Writer: Esteban Pages
2 min read August 2023 — Broward County cities are carrying positive momentum from business growth and changing population demographics, but preserving their community ties and cultural fabric that make each municipality home to many is a priority for a sustainable future.
While population growth in the county has stagnated over the past three years, the Florida Office of Economic & Demographic Research estimates Broward County’s population will grow to a total of 2.083 million by 2030, a nearly 8% increase from the 2020 Census. More residents will mean a greater demand for infrastructure, from parks and recreation to redevelopment of community assets in need of improvement. Invest: recently spoke with city leaders across Broward County to learn more about their plans for redevelopment while keeping resident input top of mind.
Parks and recreation vital to preserve hometown feel
Nancy Morando, City Manager, Parkland
“Our main objective is ensuring we maintain that family environment, that hometown feel. Parks are a priority for us. We are currently in the process of developing a 36-acre park. This is going to be a large undertaking, and it’s right in the center of the City. We’re excited because we’re trying to incorporate some unique and interesting features in the park. We’re not just creating more ball fields and multipurpose fields, but we’re also looking at splash pads and creating a model village where children can ride their scooters and play. We’re trying to bring some of those different elements to the community because family is the focus. In the past two years, we’ve significantly funded improvements to our park infrastructure. We are constantly providing enhancements; adding artificial turf, redoing our bathrooms and trying to take it to the next level. Our residents demand perfection and we try to achieve that. We want to set that bar. I have an amazing City Commission that has allowed us to achieve that focus. They’re very open-minded about stepping outside of the box. Our Mayor especially is very progressive in supporting us to take it to another level.”
Redevelopment honoring essence of community
Don Decker, City Manager, City of Weston
“Currently, those moving to Weston are attracted to the community we have created, and we are receiving strong feedback that redevelopment should be carried out while honoring the essence of the community they invested in. Unlike Fort Lauderdale or parts of Sunrise, Weston does not feature high-rise buildings. Our residents prefer to maintain Weston as a family-oriented bedroom community, avoiding high-density developments. Therefore, as we proceed with redevelopment projects, we must find a delicate balance. It is crucial to approach this process with caution, considering the aging shopping plazas and commercial areas that require improvement. Our challenge is to ensure that the redevelopment occurs in a way that does not negatively impact the residents who have chosen Weston as their home.”
Maintaining city character
Greg Ross, Mayor, Cooper City
“When I took over, the main challenge was to drive progress and economic growth while maintaining our city’s character. People resisted ideas like hotels and condos due to congestion concerns. Our efforts focused on areas such as 106th Avenue, a key development zone that includes both commercial and residential. I’m proud of achieving this balance, which includes three different religious based facilities. We focused on growing our community without losing the delicate balance of our hometown feeling. Despite some newer developments being beyond many budgets, our redevelopment area offers good value for those seeking used homes that feel new to them.
“Our true economic backbone comes from our small businesses. These are local, family-owned establishments that have gained preference over franchises. People have realized that despite the potential consistency of franchises, they prefer the local experience. It’s about the unique flavor and the relaxed ambiance that sets our local businesses apart. That’s essentially what defines our economic landscape.”
Mobility taking center stage
Nick Sortal, Mayor, City of Plantation
“We make sure our neighborhoods have a walkable and cyclable component. Many people bike to work and need new roads. I have to take what they need into account. We have looked at three places for the “lane diet,” which would cut traffic down from four to two lanes. We are looking at leveraging electric vehicle services, such as Circuit, to get people around. They are more effective than shuttles because people want more immediacy than that. A big challenge is that Plantation grew up as a single-family home community and we have heard loud and clear that our residents want it to stay that way. We can’t ignore that. We created an area in 1999 called Midtown with a little Downtown, so the challenge is letting people know that we are not encroaching on their lifestyle. People have a distrust of government, so we need to respect and navigate that.We also wanted to harden our fire stations in case of hurricanes because our fire stations have so many functions here and they need to be ready for an emergency. We also want to continue to invest in transportation. We have neglected certain city assets but we want to make sure the roof and walls are working the way they should. We also have a master plan for a new park with new baseball diamonds, pickleball and a dog park. We are exploring that and we hope the council has the appetite for it.”
[Top image via City of Plantation]
For more information, please visit:
https://www.cityofparkland.org/
https://www.westonfl.org/
https://coopercity.gov/
https://www.plantation.org/
