Fort Worth Prepares for World Cup Rush

0:00It's April 4, I'm Cory with the Story, and this is Dallas News today, your AI-powered local news. Fort Worth City leaders just got an update on gearing up for the World Cup Rush next summer, with big focus on transportation and emergency teams. Handling extra crowds, they also ease rules so businesses in hotspots can put a World Cup signs without the usual hassle. Expectations are high for hotel and restaurant booms, like the city's peak days, even though no teams pick TCU as a base. This comes right after FIFA ditched some hotel blocks in Dallas and Ellington due to shifting crowd numbers. Nine semi-final games hit Ellington Stadium, now called Dallas Stadium from June 14 through July 14. Staff pro preps into five key teams covering hospitality, beautification of over 50 spots, communication, transportation tweaks with buses, and ride shares, and beefed up safety. Hotel extra cost for police, fire, and emergency ops top nearly $6 million, but federal

1:04funds cover almost all but $533,000. They set up four World Cup districts in places like the Stockyards, Sundance Square, West Seventh, and near Southside to manage the visitor flood. Businesses there get a green light for signs from June 1 to July 27, skipping permits for smaller ones and fast-tracking the rest. It finds up to $500 a day if rules slip. All this aims to thrill tourists while keeping daily life smooth for locals, proving Fort Worth's ready to drop the ball on a world-class event.