Dear Neighbors,

Did you know that the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel used to be the Federal Aid Highway Bridge? The drawbridge opened in 1926 and closed in 1958. Despite the bridge being notorious for slow openings and closings, the community had great debate over whether a new bridge or tunnel would be ideal. Ultimately, the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel prevailed, opening in December 1960. So, we have a similar opportunity today. The proposed commuter rail train tunnel would run south of Sunrise Boulevard and end north of Davie Boulevard. As I reported to you last, I continue to have fantastic conversations with Broward County Mayor Beam Furr and members of the Broward County Commission about the tunnel. I have been growing my knowledge of all things tunnel as I continue to advocate. Earlier this week, I went to visit the PortMiami Tunnel with some of our Fort Lauderdale neighbors to learn about the history and the innovative infrastructure that transports thousands of people across Port Miami and MacArthur Causeway daily. This tunnel has airtight floodgates that protect against flooding, which the group agreed would be beneficial for Fort Lauderdale. The New River Crossing will transform travel throughout our city, region and state, so it is essential that we work to get it right.

Last week the City Commission agreed to a Scholarship Fund Agreement with the Broward County Education Fund. $13,300 will be allocated to cover twelve scholarships for students from six Fort Lauderdale public high schools. I am more than happy that we have this agreement because it is essential for our city to expand educational opportunities for our youth. Shout out to the Education Advisory Board for advocating for our students and for helping make this agreement possible. Use this link to help a student in your life learn more about the Broward Education Foundation here.

Lastly, I am happy to announce that all part-time employees are receiving an hourly pay raise to $15/hr. This will help retain the great talent our city has and help attract new employees for our summer youth programs. Thank you to all City employees for what you do. You deserve to be recognized for the work you do for our city year-round, and I value your commitment to serving our community.

Please reach out to me or my office anytime. I hope to see you out in the community or at a City Commission meeting! My email is bsorensen@fortlauderdale.gov and my cell is (954)-802-3311. To contact my office please call (954)-828-5028.

Ben

Upcoming Meetings

Monday, March 17th - Neighborhood Agenda Review at 12:00pm on Zoom

Click here to Add to Calendar.

Tuesday, March 18th - City Commission Conference at 1:30pm

Tuesday, March 18th - Community Redevelopment Agency at 2:30pm

Tuesday, March 18th - Regular Commission Meeting at 6:00pm

Meetings are located at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Mary N. Porter Riverview Ballroom - 201 SW 5th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312

Watch live on Y ou Tube. Meeting agendas can be found here.

PortMiami Tunnel Visit

Chris Hodgkins, one of the main players who helped designed the PortMiami tunnel, gave neighbors & I a tour. Did you know that 88% of the workers employed to build the tunnel all resided in Miami-Dade County? The tunnel also expanded STEM opportunities for students and allowed them to get hands-on engineering experience.

The Barrington Irving

Technical Training School

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to meet Captain Barrington Irving. He is the recordholder as the youngest person and first Black pilot to fly solo around the world. Captain Barrington uses his platform and knowledge to provide workforce development to youth and young adults in the aviation industry. Learn more about these programs here.

St. Patrick's Day Recap

I had a great time celebrating St. Patrick's Day with my family and colleagues over the weekend. Thank you to our city staff for always organizing wonderful events for our community! I cherish the times when the community comes together for good times.

Greener Fort Lauderdale

Please come out to one of these community meetings in the next few weeks to learn more about tree expansion throughout our city and to provide your input. You can also fill out the Urban Forestry Master Plan Survey here.

❗ Attention Small Businesses ❗ Sign Up For SizeUp FTL

SizeUp FTL is a new online business intelligence tool designed to support your business by providing access to valuable market data and competitive insights. All neighbors are invited to the virtual launch on Wednesday, March 26th at 11:00am. Sign up for here.

Stay Alert - Traffic Advisories

📍Click here to sign-up for traffic/road closure notifications.

📍View LauderStreet here to view current traffic alerts.

Let's Stay Connected!