Publication Date October 19, 2016 | Health News Florida

King Tide Flooding Brings Pleas For South Florida Climate Change Plan, Funding

United States
U.S. Representative Ted Deutch wades through tidal flooding in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 17, 2016. Photo: Peter Haden, WLRN
U.S. Representative Ted Deutch wades through tidal flooding in Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 17, 2016. Photo: Peter Haden, WLRN

This has been one of those weeks in South Florida when there’s a lot of water in the streets, even when the sun’s out. It’s a King Tide week. Business people, scientists and local officials got together in a Fort Lauderdale conference room with the water rising outside the building to talk about the problem.

Realtor Julie Jones says it’s one of the first things her buyers ask now: does the property flood during the king tides?

The days of just smiling sweetly and saying, “Oh no, it’s not a problem,” are clearly gone as you’re going to see this morning, she said.

Jones says buyers will often view historical images using Google Earth -- zeroing in on their prospective neighborhood. And according to real estate lawyer Ben Olive, they’re wise to do it.

There are no specific cases that require a seller to disclose this kind of flooding to the buyer.

Olive says there’s no legal precedent that says a seller must disclose to a buyer that a home floods during king tides.

There were two residents on the isles that said, “Hey, if I would have known this, I would not have purchased my home.”

Banker Keith Costello said the region needs a pro-active plan to address the seasonal flooding.

It is going to get to a point where banks are not going to lend on properties that are affected by the king tide sea level rise, he said.