{"id":171460,"date":"2026-02-27T13:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T13:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/171460\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T13:41:07","slug":"tunnel-top-plaza-now-has-shade-critics-would-prefer-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/171460\/","title":{"rendered":"Tunnel Top Plaza now has shade. Critics would prefer trees."},"content":{"rendered":"

The new shade sails at Tunnel Top Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale are getting a mixed response ranging from snarky praise to snarky criticism.<\/p>\n

Tunnel Top Plaza opened in December 2023. The $12 million-plus project sits on Las Olas Boulevard right above the U.S. 1 tunnel. Soon enough, the blazing heat made it apparent something was missing<\/a>: Shade.<\/p>\n

The beige-colored sails went up<\/a> two weeks ago, adding an additional $62,000 to the tab.<\/p>\n

Fans and critics took to social media to share their thoughts on the new addition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe homeless will love it,\u201d said one post. \u201cWtf,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

\u201cA poorly designed concept turned boondoggle,\u201d remarked another.<\/p>\n

Admirers of the shade sails gave them a thumbs up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis place is genuinely super cool,\u201d one poster said. \u201cMy friends and I hang there almost every day.\u201d\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Another wrote: \u201cI was by it today and it really looks great. Can\u2019t imagine it will hold up in the weather or for very long, but it sure looks great today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commissioner Steve Glassman said the shade sails seem to be a hit with most people.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part, I\u2019m receiving positive comments,\u201d he said. \u201cNot surprising considering almost anything would have been an improvement. I am still looking to see more greenery; lusher landscaping is needed to soften the hardscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ShadeShade sails, shown on Feb. 14, are bringing much needed shade to Tunnel Top Plaza on Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale. (Mike Stocker\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Mayor Dean Trantalis says most folks like the new addition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a more functional space now because of the shading,\u201d he said. \u201cNow people can enjoy their lunch during the day and tourists and families can go there and not be overwhelmed by the elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some say the plaza and its artificial turf<\/a> ground covering is still missing one thing: Trees.<\/p>\n

That includes Ted Inserra, president of the River Oaks Civic Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have that other thing that\u2019s a really good shade giver, and they\u2019re called trees,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re just putting lipstick on a pig. And it\u2019s still a pig. It still has no grass and no shade trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to plant trees when there\u2019s no dirt, Trantalis said.<\/p>\n

Commissioner Ben Sorensen, whose district includes the neighborhood, says trees are on the way. They won\u2019t be planted in the ground but instead will be in planters.<\/p>\n

Sorensen says he too is getting positive feedback, though some people are asking whether beige was the happiest, most vibrant color choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people have asked if this was the only color available,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cWe can change the color as we evaluate how it\u2019s going. I think the sails will do well (in a storm), but if there are rips or tears we will replace them. They\u2019re holding up pretty well so far and we\u2019ve had some decent wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The new shade sails at Tunnel Top Plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale are getting a mixed response ranging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171461,"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-171460","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\/171460","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=171460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=171460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=171460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=171460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}