Regular City Commission Meeting - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone. Today is Wednesday, September 9th, 2026. The time is 6 p.m. Please call the roll.

Present. Let's stand for a moment of silence and do the pledge. Elsie, you want to start the pledge?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. He's not going to get a t-shirt?

I don't know if we have t-shirts for this event. The CRA doesn't. That's a city item. Getting me in trouble again. Oh, you don't have shirts for the CRA. All right. Minutes for approval.

What's the wish of the commission? So moved to approve. Please call the roll.

Yes. I'd like to move item for a up to now. Is there any issue? Did anyone have a problem with us moving for a up to now?

All right, I've been asked to have that tabled for two to three weeks at least.

And does anyone have a problem making a motion to table? I'll second that. Or you can't make a motion. So I'll make a motion to table.

Okay, but we can call an earlier one if need be.

May I ask a question? Isn't there a certain amount of days prior to that this has to be either approved or disapproved, and that would definitely be too soon?

But doesn't that come into conflict, I'm asking?

So the answer is yes, there is a time certain by which this has to be done.

Could I ask why we're being asked to table this?

I didn't go into an inquiry of them of why. They asked for something. And I didn't think it was unreasonable.

I have a question. I'm kind of in line with Arlene, but then deviating a little bit. I'm not necessarily concerned about the 90-day. I know we've made exceptions in the past. I just want to make sure that if this moves forward later on down the road, would there be enough time for the city to approve it? I just want to make sure that if we table it, we don't table it too long, that then the CRA doesn't have time to discuss and approve it.

Well, if I have to call a special meeting for that reason, I'll call a special meeting.

I mean, I'll still keep the motion because it was the petitioner asked for it. And I'm going to still second it.

So. So then let's call the roll because there's no.

I would say until until the appropriate time. Yeah, I'd say I don't want to put a date certain if whenever they're ready or you're ready and you advise us, we can move forward.

We should have an end by date, if nothing else.

I have no problem with that. No problem with that. Okay. So we have a first and a second for a table. Correct. So let's call the vote. Yeah, but isn't there no conversation when there's a table? A first and a second?

I'm not removing my second. Let's move this on. We can discuss this another day. Please call the roll.

I'd like to know the reason why it's being tabled. If it's a hardship, then that's one thing. But if it's not a hardship, then I'd like to know the reason for it being tabled since it is on the agenda and it has been posted. So the petitioner knew that it was coming up tonight.

Thank you. I don't have any reason. Please call the roll.

Any public discussion? Public discussion, anyone who wants to speak on any item that is not on the agenda? You have, that is not on the agenda, you have up to three minutes.

You can speak on it now, but it won't be on.

Public discussion is over. I don't see anyone else who's looking to get up. Resolutions.

Sure. While you're here, just for a heads up, this is a gentleman who got a facade grant. And he has to do it within a certain amount of time, what he's asking for, because of issues going on, that he just has a little extra time to finish the project. That's all. So please show us where you are in the project right now.

Just to make sure, you are redoing the entire parking lot?

Board Member Auseria. Yeah, good evening. Thank you for coming to Margate. Well, you've been an owner of those shopping centers for quite some time, but thank you for helping to beautify Margate. I know when I first got here, we had some grant programs that were just not taking off, and the board collectively suspended those, went back to the drawing boards, and came up with new grant programs, which owners have started to utilize now. Um, so I know that this property was, I believe that facade grant had ended. Todd came to us and asked us if we would do a grant with him. I'm glad he did.

It looks better than I thought it was going to look. Thank you. Not only from the pictures, but it was like kind of like just a square building. And actually they added to the tops to make things like offset and So it looks really nice. Um, I may have seen some other plans for another center you own. I hope, I hope that you come to us again because, um, that other center you have is right near our downtown. So I'm, I, I hope you do it.

Thank you. Thank you for what you're doing to help beautify Margate. I'm excited to see this project completed. I think it's going to look beautiful. It's certainly putting a new facelift on some dreary shopping centers. I know the residents will be anxious to see it come to completion as well. And also it sounds like you have some good tenants that are going to go in that shopping center. So we're excited to have them come to Margate and have our residents patronize them. So thank you very much for taking the interest and doing what you do so well to help our city and our residents.

You can go. There's no other questions up here. Public?

I was saying we lifted them with moratorium. So we do allow them.

