City Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you.

call this Pompano Beach City Commission meeting to order June 9th, 2026 at one o'clock. If I could ask everyone to please silence your cell phones or put them on vibrate during the meeting. That way we don't get disrupted by a phone call. So please silence the cell phones or put them on vibrate. We appreciate that. Thank you so much. Let's go ahead and call roll.

Commissioner Fezzik? Here. Commissioner Perkins? Here. Commissioner Sigerson-Eaton? Here. Commissioner Smith?

Here.

Vice Mayor Fournier?

Here.

Mayor Hardin? Here. Thank you. Our invocation this afternoon is going to be led by Pastor Larry Trotter from the Florida Coast Church. If we can all please rise for the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the city of Pompano Beach, for its mayor, commissioners and staff, for the BSO and first responders, for the development of this city and the many amenities that we enjoy. I pray for the deliberations of this afternoon that they would be conducted with wisdom, humility, and in a spirit of service, reflecting the Son of God who came not to be served, but to serve. and to give his life as a ransom for many. I pray for justice to prevail, crime to be vanquished, businesses to prosper, poverty to be reduced, homes to be happy, the vulnerable to be safe, and churches to be faithful and fruitful. May your grace and peace abide in this city and among its residents. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

Can I get a motion approving the regular city commission meeting minutes of May 26, 2026? So moved. Second.

Second.

Moved and seconded. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries unanimous. On our agenda this afternoon, we're going to be striking item number three. So item three is stricken. Mr. Bosworth, any other changes to our agenda? No additional changes, Mayor. Very good. Can I get a motion approving the agenda as amended? So moved.

Second.

Moved and seconded. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries unanimous. Thank you. So on our consent agenda, let's see. We've got rid of... Yeah, well, we've got one or two and that's it. So the consent agenda items one or two will be eligible for discussion during the audience to be heard portion. All right, that takes us up to Our special presentation section, but before we get there, we got some recent news up in Tallahassee. I just want to cover it real briefly. Like I said, you're going to hear more about this going forward because it's been passed up in Tallahassee. As we begin deliberating the items on our agenda today, I want us all to pause and reflect on the Pompano Beach we've built together. A city of momentum, clean audits, vibrant neighborhoods, and real opportunity for families. This past week in Tallahassee, legislation advanced that could fundamentally reshape our city's financial future. If the proposed homestead exemption changes take full effect, Pompano Beach stands to lose an estimated $17 to $20 million. Yep. That's in recurring revenue every single year. This is not a minor adjustment. This is not something we can fix with slogans or simple declarations to cut the waste. We must act with discipline and foresight. We'll conduct a thorough line-by-line review of our budget, identifying every area where we can trim, reduce, and streamline, while thoughtfully growing our tax base through new non-homestead investment and development. But let me be crystal clear about my framework. We will protect the services, amenities, and quality of life that define Pompano Beach. We will not balance the books on the backs of our residents. Pompano has earned its reputation as a city on the rise. Cities around us are watching, and we will not let this uncertainty derail our progress. We'll lead with facts, not fear, not fake AI-generated images. We'll lead with transparency, not politics, Over the coming weeks, we will show residents exactly what your general fund dollars support. We'll explain which funds are legally restricted and which revenues we can influence locally. This is not going to be an exercise where I'm going to ask you, the general public, to become budget experts. But it will be a community conversation where your voice matters. Once we've exhausted responsible cuts, we'll have honest discussions about revenue. But hear this. I do not want our homeowners to enjoy lower property taxes only to face 1,000 smaller cuts through higher fees for services we all rely on. That is not leadership. This is a moment that demands unity from residents, businesses, city staff, and elected officials alike. Mr. Bosworth, as acting city manager, please relate to the city manager that I'm directing staff to immediately identify options for budget reductions in the next fiscal year for discussion at our June 23rd budget workshop, including their impacts on service levels and programs, potential revenue enhancements, and any voluntary contract efficiencies. Pompano Beach has overcome challenges before through hard work, smart planning, and shared purpose. We will do so again. Together, we will safeguard our city's future, preserve what makes it unique, and emerge even stronger. So you'll hear more about this in the coming weeks and months. It's something we have to deal with. And it'll be on the ballot in November. Thank you very much. All right, now on to some good stuff. Special presentation, update from Community Foundation of Broward. Jennifer O'Flannery Anderson, PhD, to provide a brief presentation to the commission, including projects funded in Pompano Beach. Welcome.

OK.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioners. I'm delighted to be here with you. Before I speak, I'm going to introduce our Board Chair, Jonathan Allen, who will give a few introductory remarks. We kind of split the presentation up into two, so you don't have to hear either one of us too long, even though I promise it will go by fast. So thank you very much.

Thank you.

mayor members of the commission mr acting city manager thank you for the opportunity to present to you today um jennifer and i will go through the presentation not reading all but we'll hit the high points so what is a community foundation we're grant making public charity comprised of a collection of charitable funds dedicated to improving the lives of people in the defined geographic area We administer and we grow an endowment that supports the local community, similar to your community. And the endowment is comprised of undesignated and designated funds, which we would like to refer to as endowed funds. And this community of philanthropy proactively invest the endowment to have the greatest possible impact in communities. We demonstrate operational excellence, seek six key areas, mission, structure, governance, resource development, stewardship, accountability, grant making, and community leadership, donor relations, and communication. And we're still in the process of updating the strategic plan. In fact, we had a meeting this morning. The official definition is a community foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit, public-supported philanthropic organization with a long-term goal of building permanent named funds for the broad-based public benefit of the residents and organizations in a given area. And our value proposition, if I can just highlight, a respected and responsible community partner, a change maker, empowered to unite the community. We provide support and information and services to professional advisors on estate planning and expertise and complex gift. We represent and embrace a collective philanthropy attracting multiple funders and to leverage a collective impact. And we have a good nonprofit center for excellence, so we will support nonprofits and elevate their performance and operation within communities. At a glance, we have about 591 funds, 370 million in total assets, 70 community builders. Those are individuals that have given more than a million dollars to support community impact initiatives or are interested matter. 20 million granted over the 24-25 fiscal year, 190 legacy society members, 76 million in new gifts or promised gifts over fiscal year 24 and 25, and we're ranked among the top 100 community foundations. And 510 million in promised estate assets. Mrs. Mary Porter is one of our largest funds, and we like to use this as an example. In 2012, the funds created with the $44 million grant. To date, that fund has supported over and issued over 463 grants totaling $26 million, and the current balance is 44 million and counting. So you can see that the fund as established has an opportunity to have perpetual, forever, long-term giving in communities. And then I would like to end with two slides about the power of a $50,000 fund in terms of perpetual impacts in communities. We've been making this presentation to many government entities across the county. Oakland Park established a fund, the city of Lauder Hill established a fund, and the city of Tamarack established a fund. And with an initial gift of 50,000 to establish the fund, the one year based on a 5% annual grant will yield around $2,500. Over a ten year period, The projected balance in that particular fund will be $51,009, and the 10-year grant awards will be approximately $25,226. Over a 20-year period, you're talking about a projected balance of $52,038, and over that 20-year period, the fund would have granted $50,961. So it's a fund that keeps on giving, and it maintains the overall fund balance for perpetual giving in the future. And then I would like to turn it over to Jennifer so she can talk about the power of forever fund as a perpetual community impact. Jennifer.

