Page 6 - HB0825

Mayor's Message
Dean Trantalis
MAYOR
City of Fort Lauderdale
dtrantalis@fortlauderdale.gov
City of Fort Lauderdale
1 E. Broward Blvd., Ste. 444
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Office Contact
Scott Wyman
Chief of Staff to the Mayor
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov
954.828.5314
4 H A R B O R B E A C H M a g a z i n e | w w w. h a r b o r b e a c h . o r g
ith the year progressing quickly, the City Commission is moving ahead
with plans to build a new City Hall, replacing the 1960s-era building that
Wwas destroyed during the record-breaking rainstorm in April 2023. We
are now undertaking a two-pronged approach to design and build the project in the
most efficient way possible.
The new City Hall is expected to be located on the site of the old building on North
Andrews Avenue downtown. It will be larger, at 350,000 square feet, so the city no
longer must rent additional office space. Our needs had long ago outgrown the old
City Hall, necessitating many agencies to locate to nearby rented space. The new
City Hall will house some 800 employees and will offer centralized services, adding
to the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations.
Demolition of the old building was completed a year ago. We’ve also finished the
first phase of planning through a series of community meetings asking residents what
they’d like to see in a new City Hall.
The two-pronged approach now underway involves pursuing a traditional design and
construction approach while also soliciting proposals from companies interested in
doing the work through a public-private partnership. The city has had great success
with P3s, having used this new approach to expedite projects such as the creation of
Inter Miami’s campus and stadium at Lockhart Park, the creation of The Fort pickleball
center, and the ongoing construction of a new, state-of-the-art water treatment plant.
One company has already submitted a P3 proposal — Meridiam Infrastructure
North America. They are global player in the field of infrastructure and are known in
South Florida for constructing and operating the tunnel into the Port of Miami. That
P3 project was completed under cost and ahead of schedule. Meridiam proposes to
design, finance, build and operate City Hall.
Having received Meridiam’s offer, the commission has now launched a 60-day
period for other firms to also submit P3 plans. We are anticipating good interest from
firms in competing for this.
While the P3 option advances, city staff will continue efforts to retain an owners
representative to oversee a traditional design and construction process. The owner’s
rep and city would work together on creating a design criteria package that includes
conceptual renderings as well as determining probable costs and then bidding out
the work through a request for proposals.
The commission will review all P3 proposals after returning from summer recess. At
that point, we likely will choose which direction to move in. Personally, I want the
new City Hall to be iconic, contributing to the renaissance of our downtown and
making a statement about the future of our growing community. I look forward to
finishing our discussions and getting construction started as soon as possible.
Downtown YMCA
Recently, the city gave final approval for an exciting new development in Holiday
Park, the construction of a downtown YMCA. This fills a void in sports and wellness
facilities downtown that has lasted some 20 years in the area. This is great news
on its own, but Broward Health has joined the partnership and will co-locate an
emergency medical center.
The 60,000-square-foot complex will be located in the northwest corner of the park
along Federal Highway and is expected to open in 2027. The YMCA plans to build