MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Heavy rains continued to fall across South Florida on Sunday, causing floodwaters to rise in parts of Miami Beach ahead of the start of hurricane season.
7News cameras captured ankle-deep water near Pennsylvania Avenue and Española Way, just after 10 p.m. About a block away, near 15th Street, the water was nearly knee-deep.
Area residents said they haven’t seen floodwaters this high since Hurricane Irma back in September.
The steady rainfall caused floodwaters to pour into Surf Style, a store located near Washington Avenue and 13th Street. Cellphone video captured entire aisles filled with shallow water.
The flooding prompted employees to pull out sandbags to help keep out water for the first time since Hurricane Irma.
The business owner said the fire department was called, but officials said there was not much they could do to help alleviate the situation.
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Employees attempted to sweep as much water out of the store as possible.
The rain had subsided by 10 p.m. after falling nonstop for hours, but not before it dampened a night out on the town for visitors Cameron and Alexis.
“They say they put a million-dollar drainage system in? I don’t see it, because we get flash floods, too,” said Cameron.
“I’ve never had my feet buried underwater from the rain,” said Alexis as she showed 7News her drenched slippers.
When asked how quickly the rain got out of control, Alexis replied, “Like 10 minutes.”
The floodwaters began to recede around 11 p.m. However, officials urged drivers to turn around if they come across a flooded roadway in this area.
The drenching rain began to fall over the Florida Keys before spreading to the mainland earlier on Sunday. It intensified in the afternoon and throughout the evening, triggering a street flood advisory for parts of Northeast Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties until 10:45 p.m. They have since been lifted.
Miami Beach reported three inches of rain, whereas Key West reported a record 3.25 inches.
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