Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Coree Cuff Lonergan
Department: Transportation
Information
Requested Action
title
A. MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida approving the designation of Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) to certain proposed elements of the Broward Commuter Rail-North Public Transit Project (BCR-North) located on the Florida East Coast Railway Corridor; confirming independent utility and logical termini of the project, authorizing a maximum amount not to exceed $20,000,000 for Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) activities costs; and authorizing the County Administrator to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions, including the procurement of vendor(s) to perform the required PD&E study.
(Per the Tuesday Agenda Memorandum, the Board's consideration of Item 61 is based upon the item with the corrections shown on the attached page of scrivener's errors.)
(Transferred to the Consent Agenda.)
ACTION: (T-10:39 AM) Approved Resolution No. 2025-082. (Scrivener’s Error - See County Administrator’s Memorandum:
Currently Reads:
A. MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida approving the designation of Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) to certain proposed elements of the Broward Commuter Rail-North Public Transit Project (BCR-North) located on the Florida East Coast Railway Corridor; confirming independent utility and logical termini of the project, authorizing a maximum amount not to exceed $20,000,000 for Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) activities costs; and authorizing the County Administrator to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions, including the procurement of vendor(s) to perform the required PD&E study.)
Should Read:
A. MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution of the Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida approving the designation of Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) to certain proposed elements of the Broward Commuter Rail-North Public Transit Project (BCR-North) located on the Florida East Coast Railway Corridor; confirming independent utility and logical termini of the project, authorizing a maximum amount not to exceed $20,000,000 for Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) activities costs; and authorizing the County Administrator to take the necessary administrative and budgetary actions, including the procurement (subject to Board approval of the contract or other agreement) of vendor(s) to perform the required PD&E study.) (See Regular Meeting Additional Material 61 and 61(2), dated April 22, 2025, submitted at the request of Transportation Department.)
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was not present.
B. MOTION TO ADOPT budget Resolution within the Transportation Surtax Fund to transfer $20,000,000 to the Broward Commuter Rail-North project for the purposes of engineering, design, project development, and environmental study tasks consistent with state and federal funding requirements.
(Transferred to the Consent Agenda.)
ACTION: (T-10:39 AM) Approved Resolution No. 2025-083. (See Regular Meeting Additional Material 61 and 61(2), dated April 22, 2025, submitted at the request of Transportation Department.)
VOTE: 8-0. Vice-Mayor Bogen was not present.
body
Why Action is Necessary
The USDOT Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires LPA designation for projects to be eligible for Capital Investment Grants. The Board as the governing authority of Broward County’s transit operator, the prospective FTA grantee, and the sponsor of the Broward Commuter Rail-North Public Transit Project is required to approve the LPA and document its financial commitment for the project. This action is intended to improve prospects of the County receiving Federal grant funding for BCR-North.
What Action Accomplishes
Approves the LPA for the BCR-North project, approves $20,000,000 in funding for the PD&E and authorizes the County Administrator to take necessary administrative and budgetary actions in connection with the LPA and the transfer of previously budgeted regional transportation funds for the PD&E activities for the project.
Goal Related Icon(s)
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Previous Action Taken
January 12, 2021, Item 42
December 14, 2021, Item 63
August 25, 2022, Item 55
Summary Explanation/Background
THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS
This item supports the Board’s vision and values of “Cooperatively delivering an efficient and accessible regional intermodal transportation network.”
Commuter rail is a form of public transit that can help to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, leverage existing assets and corridors, and contribute to the general wellbeing of residents, businesses, and the economy.
As background, the “Coastal Link” tri-county commuter rail initiative was launched almost two decades ago. Past efforts to develop the project made certain progress but ultimately stalled. The passage of the Broward County Transportation Surtax ballot initiative in 2018, and progress made by Miami-Dade in advancing their portion of the project, has made it possible for Broward to proceed with further development of a commuter rail project.
On January 12, 2021, Item 42, the Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding, with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), committing to collaborate on Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) studies, financial planning, outreach, and other actions aimed at advancing the Broward Commuter Rail project. FDOT led the technical studies along the full 27-mile corridor, identifying potential stations and outlining different options for phasing the project.
One of the key parts of the studies to date was a review of alternatives for commuter rail to cross the New River in Fort Lauderdale. Based on preliminary cost estimates and feedback received from local stakeholders it was determined that further studies and consensus building efforts were required prior to selecting a river crossing option needed to extend commuter rail service to the north.
Accordingly, options for phasing the development of commuter rail were developed and presented at the public workshop held by the Board of County Commissioners on June 16, 2022. The Board expressed support for the option of moving ahead with an initial project in the southern portion of the County (BCR-South) which would not require crossing the New River.
On August 25, 2022, Item 55, the Board approved to proceed with a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) for BCR-South. On December 2, 2022, the FTA approved that BCR-South project to proceed with the project development phase. On September 5, 2024, Broward County received a “Finding of No Significant Impact” on its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) submission for the BCR-South project from the FTA. The project’s next steps will be to complete the project development and then proceed with project design activities.
To provide greater connectivity and service to the northern portion of the County and ultimately to Palm Beach County, the proposed Locally Preferred Alternative for BCR-North is being advanced. It will be an approximately 15.5-mile extension of BCR-South, proceeding north from the northern BCR-South terminus station at Broward Health in south Fort Lauderdale. There will be four proposed stations for BCR-North: Downtown Fort Lauderdale (North of Broward Boulevard), Oakland Park near NE 36th Street, Pompano Beach near MLK-Hammondville Road/NE 6th Street, and a northern terminus in Deerfield Beach near SW 2nd Street/Hillsboro Boulevard. The total estimated project cost is approximately $1.2 billion.
To proceed with the BCR-North PD&E activities, a maximum amount not to exceed $20,000,000 of Transportation Surtax Funds are being requested. This funding is available as part of the approved Regional Transportation project included in the adopted Capital Budget. County intends to procure the vendor(s) to perform the PD&E activities in accordance with the County’s Procurement Code.
The Resolution designating the LPA for BCR-North will be submitted as additional material.
Source of Additional Information
Coree Cuff Lonergan, Director, Transportation Department, 954-357-8361
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
A total of $20,000,000 will be transferred from the Regional Transportation project in the FY25 Adopted Budget to create the Broward Commuter Rail-North project.