Very good.

okay so one of the things we've found is as cities have become interested in learning more about the community foundation some of this has come through our love murals which i'll be able to show you about in a minute but we found several cities have been interested in setting up funds so that their residents can leave their city in their estate plans which is a wonderful way to Remember, you know we remember our church we remember our favorite animal rescue organization, maybe we remember our university why wouldn't we remember the place we called home for our whole life. So thinking about if all of the residents of pompano or a group of them remembered this city in their estate plans and established a fund that benefited. the city of Pompano, what amazing things we could do with that. So I'm just planting that seed with you. Also, I'm going to give you some examples. Maybe there are things developers could do philanthropically to make a gift to the community foundation to benefit the Pompano area. OK, so we've done a lot of things. We focus on generating, raising money to support all of Broward County for forever. And when we do that, we grant those dollars out. So we want to grant the dollars to the most critical issues that our community is facing. So throughout the years, we've done a lot of research and partnered with a lot of different organizations. So just listed on this screen are some of the areas where we've really provided a lot of support and leadership. We were one of the initial groups to bring to bear the topic of kids aging out of foster care. We worked with Children's Services Council, United Way, and actually the Junior League on really bringing that issue out and finding solutions. And now it's something that we all work on. We recognized how many kids were really struggling in middle school, so we worked with the school district about 10 years ago to look at how could we better support kids in middle school when they're starting to demonstrate maybe some Attendance challenges or other things that I think we've all probably experienced in middle school. We also recognize the value and power of art and culture. And I have to say, I don't think there's a city that does it better than Pompano. You guys really acknowledge how important and powerful art is to your community and your culture. and you continue to show that in everything that you do. We try to fund a lot of things in the arts across Broward, but we do a lot right here in Pompano and I'll get to talk about that in a few minutes and Ty is a great, great partner with us. We supported the reauthorization of the Children's Services Council and we also helped fund the analysis of the Broward County School Board when they did the bond referendum a few years ago, how those dollars are being spent, especially on construction. And I know a lot of that had direct implication for schools that are based here in Pompano. So anyway, these are a few of the things we've done in the past. Now, when we look forward, what are we looking at going forward? A big thing that we're looking at, I talked about middle school kids, and we realized that There's a problem that's called the gender achievement gap. And right now, it's showing girls are enrolling in college at a faster rate, higher rate than boys. Girls are graduating from high school at a higher rate. Boys seem to continue to lag behind. And we really need to get to the bottom of why and where it starts. So we funded a research project with the school district to look at, Why are boys learning at a slower rate in Broward, and when does that start, and how can we mitigate that? So that research is ongoing right now, and we really want to have an impact on that. One of the things we've uncovered is that we thought it started in middle school, which is why we were doing some of that work early on. It turns out it's starting in kindergarten. So it means we need to go back to what's happening at home, what's happening in the early learning, what's happening in the schools, how are we preparing our teachers, a much more holistic approach. So anyway, just to say this is a big area that we're looking at. How can we help kids with special needs get help early and individualize for them so that they can maximize their opportunities and be ready to learn as well? I'm so proud to tell you that The Community Foundation of Broward has been working with the Florida Children's Initiative and a local organization that we're supporting called Pompano Rise to bring a Harlem Children's Zone to Pompano Beach. This is going to be a wonderful program to help several neighborhoods, and we're going to partner with other organizations and with all of you to really have a positive impact on learning and supporting families right here in Pompano. Affordable housing and homelessness is a humongous issue. We can talk about that all day long. For the Community Foundation, our focus is really on kids who are homeless and seniors. We're working with the hospital districts on their Better Together initiative, zeroing in on maternal and infant health, food insecurity, and everyone's access to health care. How can we help kids be ready to learn for college and careers? And how can we support FAU and Broward College's work with Promise Neighborhoods? I talked about art and culture already. And then Jonathan mentioned that we have a nonprofit center. We do a lot of support and training for nonprofits. And one of the areas we're really zeroing in on is making sure that the staff and the boards of nonprofits are well prepared for their roles and that they represent the diversity of our community so that they can make sure that the organization is serving the needs. These are just some of the areas we do our grant making. We could talk about this all day long, so I'll keep going through it. So I want to just take a couple of minutes and give you examples of some of our partnerships, because hopefully it will help you start to think about ways that we can continue to work together. Over the past few years, we've partnered with Our Fund Foundation, which is an LGBTQ-focused community foundation based in Wilton Manors, but serving all of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. And we've granted out about $400,000 last year to support a lot of programs really focused on social justice discrimination and disparities for the LGBTQ community. We also partnered with the city of Oakland Park to establish a fund. And what's really neat about this is that residents will be appointed by the city council to work with staff at the community foundation to decide how that fund is used to support Oakland Park. We partnered with the Florida Wildlife Corridor, which is an organization that works on the animal migration in Florida. As you know, Alligator Alley and I-4 cut that off, so they're really working on public and private lands and what animals need to thrive and survive in Florida. So we've established outdoor classrooms at Museum of Discovery and Science, Flamingo Gardens, and Birch State Park. This could be something that we could bring to a park here in Pompano as well. We help support the transformation of the Hazinga Park. So we love to support city parks and places for recreation. We talked about the cities that have established funds. And then here's another example I wanted to give you. So the city of... Fort Lauderdale has been redeveloping Bahia Mar, which we all know how interesting that's been. So one of the things that they did to finally get approval was to say, how do we make sure that this development does benefit the city of Fort Lauderdale forever? And they came up with the idea. that a little piece of every single sale of every unit at Bahia Mar will come back to a fund at the Community Foundation to benefit the city of Fort Lauderdale. So when that project is built out, there'll be a fund valued at about $5 million. And every resale will as well. So it's something to think about as you're looking at developments coming in here. How do you make sure that that development brings a benefit to your community forever? You can do that in lots of different ways, but I just thought I would share this one. It gave the council a lot of comfort and it helped And we are a philanthropic neutral party, so the dollars coming to us, we can make sure that they're invested in programs that bring the greatest benefit. Let's see. We work with New Mount Olive Baptist Church to establish a fund for their church members to put their church in their estate plans. We're really proud to work with the Jewish Federation and United Way whenever there's a disaster that we will all raise money together and jointly grant those funds out. And that's something we'll work with your city manager to make sure that they know we're available to help and support for disasters. And Mayor Hardin and many other mayors from all over Broward County attend our annual Mayor's Philanthropic Forum luncheon we started last year just to bring more awareness about what the Community Foundation does and how we can work better together to support all of our residents. so here's the best news in the last 10 years we've granted almost 1.5 million dollars just in the city of pompano to these organizations listed on the screen i think you know all of them exchange club volta the city itself brevo theater Change Me Foundation, Our Father's House, Broward Children's Center, which I love, Pompano Beach Arts Foundation, we love, Everglades Angels Dog Rescue, a personal favorite, Lovewell Institute for Creative Arts, Moreland's Alternative Educational Academy, Morning Day Community Solutions, a great organization, and the Kappa Foundation of Pompano Beach. And then we also established a health hub all around Markham Elementary. So what can we do to help that school go from a B to a D? And how can we help those 300 families get access to the services that they need? So we set up food distributions, some health screenings. We got employment opportunities for the parents. One of the things I'm most proud of is we had a community conversation with the parents And they said, well, we can't get to the school. And we said, what do you mean you can't get to the school? Well, there's not a bus stop here, so we can't get to the school. So the folks who were there from the school and from my team worked with the city and called. We got Broward County Transportation, and we got a bus stop. something that maybe some of us take for granted. We get in a car and go to the school, didn't realize how important the bus stop was. So that's just a little example of the love and care and attention we try to bring when we work on an issue. Our newest project is Pompano Rise Exit 36. This is the Florida Children's Initiative bill that was signed into law and approved by the governor. It was sponsored by Mitch Rosenwald and Senator Tina Polsky. So this will be a Harlem children's zone for Northwest Pompano, Blanche Ely, and Sanders Park neighborhoods. So it's a wonderful project. It expands access to resources, strengthens families, and the whole idea is to improve academic outcomes and opportunities for the youth right here. So this is something we'll probably want to come back to you and give you more of an update on as it develops. We've been working on this for two, maybe almost three years, and this year it was in, it didn't go out, and it got funded. We're really going to be great partners with you in the future. And I really look forward to working with you on Pompano Rise, Exit 36, and many ways that we can help the residents. And finally, our favorite topic, Lead with Love. This is a mural project throughout Broward County. The mural on the top is right here. in the Historic District by the South Restaurant. We dedicated this a couple years ago. Mayor Hardin was there. Our artists, Say Adams, was there. We're doing nine of them. We have three more to go. Hollywood, Miramar, and Coconut Creek. but we love the Pompano one. And it's a great way to spread a positive message. Again, to set an example, what can we do for each other? We can show love, we can show compassion, and we can show care. And we give local artists a great opportunity to paint with Say, who is a very famous hip hop artist and founder of Def Jam Records. really amazing person so it this is kind of our love letter and gift to all of Broward County so there's many ways that we can work together I feel like I've kind of highlighted them through our presentation but I think that we are here to serve you to serve the citizens of Pompano and to be a strong partner and advocate for philanthropy and forgiving and to thinking of one another so I'm gonna wrap it up here thank you all for your attention I know I've gone way over my time limit but it's an honor to be a fan and a partner with pompano for many years and I'm excited about what things we can do in the future very good thank you any questions yes mr. Perkins

Yes, I really thank you for your program. It's so needed in this area, especially struggling schools that we have. Yes. You never give them enough, and especially the Markham Elementary School.

Do you remember the tree that was growing through the roof?

Yes, I do.

