Community Redevelopment Agency Board - Regular Meeting

Hey. Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the City Commission Conference meeting this 05/05/2026. Thank you all for being here today. We have quite a bit to cover today and and tonight. So Really? Really low. It's really low volume. Can you all hear me? Okay. Maybe I should just speak into the microphone. Anyway, have a lot to cover this afternoon, a lot of presentations. So why don't we just get started? City manager, well said. City attorney, okay. All right.

So let us begin. Begin with the city commission reports.

Commissioner

Mayor Tantalis, would you like to begin with the CRA agenda since it's noticed first?

It's just

one item.

It's noticed first.

Okay.

Okay. That is true. All right. Let us begin with that. So we will suspend the conference meeting for the moment, and we'll convene the CRA board meeting. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst? Present. Commissioner Glassman? Here. Commissioner Beasley Pittman? Here. Vice Chair Sorensen? Here. Chair Trent House? Here.

Start with m one, motion approving the minutes for the 03/19/2026 Community Redevelopment Agency Board Meeting. Someone like to move that item? Move.

Second.

Moved and seconded. Please call the roll.

Commissioner Herbst? Yes. Commissioner Glassman? Yes. Commissioner Beasley Pittman? Yes. Vice Chair Sorensen? Yes. Chair Trentales?

Yes. And, M1's now approved. Moving on to R1. This is a resolution approving the addition of the property safety enhancement program to the community redevelopment agency incentive programs authorizing funding for the program and delegating authority to the executive director to execute the related documents. Does anyone have any questions with regard to r one?

Mayor, I'm asking if we could have, CRA, manager to come and just expound on this a little bit more for the neighbors would be fully aware of how it works. Sure. Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, everyone. Vanessa Martin, acting CRE manager. So the program was established. We're very excited. It's for Central City and Northwest where where, you know, everyone can be eligible to receive up to $10,000 for property, enhancements, security enhancement features. We're just asking whoever receives the award that they maintain the security enhancement features with their building over the

course of the time to be forgiven.

So give us an example of security enhancement features.

So we partnered with the police department whereby they're going to go in and provide an assessment of what security enhancements may be needed. So an example would be, so tree hedging or cutting down for visibility to deter crime or coming in and making sure we have motion detectors or lighting lighting or or any of those features within the the in the building so that we can, you know, make sure that, you know, we can deter the crime that comes within the CRA boundaries.

Okay. Do have you any further questions, commissioner?

No other questions. Thank you for expounding.

Okay. Very good. Mayor, I had

a question.

Yes. Go ahead. Thanks.

One other question for you on this and maybe for city manager as well is fire sprinklers. So someone reached out to me interested in a project that would cost more than the $10,000 So what my ask is, is there could that could we increase that allowance for fire suppression or maybe the other components?

Well, right now the cap is at $10,000 and we would probably have to revisit that at a later date.

But aren't we approving that now?

Yes. So we can amend it because we are allocating additional funds for fiscal year 2027. But right now, the cap is at $10,000, so there aren't any excess funds available for that feature.

Okay. So city manager.

So there are various projects that could be eligible for funding under this program, and those are listed in exhibit two I'm sorry, exhibit five, page 12 of your backup. I think that the fire safety systems, signage, alarms, sprinkler systems, panic buttons and such, fall under the general category of security measures. Right now, the program is established whereas in the focus area, an applicant could receive up to $10,000 and then within the broader boundaries of the CRE district the applicant could receive a lesser amount of $7,500 If the commission sought to promote a certain safety or security measure above another, I think that's certainly within the purview of the commission. I think that perhaps for those projects that are within the boundaries but not within the focus area, maybe if there is a fire suppression element as part of that project, then maybe they could go up to that $10,000 max as opposed to the $7,500 That might be one way to address it.

Right. What what if it's a higher need than 10,000? That's what I'm asking. Could that be increased?

Well, the current budget allocation for the Central City

Is 150,000.

And then for the NPF District, it's $130,000 for a combined total of $280,000 So I think the intent was to, implement a cap that would allow as much participation as possible. But if the commission wanted to increase the cap, we would just get the consensus from the commission to do so. And I think that's something that could be implemented.

Okay. Okay. Fine. Then I'll kind of come back with that. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

Board of Commissioners of the Fort Lauderdale Community Redevelopment Approving the property safety enhancement program for the Northwest Progressive Flagler Heights Community Redevelopment Area and the Central City Community Redevelopment Area delegating authority to the Executive Director to approve all awards and execute any and all agreements relating to such awards under the program providing for an effective date. Commissioner Herbs? Yes. Commissioner Glassman? Yes. Commissioner Beasley Pittman?

Yes.

Vice Chair Sorenson? Yes. Chair Trentaus?

Yes. And M1 Excuse me. R1 is now approved. Is there any further business of the CRA? CRA director? None. Okay. All right. That meeting has now concluded. Now we'll return to the conference meeting, and we'll begin with commission reports. Commissioner Hertz.

Thank you, Mayor.

Do you have an announcement to make?

I do.

So we have a former resident of District 1. Her name was Mary Cotton and she was a resident of Coral Ridge Isles. She was a welcoming ambassador, a friend and tireless advocate for the neighborhood. She was an award winning realtor since 1996 and she worked in Coral Ridge Isles and loved that community very deeply. She's passed away and the neighborhood has asked if we could name a street in her honor as a tribute to her contributions to the neighborhood and is a lasting legacy for her.

They're looking to do this on 60th Street as Mary lived on that street for many years and spent a lot of time welcoming newcomers into the home, into the neighborhoods, hosting neighborhood gatherings and helping to make the streets very festive around the holidays. And so, I'm just asking my commission, would support this on behalf of Coral Ridge Isles and Mary Cotton. Thank you.

So isn't there a process that we follow to make that happen? I think there's like a formal request to a certain department. Who's in charge

of So so as I understand, there's two processes. There's ones that can be initiated by the neighborhood and there's another one that could be initiated by a district commissioner. And so that's why they have asked me if I would advance this. If that's

And I see Ben Rogers and Milos Mastrovic coming forward, but I think what we would need is consensus from the commission to take one of those approaches.

Good afternoon, everyone. Ben Rogers, assistant city manager. You are correct, commissioner Herbst. There is a policy in place that follows, the protocol if the neighborhood's requesting it. If request comes from the body of the commission, in the process to be followed, and we can just move straight into the renaming process. So we'd be seeking city commission commission direction on that action.

So what segment of 60th Street would be named after her? I guess is my first question.

So I guess that would be something that we would explore once we decide whether or not we wanted to move forward with this as a body, then we could explore the exact area and then and then sort of take it from there. Is that typically how it's done?

That's correct. If you want turn it over to staff, we can reach out. We can get the boundaries. We can talk through, we get a narrative of the background of the, the person, the character, the impact of the neighborhood and then provide that to the commission, for future consideration.

Alright. Sounds good. Sounds good with me.

Thank you

very much. I appreciate the support. Sure.

Does that complete your report? Yes, it does. Okay. Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Mayor, could you come back to me?

Yes. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner Glassman.

Yes. Thank you, mayor. Good afternoon, everyone. Always busy in District 2. Just a couple of highlights. On April 22, I had the pleasure of joining, about a 150, real estate agents from One Sotheby's. It was a very fascinating discussion about the markets, particularly the luxury real estate market and the folks from around the world that seem to be finding their way to Fort Lauderdale. And I wanted to say thank you to them, for the invitation to participate on that panel. It it was really quite an interesting evening. April 28, I had the absolute pleasure.

May I know that you were also there. We were at the Chabad Las Solas Jewish Center on Las Solas Boulevard, paying tribute to folks that make the friendship circle happen for the Chabad. For those of you that do not know the program that they do there, this is all about, assisting young adults with special needs or as I like to say, unique abilities. They actually operate a restaurant right next door to the Chabad and the school is incredible. The students are incredible.

Listening to these young adults speak, at this thank you lunch to the businesses that, make their school possible. It was very touching. It was it was really a beautiful afternoon. And those young people, the words that they spoke and, how they told their stories about how never really feeling listened to or wanted or never a purpose. Their parents talked about how they really just slept all day.

Now these these young adults actually spoke to a a rather large crowd. Synagogue was full and and just talked about the joy that they feel now and the friends that they have and the purpose and all of the skills, that they are actually learning. It was really a really beautiful afternoon. So I wanted to say thank you to the rabbi and his wife and the entire, group of folks that were there. Many businesses were there, that support this effort. So congratulations and thank you to them for making this possible. April twenty nine, I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel. This was the Realtors Association from Broward, Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie. They're also about to join with Miami, and they will be the largest association of its kind, I think, in the country.

We had an excellent discussion, basically looking as how realtors can act as stewards of their community. We talked about, primarily the role of historic preservation and neighborhood identity and also making sure that these realtors knew, what that really meant, how local history and historic preservation can really affect, the redevelopment and also talked about that in terms of real estate values. It was a very interesting discussion, excellent panel and I wanted to thank the association, the Realtors Association for, inviting me to be a part of that. That night I also spoke at the Los Ales Isles Homeowners Association. This is their annual meeting.

And I must take a moment to thank the chief of police, also chief Greenlaw, and the entire team that they brought along. There were a lot of concerns from all of these aisles about, what's happening in terms of just security and public safety, and, they had a lot of questions. They've never had an opportunity to really just sit and chat, with the chief and everyone else on that team. So I really wanted to say thank you to our incredible police department who spent more than an hour at this meeting kicking off their annual homeowners association meeting, fielding just an entire variety of questions and really giving the folks a comfort level. I heard from many many people on those those eight streets that make up that association about how really impressed they were, and how really very very satisfied and happy they were, that the police actually spent as opposed to just giving the crime stats for the last month or two, actually getting into the weeds and talking to them, for over an hour.

So thank you for that. Also that night, we had the district two water billing informational meeting with our neighbors at Holiday Park. April 30, I wanted to thank staff for the excellent presentation that we had. At the Beach Community Center, we we looked at the Sunrise Lane improvement project, which is about 60% design now. This was a project that really came from the ground up. We had had so many charrettes over the last couple of years talking about how we can really make that corner special. For those of you that don't know, that's right by Sunrise in A1A. It really has a certain charm. It's almost like the Greenwich Village, I think, its look, of the beach of the beach area. And we're gonna really make it so much nicer.

The plans are great for the streetscape improvement. Excellent feedback that night from the neighbors and I'm hoping that staff took really good notes. I know that we did, because we need to tweak the presentation just a little bit as we head towards 90% design. May 2, a lot of fun this past Saturday at Holiday Park. As many of you know, we are building a brand new YMCA along with a Broward Health facility right at the entrance to Holiday Park.

And the YMCA hosted a little builders fun fest. It was a really nice nice program for the children, because they really had a very hands on learning experience of what it is to design and build a facility such as this. And all of the activities were geared towards making them feel that they had such a good part to play, in the feedback and how we were going to do this. They even got a chance to, you know, paint their hands into a steel beam, a handprint, which will be used in the YMCA in the construction. So I wanted to thank staff.

I wanted to thank the YMCA, Cheryl Woods and also Broward Health for that. It was really a great, great activity and the kids really had a good time. Upcoming, tomorrow, we have our annual, Fallen Officers Memorial Ceremony right over here, at Esplanade Park, always a very moving ceremony, and so really very important. May 7, Thursday night, I will be speaking at the Chairman's Circle reception at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. This is a very big networking event, for not just the chamber, but everyone involved in the Swimming Hall of Fame.

