Wayne Huizenga Jr. came to Huizenga Park, the downtown Fort Lauderdale park named after his father, early Saturday morning to walk around the renovated space before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. What he saw brought tears to his eyes.
After two years of construction, the $15 million makeover was finally complete: the glittering fountain, the children’s play area, the dog park, the riverwalk, the green space and the terraces, all overlooking the New River. Huizenga quickly put his sunglasses back on to hide his tears.
“The park turned out even more incredible than I thought it would,” he said.
Huizenga Park reopens to the public in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
Fort Lauderdale residents and city officials are celebrating the grand reopening of Huizenga Park on Saturday and Sunday with music, performances, poetry, yoga classes, a community market and other events organized by the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, the independent agency that owns and operates the park. Immediately after elected officials and city leaders ceremoniously cut the ribbon, the park was busy with kids running around, dogs playing, performers juggling and neighbors chatting.
“From the very beginning, this project was guided by a simple but powerful idea to create an iconic park for everyone forever that is uniquely Fort Lauderdale,” said Steve Hudson, the Huizenga Park Foundation chair. “When you look around, we’ve done just that. Huizenga Park has emerged as everyone’s living room, dining room and backyard.”
As it began to lightly rain, Hudson quipped, “Except we don’t have a roof.”
Ali Hoop Mama, with Rainbow Circus, performs at Huizenga Park during the reopening.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
The park was built by the DDA in the 1990s. In 2003, it was named after businessman and philanthropist Wayne Huizenga, who founded AutoNation and Waste Management and once owned the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers and Miami Marlins. (Mascots for all three teams were in attendance, dancing to salsa music and taking photos with fans.)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the DDA decided it was time for an upgrade. The DDA worked with architecture and landscape firm Perkins&Will and MBR Construction for the redesign and construction and secured funding for the more than $15 million project from itself, private donors, the city of Fort Lauderdale and the state of Florida. Construction began in 2024.
Wayne Huizenga Jr. speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony as Huizenga Park, which was named for his father, reopens.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
Saturday evening, the park will host a screening of “Ratatouille” on the lawn. On Sunday, there is a “Yoga & Mimosas” class at 11 a.m. and a community market until 4 p.m. The park has 200 free events planned for the rest of the year, said Jenni Morejon, the DDA’s president and CEO.
“Now the park’s alive,” Morejon said. “This is what the community has been waiting for.”
Nicole Caldiroli performs.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
The park’s highly anticipated renovation comes as downtown Fort Lauderdale experiences what Mayor Dean Trantalis has called a “renaissance” of economic growth and real estate development. Downtown Fort Lauderdale has welcomed a surge in population growth in recent years, including a notable increase in young professionals and families with young children. Unlike downtown areas in other major cities, downtown Fort Lauderdale has seen an 83% increase in families with children since 2018 and a 47% increase in families with children under 5 in the past five years, according to a DDA report from last year.
“The first park was wonderful, but there wasn’t as much of a downtown so it didn’t get as much action,” Huizenga told the Miami Herald. “It was a really beautiful space, but now it really does feel like a living room.”
The park’s redesign, which began about four years ago, aimed to reflect the needs and wants of the community, said James Philips, the Perkins&Will lead landscape architect. The park is sectioned into several “outdoor rooms” meant to make visitors feel at home, including the dog park, seating areas to eat and drink, an open lawn and Poppy’s Play Patch, a section of small grassy mounds for children to run and roll around. A Mr. Smash Burgers food truck opened Saturday. Sweetwaters, a sit-down restaurant on the park’s property, will open this year.
Miami Dolphins mascot T.D.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
The redesign maintained the Spirit of Fort Lauderdale Fountain and most of the live oak trees while adding more native plants and seating areas, Phillips said.
“It’s a park for everyone,” Phillips said. “Our goal was to create a park that responds to the evolving demographics of downtown Fort Lauderdale, shifting from a space that was designed primarily for large events, back when it was originally designed in the ‘90s, to a space that was flexible, multi-performative and supported the everyday needs of the community.”
So far, the community seems pleased. Parents of both “fur babies” and actual babies said they were looking forward to the park reopening.
Children play at Huizenga Park.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
Imani Jacinthe, a 28-year-old esthetician, walked from her nearby apartment building with her 7-month-old pup Mia to check out the reopening. Originally from Coral Springs, Jacinthe said she was drawn to Fort Lauderdale for its lively city life that’s a bit more laid-back compared to Miami. Now that Huizenga Park is open, she plans to bring Mia to walk and play on grass.
“It’s time for me to buy a house soon, but I really don’t want to leave,” she said. “I’m getting older and I need to stop renting, but I really do love this area.”
Imani Jacinthe, holding Mia, Jessica Alexandra, holding Lily, and Yulissa Parra, holding Aspen, visit Huizenga Park.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)
The scene at the park Saturday morning was picturesque. The sun came out. Puppies chased bubbles, couples listened to jazz music and Shayla McCrory watched as her 4-year-old daughter Margeaux rolled down the small hills at the play patch.
“We don’t have hills in Florida so it’s nice to have a hill,” McCrory said as Margeaux ran back up to roll back down. “She’s been flying her kite and having a blast.”
McCrory, 31, moved to Fort Lauderdale six years ago for her job in technology sales. She loves Fort Lauderdale’s weather and culture, but she was missing a nice park. After riding her bike past the construction site for a couple years, McCrory said she was happy with the outcome, though she would like to see the DDA add a splash area for kids to play in on hot days.
Margeaux had very high praise for the park: “I love it 3,000!”
Colton Saye, 6, chases bubbles while running down a mound at Huizenga Park.
(PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/adiaz@miamiherald.com)