So Jonathan, our board chair, was there at Christmas time. We did a Winterfest three years ago, Sherry? Three, right? Two. And we did this, I would say, sort of at the last minute. We brought all these different partners and companies in. We had a great way to pick up gifts. And Jonathan was there, and he goes, what is that tree doing there? Can't somebody get that tree out of there? we threw several calls and arm twisting and in love the tree is gone so and we really were advocating for the new building because the the new building that kept getting moved down on the list moved down on the list and that is not fair to those children and those families

That has been a struggling school for a while, especially when the roof caved in. Right. And portables, everybody in portables, and they have to go to Blanchie High School to cook their food and bring it back to the school. And we've just been going through a lot, and we really appreciate you and all that you can do. When Jonathan walked up to the mic, I thought, that's George Allen. Yes, I know. So I just want you to know, Jonathan, your father, Attorney George Allen, was a mentor of mine. He's from the hometown of my home family, my family. But yeah, this is a great project, and whatever I can do, just let me know. But thank you so much.

Well, we're just trying to take the opportunity to share a little bit about us. We're happy to meet with you individually or with your staff. But, you know, we've been here for 42 years. We're going to be here for thousands of years. But Pompano is special. We have a strong, long history working with you on many different issues. And we just with the mural just opening, we wanted to to wave our hand and give an extra hello so much.

Thank you. Definitely. The foundation does so much good work throughout the county. It's incredible what you've grown it into. And the support from the residents in the county to the foundation is just phenomenal. And you're right. You'll be here for thousands of years. That's fantastic.

And I'm remiss if I'm not introducing Sherry Brown-Grosner. She's one of my team members. Kelly Marmel and Kirk Engelhardt are here. But Sherry is a product of pompano beach she is born and raised her family is from here and i would say she is your greatest greatest champion you need to bottle her she loves this town and she fights for this place and she makes sure that it's always center in our work well thank you sherry appreciate that all right anything else commission oh could we get a picture with all of you would that be okay for sure

Yeah, yeah. Oh, that looks great. Okay. Big smiles. One, two, three. One, two, three. And one, two, three. Great.

Perfect. Yep, yep. All good.

All right. Thank you for that. Thank you, Community Foundation of Broward. All right, next up, we have got a special proclamation honoring Michael Ratta. Rob Weier, Vice Chairman of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council, will present Michael Ratta with a proclamation in honor of his collaboration with and commitment to the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council during his 27-year career with the City of Pompano Beach. Rob, I'll meet you right over there. This is a great time.

Very good, okay. Good seeing you, man.

Thank you. This was to be presented by Mr. Tommy DiGiorgio, but he couldn't be here, so he asked me to fill in his stead. This proclamation was unanimously approved by the EDC back in April of 2026, so allow me to read it to you, please. Whereas it is with great honor and appreciation that on behalf of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council, I, Thomas DiGiorgio, as chair, extend this proclamation to recognize and commend the exceptional contributions of Michael Ratta. Whereas Michael Ratta has demonstrated unwavering commitment and distinguished service to the city of Pompano Beach, through his remarkable 27-year career within the building inspections division, rising through the ranks from housing inspector to building official. Whereas throughout his tenure, Michael Rada has exemplified professionalism, leadership, and dedication, playing a vital role in guiding the city's growth and development while ensuring compliance with the higher standards of safety, construction, and public service. Whereas Michael Rada's vision and leadership have been instrumental in creating and maintaining an industry-leading building department, fostering a culture of excellent consistency and public service with steadfast commitment to respect, courtesy, and doing what's right for the community. Whereas under his leadership, the building department has supported transformative projects and initiatives that have contributed significantly to the economic vitality and continued growth of Pompano Beach, benefiting residents, business owners, and stakeholders throughout the city. Whereas Michael Rada has given general receipt of his time and expertise in the service of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council, helping to advance its mission and strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors. Whereas his dedication, integrity, and commitment to the excellence have left a lasting and positive impact on the city of Pompano Beach, and his legacy will continue to benefit future generations. Now therefore, I, Thomas DiGiorgio, chair of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council, do hereby proclaim our sincere appreciation and gratitude to Michael Rada for his outstanding service to the city of Pompano Beach. and to the Economic Development Council. We thank him for his leadership, his vision, and for achieving his goal of building an industry leading department that serves as a model for others. As Michael embarks on his next chapter, we extend our best wishes for continued success, fulfillment, and happiness, and deep appreciation for his many years of dedicated service. It was in witness thereof I have heard unto set my hand as chair of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council this 27th day of April, 2026. Congratulations, Michael. And if I could add one personal note, On a personal note, as many of you know, I was the chief operating officer at the aisle for many years. And I was there when Michael took the position that he's leaving today. And I can tell you from a personal experience running a business that what he did was actually transform his department. So thank you, Michael. Congratulations.

Thank you all. I'm really honored and humbled to even be here. I just want to wish you all a fond farewell and express my extreme appreciation to all of you for making my career with the city a memorable one. These memories I'll carry with me the rest of my days. I've often wrote a bunch of Preacher Mike to my staff. They're kind of used to it, but I'm going to share a little bit with you now. A few words of wisdom I'd like to pass on to those of you who have had the pleasure to know. The professionalism of the work you do is such a gift. You all absolutely do your best with your jobs with enthusiasm in your heart. I am very proud to have worked alongside each and every one of you. Fill your minds with strength and courage. It will carry you through any challenge life will present to you. Stay polished and professional, live with respect and honor, and never give up. I will look back on my time here with a smile, appreciative of the opportunities, grateful for the rewards of a job well done, and the love that I have. May God bless you all.

Anybody who wants to join us up front for a picture, come on down. Come on down. Let's get a picture of Mike in front. Here we go. We got more coming. Here we go.

Mike, the building department just wanted to put that proclamation on a plaque for you for your new trophy room that you're going to have to build all these .

I really appreciate that. That's presentation.

Let's go over in front of the commission too.

Let's get, everybody come on over in front of the commission.

Ready?

One, two, three.

And yes, on a personal note, Mike, he's done a great job for the city, and I've known him for many years, and he's actually helped me on personal projects. So thank you, Mike, for your experience, knowledge, and dedication to the city. Thank you. All right. Next up, we've got Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Do we have Terry Coburn? Yes, very good. Good seeing you. Yes, me too. Yes. Okay, let's see. Yep, here we go. All right. Whereas Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative brain disorder that destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks, ultimately leading to severe mental and physical impairment. And whereas, an estimated 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, and this number is projected to grow significantly in the coming decades. And whereas, Alzheimer's disease also affects individuals under the age of 65 through early onset Alzheimer's, impacting hundreds of thousands of Americans and their families. And whereas, in the state of Florida, hundreds of thousands of residents are living with Alzheimer's disease, and Florida ranks among the states with the highest prevalence of this condition. And whereas, Alzheimer's disease is among the leading causes of death in the United States and remains the only disease in the top causes of death that cannot currently be prevented or cured. Whereas, the financial impact of Alzheimer's disease is substantial, with the cost of care in the United States projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars annually, in addition to billions of hours of unpaid care provided by family members and caregivers. And whereas, the human toll of Alzheimer's disease is immeasurable, profoundly affecting not only those diagnosed, but also their families, friends, and caregivers. And whereas, the City of Pompano Beach recognizes and commends the Alzheimer's Association and its dedicated volunteers, including those participating in the Broward Walk to End Alzheimer's, for their ongoing efforts to raise awareness, advance research, and provide vital support services to individuals and families impacted by the disease. Now, therefore, I, Rex Harden, Mayor of the City of Pompano Beach, on behalf of the entire City Commission, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as Alzheimer's Awareness Month in the City of Pompano Beach, and I encourage all residents to learn the warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, support those affected, and participate in efforts to advance research towards prevention, treatment, and ultimately a cure. Done this night, day of June 2026, Rex Harden, Mayor, thank you so much for what you do, Terry, and care to say a few words?

I would love to.

Please do. I have been volunteering for the Alzheimer's Association since 2015. I'm a community educator for Alzheimer's here in Broward County. I go to churches, libraries, wherever, and educate because my mother was diagnosed with frontal temporal disorder when she was 58. I fight with the community to educate the people about early signs of mild cognitive impairment. I just got back from D.C. last week. I went Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday last week. I came back with a huge purple heart and a lot of hope. The NIH director spoke to us, and we were advocating for the Medicare Act, which is called ASAP Act. We have almost all the Florida lawmakers on board with it right now. 75 advocates went from Florida to D.C. Three of them were living with mild cognitive impairment. A 61-year-old lady from Miami, a 54-year-old Ironman from the Gulf Coast, and a 46-year-old banker from just north of Orlando. All three of those people are in remission because they've been on the protocols that have been out for the last two years of infusions, and they are in remission. So the Medicare Act, the ASAP Act, is to... require Medicare to pay for the two blood tests that the FDA approved just recently within the last year so that any kind of symptoms can be detected up to 15 years before they show in a person. And this is huge. This is huge. I am just so excited because the NIH director that spoke to us on Wednesday morning, he was like, you know what? We see the light at the end of the tunnel with this. If we can detect symptoms or signs 15 years up to when they show in a person, we can stop it. so anyway so our walk is December 5th at Nova and I would encourage the city of Pompano Beach to get a team together this is the information on it and I will help you guys fundraise and do fundraisers everywhere in Pompano to support our local business owners so anyway but thank you thank you thank you yes

All right. Next up, we've got a proclamation for Sidney Salas. Is Sidney here? Come on down. All right. I love it, love it. Let's give her a big hand. Okay, this is acknowledging her efforts, raising awareness of Chiari malformation.