We'll also see a the feature of the evening will be the signing of Aischoff's first athlete, James Lichtenstein, who I believe is the top male diver in The United States. He will be present. There will also be a dive show, and that should be a really nice evening for the, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce's Circle reception. Looking forward to that. This weekend, we know we have our air show on the beach, always a great event.

I'm sure they'll start flying over probably Thursday and we'll see the rehearsals. May 11, as you know, we have several bridges that are getting, rehabilitated, over the Intracoastal Waterway, particularly Las Solas and Sunrise. We've gone through all of the charrettes, for Los Solas. And on May 11, we will have a discussion of the Sunrise Bridge, and what's going to happen there. There will be a five o'clock virtual meeting and then, just like we did with Los Solas, there will be a do that. That. And And And

project, affordable housing project, and we'll be

having able that. That, this coming, what is that, May 6, that's I'm sorry, May 13, Wednesday, May 13. I would also like to add to the moment of silence we've And we've we've in One is the Amaturo Theater and, one is the Irene Theater. Joseph Amaturo was an amazing person in Fort Lauderdale. He just passed away at a 102 years of age.

A pioneer in radio and television bless you. A pioneer in radio and television broadcasting, he built quite a fortune and yet he always gave back. He always said that wealth was a tool for service, and he used that wealth with his foundation that was established in, 1986. It focused on a wide range of of missions, particularly arts, elementary school literacy, high school, university, catholic education, and also a focus on at risk and homeless youth. He that foundation is still in existence, still still contributing to all of those causes.

His wife, Winnie, still survives him. And he actually the Amateur Theater across the way, he had that named in honor of his parents. So I just wanted to add his name, for this evening. He was really quite a citizen, in Fort Lauderdale. And my last thing is a comment. I know I brought this up before. I still continue to hear from condominium associations about this issue of the BDA systems and how they're finding this a really tough road to navigate, facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs, not getting the answers that they want from all of the vendors that are out there, not feeling that

make

make in making sure that we're we, and I believe it is our responsibility to make sure sure that our first responders can communicate with each other. I still do not understand why this onus is being placed on all of these buildings and they're all getting a wide wide range of information. I believe that we should be doing a better job with our cell towers. We should be ensuring that our first responders can communicate, whenever they need to communicate, with whomever they need to communicate if they go into a building. And I'm asking again, what are we doing?

Are we making any progress, to assist, these many many many buildings that are facing a hardship with this, at a time when they are already facing an incredible

to that

we're we're structural integrity reserve studies, make all of able these mandates on top of them from Tallahassee and now we're saying to them, well, our our our first responders aren't really getting a good signal. So do you mind spending 2 or $300,000 to boost your signal in your building? There's just something wrong here, and yet I'm not getting any updates on this at all. I've been asking about it for months and months and months.

That's that's Thank

you, commissioner. While the chief is coming forward, I do wanna share that we have recently concluded negotiations for the city's p 25 radio system, and we will be bringing that to the commission for consideration at the next meeting. Chief Gollin, would you come forward and share any information you may have?

Exactly what the city manager said. We're one meeting away. I think if you look at what has been accomplished over the last year since this problem has been brought to light, It's a multifocal response based upon IT being a part of the solution and then fire, rescue having the enforcement side of it. The state laws have not changed in any way. They still require that radio communication to be in place.

And then also the county, ordinances are in place as well that that are requiring this. What we are seeing a lot is with emergency life safety systems inspections that are taking place, we're starting to see more of these coming in. As they progress through the process, there's a very detailed there's a very robust communication that helps them through it. From once they start to put the plan in all the way through, our fire prevention bureau and and also the IT department are there to help them through it. Just going over, you know, some of the last year, we've crafted handouts and disseminated them to the community.

We've had webinars. The fire inspectors are providing communication in the field. We've gone out and offered to do free inspections to buildings are needed or not needed after the fire inspectors have been there. We've authored LTC's, and getting us all the way to the point to where we're at now. The final piece of this is the enhancements to our current radio system, which you should be seeing come next meeting.

No. And I appreciate that, all of that. And I understand all of that. And I can't think of anything more important than that public safety, especially in in these mid to high rises. But still, I'm not getting the answer like what is being told or how are the associations finding any financial relief in terms of what they're still being told they need to do and then when they go out on their own and try and engage with these different vendors, they're just getting a plethora of solutions that it's very hard for them to understand and it's still everything you just said and everything you just said, city manager, it's great.

But it's not helping the bottom line of these condominium associations. It's just not. It's because no one is giving them that piece. No one is helping them with that piece. And I'm still not understanding. I've asked for this to be part of our legislative package lobbying in Tallahassee. I have never seen that. I I don't know why. I've I've spoken to our state reps but we're just not getting any movement on this at all. We should be coordinating with the county.

We should be talking. Staff should be working with the county, and the state and and really making sure that people understand these financial pressures that this is bringing upon all of these residents. That's the missing piece. Not everything that you just went through. I love everything you went through but it's not it's not the piece that matters to the folks that are saying we can't afford 200, $300,000 in our building.

That's Commissioner, when this was brought up recently, it was recommended that we include language in our legislative package to account for this issue and we did take those steps. We also explored utilization of building fund revenue in order to offset costs for these buildings, and the opinion on that was that the city could not utilize that revenue source. On tonight's agenda, you will notice in the budget amendment, there is an item related to the radio communications project, which we feel is the city's best opportunity to try to mitigate this issue. We don't know that it will be the end all be all, but we know that there should be some significant improvements.

So when all of the buildings they get inspected, what, once a year?

Yes, sir.

And then they get maybe up to a year to show some sort of progress on this whole BDA system?

The other part of that is a lot of them are at that forty year life cycle where they're going through their ELSS. And so that would also be a part of that inspection that's taking place.

Right. So what are we doing to communicate? Because I'm sure this is just not my district issue. What are we doing to communicate with all of these building associations and saying, hey, we're doing all of these things and we're really hoping that this will help mitigate this issue. We're really hoping that this will increase the signal capacity so that we are able to communicate from your building wherever you're having a problem before on Floor 2, Floor 3, in a stairwell, whatever. What are we doing to educate and also give these folks a little help in knowing that we're working on it? Because this to me is really a citywide issue. It's not I mean, I know I have a lot of condominiums in my district, but it's citywide.

So city staff conducted an educational webinar on this matter

Yes. Attended that.

Few months ago and we could certainly have another round of that. We could also produce, collateral that we could share with these building associations. Whatever avenue, to educate, I think we're open to that and we're hopeful that it is actually yielding results in terms of these building associations understanding their options and where the city stands.

Okay. Well, again, In

addition Go ahead. I'm sorry.

Go ahead.

In addition to what city manager had said, I would also like to encourage the community to call the fire marshal's office. That's what we're there for.

Yeah.

We're there to answer their questions. We're able to help them navigate it. We have a robust website. Just call us. We're or they can send us emails. However, they feel most comfortable communicating with the fire marshal's office, we're there for them.

See, also the missing piece in this, and and we have never really discussed this in in at length, but when some of these vendors come in and explain to them what they'll do for that 2 or $300,000, It's always involving like structural work like because it's for some reason these systems they're not wireless. It's like you you would think that technology today could fix this easily both on our end and on their end but it's not that simple. And these vendors are telling them, we have to go through the rebar and we have to wire here and that makes some of these buildings very nervous and very afraid that there's going to be the structural work done to wire this system through floors, to wire this system when they don't even want all of that drilling. They don't want anything to happen, the integrity of the rebar or anything else structurally. That that makes folks really uncomfortable when these vendors are telling them that's what we have to do to fix this system, to install this system.

We've got to do all of this wiring. I mean, it's complicated. And I just don't think that we as a city are appreciating this kind of issue that's happening right now. That's all.

I have a question along those lines. So just walk me through the process, so when we upgrade our comm system and that's in place, do we then go out to condominiums to evaluate what impact that's having on comms throughout that building?

So during their annual fire inspection or should we have an incident at that location?

Right.

If a radio failure is reported at that time, then we go back and we get the IT team in place and then start to look for a solution for that building. What we're looking at is failures within the elevator shafts, emergency stairwells. Commissioner Glassman is 100% right on the systems and what's required of the systems. But the importance of these systems is that they to be operational while the building is on fire. So there are fire ratings on the wires. It's not just normal wires. They have to be in conduit that the fire can't get through. There's fire stops when they're going through walls. There's all kinds of things that take place to make sure that we're able to effectively communicate when the building is at the worst possible scenario it could be in.

Okay. So that's needed if our comm system does not work. Is that right?

Do you want to take the comms?

You said if the comms system doesn't work? So those things are to make sure that it does work. I'm sorry. Ron McKenzie, chief information officer, director of IT. And and your question was if the comms don't work, those systems are in place to make sure that it does work. It's a backup to make sure things are working or to make sure that things are clear. So that way like he was saying in in those areas that a little bit more volatile stairways, elevators, etcetera to make sure that the signal can get to them And that signal has to be there, that's why it's wired in as opposed to anything in its worst conditions, it has to be able to connect and make sure that people are saying, this is what's going on for the safety of not only the people in the building, but of our fire people who are actually helping them out.

Okay.

So if I heard you right, you're saying it's the wired system as a backup to the primary comm system.

And I misspoke. The wired system is part of the system to make sure that it can go through. That's what we're saying. When those changes are done in the building is to make sure that the signal is there no matter what in its worst condition, the signal is there.

So do you need the wired infrastructure regardless of the wireless comms?

Only in those no. In those places where the signal does not go Okay. Because it's not able to be wireless, then you need wireless a wired system to make sure that happens.

Great. So will we not know if wireless comms work until we've upgraded to the wireless comms system?

You want to take that? You're saying will it be improved? I think that's what you're saying. Once we do it. Once it's improved, what will happen is the signal will be stronger going into the building. Right. Right? So for the most part of the whole city of Fort Lauderdale, it will be stronger. The makeup of that particular building building may stop the signal from transversing through the building to see what's going on and you won't know that until that happens.

Great. So in other words, condos don't know if our upgraded system will improve comms in their building or not. They just we won't know until we install it. Is that right?

Correct.

Okay. So it may significantly improve comms in many buildings.

Correct.

It may have very little impact in some buildings, right?

Correct.

So should buildings then, I don't know if they're even by law and so forth allowed to, but it would seem to make sense before they invest significantly, Commissioner Glassman, before they invest significantly to see if this upgrade actually improves comms because if it does to the level that you're comfortable with, then they would not need the wired infrastructure. Is that right?

And that will happen at the inspection, the annual inspection. Correct?

But we we can't put We would know at that after the inspection, after all the system has been put in, what exactly that looks like. There are so many variables

that play into this

from weather. But we also are not afforded the opportunity to pause the state statute and not enforce it. We have to continue with enforcement, and the individuals need to continue with the progress forward. To date, we have not fined anybody for not having operational radio systems in their building. Although it does put police and firefighters at risk every single day that it's not operational.

Okay.

What we ask from the community is that they begin to work towards a solution. Okay. Whatever that may possibly be, and most of that is just communicating with our office that they're working towards a solution, that they're have identified and acknowledged that there is a problem, and that from both directions, from a city standpoint of view, we're hopeful to move this project forward in the next meeting. And then also from their standpoint of view that they're also working towards a solution

as Okay. And then best case if we move forward with this new system, when would that be fully integrated in place?

I'm gonna let you I'm gonna bring up James Baker for that for when the system will fully be, installed.

Commissioners, communications manager, city of Fort Lauderdale. Your question, commissioner, I apologize.

