South Florida is set to shine at the Rose Parade, an iconic New Year’s tradition. In August, Broward County signed off on a budget of up to $790,000 for the Rose Parade as part of a massive advertising effort to bring tourists to the region to eat, sleep, shop, and play. Now, Visit Lauderdale is offering you a sneak peek of its custom-built float as it prepares to participate in the Rose Parade for the first time on January 1, 2024. Designers will use an estimated 45,000 flowers for the decorations at this 135th Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. There will be life-sized alligators with waving tails, friendly manatees, and sea turtles emerging from the sands, offering a glimpse of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s ecosystem spanning from the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean. The event landmarks will include the wave wall along Fort Lauderdale beach and an architectural replica of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel that is shaped like a guitar. According to Stacy Ritter, president and CEO of Visit Lauderdale, it is an opportunity to be visible to 24 million households, and many more internationally. Broward’s float will be 24 feet long by 18 feet wide and 55 feet high. It is expected to take more than 25,000 hours for designers at a fabrication company to put it together. Details about the entertainment and float riders will be out very soon. Visit Lauderdale, everyone under the sun.
