Before the start of the 20th century, the area that became Plantation was part of the Everglades wetlands, regularly covered by 2–3 feet of water.

[8][9][10] In 1897, the Interior Department submitted 2.9 million acres to the Florida Land Office; however, the submission was revoked the following year, due to fears it would "impinge upon the rights and interests of the Seminole Tribes.

[7] Following a meeting at the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Broward and Jennings established a deal with Richard 'Dicky' J. Bolles: The fund trustees granted Bolles 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) of overflowed state lands at $2 per acre, with an agreement for the State to use 50% of the $1 million proceeds purely for drainage and reclamation, and another agreement to establish 5 main canals.

[17] In the years following their original agreement, contract negotiation escalated into legal battles between the Everglades Plantation Company and the Internal Improvement Trustees.

The Trustees no longer insisted on the continuation of the rice plantation attempts and, from this point, the company focused primarily on land sales.

[11][8] The land boom was closely followed by two severe hurricanes striking the area, significantly impacting the established communities and killing thousands.

[8] Future Plantation founder, Frederick C. Peters, the millionaire heir to a shoe business, moved to Goulds, Florida in 1931 (following doctor's advice to seek a warmer climate for his son), beginning both potato and cattle businesses;[26][27][7][28] however, in 1939, Peters received advice from Stephan Zacher (a ranch-owner) to find better land for his cattle in Davie, Florida.

[26][28][7] The land was previously owned by Dewey Hawkins (who held the majority) and by Boggs' and Sanders' Everglades Plantation Company.

[7][26] With the aim to create a farming-cooperative-based, rural alternative to suburban Dade Country, Peters built the city's first ranch buildings, which were designed by Stephan Zacher.

[17] Between 1944 and 1945, Peters shifted from the idea of building a farming cooperative, hiring architect Russell Pancoast to assist with the creation of the city master plan, and C. Kay Davis to establish a water control system.

[7][31] During this same year, road-builder Finley Smith began plans to expand Broward Boulevard from State Road 7 to the Holloway Canal.

[26] Construction operations expanded, alongside a dedicated sales group, with approximately three houses being completed and sold per week.

[17][31][7] 1948 also saw the completion of new dikes and a pumping station on the East Holloway Canal,[26] and formation of The Plantation Community Church (which held its first services in the construction trailer office of Frederick Peters).

Although work continued on new roads, dikes, and houses, Clark's Plantation Homes Inc. was dissolved, and the assets went to Frederick C.

[7] 1950 then saw the completion of the Plantation Golf Course and Country Club, built with the intent to encourage the westward extension of Broward Boulevard.

[7] The city's first industrial plant (Airpax Products, Co.) opened on Sunrise Blvd in 1957 (in what is now Plantation Technology Park),[7] as did Plantation Community Church's first sanctuary (now known as Missions Prayer Chapel)[7] and the Sunshine State Parkway (now known as Florida's Turnpike), which connected Miami and Fort Pierce, Florida.

The Latin translation of this motto was found to include a spelling error; however, future mayor, Frank Veltri opted not to change it.

[28][7] The land is purchased for the development of the Jacaranda community, the intent of which was to build an equivalent to Coral Gables in Broward County.

Moving away from Plantation's original rural direction, Gulfstream instead targeted commercial, industrial and home office establishments, beginning agreements with Motorola, American Express, and those who would build the Broward Mall.

[7] That same year, the financial services company, American Express moved its 'Southern Region Operations Center' to a newly constructed building in Plantation, beginning with 1,000 employees.

[7] The final home of mobster John Roselli (born 1905), liaison and fixer for the Chicago Outfit in Hollywood, Los Angeles and the Las Vegas Strip was, until June 28, 1976, at his sister Enid and brother-in-law Joseph Daigle's residence at 5220 SW 10th Court, and his murdered body was found in a steel drum in Dumfoundling Bay in Miami on August 9.

[31] In 1983, the city opened Plantation Central Park: a 77-acre recreation complex, including an Olympic swimming pool, gym, and spaces for softball, football, soccer, tennis, and basketball.

[7] The insurance company Kemper National Services first opened operations in Plantation in 1993, and in the following year, announced plans to double its office space in the city and hire up to 800 additional employees.

[68] Demolition of the former Fashion Mall then began in 2016 (leaving the existing hotel, office and parking areas), to make way for Plantation Walk (previously known as 321 North[68]): a $350 million complex including 700 apartments, 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, and remodeled versions of the existing 160,000-square-foot office tower and Sheraton hotel.

[69][70][71] In September 2018, a settlement was reached, dismissing legal conflicts between the area's bankruptcy trustee and other parties previously involved in the redevelopment.

[68][72] The American Express office in Plantation closed in 2017 when the company moved to a facility in neighboring Sunrise, Florida.

[73] In response to the move, committee review began on 'Plantation Midtown': a new 25-acre (0.10 km2) mixed-use development, encompassing the site of the former American Express office.

[79] Plantation is in central Broward County and is bordered by Lauderhill to the northeast, Sunrise to the north and west, Davie to the south, and Fort Lauderdale to the east.

[93] Specific companies with operations in Plantation include DHL (Express Head Office: United States),[94] the University of Phoenix (South Florida Campus),[95] and TradeStation.

[7][99][115] According to a 2013–2017 American Community Survey estimate, 93.4% of the city have attained high school graduation or a higher level of education.