“Give a few minutes, give it a few hours.” This was City Of Fort Lauderdale Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman’s dubious advice on how to deal with street flooding. Gassman gave this advice during the May 2021 Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations (CFLCA) Meeting.
At this meeting, Gassman addressed concerns over previous street flooding events in the City of Fort Lauderdale. Yesterday, REDBROWARD shared a June 2019 video where Gassman admits recently installed tidal valves caused street flooding when rain occurred during high tide.
After REDBROWARD posted the initial Gassman video on Youtube, the official City of Fort Lauderdale YouTube channel account left a comment. It is unclear who made or authorized the comment.
The City of Fort Lauderdale account wrote, “Tidal valves had no impact on the April 2023 flooding in the City of Fort Lauderdale. When there is a rain event during a high tide, tidal valves remain closed to prevent tidal water from backing up into the storm drain system and flooding city streets. Once the tide recedes, the tidal valves are able to reopen and allow fresh rainwater to discharge into waterways.”
Gassman reiterated her flooding explanation at the CFLCA meeting. “We are going to experience temporary street flooding which is more like likely if it’s raining and it’s high tide because…tidal valves…cannot open,” Gassman said.
“So, if it’s raining during a high tide, there’s no way for that water from the sky to get out of that street,” Gassman said. “Give it a few minutes, give it a few hours. As the high tide goes out that storm water is going to go out.”
Wait a few hours for flood waters to recede? This is exactly what happened to thousands of car owners, homeowners and travelers at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport who were impacted by the April 2023 flooding.
While our initial story never blamed the April 2023 flooding on tidal valves, how does the City Of Fort Lauderdale Youtube account know they had “no impact” on the flooding?
According to the City’s Youtube channel and its resilience program architect, tidal valves cause street flooding when it rains during high tide.
High tide occurs twice a day.
The City is well on its way to having nearly five hundred tidal valves installed across Fort Lauderdale.
Why is the assistant public works director seemingly okay with prolonged street flooding across Fort Lauderdale?
Does the City Of Fort Lauderdale Public Works Department prioritize resiliency programs and sea level rise over homeowners, business owners and drivers?
More to come…
