Those famous black olive trees on Las Olas Boulevard might be gone soon.
After years of debate over whether the trees should stay or go, Fort Lauderdale commissioners are finally expected to make a decision Tuesday night.
A dramatic redesign years in the making calls for a controversial removal of the tree-lined median to make way for wider sidewalks and outdoor cafes.
Critics have been pushing back since the vision won commission approval in 2021, arguing the trees give Las Olas its charm and have got to stay.
Mayor Dean Trantalis proposed a possible compromise in April 2024, saying he’d come up with a new plan to save the median and the trees. Let’s widen the sidewalk on the north side of Las Olas but leave the south side alone, he suggested. To make way for the wider sidewalk on the north, street parking could be eliminated.
That proposal, however, did not make the list of options being considered Tuesday.
Here’s what the city is proposing for the Shops area of Las Olas Boulevard, from U.S. 1 to Southeast 12th Avenue.
Option 1 would get rid of the median to widen the sidewalks along Las Olas. The plan calls for the planting of 39 shade trees and 34 flowering trees on both sides of the street.
Option 2 would keep the tree-lined median and modify the on-street parking to allow for wider sidewalks. A total of 67 shade trees and 39 flowering trees would be planted along both sides of the street.
Today, four blocks of olive trees line Las Olas. The trees were planted decades ago. All would be cut down under a long-planned redesign expected to cost millions of dollars.
Las Olas Isles resident Randy King sent the commission an email over the weekend saying the project should have never seen the light of day. He demanded the city halt the project until residents get a chance to vote on it.
“The vast majority of the local residents are vehemently against it,” King wrote. “(This) project is one of the most idiotic plans ever presented with the sole purpose of destroying one of the most iconic streets in the country.”
But not everyone hates the idea.
Charlie Ladd, a longtime Las Olas property owner and board member of Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority, has been pushing for the removal of the median for years.
“The black olive trees there now are in poor condition and have 10 years or less to live,” Ladd said. “When they die, you’d have to replace them with palm trees because the median is only 6 feet wide. The commission has a chance to do something that will have a generational impact on an iconic street. And it’s my hope they take the opportunity.”
Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he was well aware his compromise plan was not among the options offered up by staff.
“Tomorrow is a discussion,” he said. “While it is on the agenda to vote on in the evening, we have to wait to see what the outcome of the debate is during the afternoon (commission conference meeting). Just because staff limited our options, doesn’t mean we are limited now in how we proceed.”
Commissioner Steve Glassman declined to share how he planned to vote on Tuesday, but has supported the removal of the median in previous discussions.
“It’s hard for people to see change,” he said. “And I know people are worried about the charm going away. But I think we’ll make it more charming. It’s time to move forward. We can’t work in just the bubble of today.”
Critics have griped about the cost of changing what they consider one of Fort Lauderdale’s most beautiful boulevards.
In 2023, the estimated cost for redesigning the entire 2.4-mile stretch of Las Olas all the way to A1A was approaching $200 million. Some worry the cost has only increased since then.
For now, the city is focusing on redesigning the western stretch, which includes three distinct areas: Downtown, The Shops and Colee Hammock.
At the current stage of preliminary design, the cost of construction is an estimated $5 million for Downtown; $7.5 million for The Shops; and $6.8 million for Colee Hammock.
Some worry that young trees will be planted, leaving Las Olas without shade for years.
Under the latest plan, Fort Lauderdale says most of the trees along the boulevard would be replaced with large canopy trees at 75% maturity.
The newly planted trees would reach full maturity and maximum shade potential within five to eight years.
King was not impressed.
“The median needs to stay there,” he said. “The trees need to stay there. The sidewalks need to stay there as is. They need to drop the entire project. It’s insane. Nobody wants it. And if they think we do, put it on the ballot.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan