High Tides Crash Through Ft. Lauderdale Beach Barrier Walls

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – With every crashing wave, it gets worse along a stretch of Ft. Lauderdale's famed beach.

Beach erosion combined with ocean storms has allowed crashing waves to damage the sea wall and sidewalk and State Road A1A could be next.

"It's scary when you back at these multi-million dollar homes just across the street," said area resident Kermit Wyche.

Most of the heavy damage along A1A is just north of Sunrise Boulevard. University of Miami civil engineer Francisco De Caso said in addition to erosion, the situation was made worse by man.

"The state has to provide water roads for shipping containers and those lanes need to be maintained, some of them have to be reconstructed and the man made influence on that impact is what otherwise would be a natural process of coastal erosion," said De Caso.

The problem began back in late October when seasonal tides, caused by the moon's close proximity to the Earth, washed sand out to sea and crashed over the barrier walls on the sidewalk and street. Just a few weeks later, Superstorm Sandy passed by the coast, again creating high tides which forced sand and water onto A1A.

State and city workers are have put up concrete barriers as a temporary fix.

"You have to tame the process, slow it down and eventually look at the whole stretch and not just the part of land in front of the person who used to have a beautiful coastline who wants to gain in back - it's a holistic approach," said De Cosa.

Ft. Lauderdale city officials urge drivers to slow down on A1A on the stretch between Sunrise Boulevard and NE 20th Street.

In the long term, Mayor Jack Seiler the city will need a strong partnership with local, state and federal agencies to renourish the beach.