Surveillance cameras at Fort Lauderdale's Fiveash Regional Water Treatment Plant captured two people slipping onto the property overnight, making their way to a row of parked golf carts, and then tearing around the grounds until one of the carts got wrecked. Authorities are now asking the public for help identifying the pair, who left the facility at 4391 NW Ninth Avenue without being caught.
Cameras Track Intruders From Entry to Crash
According to WSVN, authorities are searching for a pair of crooks who stole golf carts from the Fiveash plant, and footage shows the suspects entering the facility during overnight hours before taking a look around and making their way to the area with golf carts. Investigators say one of the cameras then caught a suspect crashing a cart several times, while the pair was also seen carelessly driving around a grassy area outside the building.
It's not clear from the available footage how the joyride ended or whether the suspects left any damaged equipment behind beyond what the cameras recorded. The station's report does not specify how many carts were taken in total or what happened to them afterward.
Reward Up to $5,000 for Tips
Anyone with information is urged to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Tipsters may remain anonymous, and per the same account, they may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
It's a similar playbook to past golf cart capers in Broward County — back in 2022, WSVN 7News reported on teens caught stealing a golf cart near a Pembroke Park city building, with investigators again directing witnesses to Crime Stoppers' tip line.
Fiveash's Role Is Shifting Anyway
The break-in comes as Fiveash itself is in the middle of a transition. As Fort Lauderdale opens its new Prospect Lake Clean Water Center — described by Construction Dive as a $666 million water infrastructure investment — Fiveash is shifting from an active treatment facility into a storage and distribution center. The outlet reports the Fiveash plant was originally built in 1953, though the City of Fort Lauderdale's own utility services page states the plant was built in 1954 and designed to treat eight million gallons per day.
Whatever the exact timeline of that larger shift, the golf cart incident has left Fiveash in the local spotlight for a far less technical reason. For now, authorities are relying on tips rather than an identified suspect to close out the case.
