FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Fort Lauderdale officials, project partners, and community leaders gathered on September 9 to celebrate the opening of the city’s new Police Headquarters—a 191,000‑square‑foot, state‑of‑the‑art facility designed to modernize public safety operations and replace the aging station that had served the department for nearly seven decades. The ribbon‑cutting marks the culmination of a multi‑year effort involving AECOM as lead architect, Moss & Associates as general contractor, and Thornton Tomasetti as structural engineer of record.
Located at 1300 West Broward Boulevard, the new headquarters anchors a civic campus that includes a 200,000‑square‑foot parking structure and expanded operational space for more than 500 sworn officers and 300 civilian staff. The three‑story building features a hardened envelope designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane conditions, a critical upgrade for a coastal city increasingly vulnerable to severe weather.
Inside, the headquarters introduces several capabilities the department previously lacked. A new real‑time crime center provides live monitoring and analytics to support patrol and investigations. A digital forensics lab includes a Faraday room for secure device analysis, while an indoor tactical training range allows officers to conduct scenario‑based exercises, including vehicle‑entry drills. Public‑facing spaces—including a modern lobby and community meeting rooms—were designed to improve accessibility and strengthen engagement between residents and the department.
The project was funded through a voter‑approved bond in 2019, though its final cost rose from the original $100 million estimate to $165 million, driven by inflation, supply‑chain pressures, and structural corrections identified during construction. In 2024, hairline cracks discovered in a major support beam prompted an independent engineering review and a redesign of the affected structural elements. WJE, hired by the city as a peer reviewer, confirmed eight areas requiring remediation. AECOM and Thornton Tomasetti collaborated on corrective measures, and Moss implemented the repairs, adding support columns and reinforcing load paths. AECOM also agreed to fund monitoring of the repaired areas for five years.
Despite the challenges, city officials emphasized that the new headquarters represents a generational investment in public safety. The former station, built in 1958, had long been plagued by flooding, leaks, malfunctioning elevators, and outdated infrastructure that hindered operations. The new facility, they said, provides the technological backbone and physical resilience needed for modern policing.
The building is about the future of Fort Lauderdale, officials noted during the ceremony, highlighting the headquarters as both a functional upgrade and a symbol of the city’s commitment to its residents and officers.
With the ribbon now cut, the department will begin phased occupancy of the building this fall, transitioning units into the new headquarters as final commissioning and training are completed.
