Interview: Rufus James, Airport

Rufus James

Airport Manager Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport

How are you working with the public or private sector to promote Fort Lauderdale?

Our mission is to attract business to the area, help those businesses prosper and be a benefit to the community. We’re one of only a few general aviation airports in South Florida that o ers U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) services for aircraft as well as the local boater program for boat operators. In 2015, a state-of-the-art facility was constructed, which significantly enhanced airport operations, optimized speed and e ciency, and dramatically improved service delivery, all of which greatly benefit the corporate and recreational travelers who arrive from around the globe. The CBP facility is equipped with global entry kiosks and passport control kiosks for passenger processing similar to what is found at the international airports. We were also able to extend CBP operating hours until midnight to accommodate business aircraft and air ambulance flights operating from foreign countries, including Latin America.

What were some of your highlights and takeaways from the past year?

We were going into the first quarter having exceeded the previous year monthly operations. One of the things an airport looks at to determine its performance is the number of airplane landings and takeo s. By the middle of March, we thought we would not even beat 2019’s number, but thankfully we managed and experienced an 8% increase for March 2020 operations. In April, we experienced a 38% decrease in operations during the pandemic, but despite an increase in operations for May 2020, that increase was still 19% less than the previous year. In June, tra c certainly returned, and we experienced an increase of 26% more operations than June of 2019. Overall, the calendar year operations (2019 versus 2020) ended practically even with a very minimal deficit of .02 fewer operations (44 less takeo s and landings), which is remarkable from a global perspective. International travel was the missing piece from our operations count.

The New River Bridge is 55 feet above the South Fork of the New River in Fort Lauderdale.

Capital projects The city of Fort Lauderdale has a total of $1.4 billion in community investment projected over the next five years. The city recently decided to reconsider the future of the parking garages next to the main library, which are underutilized and occupy prime real estate in the Downtown area.

“Our downtown is really transforming into a cosmopolitan area that will be a gem of the world,” Mayor Trantalis said. “People can truly live, work and play in one spot. You can step out of your residence and walk to a grocery, one of an amazing array of restaurants or an incredible slate of entertainment offerings. It’s only going to get better in the coming years.”

Among the key challenges for the city are transportation and pedestrian traffic. Specifically, the city’s beaches and infrastructure along the Downtown and Las Olas corridor are choke points for pedestrian traffic. The Penny Transportation surtax created an opportunity for transportation improvements in the city. Through neighborhood advocacy and collaboration with the Public Works Department, the Broward County Commission approved funding for the first cycle of municipal-request projects totaling $10.6 million.

The Brightline station is another initiative in the spotlight. The station should be the hub of a service within Broward, connecting it to the international airport and communities to the north and south and beyond to Palm Beach and Miami. But a choke point exists with the commuter rail at the crossing at the New River and increased rail traffic over this bridge would negatively impact the maritime industry. For various reasons, the bridge connection would not be

Michael Weymouth

President – The Las Olas Company

We have a very limited portfolio, with 140,000 square feet of retail and around 140,000 square feet of o ce space. We don’t venture outside of our sandbox but we are doing some redevelopment work internally. We demolished a building in November that was one of the more tired ones in our portfolio of properties. We will replace it with something that is more in keeping with the current retail demands. All of our assets have been upgraded so as to ensure that they have impact glass, warranted roof and newer air conditioners. We do not like to have any dark spaces, so we collaborated with a group of artists called Zero Empty Spaces to create installations across Las Olas where they can show o their creativity.

ideal, thus shifting the conversation to a future tunnel connection.

In order to be more of a micro mobility-friendly city, plans are in the works to develop a framework for micro mobility devices, such as electric scooters and bicycles, to operate within the city while ensuring public safety. The city began construction on the first Fort Lauderdale Mobility Hub that will improve mobility and connect people to various transportation choices such as Brightline, regional express and local bus service by Broward County, shuttle service to TriRail, and the Community Shuttle. Recent infrastructure improvements include wide sidewalks, shade trees, pedestrian lighting, dedicated bicycle facilities and crosswalks, which support mixed-use development.

