Fort Lauderdale has more waterfront property than almost any city in the country, and waterfront is the hardest place in Florida to keep a gate alive.

If your driveway sits on a canal off the New River, on a finger island in Rio Vista, or anywhere east of Federal Highway, your gate lives in a marine environment. That is a different category from "near the coast." Salt spray reaches the hardware directly. Brackish water sits in the ground your posts are set in. And twice a year during king tide season, the water comes up through the street and sits around the base of your gate posts and your operator pad.

Interactive Gates & Security installs automatic driveway gates, operators, access control and video intercom across Broward County, and we spec waterfront jobs differently than inland ones. Not as an upsell. Because the same gate that lasts twenty years in Plantation will be bleeding rust in four years on a canal in Harbor Beach.

We come out, walk the property, and give you a written number on the spot.

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What Fort Lauderdale does to a gate

Direct marine exposure. Coastal air is one thing. A canal home is another. Salt reaches the hardware constantly, and it concentrates in exactly the places you cannot see: inside hinge barrels, behind mounting plates, at the base of posts where they meet concrete. We use stainless or hot dip galvanized hardware on waterfront jobs and we specify coating systems rated for marine service, not a standard powder coat.

King tides and street flooding. This is the one most installers get wrong. Fort Lauderdale floods on sunny days. During autumn king tides, saltwater comes up through the storm drains and sits in low-lying streets for hours. If your gate operator, control board or transformer is mounted at grade, it will eventually sit in saltwater. We mount equipment above documented flood elevation and use sealed enclosures with proper drainage. It costs a little more. It is the difference between replacing a control board every few years and not.

Humidity in the enclosure. Even without flooding, an operator is electronics in a metal box outdoors in year-round humidity. Condensation forms on the board and corrodes contacts. Sealed enclosures, correct gasketing and correct mounting orientation matter.

Lightning. Florida leads the nation in lightning strikes and a gate system includes a long low voltage run across open ground. That run behaves like an antenna. Surge protection on both the line side and the low voltage side is standard practice on our installs and commonly skipped by others.

Storm season. After a named storm, power can be out for days. A gate that needs grid power to open is a real problem, especially if you are trying to get a crew in to make repairs. Battery backup and a manual release you actually know how to use are not optional here.

Broward County is inside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone

Broward and Miami-Dade are the only two counties in the United States governed by the High Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions of the Florida Building Code. It was written after Hurricane Andrew and it is the strictest residential code in the country.

For gates this shapes several decisions. Post depth and footing size have to account for wind load. Solid privacy panels present far more sail area than an open picket design, which changes the structural requirement significantly. Products used in HVHZ jurisdictions generally require a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance, which Broward inspectors also reference.

Permitting is real here too. Electrical work for a gate operator typically requires a permit and inspection, and the gate structure itself may as well, depending on height and scope. The City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County and each municipality have their own process, and we handle it rather than handing you a folder.

If you are in a gated community or an HOA, expect a second approval layer covering gate height, material, color and setback. We prepare board submittals regularly.

Gate services in Fort Lauderdale

New automatic gate installation. Sliding, swing, bi-folding and cantilever gates in aluminum, steel, wrought iron and mixed material. Custom fabricated to your driveway width, your grade and your home's architecture, whether that is a Las Olas modern build or a mid-century ranch in Coral Ridge.

Gate operators and automation. We are a LiftMaster Verified Dealer. Operators get sized to the gate's actual weight and duty cycle. An underpowered operator on a heavy gate is the most common cause of early failure we see, and it is entirely avoidable at the spec stage.

Access control. Keypads, fob and card readers, smartphone app control, telephone entry and cloud managed systems. If you spend part of the year up north, this is the section that matters most to you. See below.

Video intercom. See and talk to whoever is at your gate from anywhere. Lets you handle a delivery, a contractor or a house cleaner from another state.

Safety systems. Photo eyes, loop detectors, edge sensors and the entrapment protection required under UL 325. A powered gate is a heavy moving object and these devices are what stand between it and a vehicle, a pet or a child.

Repair and service. We diagnose and repair gates and operators regardless of who installed them. Waterfront corrosion repair is routine work for us.

Fencing, railing and metalwork. Matching fence runs, pedestrian gates, driveway columns, railings and custom fabrication so the entry reads as one design rather than assembled parts.

If you are only here part of the year

A large share of Fort Lauderdale property sits empty for months at a time, and a gate on an empty house has a different job than a gate on an occupied one.

What we set up for seasonal owners:

Remote access from anywhere. Open the gate from your phone in Boston or Toronto. Let in a landscaper, a pool service or a contractor without giving anyone a code that never expires.

