In addition, a yearslong backlog has Fort Lauderdale officials warning that some projects won\u2019t get done until 2028 or possibly 2029.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is we were so slow out of the gate,\u201d Commissioner Steve Glassman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week. \u201cIt\u2019s been seven years. We should have been done with everything in seven years. I was not happy seeing some projects pushed back to 2027, 2028 and even 2029.\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s behind the backlog?<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say there\u2019s a lot of blame to go around,\u201d Glassman said. \u201cIt was a lack of attention on staff\u2019s part. A lack of organization. And a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the bond. And just dropping the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff has put part of the blame on the long planning process. By December 2004, only $39.5 million in bond money had been spent, but most of it had gone to design.<\/p>\n
City Manager Rickelle Williams took quick note of the problem after coming onboard in April 2025, six years after voters approved the bond. To help get the ball rolling, she hired Assistant City Manager Quentin Pough to spearhead the parks bond program and see it through.<\/p>\n
Mayor Dean Trantalis applauded that move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was too much to expect from the parks director,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should have probably hired additional staff back in 2019 to bring about new park facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of delays, work will soon begin on a new playground at Victoria Park. A groundbreaking is planned at the end of May.<\/p>\n
Glassman, the district commissioner for the neighborhood, says he\u2019s looking forward to that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have been waiting so long for the playground, I told them they need to have more children because the kids they have now are going to be too old by the time it\u2019s built,\u201d Glassman said. \u201cI\u2019m at my wit\u2019s end with that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission has requested an internal audit to help pinpoint what went wrong with the rollout of the parks bond.<\/p>\n
Residents are upset by the lack of progress \u2014 and Glassman said he feels their pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould I like things to happen faster? Oh yeah,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not always realistic. You have to make a timeline based on reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only $59.4 million out of $200 million in voter-approved debt had been spent as of December, much of it on design plans, city records show.<\/p>\n
The pace has been so slow that federal grant money earmarked for some projects will have to be returned due to the lack of progress.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TFL-L-fort-lauderdale-parks-cash6.jpg\")
An empty lot south of Chase Stadium, shown on Dec. 17, 2024, will one day be one of Fort Lauderdale\u2019s signature parks. But so far, it has yet to break ground. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
The city manager informed the mayor and commissioners of that fact during a recent meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past couple of weeks we\u2019ve had to return some of the grant funding that has been awarded because the projects haven\u2019t advanced at the level that we anticipated,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
Trantalis was taken aback by the news.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot believe you\u2019re telling me this tonight,\u201d he told Williams. \u201cUnfortunately you\u2019re the messenger tonight. But this is shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trantalis suggested that those park projects with grant funding should have been given priority years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d hate to lose all that grant money just because we have not set our priorities in trying to move forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Williams told the commission her team was working on a potential prioritization and phasing plan for the remaining parks bond projects. That plan will be presented at an upcoming meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to have a more robust conversation with the commission about setting expectations for the delivery of projects,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWhen everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. And that has sort of become the position we\u2019re in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city is also scrambling to address high and low budget shortfalls facing several projects across the city.<\/p>\n
One project has a shortfall of $8 million.<\/p>\n
That would be the phase III plans for Cooley\u2019s Landing Marina. The project calls for lighting upgrades, outdoor fitness equipment, solar panels and additional boat slip renovations, including seawall improvements, docks and utilities.<\/p>\n
Over at Holiday Park, a project that calls for a new splash and restroom building is short by $2.26 million. Another project would see nine more pickleball courts built, but it\u2019s short by $2.45 million.<\/p>\n
Mills Pond Park is slated\u00a0to get a new restroom and parking lot, a new playground, boat ramp, covered basketball courts, event stage, landscaping and walkways. The shortfall on that project: $2.45 million.<\/p>\n
The delays have not gone unnoticed by residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe voters are mad,\u201d said Mary Peloquin, a former member of the city\u2019s parks board. \u201cWe were all very frustrated on the parks board because it was taking forever to get designs done. Look where we are now, seven years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ted Inserra, president of the River Oaks Civic Association, says people he\u2019s talked to are fuming.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve had this money since 2019,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now the money is running out.\u201d<\/p>\n
When voters approved taking on debt to pay for the new police station and park improvements, they agreed to pay a higher property tax bill every year until the bonds are paid off in 30 years. For a home with a taxable value of $300,000, both bond issues together will hike the tax bill by an estimated $150 a year for 30 years.<\/p>\n