Fort Lauderdale to open video e-gaming center on Sistrunk

FORT LAUDERDALE – The first electronic video gaming center in Fort Lauderdale will open later this year along Sistrunk Boulevard, in a modern twist on parks and recreation.

“We want to offer it like a baseball option or a football option. We want to have a recreation esports option,” City Manager Chris Lagerbloom said.

The esports room will allow young people to compete against other gamers in the world, the latest in gaming technology.

The video games offered by the city will be “age-appropriate,” city officials said, and will incorporate “STEAM” activities, (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math), as well as homework assistance and promotion of healthy lifestyles.

But it won’t be all educational fare. Popular shooter games like Fortnight, will be offered, Lagerbloom said.

The gamers will use consoles, like PlayStation or Xbox, and will be supervised, Lagerbloom said. Gory or ultra-violent videogames — like those in which gamers shoot police officers — won’t be allowed.

The city’s parks and recreation department will operate the center, at 930 NW Sixth St./ Sistrunk Boulevard. The small building is on a section of Sistrunk Boulevard that’s undergoing redevelopment. Commissioners voted Tuesday to pay a $124,880 rent over three years for the 2,137 square foot space.

Fort Lauderdale is making an effort to improve its parks and recreation offerings, especially after residents complained in last year’s city survey that Fort Lauderdale isn’t family-friendly enough.

City spokesman Chaz Adams said details are still being ironed out. The city hopes to open the e-gaming center by the end of the school year, and it will be available for summer camps to

use.

In other action, Fort Lauderdale city commissioners Tuesday:

Lockhart: Objected to the idea of holding deliberations about the future of Lockhart Stadium in private, and decided to ask competing bidders if the process can be held publicly. State law says unsolicited bids should be discussed and ranked outside the public’s eye, the city attorney said. If both sides agree to waive privacy, city commissioners intend to discuss Lockhart on March 19 at the 1:30 conference meeting, and then hold a vote to rank the proposals in the evening meeting that starts at 6 p.m. Miami Beckham United and FXU Futbol are competing with soccer-based proposals.

Air show: Agreed to give $100,000 from the beach Business Improvement District to the 2019 Fort Lauderdale Air Show, which will be held May 4-5. It will be visible for free from Southeast 17th Street to Oakland Park Boulevard, with the show center at Birch State Park.

Time off: Agreed to allow bulk trash workers to leave work each day if they finish their routes early. The “task time system” agreement, with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, will be reevaluated in six months to ensure service isn’t degraded.

Parking: Signed off on an arrangement where the public can park at 500 SE 9th St., a privately owned lot.

Breakers: Approved a $700,000 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates for engineering design and construction administration services on the Breakers Avenue streetscape project, to “create an iconic corridor” that is also climate resilient.

BRITTANY WALLMAN/SUN SENTINEL Fort Lauderdale’s first esports gaming center is planned near the corner of Sistrunk Boulevard and Northwest 10th Avenue, at 930 NW Sixth St. The site is fenced because of nearby redevelopment.