Hurricanes, heavy rain and flooding: How Miramar is preparing for the future
The City of Miramar is completing a study that might get it the money it needs to further prepare for flooding in the most vulnerable areas.
City officials contracted Kimley-Horn and Associates, a civil engineering consulting firm that has identified the areas that are the most susceptible.
“The city is taking the necessary steps to unlock some of the state funding that exists out there to make the community more resilient and more prepared for changing flood conditions,” Matt Brosman told the Miramar News.
He and colleague Giselle Gutierrez presented their findings Wednesday night at a vulnerability assessment study community meeting held by the Historic Miramar Advisory Board at the Alexandra P. Davis Complex.
The study itself, Brosman says, is “essentially done.”
Kimley-Horn identified 13 focus areas where short- and long-term solutions will be implemented, should the city receive funding.
These focus areas have a high concentration of “critical assets.” A map shows a focus on neighborhoods such as Vizcaya at Flamingo Road and Hampshire Homes on Palm Avenue.
The questions posed during the study were, “How exposed are all of these various city assets to flood hazard. … When it comes to a critical road within the city, that’s an evacuation route, how much water can we stand to have on that road before it’s … shut down for multiple days or weeks because of permanent damage?”
“One of the things we talked about was flood proofing, there could be funding for flood proofing critical infrastructure like any city building,” Brosman said.
Another was stormwater improvements — new pipes that collect water and keep places dry.
This rainy season, Miramar has been hit with heavy storms that brought flooding to roads and homes. Street flood advisories as well as flash flood warnings are common.
Community members and members of the Historic Miramar Advisory Board raised their concerns about the study.
When Brosman mentioned pump station improvements as a long-term solution, board member Christopher Jarrett asked, “Are those [pump stations] tools that can be utilized in the midst of heavy rain to prevent flooding?”
The answer was yes, and that the South Florida Water Management District communicates ahead of large storms to ready those stations.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida Program provides grants so cities such as Miramar can conduct studies and become eligible. According to its site, “Applications submitted for funding consideration require a comprehensive evaluation,” such as the Kimley-Horn study.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Hurricanes, heavy rain and flooding: How Miramar is preparing for the future."
