Parks & Public Amenities

Improving Parks and Public Amenities

• Collaborated with the InterMiami pro soccer team to build Chase Stadium and its corporate headquarters to Fort Lauderdale at no cost to the taxpayer. With a $165 million investment, InterMiami built the stadium, a smaller community stadium, a state-of-the-art training facility — paving the way for international soccer superstar Leo Messi to play in Fort Lauderdale.
  
  
  
  
• Reopened the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center with refurbished pools and a 27-meter dive tower – the highest in the western hemisphere — so the city can once again host international and national swimming and diving competitions as well as attract extreme sports events.
  
  
  
  
• Broke ground on a modernized War Memorial Auditorium that includes the Baptist Health IcePlex with rinks for the public and Florida Panthers hockey team. The partnership with Panthers ensured the auditorium was rebuilt at no cost to the taxpayer and that it will again be a state-of-the-art concert and event space.
  
  
  
  
• Opened the new L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center to provide a new level of service to surrounding residents with a focus on youth development, business growth, community outreach, and athletic activities.
• Entered into a public-private partnership to build an arts park on the old One Stop Shop site. A cultural center and European-style marketplace will bookend a large park that will be designed with community input at no cost to the taxpayer.
• Signed a partnership that will build The Fort, a major pickleball facility, with 42 courts as well as a restaurant and lakefront beach area in an unused portion of Snyder Park at no cost to the taxpayer.
• Launched a $200 million initiative to expand and improve the city park system.
• Added to the city’s beachfront experience by building Oceanside Park, beginning a reimagining of D.C. Alexander Park and renovating the streetscape along State Road A1A.
  
  
  
  
• Worked with the Downtown Development Authority to redesign Huizenga Park with an updated Spirit of Fort Lauderdale Fountain, a river overlook, a lush shade canopy and civic lawn, a dog run, and a waterfront restaurant.
• Signed a joint-use agreement with the School District so residents can benefit from sports facilities on campuses when schools are closed.
• Initiated the development of LauderTrail, a 7-mile network of connected bike paths across.