Fort Lauderdale to ask voters for tax increase to pay for parks, police HQ
FORT LAUDERDALE – Parks all over the city would be improved, and a new police headquarters built, if Fort Lauderdale voters agree in March to raise their property taxes.
Two separate 30-year bond issues will be on the March 12 ballot, city commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday night: $200 million for parks, and $100 million for a police station.
The city will spend $325,000 for the special election.
Some of the details are yet to come. But practically every park in Fort Lauderdale is in line for something new.
Four signature projects are priorities and would be completed first: Millions would be invested into improvements at Holiday Park and at Joseph Carter Park, a new tunnel-top park would be built over the U.S. 1 tunnel, and the Lockhart Stadium campus would be rejuvenated.
Parks all over Fort Lauderdale would see sea wall repairs, new playgrounds, park benches, bathroom renovations, signage, solar panels, lighting, sports field/court enhancements, walking trail improvements, shade for basketball courts, and upgrades for people who have handicaps.
The initiative sets aside $30 million for new parks and $20 million for future projects. Several dog parks would be created for $2 million.
Besides the many smaller projects, 21 parks would see improvements of $1 million or more:
$6.6 million for Bass Park, $3.5 million for the Beach Community Center, $1.2 million for Cooleys Landing Marina, $2.6 million for Croissant Park, $6
million for Floyd Hull Stadium, $5.3 million for George English Park, $21.1 million for Holiday Park, $2 million for Hortt Park, $13.6 million for Joseph Carter Park, $1.8 million for Lauderdale Manors Park, $4.8 million for Mills Pond Park, $3.2 million for Osswald Park, $1.2 million for Poinciana Park, $2.7 million for Riverland Park, $4.3 million for Shirley Small Park, $6.6 million for Snyder Park, $1 million for Sunset Park, $1.5 million for Warfield Park, $1.7 million at Sunrise Middle School, $25 million for Lockhart Stadium, $5 million for tunnel-top park.
New police station
The police station, at 1300 W. Broward Blvd., was built in 1958 and the city says it’s “functionally obsolete” and too small, at 85,000 square feet.
If voters approved the $100 million bond issue, a new 165,000 square foot police headquarters and parking garage would be built. The money also could be spent on specialty vehicles such as bomb trucks and command center vehicles, city documents say.
“This isn’t a building for the police officers,” Chief Rick Maglione said. “This is a building for the community.”
The city hasn’t released much information about the proposed new headquarters. Commissioner Steve Glassman said city taxpayers want specifics.
Mayor Dean Trantalis said he’s concerned the city is “rushing into this” effort.
The new station has been proposed for years. But Trantalis said Fort Lauderdale’s station would be more costly than others built recently in the region.
“I don’t know about you, but we don’t all have money to burn,” Trantalis said.
A consultant estimated the cost, and Tuesday night, City Auditor John Herbst said $100 million seems reasonable, considering inflation.
Feldman said the price will be pinned down after the building is designed, and the city might not need the entire $100 million.
“I’ve never heard of a government that didn’t use all the money they asked for,” resident Maggie Hunt said. “Maybe you’ll be the first ones, and that’d be great.”
Feldman warned that if commissioners aren’t all in agreement about the bond issues, voters will reject them.
”If we start hemming and hawing, it’s not going to work,” Commissioner Robert McKinzie said after Trantalis began criticizing the police bond issue.
Trantalis said he’d go against his instincts and show solidarity, because the station is needed.
Downtown developer Jim Ellis urged commissioners not to wait.
“You need to start this process,” Ellis said. “If you don’t, we’ll be sitting here another 20 years.”
For a $300,000 home, the two bond issues together would add $150 to the property tax bill.
The taxes would be in addition to some other taxes voters in Broward agreed to recently.
Voters in November agreed to raise the sales tax in Broward for transportation projects. Voters also agreed to raise property taxes in Broward to pay for teacher raises, school resource officers and student mental health services. Voters in 2014 agreed to raise property taxes for $800 million in Broward school improvements.
The last bond issue Fort Lauderdale voters approved was a $40 million bond issue in 2004 to build 10 fire stations. Fourteen years later, the city still hasn’t built all 10.
In other action, Fort Lauderdale city commissioners Tuesday:
■ CITIZEN AWARDS:
Voted 3-2 against naming former Commissioner Tim Smith — an accomplished but controversial leader — the next “distinguished citizen” and sent the matter back to a citizen committee for reconsideration. (Voting yes were Commissioners Heather Moraitis and Robert McKinzie.) Other nominees were accepted Tuesday night: city volunteer JoAnn Smith for citizen of the year; beach tourism leaders and businesspeople Ramola and the late Ramesh “Bob” Motwani for honored founder; former police chief Franklin Adderley for exemplary former employee. Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman @sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4541. Find her on Twitter @BrittanyWallman.