This page provides general park information.  If you need additional facts, figures, quotes, please contact our marketing section at  954-357-8115 or 954-357-8117 or e-mail ParksMarketing@broward.org

Accredited Agency
A Brief History
Park Openings
Namesakes
By the Numbers
Major Awards
Public  Art and Design
Trivia
Contact Information
Parks Locator Map

Accredited Agency
The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division conducts extensive, internal self-assessments of its business and professional practices every five years.  The Division compares the results with a comprehensive and rigorous set of 156 national standards of parks and recreation excellence established by the National Recreation and Park Association and the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). These standards include desirable practices essential for agency professionalism, efficiency, and effectiveness in administration, planning, operations, and the quality of community services.

Results of the Division’s self-assessments in 1996, 2001, and 2006 were submitted to CAPRA.  Shortly thereafter, a multiday, on-site visit was conducted by a team of parks and recreation directors and educators from across the country, assigned to observe and review our performance and practices. 

The on-site visitation team’s report reflected 96 percent, 100 percent, and 100 percent, respectively, in meeting the national standards of parks and recreation excellence. 

A Brief History
The Broward County Parks and Recreation Division was established in February 1956 by the Board of County Commissioners, which appointed Carl F. Thompson as County Beach Superintendent to supervise all parks under the County’s jurisdiction, effective May 14, 1956. By April 1965 the system totaled a County beach and three undeveloped areas, with an annual operating budget of $10,000 and average attendance of 950,000 people per year.

The first major stage of the expansion of the County park system was mandated by the 1977 Land Use Plan, financed by a voter-approved $73 million bond issue in 1978 and by further state and federal grants that came to more than $7 million. The Division’s Planning and Design Section embarked on a 10-year build-out program that ultimately made possible today’s park system.

            In 1989 the $75 million Environmentally Sensitive Lands Bond Issue was used to purchase and enhance the best remaining natural area sites in the County. The Division played a major role in the identification of more than 1,100 acres of local natural areas, the negotiation of their purchase, and the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of each natural area site for public benefit and use.

            The 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum, approved by 74 percent of Broward County voters, authorized $400 million toward preserving and reclaiming remaining natural lands, as well as restoring the aging park system. Today that system includes 17 regional parks, four nature centers, and 18 natural area sites at various stages of completion, for a total of more than 6,500 acres, run with an annual operating budget of more than $40 million and hosting an estimated five million visitors per year.

Park Openings

Namesakes

Anne Kolb Nature Center – The largest nature center in Broward County is named after the late County Commissioner Anne Kolb, a former award-winning journalist who in 1974 became the first woman elected to the Broward County Commission. Before her death in July 1981, Kolb was an active environmentalist with extensive accomplishments: leading the fight for the 1977 Land Use Plan, helping pass a platting ordinance that tightened government control over future development, directing a successful campaign to place a building moratorium on 61,000 acres in southwest Broward, and persuading the Commission to approve the Urban Wilderness Park System to preserve endangered lands for future generations. She was also instrumental in saving from development the coastal mangrove wetland that would be at the heart of the nature center that bears her name.

Brian Piccolo Park – This sports-oriented park was originally slated to be called the South Broward Sports Center but was ultimately named in honor of the Chicago Bears halfback Brian Piccolo, who graduated in 1961 from Fort Lauderdale’s Central Catholic High School (now known as St. Thomas Aquinas High School). Piccolo’s life and career, cut short by cancer, were chronicled in the 1971 made-for-TV movie Brian’s Song.

C.B. Smith Park – Previously known as Snake Creek Park , this regional park was renamed in 1967 after C.B. Smith, a former Broward County and City of Hollywood commissioner who supported the cause of public land for parks.

Easterlin Park – The County’s first regional park, originally known as Cypress Park because of the dense cypress trees covering much of its area, was renamed in honor of seven-year County Commissioner John D. Easterlin, who died in 1968.

Helene Klein Pineland Preserve – On October 18, 2002, Broward County dedicated this site, previously known as Site 19, to Helene Klein, a local environmental activist who died in July 2001. Klein’s efforts on behalf of the project had included collecting petitions and lobbying the Broward County Commission for the preservation of public lands. The preserve, which was acquired in 2002 through the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program and a Florida Communities Trust Grant, opened to the public on February 1, 2008.

