Fort Lauderdale Gets Ready For New Year's Revelers
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
MIAMI (CBSMiami) --Himmarshee Village in downtown Fort Lauderdale is getting ready for New Year's Eve - preparing for the big anchor to drop on 2017 and welcome in 2018.
Alex Gonzalez is on break from Florida State and is looking forward to some fun.
"I just got back from Tallahassee," he said, "so I'm ready to live it up in the streets and enjoy my time."
Just like years past, there are really two parties in the street, something for everyone.
"We do a late afternoon early evening kind of family-friendly event which is very popular with kids and kids of all ages," said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, "about 8 o'clock 9 o'clock we start shifting emphasis to more of an adult type event."
With recent terrorist attacks and mass shootings in the US, cities across the country are taking special security precautions.
"We've added substantial additional police officers on the street," Mayor Seiler said. "We've added additional security initiatives and enhancements in this area. We've also increased the presence of some of our special units and forces, such as the swat team and things of that nature."
The mayor tells us a hundred additional officers will be on, some you will see, others you won't.
Streets will be closed around the street party too. The idea is to allow people to have fun without worrying about their safety.
"You want to make sure those you are closest to are safe and enjoy the holiday and New Year without having to worry about if something bad is going to happen or potentially going to happen," the mayor said.
For schedules, street closures and New Year's Eve details, click here.
