Dear Community Members,
The first month of hurricane season is coming to an end and we're already feeling the summer heat along with an increased amount of rain showers and related storms. Summer showers also means pesky mosquitoes are in full action. Residents are encouraged to be mindful of eliminating standing water in and around your property. If needed, residents can request mosquito control services by calling 311 or using the
Mosquito Service Request Form online. Reflecting on June, our community joined in celebrations for
Father's Day,
Juneteenth,
Pride Month, and of course the many graduation celebrations throughout Broward County. Coming up, I'm very excited to celebrate our nation's independence next Tuesday, July 4th. Many municipalities will have their own celebrations for residents and visitors. I encourage you to check your city's website for details. For a full list of links to each District 4 municipality, visit
Broward.org/Commission/District4.
County’s Response to Sargassum on Beaches
As visitors and residents head to the beach this summer to cool down, many are wondering about this year's Sargassum (Seaweed) on our beaches. As you likely know, this year's Sargassum season was forecasted to be the largest one yet. In March, in preparation for a higher-than-normal season, the
County's Resilient Environment Department has been facilitating bi-weekly, regional updates and information. They are sharing with local, regional and state government representatives with the goal of getting ahead of any issues and sharing responses and best practices for management. Staff has also coordinated communication strategies to best inform our residents and visitors of the environmental role of Sargassum, along with our management efforts when it's found in excess.
Locally, here in Broward County we launched the
Sargassum webpage in early April to provide residents and visitors with ready information. The webpage includes links to live beach cameras throughout the County allowing beachgoers to view real-time beach conditions. We are now in the peak months of the season and despite the early alerts, Broward County shorelines have experienced only low to average accumulations thus far, with very few hotspot occurrences with higher-than-normal levels.
One of the major concerns being reported on the news is that this Sargassum has a “flesh eating bacteria". Broward County always encourages everyone to check with
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County for any public health inquiries.
However, contrary to recent news reports, scientists did not find so-called “flesh-eating bacteria" in seaweed, a report which was clarified to have been a misinterpretation of a university study. I definitely want to thank our local municipalities for their quick action and preparedness, and willingness to partner in these conversations. It's gone a long way to helping our community and our beautiful Broward beaches to remain safe and enjoyable for all.
Economic Engines Update
Summertime is also a great time for residents to take some time off and travel through our two wonderful economic engines, Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Checkout some updates from both our Port and Airport below.
Port Everglades
The Board of County Commissioners recently move forward with the design for the Port Bypass Road. This project is expected to alleviate traffic along Federal Highway and 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale. This will be very helpful especially as the Convention Center expansion and Headquarters Hotel will also be completed around the same time. For more information on this capital improvement project and others, visit
Broward.org/BCEngineering/Pages/CapitalProjectsPublicInvolvement.
Link to video:
vimeo.com/835447042
Additionally, Port Everglades recently announced the return of Crystal Cruises. The cruise line will begin homeporting from Port Everglades in November 2024, with the newly refurbished Crystal Serenity. The first sailing will be July 31, 2023, out of Marseille. The brand will announce its 2025 itineraries later this year and will include Port Everglades for South Florida turnaround days. For more information on everything that is going on at the Port, visit
PortEverglades.net.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
If you are planning to travel through our airport this summer, I encourage you to visit the many public art displays throughout the airport. FLL’s terminals include paintings, photographs, sculptures, mosaic and terrazzo floors, and video, light, and sound artworks. Art exhibitions featuring local artists, youth, and airport employees can also be found in the airport terminals. Most recently, FLL in partnership with the Broward Cultural Division, announced the latest Terminal 2 Art Gallery exhibition featuring the work of Miami-based artist Jennifer Printz. Check out FLL’s
Public Art Map for a full list of art installations throughout the airport. Additionally, visit
Broward.org/Airport for more airport-related information.
Recent Road Improvement Projects in District 4
Fort Lauderdale - Broward County's Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division is performing minor drainage repairs on NE 62nd Street between NE 18th Avenue to NE 20th Way in Fort Lauderdale during the summer break. This is the initial phase of the project which is concentrated around Pine Crest High School. The work is expected to start on this week, and will be substantially completed by August 18, 2023, barring any unforeseen conditions and/or weather delays. For questions, residents may contact the Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division at 954-357-6040.
Wilton Manors - Broward County’s Mobility Advancement shared the memorialized signage recently installed for a Multimodal Enhancement construction project in Wilton Manors. The project included safety improvements on crosswalks, bike lane buffer and traffic calming improvements on portions of NE 24th Street and NE 15th Ave. Completed in February of this year, the project was awarded $516,975.49 through the surtax program. For more information on this project or other surtax funded projects, visit
Broward.org/PennyForTransportation and click on the dashboard link
Parks and Recreation Update
The Broward County Commission has approved waiving gate entrance fees at Broward County Parks on Tuesday, July 4, in celebration of our nation’s independence. All regional parks that charge the $1.50/person weekend and holiday fee will offer free admission to everyone (excluding parking fees at Hollywood North Beach Park and the A1A pocket parks in Hollywood). Additionally, to help alleviate residents from the summer heat, all four County Water Parks are open seven days a week through August 20 from 10AM to 5:20PM. For more information on all the wonderful things to do at our Broward County Parks, visit
Broward.org/Parks
Reminders:
Broward County’s
@Your Service Resident guides provide a comprehensive list of information on the services and programs provided by the County. For a free copy, email me or our Public Communication Office at
PublicInfo@Broward.org.
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Don't wait until the last minute to prepare. Visit
Broward.org/Hurricane to sign up for alerts, get helpful preparedness tips, learn about evacuation zones and more.
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2023 Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday - Now through September 4th, consumers can purchase qualifying recreation, outdoor items and admissions to entertainment and cultural events tax free.
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Additional Resources:
As always, I am truly thankful to serve you, Commission District 4 and everyone in Broward County as your Mayor. If I can ever be of assistance, please contact me at 954-357-7004 or
LFisher@broward.org. Also, follow me (
@LamarPFisher) on Twitter and on
Facebook.
Best regards,
Lamar P. Fisher
Broward County Mayor
Commission District 4