Plus, proposed expanded flood disclosures
A big storm system brings more flooding to South Florida, Fort Lauderdale unveils plans to answer last April’s 25-inch deluge, and a Florida bill could require flood disclosures on all property sales in the state. It’s all in this week’s Flood Digest.
Miami Beach storm damage from November 15, 2023. Courtesy, @EricBlake12
South Florida Soaking: A large non-tropical storm that certainly felt like one caused torrential downpours across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties last week. Up to 14 inches of rain fell in spots, creating a deluge that many authorities and citizens weren’t quite prepared for on the back end of the storm season. Over 80,000 homes lost power, with many still facing standing water in roadways and other hazards as of Thursday morning. High wind advisories of up to 60 mph gusts were in place for Miami, with 6–9-foot waves also breaking on the shore, causing continued erosion. Schools were closed across several districts.
Flood waters remained to the bottom of car doors and nearly to front door knobs of homes in Ft. Lauderdale the morning after the big rain, April 13, 2023. Courtesy, Broward S.O.
Fort Lauderdale’s Flood “Wake-Up Call”: April flooding this year left Fort Lauderdale with much to reassess in its flood response infrastructure and a new goal moving forward: to drain flooding neighborhoods faster. The mayor called the flooding a ‘wake-up call’ for the city and allocated a $700 million budget to the Fortify Lauderdale plan which entails upgrading the stormwater infrastructure from its original 14 neighborhoods to 25 across the city in the next 10 years. While some of this money will be coming from federal and state grants – taxpayers will be footing much of the bill, hopeful that with the correct measures in place, future downpours of over 25 inches such as April’s will not paralyze the roadways and flow of the city for days on end. Currently, most of these neighborhoods do not have any stormwater infrastructure, showing the severe lack of preparedness for the increase in storm frequency we’ve seen over the last decade.
Senator Jennifer Bradley
Flood Disclosures For All: This past Wednesday, Senator Jennfier Bradley (R-Fleming Island) filed bill SB 484 for consideration, which would require all property owners to disclose flood damage and its likelihood to potential buyers. Additionally, owners would need to disclose whether the property is currently covered by flood insurance, whether claims have ever been filed, and if the owners have received federal assistance for any damage caused by flooding. This bill joins one filed last month that would similarly protect renters. These bills together could protect residents across the state of Florida from the growing peril of floods. Don’t forget to check in with Lisa Miller and Associates’ Bill Watch during the coming months to keep an eye on this bill and others.
LMA Newsletter of 11-20-23