We have a motion and a second. And so please call the roll.

Okay. Okay. Public? Oh, I'm sorry, Joanne, I didn't see that you had a message. You wanted to say something. On the budget, the annual budget.

Yes, I have some comments and some questions on it. Okay. Okay, I'm bringing it up. A couple of things that I noticed. I have some questions on it. The permits for the covered field, the actual in 2024 was $1,834. It was amended in 2026. It went down to $1,000. And the proposed 2027 went down to $1,000. So are we not Are we giving so much away at that covered field that we're not taking in what we did in 2024?

Okay. Another thing I have on my list is the Winter Festival. 2024, it was $67,000. Now it's $100,000 for the Winter Festival. What are we doing that's increasing that Winter Festival by $40,000? Seems to be excessive. I know it's always been popular. And 2024, it was a good festival. Why the need to go up $40,000?

Okay. The other one that I have is, again, July 4th. I know how popular it is. $85,000 seems to be an excessive amount of money to just blow up in the air. I would like to see that one definitely come down. I don't want to spend $85,000 on fireworks. I'm sorry. The sports complex field improvements, $3 million. I thought the only part, and correct me if I'm wrong, on that sports complex, the only part that's in the CRA is the covered part. But yet we're putting money towards the fields. Is that in the CRA?

So that whole complex, including the fields, is in the CRA, not just the covered portion?

Okay. Thank you. Travel. $28,814 in 2024. And then it was $22,106 in 2025. Now it's going to $40,000. We already have a developer. The downtown is already being worked on. I understand, you know, the FRA conference, that's okay, but why the need for $40,000 on travel? Seems to be excessive there. And the last... And I guess that's it for something on C. So... I think we're spending a lot of money where we don't need to spend a lot of money or put it in the budget with times that are very tough. I think that we're being excessive on some of our expenditures for the CRA.

I know that these are placeholders. I just think the placeholders are a little bit on the high side that they can be lowered on some of these things. Seeing what the actual cost was in years past and going up this amount.

Apropos the comment about the turf fields, I went out to watch, as I understand some others may have a tournament going on for soccer at Southeast Field. And parents came over to tell me that they would have preferred that one of those fields stayed grass because of how hot which we've discussed before, the one field gets. So I have no great desire to see everything turn into turf. It may be a lot easier to keep and all of that, but if it's $3 million, it's probably not the most important thing we need to do since the fields have remained the way they are for this long and no one's really comp

Thank you. So if I understand this correctly, we're spending $1,713,000 and change for funding for city employees that perform work for the CRA.

$1,700,000 for that compensation. Before I approve this, I certainly would like to see a breakdown. That just seems like a lot of money for city employees that perform work for CRA. $1,700,000.

Is that just salaried or does that include?

That includes also the stage being out there, the people who have to sit there, put it up, take it down, and every time that we go and we donate to fundraising kinds of things that we pay everyone who shows up because the stage comes up, like the thing that happened on It happens often. We donate the time, we still have to pay the staff, and the CRA doesn't have those people, so I'm assuming it's for the city to get paid.

People in the garbage at the end of the evening, putting away the tables and chairs.

It's the generator that runs the stage and all of that stuff.

I understand, but $1,700,000 seems to be a lot of money for that.

I think we probably need to... And I don't have a breakdown in my backup. I don't see that either. No, there isn't. Right.

Sit up front so you don't have to worry about that.

It'll be too late after we vote. I understand, but you still want to understand what it is. Yes, yes.

Does this also include whatever it costs every time we do a Sounds of Sundown to also bring in the entities?

There's the wish of the board on this item. So moved. Second. Second.

Sure. We don't have a mat for you to stand on, though. Okay. Hold on, speak up, so we, now it's on. On now.

Remind me how much retail there's going to be.

That was my only question right now. Thank you.

Yeah. I'm not a fan either i mean the pictures look nice i'm sure if it was built it would be a decent place but when i'm looking at it um it looks confused like is it a park or is it a downtown city center not a fan of the pickleball courts um i'm not a fan of losing a community center i'm out there talking to residents all the time and they're asking for a community center so to see that gone was a little disappointing. Not a fan of losing the fountain either. I do like art, public art. I'm not a public art hater, but it seems like you talked to one commissioner who's leaving in a few weeks

Board Member Schwartz. I would have liked, and I've said it a hundred times, but I've learned to live with compromise. a building on one side, a building on the other for apartments and people going into the middle. We all looked when board member Simone showed us some of the most amazing light art. We all agreed on it. that all of a sudden, now, we don't agree on. As far as I'm concerned, the community center can be on the west side of the street. That's where it belongs. It doesn't belong with people driving in where others are going to retail and others are living. That's not where that bel

I think he probably wouldn't put two bits. Well, he mentioned it. Well, he's talking with two, but I doubt it.

