Redefining the Shoreline: Inside the $3 Billion Investment

May 7, 2025

City and business leaders have been working for decades to transform Fort Lauderdale Beach into a more upscale and family-friendly destination. The addition of high-end hotels and branded residences like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton helped set the stage for this evolution, inspiring world-renowned developers to pursue major projects along Fort Lauderdale’s shoreline.

From city-led investments that are creating family-friendly public spaces along A1A to bold investments that have revitalized iconic Fort Lauderdale destinations for generations of visitors, over $3 billion of investment is transforming the Fort Lauderdale Beach experience.

Elevating Public Spaces Along A1A

The City of Fort Lauderdale made major investments in underutilized public land on the barrier island, improving the experience for both locals and visitors. Las Olas Oceanside Park, affectionately called the LOOP, has become a cultural anchor at A1A and Las Olas Boulevard with events like the Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival and popular staples like Friday Night Sound Waves, movie nights, weekend farmers markets, and more.

Building on this momentum, the recent opening of DC Alexander Park, just blocks to the south, unveiled a one-of-a-kind lookout point, ensuring that visitors can now experience a range of family-friendly parks on the beach.  

A New Superyacht Marina with a Las Olas Address

The recently opened $130 million Las Olas Marina is poised to become a popular destination that houses superyachts and provides a premium dining experience thanks to the introduction of Ocean Prime. New waterfront real estate fronting the intracoastal was created by dredging the former parking lot to create a uniquely Fort Lauderdale amenity. “What was once a Fort Lauderdale parking lot is now a state-of-the-art marina at the yachting capital of the world,” reports the Miami Herald. This signature addition to the yachting capital of the world was made possible by a public-private partnership between the City of Fort Lauderdale and Suntex.

With a regional shortage of dockage to serve large vessels, the Las Olas Marina will elevate Fort Lauderdale’s stature as a global yachting capital, fill a major need for the marine industry, and have an annual economic impact of over $200 million.

Transforming Fort Lauderdale’s Icons

The recently unveiled transformation of Pier Sixty-Six perfectly reflects the evolution of Fort Lauderdale. A hallmark of our community for decades, “Pier Sixty-Six, with its eye-catching midcentury modern design, has been one of Fort Lauderdale's most beloved hospitality destinations,” reports Travel + Leisure. Home to one of the largest superyacht marinas in the country and known all over the globe for its rotating Pier Top with views of the ocean, downtown skyline, and intracoastal waterway, “Pier Sixty-Six serves as a bridge between Fort Lauderdale’s past and the present cultural renaissance unfolding” according to Colm O'Callaghan, Pier Sixty-Six vice president and managing director.

Plans for a $2 billion transformation to evolve Bahia Mar into a “Mini Monaco” are underway with the introduction of the new St. Regis Hotel & Residences. When complete, this iconic site will become a premier 5-star hotel and a yachter's paradise, home to upscale dining experiences.

Nick Perez, president of the Related Group’s condo division, told CNBC that  “[today] we have the deep water marina, we have the restaurants, but we don’t have this five-star resort that encompasses everything. So this is kind of what the market has been missing.”

Next door to Bahia Mar, recent updates to the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center have reintroduced a state-of-the-art Olympic swimming and diving facility with the tallest dive tower in the western hemisphere.

This $218 million project will redefine aquatic sports and add a world-class aquarium, Michelin caliber restaurants with ocean and intracoastal views, and an interactive museum befitting Fort Lauderdale’s status as the swimming & diving capital of the world.

Fort Lauderdale Beach is redefining itself—moving beyond its spring break past and embracing a future as a world-class destination.

Up Next: Fort Lauderdale’s emergence as a sports and entertainment destination, the final article of this series.