When the rain kept falling on Fort Lauderdale last year and again in June, countless drivers inched along on roads transformed into shallow rivers. Some found themselves stranded behind the wheel, bracing for the next wake as taller vehicles passed on by.
But what if things had been different? What if barricades had already been in place to keep drivers off those flooded roads? What if Fort Lauderdale used artificial intelligence technology to forecast flooding on a street-by-street basis? Or had an emergency flood route in place that directed drivers to higher elevated roads?
Those are just a few proposals envisioned by Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Steve Glassman. After the city was deluged by heavy rainfall for the second time in 14 months, Glassman came up with a 12-point plan, then shared his proposal during a recent post-mortem on how Fort Lauderdale can better prep for flash floods caused by catastrophic rain.
“I started working on it in earnest when we experienced our most recent round of flooding and rains,” Glassman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I just hadn’t seen us be proactive enough. And I wanted to make sure we get this on everyone’s radar. This won’t be the last time it happens. I just wanted to get this conversation started.”
In late July, Acting City Manager Susan Grant sent a memo to the commission saying she agrees with several of Glassman’s proposals.
Some proposals are being actively addressed, Grant says, while others will need additional research along with community input or substantial funding before pursuing next steps.
Mayor Dean Trantalis says the city is taking reasonable steps to minimize flooding, but he doesn’t want people to get the idea that Fort Lauderdale will be high and dry one day.
“A lot of the proposals were more aspirational than real,” Trantalis said. “Some of the suggestions that were made we actually have already started working on. But there’s no way our city or any city can prevent flooding when we have these freak catastrophic storms that come through. We never know what part of the city will be hit. We’re trying to deal with rain events we have no control over. But as a government we’re doing our best to try to minimize the impact.”
Here are some ideas from Glassman’s multi-point plan:
— Flood-oriented ordinances: “It’s time for a comprehensive review of our floodplain ordinances and our code in general with respect to resilience. We should enact ordinances to assist repetitive-loss properties and explore a community-wide freeboard ordinance allowing everyone to build higher within property rights. All of this can be done without creating adverse impacts on neighbors if done thoughtfully.”
— Emergency management: “I would like to see the development of a Flash Flood Emergency Action Plan that does not just focus on response after the fact, but a response before the flooding becomes severe. There is no reason roadways that we know are under water, too deep for cars, should not have police or other barricades to stop people from using them. We should be developing emergency flood routes and prioritizing those higher elevation roads. Also, there is modeling technology on the shelf through the uses of AI to forecast on a street-by-street basis. We should buy that today.”
— Real-time flood forecasting: “To that end, we need technology that will help us identify low-lying areas and those expected to flood during a storm. That starts with a screening level of identifying those areas prone to flooding and connecting them back to the Flash Flood Emergency Action Plan. Then, using real-time data, we can make decisions on where to place resources.”
— Flood sensors: “Forecasting is only as good as data. We need to lean in on technology and flood sensors. Let’s start evaluating how we can deploy a communitywide flood depth sensor network. Flagler Village and Victoria Park roadways and elsewhere were impassable and with sensors and signage, we can save people the cost of losing a car.”
— More storage: “We cannot build enough gray stormwater infrastructure for all the water our community receives in these large storms. We must look for additional storage. When our unused fields are high and dry and the neighbors next to them are underwater, that’s a problem. While we are in the midst of park redesigns, let’s evaluate creating stormwater parks and more retention areas.”
— Sustainability action plan implementation: “While we fix flooding, we also need to focus on the root cause of climate change. We need to empower our sustainability team to truly reduce the emissions of Fort Lauderdale. We need stronger codes that encourage greener buildings, more trees and nature-based solutions, and we need to work on expanding our network of fast electric vehicle charging stations. Many of these actions can also help reduce flooding.”
— Insurance: “Fort Lauderdale is currently a Class 7 in the Community Rating System. I would like to see staff develop a comprehensive plan for our community to achieve a higher-class rating. I understand that there are hurdles, and it may be difficult, but we do not back away from a challenge. This will allow us to properly plan our budget to provide our expert team with the resources to provide an additional 10% savings on flood insurance to our residents. Cutler Bay has a Class 3 rating; we should, too.”
In her memo, Grant listed examples of the city’s current efforts that were included in Glassman’s proposal:
— Flash flood action plan: Fort Lauderdale has a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan but no flash-flood action plan. Staff will begin to develop a specific action plan that includes communications standards and key contact information for external agencies. The plan will include a checklist for pre-storm and post-storm considerations. Staff anticipates completing the first draft in the next four months.
— Resilience leadership structure: The city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes a new position of chief waterway officer. The position will report directly to the city manager’s office and be responsible for managing the city’s 165 miles of navigable waterways. The waterway officer will recommend waterway policy, apply for grants, provide operational assistance and coordinate with external agencies, including the Coast Guard.
— Insurance community rating system: Fort Lauderdale currently has a Class 7 rating from the National Flood Insurance Program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. With a Class 7 rating, residents in special flood hazard areas receive a 15% reduction in their flood insurance premiums. Fort Lauderdale is working with FEMA to address outstanding issues that need to be resolved before the city can apply for a lower rating. A better rating, likely two years away, would help residents save even more money on flood insurance.
— Roadway elevations: The city is working with the Urban Land Institute to deliver a report on developing criteria for road elevation. This effort has included cross departmental and cross community input. The Urban Land Institute is expected to deliver the final report in the next six weeks. Staff expects the panel to present its findings to the commission in October. Funding sources will need to be identified before work can begin on elevating roads.
— Save Our Swale program: The Public Works Department offers a program to rehabilitate swales fronting residential properties to enhance stormwater drainage. Residents can apply for swale installation by submitting a completed swale agreement. After installation, the resident is responsible for the ongoing swale maintenance. For more information, residents can visit https://ftlcity.info/sosp.
— Repurposing of surplus property: Staff will evaluate the feasibility of using city-owned surplus properties to improve the stormwater system and increase capacity. On July 2, the commission passed an ordinance approving a stormwater pump station within a residential area on a vacant, city-owned property near 515 NW 15th Ave. The pump station is being designed to mitigate any audible or visual impacts associated with the improved infrastructure.
Glassman told the Sun Sentinel he plans to meet with Grant again in the coming weeks.
“I’ll keep pressing the issue for us not to just have a one-and-done conversation,” Glassman said. “We have to keep working. We just have to get ahead of the curve on all of these issues. For decades our city did not address all of these infrastructure needs. Now we’re fixing the mistakes of the past in a very compressed amount of time.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