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.

Yes, okay. Let's go. Whereas, the City of Pompano Beach is proud to recognize young leaders whose courage, compassion, and determination inspire others throughout our community. And whereas, Sydney Salas has demonstrated extraordinary strength and resilience after being diagnosed in 2021 with Chiari malformation type 1. a serious neurological disorder in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal, often causing severe headaches, dizziness, balance issues, spinal complications, and other life-altering symptoms. And whereas, despite undergoing major decompression brain surgery at a young age, Sydney transformed her personal journey into a mission of hope and advocacy for children and families affected by Chiari malformation. And whereas, Sydney and her family founded Chiari's Little Warriors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children with Chiari malformation through education, outreach, advocacy, and community engagement. And whereas, Chiari's Little Warriors has helped increase public awareness of this rare neurological condition and has provided encouragement and support to families navigating the challenges associated with Chiari malformation. And whereas, the organization's annual Walk for Chiari event, held in the city of Pompano Beach at the Pompano Beach Air Park, has become an important community gathering dedicated to raising awareness, promoting education, and fostering unity among individuals and families impacted by Chiari malformation. And whereas, the 2026 Walk for Chiari is scheduled for September 19, 2026, and continues the organization's important mission of bringing visibility to Chiari malformation while strengthening support networks for affected families. And whereas Sydney Salas has been recognized throughout the community for her advocacy and leadership, including being named the 2025 Winterfest Junior Captain in recognition of her courage, compassion, and dedication to helping others. Now, therefore, I, Rex Harden, Mayor of the City of Pompano Beach, on behalf of the entire City Commission, do hereby recognize and honor Sydney Salas, for her courage, advocacy, and outstanding efforts to raise awareness of Chiari malformation and extends sincere appreciation for her commitment to supporting children and families through the work of Chiari's Little Warriors. Done this ninth day of June, 2026, Rex Harden, Mayor. Sydney, thank you so much for what you do, and I'm glad you're here. Thank you. Would you care to say a few words?

Yes, please. Go ahead.

Well, hello, everyone. I'm Sydney Salas. I'm 14 years old, and I'm the founder of Chiara's Little Warriors for a nonprofit, 501c3. And it's for the brain surgery that I had four years ago. And it pretty much means that your brain is too big for your skull, and it pushed down on my spine, causing no fluid to allow it to get to my head. And since the surgery, my fear has turned into a purpose. And now through Chiari's Little Warriors, I raise awareness and educate people for the cause. And just recently, we partnered with Joe DiMaggio to help raise awareness. And I also just released my first coloring book to help raise awareness and help teach kids what Chiari is.

Nice. Yes. Here you go. This is for you. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

And then also, our walk is September 19th, like he said.

And so here are a couple of flyers. I can pass them out to them if you'd like.

I'll get them to them.

Okay.

Great. No, fantastic. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Sydney. I appreciate all your efforts. And thank you for being here and look forward to walking with you. Let's get a quick photo. Here we go.

Yeah. Very good. Thank you so much. Thank you.

All right. All right, next up, we've got presentation. Presentation of internal audit activity report memorandum 26-03 for completed and ongoing audit projects, technical assistance, as well as follow-up for implementations from previous audit project recommendations covering the 13-month period from May 2025 through May 2026. D.C. Kiemba, our internal auditor. Good afternoon, D.C. Good afternoon, Mayor.

Vice Mayor, Honorable Commissioners, my name is DC Kiemba. I am the internal auditor for the City of Pompano Beach. I am here this afternoon to present to you the internal audit activity report for the last 13 months. The city charter requires the internal auditor to present to the city commission at least once a year an audit plan and related activity. This presentation, this report, is in fulfillment of that responsibility. But before I get into the presentation, I would like to thank you, the city commission, for giving us the opportunity to serve the citizens of Pompano Beach. All of us in internal audit are grateful. Thank you. I would also like to thank the other city officials for assisting us whenever we need their respective input. The city manager who is not here, please send our greetings to Greg. city attorney, city clerk, they help us out when we need help from them. The same appreciation goes to the assistant city managers for the work they do when we need them when we do the audits. Additionally, thanks go to city staff who we have worked with during this reporting period. They make our work quite manageable. Otherwise, if they are not cooperative, things may not go very well. And finally, I thank my staff, Mike Hewitt, Maggiore, Estrada, Esparza, for doing the work as called upon. They do much work, most of the work. And if there's someone I've missed, some group I've missed, consider this my shout out to you. Thank you also. Now, the presentation. I have three slides that really do matter, that represent the work we have completed this reporting period.

DC, I'm sorry, but it's not showing.

Technology for you. This is accomplishments. The next one would be the work we've done before but needs follow-up. And then finally, the work we are planning to do. With respect to the completed assignments, first, the long-term debt service compliance audit, there were no findings to report. We commend the parties who are committed to the effort, finance, accounting, treasury, and any other personnel involved in the process. Second, the external audit assistance for the fiscal year 26. It comes from the financial report 2025, where we assist the independent auditors to complete the annual audit. There also, there were no findings, thanks to various department personnel who manage and run those grant programs. The tests we do, we complete, are selected by the independent auditor. Third, the payroll audit. With this, there were five findings, as you may have recognized in the activity report. implementation of the recommendations from that audit have started, as far as we know, I will provide a report on the progress made during the next internal audit activity reporting period. And fourth is what we call technical assistance. In this process, we proactively review the draft contracts presented to us by concerned and respective departments. We make comments where necessary and ask for recommend or do recommend changes where we feel changes are needed to enhance controls or improve contract terms. The next slide is follow-ups. With these, this is where recommendations from previously reported audits had not been fully implemented as of their last report period. There were seven of such audits posted here. I am not going to go through them one by one, but the activity report provides the updated and current status. One more slide, current and new projects. This lists projects where we are working on and we hope to start and finish in the next reporting period. I have listed five of them, and as you can see, number three says annual risk assessment. That is the basis for the annual risk-based audit plan. We plan to start doing this officially, and you, the city commission, will be invited to participate when we are ready. Current internal audit professional standards require that the process to occur because it underpins the internal audit plan for the following reporting period. The exercise will help us identify the high risk areas where we should be spending our limited resources. We will inform you when we are ready to start the process. And finally, my conclusion, we appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of Pompano Beach, city commission, city administration, and the employees. Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Honorable Commissioners, that concludes my presentation subject to your questions. Thank you.

Very good. Thank you, D.C. Appreciate it. Appreciate all your efforts and those of your staff, and thank you to everyone who participates in this process for the City of Pompano Beach. Any questions from the Commission, D.C.? Seeing none, thank you. Thank you so much. And just for the public's information, this report, the full report, is part of the backup online. So if anyone has questions about it, they can read and review the entire report. This is just a capsulized version. So thank you very much, D.C. Appreciate it. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. All right. That takes us up to audience to be heard. Do we have anyone signed up? Mr. Alfred.

Yes, we do, Mayor. We've got five speakers.

Very good.

First speaker, Kim Heasey, followed by Ryan, followed by Vicente Thor.

Just name and address for the record, and please limit your comments to three minutes. Sure.