The city has also initiated the planning process for the iconic LauderTrail project, a continuous and comprehensive network with seven miles of connected urban trail facilities for practical and recreational use that will promote a multimodal connectivity and a healthy lifestyle. The trail is expected to connect 17 neighborhoods, 26 parks, 11 K-12 schools, seven entertainment districts, 14 government services, three higher education centers, over 30 cultural centers, 30% of city jobs, and 30% of city residents.

To preserve and expand green space, a $200 million park bond initiative was overwhelmingly approved by voters in March 2019. The bond will bring significant upgrades and improvements to numerous parks such as the construction of a signature community center at Carter Park and Bass Park, new outdoor fitness equipment at Dottie Mancini Park, sports lighting upgrades at Florence C. Hardy Park, walking trail improvements at Hortt Park, the installation of playground equipment and a pavilion at Lauderdale Manors Entrance, an improved restroom/concession area and upgraded athletic fields at Mills Pond Park, and new playground equipment at Palm Aire Village Park. Finally, the city began design on the Breakers Avenue streetscape project that will create an iconic corridor that not only provides mobility but is also a safe, accessible, attractive, climate-resilient public space serving neighbors and visitors in Fort Lauderdale Beach. Some proposed improvements include streetscape elements such as pedestrian lighting, trees, landscape, shared-use street design and underground water and sewer utility upgrades.

Public works After the shock of multiple sewer main breaks between December 2019 and February 2020, the city took the

Of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s 77 mandated milestones, 55 are complete

The acquatic center will be home to major swimming and diving competitions

opportunity to evaluate, repair and upgrade its entire infrastructure system to include water, wastewater, stormwater, waterways, and transportation. The city has been aggressive in completing the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s mandated projects. Out of the required 77 milestones, 55 are complete with 32 ahead of schedule. The list includes a record-setting $65 million project of 7.5 miles of new redundant force main, which will be the lifeline of the city’s wastewater system. Upon completion of the redundant line, the city plans to rehabilitate the existing 54-inch sewer main, which will create full redundancy, enhance reliability, and improve service to neighbors.

Fort Lauderdale has also started replacing its aging distribution network, further stressed by the saline-high groundwater. As an integral part of this replacement and upgrade, the city is creating a hydraulic model of its water distribution system, which will help analyze operational conditions, including flow, pressure, pipe size, valve locations and system capacity. During the last five years, the city has completed 35 stormwater projects of various sizes and complexities.

Implementation of its $200 million major initiative, covering seven neighborhoods that experience the worst flooding, is being finalized. Edgewood and River Oaks communities will be the first to see the improvements with construction beginning in May 2021.

Economic development Attracting and retaining businesses remains a major focus for the city of Fort Lauderdale and steps, such as hiring a new economic development manager, have been taken to ensure its place as a destination for both domestic and international businesses.

“Fort Lauderdale has a lot to offer business looking to relocate – far beyond just our beautiful weather,” Mayor Trantalis said. “We have a talented, multicultural workforce backed by a great university system for skillbuilding. We have a favorable tax climate for business and a dynamic downtown that’s attractive to companies and their employees. We also have the structural underpinnings to support everything from high-tech start-ups to financial services giants.”

The economic arm of the city is planning to be more aggressive when it comes to applying for grants that will be used to retain businesses and engage venture capital firms to help the community reinvest in itself. These funds will also be used to stimulate and assist smaller businesses, which are the staples of communities that are at risk due to the pandemic. In addition to more aggressive business attraction efforts, the economic development arm is also looking to promote existing businesses and entice new ones to come to the city within the hospitality, arts, entertainment, and nightlife segments.

In the interest of attracting international incubators to Fort Lauderdale, the city is partnering with Broward County to bring the World Trade Center (WTC) franchise to Downtown. This initiative is aimed at allowing the

Bill Rubin

Founder & Chairman – Rubin, Turnbull & Associates

I am optimistic that the Biden administration will have a good impact on the economics of Broward County. Several of the members of Broward’s Congressional delegation have an excellent working relationship with President Biden, and many members of his administration. These relationships should benefit Broward County as it navigates through the federal bureaucracy. Finally, the strength of the Republican Party in Florida will help bring a focus from both sides of the aisle for Florida.