Real Change for the Riverwalk

For more than a decade, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s own records have described a failing seawall and walkway on the north bank of the New River, between Andrews Avenue and the FEC Railway bridge.^[1] In 2025 and 2026, the City told a state agency that the walkway “may be on the verge of collapse.”^{[5, 6]} By August 12, 2026, part of it had collapsed and been barricaded.^[7] Part of the base of the Riverwalk 9/11 Monument has since been removed and stored, and the City doesn’t expect to begin construction until summer 2027.^{[8, 13]}

This petition asks the Mayor, the City Commission and the Acting City Manager to act on the six recommendations in our report. Every one of them is grounded in the public record.

The pledge

I support real change for the Riverwalk. I ask the City of Fort Lauderdale to assess interim stabilization of the failed section now, move the project’s funding forward, hold the design contract to its December 5, 2026 deadline, publish a written plan for the 9/11 Monument, release the engineering and permitting record, and seek state and federal help before the 2027 legislative session. I want a safe Riverwalk, an honored monument, and a public schedule the City keeps.