King tide brings flooding to downtown

It was 87 degrees and sunny Saturday afternoon, but several bayfront streets flooded because of unusually high tides during the weekend.

City Manager Tom Barwin attributed the flooding to a king tide, a nonscientific term for higher-than-normal tides typically associated with lunar and solar cycles. Barwin said the high tide Saturday was 2 to 3 feet higher than normal high tide.

Water backed up from the bay onto U.S. 41 between Gulfstream Avenue and Fruitville Road. Flooding also occurred near Hart’s Landing and at Lido and Siesta beaches.

Barwin said city officials were investigating their options for dealing with acute flooding issues. He also said events like this will encourage the city to grapple with the effects of projected sea level rise.

“I think it’s a good example of a reality that could become the norm someday — or is likely to become the norm one day,” Barwin said. “Just when is that one day going to be? It’s impossible to predict.”