Will Fort Lauderdale just say no to fireworks?<\/p>\n
Many cities across the U.S. have already replaced fireworks shows with drone light shows. And Fort Lauderdale could be next.<\/p>\n
City commissioners plan to debate the topic on Tuesday during a meeting that begins at 1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Drones light shows are considered\u00a0safer<\/a> than traditional pyrotechnics, with their fire risk and falling debris. They\u2019re also quieter. And cheaper.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale spent $145,000 on its Fourth of July fireworks show in 2025. A drone show would cost around $40,000, city officials say.<\/p>\n Synchronized drones can create stunning light shows in the night sky, with zero smoke or debris.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m open to it, but I want to make sure the quality is there and that it\u2019s going to be spectacular,\u201d Commissioner Steve Glassman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. \u201cI don\u2019t want it to be a dud. I think environmentally it\u2019s cleaner, and it\u2019s something new so it\u2019s cool. But not all drone shows are equal.\u201d<\/p>\n Other cities in South Florida have already embraced drone shows, including Pompano Beach, Lauderhill and Miami.<\/p>\n But not everyone is going to like the idea of swapping out a traditional fireworks display for a drone show, said community leader Bill Brown, a longtime Fort Lauderdale resident and president of the Central Beach Alliance neighborhood group.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll never make everyone happy,\u201d Brown said. \u201cSome people resist change. And this would be a major paradigm shift for some people.\u201d<\/p>\n Pet owners with dogs who shake and tremble<\/a> at the loud boom that comes with fireworks shows<\/a> might just give the idea a thumbs up, Brown said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dog shakes and tries to hide behind the sofa,\u201d Brown said. \u201cHe does not like the boom. A drone show would have less of an impact on pets and the environment. And it\u2019s cost efficient. I think it\u2019s a smart move.\u201d<\/p>\n Drone light shows could be paired with fireworks or used as the primary display should the commission opt to do away with fireworks.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale put on its first drone light shows in July and has continued to use them at select events to evaluate feasibility and audience response, city officials say.<\/p>\n Fireworks displays require logistical coordination, including fire watch staffing by the Fire Rescue Department, according to a city memo.<\/p>\n In addition, the city\u2019s Fourth of July fireworks show requires barge and tug services and marine safety coordination, adding to the overall cost.<\/p>\n Drone shows require coordination with Federal Aviation Administration along with site-specific safety planning, but generally present a reduced operational footprint compared to fireworks displays, the city memo said.<\/p>\n Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Will Fort Lauderdale just say no to fireworks? Many cities across the U.S. have already replaced fireworks shows…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,28,249,251,250,114,266,109],"class_list":{"0":"post-105147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-lauderdale","8":"tag-broward-county","9":"tag-florida","10":"tag-fort-lauderdale","11":"tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","12":"tag-fort-lauderdale-news","13":"tag-latest-headlines","14":"tag-local-news","15":"tag-social"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}