My name is Kim Heasey, and I live in Parkland. And I am a, sorry, hold on. I'm a Florida wildlife artist and conservation advocate. I am here to ask you to protect the land around the Pompano Air Park. That land was recently stripped of conservation easements and rezoned based on incomplete environmental assessments. Those assessments were made by the potential developer of the land, which is a clear conflict of interest. And now the land is facing destruction, but I went with a group of botanists and other professionals to do our own survey of the land on April 27th, and what we found is in stark contrast to what the developers' reports. So because those reports were the basis of your previous decision, we're hoping that you will reconsider this land and bring it back for discussion and to hopefully protect it to protect it more. Here's a map of the area. These areas circled in orange are the pretty pristine scrub habitat. Here is us walking around. Sorry, I didn't know how to get on the big projector on time, but I just brought photos. It's very beautiful habitat. It is home to, we found many gopher tortoises and active gopher tortoise burrows, particularly in all of the land, but also particularly in this tract. This long, skinny one here is really, really good. I mean, all the land is very good, but especially that one. Okay, so other things we found are, this is, there are many state endangered plants on these properties. This is one that I brought some pictures of today. This is Delaney's golden aster. We found them in this area here. There's also numerous other very rare plants that you only find in scrub habitats. There's a couple of different types here. This habitat type is the high dry ground upon which Broward was built. Because of that, it is extremely rare and threatened throughout the state. It's a globally imperiled habitat. I didn't know that growing up here. So I'm assuming you guys probably don't know it either. Most people don't. So I'm hoping that we can all do better and to learn to protect this land more. I know that if you were to ask your residents, if you asked everybody, what should we do, they would probably all want this land to be protected. So please reconsider. Here's more pictures. I forgot to show you. This is us. We had a big group that went there. And I'll send you an email with more information. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Appreciate that. Next speaker.

Hello, my name is Ryan Shree. I'm from Weston, and I would like to point out some ethical concerns regarding the ESL removal at Pompano Airpark. First of all, the city surveys misrepresented the site. The Kenley Horn survey did not thoroughly survey the site. As they stated within their report, they did not enter the actual scrub areas, and they stated the site was degraded. This is in contradiction to the Broward County Parks assessment and the Broward County Environmental Permitting conclusions, and I also visited the site, and I found extremely very, very pristine habitat in, especially in Parsons 4 and in the eastern side of Parsons 2. There are also multiple state endangered plants that are found at this habitat that we found and Broward County Parks found that were not mentioned at all within the Kimley horn survey. And the other thing is this is a very rare habitat with about 1% left in all of Broward County. And you can replant mangroves. You can rebuild wetlands. You can replant forests. You cannot recreate a scrub habitat. And the transplants and the cuttings for rare scrub species are notoriously difficult. If you go and talk to Fairchild, they'll tell you. So there are multiple options available that were not presented to the county, really. Parses 3 and Parses 4 are not slated for development, but their protections were still removed. And within the Air Park Master Plan, there were alternative options that did not require the rezoning and the ESL removal that were written within your own Pompano Air Park Master Plan. And options such as wildlife fencing, which was written within the Kimley Horn assessment, were not mentioned at all to the county planning council nor the county commission. Let's talk FAA regulations. So the one cited within the city ESL application for removal, those can be followed by managing the habitat instead of completely destroying it. Scrub habitat, which is found at many other airports at conservation easements can be managed according to FAA regulations to prevent bird strikes, to prevent wildlife hazard issues. And this is something that is supported by Broward County Parks. Even under airport use, there's nothing in FAA regulations that prohibits conservation areas on airport property. There is an existing conservation area, Gopher Tortoise Preserve, at FXE Airport, which was designated by the County Commission in 1985. And Naples Airport, they also have a conservation easement on their property. Despite FAA concerns, in 1995, this commission actually voted to establish a conservation easement on one of those parcels and invested $19,000 of city funding for maintenance of that parcel as well as providing tours. I'm asking the City Commission to address multiple residential concerns regarding pollution, environmental noise, air, and to preserve at least part of this property for future generations, and this can be done without harming the business interests. This is not just about land. This is about whether you, the City Commissioners, are truly representing the people of Pompano Beach, or if you guys are representing developer interests. Thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate it. Commissioner Fasik?

Thank you. Thank you for coming out. I just want to make sure, I want to thank both Kim and Ryan for being part of the group that did take some time and go out to look. I think it's, many of you may know, my colleagues, that this was one of the things that I was really concerned about beginning last year with some of the expansion. I think it was in maybe February of last year's, some of the changes. And my goal, just so we're clear, is to try to find that happy medium between growth at the air park and preservation of land and also safety protocols. So my goal is to find that happy medium where we can all work together, but to recognize the gem that we actually have. Mr. Berman, since that's the second time I heard about that, if there is any new information, as they have shared, what is the protocol, or is there protocol for bringing something back for consideration based on additional information?

If there's additional information, staff could bring it back and present that to you. I believe development services staff presented the rezoning. You could ask that it be brought back. If you were a member of the prevailing party for reconsideration, although the meeting is over, you could make a motion for other motions to bring it back, and I can be happy to discuss that with you if you'd like.

Okay. I'd like to find out what, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to find out what we need to do to bring that back with potentially the new information added and see what we can do to make sure that information is presented. Thank you.

Very good. Next speaker.

Vicente Drower, followed by Jocelyn Jackson, followed by Delvin King.

Vicente Thoreau, Pompano Beach. Mayor, and with me is Pastor Macklemore, the President of the Pompano Concerned Clergy. Mayor, the first thing I want to touch on is the first presentation that was given by what is called Community Forum or whatever you call them people. They hit on something that we've been asking for for a long time, and that was when they presented to you all about how BMR, which is a private property that is being done for a lot of them, how they're able to get a community benefit and get a percentage of every sale to go to their foundation. When the Northwest community came together and asked for that same consideration to get done here in Pompano Beach, Our legal department, instead of telling us how we could make that happen, always told us, well, that's like getting a kickback or something speculative about it. But they just made a presentation of everything we've always said we wanted to do in the Northwest. Mayor, I'm asking tonight that whatever they said that they can do, y'all should be figuring out how we can do it. Because we ain't giving them a damn dime. And if y'all already engaged in something, it needs to come back to us because that presentation was what we presented years ago. And I didn't hear not the city attorney not one time chime in and say, Well, you know, the Northwest did present that we were told we can't have community benefits. We can't do this. It's always what we can't do. But then somebody came along and presented the day and nobody said nothing about what we presented. That could have been done at the casino. So if that group had came and it was with the casino and presented that, they would have been getting a percentage of every unit sold like that. I'm asking me about that is what they did present.

That's the programs they presented, yes.

That's what they presented. But when we did it, There was no collaboration to say, how do we make it happen? There was the downtown. We're going to have to put money up in order to get them to do all of that. Mayor, we have a conversation about that offline and figure out how we do how we do it. But the other reason we are up here today, Mayor, we would like to talk to you about something that seems to be a consistency of how we got department people in city of Pompano Beach and some department here. So terrific. And I applaud him. But I have to say this today. If you don't like working for Pompano Beach and you don't believe in getting in support and asking Americans getting their fair share of contract opportunities, you can leave. You can leave. And Mayor, I'm making it direct. If they don't want to support small black businesses getting our contract opportunities, they can leave. Our grandparents and parents have paved the way for this city to be here. And it seems the more we try to do the right thing, department heads or some of their other people don't seem to want to give opportunities to black companies. And I'm not speculating, Mayor. We can go back and look at the record. And I'm asking you today that we need to figure out how do we address that? Now, you've been a champion on many occasions saying, how do we get, how do we work with the African American community? But mayor, this ain't speculation no more.

Very good. Mr. Mr. Throwout, I asked you to get with the city manager's office and go over those, those allegations.

I'm asking, I'm asking, can we get with the mayor and he get with the city manager's office and say, we can have a group meeting.

Absolutely. We'll set it up.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon, everyone. Jocelyn Jackson. I would like to address the comments made by Commissioner Perkins regarding a food truck located at my investment property. This food truck is located on what was known as the Black Wall Street. This where all the black businesses that reside on MLK that used to, we're trying to bring them back. We're trying to bring them back on MLK, which no longer. This is where many black-owned businesses operated and thrived. Because of that history, I took great pride in supporting small local entrepreneurs who are working to provide for their families. It was brought to my attention that Commissioner Perkins contacted members of my family and spoke about me as though I created this food truck issue. In reality, this entire narrative was initiated publicly by Commissioner Perkins, not me. I want to be clear. My goal has always been to support the small moms and pop businesses, local entrepreneurs. I always preach that for their participations to get the licenses, to get the certifications, to be a part of the movement for Pompano Beach. If the commission intend to enforce the food truck ordinance, then enforce must be fair, consistent, and applied across the board. Selective enforcement, especially when influenced by personal disagreements or vendettas. It undermines public trust and harms the very people who rely on these menaces to feed their families. I respectfully ask that all commissioners focus on supporting small businesses and ensure that any policy or ordinance are enforced uniformly without targeting special individuals. In one of the meetings, Vice Mayor advocated for, I can't think of the company, but I think it's 777, but the developers own the property across Woody's Place. She came here and asked what incentives we used to do them, what incentives, let's bring them back to help the developers here. So that's what I'm expecting from this dais. We have three businesses operating on MLK on the east side of the 95 underpass. So let's try and build that up to allow the black businesses who once officiated but now it's they loved ones. We trying to create generational wealth also. Thank you.