If we move forward with this new comm system, when would it be fully instituted?

So presently, the vendor is committed to us a eighteen month timeline, assuming that there's no civil impacts.

Okay. So that's a year and a half from now assuming that everything moves quickly.

Yes, sir.

Okay. So then in that interim, when it's instituted, some condos may be in great shape once it's instituted, right? Don't know. Some will be, some may not be. So in that interim, if I'm understanding you right, they should continue exploring options as condos with what to do and how to meet the state statute. And they can also say to themselves in eighteen months, hopefully this system's instituted and we won't need to hardwire anything. Is that right?

There is a likelihood. Yes, sir.

Okay. So is it, just from a policy standpoint and public safety standpoint, is it okay for condos continue to dialogue and update you during these next eighteen months without making the investment that they may not need to make ultimately. So

once again, the challenge there is that there's a Florida State statue and we're required to enforce that Florida State statue. What we would ask them to do is to be in contact with our office so we can help them navigate the process in a timely fashion. Like, this has been years of some of these buildings that have not been in compliance. And our our goal is not to create more financial hardship on them by finding them. Our goal is to help them navigate a solution, whatever that solution may look Okay.

Great. So I think there's a solution there of continuing to communicate with you, us moving ahead with a news comm system as fast as possible, and hopefully that's instituted and addresses all of these challenges. Right? I mean, that's the hope. Okay. Yes.

Well, there's also and by the way, I I certainly understand the importance of this and and yet I also understand the enforcement piece because we know that we always enforce everything in in Fort Lauderdale. Enforcement's always Uh-huh. Right. What? Nothing going on. Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, you didn't take me seriously?

Yes, sir.

Oh, okay.

I'm so sorry. Here's the rub, and I know of a building that went through this. You can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on one of these systems. And then if a building goes up near you and it's new construction or if you change your own windows to impact glass, all of a sudden, guess what? The next year you fail.

And people are being told that buildings that have never had an issue for twenty years, twenty five years, all of a sudden they're having issues and they're being told It's because of the increased downtown density that's blocking our signals. It's because of the fact that you changed from just regular old 50 year old windows and now you have hurricane glass. That's a big investment for a condominium association thinking they were doing the right thing to make their buildings harder and being more more resistant to storms and yet the catch 22 is now you're being told that you have a problem with system. But again, there's too many moving parts. We we still have to work harder to get our signal right.

I still believe that this is our problem as a city, not these buildings problems. These buildings all passed muster when they were built. They all got c o's. They all signed off that they met every single responsibility that they had to meet including a b d a system, including a b d a system. But now they're being told because our city is growing, guess what? It's not good anymore. And you might do this, but guess what? If a building goes up near you or blocks another one of our towers, next year you're gonna fail. It's just too haphazard. It's too random.

It's too willy nilly. We have to do better. I'm not gonna beat this to death, but I it's frustrating because I still hear it and I've been bringing this up for the last year and I'm just not seeing the necessary progress. That's all. That's all I'm gonna say about it. Thanks.

Is there a way City Manager, is there a way to expedite the eighteen month, you know, integration of the system?

We will do everything we can to expedite. I think that eighteen month period was already looking at advancing it as fast as possible, but we can evaluate that.

So I have a question.

Eighteen months is up, new technology. Now we're functionally obsolete. When does this end? When does the process end? I can't believe a new building built next door to an older building is going to frustrate the efforts that have been invested in by that first building. What system is going to be fail safe so that we can continue to invest and make sure that our community is safe? Is there is there any answer to that question?

Don't think so, Mayor, because technology is just going to to be honest, right? So And therefore, there there may be this system is gonna be the best system that we have at the time. That's exactly what it is. They've been negotiating to try to make sure that we've got everything situated. We've got newer radios with LTE. We've got various different things to make sure it's current right now and it's going to be the best that we have. But five years from now, we don't know what the situation is going to be, but I think it's going to

be solid for a while. So while the state mandates the investment by these individual buildings, the state doesn't take into consideration the possibility that that investment could be obsolete in five years or three years or what it may be. In other words, as technology, especially Bluetooth technologies continue to advance, it would seem to me that there's got to be some way to protect those that have made the initial investment from not being frustrated by, new technologies or other impacts on their building that are going to interfere with their ability to to get radio responses?

I think they take that in consideration and even as technology comes to try to make sure things happen, we try to make things backward compatible to make sure that things are straight. But as we say, construction is various different things that come into play that are not considered. And so therefore, if physical things happen, because that's the problem, it's a physical thing. It comes to the building, but it can't go through. So physical things may change that, and that's not something that, you know, we can predict.

Okay. Alright. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Commissioner Glassman, does that conclude your comments?

It certainly does. Thank you.

Vice mayor? Thank you, mayor. Busy couple weeks. Was happy to participate in Fort Lauderdale Cares Day, helping neighborhoods clean up, make a difference. So thank you to all the neighborhood leaders out there, really made this possible. And thank you to city staff for being a great part of that. We had some great activities in, in District 4. Had the honor of speaking to the Urban Leadership Institute class about resiliency and what our city is doing. That was fantastic. One of our own urban planners, Tyler La Forme, is part of that class and Angela Salmon, who is a capstone mentor.

So it's great having our city team members part of that. Also attended the Broward Health Medical Center groundbreaking to build more office space and, doctors' offices, which is going to be just fantastic to better serve patients in the city, which is excellent news. I like to say we're city of champions. We've got the champion, Panthers that practice here in the city of Fort Lauderdale, two time Stanley Cup winners where we got the Inner Miami, MLS Cup champions and, went to t r TYR Pro Swim Meet at the, Aquatic Center and saw more records broken, here in Fort Lauderdale. So it's just it's exciting time.

Was awesome to see Olympian Katie like Decky, crushing it in the in the pool, and she says Fort Lauderdale is her favorite pool in the world. So It's the fastest pool. Right? It's the fastest pool, she says. So those are comes from a knowledgeable source.

Well, this is a woman that I saw the 800 meter freestyle. Oh, did you? Good. Yeah. And, you know, at the end of the race, she's at least one pool length. Right. So it's always a race for second in her competition. It's amazing. She's just an amazing swimmer.

It's stunning. And you know, and it all happens here in Fort Lauderdale, which I think we should all be be proud of. Happy to be part of our city's effort of eat and shop local for Lauderdale. We're supporting small businesses. So just encourage everyone, please support your small businesses here in the city doing such great work.

Had a chance to, go out with my daughter and and be part of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which is a great nonprofit. They basically identify, residents in Fort Lauderdale who don't have beds for their children. And let's think about that. Many people in our city do not have a bed to sleep in, sleep on the ground, on sofa. So what this nonprofit does is they go in, they bring bunk beds or single beds and within ten minutes, build a bed, put the mattress, the bedding that the child chose, put it on there and leave the child and the family in just this amazing, amazing place afterwards.

And it's just very moving to see what impact that has. So I just thank that organization, the great work they do in our city. Had a chance to go to the Tarpon River Civic Association and see their association party in the park, which was great. Then another, great part of Fort Lyra. Fort Lyra United, which is our women's professional soccer team in Fort Lyra. They play out at NSU's campus. So we got a chance to go to their game. We're developing as a city a new partnership with them. So it was City of Fort Lauderdale staff members night there on Saturday night, which was fantastic. Then celebrated, Harold Satzky's 100 birthday.

Harold Satzky, 104 years old, World War two veteran, Coast Guard, amazing amazing individual and so special, being there and that was on our flight at Mission United who helped make that possible. So thank you for everyone. Chief police was there, gave Harold the patch and it was very special special time for our greatest generation who who who set our country, up for where we are today. So I just wanna wanna thank them. Happy early Mother's Day to all the mothers or mother figures out there, coming up.

So thank you for who you are and what you do. Very grateful for all of you. Additionally, we have a CEO, Broward County Commissioner Beam Fir is here. Hello, Commissioner. Thanks for being here. Appreciate you being here. One just question. City Manager, if you could you give us an update on City Hall? What what kind of are the next steps for City Hall or what are you working on? Thank you.

As directed at the last commission meeting, we are exploring the feasibility of existing properties, more specifically, the Tower 101 Building, the 1 East Broward Building and the Courthouse Building. While we are doing that exploration with Jacobs, our owner's representative, we are also continuing to have conversations with the developer Based on the feedback provided at that commission meeting, we are working to see if there is a refined project approach for a new build that could also be evaluated by the commission in addition to those existing properties. So we do have quite a bit of work to do to come back to the commission on June 2. I plan to issue a letter to the commission likely tomorrow once we have more details from Jacobs. It could be that we have a preliminary update on June 2 and a more substantial update on July 2 based on all of the deliverables that will be needed to fully evaluate all the opportunities.

Okay. Great. So from here, you're right. Tower 1011 East Broward and Federal Courthouse, we're exploring those as well as continuing to work with the developer for for that option as well. Are we talking to GSA about the Federal Courthouse possible usage?

We are having those conversations with GSA, and they have been very open to allowing the city to have access in order to do those evaluations through consultants.

Okay, great. And is a government function in there as commission or administrative, is that one of the options?

They haven't said so definitively, but based on their openness to having us explore the property, we feel that they are open to it.

Okay. Great. Thank you. So it sounds like that analysis of with the developer, Tower 101, East Broward Federal Courthouse might have some initial findings June 2, but might need more time till July 2, you're saying?

I think that we can come to the commission in on July 2 with a lot more material. But I think in order to honor the commission's request of having some information on June 2, we can certainly do that as well.

Well, the thing is, you know, June 2 doesn't provide, the engineer enough time, we don't want just a haphazard response because when you try to take over an existing building, There are many things that have to be examined that just can't be looked at in a cursory way So maybe we have to wait till July in order to be able to have a more a more realistic understanding of what the what these buildings are going to require in order to adapt to a new city hall.

And if that is the case based on information that is pending, I intend to make that clear to the commission via letter to the commission, which will likely go out to you tomorrow.

May I just ask a question about that? We deferred M3 to June 2, right? That was the motion that was passed that we deferred it to June 2? Correct. So we would have to deal with that, that we

actually Right. Have We'll address it on June 2, but also and so from there, we'll know whether or not it makes sense to continue to examine going examine to get a more in-depth understanding of what the adaptation process would consist

Who's making the decision of how deep we're going on those evaluations on the three buildings? I mean

Well, we are.

No. That's not my question. My question is that I'm hearing now that we think we might have to go till July 2. So my question is, what is the scope of these investigations? I mean, you could I mean, you look at that federal courthouse, you look at I'm just picking that one of the three. We we could you could be bogged down in investigations and details quite a while depending on your scope of how far you want to go. So I'm just trying to figure out what we were expecting on June 2 versus are we kicking it down to July, and then in July, we say, oh, we don't have enough information. We should get deeper, and then we're kicking it to August, we're going And

to do an analysis as to whether or not that building could be rehabilitated in order to remain in there. So as far as and they made the decision that they couldn't remain in there for whatever reason, maybe the size, maybe the structural viability of the building, we don't know. But certainly, I know Quentin can follow-up and get that information from the GSA to find out what their conclusions were when they did their own self analysis of federal building. At least we know that. As far as the other buildings are concerned, 101 And 1 East Broward, I mean, why don't we just wait and see what the consultant is going to say to us and what recommendations they may have as to whether or not they need to go farther and deeper in order to be able to do a complete analysis.

And then, just a question because you had mentioned, Meyer, at the last meeting when we deferred that item, that you had thought that those buildings were already looked at and investigated and researched from the county.

We found out that that wasn't the case.