Lafayette Hart Park – One of the last neighborhood parks operated by the County was originally known as Washington Park when it opened in 1974. In 1992, it was rededicated in commemoration of the late African-American who had been one of the leaders of the Washington Park Civic Association and a driving force in efforts to establish a County park in his neighborhood.

Markham Park – The largest regional park in the County is named for the late C. Robert Markham, who was briefly the County’s property appraiser until his death in September 1966. His better-known son, William, held the same position from 1968 until his death in 2004.

Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park – When Broward County acquired this property in 1975, it was known as River Bend Park because of its location on the North Fork of the New River. It was renamed in 1979 in honor of the Reverend Samuel Delevoe, one of Fort Lauderdale’s first black police officers, who later became a community activist, politician, businessman, civil rights leader, and street minister. He was fatally shot in April 1977. In conjunction with the Broward County Commission’s rededication of the park on November 11, 1979, the governor proclaimed the day as Sam Delevoe Day.

Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area – This natural area, which opened in January 2001 and was partially funded through the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program, was named for Chitto Tustenuggee, the legendary Indian warrior who once camped there. It is the site of the oldest documented Seminole settlement in the eastern Everglades.

By The Numbers

• Acreage – 6,500+
• Campgrounds – 5 (C.B. Smith Park, Easterlin Park, Markham Park, Quiet Waters Park, T.Y. Park)
• Districts – 4 (North, Central Southeast, Southwest)
• Largest Park – Anne Kolb Nature Center – 1,501 acres (runner-up: Markham Park – 669 acres)
• Natural Area Sites Currently Open – 9 (Crystal Lake Sand Pine Scrub, Deerfield Island Park, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve, Highlands Scrub, Hillsboro Pineland, Pine Island Ridge, Snake Warrior’s Island, Tall Cypress, Woodmont)
• Nature Centers – 4 (Anne Kolb Nature Center, Fern Forest Nature Center, Long Key Natural Area, Secret Woods Nature Center)
• Neighborhood Parks – 6 (Boulevard Gardens Community Center, Franklin Park, Lafayette Hart Park, Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, Roosevelt Gardens Park, Sunview Park)
• Regional Parks – 17 (Boaters Park, Brian Piccolo Park, C.B. Smith Park, Central Broward Regional Park, Easterlin Park, Fern Forest Nature Center, Hollywood North Beach Park, Long Key Natural Area, Markham Park, Plantation Heritage Park, Quiet Waters Park, Secret Woods Nature Center, Tradewinds Park, Tree Tops Park, T.Y. Park, Vista View Park, West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center)
• Skate Parks – 2 (Brian Piccolo Park, Quiet Waters Park)
• Smallest Park – Boulevard Gardens Community Center – 0.6 acre (runner-up: Lafayette Hart Park – 1.6 acres)
• Water Parks – 5 (Paradise Cove at C.B. Smith Park, Tropical Splash Central Broward Regional Park, Safari Isle at Markham Park, Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park, Castaway Island at T.Y. Park)

History of Major Awards

2006

• Excellent Award in Annual Reports (Other Format), to Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program, from NACIO
• Superior Award in Brochures/Multiple-Page Booklets (One- and Two- Color), to Teacher & School Field Trip Planning Information, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award in Brochures/Multiple-Page Booklets (Three- and Four- Color), to Sanctuaries, from NACIO
• Excellent Award in Internal Publications (Newsletter Format), to Park Avenue, from NACIO
• Superior Award in External Publications (Newsletter Format), to Highlights, from NACIO
• Superior Award in External Publications (Other Format), to Nearby Nature Highlights, from NACIO
• Superior Award in Writing (Feature), to Hiking at Tree Tops Park, from NACIO

2004

• Achievement Award – Partnerships & Planning: Putting Smart Growth into Regional Practice: Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program, from National Association of Counties (NACo)
• Excellent Award in Audio Visual Productions – Public Service Announcement/Other Short Video category, to Quiet Waters Skate Park television spot, from NACIO 
• Excellent Award in External Publications – Newsletter Format category, to Highlights en Español, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award in Internal Publications – Other Format category, to Park Avenue, from NACIO

