Downtown Fort Lauderdale's $15 million urban oasis debuts after five-year transformation

Huizenga Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale is ready for its big comeback.

The $15 million renovation has been over 5 years in making.

"Ever since they started breaking ground and construction we've been wondering when it was going to reopen," said Tara Steil who lives in downtown.

Developers said the newly revamped 3.6 acre park is all about bringing green space to downtown.

With features like the big open lawn, a kids play area, a permanent food truck, waterfront seating, and the first dog run in downtown.

Perfect for Steil's pup Jax.

"We've been waiting for a really nice park in this area for him so we're really excited," said Steil.

"Parks are like the soul of a city, so we wanted to look at how did others do it, how did they manage public spaces, how did they fund it and what kind of design should we look at," said Jenni Morejon.

Morejon is the president and CEO of the Downtown Development Authority. 
She said they pulled inspiration from other urban parks in Manhattan, Dallas and Detroit - with a focus on the new and growing downtown neighborhood.

"We've seen an 80% increase in the number of households with children in downtown, we're at about 27,000 residents in our urban core and that's about a 70% increase over just the past 5 years," said Morejon.

Morejon said there will be overnight security and the park already has 160 free community events on deck - including a free wellness series with yoga, Zumba and dog friendly fitness classes.

"We were just looking around seeing all the nice seating area and I think it would be nice to go grab a coffee sit down watch all the boats pass by," said Hailey Guerrero who lives in downtown.

One part still has a few months to go - Sweetwater's restaurant is set to open in fall of this year.

"It's so important to have open green space you don't have a front yard you don't have a back yard when you live great apartment or condo buildings, so this is everyone's front yard, back yard, dining room," said Morejon.

The grand opening for the park is Saturday January 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. with free events all weekend like yoga classes, a farmer's market and a movie on the lawn.