For the past three years, engineering consultant Michael Antinelli has worked with the city of Miami Beach and its residents to draw up individualized flood-prevention plans. So far, he’s visited 140 properties and seen the same problems again and again.

“People are seeing water creeping up to their doors during king tides or heavy storms,” he says. “It’s getting underneath homes and rising through the flood boards.”

And once even a little gets inside, the damage can be extensive, as Antinelli, co-founder of Brizaga, a Fort Lauderdale firm specializing in flooding solutions and climate resilience, knows all too well. The first inch is the most expensive, with costs running to $25,000 or more.

If you’ve got tens of thousands of dollars or more to elevate your place, you can prevent that

See Full Page