Sea Walls in Miami Beach, FL
Guardians of the Coastline: Protecting Property and Preserving Beauty — serving Miami Beach and the surrounding waterfront communities.
Does Miami Beach require seawalls to be built to a certain height?
Yes. The City of Miami Beach passed an ordinance requiring new and replacement seawalls to be built to a minimum elevation of 5.7 feet NAVD88 (or 4 feet NAVD88 if designed to support a future raise to 5.7 feet), first adopted in 2021 and updated in 2025. This is an enforceable city elevation requirement, not just a design guideline.
What happens if a Miami Beach seawall doesn't meet the city's elevation requirement?
The city's ordinance gives property owners a compliance window — up to 730 days — to bring a failing seawall up to the required elevation, and the ordinance includes fines for non-compliance. Watson Marine can evaluate whether an existing seawall meets the current standard and scope a compliant repair or rebuild.
What sea walls looks like in Miami Beach
Miami Beach is one of the most cited U.S. examples of "sunny day flooding" — a 2016 study found high-tide flooding here increased more than 400% since 2006, with the worst tidal flooding typically occurring during king tide season each September through November.
Since adopting its Stormwater Management Master Plan in 2011, Miami Beach has spent over $103 million raising roads, adding pump stations, and rebuilding seawalls across its waterfront neighborhoods, including completed projects on Palm and Hibiscus Islands and Sunset Islands 3 and 4.
Miami Beach has its own seawall/resiliency ordinance (updated July 2025) requiring a minimum 5.7-ft NAVD88 elevation for new and replacement seawalls — one of the first ordinances of its kind in the region.
The city has documented high-tide flooding increasing more than 400% since 2006, which is a driving reason seawall elevation is enforced locally rather than left to general building code.
Seawall work is happening alongside the city's broader Stormwater Management Master Plan, with recent projects completed on Palm and Hibiscus Islands and Sunset Islands 3 and 4.
We regularly work in Venetian Islands, Sunset Islands, La Gorce Island, Star Island and Palm Island, and coordinate permitting with the City of Miami Beach Building Department, in coordination with Miami-Dade DERM, FDEP, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers depending on project scope.
For the complete breakdown of our sea walls process, materials, and options, see the full Sea Walls page. Want to explore other cities we serve? Visit Areas Served.
Sea Walls in Miami Beach — Frequently Asked Questions
It starts with an evaluation of the existing wall's condition and elevation against the city's 5.7-ft NAVD88 standard, followed by permitting through the City of Miami Beach and, depending on scope, Miami-Dade DERM, FDEP, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Watson Marine manages this process for you.
Ready to build on the water in Miami Beach?
Tell us about your Miami Beach property and what you need built — we'll follow up to schedule a site visit and put together a quote.