But the point is, I'd like to see something different that brings people into Margate, whereas others think that for the next 30 years, they should just drive through us going somewhere else. So it needs to be... a piece of a place, but I'm gonna ask the city attorney a question. This is simply to give approval for them to start actually spending additional money to come up with a concept that is much more concrete, is that correct?

If for example, board member Rosano said, gee, I've just seen a great idea. Could we change this for that? Is that possible?

Thank you. I'm curious, who else was not a fan of the fountain? Because it would take three to take that off.

Nobody ever talked to me about a fountain.

I mean, it was in the original concept plan.

I didn't like that style of water feature. I would agree, but not to remove a water feature completely.

No, I completely understand that. And I've opposed projects in the past, but I still try to work or come up with a good outcome, whether I vote for it or not. So just because I oppose a project doesn't mean I'll give input. But we're taking, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but Commissioner Simone, since her name's mentioned now, is termed out, right? I'm not picking on her. She's gone in November. No, no, I'll be here. So I think Commissioner Rosano has a point. Why not wait until a new commissioner comes in here? Or if you get your wish, two new commissioners come in here. But i

Also, I don't want to have to throw you out. Please.

Yeah, I mean, fine details of what the art looks like, I get. But when I see little pieces of art everywhere, I'm just, conceptually, I'm not seeing this big, grand... wow, this is what Mark, you know, this is Margate.

I go to promenade. Everyone talks about the promenade. After I finally find parking, there's nothing there. That's like, wow. You look at Coral Springs is buildings up against the road and you walk in and there's no, wow.

I'd still like to see some sort of commitment for a fountain. Not design... But some type of water feature. Just just so that later on, if we want a water feature we're told well wasn't in the concept plan. Well, I don't mean no. Well, but we're also the board, I mean if the board tells them we want a water feature i'm sure they're going to do it.

So first I'm going to ask Cale, please explain what the $35 million is supposed to go to.

I was always under the impression it was in some way, shape, or form for infrastructure. That I get. Building a garage is not necessarily, I don't look, by infrastructure I think of plumbing, electrical, those kinds of things that people never see but that you have to have there before you can do anything else. That I get because we've done that for Culver's, we've done that for Wawa, we've done that for everybody. But us actually building something there, unless it's our property, how do you?

then I'm going to remind you of something that we didn't vote for, which was the city of Margate on the original developer's agreement paying for the bottom level of a parking garage that no doubt will be rented out to people who live there. I'm not a great fan of us paying for the parking garage because that's what some of the renters are, no doubt in my mind, are going to rent space to park their cars.

All right, so what I was looking for was the definition of public improvements. because I'm looking at it as one way, but I'm hearing of something different. Then I will add, which I probably shouldn't, that in 2016, every one of us, the chair and I got up as residents and expressed how we felt about 968 three-story walk-ups and a strip mall. There are seven people running, one of whom is sitting here. I've heard his opinion. I have not heard what those people think. And quite frankly, it's not their job to go looking for people running for office to ask them what their opinion is. If it's imp

I mean, in fairness, she's the only one that's actually showing up, though. The others just talk on Facebook and don't have actual plans. I don't blame them for not speaking out to people that are irrational.

Fine, if that one person wants to get up and speak, that's fine. But you tell me that I should go hold up this that I have waited 25 years for. 25 years, because I was on the commission.

It's not, because then it's another three months and another this and another that and another... I didn't hear anybody get up at any point that we all looked at this at the same time and say, why don't we put in this or why don't we put in that? Because then we would have said, what a great idea. So I don't see that happening. Before, there were two of us who got up and made it really clear how we felt about the project that was being shoved down our throat. I don't see people feeling that that's what's happening here. And I don't think we're ever going to, what do they say? A good agreement

30 days from this or 30 days from the last one?

Just out of curiosity, how did we come up with the number?

Kel, let me ask you a question. That $35 million, over the course of a 99-year contract, we break even, what, after 11 years and we have 88 years of profit?

