By Susannah Bryan, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
(Source South Florida Sun Sentinel):
Fort Lauderdale City Hall, built in 1966, is well past its prime, city officials say. But on Tuesday, commissioners said they’re no longer interested in a joint government complex with Broward County. Instead, Fort Lauderdale will build a new City Hall on its own. Susannah Bryan/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS
An ambitious plan to build a fancy joint government complex for Fort Lauderdale and Broward County is now officially dead.
The controversial scheme took its last breath Tuesday when Fort Lauderdale commissioners agreed they are no longer interested, primarily because they can build a new City Hall on their own for hundreds of millions less.
The two government entities have been talking about building a County/City Hall on the grounds of the county’s central bus terminal in downtown Fort Lauderdale for at least five years. But the estimated project cost has ballooned to a nearly $1 billion , with Fort Lauderdale’s portion approaching $400 million.
“We cannot spend $400 million to build anything,” Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “The number they have come up with is not affordable to us or them.”
Broward County Mayor Michael Udine took the news in stride.
“I wish them luck,” Udine said Wednesday. “We’ll go our separate ways. I feel bad it didn’t work out but these things happen.”
Udine declined to comment on whether the county will stay in downtown Fort Lauderdale or look outside the city for a new home.
Fort Lauderdale City Hall, an aging structure built in 1966 at 100 North Andrews Ave., is well past its prime, city officials say.
The halls of the Broward County Governmental Center at 115 South Andrews Ave. are even more ancient, harkening back to 1947, when the building opened as a Burdines department store. The county moved in after buying the building in 1980.
Fort Lauderdale could save as much as $300 million if it went out on its own, a real estate expert told commissioners on Tuesday.
Fort Lauderdale could build a new City Hall on city-owned land, said Ken Krasnow, vice chairman of Institutional Investor Services for Colliers International. Other options involve buying private land or purchasing a commercial building downtown, he said.
The new City Hall could even be built at the same spot where the old building now stands, Krasnow said. The city could lease office space for two years while the new City Hall is being built.
Trantalis says he envisions an iconic new building that will represent the new Fort Lauderdale.
City Manager Chris Lagerbloom said he would reach out to the county to see if they need to hold a public meeting with the city before their summer break.
“I think we have a joint meeting and say, ‘Thank you, but no thank you, ’” Trantalis said.
Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioner Heather Moraitis suggested skipping the meeting and having Lagerbloom contact the county directly instead.
“I can certainly convey that message,” he told the commission.
In other news, commissioners took the following action Tuesday:
Named Greg Chavarria as the next city manager, effective July 23. Lagerbloom is leaving on July 22 to take a job in Georgia. Chavarria, the former city manager in Hallandale Beach, joined Fort Lauderdale in September 2020 as assistant city manager.
Approved a plan to move forward with a developer’s unsolicited proposal to transform city-owned land at 1400 NW 31 Ave. into a movie studio. The proposal calls for a 50-year lease with a 50-year renewal option and a rent payment of $1 a year.
Approved Ocean Park, a $65 million condo and hotel project that will be built on Sunrise Boulevard across from Birch State Park near the beach. The project calls for an 11-story condo with 54 units and a 12-story hotel with 100 rooms.
Approved plans to move forward with an unsolicited proposal submitted by My Park Initiative to develop, operate and maintain a pickleball facility on the southwest portion of Snyder Park at 3299 SW Fourth Ave.
Set a special election for Nov. 8 so voters can elect new commissioners to represent District 3 and District 4. Voters will also elect a new commissioner for District 1. Commissioners Heather Moraitis (District 1), Robert McKinzie (District 3) and Ben Sorensen (District 4) are resigning two years before their terms end, triggering the special election.
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