Fort Lauderdale moves forward with plans for new City Hall

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale’s plan to bring a new City Hall to the community is moving forward, with commissioners getting a look at the financial impact of the three proposed sites.

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City Manager Rickelle Williams said there is some good news for taxpayers.

“To deliver the project, we have now reduced about $50 million the cost to bring that project to life,” Williams said.

The initial $267 million price tag has been reduced to about $217 million.

The proposal includes remodeling an existing office building at the 101 Tower site on Northeast First Street and Third Avenue or converting the pre-existing federal courthouse across the street into City Hall.

A third option is a high-rise office site at 1 East Broward in Fort Lauderdale.

The lower cost was made possible in part by reduced developer and design fees and restructuring the terms of the project’s overall payment schedule.

“We wanted to ensure we could outline a roadmap no matter what outcome and no matter what decision by the city commission would be revealed to us,” Williams said.

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The old City Hall has been out of use for the past few years after sustaining extensive flood damage during record rainfall.

No matter which of the three options the City Commission ultimately approves, the new City Hall will incorporate key core principles, including being cost-effective, innovative and setting a standard for history and the arts.

“I think we’re gonna end up with a wonderful building and something the city can be proud of for the next 30 years,” resident Mark Dickerman said.

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