King Tide Flood Damage Repair in Miami Beach

Updated October 29, 2026

What happened in Miami Beach

On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Virginia Key tide gauge recorded about 2.5 feet of water above high tide. That is the most water it has measured outside of a hurricane since it was installed in 1994, and University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy put it in a near tie with Hurricanes Wilma and Irene.

That morning, Crespi Boulevard in North Beach was completely under water. One homeowner was using a broom to push water away from her door, and by a little after 11 a.m. it had covered her front yard and reached within inches of the doorstep. Neighbors stood knee deep in the middle of the road.

Further south, the Collins Express trolley drove through flooded streets at Collins Avenue and 50th Street, and floodwater covered the Fontainebleau Marina the day before. Reporters described water reaching the doors of coastal businesses in Miami Beach, and in some cases getting past them.

Water in the house right now?

The EPA says wet drywall, baseboards and flooring should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Call us. We come look, take moisture readings and tell you what has to go.

Call (786) 363-7039

Reported flooding spots

Crespi Boulevard, North Beach
Street fully submerged on Oct 27, water inches from front doors.
Collins Avenue at 50th Street
Trolley driving through floodwater on Oct 27.
Fontainebleau Marina, Mid-Beach
Marina flooded on Oct 26.

Why Miami Beach floods on a king tide

Miami Beach is a barrier island with Biscayne Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. North Beach streets like Crespi Boulevard run along the bay and the canals, and much of the island's stormwater drains into the bay. When the bay rises above the drain outlets, water comes back up through the street grates.

Saltwater in the house: what has to come out

King tide water is not clean seawater. It comes up through storm drains, canals and sewer lines before it reaches your house, and the restoration industry classes it as Category 3, the most contaminated kind. That is why drying alone is not enough.

Drywall: water wicks up the paper and gypsum well above where it stood. It gets cut out above the wet line, often at 2 feet off the floor.
Baseboards and insulation: MDF swells and insulation holds the salt. Both go.
Cabinets: particle board bases in kitchens and bathrooms soak water up from the bottom and do not recover.
Floors: tile on a concrete slab usually survives with cleaning. Laminate, wood and carpet rarely do.
Salt: salt left behind keeps pulling in moisture. Surfaces get rinsed with fresh water before drying.

How we repair it in Miami Beach

Walkthrough. We find where the water came in and how high it wicked. You get photos and a written scope for your flood policy.
Water out and tear-out. We remove carpet, baseboards, insulation and the wet lower drywall.
Rinse and dry. We get the salt off and dry the room with air movers and dehumidifiers before anything gets closed up.
Rebuild. Drywall, paint, tile, baseboards, cabinets, bathrooms and kitchens. If water reached electrical or plumbing, we bring in the right trade for that part.

Before the next king tide

The City of Fort Lauderdale lists these remaining 2026 king tide windows:

November 5 to 11
November 22 to 28
December 24 to 25

For ground floor units and single-family homes near the bay, the door threshold is the line that matters. Water-rated door sweeps or removable flood barriers buy time, but keep rugs, electronics and anything in cardboard off the floor during each king tide window.

Miami Beach king tide questions

I live in a ground floor condo in Miami Beach. Who fixes what after a flood?

It depends on your condo documents, but the usual split in Florida goes like this. The association is generally responsible for the building structure and common elements, which can include the drywall itself in some buildings. The unit owner is generally responsible for what is inside the unit: flooring, cabinets, fixtures, paint and anything you or a past owner installed. Read the maintenance section of your declaration, or ask the manager in writing, before work starts. Then document your unit and report it both to the association and to your own flood policy if you have one. We can work inside your unit on the items that are yours, coordinate with the building manager on access and work hours, and give you a written scope so the association's insurer and yours can each see which line belongs to whom.

The water only came an inch over my floor. Does the floor have to come up?

It depends on what the floor is. Tile set on a concrete slab, which is most of Miami Beach, usually survives an inch of water. It needs to be cleaned, the grout rinsed of salt, and the baseboards checked, because MDF baseboards swell and wick water up into the drywall behind them. Laminate and many floating vinyl floors are different. Water gets under the planks and sits on the slab or the underlayment, with no way to dry, and laminate swells at the seams. Engineered and solid wood floors cup and often have to come up. Carpet and pad that took floodwater from outside come out. So an inch of water over tile is often a cleanup. An inch of water over laminate is often a new floor. We check under the edge of the floor and at the baseboards before telling you which one you have.

Why does my house smell musty a week after the water went down?

Because something is still wet. The most common spots after a king tide are the bottom of the drywall, the insulation inside exterior walls, the toe kick under kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and the pad under carpet or a floating floor. Salt makes it worse. Salt left in those materials keeps pulling moisture out of the air, so in a humid Miami Beach house they can stay damp long after the floor looks dry. A musty smell usually means mold has started or is about to. Do not cover it with air freshener or a coat of paint. Open the affected area, take out the wet material, rinse and dry the cavity, and only then close it back up. If you are not sure where it is coming from, we can check the walls and cabinets and show you before anything gets cut.