Laura Sormel, a Hallandale Beach resident who owns rental property on Second Street, told the City Commission that last year flooding forced her tenants "to swim out, and 1 of my tenants and her dog almost drowned." She said the building houses a tenant who has brain cancer and urged the city to address local drainage and pumping systems.

Mayor Joy Cooper said the city has been working on stormwater problems for years but acknowledged limits. "We actually have $10,000,000 budgeted. Sadly, the governor cut that request of funding," Cooper said, adding the city is prioritizing critical areas and pursuing a master stormwater program.

City Manager Dr. Earl told the commission Hallandale Beach is in the middle of "an almost $300,000,000 project to redo all of this city's infrastructure" that includes sewer, water and stormwater work. He said pump stations have been repaired and that some record storms can overwhelm any local system: "When you have the types of record storms that we have had over the past couple of years, there is no system in the country that is gonna be able to address a lot of stormwater in a very short period of time."

Officials and staff described immediate and longer-term steps the city will take. They identified ongoing design work for pump stations in the Northeast — including stations at Northeast Second and at Twelfth Avenue — a reassessment of aging stormwater pipes, and work to finish a vulnerability study that staff said will feed an updated, citywide stormwater master plan. "We have a stormwater master plan that needs to be updated," a staff member identified as Mark said; the city expects to draw on a prequalified consultant roster (the city’s CCNA list) to update the plan and to align projects with the vulnerability assessment.

Commissioner Adams said residents see three priorities: traffic, flooding and the look of the city, and urged continued outreach and education about what the city can and cannot fix. Staff and the mayor emphasized limits on city authority: the city does not maintain drainage inside private parking lots and condominiums, where older French drains and private pumps must be maintained by property owners.

Public works and engineering staff described short-term measures that have reduced localized flooding — for example, crews laid additional pipe in an open utility trench that, staff said, reduced flooding in one southwest neighborhood during recent rains. Staff also said they are exploring additional measures such as recapture swales and bioswales in specific locations, while noting those approaches can reduce parking and will require policy decisions by the commission.

City staff and commissioners discussed possible public–private partnerships (P3s) and alternative financing to accelerate work and reduce the risk of redoing recently installed infrastructure if a comprehensive plan is not in place. Staff said two tranches of planned work remain in current funding cycles and that completing the vulnerability study will help prioritize projects for grant applications and other funding.

Public notice and construction details were also described: a water‑main crossing on Diplomat Parkway at Atlantic Shores will require a full roadway closure for about two weeks, staff said, with signage and detours already posted. Officials said they are coordinating with county and state partners for projects affecting federal and state roads.

Why it matters: Hallandale Beach commissioners and staff say they are addressing decades of deferred maintenance while coping with increasingly intense rain events. Officials urged residents to secure private property drainage where feasible and said a formal, updated stormwater master plan tied to the vulnerability study will guide larger investments and grant applications.

The commission did not take a formal vote on a new policy at this meeting; staff were directed to complete the vulnerability study, update the stormwater master plan using prequalified consultants, and return with funding and implementation options, including assessments of possible P3 arrangements.