Time limited and scheduled access. Your lawn service gets access Tuesday mornings and no other time. Codes that expire on a date you set.

Access logs. See who opened the gate and when. Useful when you are managing a property remotely and something does not look right.

Property manager integration. If a management company handles the home while you are away, they get their own credential, separately revocable.

Storm readiness. Battery backup means the gate still opens if a storm takes the power out while you are gone and someone needs to get in to check the property.

HOA, condo and commercial gate systems in Broward

Broward County has one of the densest concentrations of community associations in the country, and a community entry has requirements a single driveway does not.

Emergency access is the critical one. Fire and EMS must be able to get through without waiting, which means a Knox box, Opticom, siren activation or an equivalent override, coordinated with the local fire department. Boards carry real liability if this is wrong or not maintained.

We work with property managers, associations and general contractors on:

If your board is budgeting a gate replacement or building a reserve line item, we will walk the property and give you real replacement costs and an honest read on remaining life. No charge.

• Community entry and exit gate systems
• Resident and visitor access control
• Commercial yard gates, cantilever slide gates and barrier arms
• Marina, boatyard and industrial access near Port Everglades
• Multi unit and mixed use buildings
• Reserve study input on gate and operator replacement cycles
• Service agreements on existing community gates

What does an automatic gate cost in Fort Lauderdale?

It depends on the driveway more than anything else. Width, slope, swing versus slide, what is already in the ground, and how far power sits from the gate all move the number.

General ranges for Broward County:

Automating an existing gate (operator, safety devices, access control): $6,500 to $9,500

New single swing or slide gate with automation: $12,000 to $20,000

Large custom, double swing, or heavy ornamental with full access control: $20,000 and up

Waterfront estate entries and commercial: Quoted per site

Waterfront spec costs more up front. Stainless hardware, marine grade coating, elevated equipment mounting and surge protection all add to the install. On a canal property they also add years, which is where the money actually is.

You get a written itemized price at the estimate. Not a range, not a call back later.

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How it works

1. Free on site estimate. We measure, check grade, look at the power situation, and on waterfront jobs we check flood elevation before specifying where equipment gets mounted. About an hour.

2. Design and price. Written proposal with gate design, operator, access control, safety devices, permitting and a firm price.

3. Permitting and approvals. We pull permits. If your HOA needs a submittal, we prepare it.

4. Fabrication. Built to your driveway's measurements.

5. Installation. Posts and footings, gate hang, operator, electrical, access control, safety devices, full testing.

6. Walkthrough. App, keypad, manual release, battery backup. You should be able to open your own gate in an outage before we drive away.

Areas we serve in Broward County

Fort Lauderdale, Las Olas, Rio Vista, Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, Harbor Beach, Sailboat Bend, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Sea Ranch Lakes, Lighthouse Point, Pompano Beach, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Plantation, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Parkland, Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach and surrounding communities.

Not sure whether you are in range? Call and ask. If we cannot get to you, we will say so.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for an automatic gate in Fort Lauderdale?

Usually yes, particularly for the electrical work and often for the gate structure depending on height and scope. Broward is inside the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, so enforcement is stricter than most of the country. We handle permitting as part of the job.

My property floods during king tides. Can I still have an automatic gate?

Yes, and this is worth doing correctly. We mount operators, control boards and transformers above documented flood elevation and use sealed enclosures rated for the exposure. The gate itself is fine. It is the electronics that need to sit above the water line.

Will my gate work if the power goes out?

Yes. Battery backup is standard on our installs, and every gate has a manual release. We make sure you know how to use it before we leave.

Can I open the gate from my phone while I am out of state?

Yes. That is standard on modern operators, and it is the single most requested feature from seasonal owners here. You can also give a landscaper or property manager their own credential and revoke it whenever you want.

How long does installation take?

Most residential installs run one to three days on site once the gate is fabricated. Fabrication and permitting take longer than the install itself. You get real dates at the proposal stage.

How long should a gate last on the water?

With marine grade hardware and a proper coating system, decades. With standard hardware on a canal property, you can see rust bleeding within a few years. The spec at install is what decides this.

Do you service gates you did not install?

Yes, most brands of gate and operator.

Do you work with HOAs and property managers?

Regularly. Community entries, access control, emergency vehicle access and service agreements, plus replacement cost figures for reserve studies.

Get a real number from someone who walked your driveway

No phone quotes, no ballparks, no pressure. We come out, look at the actual site, and hand you a written price.

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Interactive Gates & Security

Serving Broward County