That was not the case? Correct.

We connected with Broward County and they identified that at that time they did not investigate these buildings because the property owners were not interested in selling to the county. So there is no backup documentation from the county that speaks to those existing buildings and what was, evaluated.

Thank you. Would it be possible for us to see what exactly you charged? Is Jacobs leading this,

investigation for us on Yes. Jacobs is our owner's rep. Yes.

Okay. So may I eventually see what exactly was told to them in terms of what is their scope in these investigations. I'd like to just see what their charges and just how how deep they're actually going.

So Quentin Pugh, assistant city manager, can give some information on what that scope entails, but we're still finalizing that. So I don't know that we have the fee finalized at this time, but I think Quentin can speak to the intended scope, which is crafted to address the questions and requests from the commission.

Thank you, Manager. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioners Quentin Pugh, Assistant City Manager. So as the manager just stated, Jacobs' management is being consulted to spearhead this assessment. What we're looking at or the scope that was provided to Jacobs in a nutshell is to do a high level property condition assessment, structural analysis, look at MEP mechanical, electrical, plumbing, spatial assessment. We also asked them to provide us with a cost estimate for any renovations.

One of these particular buildings may have an opportunity to incorporate a chamber. So at a very high level, provide us with that estimate. We asked them to look at the cost per square footage of other recently developed City Hall at the last commission meeting or when we were discussing the City Hall, there was numbers thrown around regarding 500, 600. We were using a 1,200 cost per square foot or so. We asked Jacobs to do a high level assessment on recent city hall improvements, city of Miami, one in Pompano, etcetera.

So the goal here is just to perform a very high level report summary, bring that forth as soon as possible. Jacobs has told us that they're anticipating at least six to eight weeks that they would need to produce such report. That high level report once it comes before you to go would be if further analysis is needed, then where we need more detail or technical information beyond what's been provided, you will pick one of those buildings and then we'll bring that forth in the following forty five to sixty days after that. But we want to provide you with enough information where you can actually deliberate and let us know whether you want to proceed or not proceed. Six to eight weeks Quentin

does not bring us to June 2. I mean we're already four weeks away from there. So we would need to wait until July then is what you're saying in order to give them the time that they need to do something that's more realistic. Correct?

That is correct. As the manager stated, we're fine tuning some things. We may want to cut some items out of that particular work scope that was provided to them in order to achieve that June 2 deadline?

Well, but everything you said is what we want to hear. All those all those all those analyses and every one of those elements we need to hear because every one of them is significant and will have a cost associated with them if we're looking to rehabilitate and adapt, not just rehabilitate, but adapt, adapt our needs, our uses to an existing structure that wasn't intended to have those uses. You know, let's be fair to the process and give it the time it needs. So wouldn't you say?

Mayor, some of the work scope could be produced and provided to the commission by the June date, but what Quentin is saying is that the full breadth of the scope as contemplated would take more time

so they haven't even started yet

They have started some work on this.

We haven't even I thought you said we haven't we haven't completed the scope of work assignment So how how did we get them started when we haven't even submitted it to them? We have we

have been refining the work scope. However, Jacobs management has contacted building owners. The city has, provided them with, contact information for the GSA representative scheduling Oh,

for GSA?

For for

Not for the other buildings.

For all three. We have

Oh, okay.

They have received, the property's owner's information. Jacobs management has made contact with those, owners. Also has started scheduling some of those site visits. So work has been done. Have we issued a notice to proceed? No. Have we started talking about cost and things like that in the work scope? Absolutely. But things are ongoing and it's moving along. So are we paying them for the work that they're doing now? Everything has been at a very sort of discussion level. They haven't visited any particular building as of today. They just had phone conversations. So we've done all of this just to get where we are today in order to provide you with this information.

Alright. Great. Go ahead.

Yeah. Thigh Thanks, mayor. Thanks, Quentin.

Could I just ask Quentin one you have a question for Quentin?

Well, no. I'm gonna keep talking,

but you can go ahead. No. But for Quentin?

Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, go ahead.

You know,

you wanna go

I thought

you had other items on your

Oh, no.

We'll we'll stay on this. City manager and Quentin, I think if I heard you right in terms of the optionality for a chamber. So I think what we'd wanna do, City Manager, is make sure we're we're comparing apples to apples here. So we'd want an evaluation of the cost of a chamber in 101, the cost of a chamber in one East Broward and the cost of the renovation for the federal courthouse having a chamber there. I just want to make sure we're that way we can evaluate build option, buy option and across the similarities, if that makes sense.

So I think part of the evaluation is looking at the renovation cost estimate based on price per square footage, and the chamber would be included in that estimate. And I do also want to share, Mayor, we have already ordered appraisals for all of these properties, and those appraisals should be delivered to the city in advance of that June 2 meeting. So there is work being done. And although Jacobs hasn't received the task order, there are certain aspects of the project that no matter what the task order says, Jacobs will need to do those preliminary steps. So we already anticipate that those will be some baseline expectations.

Okay. Thanks. Go ahead, commissioner.

Oh, thank you. Yeah. Quentin, have, has Jacobs been provided with the the ULI report and the infrastructure task force report on what the public wanted in city hall?

Not to my knowledge. What they have been provided is reports from the current, Tower 101 and the one East Broward, any available reports from those particular facilities. We are we have requested a report from GSA as far as any due diligence or analyses that they have, and that's what's been sent over to Jacobs as of today.

I think what the commissioner is asking though is when Jacobs does their analysis to see how we can adapt the buildings to the needs of our that have been expected of our community, they need to have that list to see whether or not that those requirements that the community has come up with can be put into those buildings and and at what cost? That's what the commission is asking.

Yes. And not only in those buildings, but around those buildings. There was a lot of discussion on both of those reports about the civic engagement, civic plaza, things like that. So I I just think it's really important that they be given those two reports, the ULI and the infrastructure task force. I also believe that the ULI has done a report. You might wanna contact them about the federal courthouse. It was not a good report, but you might want to just ask them, if they actually looked at the federal courthouse as well.

Absolutely. Will do, commissioner. Thank you.

Commissioner Glassman, just to add to that, we have established a work program based on all the work we've done with the developer on the potential new build City Hall. And so if we are looking to have an apples to apples comparison or something that is comparable, we would want to take that work program or that space program that has already been developed based on some of the merits of the infrastructure task force and what the community has said. But we have since evolved from that moment and we have What does

that mean evolve from that moment?

So the things that the infrastructure task force weighed in on or pined on, we summarized and we shared that with the development community before we went out to the competition period for the city hall. The developers came in and based on that information, they proposed a program. We have since refined that space program with the developer on the proposed new city hall. So we've identified how much square footage we'd like to have, what types of spaces. And so if the request from the commission is to compare the opportunity for existing buildings to become the new city hall, then I think that we need to compare the space program that we have been working on under the new build project, with the existing buildings.

So that

we can have correct. Without compromising the expectations that the infrastructure task force had put forth. When you when you say evolve, it sounds to me like well, we're gonna get rid of this and get rid of that and we'll just come down and accept these two or three things. That's not what we're looking for.

I think the goal of any alternative for city hall will be based on meeting the needs of the community, based on the infrastructure task force feedback

Right.

That was done at that

And their report.

Yes.

Yes. And so we wanna make sure that in comparing apples to apples that the new construction project that was that was offered, which contains all of those elements that the infrastructure task force had proposed can also be incorporated in any existing building and if they can and at what cost. That's all we're saying.

We can do a side by side checklist of what the infrastructure task force, requested and then we can for all the alternatives check whether or not the project meets that criteria. Exactly.

All

right. Thank you. Thank you, Quint.

Great. Thank you, Quint. Appreciate it. And I think the analysis of the federal courthouse makes a lot of sense too because we've talked about many uses for the federal courthouse. We've talked about a museum, a school, city commission chamber. So that'll help all of that for us to kind of analyze what that could be useful for. And then one other question is, as we were talking about public engagement and the ITF, Mary, we talked if our memory serves me right, we talked about, Budget Advisory Board being able to analyze these findings, and I think the Council for Laurel Civic Association, right, looking at those as well. So I just want to think about sequencing, when would they get a chance to kind of evaluate this?

Well, think we should get the chance first and to see what's going on then make a determination and then get feedback from the we make decision and then the Budget Advisory Board can come back and say, okay, this is you can't afford it, you can't afford it, this makes sense, this doesn't make sense. But I think we should at least I mean, they're welcome to see the results at the same time we're seeing the results. But I think that we need to before it gets put out to the community to make any further discussion, I think the commission needs to see what we're dealing with and what how realistic or unrealistic some of these expectations are. So but it sounds to me like we're not going to see much until July anyway. So I mean, it's an interesting process, and I think we need to go through it.

And we'll just see, but I just don't want to compromise the expectations that the community has proffered when we're dealing with City Hall that's going to be our City Hall for the next two, three, four generations.

Right. So yeah, agree and I want to and for me it's helpful to have the Budget Advisory Board and the Council for Laurel Civic Associations,

at least for

me, give me their feedback so that I can absolutely form. So okay, great. I think we're all on the same on the same page. City manager, one other question. I think we had talked about you developing a budget for City Hall. In other words, I think we said we don't want to dip into the reserves, right? These multiple guardrails. So is that part of what you're working on as well?

Yes. That was part of the direction from the commission and that information could be available on June 2 or July 2. We're already actively working on that based on the parameters provided by the commission.

Okay. Great. Fantastic. That all sounds very good. Last topic on unless there's anything else on City Hall.

Okay. Just one comment. Go ahead. Thank you. We keep saying June 2 or July 2. There is a meeting on June 16. Right? I was getting nervous when we schedule things on the last meeting before the summer break because you never know what happens. I'm thinking that if we are really seriously thinking that we're gonna need more time on studying these buildings, that it needs to be done by June 16. Not July 2 because as I said, we go on break till almost the August. So I would encourage us to figure out what we need to figure out. If we can't do it June 2, can we do it by June 16 and figure it out?

I know that the mayor intended to be absent on June 16, and so that's why we were pushing for, June 2. And if there's any follow-up We're not gonna be here. July 2.

Yeah. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much. One other unrelated, just wanna congratulate Brad Cain, public works director. He was appointed to serve as chair of the South Florida branch of the American Public Works Association, Florida chapter. So congratulations, Brad. Thank you. And just thank you for your and your team's quick response when we have infrastructure needs in in the city. I just appreciate your timely response and and helping the neighbors. So thank you, mayor. That's it. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Beasley Pittman, are you ready?

Yes. I am. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to to share. My colleague, Steve Glassman, like to say busy. I like to say productive. Busy makes me spaz. So I've been a little productive here. Had the opportunity on Thursday, April 23 to attend the memorial for the Korean veteran corporal Joshua Corrump.

And he was actually missing in action, and his, remains were identified, and he was able to be brought home. And it was an honor, to be able to attend the memorial service that was held at Boyd Funeral Home in the city of Fort Lauderdale, to be able to speak of his accomplishments and how he's fought for our country. Being a young man, he was actually 20 years old when he went missing, and he was identified as, presumed, dead in December 1956. So we were given that opportunity to be able to be with the family. And, again, just being able to acknowledge his sacrifice for this country and for all of us who are experiencing democracy at this time.

Also, I was able to attend on Monday, April 27, a Rotary Connection ride along, which was a a great opportunity. The Rotary Connection is a free bus that that helps our unhomed, unhoused citizens or residents of our city, to get to appointments regarding, anything from the driver's license bureau to get ID replaced, Social Security to get paperwork taken care with them. There's 61 actual stops on the loop that they do Monday through Friday on this opportunity, this bus ride that's given. I was really impressed with the individuals that were on the route with me. They were going to take care of their business.

