HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Cruising up A1A in the Broward city of Hollywood this time of year is a slow roll through South Florida’s struggle with sea level rise and tidal flooding.

The cyclical, celestial season of king tides — when the year’s highest astronomical tides align with new or full moons — brings an annual reminder that coastal streets are increasingly vulnerable to flooding.

As groundwater levels creep upward and traditional drainage systems become overwhelmed, the Florida Department of Transportation is working on new climate-resilient infrastructure projects designed to protect one of the region’s busiest coastal roads.

“Right now, the system that is out there, it works by gravity, by discharging to the A1A,” said Jesus Sarmiento, FDOT District 4 Broward Operations’ construction project manager. “That system most of the time floods, as everybody knows, when we have a king tide and heavy rainfall events.”

Sarmiento said the new plan calls for pump stations at key intersections to force water off the streets and back into drainage systems.

“What this will do is essentially a big wet well — a big concrete box that feeds the pump and forces the water out of the system," he said.

Related link: Hollywood ramps up flood-fighting projects

The project also includes the construction of new seawalls at locations along A1A to keep floodwaters from overtopping barriers during extreme tides.

“So it’s a two-part system,” Sarmiento said. “You raise the wall and you also force the water out, essentially. So right now we are doing the seawalls at two of the locations because the other two locations already have a seawall. But the ones we are constructing as part of this project — one is in Sheridan Street and A1A, which is the one that is being built right now as we speak.”

While state and local agencies work on improving public infrastructure, experts say protecting South Florida’s coastline requires more than government intervention.

Albert Slap, founder of a flood and climate change risk assessment company, said private property owners — from homeowners to businesses — must also take steps to make their buildings more resilient.

“A lot of people who aren’t from South Florida don’t know what king tides and sea level rise are all about,” Slap said. “They think it’s something that’s going to happen in the dystopic future. If you want to see king tides, come on down and we will give you the king tide tour.”

Slap added that resilience means preparing for and recovering quickly from weather-related threats.

“What does resilient mean? It means you’re prepared for these events and that your building is stronger and hardened in certain ways, and that you can recover quickly,” he said. “You’re at risk from Mother Nature’s butt-kicking now. And if climate change is what we call a threat multiplier — and it’s going to get worse in 20 years — focus on the here and now.”

He emphasized that practical improvements can have immediate payoffs.

“If the benefits exceed the cost of doing something now, whether it’s a 150-mile-an-hour roof versus a 90-mile-an-hour roof, or better windows, or raising your electrical and plumbing systems above the flood zone, you can’t ignore the present when you’re trying to understand the future,” Slap said.

Slap compared the approach to how cities once prioritized fire protection.

“Making those buildings safer and more resilient — we did that years ago with sprinklers and fire protection,” he said. “We need to do the same thing today with regard to resilience to Mother Nature’s butt-kicking.”

He called it an “all-hands-on-deck effort” involving the state, local governments, and residents alike.

“It’s very important that both residents, single-family homeowners, residents of condos, and business owners understand that we all have a role to play here in making our cities and towns resilient,” Slap said. “Maybe we get to a point in the future where we have control over sea level rise and other increases in the extreme weather we’ve been facing.”

According to FDOT, the infrastructure projects along A1A began in June 2025 and are expected to be completed by summer 2028.

The locations were chosen following a 2020 SR A1A tidal flooding study conducted in partnership with Broward County and the city of Hollywood.

The study found that “flooding was observed from high tides” showing “back-flow through the storm sewer system onto the streets or with rainfall events during high tide.”

Based on those findings, FDOT recommended stormwater pump stations at Azalea Terrace, Van Buren Street, Sherman Street and Franklin Street.

Seawalls are also being installed along A1A from Sherman to Sheridan Street and from Palm to Walnut Street.

Any sidewalks or roadway areas affected by the installation of the four pump stations and seawalls will be reconstructed once the project is complete, FDOT confirmed in a Facebook post.

“ To qualify for public infrastructure funding through the Resilient Florida Grant Program, local governments in Florida must complete a Standardized Vulnerability Assessment.” Slap told Local 10 News, “This requirement is part of the state’s broader effort to address risks from flooding, storm surge, and sea-level rise.

Key Requirements:

• Comprehensive Scope: Assessments must cover the entire county or municipality.
• Critical Assets Inventory: Includes transportation, utilities, communications, and emergency infrastructure.
• Flooding Scenarios: Must analyze current and future risks from high tide, storm surge, and rainfall-induced flooding (100- and 500-year events).
• Sea-Level Rise Projections: Use NOAA’s 2017 intermediate-low and intermediate-high projections.
• Planning Horizons: Assess risks for both 2040 and 2070 timeframes.
• Public Engagement: Steering committees and public outreach are strongly recommended.

Legislative Foundation:

• Florida Statute 380.093 establishes the Resilient Florida Program and outlines the statewide vulnerability assessment and resilience planning requirements.”

Click here to learn more about FDOT’s drainage improvements project.

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