Streets & lots
Rio Vista Streets & Lots: Boundaries, Plats, Canal Blocks and Zoning
By Glen Primak, GLEN PRIMAK GROUP · Updated
Where Rio Vista begins and ends
This guide follows the City of Fort Lauderdale’s neighborhood-association map, which outlines the Rio Vista Civic Association area. The City’s 2023 architectural survey and the association describe the same lines:
- North: the New River. Colee Hammock, Idlewyld and Las Olas Isles are across the river.
- East: the Intracoastal Waterway.
- South: SE 12th Street. Harbordale and Lauderdale Harbours are to the south.
- West: S Federal Highway (US 1). This guide includes only the addresses on the east side of Federal Hwy that fall inside the association area.
On the City’s map the Rio Vista area does not overlap Idlewyld, Las Olas Isles, Harbor Beach, Harbordale or Tarpon River at all; some of those areas only touch it along a shared edge. The parcels on the south side of SE 12th Street and anything west of Federal Highway are outside Rio Vista and outside this guide.
The neighborhood spans two ZIP codes, 33301 (mostly the north end) and 33316, and City Commission Districts 2 and 4.
The parcels at a glance
Figures are from the Broward County Property Appraiser (BCPA) for the tax folios behind the City’s address points in the association area, as of October 24, 2026.
| Type (BCPA use code) | Parcels |
|---|---|
| Single-family homes (incl. 63 with a guest house) | 857 |
| Vacant residential lots | 53 |
| Condominium units | 65 |
| Townhomes | 14 |
| Multifamily buildings | 17 |
| Commercial, office, church, school, club and other | 47 |
| Total | 1,053 |
Forty-one folios in the area had no BCPA parcel record on the pull date and are not counted. Most commercial parcels front S Federal Hwy or SE 6th Ave; most condominium and multifamily parcels are on SE 12th St and SE 5th Ct.
Plats
Rio Vista’s lots were laid out in a handful of recorded plats. By BCPA legal description, the largest are Rio Vista Isles Units 3, 4 and 5 (about 520 parcels), C.J. Hector’s Re-Subdivision of Rio Vista (about 380 parcels) and Gordon’s Addition (about 40). A few parcels are in small later plats or condominiums.
Street by street
Single-family homes only, from BCPA. Medians hide a wide range, so treat them as a rough guide to each street.
| Street | Parcels | Homes | Median lot (sq ft) | Median living area (sq ft) | Median year built | Zoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE 5th Ct | 95 | 62 | 6,001 | 2,860 | 1952 | RS-8, RML-25 |
| SE 6th St | 62 | 55 | 6,700 | 2,604 | 1965 | RS-8 |
| SE 6th Ct | 49 | 45 | 6,740 | 2,285 | 1956 | RS-8 |
| SE 7th St | 105 | 94 | 8,960 | 3,452 | 1972 | RS-8, RS-4.4 |
| SE 8th St | 76 | 71 | 9,288 | 2,951 | 1956 | RS-8, RS-4.4 |
| SE 9th St | 100 | 90 | 6,698 | 3,610 | 1976 | RS-8, RS-4.4 |
| SE 10th St | 62 | 56 | 9,375 | 3,731 | 1982 | RS-4.4, RS-8 |
| SE 11th St | 65 | 61 | 8,125 | 2,802 | 1971 | RS-4.4, RS-8 |
| SE 11th Ct | 74 | 68 | 6,613 | 2,192 | 1951 | RS-8 |
| SE 12th St (north side) | 55 | 7 | 10,625 | 3,983 | 2011 | RML-25, RS-4.4 |
| N Rio Vista Blvd | 81 | 70 | 11,926 | 3,876 | 1978 | RS-8 |
| S Rio Vista Blvd | 35 | 33 | 10,288 | 3,136 | 1958 | RS-8 |
| Ponce de Leon Dr | 100 | 91 | 8,760 | 3,424 | 1978 | RS-8 |
| Cordova Rd | 20 | 17 | 8,155 | 3,255 | 1986 | RS-8 |
| SE 9th Ave, SE 11th Ave, SE 6th Ter, SE 12th Way, SE 12th Ter, SE 13th Ter | 47 | 37 | 6,250–11,741 | — | — | RS-8 |
S Federal Hwy (21 parcels) and SE 6th Ave (2) have no single-family homes in the county records; they are commercial (CB, B-1) and multifamily.
Canal, river, Intracoastal and dry lots
Rio Vista is not all waterfront. The City’s waterbody-name layer names the New River, the Tarpon River, Lake Juanita and the Rio Alcazar, Rio Carmena, Rio Cordova, Rio Granada and Rio Valencia canals in or along the neighborhood, and many lots back onto one of them or face the Intracoastal. Many other lots, especially in the older blocks near Federal Hwy, are dry. Whether a specific lot has water frontage, how wide the water is, and whether a boat can get from it to the Intracoastal all need checking by survey and chart. See Boating.
Zoning
By BCPA, 749 parcels are zoned RS-8 and 200 RS-4.4, both single-family districts in the City’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR). RML-25 (multifamily low rise) covers 78 parcels, mostly on SE 12th St and SE 5th Ct; CB (community business) and B-1 cover the Federal Hwy frontage, and CF-HS a church and school site. Setbacks, height and lot coverage differ between RS-8 and RS-4.4, so check the district for a particular lot before planning a rebuild.
Flood zone and evacuation
On the City’s map layers, most Rio Vista address points are in FEMA flood zone AE (a Special Flood Hazard Area), more than a quarter straddle the AE and X lines, and about one in ten are in zone X. Hurricane evacuation zones A, B and C all occur. Check the effective FIRM, the base flood elevation and the elevation certificate for each lot.
New and substantially repaired seawalls must meet the City’s tidal flood barrier standard (ULDR Sec. 47-19.13, adopted by Ordinance C-23-05): a top elevation of at least 5 ft NAVD88, or 4 ft for permits applied for before 2035 if designed to reach 5 ft by 2050.
Historic designation
Rio Vista is not a designated historic district on the City’s historic-district layer. The City’s 2023 survey documented 29 potential individual landmarks and identified possible districts, but designation requires a separate application and hearing. See History.
What to check before buying
- Which plat the lot is in, its zoning district (RS-8 or RS-4.4) and any recorded restrictions.
- Water frontage, canal width and depth at mean low water, seawall condition and permits, and the route to the Intracoastal.
- Flood zone, base flood elevation and the house’s finished floor elevation, and the cost of flood insurance.
- For a house from the 1920s–50s, its condition and permits, and whether it is on the City’s list of potential landmarks.
Glen can pull the recorded permits, plats and flood documents for a specific property. Ask about a specific property →
Sources
- City of Fort Lauderdale GIS: Neighborhood_Associations, SiteAddressPoint, ZoningDistrict, WaterbodyNames, FEMA flood, HurricaneEvacuationZone, HistoricDistrict and CityCommissionDistricts layers — City of Fort Lauderdale (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- Broward County Property Appraiser parcel records (tax roll 2026) — Broward County Property Appraiser (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- Rio Vista Area: Intensive Level Architectural Resource Survey (boundaries and history) — City of Fort Lauderdale (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- Rio Vista Civic Association: About Us — Rio Vista Civic Association (accessed Oct 24, 2026)
- Ordinance No. C-23-05, Exhibit 1 (adopted Mar 23, 2023): amends ULDR Sec. 47-19.3 and creates Sec. 47-19.13, Resiliency Standards for Tidal Flood Protection — City of Fort Lauderdale (Legistar, File 23-0168) (accessed Oct 24, 2026)