2003

• Merit Award for Park Facility Class IV, to Monarch Interpretive Center (Secret Woods Nature Center), from NACPRO
• Meritorious Award in Brochures category, to Make a Splash!, from NACIO
• Excellent Award in External Publications – Newsletter Format category, to Highlights en Español, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award in External Publications – Magazine Format category, to Second Anniversary Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program 2002 Annual Report, from NACIO (shared with Public Communications Office and Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection)
• Superior Award in Speeches category, to “Message From the Director, 17^th Annual Meeting,” from NACIO
• Meritorious Award in Graphic Design – Logos, Themes, and Letterhead category, to 10^th Annual Holiday Fantasy of Lights Sponsorship Solicitation, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award in Graphics for Brochures and Publications category, to 10^th Annual Holiday Fantasy of Lights Souvenir Program, from NACIO
• Award of Excellence to Long Key Habitat Restoration, from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Florida Chapter, 2003 Annual Design Awards

2002

• Superior Award for External Publications (Published Regularly), Newsletter Format, to Safe Parks and Land Preservation Newsletter, from NACIO

2001    

• Excellent Award for Computer Media, to Parks Website, from NACIO
• Achievement Award for Parks and Recreation, to the Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum Program, from NACo

2000              

• Excellent Award for Three-Color and Four-Color Brochure, to A Guide to Broward County Parks, from NACIO
• Excellent Award for Promotional/Persuasive Writing, to A Message From the Director, 14^th Annual Employee Meeting, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Annual Report, Magazine or Newsletter Format, to 1998: A Look Back – A Look Ahead, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Citizen Education Project, to Swim Central, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Videotape, to Nearby Nature television spot, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Public Service Announcement or Other Short Video, to Nearby Nature television spot, from NACIO

1999               

• Award of Excellence for Publication/Special Publication, to Nearby Nature Calendar, from International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Gold Coast Chapter
• Excellent Award for External Publication/Newsletter Format, to Highlights, from NACIO
• Excellent Award for Public Service Announcement or Other Short Video, to Make a Splash at a Broward County Park, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Brochure/Three-Color and Four-Color, to A Guide to County Parks in North Broward, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for External Publication/Other Format, to Nearby Nature Calendar, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Special Project/Community Event, to the Sixth Annual Holiday Fantasy of Lights – Publicity and Promotion, from NACIO

1998              

• Kudos Award for Best Overall Communicator, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
• Kudos Award for Best PSA, to Picnic Shelters/Hall Rentals TV Ad, from NRPA
• Superior Award for Newsletter, to Highlights, from NACIO
• Meritorious Award for Press Release Writing, to Marketing Section, from NACIO
• Award of Merit for Publications/Newsletters, to Highlights, from IABC, Gold Coast Chapter
• Achievement Award, to Tandem Bike Program for Persons With Visual Impairments, from NACo
• Achievement Award, to Pet Adoptions in the Park, from NACo

1997              

• Accreditation, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA)
• Agency Excellence Award, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from FRPA
• District Eight Director’s Award, to Division Director Bob Harbin, from FRPA
• Programming Excellence Partnership Award for Most Outstanding Event, to Holiday Fantasy of Lights, from FRPA
• Award of Excellence, to West Lake Park, from NACPRO
• Achievement Award, to Nearby Nature Naturalist Program, from NACo
• Award for Excellence in Graphic Design, to Love & Jazz Logo, from NACPRO

1996              

• Individual Award in the Lifetime Category, to Planning and Design Superintendent Jimmie R. Clark, from NACPRO

1995              

• Merit Award for Promotional Four-Color Brochure, to Unexpected Pleasures, from NACIO

1994              

• Kudos Award for Best Overall Communicator, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from NRPA
• Award of Excellence, to Holiday Fantasy of Lights Logo, from NACIO
• Areas and Facilities Award, to Freshwater Marsh Restoration Project at Tree Tops Park, from NACPRO

1993              

• Achievement Award, to Selective Modified Privatization (Public/Private Partnerships), from NACo
• Professional Fellow Award, to Division Director Larry Lietzke, from NACPRO

1992              

• Exceptional Overall Programming Award, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from NACPRO
• Achievement Award, to Nature Teaching Teachers Program, from NACo
• Award of Excellence, to Educate, Preserve, and Restore, from Take Pride in Florida/America

1991              

• Achievement Award, to Horses and the Handicapped: A Win-Win Partnership, from NACo
• Best of Class Award for Overall Graphic Design, to Nature Teaching Teachers Brochure, from NACIO

