Jenni Morejon, President & CEO, Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority

Jenni Morejon, president and CEO of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, talked to Invest: about how the DDA works with public, private, and philanthropic organizations to advance development projects and achieve smart growth in downtown Fort Lauderdale. She also discussed the key advantages that building a rail tunnel downtown offers the city compared to a rail bridge.

What are the most significant milestones and achievements for the Fort Lauderdale DDA in the past year?

Our biggest achievement over the past year is the construction of Huizenga Park Reimagined, an unprecedented public-private-philanthropic partnership to build Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s signature urban park. Set to reopen at the end of the year, Huizenga Park will set a new standard for public space in our community and help usher in an urban park renaissance in Fort Lauderdale. It is quite exciting to see physical change happen on one of the most prominent waterfront green spaces in the city. We’ve uncovered so much of the city’s history during this construction project from a bicentennial time capsule to remnants of Hotel Broward, which opened in 1919 as the first hotel in Fort Lauderdale to serve tourists. This project truly connects our community across multiple generations. 

Huizenga Park will emerge as a space for everyone, forever. The fully renovated 3.6 acres will feature uniquely designed outdoor rooms for leisure, dining, wellness, events, and meet-ups. With funding from the State of Florida, City of Fort Lauderdale, a new full-service restaurant, and more than 60 generous donors, the DDA is preparing to implement a new business model for downtown parks that will demonstrate long-term success. Stay in the loop at https://www.huizengapark.org/.

What are the most important challenges and opportunities facing the investment landscape in Greater Fort Lauderdale?

Downtown Fort Lauderdale has been successful in attracting high-quality talent that companies want to hire. Downtown added 3,000 new employees over the past year, a 5% year-over-year increase. One of the biggest challenges that downtown faces is its lack of significant supply of new Class-A office space. We need more high-quality office space downtown to continue to attract top talent. With the flight to quality office space becoming a key trend during and after the pandemic, companies are seeking the best office space. When The Main Las Olas opened in 2020, it was leased to full capacity within a year. We need more of those kinds of buildings downtown to foster our growing live-work-play-stay environment. 

Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s growth has also been fueled by families with kids, with downtown seeing a 55% increase in this demographic in the past five years. We’ve been successfully attracting families to the city and now we must take steps to add childcare and pre-K, K-5, middle, and high school options to keep families downtown for the long term. The DDA is working with its partners to explore expanding private, public, and charter school offerings, particularly since the education landscape has changed immensely since the pandemic. We have an opportunity to be creative and implement innovative education models that have worked in other growing cities. 

How has demand for commercial and residential spaces evolved in Fort Lauderdale?

Downtown’s recent growth is attracting new restaurants and retail spaces that our growing residential base needs. From new restaurants on Las Olas like Timbr, Earls, and Sixty Vines to a growing range of grocery stores, wellness, and pet-themed businesses to serve the Flagler Village neighborhood, Downtown Fort Lauderdale is introducing the daily amenities that residents, employees, and visitors expect in world-class cities. 

By The Numbers:

• Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s now has over 26,000 residents, a 67% increase since 2018. 
• Retail vacancy is at 5.2%, 15% below pre-pandemic levels.
• Over 50 new downtown restaurants have opened over the last three years. 
• Over 90% of downtown office workers are back at the office in-person versus pre-pandemic levels, twenty points greater than the national average.
• A 37% increase in downtown hotel inventory is planned, building on the 245% increase of out-of-town visitors staying downtown since 2018. 

Buoyed by these metrics, we’re starting to add a greater concentration of commercial uses to serve our growing residential population. FAT Village is currently under construction and, when complete, will introduce a stronger mix of retail and dining opportunities for Flagler Village. At the centerpiece of this creative campus will be T3 FAT Village, which will add over 350,000 square feet of office space to downtown and position Fort Lauderdale to continue to attract emerging tech and creative talent. 

What are the top priorities of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority in terms of future development?

About 50 commercial real estate projects are in the Downtown Fort Lauderdale development pipeline, representing more than $10 billion of new investment that will help build a more walkable and connected city over the next decade. As downtown has continued to evolve, we’re seeing a shift in the type of residential development on tap. Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s for-purchase inventory is set to double over the next few years in part thanks to Dependable Equities’ Ombelle, Naftali Group’s Viceroy Residences, Related Group’s Andare Residences, Newgard Development’s Natiivo, and Ocean Land Investments’ Sixth & Rio projects. As downtown evolves, the DDA will continue to prioritize improvements to the public realm that focus on safety, comfort, and a memorable experience. Streets, sidewalks, and parks must be improved to complement the private investment on the way. These include making improvements to Las Olas Boulevard, the Riverwalk, and streets within growing sections of Flagler Village and the neighborhoods south of the New River. 

The future of the Himmarshee District, the gateway to downtown and Broward’s most prominent arts and culture district, will be a major priority for the DDA. Thousands of residential units are currently planned by developers like Kushner, Woodfield, Newgard, and AIMCO, with Himmarshee home to the Broward Center for Performing Arts, the Museum of Discovery and Science, and the Historic District. Our goal is to convene both private developers and civic institutions so that they share a vision for the Himmarshee District that is aligned with the city’s evolution. 

What is the role that the DDA wants to play in supporting the development of a tunnel for commuter rail in downtown Fort Lauderdale?

Fort Lauderdale has worked for decades to build the world-class downtown we have today and transform Broward’s urban core into one of the county’s top three economic engines. Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s population is expected to reach over 60,000 people by 2050, more than double today’s level, sustaining Broward’s momentum. Because of this growth, our community has the opportunity to make a generational investment to expand commuter rail service in South Florida through a modern tunnel under the New River.

Whether it is high-speed trains through Brightline, inner-city commuter rail, or how we bike, walk, and move around, circulation is key to the success and growth of our region. The DDA has consistently advocated for greater investment in mass and premium transit. We will continue to advocate for commuter rail to extend north through the downtown and northern parts of the county, building on the stop planned for the Broward Health District south of the New River. 

Any bridge alternative would significantly harm the city’s quality of life and permanently disrupt east-west traffic on Broward Boulevard. This would significantly harm Broward’s fastest-growing residential destination and largest employment hub. We have been very vocal in our support for a tunnel that brings trains under the New River. It’s the only option that preserves traffic flow, supports the success of the marine industry, and sustains downtown’s growth.

We continue to work with the city and its consultants to demonstrate how a tunnel can be financially feasible and where the funding opportunities can come from. There is an opportunity to increase available revenue that goes to build the most important piece of infrastructure in downtown forever. The recent precedent for building and funding a tunnel in South Florida, thanks to the success of the Port Miami Tunnel under Biscayne Bay that opened in 2014, proves that this is more than feasible. This decision will impact Downtown Fort Lauderdale for the next hundred years — we must get it right.