Good. Thank you. Next speaker. Mayor. Commissioner Perkins.

Yes, Mayor.

Yes, Commissioner Perkins. need drama just to feel important miss jackson i'm going to ask you to i'm going to ask you miss jackson to not speak out that's that's number one thank you don't commission okay go ahead mr king delvin king 2601 northwest 12th street

This question is for the mayor. I have a couple of questions for you. Last week, did you have a meeting with the developers, a couple of developers? Mr. King, I have meetings all the time. Okay. Did you have a meeting with the developers in Cary Ann?

I don't know what meeting you're asking about.

Did you have a meeting with the developers in Cary Ann?

With the developers, I don't know who you're referring to, sir.

Oh, you don't? No, I don't. Okay. All right, perfect. So my question would be to Mr. Mayor. There's an issue going on in Palm Air. Can you talk to that issue?

Mr. Delvin, King, there's issues across the city.

Okay, there's a lawsuit in Palm Air. Can you speak about that so the city knows what's going on?

Well, I'm sure the city knows what's going on. Mr. Berman is our secretary.

Can you speak to it?

No, sir.

You can't?

No.

Do you know that there is a lawsuit, correct? Yes. Okay. Can anybody speak on behalf of Palm Air?

Anyone who wants to can speak on behalf of Palm Air. I mean, if you want to stand up there and speak on behalf of Palm Air, I mean, you can do what you want. Can someone speak to the lawsuit?

Mr. Berman, we're involved in... Can somebody just acknowledge the lawsuit?

Yes, Mayor. We're involved in a lawsuit. Basically, we constantly have developers come and want to develop in Palm Air. We have an old agreement from 45 years ago. The city's not sure. If we don't allow those buildings, we'll get sued by the developers. If we don't, if we do allow, we'll get sued by residents of Palm Air. So we've taken it to the court, and we'll let the court... decide. Actually, we've been sued, but we're not objecting anything. We're trying to move this through. We want a court decision. Are we still bound by that? Are we not bound by it? That's it. We're not saying good development, bad development, any development. We're not getting in the way of anybody. We want a judicial decision as to whether or not we are still bound by that.

That's it.

Thank you, Mr. Berman. Okay, perfect. So as the sitting mayor, are you pushing for development in Palm Air or you're against development in Palm Air?

Sir, I represent the entire city. I'm not pushing for development in any particular spot. Oh, you sure?

Yes. Okay, perfect. So my next question for you is when it comes down to the Palm Air residents, how often are you meeting with the Palm Air residents? Frequently. Very frequently. That's a question. Is it very frequent?

I answered the question, sir.

How often?

I answered the question.

How often would it be the frequency? Don't know. Okay.

Thank you. Mr. King, get to your point.

Okay. So my last question would be, no, my last statement would be, please don't come and send your people to Palm Air to talk about affordable housing. Don't come to Palm Air talking about development. They don't want to hear it. There's an active lawsuit. If there's already an active lawsuit, no commissioner should come to Palm Air talking about affordable housing. No commissioner should come to Palm Air talking about development. There's an active lawsuit. Understood? Good? We good? Do you understand or you don't?

Two or three minutes, sir.

Okay. That's it. That's all I have to say. Thank you.

Very good.

Any further speakers? That concludes audience to be heard.

All right. That moves us up to our consent agenda. Can I get a motion approving items one and two?

So moved. Second.

Moved and seconded. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries unanimous. Thank you. Takes us up to our regular agenda. Item number four is the second reading of an ordinance.

An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Pompano Beach, Florida, approving and authorizing the proper city officials to execute a three-year labor agreement between the Pompano Beach Professional Firefighters Local 1549 of the International Association of Firefighters and the City of Pompano Beach, providing for severability, providing an effective date. So moved.

Second.

Moved and second for discussion. Ms. Sonego.

I, Lisa Sinego, Human Resources Director. This is the second reading. No changes have been made for the contract.

Very good. Thank you for that. This is a public hearing. Is there any input from the public on this item? Seeing none, public input closed. Commission discussion. Question. Vice Mayor?

Thank you. It feels like a world away when we pass this at the first reading. I stand by my comments there, but I just want to comment that we are passing a three-year agreement here, and we don't fully know what the implications from the legislation that came out of Tallahassee will be over the next one, two, three years. Is there anything when you look at this agreement that you would have done differently when you think about the pressure that's going to be on our budget?

Thank you for the question. Yeah, the team that negotiated kept all financial aspects at the forehand. We have the union representation here as well today, and that was all taken into account when bargaining.

I mean, I know that we had those conversations and that this legislation was contemplated, and now we know what is actually in it. But it's every agreement that we sign, we need to be thinking about the budget constraints that we're going to have and how we're spending every dollar. And I've been saying this for years, and I just wanted to reiterate that. Thank you.

Further commission discussion? Seeing none, let's go ahead and call the roll.

Commissioner Fezzet? Yes. Commissioner Perkins? Yes. Commissioner Seegerson-Eaton? Yes. Commissioner Smith? Yes. Vice Mayor Fournier?

Yes.

Mayor Hardin? Yes. Item five is a second reading of an ordinance.

An ordinance of the City Commission of the City of Palmetto Beach, Florida, approving and authorizing the proper city officials to execute service contracts for well rehabilitation and maintenance between the City of Palmetto Beach and Florida Design Drilling Corp., A.C. Schultes of Florida, Inc., and Allwebs Enterprises, Inc., to provide maintenance Potable Water Production and Related Services, RLI 25-056, providing for severability, providing an effective date. So moved.

Second.

Moved and seconded for discussion. Good afternoon, Ms. Tyer.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners, Phil Hires, City of Pompano Beach, Treatment Plan Superintendent. Utilities Department seeks commission approval for the second reading to execute three service agreements under ITB 25-056 for well rehabilitation and maintenance. This is the second reading. There has been no changes since the first, and I'm here to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for that. This is a public hearing. Is there any input from the public on this item? Seeing none, public input closed. Commission discussion, questions, concerns? Seeing none, let's go ahead and call the roll.

Commissioner Fezzik? Yes. Commissioner Perkins? Yes. Commissioner Sigerson-Eaton? Yes. Commissioner Smith? Yes. Vice Mayor Fournier? Yes. Mayor Hardin?

Yes. All right, that concludes our regular agenda. No additional audience to be heard.

No additional audience to be heard.

Okay, next scheduled meetings we have June 23, 2026 at 5 p.m., Budget Workshop. Very important meeting. Also June 23rd, 2026 at 6 p.m., regular city commission meeting, followed by July 14th at 1 p.m., regular city commission meeting. All right, that takes us up to reports. Mr. Bosworth sitting in for Mr. Harrison.

Thank you, Mayor. I have a couple items. Mr. Ketchum advised that we have a Clean Streets coming up June 11th at Avondale and the Fairview neighborhoods. So Clean Streets, June 11. I think Parks put before each of you their upcoming events for June and July. And then some good news to report. Last Saturday at the Pat Larkins, BSO conducted a gun buyback that was extremely successful. 23 guns turned in at about $2,100 worth. So 23 guns off the streets. We appreciate their work. That's it, Mayor.

Great job on that one. Thank you so much, BSO, also. All right. Takes us up to City Attorney, Mr. Berman.

Thank you, Mayor. I have an update for the Commission on the PSAF lawsuit that we are participating in that I was able to get the city in right before the initial PSAF class closed several years ago. As of last week, I was able to authorize and we've received already an additional check in the 3M payment number three portion. for $2,744,000 and $13.90. working with our consultants, with our utility staff, and with our outside legal counsel. Thus far, between 3M, DuPont, BASF, Tyco, the total received and in city coffers for rehab of the city's water facilities is $17,442,802.32. Wow. So that's the current update. There's some more to come, and I will update you as that happens.

Mr. Berman, you are quite the revenue producer down there. Appreciate that.

Well, I've got to do something on that. Yeah, I got to save the Enterprise Fund. All right. One other item. We started off the meeting with some discussion about the proposed ballot question to the public for an amendment of the constitutional amendment proposed by the legislature. I was made aware this morning by a law firm that they are instituting a lawsuit from a private individual. We don't have to – I'm not asking the city to join in, but – challenging the wording and the correctness and truthfulness and what they believe to be misleading nature of the ballot question that's being brought to the people. So I will update you on that litigation as I have updates. And that's all I have at this time. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, sir. Appreciate that. Mr. Alfred, city clerk. No report. All right. Thank you. Takes us up to city commission. Commissioner Fessick.

