The Florida Panthers, back-to-back champs in the battle for the coveted Stanley Cup, are getting a victory parade on Sunday.
But who’s paying for it? That’s a mystery for now.
Mayor Dean Trantalis says he’s not sure. And the Panthers aren’t saying.
Fort Lauderdale is still negotiating the details on who pays what, city officials say.
Last year, Fort Lauderdale agreed to help foot the bill, initially paying $100,000 toward the nearly $400,000 tab for security costs provided by the city’s police and fire departments.
In the end, Fort Lauderdale kicked in $200,000 — then waited nearly a year for the Panthers to pay the rest, city officials say.
“It’s my understanding the Panthers have settled the account and they are no longer asking the city to pay for those security costs,” Trantalis told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “They paid it within the last month. Going forward, I don’t know what the deal is for this new parade.”
Last year’s parade drew a crowd of more than 200,000 despite rain and thunderstorms. Dozens of police officers and firefighters were on scene to help manage the crowds.
In January, the Panthers asked the city to waive the remaining fee for last year’s parade that rolled down Fort Lauderdale’s beachfront on June 30.
The commission responded with a resounding no during a commission meeting on Jan. 22.
“We can’t afford that,” Trantalis said at the time. “To think we can absorb $194,000, I think their organization is far more capable of assuming that cost than we are.”
Florida Panthers lobbyist John Milledge could not be reached for comment this week.
A Panthers spokesperson who requested anonymity told the Sun Sentinel the team asked Fort Lauderdale cover some of the security expenses. But the city took several months to respond, according to the spokesperson.
“They did not get back to us for awhile,” the team’s spokesperson said. “Once they told us they could not pay it, we paid it.”
It’s common for sports teams to expect freebies — kind of like on-duty cops wanting a free doughnut. Only this doughnut might cost nearly half a million.
“Quite frankly, it’s their team and their parade and they should pay for it,” said longtime Fort Lauderdale resident Mary Peloquin, past president of the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations. “They should pay for the whole thing. And the team plays in Sunrise. It’s taxpayer money. They’re not poor. They’re nice, rich people. They should pay for the parade.”
The fact that the Panthers requested the city waive $394,000 in security costs for last year’s parade was news to most residents contacted by the Sun Sentinel.
Fort Lauderdale commissioners appeared to be taken aback when they heard about the request back in January.
Susan Grant, then acting city manager, informed the commission that the Panthers wanted the city to pay the full tab for security costs during a public meeting seven months after the parade took place.
Fort Lauderdale absorbed $100,000 of the cost, Grant said. The Panthers were sent $100,000 in the form of a check from the city’s Beach Improvement District to help cover parade costs as well, she said.
“They would rebate that back to us,” Grant said. “But they are asking that we waive the remaining $194,000.”
The mayor gave the request a thumbs down.
So did Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman.
“I don’t agree in absorbing this $194,000,” she said. “No.”
The rest of the commission quickly agreed.
But this week, Commissioner Steve Glassman defended the city’s decision to spend taxpayer money on last year’s parade for the hockey champions.
“I think it’s money well spent because we get so much in return for what we spend,” Glassman said. “I’m talking about everything from the IcePlex at Holiday Park to community spirit and the attention Fort Lauderdale will get on a worldwide basis this Sunday. You cannot pay for that kind of publicity.”
Glassman said he sees the Panthers parade as an investment in the community and the future of Fort Lauderdale.
“Anyone who knows about marketing, what would it cost to market the city of Fort Lauderdale worldwide all day Sunday? Could we even afford to do that? No we couldn’t. This is the Super Bowl of hockey. Our hometown team just won the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. This is something on a magnitude that doesn’t usually come your way. So when it comes your way you have to make the most of it. You have to be all in. You can’t worry about whether you are subsidizing millionaires. You’ve got to roll with it.”
Fort Lauderdale resident Charlie King agreed with Glassman despite being a frequent critic of City Hall.
“The city is getting a lot of attention,” King said. “They’re going to be on the international stage. It’s like a big commercial for Fort Lauderdale. And a lot of the people from Fort Lauderdale are hockey fans.”
Not everyone agrees.
If the Panthers have the money to play the game, they have the money to pay for a parade, said Fort Lauderdale activist Ted Inserra, another frequent critic of City Hall.
“The city just pays for the parade in a heartbeat, and they don’t seem to be pursuing cost recovery when it comes to the Panthers,” said Inserra. “They seem to want to keep the team happy.”
This year’s crowd will likely be even bigger than last year’s, Inserra predicted.
“Last year it was raining and lightning,” he said. “The weather is supposed to be fantastic this year, so the crowd is going to double. And that means the cost is going to increase because they’re going to need more police. It’s definitely going to be a bigger tab this year.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan