Broward: The Endless Side-Scroller
People say Broward is built out. They say we've hit the end screen and there's no more room to build. But every few decades the county reloads the basemap with better graphics and worse traffic.
New condos, same code.
The first level was the beaches and downtown areas. Then the screen scrolled west to Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Tamarac, Margate. Next, the boomers found the warp pipe and sprinted to Plantation, Davie, Coral Springs, West Pines, Weston, Parkland. They kept going until the Everglades said stop.
When the background reset, downtown took the density. Today, the cranes are running out of parcels, and the next level is loading in the older inland suburbs - Lauderdale Lakes. Lauderhill. Tamarac. Margate. Coconut Creek.
Left Behind Once, Not Again
These were blue-collar suburbs built in the postwar boom and hollowed out in the 1970s. They remember what disinvestment felt like.
They want lighted streets, modern sidewalks, working businesses, and jobs close to home.
Now these same communities make up Broward's political core.
Black and Caribbean residents who power the county's Democratic primaries are looking for a return on loyalty. They are organized, pragmatic, and tired of being told to wait while others collect the contracts.
They have seen this game before. They watched the money move around them like water in a canal. Downtown got the cranes. The west got the wealth. The people in the middle got left behind.
This time, they are paying attention.
The Next Level
They're not NIMBYs. They want redevelopment, but on their terms.
Community activists in the Black community throughout Broward essentially told me the same thing: They want new jobs, yes, but expect fairness, clarity, and respect. And if they don't get it, you'll hit a buzz saw.
They're not going to get punked in their own backyard.
But this round could be different if someone shows up early and does it right. A developer who comes in with real partnerships may shape the next decade of Broward's growth.
Final Screen
The next boom will not belong to whoever builds first or throws the most money at the community. It will belong to whoever earns the trust of the people already waiting on the starting line.