Fort Lauderdale is the largest city we serve, with 188,677 residents. Only 54.1% of its homes are owner-occupied, the lowest rate in our service set, so condos and rental units carry a large share of the water damage in the city. The April 12, 2023 flood is the event most Fort Lauderdale homeowners still remember. If water damage is in your Fort Lauderdale home or building now, this page explains what the city's records show and how to reach us at (954) 481-0645.
Water Damage in Fort Lauderdale: The Local Picture
The April 12, 2023 Flood
The April 12, 2023 flood is the reference point for water damage in Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport recorded 25.91 inches of rain in 24 hours, the most ever observed in the city in a single day. The previous record was 14.59 inches, set on April 25, 1979. Rainfall rates reached the level of a 1-in-1,000-year event, and the National Weather Service in Miami issued a Flash Flood Emergency. The airport closed from April 12 to April 14, 2023. The day showed that non-hurricane rain can flood homes on a scale most people associate with a named storm. A house does not need a hurricane landfall to take in water. If your home took water that day or in any heavy rain since, cleanup should begin with photographs and notes documenting what you see as found, before anything is moved.
Condos, Rentals and Households
Fort Lauderdale has the lowest owner-occupancy rate in this set at 54.1%, so a large share of homes are rentals or condo units. The city has 188,677 residents in 80,999 households, with an average of 2.25 persons each. In a multi-unit building, water often travels. A leak in an upper unit can reach the ceiling, walls and floors of the unit below, and the damage can cross the line between private and shared property. That makes documentation and access the first priorities after water enters a shared building. Photographs as found, moisture readings and a written list of affected materials give the owner, the building association and any insurer the same set of facts. Access to the affected unit and to shared plumbing or walls should be arranged early, because drying cannot start until the water source is found and reached.
Permits and Rebuild Work
Repair work in Fort Lauderdale runs through the City of Fort Lauderdale Building Services division, part of the Development Services Department. Building Services handles all permitting in the city. New permit submissions are digital and go through the City's LauderBuild citizen portal. Under FBC section 105.1 and Florida Statute 553.79(1), as the City quotes them, altering, repairing or replacing regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems generally requires a permit application to the building official before the work starts or continues. The City's walk-thru permit types include a water heater exact changeout and an HVAC exact changeout. The City sets its own thresholds for when a permit is needed, so confirm the current requirements with Building Services before a replacement begins.
Flood Zones and Checking Your Parcel
FEMA's new Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Broward County became effective on July 31, 2024. Since that date, insurance companies must use the finalized maps for flood insurance purposes, and updated base flood elevations apply to new construction and substantial improvements. High-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas carry the labels A, AE, AH, VE, and similar high-risk zones, while low- and moderate-risk areas appear as X, 0.2 PCT or shaded X. The flood zone determines whether flood insurance is required and how it is rated. Checking your parcel before the next event is simple. Broward County's interactive flood zone map shows the zone for an address. Look up your Fort Lauderdale property now, while you have time to plan, rather than after water is already on the floor. Standard homeowner's policies generally do not cover flood damage, so confirm your flood coverage separately with your insurer.
Water Damage Services in Fort Lauderdale
Water Damage
Our water damage service in Fort Lauderdale covers water from a burst supply line, water heater failure, air conditioner condensate overflow or appliance leak. It applies when water has reached floors, walls, or building materials inside the home or unit, whether the source is sudden or ongoing. The written scope records what is affected before work begins. Learn more on our water damage service page.
Mold Remediation
Mold often follows water that was not dried quickly enough. Our mold remediation service covers mold in homes and units after water damage, and it applies when growth is found or suspected on building materials. Mold inspection is a supporting step within the process, so the scope is clear before work begins. For the full process and the difference between an inspection and remediation, see our mold remediation service page.
Storm Damage Cleanup
Storm and heavy-rain water entry calls for its own service. Our storm damage cleanup service covers water that enters during heavy rain or a storm, including water from roofs, windows, slabs or plumbing, and it applies whenever standing water or wet materials follow a storm event. Fort Lauderdale's April 2023 flood showed how quickly heavy rain can enter a home. Learn more on our storm damage cleanup page.
