Exclusive: Rusty Pelican owners are opening restaurant in a Fort Lauderdale park

Rebecca San Juan
·3 min read
2

The owners of the Rusty Pelican restaurant near Key Biscayne are expanding to a riverfront spot in up-and-coming downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Specialty Restaurant Corp. will bring a new restaurant to Huizenga Park, according to the company and Fort Lauderdale’s Downtown Development Authority.

Huizenga Park, named for the late owner of the Miami Dolphins and Blockbuster Video, is in the first block of East Las Olas Boulevard on the New River, across from the Fort Lauderdale art museum and in walking distance to the street’s bustling retail and restaurant district.

Restaurant details

The restaurant is part of a $15 million investment to renovate the 3.6-acre site, also known as Huizenga Plaza. Despite the Rusty Pelican ownership, the new place won’t carry the well-known name, which graces restaurants on Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay.

The new restaurant will be named Sweetwaters, a concept the company first tried to launch along the Miami River. Sweetwaters will replace an amphitheater at Huizenga Park. The three-story, 12,688-square-foot restaurant will have an additional 5,846 square feet of outdoor space.

The Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority leads efforts to revitalize the riverfront Huizenga Park with a $15 million budget. Above: An aerial rendering of the completed project.
The Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority leads efforts to revitalize the riverfront Huizenga Park with a $15 million budget. Above: An aerial rendering of the completed project.

A boost to downtown Fort Lauderdale

The plans bring more good news and movement to a city continuing to attract retailers, restaurants and developers.

“We don’t have a lot of restaurant options here, and we’ve got a large working population,” said Charlie Ladd, a board member of the Fort Lauderdale DDA and a commercial real estate landlord and owner.

“It helps make the riverwalk more active,” Ladd said. “We felt it would be a good addition to the park and a new amenity for all of these residents.”

Representatives for SRC, the restaurant owner, couldn’t be reached for comment. Sweetwaters will be the corporation’s 18th venue. The company owns and oversees restaurants across Florida and the country.

The new Fort Lauderdale location, Ladd said, beat out a handful of finalists.

The demolition of the amphitheater will happen in December, making way for the new home of a riverfront restaurant. Above: A current photo of Huizenga Park.
The demolition of the amphitheater will happen in December, making way for the new home of a riverfront restaurant. Above: A current photo of Huizenga Park.

About the Huizenga Park plans

Demolition of the amphitheater is expected in December, Ladd said. Renovation of the park will begin in 2024. The restaurant is expected to open by early 2026.

The plans signal a new chapter for Huizenga Park, said Joanna Lombard, landscape design expert and professor at the school of architecture at the University of Miami. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Lombard said she remembers the different chapters of the park and downtown.

Owned by the Fort Lauderdale DDA, Huizenga Park was originally designed to provide some breathing room to office workers who filled the city’s urban core three decades ago. The downtown area still has office workers, but also boasts 20,000 high-rise residents within walking distance of the park.

Huizenga Park will have a three-story restaurant on the bank of the river by early 2026. Above: A rendering of the project.
Huizenga Park will have a three-story restaurant on the bank of the river by early 2026. Above: A rendering of the project.

“Fort Lauderdale is a more suburban community and it’s rediscovering its urban roots,” Lombard said. “Fort Lauderdale could use more pocket parks. In general, people don’t want to commercialize parks, because you don’t want to have commercial entities taking over parks. I totally get that. However, I would say people need destinations. Food is a good thing for people to have when they go to these destinations. They provide life.”

Although the renovations are a start to attract foot traffic and neighbors, Lombard said she sees room to enhance those plans. Downtown Fort Lauderdale leaders, she said, should consider adding more food options with kiosks and stalls.

The namesake

Lombard said the plans would make the park’s namesake and its single biggest donor, Wayne Huizenga, proud.

Huizenga founded AutoNation and Waste Management Inc. He later owned Blockbuster Video and several Florida sports teams, including the Dolphins, Panthers and Marlins.

Residents of Fort Lauderdale, Huizenga and his wife, Marti, were well-known in the community for their philanthropic efforts. Wayne Huizenga died in 2018.