Fort Lauderdale asks ULI panel for equitable criteria to prioritize road elevations as residents press for answers on where pumped water will go

Fort Lauderdale convened a public Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory listening session to develop criteria for when and how the city should elevate roadways to reduce flooding, city and ULI officials said. The session brought ULI volunteer experts together with city staff and residents to gather input before the panel issues recommended prioritization criteria.

Commissioner Glasman opened the session, saying the issue is “vital” to a city known for its waterways and that roughly half of the study area is in her District 2 but that the work is citywide. Nancy Gasman, representing the City of Fort Lauderdale, framed the problem: 2023’s extreme rainfall events and unusually frequent high tides have underscored the need to accelerate stormwater and resilience work. Gasman said the city’s Fortify Lauderdale effort will accelerate approximately $250 million of stormwater work to be completed in about three years and that the city plans to invest roughly $500 million more across 17 additional neighborhoods over the next five to ten years.

City staff told the panel—whose members include landscape architect Jim Hyde and specialists from firms such as VHB, HR&A Advisors and Pontum Resources—that the panel’s assignment is to recommend an equity-focused set of criteria to prioritize city-owned roadways for potential elevation. The panel will recommend road types, number of properties affected, frequency of flooding and guidance on how much to raise a road (for example, incremental inches), but not a rank-ordered project list.

Gasman and ULI staff emphasized the engineering escalation sequence: start with tidal valves and seawalls; where those fail use stormwater improvements; if necessary add pumping systems; and only after those options are exhausted consider road elevation. They stressed that road elevation is not just adding asphalt—underground municipal and nonmunicipal utilities, meter boxes, hydrants and driveways all must be addressed, requiring what staff called “harmonization” between public infrastructure work and private property access and frontage. Gasman said the panel will also make recommendations on financing approaches distinguishing public infrastructure costs from private property adjustments.

Residents described repeated, chronic flooding in low-lying neighborhoods and pressed for clearer information and equitable funding. Judy Mudge, a long-time resident of the Los Olas/Los Solis Isles area, said her street becomes “a river” during king tides and asked whether federal infrastructure funds could be used. Susie Bailey, founder of Residents for Resilience, repeatedly asked, “Where are you going to move this water?” and suggested that temporary public-area water storage—such as converting parks—should be on the table. John Roth, a 33-year resident, warned of evacuation chokepoints and urged the city to plan in advance for rescue equipment, rights-of-way and escape routes.

Other speakers urged the panel to closely examine specific streets where residents are already paying for seawall repairs, noted past experimental drains that have not solved flooding, and asked whether the city would consider property acquisitions to create holding areas for excess water.

ULI staff reminded attendees that the panel will deliberate and present recommendations at a public session on March 14 at 9:00 a.m. at the YMCA (the city will stream the presentation on its YouTube channel). The panel will return with criteria intended to guide equitable prioritization—not immediate project approvals—and will advise the city on expected transition treatments where raised public right-of-way meets private property.

Next steps: ULI’s final recommendations will be publicly presented on March 14; city staff will review the panel’s criteria and advise on funding and implementation timelines.