A 13-acre plaza on South Federal could become 736 homes
Plus the school zone cameras are live again, and the Crystal Lake Drive meeting moved to the 27th.
JBL Rivertowne Square LLC wants to redevelop the roughly 13-acre Rivertowne Square site at 1015-1219 S. Federal Highway. The proposal calls for two mixed-use buildings up to eight stories and as many as 736 homes across two phases. Of those, 106 would be deed-restricted affordable homes. Phase 1 would add about 24,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, structured parking, and public spaces. Winn-Dixie would stay open through construction. These are the developer's numbers, and nothing here is approved yet. The project is still in city review, with public hearings anticipated in 2026 and Phase 1 construction anticipated in 2027.
The Cove is getting 320 apartments and a public boardwalk
Morgan and Compatriot Capital have broken ground on Pearl on the River at 451 NE River Drive. The plan is a six-story building with 320 apartments, from studios up to three bedrooms. Residents get structured parking, a 13-slip marina, and other private amenities. The piece that matters to the rest of the neighborhood is a new public-access boardwalk along the water. Most of the rest is resident-only. The address puts it in the Cove neighborhood. The developers say the building is anticipated to open in summer 2028. All of this comes from the developers' own announcement.
Broward Health North is building six stories of specialists
Broward Health has broken ground on a new medical office building at Broward Health North, 201 East Sample Road. It runs six stories and 127,033 square feet, and it is scheduled to open in 2027. The building starts with 75 exam rooms and the infrastructure to expand to 123. Planned services include cardiovascular, neuroscience, and orthopedic clinics, plus other specialty care. The health system published the announcement earlier this year. The 2027 date is the health system's own, so treat it as a plan rather than a ribbon-cutting.
The school zone cameras are watching again
School is back, and so are the speed cameras. The zones cover seven schools across the city. The city says they run around Deerfield Beach High, Deerfield Beach Middle, Park Ridge Elementary, Deerfield Beach Elementary, Deerfield Park Elementary, Tedder Elementary, and Quiet Waters Elementary. The limit inside those zones is 15 mph. Cameras only operate on school days, from 30 minutes before school until 30 minutes after. Drive more than 10 mph over and you can get a $100 notice in the mail. It arrives with the date, time, location, and photographic evidence. Fifteen is slower than it feels behind the wheel. Leave the extra two minutes.
The Firefighters Challenge is in town Thursday through Saturday
The Firefighters Challenge comes to Deerfield Beach this week. It runs Thursday, August 20 through Saturday, August 22, at 149 SE 21st Ave. An exact daily start time has not been posted, so the three dates are the part that is firm right now. Check the timing with the organizer when you plan your visit, especially if you are building a Saturday around it. Three days is a wide window, so a missed morning is not a missed event. The address is the same all three days.
Crystal Lake Drive residents, the meeting moved to the 27th
If you live near Crystal Lake Drive or NW 45 Street, put Thursday, August 27 on the calendar. That is the new date for the community meeting on proposed infrastructure improvements along those streets. The meeting was set for earlier in the month, and the city moved it back. The subject is narrow. It covers proposed improvements along Crystal Lake Drive and NW 45 Street, and nothing wider than that. Proposed is the operative word, and the improvements are the reason to show up. If you already wrote the old date down, replace it. Work on your own street is easier to follow before it starts than after.