And then also I had conversations with the driver, with also mister Smith, and we talked a lot about the opportunity that the Rotary Club has for reunification. And with their track record right now, they're averaging one or two regen re gentrification or unifications rather with those individuals to return them home to other counties, other cities, other states where loved ones are waiting for them. And what I wanted to, ask for us as from the commission, we know that we have our homeless, committee, that board. I wanna see if there's an opportunity that we can also collaborate to see how we could work together to be able to increase that number for, reunification for those individuals who are desiring to turn to return home. Because if there is if on the route that they're going, if they're daily becoming coming against one individual that wants to return home, are there other other opportunities within the city that we may not be capitalizing on?

So is there a city manager? Is there any way that we could make that type of opportunity for collaboration between the Rotary Club and then our homeless outreach or homeless advisory board? Certainly, I

think there are opportunities and I know that's a subject that we've been discussing lately through our budget process how to augment services and how the city can be a participant. So I'm going to ask Portia Garcia, our community services director, to come forward.

Thank you, manager Williams. Good afternoon, mayor, commissioners. Two things. One, there are funds in the police department's budget for reunifications. That's the first thing.

Okay.

The second thing is that staff from community services department met with Rotary Connection and Fellowship on yesterday Okay. To discuss a partnership. Right. We are looking for an agreement to come before the city commission in June or July to formalize that partnership. We also are are in the process of meeting with the landlord for our community court space to see if we'll have their permission, which is a requirement of our lease for that for that space, to bring rotary connection services to the community court building during noncommunity court days. Okay. Thank you. That's that's Commissioner,

can I just ask a question while we have, Portia up here?

Yes.

So so recently, I was sent, pictures of a feeding program that's taking place right next to the county library with tents and all kinds of temporary but visible structures where I guess an organization had sought the permission of the city to do a feeding program there. I thought we don't allow that anymore. Why? What is going on there?

So through community services department, there is a permit required for any type of feeding. The feedings that are issued a permit are shared with our police department so that we know where they are and the dates as well as any type of setup of tables or parking. Whenever there is a feeding occurring without that permit, we partner with the homeless outreach team to do enforcement and have that feeding stop.

I understand that. I'm I'm more concerned about the fact that we even give permits because it's my understanding that a number of years ago we passed an ordinance saying there could be no more outdoor public feedings and it all had to be done within a structure and undertaken by the owner of that particular structure. Now we're going back to where we were years ago where we specifically said we don't do not because now it creates I mean just because the nonprofit leaves and packs up all their tents and their cooking equipment and all that, the mess is there. We see and not just the mess that they leave behind, but also the image that this has become another central feeding area for homeless people that continue to congregate in an area that we tried to clean up years ago. This is this is back to the future here.

What is going on here?

So mayor, what I'm familiar with is that the per the feedings are permitted. However, a city permit is required. I can research and look into if that should not be the case. But to my knowledge, there is an ordinance that does allow the feedings as long as they have a city issued permit.

Alright. I wish you could research that. Chris, did you wanna add to that?

Yes. Mayor of commission, Chris Cooper, deputy city manager. So there is an ordinance on the books right now for outdoor social service events that includes food distribution and a variety of other types of events. The reason that we have that is because, it was opined that we could not treat different events differently and we couldn't restrict people's ability under the First Amendment to carry out certain activities. So there's not a limitation about how and where somebody can have these events as long as they come in and obtain the permit that we offer, and they, you know, they can't create a situation that's either dangerous or hazardous for the participants, the providers, or the general public.

So we do have some ability to to address certain aspects of those events when they come in for a permit to make sure that they're not causing any issues for themselves or others, but we have limitations on being able to outright deny the ability to do it. We are taking a look at those, along with the city attorney's office, to try to create more of a of a reasonable program so we can have a little bit more control over some of the aspects of those types of events, but you know the expectation that we wouldn't be able to that we'd be able to prohibit those events is probably not the case.

Right and I suspect that because of the food not bombs lawsuit, right, I understand that. But the reality is that in the aftermath of a feeding hour or two or three it creates a disaster for the area on which they just recently occupied and First of all, they're they're taking up the whole sidewalk so that it obstructs the sidewalk The county I don't know when the county is going to ever rehabilitate the plaza in front of the library, but we're still waiting commissioner and And we we want to you know this is this continues to be ground zero for homelessness. Yes, So when are we going to get when are we going to learn that we've got to find legal humane but realistic ways in which to rehabilitate our city streets so that they're not inundated with this kind of activity.

Yes, I agree. And you know from experience we're finding that the events that are permitted, because we know they're going on, because we are in more communication with the folks that are coordinating those events, we have a better outcome in terms of the aftermath of those events. A lot of the ones that you're seeing and that were in the photographs that you received, you know, were not permitted event. And so those are the ones that we see that kind of come and go and they they leave evidence of their being there, trash and other things. So part of what we're trying to do is, one, be more upfront about making sure people are aware of our process and our permits so that we can go through these things the right way.

But also as, Portia Garcia mentioned, coordinating between our CSD staff and our police department staff to make sure that there's a broad awareness of what is permitted and what's not so that we can take appropriate action when things aren't permitted properly.

Okay. Thank you.

Portia, if you could come back, please. To finish the conversation about the opportunity for reunification with those, unhoused individuals that are in our community, could you expound a little bit, if you would, on, the meeting that occurred on yesterday and what the objective is to, make this be a productive opportunity for us as a city? Absolutely. So what we discussed on yesterday, commissioner, is rotary connection. A majority of their operation is in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

They do have stops that are in Plantation as well as Oakland Park along their route. Mhmm. However, they would like to expand their operation in Fort Lauderdale for our unhoused community. They believe that they have a better opportunity to connect our population with resources that they need that ultimately assist with their re reunification. Things such as providing a driver's license or identification, helping them to receive benefits that they need to have some source of income, helping them to make contact with family members, also they mentioned the opportunity to provide bus tickets or other means transport so that they can reconnect with family members.

They believe that in partnering here in the city and then also having a, physical location, they would be better able to provide those services. Mhmm. They mentioned that they have a social worker that is on the bus. They have a 14 passenger bus. They have social workers that are on that bus that are able to assist them.

They also have partnerships with, like, the DMV and other agencies that allow people to have dignity as they go into these locations to receive services. They shared that they do not allow any minors on the bus. A question that was asked of them is this if there is opportunity to provide, programming for a day or few hours of a day to allow families especially with the summertime approaching. So there may be opportunity for that. What they also expressed is that they have had some communication with Broward County as well as with Pompano in their community court program to see if there's opportunity for them to expand their program in those, municipalities.

We did express that if we, in our partnership with Rotary Connection that we do not want the quality of services to dwindle as they expand their operation and they understood and honored that. But their basic interest is helping us to really have full Monday through Friday programming programming and support to the community so that they can do more reunifications. Alright. Thank you for expounding. Thank you. You're welcome. Alright. Also, to share additionally, I had the great opportunity on Wednesday, April 29, to attend a Spelling Bee. Yes. The Spelling Bee was a competition between Oswald Park and, will, Warfield Park.

And when I tell you those young people, they were on they were having so much fun from kindergarten to fifth grade. Great opportunity to inspire the young people and allow them to shine in their light. It's my understanding that to prepare for the spelling bee, they were giving, of course, the list of words that will be a part of the list and given a time period to study and to prepare. And when I tell you they came and they followed the rules, they said the word, they spelled the word, said the word, asked for it to be used in a sentence and just it was a great opportunity and I was really impressed and excited to witness our young participants. I said to one, I said, you know, when I was young, I hated spelling bees.

It was just like, don't free me up. But they were so they were so prepared and I encouraged the parents to continue to encourage them to embrace education. A big thank you to our city parks and recs, the staff at, Oswald Park, as well as Warfield Park. Just kudos, a job well done and a way to increase literacy, build confidence, and also encourage our future leaders. So, that was a a highlight of my activities of this month.

Also wanted to share upcoming events. Tonight, a matter of as a matter of fact, the fifth annual Providence Hospital Legacy Celebration that's taking place to this evening at 05:30 to 08:30 at the YMCA, Ellie Lee Mizell Community Center. This is a celebration of the individuals who were actually born at Providence Hospital. More than likely at that time, it was doctor Six Trunk who delivered those babies and to add to the history to give you a trivia to that, doctor six Trunk birthed over 5,000 babies in the Northwest Corridor during that era. So they come together and they celebrate and and just remember the history of over 5,000 babies.

Yes. Okay. And there's still many of our neighbors who were actually, birthed at the hand of doctor six Trunk and then also at Providence Hospital.

So one a day. Uh-huh. Over twenty years.

And here we go, for Friday, May 8. It's the Relay for Life, American Cancer Society Relay for Life. As we know that is a annual event that is held at Carter Park. It starts at 6PM and will end at twelve midnight. This is an opportunity for us all citywide to come out and support the efforts of the American Cancer Society, bringing awareness and giving information far as being proactive about our health, being proactive about being tested and learning about all the different cancers that have been identified.

A great opportunity for fellowship and FRON and for the community to come together. Again, that's this Friday, Carter Park. On May 15, we have Carter Park jams. That would be, at 7PM to 10PM. And then, I want you to mark your calendars and be prepared for Saturday, June 20, five to 8PM, Carter Park.

That would be the Juneteenth celebration. There's three things that I wanted to ask that we as a commission would consider. I too have a request for a named street being renamed or an an renaming of a street. This would be in honor of mister Levi Henry junior. The street that we are asking for renaming is Northwest 7th Terrace.

As we know, mister Henry, Levi Henry is the founder of the Westside Gazette and has been in our community for decades. And, we wanted to, remember him and honor him through naming the street there. So as it was explained earlier, we would like to take the same process allowing, from my commission from the commission being able to move this forward. And everything that's required, we will get with, Ben Rogers and that team to make sure the community is connected and we can make this move forward. So the question is, do I could I have the support of the commission to move forward with this?

Definitely.

Thank you. Thank you very much. We talked about the homeless outreach and, the unification you, or excuse me, making a relationship with the Rotary Club. So we don't have to talk about that anymore. I also wanted to bring, to our attention, asking for a moment of silence as well.

Last week, commissioner, Sorenson and I, we were able to celebrate, miss Hattie Mae Curley, And she celebrated one hundred years, and the following Tuesday, she passed away. So we want to have a moment of silence for her as well today. And one other neighbor, miss Dorothy Bailey Young, we she passed away and the community celebrated her celebration of life last week as well. This young lady, she actually, as a a young lady, I believe they said she was 12, she named Sunland Park. She was the one part of a contest.

She submitted the name to be known as Sunland Park. So she's been as a young person in the community advocating and making change. So as well, miss Dorothy Bailey Young. So with that, mayor, that concludes my report.

Thank you. Great. Thank you. Just a few things. Last week on April 28, I participated with the Salvation Army celebrating their centennial celebration.

I was there with Commissioner Herbst. It was a great turnout and we're very thankful for the Salvation Army for all the great work that they do with our community. On April 30, I was part of a panel discussion with the Bills in Somberg Annual Development Conference. It was in Miami, but all we did was talk about Broward County. And the room was full with several 100 people, investors, realtors and other stakeholders who talked about the promising opportunities there are in Broward County and lots of comparisons were made to Palm Beach County and Miami Dade.

