Page 12 - HB1225

Commissioner’s Message

Neighbors,
I
am pleased to share that the construction of the Broward County Convention Center
expansion and Bypass Connector Road is complete. A few weeks ago, I stood with
my colleagues on the City Commission and the Broward County Commission at
the grand opening for these two major achievements. The Convention Center now
spans 1,200,000 square feet and is projected to generate $450 million annually
for the local economy. The new Connector features a two-lane road with security
fencing, a bridge with barrier wall, a roundabout, sea turtle-friendly lighting, traffic
signals, intelligent transportation systems, and more. The Omni Hotel housed on
site is taking its first reservations this December! Please join me in recognizing
Ben Sorensen neighborhood advocates who, since 2018, have driven the 17th Street Mobility
District 4 Commissioner working group's work. Their input and collaboration made this alternative route
bsorensen@fortlauderdale.gov through Port Everglades possible—special thanks to all community partners who
worked collaboratively to deliver these projects.

City of Fort Lauderdale
1 E. Broward Blvd., Ste. 444
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Office Contact
Sabrina Javellana
Chief of Staff
sjavellana@fortlauderdale.gov

Vicki Gargano
Community Outreach Director I recently visited Kind Designs, a company utilizing 3D printing technology to
vickig@fortlauderdale.gov
954.828.5028 create concrete seawalls that mimic coral reefs. Observing their living seawalls in
production and touring various custom-fit models was insightful. Last month, Time
Magazine featured Kind Designs' living seawalls as one of the Best Inventions of
2025, reporting that nine installations were completed across South Florida over
the past year. As a coastal community, we require innovative solutions to protect
our shorelines from rising seas, high tides, and weather events. Given the benefits
of seawalls, the next step is for the city to introduce and pass a seawall incentive
ordinance that encourages and streamlines long-term investment by residents and
businesses to protect their property and our community from rising seas.
On sustainability, I’d like to update you on some of the city’s waterway initiatives.
Since being sworn in, I have worked to position our city as a leader in the ocean
economy. I launched an informal waterway group that meets regularly to pursue
practical improvements. In April 2025, our city appointed its first Chief Waterways
Officer, who has since led restoration projects to improve city water quality. I recently
co-authored an op-ed in the Sun Sentinel with Dr. Robin Cooper, Dean of the Halmos
College and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center at NSU, which I hope
you will check out online!

I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for reading.
Please reach out anytime - you can contact me at bsorensen@fortlauderdale.gov,
my cell at (954)-270-2302, or my office at (954)-828-5028.
Ben Sorensen
Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner, District 4

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