FORT LAUDERDALE – Heavy Thursday afternoon downpours triggered a Flash Flood Warning, resulting in flooded streets in various parts of Broward County.
Widespread flooding was reported in several areas, including Dania Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and others.
The vicinity around Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport, including Perimeter Road, experienced flooding. Fort Lauderdale Police had to temporarily close Kinney Tunnel due to downtown flooding.
Videos captured vehicles driving through flooded streets, creating waves that entered a few homes and structures.
A cigar shop on Hollywood Boulevard had water splashing into it. Drivers braving the high water and heavy rain left their mark at Black Water Tattoo and Yura Cantillo’s dance studio next door.
Cantillo said, “We stopped because we don’t have students. We had to cancel all classes or we dance under the rain.”
“I wish my car wasn’t parked close to the street,” said Hector Ambrosino, who works at the tattoo studio.
In April of this year, Broward County experienced more than 20 inches of rainfall, leading to the closure of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The historic flooding event affected thousands of residents, prompting Governor Ron DeSantis to seek a federal major disaster declaration for the county after a record-breaking 25.91 inches of rain.
Ambrosino had already lost a car in Dania Beach during the April storm, so he was understandably concerned when he saw floodwater creeping into cars parked along Hollywood Boulevard near Dixie Highway.
During the evening commute, traffic slowed down. A Hollywood fire truck protected drivers in one westbound lane of the Boulevard at South 24th Avenue.
Near the northbound entrance to I-95 from Hollywood Boulevard, cars cautiously maneuvered through water that had risen over curbs. Some drivers pulled over, others paused, and plenty forged ahead.
“It takes hours for the water to drop lower,” said Erick Martinez, who works in Hollywood. “It’s just not good.”
“I’ve been living here for eight years, and in the past two years, I saw this flooding getting worse,” Cantillo said. “So I think they need to take care of that. Something is happening with it.”
A Flood Watch remains in effect through noon Friday, with heavy rain and additional flooding possible.