And at the end of the day, most people believe that Broward County is the place where opportunity exists and developers are looking forward to the future in that regard. On this past Saturday, I participated in the Mayor's Annual Chess Challenge. I was doing battle with some 12 and 16 year olds. I came out even. I beat one and one beat me, but it was fun.

These kids are really, really bright, I'm glad that my hats off to Mayor Mike Ryan, who heads this thing up and continues this program year after year. So thank you, Mayor Ryan, and to all the young kids who are participating in this. Also that day, it's a busy day on Saturday. I along with the Vice Mayor were at the Tarpon River party in Park. Tarpon Bend Neighborhood Association always has their wonderful party in the park.

And it was a great day, the weather held out, so and got to see all the neighbors took a lot of pictures and helped hand out a lot of raffle prizes. That same afternoon was mentioned earlier, the speed of Fort Lauderdale opened at the Aquatic Center. Hundreds of parents and family members were there. My hats off to Laura Voet for organizing that and her team. We finally Fort is back as being the center of swimming competition, spoke with quite a few swimmers and quite a few parents and a lot of coaches who were so happy to be back in Fort Lauderdale after so many years of absence because we didn't have a facility that was capable of accommodating these swim competitions.

And yes, we met with Katie Ledecky and many other champions who are or future champions who continue to see Fort Lauderdale as the best place for their practice and their success. Also that evening, I attended the South Florida Pride Concert Band fortieth anniversary. I was at the Parker forty years, starting out as the Flamingo Freedom Band and with about eight members and now over the years several 100 people have been part of that orchestra. But what's most rewarding is the fact that in addition to the concert band, there's a youth orchestra. And it was started by the band with the expectation to help young kids, especially high school kids whose high schools did not have music programs.

So it was a way for them to be able to practice and play and perform. And over the years, there's been over 900 students who have matriculated through the youth orchestra and some who had even gone on to college have come back and participated. So that's a great contribution to our community. The next night, I participated in the closing night of the Alsheim Film Festival. I think the noise issue that was brought up at our last meeting never materialized because it started to rain.

Did it? Okay. Yes, I didn't

hear any concerns. So that explains it.

Yes, we didn't really have much of a street festival. Yes.

So

upcoming things, as Ben mentioned earlier on May 6 this week, actually tomorrow, the FOP Fallen Officers Memorial, we'll be doing it right down the steps over here in front of the Esplanade Park, it's at 01:30. Hopefully, the members of our community can come and participate and recognize the fallen soldiers in our fallen officers in our community. Also, that evening, I'll be speaking at the Victoria Park Civic Association. I usually do that once a year, so looking forward to that. The next day, the Sailing Foundation of Florida, the annual fundraising dinner at Lauderdale Yacht Club, I'll be presenting a proclamation and attending that as well.

On Friday, we have the opening of Go Grocer at 540 North Andrews Avenue. This is the first yes, this is the first grocery store that's West Of U. S. 1. And this has been this is an important milestone.

Why do I say that? It's a small store, but it's exactly what we're looking for as we try to populate Flagler Village with not just housing, but amenities where people don't need to go into their cars to get to go to the grocery store, go to a restaurant or whatever, go get their hair done, things that everyday experiences people can walk to. And that's how you reduce traffic in a city, making pedestrian options the best option rather than people having to get into their car. As was mentioned by the commissioner, Fort Lauderdale air show this weekend, and I noticed that in Miami, I saw an advertisement that Miami has a sponsor, the Hyundai Air and Sea Show. We don't these folks don't have a sponsor, do they?

I don't I don't I've never in the last few years, we haven't really seen a headline sponsor.

But Citi is a major sponsor via FXE.

We haven't had an outside sponsor since McDonald's did the Air and Sea Show, what, twelve, fifteen years ago?

Well, McDonald's. I think Shell Oil was also a sponsor. But the point that I'm trying to make is we need to start encouraging these events and these promoters by going back and relying on sponsors rather than taxpayer money. We've given a lot of money. I think it's time to pull back on that.

And I'm hopeful that in the years ahead that we can find ways to encourage them to depend less on the city and more on private sponsors. May 13 is the groundbreaking for the lofts on 6, that's at 610 Northwest 3rd Avenue. And then that same day, we're also doing a groundbreaking for actually ribbon cutting for Aldridge in Larimore? Yes. Ribbon cutting.

Is

it groundbreaking? Groundbreaking. Groundbreaking. I'm sorry, groundbreaking. It does say groundbreaking here, yes.

For the Aldridge in Larimore at 1204 Cistrunk Boulevard, continuing to see opportunities for housing, affordable housing and ways to redevelop an area that has often been overlooked. On May 15, we are honoring Dan Lindblad in the Downtowner of the Year that's at the Global Event Center at 11:30AM. Dan Lindblad has been part of our community for so many, many years, both as a realtor and then later as the CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. He's taken that organization to great heights. He's been a great host over the years in organizing the Washington Summit, which I know many of us have been on and it's a going to very rewarding opportunity for us to honor Dan Lindblade at that event.

On the sixteenth, the International Swimming Hall of Fame honoree ceremony at the Embassy Suites by Hilton will be taking place at six p. M. I'll be attending that. And on the seventeenth, I'll be speaking at the Solomon Leadership Graduation at the Downtown Jewish Center. I was invited by Rabbi Kaplan to participate in that event. That's at three p. M. Again on May 17. A couple issues I'd like to bring up. One, city attorney, what's going on, I know I should have prepped you first, what's going on with the Abreu pathway litigation in Rio Vista?

That is pending. My recollection is that there's been some discovery and, motion for summer judgment pending in that phase. It's moving along but at its usual litigation pace.

Are defendants we in that case?

In that particular matter, I think that, well, there are two different cases.

There are two different,

could you speak into your microphone?

I apologize, there are two different cases. I will get the details on that.

Could you get the details on

that? Absolutely.

Because I got a call this morning from an attorney representing the association and wanting to know what was our further interest in seeing that those spaces be maintained as open public spaces. And he represents the association, the neighborhood, and I certainly would love to just see kept as open space. So if you can come back to us in a future meeting with an update on that.

That would

be great. Thank you. And then as many of you know, Commissioner Herps decided he's going to step down effective in November 2, believe.

I forgot to mention that.

And so we want to thank him for his service to our community, both as our auditor as well as a commissioner. But at this time, the commission now needs to make a decision about having to pass a resolution. I think it's a resolution to have a special election, which would be November 3, which is the election cycle this year. Does commission agree that we should have a special election on November 3 so we can give direction to our city staff to move forward and maybe do a walk on tonight? Yes. That makes sense for everybody?

Mayor, we have a resolution prepared if that's what you'd to do.

Okay. Great. Okay. Excellent. All right. And that's it for me.

So you're saying I don't get to pick my successor?

You could try. Kings.

I'll say now to that.

Mayor, if you done? I I just wanted to say something.

Sure. Go ahead. Go ahead.

I'm I'm watching the audience, and I know as a commission, we decided to move the order of our reports. But I really think we're boring these people. They've they've come they have come to address matters that are on this agenda. And I believe I'm I'm I'm just watching and I'm seeing. I believe that we should consider going back to the original way that we were doing this. And that gives them an opportunity to give their opinions. And if they wanna leave, they're able to leave. But we are forcing them to listen through the reports. That's my take on it. So if if if we could have a short conversation

find what you have to say very interesting, but that's okay.

Okay.

I know

if I can leave.

You know did switch

it to begin Why did we switch it to begin?

I I don't remember, but we all agree because it was getting made in, I don't even remember

The reason was because we because our conference meetings ran late

Mhmm.

We were pushing our our commission reports past the evening meeting. So sometimes we were giving reports at 09:30, ten, 10:30 at night, and we didn't feel that our announcements were being, heard by the community or any of our comments were being heard by the community, we wanted to give them more exposure by doing it at the beginning of the conference meeting. That was the reason why we chose

that. Okay.

Alright. But, just just watching it. Even the meeting before, just watching the interaction or lack of interaction, I believe that our neighbors are here to hear more about what's on the agenda and we could work out a way to We can go back. Yeah.

It's it's I have no problem going back to the old ways. I have no problem.

Okay. So whatever we decide is where I stand. I just been watching

Okay.

What's going on in from my neighbors. And that's my take.

Got it. Is that what do you all think? Fine.

I

I like what we're doing because we're bringing up really important topics. Like, you just brought up an election. You know, you just we we've talked about city hall. So I think those are really important. And we talked about the

Topics. The radios the radio systems. Right.

I mean, are really important topics. So it ensures that some of these, we have full discussion around those topics. So I think that's important to really have together or not sometimes because sometimes what happens is we run late and then we don't get to have those important conversations. So I like kind

of what we've been doing. Can we do what we do with, neighbor presentations? Alternate. Split that up while we split that up between, afternoon and evening, maybe we split, maybe we alternate right. The commission reports to sometimes in the beginning and alternate beginning and end. I don't know. Just a thought. Alright.

Alright. Something to think about.

Yes. Something to think about just to give a balance to what we're doing. And I agree to that we have given and we often we always give important information, but also just to keep a balance and and being in alignment with what the expectation are for my neighbors as well.

I understand. Okay. Alright. City

manager. I will be as quick as I can be given the conversation. Take

So your

at the last commission meeting, there was a discussion about school resource officers. And the day after we received notification from the school board that they were rescinding the communication that indicated that they would no longer need, the city's police department to provide, security services. So we are basically at the status quo position, except that one of the schools will no longer be open next school year, so that will impact, one police officer, but we anticipate that that officer will transition into another facet of policing. So just wanted

to So does that help us in in, you know, in our strategic planning for assigning police officers where they're needed most. I mean, just to come at the just to say, by the way, we were changing our mind, you know, after all the press play and all the anticipated communications that took place, how do we adjust to that? I mean, when are they going to say again, oh, by the way, we changed our mind again?

Well, I think we're in a good position considering that we likely will have vacancies at whatever point that a new announcement might come forward. We always have a need for sworn personnel, so it's not that it would completely take away from the city's ability to navigate in that situation.

Okay. All right. Please continue.

At a recent meeting, the commission inquired about Mary Brickle Avenue. I think it was Commissioner Glassman. I shared a letter to the commission on April 24. We do need some feedback. We did some research, and it looks like about twenty years ago, the city did approve a resolution. However, that resolution was not transmitted to Broward County. And so now if the city does want to move forward with a street naming for Mary Brickell, we do have some considerations. I'm going to ask Milos to come forward very quickly so that we can get some feedback.

Afternoon. Milos Maestorovi, Director for the City's Transportation and Mobility Department. So, as manager stated, we can come back and present the resolution for the city commission to support the secondary naming of, Brickell Avenue or Southwest I'm sorry, Northwest 1st Avenue to Brickell Avenue. So a couple of clarifications that we would love to get from the city commission is, number one, is the south section is already named Brickell Avenue as a primary naming, and it has a Southwest 2nd Southwest 1st Avenue as a secondary naming, right? So would the city commission, like for us to bring a resolution naming the street North Of Broward Boulevard to be called, Brakela Avenue as a primary or a secondary?

If we want to be consistent with what's called South Of Broward Boulevard, it would be a primary name.

So so just correct me if I'm wrong, but, in the early 2000s, I could have sworn the commission designated, Northwest 1st Avenue, so that's the portion above Broward for six blocks, Mary Brickell Street. That is correct. It is correct.

That is correct. And unfortunately, the city never shared that resolution with Broward County, and therefore, the signs were never changed. So given that this request dates from 2004 and that there is inconsistency in naming, if we are to proceed with what the resolution called back from 2004, we are seeking some direction from the city commission.

