As a County, and in collaboration with community partners, Broward seeks to provide programs that contribute to a vibrant, multi-cultural and economically viable community, to deliver world-class recreational opportunities, and to promote life-long learning opportunities for our residents and visitors.

Cultu​ral Division

In 2017, the County Commission approved the creation of the Cultural Festival Program which awards funding for selected Broward community festivals.

There were six Public Art & Design projects completed and installed in various locations including the airport, port and library. The Cultural Division completed 10 Calls to Artists, 11 artist or artist teams were selected, and four final designs were approved.

June 2017 marked the 11th year of the Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute (AEI). The AEI is an artist-focused course of study designed to assist artists of all disciplines by cultivating and advancing their business skills. To date, over 700 artists have completed the program.

The Advocacy, Education and Cultural Tourism section of the Cultural Division provided arts-based educational and professional development programming for over 3,800 adults and youth of all ages.  The Destination Sistrunk cultural tourism program provided 20 creative businesses with opportunities for development, technical assistance and contractual services.

The first-ever Mayor’s Art Challenge provided high school students the opportunity to showcase their talent and display their artwork in a public exhibition and auction at the United Way Annual Mayor’s Gala.  The competition was created to recognize exceptional artistic talent across Broward County, with each Commissioner selecting a winner from his or her commission district and the Mayor awarding three overall awards from among the commission finalists. Fellowship Awards totaling $7,000 were distributed to the students.

Brow​ard County Parks

Broward County Parks remain a key recreational area for residents and visitors. Not even Hurricane Irma could put a damper on parks activities in Fiscal Year 2017. Hurricane Irma did damage some parks, but within two days, 29 sites had reopened, and one month after the storm, all but two parks had reopened. They were reopened shortly thereafter.

Attendance at County parks increased nearly 2 percent to 11.4 million, thanks to the opening of new attractions and facilities, including:

• the Marine Environmental Education Center at Carpenter House at Hollywood North Beach Park, in partnership with Nova Southeastern University. The Center gives visitors a rare opportunity to see hatchling seat turtles released in the ocean. The hatchlings were given a second chance at life after becoming stuck in their nests and removed by sea turtle scientists during a nest excavation.
  
• three Memorial Fitness Zone outdoor exercise facilities at Markham Park & Target Range, C.B. Smith Park, and Vista View Park, in partnership with Memorial Healthcare System. The Markham Park and C.B. Smith fitness zones include 10 different pieces of equipment, several of which have wheel-chair accessible features, such as the Lat Pull Down and Vertical Press. The Vista View fitness zone includes 8 pieces of equipment, including a 13-person Crossfitness Rig and Kickboxing Station.
  
• the Micro-Apiary at Tradewinds Park & Stables, in partnership with Broward Regional Health Planning Council and Urban Beekeepers. It’s the first educational micro-apiary in a Broward County park and only the second such facility in the entire state. The micro-apiary represents another step forward in the County’s continuing commitment to environmental education and protection.
  
• the Destination Fitness outdoor exercise facility at Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park in the Broward Municipal Services District, opened in partnership with Broward Regional Health Planning Council and Health Foundation of South Florida
  

Broward County Parks also hosted four international T20 cricket matches at Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium which attracted more than 6,200 fans over the course of two days. The world-class park and stadium facility was chosen to host the Australian and English women’s cricket teams for their training camps.

Broward C​ounty Libraries

2017 not only brought additional Creation Stations to several libraries, including Northwest and Southwest Regional, but it also saw a new service, Creation Station business, open at the Main Library. It serves as a co-working working hub for the public offering support for new entrepreneurs and those that want to expand their business ventures.  Creation Station Business provides valuable opportunities for networking, free work and meeting spaces, high-tech equipment, business resources and expert assistance for creating and growing a business.

The Library’s Veterans Connect program, through lending hotspots, creates avenues to bridge the digital divide and opportunities for members of the military to access the resources of the libraries and other service agencies to help create a smooth transition to civilian life.

For students in Broward county, a new agreement with the School Board of Broward County gives them access to library resources through a Digital Direct library card account. The agreement also allows for shared training and promotional opportunities for educators and librarians.

Summer learning registration was more than 25 percent higher than the previous year, with over 20,000 people of all ages participating. More than 173,000 books were read over the summer alone.

For the first time ever, Broward County Library staff took on a new responsibility - operating some of the hurricane shelters during Hurricane Irma. It was a major change, since in the past, all shelters had been operated by the American Red Cross. Library employees, with training and assistance from the Human Services Department, served as shelter managers and helped thousands of residents forced to evacuate because of the storm.​​​​