Fort Lauderdale Beach
The city of Fort Lauderdale boasts more than seven miles of sparkling beaches that offers residents and visitors premier opportunities for recreation, relaxation and enjoyment. The award winning wave wall and signature beachfront promenade highlight Fort Lauderdale's world famous coastline, which is punctuated by an array of shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes and entertaining venues.
More than 15 years of successful redevelopment has helped transform Fort Lauderdale Beach from a seasonal tourist spot to a year round, world class family resort destination.
For decades, as portrayed in the movie Where the Boys Are, Fort Lauderdale Beach was known primarily as a place where students came by the thousands to celebrate Spring Break. In the mid 1980's, the city decided to make a concerted effort to shed its image as a Mecca for college students by passing a strict ordinance prohibiting public drinking.
In 1986, voters approved a $47 million General Obligation Bond which paved the way for several redevelopment projects. Foremost among these was the $26 Million renovation of Fort Lauderdale Beach. The renovation included the complete redesign of coastal roadway A1A, the elimination of Diagonal beach front parking, the addition of landscaped medians, pull-out lanes, bicycle lanes, new traffic signals, brick paved pedestrian crosswalks, expanded sidewalks and a pedestrian beachfront promenade. The most dramatic change was the construction of the beach wave-wall. It has approximately 10.35 Million visitors each year.
- Area 36.0 sq. mi
- (City)Area: 31.7 sq. mi
- (Land)Area: 4.3 sq. mi
- (Water)Population: 6,341
- Households: 4,142 (40% families)
- Median age: 50