1990

• National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, to Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, from National Sports Foundation
• Award of Excellence, to Division and Regional Park Four-Color Brochures, from NACIO
• Award of Merit, to 1990 Gold Medal Award Slide/Video Presentation, from NACIO
• Achievement Award, to A Question of Preservation: It’s Your Choice, from NACIO

1989              

• Achievement Award, to The Birth of a Park System, from NACo
• Superior Award for Promotional or Informational Brochure, to Take the Lead, from NACIO

1988              

• Award of Excellence for Board and Commission Member, to Roy Rogers, from NACPRO
• Award of Excellence for Facility, to Peace Mound Park , from NACPRO

1987              

• Award of Excellence for Internal or External Newsletter, to Highlights, from NACIO

1986              

• Awards of Excellence for Overall Graphic Design and Special Projects, to West Lake ’86 - Into Action, from NACIO

1985              

• Award of Excellence for Special Projects, to Broward County Fair Exhibit, from NACIO
• Award of Merit for 60-Second Radio Commercial, to Father Nature, from NACIO
• Award of Merit for Overall Graphic Design, to Storytelling Festival flyer, from NACIO

Public Art and Design

The Broward County Public Art and Design program, established in 1978 as Art in Public Places, allocates two percent of the total new construction budget for Broward County governmental facilities for commissioned artists to provide design expertise and to create artworks within a broad range of capital improvement projects. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the enhancement of urban design through the creation of commissioned works of art that create a sense of place; that improve the visual environment for the citizens of Broward County; and that advance the missions of the County departments where the projects reside. Commissioned artworks are the result of a dynamic interaction between selected artists and interested constituent groups during the design stages of the projects.

            Here are the Broward County parks that currently feature Public Art and Design projects:

1. Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park
Mangrove Root Benches and Plaza (1995) by Christine Federighi

The plaza is situated between the park administration building and the Mangrove Hall. Measuring 50 feet by 66 feet, this integrated work encompasses paver design for the plaza and four coral rock benches with bronze legs that simulate mangrove roots. “The benches were designed to reflect man’s involvement with the site,” says the artist. “We sit with Nature.”

2. Central Broward Regional Park
Project in progress, with details to be announced.

3. Fern Forest Nature Center
Fern-Lore Guardian (1994) by Jerome Meadows

Out in the woods, not far from the park’s community center, stands this pair of sculptures, easily visible from an elevated boardwalk. Each is made of cedar wood and bronze. The artist’s statement explains that the piece is “a site-specific work commissioned expressly for the Fern Forest Nature Center. The sculpture draws visual and conceptual reference from seeds and plants, juxtaposing organic wood forms with metal.”

4. Franklin Park
The Word Garden (2000) by Angela Curreri & Rick Yasko

This Broward-based pair of artists designed a 1,000-foot-long colored, patterned concrete walkway encircling the park’s playground. Along the walkway, they placed seven colored concrete benches engraved with the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa in both Swahili and English, along with seven inspirational quotes, each related to a specific principle. According to their statement, the artists “met with the Franklin Park community many times during their five years working in this neighborhood. The community repeatedly expressed the desire for the project to be both inspirational and educational.”

5. Long Key Natural Area
Project in progress, with details to be announced.

6. Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park
Pillars of the Community (1997) by Chisseko Kondowe

The artist involved the Delevoe Park community in the design of this artwork by selecting 84 names of community leaders past and present to be inscribed on his hand-made tiles, which adorn 42 pillars of the community center. Four tiles per pillar resulted in 168 tiles, along with 104 tiles for the two park gates. The goal, according to Kondowe’s artist’s statement, was “to capture the tranquility of the environment at Delevoe Park.”

7. Secret Woods Nature Center
Metamorphosis (2002) by Raymond Olivero

Upon entering the front door to the nature center’s Monarch Interpretive Center exhibit hall, visitors pass through a pair of glass fresco doors featuring a colorful butterfly wing motif. The mosaic floor, measuring 1,565 square feet, illustrates the butterfly’s flight pattern, which leads to different sections of the hall. This site-specific, integrated artwork fuses nature with art and design. “I have taken the flight pattern of the butterfly as the basis for the pathway,” the artist says in a statement. “I chose the butterfly not only for its unique flight pattern, but also because it is featured at the park, particularly at its entrance area….I also chose the butterfly motif for the butterfly’s innate variety and beauty as well as its metamorphosis, which makes it one of nature’s mysteries and secrets. In short, the butterfly offers the greatest degree of aesthetic and metaphorical possibilities.”

