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Fort Lauderdale: Sunrise Key, Laudergate Isles and the mouth of the Middle River

Selling a waterfront lot in 33304: Sunrise Key to the Middle River

In 33304 the first thing to know about a waterfront lot is which side of the Middle River's Sunrise Boulevard bridge it sits on. Below that bridge, docks in Sunrise Key and Sunrise Intracoastal reach Port Everglades, about 3 miles south, through drawbridges only; above it, a fixed span leaves 10 feet over mean high water. The ZIP is all City of Fort Lauderdale and also crosses the Intracoastal to take in beach streets around Sunrise Boulevard.

33304 at a glance

Post office name and who governs it
USPS name Fort Lauderdale. The 2020 Census ZIP-to-place file puts all of the land in 33304 inside the City of Fort Lauderdale; the rest of the area is ocean and Intracoastal water. source
Waterfront neighbourhoods inside the ZIP
Sunrise Key, Sunrise Intracoastal and Laudergate Isles almost entirely; the southern third of Coral Ridge; most of the Birch Park finger streets and part of Central Beach on the barrier island. source
Named water
The Intracoastal, the Middle River, Sunrise Bay, Coral Bay, Seabreeze Canal, Canal Lagoon, Rio Blanco and Rio Encarnado canals, Seminole Lake and Lake Melva. source
Middle River fixed bridges
Sunrise Boulevard, about 0.9 mile above the river mouth: fixed, 29 ft wide, 10 ft clearance. US 1, further up: fixed, 29 ft wide, 8 ft. Clearances in feet above mean high water. source
Route to the ocean
The Middle River meets the Intracoastal about 0.6 mile south of the Sunrise Boulevard bascules (Mile 1062.6). From there, south past Las Olas (Mile 1064.0) and SE 17th Street (Mile 1065.9) to Port Everglades at Mile 1066.3. source
Intracoastal drawbridges on the way
Sunrise Boulevard twin bascules, 25 ft minimum at the centre; Las Olas bascule, 24 ft reported; SE 17th Street twin bascule, 55 ft authorized. source
Opening times
Sunrise: hour and half-hour. Las Olas: quarter and three-quarter hour. On the first weekend in May neither need open from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. source
Seawall rule
Fort Lauderdale ULDR sec. 47-19.13: walls must reach 5.0 ft NAVD88 when new or substantially repaired. A cited owner shows progress within 60 days and finishes within 365. source
FEMA flood zones
AE with base flood elevations from 6 to 12 ft NAVD88, VE of 10 to 12 ft on the ocean side, some AO, and X. source
2025 single-family sales, whole ZIP
119 closed sales at a median of $910,000, down 3.1% on 2024; 51 cash buyers. Every single-family sale in 33304, not waterfront only. source

The Sunrise Boulevard fixed bridge on the Middle River

The Middle River runs north from the Intracoastal through the middle of this ZIP. About 0.9 mile up, Sunrise Boulevard crosses it on a fixed span 29 feet wide with 10 feet of clearance above mean high water. It never opens.

South of it, the lower river and the Intracoastal frontage of Sunrise Key and Sunrise Intracoastal have nothing fixed between the dock and the port. North of it, Laudergate Isles and the Middle River lots beyond it are capped at 10 feet, and anything west of US 1 also passes an 8-foot fixed span. A centre console fits. A sportfisherman with a tower does not.

  • Below Sunrise Boulevard: drawbridges only, about 3 miles to Port Everglades
  • Above it: 10 ft fixed at Sunrise Boulevard
  • West of US 1: another fixed span, 8 ft

Southern Coral Ridge and the twin Sunrise bascules

The southern end of Coral Ridge, north of Sunrise Boulevard and east of Bayview Drive, is in 33304, and their canals, Rio Blanco, Rio Encarnado, Coral Bay and Sunrise Bay, open straight onto the Intracoastal. That puts them above the twin Sunrise Boulevard bascules, the first of three drawbridges on the run south.

Sunrise opens on the hour and half-hour, Las Olas on the quarter and three-quarter hour, and 17th Street on the hour and half-hour. With some luck the timing chains together. The first weekend in May is the exception: both Sunrise and Las Olas may stay shut from 4 to 6 p.m. on the Saturday and Sunday.

Across the Intracoastal: Birch Park and the ocean zones

33304 does not stop at the waterway. It crosses onto the barrier island around Sunrise Boulevard, taking in most of the Birch Park finger streets and part of Central Beach.

That is where the flood map changes. Along the ocean the city's FEMA layer shows VE zones, where waves are expected, with base flood elevations of 10 to 12 feet NAVD88. On the mainland side the lots are mostly AE. For a rebuild the zone sets how high the new floor goes and what the foundation must do, and we cost that in.

When tidal water crosses the property line

Fort Lauderdale treats tidal water flowing from your lot onto a neighbour's or into the street as a public nuisance and a citable offence. Once cited, you have 60 days to show progress and 365 days to complete an approved fix.

If the fix crosses the substantial-repair line, the whole new wall has to be designed, permitted, built and inspected at the full height inside that year. A wall already built to the standard that is simply overtopped is not a nuisance. If you have a citation open, tell us: the clock does not stop for a sale, but a buyer who prices it in takes it off your hands.

What 119 sales at $910,000 say about this ZIP

Across 33304, 119 single-family homes closed in 2025 at a median of $910,000, 3.1% down on 2024. The median home took 94 days to go under contract, and sellers got 91.8% of their original asking price.

The count takes in every single-family house, dry streets included, so it tells you little about a canal lot below the Sunrise bridge. That one we price from its frontage, its route and its wall.

Questions from 33304

My house is in Laudergate Isles. Is a 10-foot fixed bridge a deal-breaker for you?

No. It limits the boats a buyer can keep there, which lowers the number compared with the same lot below Sunrise Boulevard, but we still make an offer. Tell us the lot size and the state of the wall.

How far is Port Everglades from Sunrise Key by boat?

About 3 statute miles. The Middle River meets the Intracoastal near Mile 1063.2, and the port is at Mile 1066.3, with the Las Olas and 17th Street drawbridges in between.

I have a seawall citation for water crossing onto the street. What happens if I sell?

The deadlines run from the citation, 60 days to show progress and 365 to finish, whoever owns the lot. We buy with the wall as it is and take the repair on, so tell us the citation date up front.

Is a lot on the Birch Park finger streets in a VE zone?

Parts of the beach side of 33304 are VE on the city's FEMA layer, with base flood elevations of 10 to 12 feet NAVD88. Look your address up on FEMA's Map Service Center to see which zone your lot is in.

Own a waterfront lot in 33304? Send us the address.

From 7,000 sq ft with a route to the ocean for a big boat, vacant or with a house on it. Not sure it fits? Send it anyway.

Know someone selling? Send them our way.

Neighbours, agents, dock builders and captains usually hear a waterfront lot is coming free long before it is listed. Point us at one. If you hold a Florida real estate licence and we buy it, we pay you a referral fee through your broker, agreed in writing before we approach anyone and paid at closing.

Not licensed? Send it anyway. Florida law does not let us pay you for it, but we still want to know.