Fort Lauderdale

Former City Commissioner Dean Trantalis took office as Fort Lauderdale’s mayor just over one month ago. A lot has happened in his first few weeks leading the city.

The Rev. Arthur “Art” Stejskal, 90, never got to fly during his time in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was a clerk in 1947.

“I was in charge of enlisted men separation, so I had a lot of happy customers,” he said. “I did the discharges ... I always wanted to fly, and being a missionary in Taiwan I never had the opportunity.”

Fort Lauderdale’s War Memorial Auditorium, inside Holiday Park, has been hosting gun shows seven times a year for the last 30 years. On Tuesday, the City Commission announced at a conference meeting that it’s looking to end those shows later this year.

Charlie King lives in the city’s Victoria Park neighborhood and frequently speaks in front of the commission. He told commissioners at the meeting that he doesn’t like the gun show location. 

It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Fort Lauderdale's next fire chief.

Rhoda Mae Kerr began her career in fire service in Fort Lauderdale in 1983, and after becoming the first female fire chief of Little Rock, Arkansas, and then again in Austin, Texas, the New Jersey native is ready to come back to where it all began for her. 

It's official. Fort Lauderdale has a new mayor. 

Dean Trantalis beat opponent Bruce Roberts on Tuesday night.  Trantalis made city history by also becoming the city's first openly LGBTQ mayor. 

A third candidate,  Charlotte Rodstrom,  did not get enough votes during the primary election in January to stay in the race.

Elizabeth Athanasakos, a Fort Lauderdale resident of 61 years, voted at the Coral Ridge Mall polling location early Tuesday. She said she was motivated to come and vote for mayor this election because of her stance on development.

The city of Fort Lauderdale released a long-awaited study Thursday about the status of its stormwater and drainage systems.

In an update to the city's Stormwater Master Plan, Hazen and Sawyer P.C., the company that won the contract to manage the master plan, laid out recommendations for fixing pipes in the city's seven high-priority neighborhoods: Progresso Village, Victoria Park, Dorsey Riverbend, Southeast Isles, River Oaks, Edgewood and Durrs.

Guests for Sundial Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018:

Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority Board Chairman Alan Hooper discusses the upcoming City Commissioners vote on the fate of the controversial streetcar rail line, The Wave.

Real estate developer Avra Jain discusses Miami Modern architecture style and her knack for revamping old buildings.

Teacher and performer Gail Willingham talks about the history of Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, which will be highlighted in a walk she will lead on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Guests for Sundial Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018:

Fort Lauderdale's two mayoral candidates — Vice Mayor Bruce Roberts and District 2 Commissioner Dean Trantalis — joined host Luis Hernandez to discuss their campaign and priorities for the city. Voters will go to the polls to to elect a new mayor on March 13.

Pickleball has been in South Florida for the past five years or so, but it was just last year that the sport virtually exploded in  popularity Broward County parks. 

It took a few hurricanes, some delays, and more than 14 years of volunteer work to turn what used to be South Side Elementary School into the new South Side Cultural Arts Center.

From Delray Beach to Virginia Key, South Florida is spending millions of dollars to fix old sewer systems.