[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCING A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, ON ITS 
                         CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce a 
resolution commemorating Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on its centennial 
anniversary. The city was incorporated on March 27, 1911, but in fact 
Fort Lauderdale's history goes back much further.
  Thousands of years ago the Glades Culture and Tequesta people settled 
in the area, although the modern history of the area began in the early 
1800s with the Seminole Indian Tribe settlements. Conflict arose 
between the Native Americans and local white planters, leading to a 
series of wars over several decades. It was during the Second Seminole 
War, in the 1830s and 1840s, that Major William Lauderdale commanded a 
detachment of soldiers who built a fort along the New River, forever 
imprinting his name on the area.
  In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as regional investments in 
rail, water, and road transportation took off, trading posts and 
residential neighborhoods grew up in the area, until Fort Lauderdale 
became a city in 1911. Four years later the city became the seat in the 
newly-created Broward County.
  By World War Two Fort Lauderdale had become a major resort town, 
shipping port, and military base, where pilots and submarines did 
battle with German U-boats off the coast of Florida. The postwar period 
saw Broward become the second largest county in the State, and turned 
Fort Lauderdale into a major metropolis, commercial hub, and tourist 
destination.
  Today, Fort Lauderdale has over 180,000 residents and ten million 
annual visitors. Nearby Port Everglades is the third busiest cruise 
port in the United States, and the city is a global center for 
yachting, with over 100 marinas and 42,000 yachts. The city's 
International Boat Show is the third largest in the world.
  From pristine beaches and entertainment centers to its economic 
vitality and transportation network, Fort Lauderdale is a vibrant and 
livable destination city. The past hundred years have seen 
unprecedented growth and civic betterment, the outgrowth of suburbs and 
the rising of skyscrapers. I know that the next hundred years will mark 
great new achievements in urban development and economic prosperity. I 
offer my congratulations to the city and its residents on the occasion 
of Fort Lauderdale's centennial anniversary.

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