FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Special Olympics athletes, BSO deputies and other South Florida law enforcement officers will be on the move Wednesday morning, April 15, for the 43rd Annual Broward Law Enforcement Torch Run.
The run is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., starting at 1100 Seabreeze Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale and ending at 4703 N. Ocean Drive in Sea Ranch Lakes at the Sea Ranch Center. A celebratory picnic is planned after the run at the Sea Ranch Center.
Organizers say the annual event is designed to raise awareness, funds and support for Special Olympics Florida’s mission. Special Olympics Florida provides year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for people with intellectual disabilities.
The Broward Law Enforcement Torch Run is also part of a larger statewide effort. It is one segment of a 1,400-mile relay that culminates at the opening ceremonies of the Florida Special Olympics Summer Games at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.
This year, Special Olympics Florida selected a Special Olympics athlete to light the flame that will commence the run and carry the Olympic torch. Sergio Cano, a Special Olympics athlete from Broward County, was chosen for that role. Cano competes in track and field, swimming, and triathlons.
According to BSO, Cano serves as vice chair of the Athlete Leadership in Broward County and vice chair of the Regional Athlete Leadership Council. He was also chosen to compete in an international triathlon event in Slovakia and is described as one of the county’s top runners.
The schedule released by BSO is intended to help media cover the event and to serve as a traffic advisory for motorists.
The timeline begins at 9 a.m. at 1100 Seabreeze Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, with the first leg listed at 1.9 miles. At 9:25 a.m., the run is scheduled to be at A1A and Sunrise Boulevard for the second leg, listed at 2.1 miles. At 10 a.m., the third leg is scheduled for A1A and Oakland Park Boulevard, listed at 1.8 miles. At 10:35 a.m., the fourth leg is scheduled for A1A and Commercial Boulevard, listed at 0.7 miles. The end of the run is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. at 4703 N. Ocean Drive in Sea Ranch Lakes.
For residents in Boca Raton and across Palm Beach County who travel into Broward for work or appointments, the key watch item is traffic along A1A during the morning window. The schedule is approximate.
Anyone interested in making a charitable donation is asked to contact Michelle Leonardo at Special Olympics Broward at (954) 262-2150. For additional information about the run, BSO lists Broward County Torch Run Coordinator Captain Stephanie Jacobi at (954) 938-0650.
What happens next is straightforward: the torch run proceeds on the posted schedule, then the statewide relay continues toward the Florida Special Olympics Summer Games opening ceremonies in Lake Buena Vista.
