Fort Lauderdale

Broward County, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a city located 28 miles north of Miami, Florida. The city, which sees 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, is just over 36 square miles and is home to approximately 166,000 people and over 550 hotels and motels. Known for its beaches and boating canals, Fort Lauderdale has been nicknamed the “Venice of America.”

With its location on the peninsula, flat landscape, and dense coastal development, and many miles of tidally influenced waterways, Fort Lauderdale is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise. For the past several years, Fort Lauderdale leadership has been studying the data, planning according to scientifically-based projections, and taking action in cooperation with regional partners. The city encourages residents and visitors to help mitigate and adapt to sea level rise by focusing on things like water conservation, sustainable construction, and emergency preparedness.

In 2013 Fort Lauderdale became an adaptation action pilot city where, through the Florida State Community Planning Act, a comprehensive plan was developed for designated areas that are subject to coastal flooding and vulnerable to the related impacts of rising sea levels. Through the plan, funding was prioritized for infrastructure and adaptation planning.

Fort Lauderdale and its Sustainability Division continue to proactively work towards solutions for sea level rise, through a comprehensive five-year plan and working collaboratively with the South Florida Regional Climate Compact and other regional partnerships.

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Help Me Choose

Which characteristics is your community looking for in funding opportunities?

Disaster declaration
A Presidential Disaster Declaration unlocks a suite of federal programs that assist local governments with disaster recovery. This is a good filter for communities included in recent Disaster Declarations related to flooding.
Nature-based solutions
The program has a strong focus on providing assistance to promote a healthy ecosystem as a critical defense against flooding impacts. Eligible activities may include floodplain restoration, environmental stewardship, projects that use natural features to mitigate erosion, and living shorelines.
Encourages public-private partnerships
The program encourages or requires collaboration between government entities and stakeholders, including the private sector, to fund, develop, or implement projects.
Offers rolling deadlines
The program accepts applications on an ongoing basis with no fixed deadline.

Is your project in the planning, design, or construction phase?

Planning
The gathering of data and information regarding the extent and impacts of flooding. Eligible activities may include data acquisition, risk assessment, and environmental analysis.
Design & scoping
Covers pre-construction activities, such as defining project scope, developing technical designs, and securing funding to prepare for implementation.
Construction & implementation
Involves carrying out flood resilience projects, including building infrastructure and deploying solutions to reduce flood risks.

Are you looking for grants, loans, or technical assistance for your project?

Funding (grants)
A monetary award that does not need to be repaid. Many federal grants are reimbursable, meaning recipients must cover project costs upfront and then request reimbursement from the government.
Financing (loans)
A government-issued loan that must be repaid. These loans typically provide funding upfront, helping communities cover project costs before repayment begins.
Technical assistance
Assistance from the government in the form of services — such as project planning, engineering and design support, data analysis, training, capacity building, or collaboration through a cooperative agreement — instead of direct funding.

Some programs provide extra support for specific project types or communities. Do any of these apply to your project?

Small or rural communities
Programs that set aside funding, offer loan forgiveness, or adjust cost share requirements for communities with smaller populations.
Small or low-cost projects
Programs that offer reduced requirements for smaller projects, such as waived cost-sharing or exemptions from benefit-cost analysis.
Regional or watershed focus
Programs that support projects that take a watershed management approach or address flooding at a regional scale, requiring coordination beyond a single town or community.
Tribal communities
Programs that dedicate resources or adjust cost share requirements specifically for tribal governments or organizations.
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