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Seasonal high tides, compounded by distant storms, leave beaches scoured and stairs broken. November promises to bring another threat.

Visitors to the beach just south of the Boca Raton Inlet in October contend with a cliff of sand taller than they are, which was  created by the pounding surf. Photos by Tim Stepien, Jerry Lower and Mary Kate Leming/The Coastal Star

Related: Along the Coast: Surprise storm soaks region; Boca hit the hardest by flooding

By John Pacenti

Christy Turnquist looked like she was walking on water at Sportsman’s Park Marina in Lantana.

“So somehow I literally, by the grace of God, just ended up there. And it just happened to be my favorite time of year, which is king tide,” said the West Palm Beach woman who tries to go to a park or the beach daily to say her prayers.

Christy Turnquist wades through the water at Lantana’s Sportsman’s Park.

The Sportsman’s Park parking lot was flooded on Oct. 9, practically right up to the doors of Kona Bay Cafe alongside the Intracoastal Waterway. The Bar Jack Fishing charter, The Lady K, was docked, unable to traverse under the Boynton Inlet’s fixed bridge. At Lantana Municipal Beach, the ocean came right up to the steps that usually lead to the sandy beach.

The Lady K was sitting so high, customers could not board.

The harvest moon put on quite a show, both day and night, but this king tide came on the tail of some rough surf churned up by the twin hurricanes of Imelda and Humberto in late September, causing severe beach erosion. 

Beach stairs off Anna Street and Edith Street in Ocean Ridge were damaged and sand was piled up in Boca Raton higher than 6 feet. 

“The beaches that align with these access points are also closed due to dangerous debris and the immediate drop-off caused by erosion,” Ocean Ridge posted on its Facebook account on Oct. 8.

‘Double or triple whammy’

Andy Studt, environmental program supervisor for Palm Beach County’s coastal resource management, said the seasonal king tides — combined with the hurricanes  — created a one-two punch for the area’s embattled coastline.

“Those storms kind of set the conditions that followed from there. So, we didn’t really get too much from Humberto, but Imelda definitely started us off in the wrong direction with some hurricane-based swell,” he said. “And then that wrapped into king tides, which was, you know, a bit of a double or triple whammy in terms of waves and timing of elevated tides.”

Humberto reached Category 5 before passing north of Bermuda, generating dangerous swells that felled some coastal homes in the Carolinas. Imelda followed close behind and made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 2 storm. Like celestial objects, the two hurricanes interacted, with Humberto influencing Imelda’s track.

King tides are the highest high tides of the year, caused by the gravitational forces of the sun and moon aligning during specific points in their orbits. The tides are natural and predictable phenomena but are becoming more significant due to rising sea levels, providing a glimpse of what normal tides may look like in the future. 

Another round of king tides is coming Nov. 4-8, with coastal flooding expected to be at its worst Nov. 5-7. 

Studt said a lot of sand movement occurred throughout the county in early October. “I saw a photo last week that Boca Raton Inlet has sanded in,” he said. “We’ve seen upper beach and dune damage, I would say definitely from Ocean Ridge north through the county line, most intensely. And then you know, there’s definitely been some damage down in Delray and Boca.”

Beach access stairs in Ocean Ridge were damaged by high waves and king tides in October.

Stairs take a beating

After the steps were damaged, Ocean Ridge Town Manager Michelle Heiser got on the phone to Studt.

“So the wave action has now contributed to the sand erosion in those areas, and the sand erosion, of course, then contributes to the damage to the facilities, which are the staircases and the crossovers,” Heiser said. “And then subsequently on Anna Street and Edith Street, we’ve lost both of the staircases, so no access at this point.”

Heiser said the town has reached out to its insurance company and is working with the county to determine options for replenishment. 

In February 2020, Ocean Ridge declared a state of emergency after winter storms damaged 1,700 feet of the town’s coastline, crumbling sea walls and tearing up dune lines.

The Town Commission approved a plan that would allow a half-dozen oceanfront homeowners to build protective sea walls along their eroded dunes, with three of those homeowners agreeing to spend $70,000 of their own money to build a 20-foot section of sea wall for the town along the Anna Street crossover.

Some residents saw the stair damage as an opportunity at Edith Street.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened,” said Lisa Ritota. “I loved those stairs, but I would like wider stairs when they get replaced.” She said she brings big, bulky items to the beach, but the Edith Street stairs were the narrowest in all of the town.

The privately funded sea walls in Ocean Ridge near Anna Street did protect the homes of residents who paid for them, but could not protect the stairs down to the beach. Before October the sand at this location extended at least 5 feet beyond the concrete wall at high tide.

Boca gets pumping

Down in Boca Raton, the sand had piled up near the sea grapes, while city crews did some emergency repairs during the king tides. Paul Baker, a stormwater supervisor, was up to his chin fixing a portion of the sea wall cap along the south end of Wavecrest Way in the Por La Mar neighborhood on Oct. 9.

Eleven Boca Raton city employees assist Paul Baker, a stormwater supervisor, who was up to his chin fixing a portion of the sea wall cap along the south end of Wavecrest Way in the Por La Mar neighborhood on Oct. 9.

The cap had become delaminated, allowing tidal seawater to collect in the roadway during the king tide event, said city spokeswoman Ileana Olmsted.

City staffers were immediately dispatched to the site to implement emergency mitigation measures, including setting up a continuous pumping system and strategically placing fill. This system will remain operational throughout the tidal season to protect the neighborhood. 

The city has met with a contractor and is reviewing a proposal for full sea wall reconstruction, Olmsted said.

In Briny Breezes, water-filled plastic bladders sit atop the sea walls, and industrial size sump pumps in multiple locations on the west side of the community provide some protection from the king tides.  

A sight to see

Back in Lantana, plenty of sightseers witnessed the power of nature during the king tides.

“I’ve been to Florida a bunch of times and I’ve never seen it like this,” said Billie Malone, visiting from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Lifeguard Sam Janssen nearby had his eyes peeled. “It gives my heart a start every time someone’s at the bottom of the stairs and a big wave comes in, water splashes everywhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, fishermen ate their lunch at Kona Bay, saying everyone makes a big deal about king tides, but this flooding is routine during October.

“How many people were telling you it’s global warming?” said Frank Umbrecht. “It’s not getting any worse. It’s like it’s always been.” 

The Palm Beach County Office of Resilience says the next king tides are expected during the high-tide periods of Nov. 4-8. Another round of king tides is expected Dec.3-6.