King tide flooding hits fourth day in Fort Lauderdale as boat show opens, snarling traffic

King Tides flooded streets in parts of Fort Lauderdale for a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, creating heavy traffic congestion during crunch time for the opening of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

The flooding prompted the closure of the Las Olas Bridge earlier in the week, forcing drivers onto alternate routes and causing severe gridlock along 17th Street and Sunrise Boulevard.

"Getting down here, king tides made it a little bit more difficult; I have never seen it that high," said Zachary Oppenheim, who is marking his 21st year at the event. "The Las Olas Bridge was shut down, so a lot of people had to turn around and be able to get through. 17th Street was quite the headache. And the same thing to go up to Sunrise Boulevard. It's only a two-lane road with heavy traffic. I mean, the congestion was pretty bad."

Despite the transit obstacles, show organizers stated the weather created only minor disruptions to overall operations.

"Ultimately, we still got the show set up and opened the doors on time," said Dean Fillichio, director of sales for Informa U.S. Boat Shows.

With more than 1,300 vessels on display, the event is recognized as the world's largest in-water boat show. It features a range of watercraft from entry-level day boats to luxury superyachts.

"We typically get about 100,000 attendees of the show over 5 days; the show does about a $1.8 billion impact to the City of Fort Lauderdale and Broward County," Fillichio said.

High-end amenities are a focal point of this year's event, including one-of-a-kind Aston Martins and a new private helicopter service taking visitors directly from the airport to the show floor.

"Seeing the boat show go from what it was 21 years ago to today is quite a tremendous feat," Oppenheim said. "And, I kind of love it. I love to see South Florida continue to grow."

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs through Sunday, Nov. 1.