News

This fall, seasonal king tides in South Florida have brought extensive coastal flooding to communities across much of the Compact region. In September, the higher than usual tides combined with heavy rains submerged many streets and even put the region under a coastal flood advisory. 

King tides are the highest high tides of the year and are a natural phenomenon. In South Florida, king tides tend to occur in the fall. As sea levels rise as a result of climate change, the impacts of king tides are becoming more severe. Sea levels are about eight inches higher than they were three decades ago. In low-lying communities across South Florida, that increase means that king tides often overtop docks, come up through waterfront drains, and submerge streets and sidewalks.

South Florida local governments have invested tens of millions of dollars into infrastructure improvements to keep streets and residents dry in the face of encroaching tides, and the Compact counties continue to work collaboratively to address the challenge of rising sea levels. Notable efforts in adaptation initiatives from across the Compact regions include Monroe County’s investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in road elevation, Broward County’s ordinance mandating minimum seawall and top-of-bank elevation standards in flood-prone areas, and Miami-Dade installing stormwater pump stations to fight gravity and push water back into canals. Many of the municipalities in the South Florida region are taking similar steps.

However, the king tides are just a taste of what everyday life could be like in many South Florida communities in just fifty years time without more significant investments in adaptation projects. To learn more about the observed and projected high tide flooding in the Compact region, visit the Compact’s Climate Indicators Report.