Why Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Choose Us
Fort Lauderdale homeowners, especially owners in condos and multi-unit buildings, usually need the same thing from a restoration company: a clear record of what happened. Our process is documentation-first. Before anything is moved, we photograph the damage as found, take moisture readings and note the affected materials. Those records are what unit owners, building associations and insurers commonly ask for when a repair or claim is discussed. Each job starts with a written scope listing the work before it begins, so you know what is included and what is not. For rebuild work that needs a permit, we confirm the route through the City of Fort Lauderdale's LauderBuild portal before any replacement starts, so the repair and the permit stay in step. We do not promise coverage outcomes. Your policy, your building documents and the source of the water decide those questions. To discuss your Fort Lauderdale water damage, call (954) 481-0645.
Why Water Damage in Fort Lauderdale Should Not Wait
Water in a Fort Lauderdale home does not stay still. April 2023 showed how much water a single day can deliver, and the water that soaks a floor, wall cavity or subfloor can start a second problem in the same building. The 25.91 inches recorded in April 2023 is the scale reference. Undried storm or leak water becomes a mold job. Mold removal then adds containment, material removal and post-cleanup verification to the original repair, which can turn a contained water event into a larger scope with more permitted rebuild work. Documentation also degrades as cleanup proceeds. Photographs taken before furniture is moved, readings taken before materials come out, and a record of where the water entered are all harder to reconstruct once a room has been emptied and dried. Acting early keeps the record intact and the scope smaller. Do not wait for damage to become visible before you act. With only 54.1% of Fort Lauderdale homes owner-occupied, a multi-unit record is useful to owners, tenants, building associations and insurers. LauderBuild takes rebuild permits digitally, so the route is set early. Start with a call to (954) 481-0645 so the first steps can be planned around your unit, your building and your situation.
Water Damage Questions Fort Lauderdale Homeowners Ask
How much rain fell on Fort Lauderdale on April 12, 2023?
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport measured 25.91 inches of rain in 24 hours on April 12, 2023. That is the most ever recorded in Fort Lauderdale in a single day. The previous record was 14.59 inches, set on April 25, 1979. The rainfall rate reached the level of a 1-in-1,000-year event.
How do I submit a repair permit application in Fort Lauderdale?
Submit new permit applications digitally through LauderBuild, the City of Fort Lauderdale's citizen portal. The City's Building Services division, part of the Development Services Department, handles permitting and inspections for all work in the city under the Florida Building Code. Confirm with Building Services which permit type applies before you start, because the review route depends on the work involved.
Is a water heater swap after a leak a walk-thru permit?
Water heater exact changeout is one of the walk-thru permit types the City lists. Whether a specific replacement qualifies depends on the work matching an exact changeout, so confirm the details with Building Services before the replacement begins. A replacement that goes beyond an exact changeout may follow a different review route.
Does a repair that touches plumbing, electrical or HVAC always need a permit?
Under FBC section 105.1 and Florida Statute 553.79(1), as the City quotes them, altering, repairing or replacing regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems generally requires a permit application to the building official first. Minor work may fall below the City's thresholds, which the City sets out in its own rules. Ask Building Services before work starts or continues, so the scope and the permit match.
Which flood maps apply to Fort Lauderdale properties?
FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Broward County became effective on July 31, 2024, and insurance companies must use them for flood insurance purposes. Broward County's Interactive Tool for Current (2024) Flood Zones Map shows the zone for an individual address. The zone affects flood insurance requirements, so check it for your property.
What affects the cost of water damage repair?
Cost depends on several factors: how far the water spread, which materials were affected, how long drying takes, and how easily the affected areas can be reached. Water that has reached multiple rooms or shared building areas usually involves more work than water confined to one space. Each of these factors can be explained during a call to (954) 481-0645.
Call About Water Damage in Fort Lauderdale
Water that has reached your Fort Lauderdale property needs attention now. Call (954) 481-0645. We will ask where the water came from, whether it reached shared or unit areas, and what has already been done, so the first steps are clear. Our address is 13160 NW 18th Ct, Pembroke Pines, FL 33028. You can also reach us through our contact page.