Okay. So so are you looking today then to name the South Of Broward also Mary Brickell?

That section of, 1st Avenue is already called, Brickell Avenue in as a primary naming. And the secondary naming is Southwest 1st Avenue. What we're looking for is a direction from the city commission as to, North Of Broward Boulevard, whether we would like to have a break a lavender as a primary or secondary naming. To district Commissioner, what are your thoughts?

I think it should be consistent, and and I I like it. It's primary on one side, right? I mean, is it possible to just move forward with that so it's consistent?

It is.

That makes the most sense. Why would you not have it be consistent?

So we would have at the Sabriquel Avenue as a primary name, Northwest 1st Avenue as a secondary name. And when it comes to the limits, we just wanted to confirm it would be from Broward Boulevard, all the way to Sea Strand Boulevard. There is a little jog that, Northwest 1st Avenue makes at about Northwest 4th Street. But if direction from the city commission is to extend this to Seystring Boulevard, we can do so.

Milos, could you clarify if it's Brickell Avenue or Mary Brickell Avenue? Mary Brickell Avenue.

So the section south thank you, manager Williams. So section south of Broward Boulevard is called Brickell Avenue. Right.

But north is Mary Brickell.

That was a resolution from 2004. Now if we want to be consistent with the south section, one option is to, have it as a Brickell Avenue, simply Brickell Avenue.

But I just because I was on the commission back then. The reason why we wanted it Mary Brickell is because it added a little charm. I mean, Brickell people think of Brickell as a big commercial financial district down in Miami, so we didn't want to associate ourselves with that. And by calling it Mary Brickell, I think there's a Mary Brickell Village in Miami also. But I think giving it the full name Mary Brickell, I think don't you think it lends itself better to then

And And we'll then do south side to be consistent able with the north side and to read for Mary Brickell Avenue.

Yes. And then I would not wait another twenty years for us to do this again.

You have our promise to That '23. That three. Won't 2022. It's the

year of acceleration. I tell the team we're accelerating this year. Right.

Thank you. We're going to expedite it.

Okay. So I also shared with you that we received a grant, a regional infrastructure accelerator grant related to the New River Crossing project. I did get some feedback from many of you on the dais. We did request $2,000,000 We were awarded $650,000,000 We anticipate that we would need to 650 I'm sorry. $650,000.

We can build two city halls. We

and and and a tunnel. And a tunnel. Yes. Yes. So we anticipate that we would need to reduce or modify the intended scope for that grant program.

I know that we've discussed various challenges with the New River Crossing project, as a whole at various levels, including funding and some of the partnerships, that are currently less than stable. So I just wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page on whether or not city staff should move forward with utilizing this grant, noting that there is no required city match. It would allow us to do some due diligence that could help us as we look ahead. If conditions were to change, we might be more prepared to advance a tunnel project. However, it does require some staff time and administrative work in order to utilize this grant funding.

So I just wanted to check-in with the commission and get a feel for interest in utilizing this grant.

I personally feel we should utilize it for the purposes intended. We're just gonna have to reduce the scope of, of our analysis, but I think since there's no match, what's what's there's no downside.

Yep. I agree, mayor. I'm with you.

Yes.

Yep. Okay.

Not not surprisingly, I disagree. I don't think there's going to be any money coming from the federal government under the current administration. I think any planning that you do right now will be absolutely irrelevant. If there is a change in administration and there is there be a change? There will be a change

in administration in three years, right?

Well, may be J. D. Vance, so it may not be a change in administrative philosophy. So we don't know who is going to be our next president. So we may or may not have a change in philosophy as it relates to tunnels and trains and bridges and lions and tigers and bears. So, I think this is a waste of staff time. I again think this is a zombie project. We should be done with it, move forward and recognize that we missed our window of opportunity back when we had a previous administration and we should have moved faster on it. So, I I think this is a waste of still taxpayer dollars, whether it's city taxpayer dollars or federal taxpayer dollars, there are still taxpayer dollars, and I object philosophically to wasting those funds.

Okay.

Alright. Well, I think the majority still agrees to go forward.

Yes. Thank you for the feedback. I also want to highlight the city's participation in preparation for the IPW convention. The commission had asked, how will the city be engaging. And so various members of our team, especially our economic development division and our Strategic Communications department have been actively engaging with Visit Lauderdale and the event promoters. You would have seen in the letter to commission various events taking place right here in the city of Fort Lauderdale. And so I want to make sure that you're aware that we will be putting up some poll banners, basically welcoming event attendees. I think Can

we do something more exciting than that?

Oh, there's a whole list of things that we're doing there. We're gonna have an activation at the convention center. There's a press brunch occurring at the fort. There's an opening night event right here on Fort Lauderdale Beach. So there's so many moments to highlight our city.

Our public works, parks and recreation and police departments are working together to beautify, enhance and provide a safe experience for those event attendees. We also have our transportation mobility department strategically planning to utilize circuit to allow attendees to move throughout the city seamlessly. So we're very prepared and we're excited about it. We also have America two fifty, another commission request for us to become more engaged and involved. You should have seen a communication related to America two fifty poll banners.

We're going to do a commemorative logo. We have various events coming up that we are going to tie to the America two fifty celebration, including the air show, the Great American Beach Party, Fourth of July Spectacular, with the WinterFest Boat Parade closing out the year. So we're really excited about that as well. Our city With

regard to the air show, I was corrected. It's called the AirDot Air Show. I don't know who AirDot is, but, they do have a sponsor. So that's might be new to this year. Don't remember it being there last year.

Or is that just or is that just Brian Lilly's company name? I'm not sure.

That's

that's what I thought. Sponsor.

Is that right?

I think it's just his Just his name? I think it's his company.

Okay. Alright. Well, my my my position stands, you know.

Yeah. Because they do them not just in Fort Lauderdale. I do them all around. Think it's called Air Dot like it's a whole series.

Okay. Thank you.

No problem.

Okay. So our city is the recipient of the Gold Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health from Mental Health America as well as we earned the 2026 Best Wellness Employer Gold Certification through the Wellness Work Day Certification. So I just want to highlight our Human Resources department for always promoting wellness for our employees. This week, the mayor and I received a communication from Commissioner Lamar Fisher from Broward County indicating that the county would be rolling out an application for funding support for FIFA World Cup related events and activations. So if the city wanted to host an event, the county is providing some matching dollars that would allow the city to offset costs for any related event that's eligible, including a watch party, soccer clinics and the like.

So I'm not sure if the commission is interested in us activating, for FIFA World Cup, but it's an opportunity made available through Broward County.

Again, I have no I really think this is a county undertaking. I don't really see any benefit to the city. It is matching money, so we got to put up money ourselves and it's up to $10,000 So none of the events are taking place in our city, none of them taking place in Broward County. I know that there are hotels are being occupied by many of the players and the administrative staff. But again, I don't see a return on investment here.

We know at all if, Inter Miami is going to be doing any events watching any of the performances up at Chase Stadium?

I have not been made aware of any events to be hosted or programmed by Inter Miami. I do believe that the stadium may be a training facility or practice facility for some of the teams that are engaging.

Right. Okay.

No appetite on the commission.

Okay. I haven't heard consensus on that. Okay. Last but not least, we are starting our sandbag distribution program, which is enhanced last year. We took some of the effort, out of it on the part of our residents, and we have prefilled bags available May through November starting the weekend of May 16. So every third Saturday and Sunday of the month from ten a. M. To one p. M, we will be distributing sandbags at the following locations: Floyd Hall Stadium, George English Park, Holiday Park, Mills Pond Park and Riverland Park. Last year, we distributed over 4,000 bags.

We will also have the self serve sandbag operation. We will continue that. Some people do enjoy that and would like to have bags on those off periods when we're not doing our own distribution program. So that is still available. And that concludes my report, Mayor.

Okay. Before I proceed, I was handed a card by a person who wanted to speak. His name is Michael Gerhardt. And and I don't know what item he's here for because it doesn't indicate. It just says city manager's office. Is Michael here? Oh, because it wasn't listed on item four. What's that? So so you want Business 4?

Business 4.

Okay. Okay. We'll get there. Okay. Okay. Thank you, city manager, city attorney.

Nothing there.

You have a report?

No, mayor.

None today. Okay. Great. Okay. Alright. So let us proceed with the agenda. We'll go on to business one, Broward Solid Waste Authority to provide the City Commission with an update on its master plan and facilities amendment, Public Works Department. I want to also recognize Commissioner Beam Fuhr, who's here on this He'll be the first one to speak. But I thank you for being here today, commissioner. Why don't you sit up front? This isn't church.

Have Brad Cain, public works director, but mayor, did you did you indicate that commissioner Fuhr would be the first to speak? Or Well,

after the presentation. Yeah.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Yeah. Good good afternoon, mayor Trent Dallas, vice mayor Thornton, and thank you for those kind words, fellow commissioners. I'm just curious to do a brief introduction on the item, and I will leave it to Commissioner Furr and staff to present the item. But what you're going to hear today is a presentation from the Interim Executive Director of the Broward County Solid Waste Authority on the benefits of joining the SWA going forward, a decision that the city commission will have to make over the next couple of months. Today is not for any decision making.

It's for informational purposes only. And if the commission has any questions, mister May will answer them or Commissioner Furr. Our steps going forward, just for everybody to know, is staff will come back on May 19 with a presentation, to discuss the solid waste master plan and the facilities amendment key points for further discussion and future recommendations going forward. And we will have that discussion on the nineteenth or set another date in June, for further discussion on whether or not the city of Fort Lauderdale will join the SWA or not. But that's what I just wanted to share with everybody. So there was no decisions that needs to be made today. This is just a presentation by the interim executive director, on the benefits of the SWA.

Great. Thank you. Thank you.

Commissioner Fuhr?

Mayor Walt, commissioner Fuhrer is coming up. Did the city attorney leave? Chief? Or chief? Okay. I just city mayor, I just wanna make sure commissioner Fuhrer and I are both members of the Solid Waste Authority, the board. It was it was it was notice. It's notice, so I think we're we're fine. Okay, mayor. Just wanna double. No. I'm

I'm good as long

as it's appropriate to stay. Thank you, mayor.

And thank you and thank you

for that, Ben. Thanks.

First of

all, good afternoon, everybody. Good good afternoon, mayor, commissioners, city manager, city attorney. We're kind of here on a roadshow tour. We're going from city to city, to try to get to yes. No guitar? Yeah. I know. Somewhere, I'm here with Sam Mays, the executive director. Oh, you you moved up. Daniel Dietz, who's our, consultant, and and Mayor Lou Tai from the Broward League of Cities.

You know, wasn't that long ago where I was sitting in in your seat as a Hollywood city commissioner. And when I was a Hollywood city commissioner, the one thing I always had to worry about was whether or not the garbage got picked up. I didn't have to worry about anything else. And if it didn't get picked up, you as you guys do, you make a call and make sure it gets picked picked up. As a county commissioner, I've had to worry about where it goes when it gets picked up and then what happens to it.

I I was on the RRB as a Hollywood City commissioner. So I've had a a breadth of experience on it and after I I became a county commissioner after the r r b had dissolved. So I kinda had an eye on what what was gonna happen and I watched as there was there was a lot of chaos, a lot of struggle, everybody trying to figure out where do we go, where who we're gonna be with, where we're take our garbage. I saw 13 cities take their garbage to Palm Beach waste energy plant. I saw all of our recycling rates plummet from 60% down to 30.

