In his time as mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Dean Trantalis has led the city through myriad successes and challenges. He wants to keep doing the job for four more years.

He announced his reelection bid on Nov. 8, at the Broward Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

“In case you didn’t know, my name is Dean Trantalis, and I’m running for reelection of mayor of our beautiful city,” he said as he began to address the crowd.

A lawyer by trade, Trantalis spoke with ease as if delivering an opening argument. On this night, the “jury” was putty in his hands. Supporter Jason Hepperly has known Trantalis for nearly a decade and believes the city is on the right track.

“I’ve seen what he’s done with Fort Lauderdale. He’s extremely involved, he loves the city and I just want to be here to support him.”

During his speech, he talked about accomplishments that include groundbreaking on the new Federal Courthouse, the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and the new soccer stadium, which brought a new A-List resident to the city.

“Without that, do you think Leo Messi would ever make Fort Lauderdale his home?”

Trantalis also remembered the unforeseen challenges, including COVID, the sewer break, and the flood in April 2023.

“We’ve made a huge investment in infrastructure. We’ve made a huge investment to make sure we’re resilient.”

He says the city is a place where people work together to get through.

“These challenges are easy to work through when you have a community that wants to work with you.”

Looking towards the future, he touts the completion of the water treatment plant and Fortify Lauderdale, which is focused on flood prevention and mitigation. Trantalis also wants to work on traffic. More people are moving in and construction cranes dot the city’s skyline heralding new high rises.

Trantalis says it’s all part of the city’s path forward, and he hopes voters will keep him on another four years.

“It’s been an amazing journey that we’ve taken as a community.”