Streets & lots
Nurmi Isles Streets & Lots: Fiesta Way, Nurmi Drive and Royal Palm Drive Compared
By Glen Primak, GLEN PRIMAK GROUP · Updated
Where Nurmi Isles begins and ends
This guide follows the City of Fort Lauderdale’s neighborhood-association map, which outlines the Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association area. On that map, Nurmi Isles is three finger islands on the north side of East Las Olas Boulevard: Fiesta Way, Nurmi Drive and Royal Palm Drive, west to east. Each isle is a single dead-end street reached by its own short bridge from Las Olas.
- South: East Las Olas Boulevard and the Las Olas Canal. Las Olas Isles lies across the boulevard.
- North: the Rio Barcelona waterway, which runs across the north ends of the isles.
- West: Isle of Venice, across the Rio Cervantes canal.
- East: Seven Isles, across the Rio Balboa canal.
Not included here, because the City’s map puts them in other association areas: Isle of Venice Dr, Hendricks Isle and Gordon Rd, and Seven Isles, including Pelican Isle. Isle of Venice was dredged with these islands in the 1920s (see History), but it is a separate neighborhood today.
The Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association describes itself as voluntary, with volunteer representatives from each isle. Ask the association about current dues, and check the title work on a specific lot for any recorded deed restrictions.
The three isles
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. Canal names are from the City’s waterbody-name map layer.
| Isle (west to east) | County plat | Addresses | Parcels | Homes | Vacant lots | Canal on the west | Canal on the east |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiesta Way | Nurmi Isles Island No. 3 (Plat Book 24, Page 42) | 1–201 | 68 | 60 | 6 | Rio Cervantes | Specta Villea Waterway |
| Nurmi Dr | Nurmi Isles Island No. 2 (Plat Book 19, Page 24) | 1–230 | 56 | 52 | 2 | Specta Villea Waterway | Glabra Villea Waterway |
| Royal Palm Dr | Nurmi Isles Island No. 1 (Plat Book 21, Page 29) | 1–224 | 52 | 47 | 3 | Glabra Villea Waterway | Rio Balboa |
| Total | 176 | 159 | 11 |
“Homes” counts single-family parcels, including one recorded with a guest house. Each isle also has one road right-of-way parcel and one submerged-land parcel. Five folios in the area had no BCPA parcel record on the pull date and are not counted.
Homes by isle
| Isle | Median lot (sq ft) | Median living area (sq ft) | Median year built | Oldest – newest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiesta Way | 10,200 | 3,910 | 1956 | 1949–2025 |
| Nurmi Dr | 12,000 | 5,239 | 1995 | 1947–2025 |
| Royal Palm Dr | 12,000 | 5,139 | 1995 | 1948–2025 |
| All three | 12,000 | 4,675 | 1991 | 1947–2025 |
Fiesta Way’s median year built falls between 1955 and 1956 and is rounded up.
By decade built, the county records show 16 homes from the 1940s, 50 from the 1950s, 3 from the 1960s, 2 from the 1970s, 7 from the 1980s, 17 from the 1990s, 31 from the 2000s, 11 from the 2010s and 22 from 2020 on.
How the isles differ
- Fiesta Way, the westernmost isle, has the most original houses. Its median year built is about 1956 and its median lot is smaller, at about 10,200 sq ft. Many of the late-1940s and 1950s homes built after Victor Nurmi bought the islands are still here.
- Nurmi Dr and Royal Palm Dr have been more heavily rebuilt. Both have median years built of 1995 and median living areas above 5,000 sq ft in the county records.
- Every lot is on a canal. Each street runs down the spine of its isle, so homes on one side face the canal to the west and homes on the other side face the canal to the east. Lots near the north end are closest to Rio Barcelona and the route out to the Middle River. See the boating guide →
Individual lots vary widely; frontage, canal width, exposure and depth matter more than medians. See the market snapshot →
Zoning, flood zone and storm planning
- Zoning: BCPA lists RS-4.4, a low-density City of Fort Lauderdale single-family district, for all 176 parcels. Confirm setbacks, height and lot-coverage rules for a specific lot with the City.
- Flood zone: the City’s address-point data places every address in the area in FEMA zone AE, a Special Flood Hazard Area where flood insurance is required for federally backed mortgages, with base flood elevations of 7 feet NAVD88 (8 feet on part of the area). Check the effective FEMA map and an elevation certificate for any specific house.
- Hurricane evacuation: the City’s GIS places Nurmi Isles in evacuation zone B. Broward County issues the actual evacuation orders, so confirm a specific address on the County’s current evacuation-zone map.
- Historic district: none; the City’s GIS shows no designated historic district in the area.
- City Commission: District 2.
- Seawalls: City rules on seawall height and docks apply to every waterfront lot. See dock and seawall rules →
What to check before buying a homesite
- Water: canal width at the dock, depth at mean low water along the route north to Rio Barcelona and the Middle River, and turning room.
- Survey and elevation: the lot’s finished-floor and seawall elevations against FEMA and the City’s tidal barrier rules.
- Permits: open or expired building, dock and seawall permits on file with the City.
- Tax bill: current millage and any special assessments.
- Association: what the voluntary association does and what, if anything, is recorded against the lot. See the FAQ →
Glen can pull the recorded permits and order surveys as part of a showing. Ask about a specific lot →
Sources
- City of Fort Lauderdale GIS: Neighborhood_Associations, SiteAddressPoint, ZoningDistrict, WaterbodyNames, 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)
- Nurmi Isles Homeowners Association — Nurmi Isles Homeowners 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)