Tag Archives: Public Works

Fort Lauderdale Official Says Climate Change Group Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

6 Replies
Nancy Gassman Says The Southeast Florida Regional Compact Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

A City Of Fort Lauderdale official says local government uses a climate change organization to help “put sea level rise in our DNA” in order to affect public spending on resiliency programs. Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman made the stunning admission during a November 2020 online seminar about “Coastal Sustainability.” Gassman said the sea level rise data produced by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact was infused into City of Fort Lauderdale master plans for seawall building, parks and recreation programs and even cemetery projects.

Formed in 2009, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is a partnership of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach County governments to “discuss the climate change threats facing over six million residents in the region.” The Compact created a “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group” to predict sea level rise across South Florida. The work group is composed of local government bureaucrats.

According to their 2019 study, sea levels in South Florida will rise seventeen inches by the year 2040.

In addition to sea level rise, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is sounding the alarm over “extreme rainfall” and “extreme heat.”

Who is prominent member of the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group?”

Yep, City Of Fort Lauderdale Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman.

When Nancy Gassman claims it is important to use the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s sea level rise data to influence government spending, is she really saying it is important to use data she helped craft to determine the types of expensive resiliency projects she advocates for when speaking to elected officials and residents?

EXPENSIVE FAILURES?

Some of the first resiliency programs pushed by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact were street drainage schemes for Dania Beach Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Now, these areas regularly flood after average summer thunderstorms.

As REDBROWARD previously reported, Gassman’s expensive tidal valve installation program leads to regular street flooding across Fort Lauderdale. Last week, an average thunderstorm caused heavy street flooding along Broward Boulevard near downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Residents and businesses are still recovering from the April street flooding that crippled downtown and other Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and the nearby Edgewood neighborhood were underwater for days.

In June, REDBROWARD exposed how Gassman was aware the Edgewood neighborhood lacked basic drainage systems.

Instead of installing drainage in some neighborhoods, Gassman urged residents to keep their swales clear to mitigate flooding.

The April rainfall even flooded Fort Lauderdale City Hall. Now, taxpayers must pay extra for temporary offices for Nancy Gassman and other employees.

If Nancy Gassman cannot keep City Hall dry, should residents really trust her to combat sea level rise?

Gassman and her allies claimed no drainage system could handle the biblical rainfall of April 2023. Yet the Southeast Florida Regional Compact repeatedly mentions “extreme rainfall.”

Did they fail to plan for 11 inches of rain?

Did their previous solutions make flooding worse?

Should we trust Nancy Gassman and the Southeast Florida Regional Compact when it comes to water management, drainage and resilience programs?

Surely the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is run by the top scientific minds in Florida, right?

Get out your notebooks, there’s more…

The Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group

City Officials Aware Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Drains Into Neighborhood Without Drainage System

Leave a reply
Nancy Gassman speaking to Edgewood leaders in May 2021.

The historic rainfall in April that flooded the Edgewood neighborhood and closed the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport should not have surprised City of Fort Lauderdale officials. In 2018, the Stormwater Master Plan detailed the lack of drainage systems in Edgewood and the inadequate system in place to drain the airport north runway thorough the neighborhood. At a May 2021 civic association meeting, Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman made the danger crystal clear.

During the May 2021 Council if Civic Association meeting, Gassman was asked about plans to address flooding in Edgewood. “There’s almost no infrastructure in Edgewood at all,” Gassman said. “Generally you see that there’s not a whole lot of infrastructure in this location.”

In fact, the 2018 Stormwater Master Plan said nearly all of the residential areas of Edgewood lacked sufficient stormwater drainage. Pipes to drain stormwater were located in an industrial section near State Road and in a private area along I-95. The Master Plan stated residential areas relied on a swale drainage system which was not “functioning adequately.”

In addition to calling for larger pipes in the eastern section of the neighborhood, the Stormwater Master Plan singled out the need to address the Osceola Canal which runs through Edgewood. In theory, airport runoff drains through the Osceola Canal into the Osceola Creek on the westside of I-95 and eventually into the New River.

The Master Plan stated, “Portions of Osceola Creek are in need of improvement and ongoing maintenance to provide better and more reliable flood control for the western portion of [Edgewood].

At the May 2021 meeting, Nancy Gassman admitted the Osceola Canal was a priority.

“And the water that comes off of the airport drains to the north towards [Edgewood] through the Osceola Canal,” Gassman said. “And one of the major projects we’re doing right now is dredging the Osceola Canal to improve the conveyance through [Edgewood].”

Between May 2022 and August 2022, road closures were announced as contractors began replacing older drain pipes in the eastern portion of Edgewood. This is the industrial section of the neighborhood.

Other phases of the improvement project were to run though 2023 with a targeted completion date of March 2024.

Were the residential areas getting a real drainage system?

Why does the City Of Fort Lauderdale promote a plan (improved swale drainage and raised roads) which drives floodwaters towards homes?

Edgewood and the airport have existed for decades. Why did the City allow this potential for catastrophic flooding to linger?

What if a Hurricane flooded the airport and needed supplies could not arrive?

Why doesn’t the Public Works Department focus on plans which prevent damage to homes and transportation infrastructure?