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It's become common to see new homes in South Florida constructed on land raised by trucked-in gravel. But neighbors wonder — especially after the latest “rain bomb” to hit Fort Lauderdale — if the standards to raise new construction make flooding worse for surrounding older homes.
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Complaints of new development worsening flooding in surrounding areas are common across South Florida, and floodplain experts say it underlines a problem with perhaps the leading strategy for coping with flooding driven by climate change.
Lance Peterman’s home in the Fort Lauderdale neighborhood of River Oaks flooded earlier this month during record-setting rains. It wasn’t the first time for him or many of his neighbors. But he heard a different story when he chatted with the owners of some newer homes built on elevated lots along his street.
On Thursday, April 13, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 360 into law. This legislation alters the time period for bringing forward construction defect lawsuits, as...