News

Miami Beach Commission Adopts First Seawall Ordinance of its Kind

January 13, 2021

Miami Beach, FL – The Miami Beach City Commission unanimously adopted an ordinance today that codifies previously established minimum elevations for new seawalls and provides new penalties for property owners who fail to maintain privately owned seawalls that cause flooding on adjacent properties and the rights of way.

Titled “Resiliency Standards for Tidal Flood Protection,” the measure sets minimum construction standards for seawalls and other tidal flood barriers to strengthen coastal resilience and mitigate the effects of tidal flooding. The ordinance gives property owners up to 730 days to bring failing seawalls into compliance.

“Miami Beach has approximately 53 miles of seawalls, of which 92% are on private property,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber explained. “Our city must have a mechanism in place to make sure that our seawalls are a protective coastal barrier now and well into the future to reduce risks from storms, high tides and sea level rise.”

Read more here.