Current, Old and Future Floods

Sea level rise is often talked about as something to be dealt with in the future, but in Miami Beach it is being dealt with, head-on, right now. It is not an academic exercise. So Flo Floods features unique footage to tell the story of what is going on in this world renowned and economically vital city. The film also takes us to Lake Okeechobee and The Herbert Hoover Dike as flood control in South Florida is inherently tied to “Lake O,” which naturally wants to flood into South Florida. The Hoover Dike allows great control over the lake but with significant tradeoffs among the economic, political, and environmental interests which are all intertwined.

There is one thing science, government, and most stake-holders generally agree on: the water levels are going up. The question is how fast. The ecological side of this seems obvious, though not really. The economics side of things is even more opaque, though everyone seems to think it is a net negative to the region. It is likely however that tremendous economic activity will take place over the decades to come – as in recent decades past - as South Florida attempts to adapt. Miami Beach’s example of infrastructure investments to keep the water out are simply the latest. This means jobs, careers, businesses, and all that comes with it.

Not only is South Florida home to some of the most knowledgeable experts in the world on SLR, but also to many with related expertise that help So Flo Floods paint a picture of South Florida’s economic, environmental, and political realities going forward. There are differences of opinion about what’s to come and what to do about it–but not that it’s here. We interview professors, mayors, writers, historians, engineers, and others, and support their stories with archival and current footage, as well as animation and aerial footage captured over the past two years. Interviewees include Professor Wanless from the University of Miami, Dr. Paul George, Resident Historian at History Miami Museum, Miami Beach’s new mayor, Dan Gelber, and others.

Old Floods

Most of South Florida is a natural flood zone. Only over the past century have Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and most of the other cities and towns of South Florida been habitable in the ways we experience now, along with the agricultural, real estate, tourism, and other economic drivers that make the region what is is today. So Flo Floods takes us back in time to show how we got into the economic and environmental entanglements of today, and the incessant fights against water that are necessary to make modern living in South Florida possible.

Future Floods

The future of flooding in South Florida depends greatly on the level of sea level rise and the responses of those that live there. We take a deep-dive into the impact of sea level rise going forward, and what we can expect in the future. Not only is South Florida home to some of the most knowledgeable experts in the world on sea level rise, but also to many with related expertise that help So Flo Floods paint a picture of South Florida’s realities going forward. There are differences of opinion about what’s to come and what to do about it–but not that it’s here. We interview professors, mayors, writers, historians, engineers, and others and support their stories with archival and new footage, as well as animation and aerial footage captured over the past two years. ​

These interviews include:

• Dr. Paul George – Resident Historian, History Miami Museum
• Harold Wanless, Ph.D. – Professor and Geological Science Department Chair, Univ. of Miami
• Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch - Former mayor of Sewall’s Point, FL
• Susy Torriente – Chief Resiliency Officer, Assistant City Manager, City of Miami Beach
• Dan Gelber - Mayor, City of Miami Beach
• Robert Mykle – Author, Killer 'Cane: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928
• Dorothy Block – Lawrence E. Will Museum of the Glades, Belle Glade, FL
• John Campbell – Army Corp of Engineers, Corporate Communications Office
• Richard Weisskoff, Ph.D. - Professor of Economics & INS Department Chair, Univ. of Miami

Testimonial

"I was very impressed. I thought you had a wide range of angles, a wide range of people, and what was interesting was it all converged...about half way through I was like, "This is amazing--how it's all starting to come together."
— Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch

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"I think you guys did an excellent job of presenting the facts."
— Ed Lippisch

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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch and Ed Lippisch, Initial Screening Testimonial from TheoEco Institute on Vimeo.