study projected sea level rise out to 2050, and found that residents should expect two feet of sea level rise over the next 30 years. This would mean serious tidal flooding in areas along the coast and quite far inland, with even higher tides during King Tide season. The study recommends that we raise our seawalls to four feet by 2035 and five feet by 2050 to mitigate tidal flooding. The Army Corps of Engineers is considering an update to the Central and South Florida Flood Control Project for the first time since 1948, which will provide valuable insight into how we can further make Broward County more resilient.

Proud to know you, my friend.