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Ben Sorensen
District 4 Commissioner
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE
22
Commissioner’s Message
ow that summer has officially started, the City of Fort Lauderdale is shining
like never before. Mayor Dean Trantalis and the City Commissioners are
Nworking hard to bring great things to our City.
Andrews Avenue Bridge Rehab/Call for Artists
Work on the Andrews Avenue drawbridge in downtown Fort Lauderdale continues.
One northbound lane and one southbound lane remain closed as of May 30. The
bridge will be completely closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic from July 8 to
Aug. 6 (barring any delays). Posted detour signs will reroute traffic to the Southeast
3rd Avenue drawbridge. Boaters will notice minimal impact to navigation. When
the rehabilitation is complete, the drawbridge will be storm-resistant, more reliable
and quieter. See a map of the work area and the 30-day detour.
The Broward Cultural Division's Public Art & Design Program, in partnership with
the Highway Bridge and Maintenance Division, is seeking to commission one artist
or an artist-led team to transform the Andrews Avenue drawbridge. The deadline
was July 1 and we’ll announce soon the artist selected.
2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Officially Begins
The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and now is the time to get
prepared. The season runs through Nov. 30. Throughout the next six months, we all
need to pay close attention to weather developments in and around our area. Experts
are predicting another busy season with as many as 12 to 14 named storms.
Please don't be complacent. As the season starts, everyone should review their
family's emergency plan and assemble a hurricane supply kit. In addition, please
remember to trim trees, shrubs and other landscaping to minimize vegetative debris
on your property. You should also assess your home for vulnerable spots and check
the condition of shutters and backup generators.
Go to www.fortlauderdale.gov/hurricane for more information, including safety tips
and what should be in your hurricane supply kit. Now is also a good time to sign
up for the City of Fort Lauderdale's CodeRED alerts.
East Las Olas Boulevard Improvement Project
Together with neighbors, business leaders and City staff, we have identified
multiple ways to immediately improve Las Olas Boulevard. You will be seeing some
fantastic improvements being made, including making much-needed ADA
improvements to Las Olas and fixing the crosswalks. We will also be getting new
trash cans. I'm happy to report City Manager Chris Lagerbloom signed a request
for MOT for East Las Olas Boulevard, from Southeast 5th Avenue to Southeast 15th
Avenue. Great teamwork!
A Neat Green/Sustainable Practice in Fort Lauderdale
Here is a great green/sustainable practice I recently learned about that our City does:
The City's beach staff removes seaweed every day from the 4-mile stretch of beach
that extends from the south end of Fort Lauderdale Beach Park north to Oakland
Park Boulevard. The seaweed is removed from the beach and taken to Snyder
Park, where it is composted for up to 120 days. The dirt is then used for planting
rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com