Rickelle Williams, City Manager, City of Fort Lauderdale

May 2026 — Invest: spoke with Rickelle Williams, Fort Lauderdale city manager, about governance stability, infrastructure resilience, and the partnerships guiding the city’s next phase of growth. “The more that we invest in infrastructure, the more it pays dividends,” Williams said.

What shifts in development, investment, or governance have taken place since you assumed your role, and how are these shaping your priorities for Fort Lauderdale?

After I joined the city of Fort Lauderdale, the City Commission adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget, and that process created room for a reorganization of city staff and departments. That reset has helped us be more impactful and responsive because it clarifies responsibilities, improves coordination, and better aligns resources with community needs.

From a governance standpoint, we have a City Commission that is working toward shared priorities, and we anticipate that continues through 2028. That continuity supports long-range planning and helps us keep momentum on complex, multi-year initiatives.

How are you using public-private investment to support Fort Lauderdale’s long-term growth?

We are leveraging both traditional procurement and public-private partnerships to foster growth and deliver city assets that serve the public. One of the projects we are most focused on is our new City Hall. In April 2023, City Hall sustained damage due to rain and flood conditions, an emergency was declared, and ultimately the old City Hall was demolished. The city then moved forward with an unsolicited proposal process to identify a qualified partner for a new City Hall. The city is currently evaluating several options.

We are also leveraging a city asset at Holiday Park through an unsolicited proposal process to develop a parking garage, surface parking, and a fire station. Holiday Park is home to significant recreational and cultural amenities, including the Parker, the Baptist Health IcePlex, the War Memorial, and the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center, with a forthcoming YMCA and a Broward Health freestanding emergency facility planned for the site. With demand increasing, these projects help us meet real operational needs while improving access for residents and visitors who rely on these community assets.

How are you balancing new growth, especially downtown and along the waterfront?

Before any development is approved, part of the process includes ensuring we have the appropriate level of infrastructure and capacity in place to support that project. That discipline becomes more important as private investment accelerates.

We are also prioritizing citywide resilience. We are moving forward with Phase II of our Fortify Lauderdale infrastructure improvements. Following the April 2023 flood event, we identified that we need to prioritize infrastructure investments to ensure neighborhoods across the city are resilient in the face of weather conditions and emergencies. The City Commission has been very supportive of advancing those improvements over the next several years.

The more that we invest in infrastructure, the more it pays dividends. When the private sector sees the city addressing its fundamentals, it reinforces confidence and supports responsible investment, which keeps Fort Lauderdale competitive as a destination for businesses and families.

What does parks investment look like, and how is it being managed?

The city is investing $200 million through our Parks Bond program across all four commission districts to improve parks and recreation infrastructure. Many of the projects were identified through community input, and our responsibility is to deliver them efficiently and transparently.

To support that effort, we have created a Capital Projects Department that will be shepherding the Parks Bond program and moving projects from planning to execution. Parks are a quality-of-life asset, and this work helps ensure residents across the city benefit from modern, well-maintained amenities.

Are there specific neighborhoods or districts that are seeing the greater momentum right now?

We have projects in all our commission districts, but we are seeing significant growth downtown and on the barrier island, or the beach. We’re seeing world-class hotels, award-winning restaurants, and continued private investment that is creating excitement and momentum.

We are also seeing strong growth in uptown, which is at the northern end of Fort Lauderdale. Housing density is increasing, companies are locating there, and there is substantial activity at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport as businesses lease space and expand operations. We have had several projects approved in uptown in recent months, and we anticipate continued growth there.

How are you positioning the city to meet not only infrastructure demand, but also the talent needs of growing businesses?

We are invested in workforce development and in building a stronger talent pipeline through partnerships, including work with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and the Broward Workshop. That coordination helps connect training and workforce strategies with the needs of employers.

Affordable housing is also essential to talent attraction and retention. The city has developed incentives for affordable housing, and our Community Redevelopment Agency invests in affordable housing projects as well. If we want our economy to keep growing, we need to make it possible for people to live near opportunity.

Fort Lauderdale’s aviation, marine, tourism, and hospitality industries are major economic drivers, and we are focused on keeping the city attractive to the workforce those sectors depend on while supporting broader business growth.

How do you see Fort Lauderdale shaping larger regional transportation and mobility decisions, including the proposed rail tunnel?

Fort Lauderdale has been at the forefront of advocating for a tunnel at the New River Crossing as part of a larger commuter rail project in Broward County. We have been coordinating with Broward County and partners at the state and national levels to advocate for funding and to advance that project.

We are also expanding multimodal options. Through a public-private partnership, we have worked with the Water Taxi to plan for additional stops that broaden transportation choices and improve connectivity. In a waterfront city, mobility has to include multiple formats, and we want to keep building a system that supports growth and access.

How are you approaching reinvestment in historically underfunded neighborhoods so they are connected to the city’s future opportunities?

We are doing sustained outreach through multiple city departments to make sure residents are aware of opportunities and resources. We use every available channel to communicate, and we focus on reaching communities that may not always have the same access to information.

We also view education and engagement as long-term investments. Our Parks and Recreation programs touch youth across our city, and those touchpoints support awareness, connection, and participation. Our goal is to ensure reinvestment is paired with inclusion, so every neighborhood can see and share in progress.

Looking ahead three to five years, where do you see the biggest opportunities to shape Fort Lauderdale’s future?

Fort Lauderdale is defined by its waterways, and we are taking steps to modernize how we manage environmental impacts and strengthen resiliency across the city. In early 2025, we established a Chief Waterways Officer position with a focus on maintaining and improving the environmental infrastructure of our waterways and promoting resilience.

We are also strengthening how we market and position Fort Lauderdale, in closer collaboration with partners such as Visit Lauderdale and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. The city has established an Economic Development Division that will promote Fort Lauderdale not just as a tourism destination, but as a destination for business, investment, and residents. We want to highlight the best of the city while putting the infrastructure and organizational capacity in place to support continued growth.

Are there near-term milestones you would highlight as especially important?

In the next couple of months, we anticipate the opening of our new Police Department headquarters on Broward Boulevard. That is a major milestone for the city and an important investment in public safety as we continue working to remain a safe and vibrant community.

We are also preparing for activity connected to the FIFA World Cup. With Chase Stadium in the northern portion of the city, we anticipate team-related preparation activity in Fort Lauderdale, and we stand ready to support what those events bring to the city and the region.