The City of Fort Lauderdale may soon make it easier for waterfront properties to install living seawalls — innovative underwater shoreline structures that mimic natural habitats, improve water quality and give marine life a home.
City commissioners showed interest in a proposed program that incentivizes residents and businesses that own waterfront property to install living seawalls at Tuesday afternoon’s commission meeting. Unlike typical, flat concrete seawalls, living seawalls can be designed to look like mangrove roots, which provide small spaces for crabs and fish to live, promotes biodiversity and absorbs some of the impact from storm surges and strong waves.
The program, which the city hopes to launch in Spring 2026, covers 100 percent of the base fees for living seawall permits and expedites the permitting process, said Marco Aguilera, the Fort Lauderdale chief waterways officer…