Thank you. I just have a few things. So start with the good, fun things. First, I wanted to let everybody know there's been a lot of questions related to some new developments or proposed developments in Pompano. And because I had a large number of emails related to what was proposed, I sat down and have a discussion update where actually I'm allowing, it's called a seat at the table, where the developers have offered to meet with residents who have any questions related to the proposed LaPlage project, which is on A1A just between Northeast 5th and I think Northeast 6th, somewhere in there. That will be this coming Monday, this 15th. It will be held at Mirageo. There is a link that I posted on socials, so if you want to RSVP for that, we're trying to get a head count. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and email me. This is not something, it's basically just an information gathering session so that if you have questions or concerns, you can voice them, you can come and listen as well. And this way, I'm there and we're not getting lost in the emails or the newspaper articles, things like that. It's just a seat at the table where everybody's voice gets heard. I want to thank staff for hearing the call, if you will, and The signage that went up on McNabb and the email newsletter that went out supporting the businesses on McNabb Road, I know it's going to be an ongoing issue for them. Some of these businesses are just struggling with the loss of foot traffic or actual vehicle traffic. So the more we can do, I'm going to continue to recommend that we try to just keep them in mind, all the businesses along McNabb on both the east side and on the west side, because they are our neighbors and our friends and You know, small businesses are just trying to survive too. I want to say thank you to staff for all the work with that. Because we do have some great paving projects, I would like to just ask staff if we could please have maybe just a weekly update or biweekly update even on the status of different paving projects throughout the city. So not just the McNabb Bridge project, but there's some great paving going on in my district. And I know that there's paving scheduled throughout the city. So I think it'd be a great idea just for us to know about them or when they're coming so that we can also prepare residents for any inconvenience if there will be any I've gotten a few emails related to It's just the cleaning up afterwards or the flooding issues. And so just if we can communicate that just a little bit more effectively, I know that that's been helpful with other projects where we have been able to let people know what's coming down the pike. So it's great that we're finally getting some paving done. And everybody has said that it looks great. And so I know Harbor Village has gotten some paving. And then Avalon Harbor has gotten some paving as well. So we're working on it. Let's see. Speaking of the sort of projects, I'd like to, I've had a lot of inquiries related to the North Riverside Drive project, which as I know, it's a hot topic for us and it's one that everybody is concerned about. So I understand that we have been working relentlessly and I want to thank Mr. Thony for all of his hard work. Um, he actually did a, a presentation a while back, um, to kind of give us all an update at, at one of the local HOAs. And so what I'd like to do is ask again, um, Mr. Rosworth, since Mr. Harrison's not here, if we could do that again, maybe with any updated information, perhaps at our next meeting, just do a presentation to let people know what our challenges have been, where we have exceeded. I know that there are multiple agencies that are affected, that affect this project and all the approvals we have to get, the grant money, all of the above. If we could just do that and be a higher level, some sort of presentation, that way everybody's on the same page and we kind of know exactly where we stand with that project as well. That would be very much appreciated. I did ask for did ask i brought up at the last meeting and our cra meeting as well related to mcnab park and mcnab house botanical gardens and the lease and i did receive a memo from mr verman i still have questions related to that and i don't know whether it'd be better to delve into that i think at another time i'm going to take what i have read and i'm going to further delve dig down on that because how we choose to say we're spending money versus how we're counting money when I was publicly chided and in some ways sort of laughed at last year for asking for the hard numbers, asking for the hard numbers, and then only to find out that now the hard numbers that they were giving me are now not the hard numbers. So I have still a lot of questions related to that, but that will be saved for another day. Wanted to confirm that Mr. Harrison, we got an email from Mr. Harrison related to his review, and I just wanted to confirm that that would be on our next agenda at 6 p.m.

It's HR. HR. Where's Lisa?

Did she leave?

She's here. She's here.

Lisa Senego, Human Resources Director. The question was about the city manager's review. Is that correct?

Yes. There was an email that went out. I just want to make sure that we have, since that went out, are we to expect that that will be on the next agenda for our next meeting? What is it? June 20? I believe, yeah.

Do you want to speak to the email? Yeah.

Yeah. And if Mr. Mayor, if I may. Yes. So the city manager sent out an email based on contractual language in his contract to ask for the process by which you would evaluate him. So and at that at this point, I don't know if we have an answer yet. So I would defer to Mr. Berman if he has any other language in the contract that would address it to to help us.

Not really, I mean, Mayor, with your permission, sir. I did see the email, the memo that went out. I believe the city manager's requesting a different process in what's been used be utilized, one that might be more productive and result in a more meaningful process. It would be up to the commission to determine whether it agrees to use that process with the city manager's review his contract entitles him as city manager to come up with an agreeable process that works for everybody. And that's what he's suggesting to you. That's what I read the way I took it. So the question is, what does the commission want to do with regard to that? Rather than just bring him up and start the process, he is suggesting something else. So that's for discussion between the commission, basically. That's all. Thanks, Mr. Burns. Sure.

Thank you. Yeah, so I, again, we always talk about processes and procedures and doing the right thing and continuing. And so, actually, I think Ms. Jackson actually said it pretty well earlier that we treat everybody the same. And so changing the, just so that I say it on record, changing the game, if you will, or changing the process is not something I would support. I don't think that we should change the rules of the game just because somebody doesn't feel like playing. That's what I have to say about that. And then last, I hope everybody has a happy Father's Day because it will be Father's Day before we see each other again for commissions. So enjoy your loved ones. And that's all I have. Thank you.

Very good. Commissioner Perkins.

Thank you, Mayor. Excuse me. I just have two quick things. I am still concerned about the dumping that we have going on in the northwest. There's a lot of dumping that's going on in the middle of the night, and I'm constantly calling to have trash removed. And this has been going on for years and years and years, and it's not getting any better. And I just feel as though we've got to put more in place, stop some of these people that are dumping. And I think they're doing it somewhere between 12 and 3 in the morning. So we need to do more to try to stop the dumping in the Northwest. I know Russ has done a great job helping us and so has Mario, but I think there's still more that needs to be done. We have become the city where when you have trash, you go over to the Northwest after hours and you dump it. And you can get away with it because everybody's asleep or no one is watching. But I would like for everybody to be a little bit more mindful and look out for these things and call if you should see it or if you can safely take pictures, please do that. But that dumping has been going on a while. The last thing I have for you is Mr. Bosworth. We had an airplane run off the runway this morning at the Pompano Air Park. And I think I've asked this question before. Do we have an emergency plan in place I do know, I want to say in the early 90s, I think we had an aircraft to come down on 15th in my district. I don't know whether it was on the house or near the house, but it did damage the house. We have an emergency plan in place should an airplane come down in the community or the community. In other words, we have things that we know we need to do if there's a hurricane. Do we have something in place, because of all of the airplanes flying back and forward this air park, do we have something in place where the residents would know what to do in case of an emergency and an aircraft lands in the community or on a house?

Commissioner, I don't know the specifics of that, but I'm sure we do through the various agencies, including the air park. so I can get that information to you as soon as I can get with the appropriate staff.

Okay. Please do. Please give me that information. I think I asked the city manager that once before, but I really like to know. It's very important.

We'll share that with the entire commission.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. That would be great. And that's all I have. Thank you, Mayor.

All right. Very good. Commissioner Seegerson-Eaton.

Thank you, Mayor. First of all, I just want to remind all my Cresthaven residents we have a meeting this Thursday night. And we're fortunate enough to have the mayor as our guest speaker. So we're all excited about that, Mayor Hardin. Also, happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I want to talk about something that is really very deeply frustrating to me. Right now, the progress on the Charlotte-Burry Connectivity Project has been stalled. And here's exactly what happened. Our city staff could not move forward because their hands were tied. They can't hire the architects and the engineers they need for this project because the commission deadlocked 3-3 on approving the continuing services contracts for architects and engineers. We had a plan that worked, the CCNAs or the continuing service contracts for architects and engineers. And this is standard practice. It gives the city immediate access to a pool of pre-qualified firms. have already competed for and earned the right to do this work. It cuts the red tape effectively, but instead of approving it, three commissioners voted no. because of a political disagreement over the city manager's spending authority. The Charlotte Brewery Center isn't just a building. It serves thousands of residents throughout the city and District 2. It's a vital community asset, yet the improvements we all want to see are now stuck in limbo because those contracts have been blocked. Now, our staff has to run a brand new completely separate, competitive bidding process for every single architectural and engineering task throughout the city. That means more steps, more staff time, more of our taxpayer dollars wasted and months of unnecessary delays, even as we face a shrinking budget. So let's be completely clear about something. Approving those contacts would not have reduced any transparency or cut out commission oversight, not by a long shot. Any project above the city's regular financial threshold would still have to come before the commission. For a public vote on the scope, the budget, and the funding, the safeguards are already built in. But instead, we've created a broken system where even small, meaningful community projects get trapped in totally avoidable bureaucracy. And the Burry Center is just one project. I want to know how many other projects across District 2 and across the entire city that are currently sitting on the shelf or at risk because the commission failed to pass these contracts. When you elected us, you expect us to solve problems, not invent new ones. You expect your leaders to set political disagreements side for tangible community needs. That's why I'm requesting that city staff provide a transparent update on four specific things. One, the exact and current status of the Charlotte-Bury connectivity project, the new timeline for how and when we are going to secure those architectural services. Three, a full list of projects that are currently delayed or impacted by this vote. And four, the exact steps being taken right now to stop the bleeding and prevent further delays. We deserve answers, but more than that, you deserve a commission that puts your priorities ahead of political stalemates. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Smith.

