Lazy Lake really is as peaceful as it sounds.
Credit: Jesse Scott
Broward County is big. The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate puts its population at 2,013,317 residents, enough people to fill Amerant Bank Arena... roughly 100 times.
Then there’s Lazy Lake.
Measuring approximately .022 square miles, this tiny enclave surrounded by Wilton Manors is Florida’s smallest incorporated municipality by land area. Its population at the 2020 census: 33 people. Yes, 33.
Browardist recently took a drive down Lazy Lane, the village’s sole street, and counted 16 houses tucked behind a thick curtain of palms, bamboo and tropical greenery. It’s lush, secluded and almost suspiciously serene for a place sitting fewer than three blocks west of the restaurants, bars and action of Wilton Drive.
Lazy Lake has no businesses, traffic lights, town hall, police force or fire department. According to Visit Lauderdale, the village grew around a former rock quarry that eventually filled with water. It incorporated in 1953 after residents declined to join neighboring Wilton Manors.
And getting a Lazy Lake address is no easy feat. As of press time on Realtor.com, three properties were listed for sale, ranging from $1.8 million to $4.5 million.
So, Broward County contains roughly 1.2 million acres, 31 municipalities and more than 2 million people. Yet a stones throw off Andrews Avenue leads into a village that practically disappears beneath the palms.