After that, you've got 85 years of profit where we're making money. 85 years, hypothetically. Everything's hypothetical when you hate the project.

Their projections could be seriously off. I saw the projections on the current prices.

I know that Other projects are having issues because the price of the units and the rent costs are going down across the region. People talk about whether there's a correction or a crash or some sort of market change with the housing market, which is on its way down. I'm not a doom and gloom. I'm not saying there's going to be a housing crash. But the market is clearly cooling down. So it could be quite some time before rents actually hit the projections that they're showing. So I don't want to bank on it paying itself back in 11 years.

So since my number is still up. So, gentlemen. And the rest of you. So if we were to say up to 35 million with the reevaluating as time passed on, would that be a deal breaker as opposed to definitely 35 million? Because I'm listening to what he's saying. I'm guessing I won't live long enough to actually see us make the money back, but be that as it may, the legacy that we would all like to give someone. So since the number just kind of came out of wherever it came out of, why not up to?

Isn't it the same thing when you have a limit of $35 million? We're going to do $35 million?

No, you're saying you're giving $35 million. That's not the same thing as up to.

No, no, but it's payment. They're only going to get paid once they do certain things that we've okayed as being part of that.

For a board member to... What do you say? Want us to stop handing out plaques or worrying about a rental car, these little small, odd-and-end expenses, but then to just roll the dice on $35 million, kind of... Close my mind to be honest with you.

So would not people have to prove that that bill, I mean, I'm not saying they wouldn't, certainly I'm not questioning that, but you would still have to itemize the bill and prove it. Yes. Considering we have someone sitting up here who certainly knows prices for concrete, steel, and all those kinds of things. But if it did not seem legitimate, we would have that conversation.

Well, since you just told me it's reimbursement, then obviously it would have been something you paid for in advance rather than just the bill being sent.

And I would take for granted that they would not look to overpay for anything because it's coming out of their pocket. I'm going to say that I'm going to look at this the same way as the $675,000 we just gave somebody for a facade grant. We took for granted that It was going to be used for the right thing. And you have to, at some point, you got to trust somebody. We're going to look at 50 empty acres for a very long time.

And eventually that's what the money was for, slum and blight. Right. So from one Virgo to another.

You want to have a happy birthday? Thank you for the answer. I appreciate it.

Thank you. In my defense, I have sat up here for 14 years wanting to see a downtown. I have worked on trying to work with my colleagues to build a downtown for our residents and to ask for this to be tabled because my opinions don't count by some board members, I think is complete disrespect to me. I have sat up here. I have worked hard. I have done my best. Has everybody always agreed with me? No. Have I always agreed with everybody else? No. But I'm not disrespectful to anybody. At least I try not to be. and to hear that two board members want to table this because I'm for the project and I

I don't know how every time there's a difference of opinion, it's someone's picking on me or someone's all right, whatever. But I'm going to make a motion because I've got to try. I'm going to make a motion to table this until we'll say December.

You can't. You second the table. You can't second it for discussion. No, but you seconded it. He's going to tell you that once the table is done and you second it, there is no discussion. So take back your second.

All right. So call the roll on tabling, please.

Okay. Yeah, does anybody, we have a motion. All right, do we have a motion to move forward on this? What's the will of the board? I thought we did. Did we have it before? Oh, wait. We did. Sorry. We had it.

So now you're there. Right. Asked for a table.

Thank you, Steve. You didn't give me a 30-second warning.

Can I ask him a question? How many square feet is the barbershop?

In regards to the comment about He said parceling out, not necessarily parceling out, but after they build phase one, they do have the right to assign it to a different developer.

As part of that agreement, they're able to assign a lease.

We didn't sign anything. You didn't sign a contract with them? This is what this is about now.

Please call the roll. Oh, hold on. Arlene, I didn't see her.

I was just going to ask Mr. Scott, because I'm curious, too. How many stories is the garage, since it was asked?

Do you have any idea how many units can be? I'm just curious, and I don't know that you do.

That's a lot of space. Okay, thank you. I was just, because someone had asked, I wanted to know as well.

And, yeah. Oh, my God, my eyes. By the way, Jim, we're up to tenant updates. Everyone's paid rent. You have no late people. Do you want to get up and take a victory lap around the podium, or are you just fine where you are? And let's go for board member comments then.

