FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Hundreds of people paraded down Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale Monday to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“It’s very good. He’s like a father to me, because everything he did for us people,” Javier Padilla said.

Monday’s event is the largest MLK parade in Broward County and it grows every year.

Full Screen 1 / 26 Broward County residents participated in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade Monday morning in Fort Lauderdale.

“This is Sistrunk, and it is historic for us as we evolve and take the parade downtown with the combination of the communities mixed together,” Broward County School Board member Dr. Rosalind Osgood said.

The parade went down historic Sistrunk Boulevard -- a thoroughfare named in honor of Dr. James Sistrunk, who was the first black medical doctor to practice in Fort Lauderdale.

It’s a street that houses so much history -- a history that’s passed down to every generation and is also the home of this parade celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King.

“It feels like such a joyous occasion. I’m actually very happy to be here,” one woman said.

Dr. King himself was such a special part of the South Florida community.

“We recognize his type of service that brought forth equality, justice, unity, and we’re doing it together,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “We’re here in Fort Lauderdale today. I’m standing here with the chief because this is a community effort. It doesn’t matter about jurisdiction. It’s recognizing the tremendous effort that Dr. King did for this entire community.”

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