Study: Fort Lauderdale one of Florida’s worst-run cities

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite having a mix of white sandy beaches and popular bars and restaurants on Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale was still named one of the worst-run cities in Florida.

Conducted by WalletHub, the study used metrics comparing operating efficiency of 150 cities, specifically its spending and managing of funds, to the quality of services residents receive against its total budget.

Fort Lauderdale, a popular southern Florida tourist destination, ranked 109th out of 150 cities listed. The city also landed 57th in quality of city services and 120th for total budget per capita.

Miami, approximately 30 miles away, placed 34 spots ahead of Fort Lauderdale at 75th. Notably, when compared by population, Miami’s 450,000 residents more than double’s Fort Lauderdale’s 183,000.

According to the list, St. Petersburg was named the state’s best-run city at 41st. Other Florida cities mentioned include Hialeah, Jacksonville, Tampa and Tallahassee.

Fort Lauderdale also bottomed-out behind area southeast cities such as Dallas, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; San Antonio, Texas; and Austin, Texas.

While hovering outside the top 100, Fort Lauderdale managed to beat Charlotte, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Nashville Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta; Georgia.

Nampa, Idaho, was declared the best-run city. It was followed by Boise, Idaho; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Nashua, New Hampshire; and Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky in the top five.

Washington, D.C., received the dubious honor of being the worst-run city in America. It was joined by San Francisco, California; New York, New York; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Cleveland, Ohio in the bottom 5.