I saw our landfill rates skyrocket up above 60%. Not to mention our They were taking garbage from Broward County to places all over the state. So it it was a mess. And so around 2015, 2016, a number of city commissioners throughout the county and I got together and we said, maybe there's a better way to do this. And so we started trying to put something together.

It's been ten years of meetings, literally hundreds of meetings of trying to put this solid waste authority together. Taking pictures of garbage all over the in people's garbage to find out what kind of garbage is in this county. Well, know, what you know, what if you're if you're looking at, how much glass, how much, plastic, all these kind of things we've been doing for just a number of years. Throughout that whole time, there has been one consistent, part of it and it has been the global agreement which Fort Lauderdale was a part of. It has been the one consistent agreement for the last thirty five years that has kept your rates and most and those cities that are part of the global agreement has kept them stable and has kept them low when you look at all because we have a most favored nation status.

Nobody can have a lower price than us. And that's where we're trying to get to again. We're gonna we'll stay that with the low global global agreement. But my my hope is that we get to doing doing that same thing, that same most favored nation status through recycling. But what I think what you're gonna see is over the next couple of years if this happens is we we knew that we were running out of landfill space. We also knew we were running, that the waste energy is is is capped. It can't get you know, it's can't get anymore. At the same time, we're We're using that waste energy facility.

Right.

Sure. Absolutely.

But it's a I mean, there's a time when we weren't using enough of it and we were being charged for not using Well,

not only what not only did were we not using enough of it after the dissolution of the RRB, we that's when the other one got dismantled because of that, which is a Crazy. We don't even wanna go there.

Right.

Don't wanna go there. Through all this, you know, we've we over the last year, we have made changed our from the county's perspective. We've had some legislation on the landfill. We have now, said no more organics will be going into the landfill. Why? Because that is a the prime generator of methane. That that landfill is one of the biggest in the world, and we don't wanna be adding anymore to that. You all have been one of the main people with climate change. Guys have done a great job with it, with the county. So we decided we're not gonna do that anymore.

We're gonna take all of our organics to Okeechobee and compost all of it. That's part of what the SW is looking to do, divert all of these organics there out to the BIC which is a Broward County landfill where you can take all your yard waste, start to do glass recycling out there, start to do mulching out there, all those different things that are not happening right now. So there's a lot of good possibilities that that I think, would be would be good. We're trying to get to a recycling rate of 75%. Why that?

That is not an arbitrary number. If we can get to that, we don't have to build another waste energy plant. If we don't get there, we're gonna have to. So we're gonna have, that's that's part of it, and that's another billion dollar proposition. We don't wanna have to do that. So the only way to not do that is to divert, reduce all the thing, recycle and all those things that I think you're gonna see, all the all the cities are trying to Thank you all for being a part of the, Solid Waste Authority. Steve, I know you were a part of this at beginning of this. And and I do Just for the

first seven of the ten years.

Okay.

That's okay. And and I do think Port Lotto has a unique position in this. You have more tonnage than everybody. Many of these decisions are based on tonnage. The decisions have to be have to reach a threshold of certain tonnage. You you have a have a unique position that you would have a be able to steer and have a lot of influence in how this goes, on on what things go where and all that. I think you guys need to be the leaders on this. I really do. You need to be there and you need to be a part of it. I can't imagine trying to go it alone.

If you try to go it alone, there's a big difference in terms of economies of scale. When we're when we're doing a contract, if we're doing a contract with somebody and we come in and we say we've got 2,000,000 tons of garbage, it's a lot different from coming in and say I got a 100,000. And we've seen and I think Daniel can can tell you what's happening in Orlando when when you were when he was able to do tiered rates, huge difference, huge difference. And so you wanna be a part of that. You wanna be part of that and you wanna be part of the the evolution of all this.

There are there's a real connection. I've I've I've seen over the years of between not only garbage, but environment, climate change, all these things. They're all they're all interconnected, And and this is a place where you where where I think we're gonna be able to make a huge difference, in the world to be honest because we're I've just gotten back from both Brazil at COP and London and the Brazilian cities. We when we talk about what we were doing with landfills, they're wanting to do the same thing now. So they're We we have a chance to be a leader here and you guys have a chance to be part of that and I'd and I'd like to see that. So with that, I I'm happy to answer any questions but our technical people are here and they know it a lot better than I do. But I'm happy to answer. Alright.

Actually, commissioner, if I may.

Thank you.

Sure.

So unfortunately, I too was involved with the RRB.

Believe you the audit I the auditor

and I was there when the county refused to give me access to the records despite the fact that our inter local agreement required them to give me account to, access to the records. Okay. We had to sue them to get access to the records. So the county has not been a good partner to the cities with the RRB and I I was actually at the table during the mediation sessions and I know how we got the Alpha two fifty site and everything else that went along with it. So what are you going to share with me that I can tell my residents about two things?

Number one, for the, what, thirty years of the RRB, we paid some of the highest rates possible for tipping. And number two, when it came time to amicably dissolve, the county was not a good partner in amicably dissolving and distributing the resources in accordance with an interlocal agreement that we had.

So what's different Let let me I'll I'll take I'll take both of them. First of all, this is much more city centric. This is not run by the county. This is run by the cities. And if you look at the governing board, it is I'm one vote on that on that governing board, and I'm one vote on the executive committee. So this is a city centric. You are you are the you are the SWA. It is not the county doing it.

Well, how come we would kicked off the executive board then?

You were never kicked off.

You didn't

get see, what happened is there's there's a certain number of people that are There's there's 10 I believe it's 10 members on the large, cities, 10 on the middle cities. I mean, it's I'm sorry. Nine, nine and nine and small cities. So on the executive committee, there are five cities out of those 10 that are elected to be on the executive committee. And there were there was,

you know, for whatever reason shouldn't Fort Lauderdale be a member ex officio because we are the largest user? I was

I actually I actually agree with you on that. I actually agree with you. And much like on like with CareerSource where and the TTC Right. The largest cities as well. I I actually agree with you on that. Let me go back to what you're talking about. One is city centric and when you were talking about the higher fees, as you know, that was a that was paying off a bond. There was an, there was an escalator that was going on and yeah, it got over over a $100 per ton.

Right.

As you know, we were also all and I I remember with Hollywood getting a rebate every year. I remember when Hollywood got a $2,000,000 rebate one year. Once those bonds were paid off, then what should have been happening is all champagne corks popping and I Because the the rate should have just plummeted and it did, not to not to where we all wanted to go to. That was a lot of negotiation and part of why the dissolution happened. But the bond that bond escalators what caused that up to over a 100 and then the the the soon as it paid off, it went down to 57, I believe.

But I think what you also What what drove that was competition because prior to the dissolution of the RRB, waste management had exclusive flow direction under the ILA, right? And so once we had competition, Bergeron came in and competed. Once we had competition in the marketplace, then rates fell. And so what I'm concerned about is we're not we're basically going to lock ourselves into another one of these long term contracts where we have exclusivity and we don't have competition in the marketplace. The only thing that guarantees low rates is marketplace competition.

I would disagree with you because the global agreement has made sure that is the lowest rate right now and you get most favored nation status. If you have a right now, if you have with our agreement with Wheeler Ritter now, FCC, requires that our our rate is lower than anybody's, any spot market. We get the lowest one. We expect the same thing with when we go out for a recycling bid, we will be asking that same thing. And and then if anybody has a a tries to undercut us, we'll go for most favored nation and still get the lower rate.

Let let me ask you

Because we're coming in with Sure. We have all the leverage in the

So so you know, two other interesting things happened when we got to the end of that. So you talk about the bonds. I believe there were $500,000,000 for their two waste to energy plants. So we, the residents of Broward County, paid for two waste to energy plants. We turned them over.

We didn't turn them over. Part of the agreement at the very beginning was the the from here's what I've heard.

Right.

And and and I wasn't there. But the county wasn't didn't wanna take on the risk because it was a new, technology. In exchange for that, what they said is you build it, you'll still own it. We never turned them over. They they were still owning it with the tipping fees that we're paying

for it.

So let me let me see if I understand that. So we issued the bonds. We paid off the bonds. Through tipping fees. Through tipping fees.

Correct.

So they owned it, but we paid for it? Yes. Because those bonds we financed it. So we financed it, which typically would have made

us I'm not saying that was a great deal. Okay. Okay. I'm not just trying to say that was I I I came in after way after that.

I mean, at the end of it, they shut down one of the plants and now we're saying we don't have enough we don't have enough, ability to to you know

They shut it down because there wasn't enough because all we were sending all of our garbage to Palm Beach and and they ended up getting their recycling rates went sky high, ours plummeted and then they said, well, we're not gonna nobody's sending stuff to our plant. We're gonna dismantle because they I think they probably do make more money landfilling.

So you know it's an interesting thing, So Palm Beach County built a waste to energy plant while we were shutting our second one

down. Exactly.

Something odd in that dynamic there that they found that there was that there was enough flow to build a brand new plant and finance it while we here in Broward were saying there was not enough garbage to support our two plants.

And they were using They were using our garbage our garbage to do

And apparently it made more sense market wise for our provider to ship their trash north and shut down the facility here rather than keep both of them operating at capacity. Yeah. But my last question, maybe my last question is, I apologize. One last one. So we talked about getting to 75% recycling.

Yeah.

And there's only a hand the only a handful of cities in the country at 75%. Correct. San Francisco, LA, San Jose, the entire state of California is only a 37%. The most progressive state in the entire country is only a 37% recycling. It is a stretch goal to say the least. The only one locally here is Palm Beach and it's because they're sending it all to the waste, but we'll leave that aside. The likelihood of us getting to 75% when China has stopped buying buying most of the recycled goods that most of the world used to ship is Yeah. Not gonna happen.

Palm Beach is at 90% right now,

which is but

that's with those recycling credits and I'm Right. You know about that. 75% is a very I'm not disagreeing. That's a very hard one to reach. But you and you have to have a very good plan, a very good educational outreach for that to happen. But the odd the the you know, the the other way to go is not try not to try at all. Sense at all.

But we've been trying for the better part of forty years right now and we've never cracked 50% not true.

We got 60% in in 2012.

And it fell back immediately.

So we got yeah.

I mean, so so no, but I I want to I want to know how this makes sense for us to try and get to something that we've never gotten to, we've never been able to sustain. Let me put it that way. Nobody else across the country has been able to sustain it. So I I I would I would agree with you if we were saying, hey, let's try this and see if it works but we've tried it and we already know it doesn't work.

I would I would disagree. We we have tried it and it did work and it was working and it worked while we were all together. It didn't work when we were apart. That's the big difference. That's the big difference. The ask is that you become part of the SWA. You are you are going to pass a facilities amendment and we and the master plan has already been adopted by the governing board. So that the ask is that you pass the facilities amendment and you become part of the SWA. Alright. And what's the and what's the downside

from your perspective if we don't become what I mean, we have

to find our

own place to to dump our garbage?

Correct. You would be you would be out on your own doing your own contracts, you know, at the mercy of the private sector. So you would be you would be negotiating by yourself, not having the leverage of saying we have 5,000,000 tons of garbage in the Right.

So you're saying that that's that that the advantage of piggybacking on the contract that that the county and the associated cities would have would be to our advantage And and where's the ultimate, where's the ultimate destination of all this garbage?

There's numerous places and that's the difference. You would also have access to being able to compost in Okeechobee. You'd be you'd have the access to mulching at the BIC, glass recycling at the BIC, c and d, all those different things become at your disposal. By not doing that, you don't have access to that.

Okay.

Okay.