Do you need to rent a car?

In short, the answer is: YES.
Why?

1) Cabs (taxis) are very expensive. A ride from the airport to Fort Lauderdale can easily end up in the three digits.

2) Public transportantion doesn´t reach everywhere.

3) Distances are far. Las Olas Blvd is a good half an hour on a bike to ride from the Broward Center of Arts (where the shops and entertainment start) down to the beach. So figure that out walking?

That said, there is two ways to get around in Fort Lauderdale that doesn´t involve cars or buses: one is the SUN TROLLEY. It´s a bus styled as an old trolley that goes around Las Olas and down to the Beach and the Coral Ridge Mall. You can hear it´s annoying little bell sounding on every corner of the loop. It´s aimed mostly at tourists so it is rather slow, but it´ll take you there. And it´s not like you didn´t come to relax right? I believe you just flag it down whenever you spot it and it´s a dollar each ride. Personally I have never taken it. The website where you can check the loop and get more info is www.suntrolley.com

The other alternative is the WATER TAXI. Don´t forget Fort Lauderdale is called the "Venice of America"! So there´s lots of canals and this service works as a bus -despite the "-taxi" in the name you cannot choose the route. It has a fixed loop that takes you from the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale to the beach on the Galt Mile and almost to Pompano Beach. It is an attraction in itself so even if you rent a car I would recommend taking a tour on this lovely little boat. They sell tickets for a whole day and you can hop on and off as many times as you want. The website with more info is www.watertaxi.com

So and now there´s the only CAVEAT about renting a car. If you´re staying in South Beach and you absolutely don´t plan on seeing anything else but the beach, the nightclubs, the restaurants and the shops on Collins Ave., then don´t rent a car. Parking in South beach is a pain! And expensive too... And you really can walk up and down Ocean Drive.
But there is so much more to South Florida than South Beach! If you want to visit the Everglades, or go to a big mall, or visit some other attractions, don´t count on a cab. It´ll be cheaper to rent a car!