Okay. Board member comments. Board member Schwartz, why don't you start it off?

So I'm going to say to the owner way back when, we put over $2 million in there, but we have not said that small business will not flourish on the side of the street where you are. This side was promised for something else, for places to eat and the kinds of shopping that we maybe have small businesses or not, but nobody's not... Let me put it this way. 20 years ago, we promised, and I say it wrong, but they correct me all the time. I call it first right of refusal, but I think it's first right of acceptance. You weren't there 20 years ago, but ACE certainly was, and it was understood. And the

Board Member Osorio. Yeah, thank you, Chair. Executive director, the median's in 441. I believe in the budget we have for median improvements as well, similar with the city. When are we going to start some of that? And it's not necessarily putting new trees in and stuff, which I am a fan of, but it is pretty heavily landscaped along 441. But that's part of the issue. I think in some areas it's too bushy. There's a lot of shrubs that are dyed or hit by cars. They weren't replaced. A lot of the beautification along 441 that I'm looking at is actually thinning some of the shrub out, sod, those so

Antonio, where are you specifically? I ride my bike up and down 441 every day almost. So where are you looking?

We'll stretch a 441. But most specifically from Atlantic to the hospital.

Or died, or just... Sometimes if plants, over time, they're not maintained properly, what have you, they get too lengthy, and there's... Like a bunch of sticks with little leaves. Right, yeah. So some of that stuff just needs to be removed. But I feel like we've been talking about this for a couple years now, and I haven't really seen any progress on that. Also, when we think about the CRA, we always think about 441 corridor. But for whatever reason... probably because it's slum and blight, but the plaza that is, everyone thinks it's Coral Springs. It's on Sample Road between Riverside Drive a

Correct. That entire plaza is part of the CRA.

They call it Carolina. They've changed the name. It used to be Holiday Spring Shopping Center. Right. I don't know the name of the shopping center. So it's Carolina.

But whatever the name, I mean, there must have been a reason why the board that created, or the commission that created the CRA back in the day, when they drew those boundaries, they included that plaza for a reason. And I don't know if the CRA has done anything in there. And make no mistake, I fully understand that's private property. but maybe we can have a revived effort to approach those plaza owners and let them know we have grant programs or we're willing to, I don't want to say create grant programs, but the gentleman that came up tonight and got the grant extension, that grant had fini

And that's all I have. Thanks. Board Member Simone.

I know in the past we have reached out. I think, was it you, Larry, that reached out to the plaza owner? Or Paul, somebody I know did reach out to that plaza owner and they just were not interested at all in doing anything at that plaza. So I know in the past we have worked very, very hard to get him and told him about the grants and he just was not willing to do anything, whoever owns it. The manhole covers on Margate Boulevard, we're still working on those?

Okay. And the bus benches that we have in this city, we don't maintain those, the covered ones that are painted with the concrete.

Okay, can we look at those? The one that I'm speaking about is the one by the hospital. It really is looking bad as far as painting goes. The columns are completely black almost. So if we can go through the city and spruce up our sheltered bus benches or sheltered bus stops, that would do a lot for our appearance.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. And it's just more maintenance. I see other cities, they have covered bus shelters, but they're not as inviting.

I can look into that. I would love to see that.

And the laws have also changed where it's our responsibility now where we could be sued if we don't correct the problem. But we're, you know, having these inviting free motels along out in front of shopping centers and then they're hanging out at the shopping centers and

Okay, because they are really looking nasty, and they really don't make the city look good in the condition that they're in. And the last thing I have is I do want to address the carnival. I don't know why it was tabled, but I know everything about the carnival goes against our event policy for the CRA. The use of the property is restricted to businesses, sponsors who have a business or nonprofit organizations or religious institution. I know they're asking for an extra eight days. Um, the carnival is supposed to only be 14 days, but they want 17 days according to our policy. And the city code

I saw his Facebook post. He beat you to it. Don't worry.

I'm just going to be real quick. I just have one item. Today, both board member Schwartz and I were called visionaries. And the person wasn't thrilled with our vision, but that's okay. Because without vision, there is no advancement. Without vision, there is no future. And without vision, there is only decay. And we will not let the city decay. I want to thank everybody who went with me this evening on making sure that this city has a future. Where we believe that businesses are going to be able to... Listen, Joanne, Arlene, and I go to too many grand openings that become grand closings a coup