'Unfortunately, we live in paradise:' With king tides, waterfront residents take the bad with the good

King tides are the seasonal higher than normal tides that bring flooding to low-lying coastal areas, and in South Florida, flooding often affects many of the communities near the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway in the fall. Miami Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach are usually impacted.

Residents and officials say the flooding has been getting worse the past few years, with scientists and experts pointing to climate change and sea level rise as a contributing factor. They also highlight the need for updated infrastructure, like higher sea walls and drainage systems that are better able to keep the water off the streets.

Katie Fitzgerald, who lives on Riviera Isle, indicated Tuesday morning that residents there basically take the bad with the good.

"Unfortunately, we live in paradise," she said, after walking to the end of her driveway in shin-high water to put some cardboard in her recycling bin. She said the flooding this year has been "pretty bad" but not so much of an inconvenience that she would consider moving. But another neighbor down the street, fed up with the floods, did move, she said.