Specialized Programs

Parks and Recreation and UF/IFAS Extension Education have an agreement to provide research-based information to County residents and businesses for improved ​quality of life and business profitability. Extension Education is a collaborative effort between Broward County Government and the University of Florida. Program areas evolve to meet the needs of residents. Information and education programming cover a variety of areas.

What is Cooperative Extension?

Cooperative Extension is a nationwide educational network that brings the research and knowledge of land-grant institutions to people in their homes, workplaces, and communities. Extension links the resources and expertise of more than 3,000 county Extension offices, 105 land-grant colleges and universities (which include historically black colleges, tribal colleges, and institutions serving the U.S. territories), and the federal government through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. Extension educators deliver research-based programs through workshops, home-study courses, Web-based learning tools, and other methods to give people the knowledge, skills, and motivation to improve their quality of life and business opportunity and profitability. The emphasis of Extension programs is on sustained action by learners. ​

Program Areas

• 4-H Youth Development ​​
• Commercial Horticulture
• Family and Consumer Sciences​​
• Urban Horticulture​

The committee consists of up to 18 members appointed by the County Commission, with each Commissioner having up to two appointments. The function of the advisory board is to:

• Advise the County Commission on marine and recreational boating matters in Broward County.
• Review boating improvement projects submitted by cities, the County, and other governmental agencies, and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for the expenditure of funds received from the state (based on vessel registration fees and a percentage of actual fees collected) for the Broward Boating Improvement Program (BBIP). The BBIP provides funding for projects such as the construction of boat ramps, recreational channel marking, public docking and mooring facilities, access roads, derelict vessel removal, and recreational boating-related support facilities and utilities. Annual program funding is approximately $320,000.
• Review enhanced marine safety and boating safety education projects submitted by law enforcement agencies or other boating-related agencies through their governing bodies, and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners for the expenditure of local funds from the Broward County Enhanced Marine Law Enforcement Grant Program (EMLEG). EMLEG is funded by a 50 percent increase in vessel registration fees approved by the County Commission under the Local Option Vessel Registration Fee provisions of the Florida Statutes. The funds are collected by Broward County, with one dollar from each vessel registration remitted to the State for manatee protection. The remaining funds are retained by Broward County and distributed through the EMLEG program. Annual program funding is approximately $700,000.

Broward County’s primary resource and referral service for available swim programs was established in 1999 by the Broward County Commission, in cooperation with various cities and nonprofit organizations. Housed at Parks and Recreation, SWIM Central has become the County’s chief coordinating agency for water-safety instruction and discount swim lesson coupons. It maintains the most comprehensive database in Florida, for swimming pools and water-safety programs in the County.