8. T.Y. (Topeekeegee Yugnee) Park
Wild Dolphins (1992) by Kevin MacIvor

A family of three dolphins of varying sizes, made of fiberglass resin and painted with vivid colors in an improvisational design, is attached to a circular cement base. The sculptures welcome patrons to the nearby aquatics facility at the park. “My intention was to create an indigenous yet modern look,” says MacIvor.

Trivia

• A.K.A. – previous names of County parks: C.B. Smith Park – Snake Creek Park    Easterlin Park – Cypress Park    Lafayette Hart Park – Washington Park
• Capacity of aquarium at Anne Kolb Nature Center Exhibit Hall – 3,500 gallons
• Date the Parks and Recreation Division was established – February 1956
• First regional park – Easterlin Park
• Highest natural elevation in Broward County – found in Pine Island Ridge Natural Area (29 feet above sea level)
• Largest butterfly park in the world – Butterfly World at Tradewinds Park
• Largest regional park – Markham Park (669 acres)
• Mission statement – “The Parks and Recreation Division is dedicated to providing exceptional services and facilities essential to the quality of life in Broward County while preserving our natural areas.”
• Number of butterflies on view at Butterfly World at Tradewinds Park – at least 10,000
• Number of species of fern found at Fern Forest Nature Center – more than 30
• Number of species of mangrove found at Anne Kolb Nature Center/West Lake Park – three (black, red, and white)
• Only cable water-skiing – Ski Rixen at Quiet Waters Park
• Only cricket stadium – Central Broward Regional Park
• Only dog park, observatory, plant nursery, and target range – Markham Park
• Only equestrian facilities – Tradewinds and Tree Tops parks
• Only island parks – Deerfield Island Park and Snake Warrior’s Island Natural Area
• Only skate parks – Brian Piccolo and Quiet Waters parks
• Only Velodrome – Brian Piccolo Park
• Parks accessible only by boat– Boaters Park and Deerfield Island Park
• Previous landowner of peninsula that once included what is now Deerfield Island Park – Al Capone
• Shelter names, North Tradewinds Park – after breeds of horse: Appaloosa, Belgian, Clydesdale, Shetland
• Shelter names, South Tradewinds Park – after butterflies: Atala, Buckeye, Crescent, Daggerwing, Elfin, Fritillary
• Smallest regional park – Boaters Park (6.5 acres)
• What T.Y. stands for – Topeekeegee Yugnee (Seminole for “meeting or gathering place”).

Contact Information

Director -- Bob Harbin;  954-357-8106, rharbin@broward.org

Assistant Director -- Mike Harlan;  954-357-8108, mharlan@broward.org

North District Parks -- 954-968-3890

• Superintendent – Gayle Preston, gpreston@broward.org
• Assistant Superintendent – Cheryl Cayer, ccayer@broward.org

Central District Parks -- 954-321-1178

• Superintendent – Chester Pruitt, cpruitt@broward.org
• Assistant Superintendent – Tina Murto, tmurto@broward.org

Southeast District Parks -- 954-985-1960

• Superintendent – Sarah Perkins, sperkins@broward.org
• Assistant Superintendent – Laurel Person, lperson@broward.org

Southwest District Parks -- 954-370-3755

• Superintendent – Ray Lopez, rlopez@broward.org
• Assistant Superintendent – Maureen Broderick, mbroderick@broward.org

Administrative and Finance Services -- Dick Martorelli, 954-357-8111, rmartorelli@broward.org

Animal Care Specialist -- Cherise Williams, 954-938-0617, cwilliams@broward.org

Environmental -- Carol Morgenstern, 954-357-8124, cmorgenstern@broward.org

Marketing and Public Relations

• Cyndy Baker, 954-357-8117, cybaker@broward.org 
• Michael Mills, 954-357-8115, mmills@broward.org

Safety -- Toni Peyton, 954-357-8172, tpeyton@broward.org

Special Populations -- Dori Horowitz-Remillet, 954-357-8170, dhorowitz@broward.org

SWIM Central -- Matt Berman, 954-577-4640, mberman@broward.org

Technology -- Adrian Anghel, 954-357-7852, canghel@broward.org

Website -- Patricia Raglin, 954-357-8177, praglin@broward.org