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City resilience officer tells advisory board Fort Lauderdale must build higher seawalls and improve stormwater systems
Summary
Deputy Public Works Director Dr. Nancy Gassman told the board the city should follow Broward County guidance requiring new seawalls at a minimum elevation of 5 feet and accelerate stormwater projects under the Fortify Lauderdale program to address sea-level rise and king tides.
Dr. Nancy Gassman, Ph.D., deputy public works director and chief resilience officer for the City of Fort Lauderdale, told the Waterways and Beach Advisory Board on June 5 that sea-level rise is accelerating and that municipal planning must account for higher tides, failing seawalls and inland flooding.
Gassman opened her presentation by calling it “the where and when of sea level rise,” and reviewed regional projections from the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. She said local observations and tide gauges show stronger upward trends in recent years and that sea level rise is expected to accelerate through mid-century.
The presentation explained technical design choices the city is using: Broward County’s template calls for new seawalls to be built at a minimum elevation of 5 feet, and the city follows that template for new or replacement seawalls. Gassman said a 50-year useful life is typical for seawalls; that factor informs elevation choices because higher mean sea levels and rising groundwater otherwise reduce long-term protection.
Gassman also described non-seawall measures the city is pursuing: tidal valves, pumping systems, and a prioritized road-elevation master plan. She summarized Fortify Lauderdale’s tranche-based stormwater effort, which aims to increase system capacity from a three-inch design storm to as much as seven to ten inches in future neighborhoods and to bundle projects into capital-improvement projects planned through the early 2030s.
She flagged bridges as infrastructure that will face additional lateral stresses as tides rise; the city has limited right-of-way to raise many fixed bridges substantially. Gassman showed vulnerability mapping for 2040 with high-tide overlays and identified downtown and Marina Mile as areas likely to experience more frequent high-tide flooding.
Board members asked about homeowner responsibilities and enforcement. Gassman said the city is drafting outreach tools and intends to hire a resilience coordinator to work directly with private property owners and businesses on practical adaptation steps.
The board requested the presentation slides to share with stakeholders and asked staff to return with implementation timelines and cost estimates.
