Critics question push for taller towers in Fort Lauderdale

WLRN 91.3 FM | By Susannah Bryan

Published August 1, 2022 at 1:23 PM EDT

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The Fort Lauderdale skyline on Friday, July 29, 2022. Tall towers are the norm in downtown Fort Lauderdale. But what if they were allowed throughout the city? One developer is hoping the commission will change the city's code to make that possible.

Sky-high towers as tall as 500 feet could start cropping up all over Fort Lauderdale, critics fear.

It could happen if a controversial proposal goes through that would raise the height cap to 500 feet on projects that get special zoning. The new ordinance would apply citywide, not just in high-rise-friendly downtown, where zoning already encourages supersized towers.

So far, the idea is getting a chilly reception.

“We are not Sunny Isles. We are not Miami. We are not New York,” said longtime resident Nancy Thomas. “I’d rather have it shorter and denser. If we get into this height request we’re going down the wrong path. We are going to start looking like Sunny Isles.”