With more than 300 miles of navigable waterways, 23 miles of Atlantic beaches, and a myriad of rivers, inlets, and man-made canals in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, the city easily lives up to its nickname "the Venice of America." The abundance of water provides ample port for approximately 40,000 boats, not to mention flotillas of visiting vessels. Water taxis ply waterways to hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing attractions. Port Everglades, the deepest and perhaps best-known harbor in the state, is also the world's second-largest passenger cruise port. More than 1 million passengers sail from Fort Lauderdale annually.

Fort Lauderdale was named for Major William Lauderdale, who built a fort in 1838 during the Seminole War. The area remained a sleepy strip of oceanfront until the 1950s and 1960s, when college students made it the "spring break capital of the world." More recently, however, Fort Lauderdale has become a recreation area for all ages, as well as a center for commerce and high-tech industry.