Thank you, Mayor. Something positive about the Commission meeting tonight is Mike Ratta. I mean, to see the love of staff and community and the Economic Development Council for what Mike Ratta was able to achieve in his employment here at Pompano Beach is commendable. and I know that he's left, he's out celebrating and retiring, but thank you, Mike, for the leadership that you provided and the way you moved our city forward with the building inspections. I received a letter this last week from the woman that BSO rescued from the C-14 canal in Palmier on May 1st, Her name's Ellen. She doesn't want any recognition of who she is or any public statement, but she did write a very moving letter that I delivered to Major Elwood to share with staff and her appreciation for the saving of her life. So I wanted to just make sure that everybody is aware of the extraordinary efforts that happened with BSO and our fire department. On June 15th, I'm going to be meeting with City Management, BSO, and Collier City Civic Association President and Vice President. And we're going to talk about the issues that came forward with the clean streets in Collier City, specifically with homeless, drugs, prostitution, dumping we're gonna meet here and have a discussion and then we're gonna go out on the streets and do our tour of the area so I'm looking forward to finding out what we're doing and suggestions on what we can do better and just to be involved with call your city and the Civic Association with management and BSO Um, there is a speak speaking of street issues right now on, um, Southwest third street that runs parallel to Atlantic right along the Palm is under a multimodal improvement project. It goes from power line road to South Cypress road, and it's a 450 day project. So there'll be doing bike lanes, sidewalk improvements, upgrading signage, doing ADA-compliant curb ramps, and they're going to lower the speed on that road to 35 from 40, which is a good thing. And this is being paid for by the Penny for Transportation Mobility Advancement Program, or called MAP Broward. The Costco at the pump was approved by the architectural appearance committee last week. I attended the meeting. They were really strict with them. So when you see the plans for Costco, it doesn't look anything like any other Costco. The only, the only thing that I know that, um, Boca doesn't have a sign on the Costco building, but there will be a sign, but it's, there's a, they did a lot of work to make the appearance attractive. So it's moving now to the Planning and Zoning Board, and that will be on their agenda. I believe it's on the June 24th agenda for Planning and Zoning Board. So it's moving along, but Architectural Appearance Committee, they were strict with them, and it went back to them, I believe, four times, and the whole committee was really strict, and I think they have come up with a good project. The positive quote for today is from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

just think about this for every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness and isn't that so much better than being angry thank you mayor thank you commissioner vice mayor thank you i have a few things i wanted to address the city manager's message regarding his review also it seemed to imply a different process this year one that doesn't require him to be present for a review which would be the first time I believe that was done. And I don't think that's appropriate. We've never done that with any of our other charter officers. And I think his presence would be appreciated for his annual review. I did ask for his attendance records. It looks like on average he's worked three days a week in the last year and has made over $2,500 a day. So I think he can show up for a couple of minutes for us to give some feedback on his performance. Second, the Clean Streets in Avondale and Fairview are scheduled for June 11th, so that is a great opportunity to clean out your side yard, your backyard, anything that you've got laying around. Put it out front and it will get picked up by the awesome team that's assembled there from Environmental Services and BSO. It's a great collaboration. So if you live in Avondale or Fairview, clean out anything you can and put it out front this week. i wanted to also talk about the businesses on mcnab road and just to encourage residents to keep supporting those local businesses and not just the ones on mcnab you talk to the owners of this adjacent or surrounding businesses on cypress and closer to federal there's just a lot less traffic in that area so if you can make a point to stop by and support a local business And then I also wanted to address the proposed legislation from Tallahassee. This has been very much on my mind over the last session and then this special session that just happened. I am very happy to hear that the mayor's office is really looking towards a more financially sustainable and disciplined future, something that many of us have been talking about for a long time. I do think that it was important for us to get ahead of all of this and And now here we are with potentially huge looming budget implications for our city. So also in the prepared remarks, the mayor said something about cities are watching us. I just want people to understand, I don't think cities are sitting around watching us. I think they're facing their own realities and challenges because this mandate affects every city, and it affects every city based on your tax base a little differently. In Pompano, we at least have a relatively diversified tax base, which will help us out. But cities aren't watching. Cities are scrambling, reacting, doing what they need to do to prepare for this same future that will impact every city if this legislation or if this ballot initiative passes. But what's really on my mind is that being honest with the residents about what this means and honest with ourselves as we go through budget season, there are going to be big financial challenges ahead. And we're going to have to make really difficult decisions as a city and as a board. I think this budget needs to be focused on three things, accountability, technology, and overall organizational fiscal discipline. And notice I did not say cuts to services, because that is not on my list at this point. We need to evaluate staffing levels, productivity, reduce overhead costs, eliminate costly contracts that do not deliver any value to the residents and the taxpayers here. We need to use technology and really lean into leveraging that to provide more efficiency when we can. And if we're serious about reducing overhead, which I have been and I am, the conversation needs to start at the top, including a hard look at our city manager's office and the administrative costs there. We need our management team to be fully committed to finding efficiencies and challenging the status quo. We're gonna rely on you and your team to come up with this path forward and we need your commitment and assurance that you're going to look at everything. We need to scrutinize every consulting agreement, every outside contract. And over the last few years, this board has identified some opportunities, some contracts that seemed unnecessary and wasteful. And it's time for everyone to admit to that and to agree that we're not going to continue these wasteful contracts. We can no longer afford to ignore it. Decrease the city manager spending authority that bypasses this commission so that we can better track every taxpayer dollar These contracts and these expenses can't stand up to the scrutiny of this board or the public Then we don't need it Before we ask taxpayers to sacrifice anything, we really have an obligation to ensure that every city asset we have is being, we are driving revenue through these as much as possible. And that every department and every dollar is used as effectively as possible. So any opportunity for savings or any opportunity to drive additional revenue through our city assets needs to be explored fully. We also have to have a really honest conversation about CRA spending and CRA consultants, something that everyone up here or half the people up here like to just put blinders on and avoid. It's time. We are spending over $3 million a year just in the Northwest CRA on consultants. We are diverting about $13 million in tax revenue annually to the CRAs. And as budget pressures mount, we need to talk about whether these dollars are best spent on issuing new bonds and debt to support these risky development projects, or helping fund police, fire, paved roads, operator parks, and deliver the services that residents rely on. I also strongly believe that this board needs to put a halt on issuing any general fund debt that is not approved by voters. I don't believe that this is a time to be taking on debt for future generations. It is utility fund different, but this is not a time for general fund debt. If residents are being asked to tighten their belts here, then the city hall needs to do it also. We are going to have a lot of hard work to do during this budget season, and we have to come up with a budget. So I know that I anticipate working collaboratively and compromising, but we're all going to have to maybe take some of the looks off our faces and put some smiles on them and work together and be willing to to do what it takes to actually put things aside and put the political divisions and everything else that other people have spoken about aside and do the work and i know i intend to but i hope my colleagues do also or we're going to really struggle during budget season so i wanted to address that and then happy father's day to everyone all the dads, all the grandfathers, everyone who, if anyone calls you dad, happy Father's Day to you. And I have a quote, a short one. It's, if you make tough decisions, people may hate you today, but they will thank you for generations. Thank you.

Thank you. I just want to shout out once again, thank you Mr. Bosworth for pointing it out, but the gun buyback program, BSO, you partner with us on that. Appreciate it. I know it's only 23 guns, but that's 23 guns that are off the street, and it makes a difference, especially in my understanding some of the guns that were taken off the street definitely made a difference. So I appreciate that. Happy Father's Day, everyone. This meeting is adjourned.