[2][3] By February, the Fort Lauderdale Commission had shortened the list to six official candidates, but the Broward County Tourist Development Council's top choice was a 9.3-acre (410,000 sq ft; 38,000 m2) Port Everglades-owned parcel on Southeast 17th Street near the beach, hotels and other local tourist attractions.

[4] In April 1985, Touche Ross filed a preliminary report that stated that Broward County's "resort atmosphere, climate and cost of travel" were favorable toward a dedicated Convention Center, but that its low first-class hotel room count would be a limiting factor to the meetings it could attract.

[6][7] By 1986, development plans included coordinating accommodations to bring major league baseball, basketball and hockey franchises to South Florida.

[1] On August 25, 2015, the Broward County Commissioners narrowed the list of potential developers for the renovation of the Convention Center to 5 firms based on financial capacity and capability.

The loose objectives of the COVID-19 relief stimulus included helping local governments to "recover from financial distress" and "achieve their own strategies for restoring jobs," according to a United States Treasury spokesperson.

[24][25] The renovation includes roadwork for a bypass road to serve as an alternate to Southeast 17th Street between the Fort Lauderdale beach and U.S. Route 1.

[28] On December 13, 2023, the renovation topped out (officially placed the uppermost steel beam) for the expansion building and adjacent 800-room 29-story Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel.