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Nimble response: Region responds to adversity with aplomb and ingenuity
Nimble response:
Ask people what challenges Fort Lauderdale will face because of its explosive population growth, and the answer will invariably touch upon the topics of transportation, logistics and infrastructure. Broward County — the second-most populous county in Florida — has one of the fastest-growing economies in the country. It is a huge draw for tourists, an entrepot for trade and the development of the transportation and logistics sectors reflects the extraordinary traffic it sees in people and goods.
The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the strain placed on Broward County’s infrastructure. People have been moving to the region in droves, meaning more cars on the road and more people on the trains. E-commerce has risen to become one of the defining economic forces of the age, requiring a major overhaul of the region’s (and nation’s) logistical infrastructure. Finally, the tourism industry, one of the pillars of Broward County’s economy, was brought to a complete standstill during the lockdowns and the decline of national and international travel.
How did the region respond to this adversity? With great aplomb and ingenuity. In the transportation sector, the down time was put to good use in expediting improvement projects on highways, Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Public-private partnerships in infrastructure continued to show strength in the region as innercity rail transportation continued to expand. All told, these sectors have proved nimble and adaptable in the face of unprecedented growth, which, it is becoming increasingly apparent, is not a bad problem to have.
Transportation and logistics Geographically, Fort Lauderdale is well placed as a major entry point into the United States for foreign trade: the Panama Canal is relatively easily accessible, and it is within 1,000 miles of Mexico, Central America, and the nations of the Caribbean. Serving this traffic are the region’s two behemoths of trade, Port Everglades and the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Such is the importance of these sectors in Broward County, that there are more than 25,000 jobs in transportation and warehousing alone.
These sectors are in a state of flux at the moment as they grow to meet the challenge of increased traffic. Port Everglades is being expanded, FLL Airport is being renovated. In mass transit, the Brightline inner city rail is being expanded so that it will extend from Miami Beach up the coast to Orlando. Turnpikes and ( )
