Bye-bye, “Broward?” There’s been an effort for years to change Broward County’s name to “Lauderdale County,” and now there are renewed talks about doing it.
Many business owners and lawmakers in the community support the idea because they said a lot of people from out of town don’t know what “Broward” is, but they do recognize Fort Lauderdale.
CBS News Miami has found there’s a lot of money on the line for the name change.
What’s in a name?
Elaine Fitzgerald rents cottages by the beach in Broward County, but for years, she has struggled to get renters to understand exactly where Broward is located.
“We have been hurt by the current name,” she told CBS News Miami. “I’ve been in business [for] 25 years and no one knows where Broward is.”
“Broward” has been around for over 100 years, as it’s named for former Florida governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward. But some say it’s time for a name change: A rebranding of the county that will bring more business to the community.
State Representative Chip LaMarca (R-district 100) has advocated for changing the Broward name to “Lauderdale County.” According to LaMarca, data from Miami-Dade changing its name from just “Dade” 28 years ago has resulted in billions more dollars in revenue.
“We have lost business to Palm Beach and Miami-Dade,” he told CBS News Miami.
Still, there’s pushback.
Some lawmakers fear the name change cost would be astronomical: The Broward name is on the sheriff’s department,
college signs, buses and even the jail.
On Thursday, the Broward County Commission tabled a resolution in support of the measure that was put forth by Commissioner Michael Udine. The Broward legislative delegation also tabled the measure on Thursday.
Afterwards, LaMarca told CBS Miami that the Broward business community will likely move forward in educating the community on the benefits.
