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Message from the Mayor

New Year will bring opportunities to
shape an iconic, vibrant downtown

he holidays are upon us. To some, it may seem as if COVID-19 has covered
our lives with a wet blanket and dampened our spirits at a time of year we
T all look forward to.
Many of the annual traditions that we love and appreciate were postponed or
cancelled, including Fort Lauderdale’s Winterfest Boat Parade and the festive tree-
lighting events. The New Year’s Eve anchor-drop did occur along with an evening of
entertainment, but it was done virtually.
The good news for 2021 is that vaccines are already being administered. Hopefully,
by summer, we will have a return to normalcy. But please keep the health of yourself
and others in mind as you celebrate the holidays. The virus remains very much with
us. Infection rates locally are still high, so practicing social distancing and using face
Dean Trantalis
Mayor, masks are critical.
City of Fort Lauderdale
dtrantalis@fortlauderdale.gov When the City Commission returns to business in the new year, one of the issues that
will take particular significance is the re-envisioning of our downtown.
Recent private development has created an urban core that most could not have
imagined a decade ago. Now, our job is to ensure this becomes truly an urban
village and that we craft an exciting public realm for the area.
It’s a rare opportunity that many communities wish they could have. Many new and
City Hall, 8th Floor exciting eateries and places to explore are making Fort Lauderdale that much more
100 N Andrews Ave exciting. We should all look boldly to the future and fashion a vibrant downtown
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
that speaks strongly as to who we are as a community.
With more people coming into the area, that means more traffic. As we examine
new ways to get around, one such approach will be commuter rail service along the
Florida East Coast railroad, expanding upon the Brightline network that temporarily
halted at the height of the COVID pandemic.
That pause has allowed us to discuss more in-depth what the future looks like for
public transportation. Given the traffic congestion in South Florida, we need to move
ahead with a more localized commuter rail than Brightline offered.
Office Contact
Scott Wyman Miami-Dade County has led the way with a recent agreement that would create
Chief of Staff
Office of the Mayor multiple local stops along the tracks in its jurisdiction. We need to follow suit.
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov The Brightline station downtown should be a hub of a service within Broward of
954-828-5314
stops at the international airport and communities to our north and south and then
beyond to Palm Beach and Miami.
While commuter rail is important for our long-term future, the city of Fort Lauderdale
must ensure it fits as well as possible within the vision of downtown.
We face a difficult decision on how the service crosses the New River. The old train
bridge simply cannot handle increased rail traffic without having a major impact on
our economically vital marine industry. We must also realize that the increased
number of trains will be another headache for vehicular traffic at each train crossing.
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE

CORAL RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES HOA
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