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Fort Lauderdale residents, business owners preparing for unusually high King Tides

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Residents in several areas of South Florida are preparing for the next King Tides. 

Business owners in low-lying areas of Fort Lauderdale know what these surging waters are capable of.

"We have spent thousands and thousands of dollars redoing the baseboards and the drywall every single year," Medi Idriss, manager of FG Day Spa and Salon on Las Olas Boulevard, said. "The water will gush in like a river."

The building and salon owner have had enough and are taking new precautionary measures. 

"We are building a wall, three feet high," Idriss said. "We are going to have impact windows through the whole building."

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Across the street, residents who live along the canal also face challenges from the unusually high seasonal tides. 

One resident, Josh Dotoli, said the high tides mixed with the effects of Hurricane Dorian a few weeks ago damaged his cottage, and now he's not taking any chances.

"Even with the amount of sandbags that we had, we had to remove some drywall because the water actually seeps from underneath," he said. 

With tides expected to be 8 to 10 inches higher than initially predicted, the city of Fort Lauderdale has been preparing by doing several things, including checking storm drains and catch basins while monitoring pump station operations. 

The high tides are expected to begin Thursday and last until at least Oct. 3. 


About the Authors
Sanela Sabovic headshot

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.

David Dwork headshot

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.

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