February 2026

Revamped Huizenga Park

drawing large crowds downtown

Most downtowns don’t get to write new chapters and refine their role in a community. But that’s what has been occurring in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and the most recent sign of this renaissance is the reopening of Huizenga Park.

After a two-year, $15 million overhaul, the city’s signature green space at Las Olas Boulevard and the New River is open again. The results are truly incredible. Like a true civic park should, it’s bringing people together and giving downtown a place to breathe and relax.

Reopening weekend was more than a ribbon-cutting. People filled the public lawn, the dog park, the children’s play area and the river overlook. They took part in yoga classes, sipped wine, bought a hamburger, listened to music, watched artists at work, lounged by the fountain and partook of booths offering crafts and other goods.

The park itself is the real story. It’s cleaner, greener, and more inviting. The lawn is larger. The Riverwalk edge feels more open. Shade is no longer an afterthought — it’s part of the design. There are places to sit that make you want to stay awhile. And there’s a real sense that this space belongs to everyone.

This isn’t just a park upgrade. It’s a signal. It shows what happens when we invest in the public realm with purpose and patience. Huizenga is now positioned to be a daily anchor — not just a special-event venue.

It also supports the bigger momentum happening around it. Downtown has more residents than ever. More people are walking. More businesses are opening. More events are drawing crowds. And now, there’s a central green space that can hold all of that energy without feeling overwhelmed.

In the months ahead, the park will continue to evolve as the programming expands. More events are planned, and more activity will come as the surrounding area continues to grow.

Dining will add another layer of daily activation. Sweetwaters is expected to open later this year.

Flood protection that pays residents back

While Huizenga Park gives downtown a new “front yard,” we’re also doing the less-visible work that protects homes and saves residents money. Fort Lauderdale participates in FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, a program that rewards cities for stronger floodplain management and public education with discounts on flood insurance premiums.

Fort Lauderdale’s current rating translates to 15 percent off flood insurance premiums. This rating is saving residents about $4.7 million each year in flood insurance costs. However, as your city leaders, we want to go further and obtain deeper discounts for residents. 

Last March, we hired consultants to help us improve our flood rating so premiums would be reduced by 25 percent. That would save an additional $3.1 million for property owners — a total of $7.9 million a year. Our staff is now aggressively working on the steps that the consultants laid out — mainly improving public outreach each year.

As a result, this month, the City is launching a Property Resiliency Outreach Program. It’s a structured, multiyear effort under Fortify Lauderdale to help property owners take practical steps to reduce flood risk.

The first phase focuses on neighborhood-level outreach through homeowners associations and community hubs. It will deliver plain-language guidance on flood risk, preparedness actions before and after storm events as well as information on flood insurance basics and what resources are available. Over time, the program will expand to address additional climate-related risks, including extreme heat.

That’s what resilience looks like: smarter standards, more public information and real dollars staying in residents’ pockets year after year.

Keeping the corridor moving: SE 17th Street Bridge schedule test

We also can report great success in an effort to help alleviate congestion on Southeast 17th Street. 

Not only has the bypass road opened through Port Everglades, but the U.S. Coast Guard has made a permanent change to the timing of bridge opening on the E. Clay Shaw Jr. Bridge. 

During the last half of 2025, the Coast Guard conducted a pilot project that reduced opening of the bridge. The plan focused on prioritizing rush-hour traffic over vessel movement in the Intracoastal Waterway. The agency eliminated openings on weekdays between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. 

The pilot project was viewed as a success and will be kept in place going forward. 

Stay tuned for a lot of other exciting developments this year, including the opening of our new police station and our new water treatment plant. We are committed to keeping Fort Lauderdale a great place to live and improve our quality of life. 

Yours, 

Dean