How the Countywide Resilience Plan Is Reshaping Seawall Requirements Through 2070

In April 2023, parts of Fort Lauderdale received nearly 26 inches of rainfall in a single 12 hour window. Drainage systems were overwhelmed, the airport shut down for days, and direct damages across Broward County reached approximately $1.1 billion. A similar high intensity event followed in June 2024.

For waterfront communities throughout South Florida, these events made one thing clear.

The way Broward County protects its coastline has to change, and the timeline is shorter than most property owners realize.

Broward’s Countywide Resilience Plan

In March 2025, Broward County finalized its Countywide Resilience Plan, a 50 year roadmap designed to address rising sea levels, more intense rainfall, storm surge, and the growing impact of king tide and tidal flooding events on waterfront communities. The Plan represents a $28 billion countywide investment in adaptation, with $9 billion coming from public sources and the remainder from private property improvements throughout the County.

What makes this Plan different from past initiatives is the way it phases adaptation strategies over time, with two distinct tiers structured around projected sea level rise.

For waterfront homeowners, marine contractors, seawall companies, dock builders, and property investors, these new Broward County seawall requirements will shape how future waterfront permitting and construction projects move forward.

What Is NAVD?

Before getting into the specific elevation requirements, there is one term every waterfront property owner is going to hear more frequently.

NAVD, or North American Vertical Datum, is the elevation benchmark used to measure seawall and tidal flood barrier heights. In simple terms, Broward County’s resiliency standards establish minimum elevation targets for seawalls and flood barriers based on projected future water levels and flood risks.

Depending on your property’s current elevation and existing seawall height, future seawall replacement projects or waterfront renovations may require modifications to meet these evolving standards.

Tier 1 and Tier 2: The Framework Behind the Numbers

The Resilience Plan establishes two coordinated tiers of adaptation, each built around specific sea level rise projections developed by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a partnership Broward County has been part of since 2009.

Tier 1 (By 2050)

Designed to prepare for a 2 foot rise in sea level. This phase requires seawalls to reach 5.0 feet NAVD, paired with enhanced drainage systems, additional pumping stations, upgraded culvert crossings, and expanded green infrastructure throughout the County.

Tier 2 (By 2070)

Addresses a projected 3.3 foot rise in sea levels by 2070. This phase requires seawalls to be raised further to 7.0 feet NAVD, supported by advanced drainage and pumping systems behind the seawalls to manage stormwater volumes that gravity fed systems can no longer handle.

The current seawall ordinance already aligns with Tier 1, with municipalities working toward 4 feet NAVD by 2035 and 5 feet NAVD by 2050 as part of the existing regulatory framework. Tier 2 is now formally documented as the next phase, giving waterfront property owners visibility into where these standards are heading well before implementation arrives.

The numbers themselves are not arbitrary. They are grounded in detailed hydrologic and hydraulic modeling that simulated 51 separate scenarios, drawing on rainfall data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atlas 14, sea level rise projections from the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, and groundwater analysis from the United States Geological Survey. The elevation requirements are tied directly to projected water levels rather than estimates, which means as the science continues to evolve, so will the standards.

Why Consistent Elevations Matter

One of the biggest concerns with tidal flooding is that flood protection measures are only fully effective when surrounding waterfront properties begin adapting together.

If one property raises their seawall while neighboring seawalls remain low, water can still move into nearby properties, roads, and surrounding infrastructure. Broward County’s resiliency standards are intended to create more consistent tidal flood protection throughout waterfront communities rather than isolated improvements that only partially address the issue.

This is why the Plan operates at the County scale rather than the individual property scale. The goal is collective protection, not patchwork.

The Three Adaptation Zones

The Resilience Plan recognizes that Broward County’s waterfront challenges are not uniform. The Plan divides the County into three adaptation zones based on vulnerability, geography, and infrastructure conditions:

Highly Vulnerable Areas

These include economically vulnerable communities and FEMA designated Community Disaster Resilience Zones.

Eastern Areas

These include the coastal and intracoastal waterfront communities most directly impacted by sea level rise and storm surge.

Inland Areas

These areas face challenges related to rainfall, drainage, and rising groundwater.

Understanding which zone your property falls within helps clarify which adaptations will apply, which timelines are most relevant, and what permitting requirements may shape your next waterfront project.

What Waterfront Homeowners Should Be Thinking About

If you own waterfront property in Broward County, now is the time to start understanding:

• Your existing seawall elevation in NAVD
• Whether your property falls within a tidally influenced area
• The current condition of your seawall and how close it is to end of life
• Whether future improvements may trigger compliance requirements
• What permitting may be required for future waterfront projects
• How upcoming seawall elevation requirements may impact property value and insurance
• Whether your dock, seawall, or marine construction plans align with future resiliency standards

Even if your seawall is currently functioning properly, planning ahead now can help property owners avoid more costly emergency repairs or rushed compliance projects in the future.

Waterfront Resiliency Is About More Than Compliance

At the end of the day, this is not just about meeting a code requirement.

It is about protecting waterfront investments, preserving property values, reducing long term flood risks, and planning ahead for the future of waterfront living in South Florida. The Resilience Plan estimates that Tier 1 and Tier 2 adaptations together will avoid an average of $3.6 billion annually in property damage countywide, while supporting up to $31 billion in increased real estate value and helping make flood insurance more accessible and affordable for waterfront property owners.

The waterfront homeowners who plan ahead will be the ones best positioned to protect both their property and their investment.

How Breezy Permits Can Help

At Breezy Permits, we help waterfront property owners stay ahead of evolving coastal resiliency standards through professional marine consulting and coastal permitting support. Our team guides projects through the waterfront permitting process while coordinating with marine contractors, coastal consultants, and engineers from start to finish.

Whether you are planning a seawall replacement, waterfront renovation, dock project, marine construction project, or long term resiliency improvement, our team understands how Tier 1 and Tier 2 standards apply to your property, what agencies are involved, and how to keep your project moving toward approvals.

Our experience with Broward County waterfront permitting, seawall permits, dock permits, and coastal construction approvals helps property owners reduce delays and better prepare for future compliance requirements.

If you are planning a waterfront project in Broward County, reach out to our team to discuss how these evolving standards may impact your property.

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