Blue skies and sunshine have graced the Florida Keys in recent days with only a little rain, yet some streets and neighborhoods are so flooded that driving a car might not be a good idea.
Blame the strong king tides, which continue to plague many low-lying areas across South Florida and the Keys.
The saltwater flooding is so bad the National Weather Service Key West issued a coastal flood warning for the Florida Keys. Major saltwater flooding was notably seen at the Stillwright Point subdivision in Key Largo at the beginning of the week.
“You cannot get a car down North Blackwater today,” resident Emilie Stewart told Keys Weekly on Oct. 26. “It is as deep now as it had been past years after a hurricane.”
Stewart said the brutal king tides have brought nearly 18 inches of saltwater along the mangroves, which are located not too far from the road.
Manatee Bay and Barnes Sound were also experiencing major saltwater flooding. Key Largo Fire Rescue advised residents in low-lying areas to move their cars to higher ground ahead of the rising waters.
The Lower Keys and Key West also experienced severe saltwater flooding from the king tides. The National Weather Service Key West said Wednesday the tide gauge in the Southernmost City measured a preliminary peak of 2.23 mean high water last night, ranking fifth highest of all time.
Jon Rizzo, warning coordination meteorologist for NWS Key West, said a combination of the recent full moon, highest tides of the year and latest build-up of water caused by Subtropical Storm Josephine late last week are bringing some of the highest water levels observed outside of an actual storm.
“Streets, parking lots, docks and yards that are frequently overtopped by typical king tide flooding could see water levels nearly a full foot higher than in ‘typical’ king tide events,” Rizzo told Keys Weekly.
Residents in low-lying areas like Stillwright Point are all too familiar with the scene of roads and streets inundated by saltwater this time of year. King tides in fall 2019 covered roads and streets for 94 consecutive days inside the community located at MM 105. While it wasn’t the first time residents experienced flooded roads due to king tides, the period in which the saltwater stayed was alarming to many in the community.
Recent saltwater flooding inside Stillwright Point affected garbage pickup and mail delivery, Stewart said. Some people had their trash out to start the week as the waters began to inundate the roads and streets.
“So now it’s in the flood water,” Stewart said.
Residents inside Stillwright went through years hoping a project could remediate the issues seen each fall. But it was all kiboshed when the county commission in June 205 elected to forgo a $40 million project to address the flooding from king tides and heavy rainfall. The work would have raised the roads some 2.65 feet, while building a pump station to move water off the driving surface in the bayside subdivision. The county couldn’t get the Stillwright community in full support to give up 10 feet of their properties via easements to accommodate water retention and treatment.
National Weather Service Key West said moderate to major coastal flooding is expected to continue through the end of the month. Rizzo said vehicles either driving through or parked in saltwater should rinse them with freshwater to avoid corrosion.
As for mariners, he said having more scope on the dock lines (more slack) should account for the higher tides, and the clearance under bridges will likely be a little less than as published on marine charts around the hours of high tide.
Key Largo Fire Rescue is advising residents against driving or walking through flooded roads, as water can hide potholes, debris and washouts.
More information is at weather.gov/key/coastal_flooding.
