The Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC), located in Davie FL, is one of many education centers located within the South Florida Education Center (SFEC) at Forman Field. During World War II, Forman Field was used by the U.S. Navy as an air naval training base; after the war, Senator G. Smathers and supporters committed to the Forman family that the land would never be used for anything other than education.