April 2019
Building a better Fort Lauderdale
Major projects launched to improve recreation, entertainment
Good things are happening in Fort Lauderdale! Over the past month, new developments have transpired that will not only improve our quality of life, but they will serve as a hallmark to the leadership that our community is now known for.

Opportunities for recreation and entertainment are expanding in our city by leaps and bounds.

We are entering an agreement with the Florida Panthers hockey team to reimagine War Memorial Auditorium. We are negotiating the final details of a deal with David Beckham’s professional soccer team to rebuild the Lockhart Stadium site. And, we’ve broken ground on renovating the aquatic center and Parker Playhouse.

When these projects are completed over the next two years, they will serve to confirm that Fort Lauderdale is “the city you never want to leave.”

War Memorial has served as home to community events since opening in Holiday Park almost 70 years ago. Many families celebrated graduations, attended concerts by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, bought a plant at the Orchid Show, or perused the collector car auction.

The facility increasingly needed costly repair work, and the Florida Panthers stepped forward with a proposal to re-enliven it at their expense while also bringing a presence for the team to the east side of Broward County.

They will make a multimillion-dollar investment to add rinks for ice skating and hockey and to renovate and restore the existing interior. The Panthers organization also would build a training facility for their team, which would use one of the rinks at times for practice. Both rinks would be available for youth hockey and for public skating by all ages.

The Panthers are going to work with LiveNation on concert planning and see the renovated auditorium as filling an important niche in local entertainment by offering touring performers a flat-surface facility. They will take charge of programming the auditorium and ensure its availability for events like graduations and family-friendly events.

The interior will be designed so it could be used for indoor soccer, lacrosse and other sports and fitness programs – something that would be nice for families in our hot summer months. 
The rejuvenation of War Memorial is part of a larger overhaul underway at Holiday Park.

The YMCA plans to build a new facility there to serve residents from all parts of the city. Fundraising is still underway to complete that facility. 

With voters having approved the parks bond referendum, one of the signature projects will be enhancing Holiday Park. These plans include the revitalization of the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center.

Tennis legends such as Chris Evert and Jennifer Capriati practiced there. And, we need to ensure it continues to be one of the nation’s premier public tennis facilities and an incubator for rising talent.

Next to War Memorial, we also have a major undertaking commencing at Parker Playhouse.

Like the auditorium, Parker has a storied history – one of year’s lively theatrical performances – but it too needs refreshing. Upgrades totaling $25 million are about to start.

When finished, Parker will have a new central lobby and box office, a VIP lounge, a signature bar area, state-of-the-art video and sound equipment as well as other important internal upgrades. Parker will retain its classic elegance, but the upgrades will ensure a great future for the facility.

The renovations should be completed by winter 2020, but construction will temporarily halt so that the facility can be open for the 2019-2020 theater season.  
Let’s now turn to what’s happening aquatically. We are determined to regain Fort Lauderdale’s preeminence in the world of swimming and diving.

On April 5, the city broke ground on a long-needed renovation of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center on the barrier island. Under the $27 million plan, the existing pools, dive well, diving platform, grandstands and locker rooms will be redone.

This could be just the beginning of what’s happening at the aquatic center.

We are in talks about private investment to build an extreme diving platform as part of the project, as high as 27 meters! It would be the only one of its kind in the western hemisphere. Also, the board of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is committed to remaining in Fort Lauderdale and has commenced a fund-raising campaign to renovate its museum facilities at the center.

For too long, the city allowed the aquatic center to fall into disrepair. Many competitive events departed for other locations. We will turn that around. This is a game-changing project for the beach and the city for decades to come.

The new aquatic center will dazzle, bringing back major events and providing locals a great place for recreational swimming and diving. As a sign of things to come, Olympic athletes Ryan Lochte and Caeleb Dressel joined us for the ground-breaking ceremony. 
Finally, there is the exciting news about soccer.

The City Commission has decided to work out a long-term agreement with Beckham’s Inter Miami soccer group to refurbish the Lockhart Stadium site. The team will demolish Lockhart and adjacent Fort Lauderdale Stadium, build a new stadium and a set of soccer/multipurpose fields, and create a major new park for the city – all at no cost to the taxpayers.

Beckham’s team ultimately is expected to play in a new stadium in Miami, but it will hold its first two seasons at Lockhart. The Beckham group will house the team’s headquarters and training facilities permanently at Lockhart and use it as the site for a new minor-league team, to be named after our city. Also on site will be its youth academy, a free program to train and recruit the best young players from throughout South Florida.

The stadium and training fields will be available when possible for public use. Other fields will be built that the public can use full time for soccer, lacrosse, football or other sports.

In its negotiations with the city, the Beckham group committed to hosting high school athletic events and championships on the property – restoring a tradition that was lost years ago. The stadium will also be available for concerts and national or international sporting events.

Alongside the stadium, the Beckham group agreed to build a major public park. The details are being worked out, but the park may include a playground, walking and jogging trails, a dog park and a community center.
When you add it all together, Fort Lauderdale is a city on the move. We are committed to making these world-class facilities available to all, a boon for our city’s families and youth.

A couple years ago, we were named an all-American city for our quality of life. By these actions today, we take the next step and ensure Fort Lauderdale is truly one of the best cities in the country. 
 
Yours,


Dean
Mayor Trantalis meets with Romania's regional consul general and members of Fort Lauderdale's Sister City program to discuss creating a new relationship with a city in the eastern European nation.
Mayor Trantalis honors the late Private First Class Gregory Carter, helping place a grave marker at Sunset Memorial Gardens, where Carter was buried after being killed in the Vietnam War.
Mayor Trantalis and Vice Mayor Robert McKinzie kick off the city's current session of its Neighbor Leadership Academy.
Mayor Trantalis discusses his vision for the city with business leaders during a forum hosted by the Gray Robinson law firm.
Mayor Trantalis marches with City Manager Chris Lagerbloom in the annual St. Patrick's Parade downtown.
Mayor Trantalis and city commissioners meet Japan's new regional consul general, Kenji Hirata, during an event at City Hall.
Mayor Trantalis honors Betty Shelley, Imperial Point neighborhood president, for her years of work on the Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations.
Mayor Trantalis and Commissioner Heather Moraitis stop by the spring festival for the Imperial Point neighborhood.
Mayor Trantalis is honored at the Pearls, Pumps and Denim Community Celebration by the Zeta Rho Omega chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Mayor Trantalis stops by the Victoria Park Civic Association's spring festival at the community park on Victoria Park Road.
Mayor Trantalis discuss issues with residents during the annual meeting of Bal Harbour's neighborhood association.
Mayor Trantalis helps open the Aubuerge Beach Residences & Spa, the latest luxury property along the city's beachfront.
Mayor Trantalis helps mark the start of construction of Banyan Air Service's fixed-based operation on Sheltair's campus at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
Mayor Trantalis greets people at Fort Lauderdale's Mayor's Chess Challenge event at Riverland Park.
Mayor Trantalis joins leaders of the Tarpon Bend neighborhood association at the group's annual Party in the Park at Lewis Landing Park.
Mayor Trantalis celebrates the opening of the Fuse Group's Brics N Stics shared-work space building on Sistrunk Boulevard.