Remarks by Michael J. Ryan
398 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 13 of 16
- Play at 9:21
“Okay. Is the applicant here and represented? Do you waive full quasi-judicial hearing in this matter? Thank you. Can you state your name for us? Sarah Thompson. Sarah, nice to see you. Do any of my colleagues wish to have this item polled for any questions or a full hearing? Hearing none, go ahead and call the consent agenda 5A and B.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 9:47
“Yes. Those items pass 5-0. Good luck and look forward to that getting open. We have 13A and B, which is just purely a first reading, and I think we'll talk about this perhaps at another occasion, but to maybe move this up since it's not going to be handled as a quasi-judicial. Move it. Motion by Commissioner Kirch, seconded by Commissioner Scudo. All in favor say aye.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 10:08
“All right, we're going to move up 13A and B, the first reading of 13A. This is the first reading of an ordinance to rezone property. The title of the ordinance is an ordinance of the City of Sunrise, Florida, approving rezoning from Community Business District B2 and General Business District B3 to Planned Development District, PDD, of approximately 20 acres of land generally located at the southwest corner of North University Drive and the West Oakland Park Boulevard within the City of Sunrise, Broward County, Florida, amending the zoning district map to reflect the rezoning, approving 270…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 11:26
“In order to the City of Sunrise approving the rezoning from General Business District B3 to planned unit development public district of approximately 9.65 acres of land generally located south of the West Oakland Park Boulevard between Northwest 64th Avenue and Northwest 68th Avenue within the City of Sunrise, Broward County, Florida. Amending the zoning district map to reflect the rezoning allocating for up to 33 flexibility units for the proposed project. Approving 229 multifamily residential units for the proposed project. Approving development program standards approving the form of the…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 12:41
“Wednesday, 23rd, 23rd is a Wednesday. Everybody good. Yep. Okay. Um, This is a procedure that we do to make sure the public is fully aware, not only by the advertising that goes out for the property, but to make sure that there is a first announcement of the proposed ordinance that gives folks enough time to organize and be here to have full input within our process. So I thank my colleagues on the commission for this process. I thank Tom and Mark for working on this and the staff. Okay, we're ready. Ready for some celebrations. Deputy Mayor, the floor is yours.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 13:58
“All right. So what we're here to do tonight is celebrate teachers. For the last 16 years, the City of Sunrise, every month, recognizes a teacher of the month. And you're going to see in a little while, we recognize our hero police officers and firefighters and our employees who work so hard to make our city run well, to protect us, and to provide the customer service we expect. And we also recognize, however, that while we don't control anything in the schools, and I've said it many times, if you're complaining about the car loop, we have nothing to do with it. There's nothing we can do about…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 24:15
“So tonight, we really touch on the big themes that become rooted in order to grow the plant of education. And it begins with the relationships in the classroom, right? Every student's different. And we need to recognize that teachers don't clock in and clock out. On the drive home, you're thinking about one who just didn't get it and what happened. What can I do to inspire? Or what can I find that will make them want to come back to school? And your ability to combine creativity with what has to be taught inspires and we know that there are just some students that need that to come back to…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 27:30
“All right, come on, make some noise. Parents, come on down. You don't get to sit in the back and film. Get your speech ready. Just kidding. All right, so one thing that this city's done for more than 16 years is that each month take an opportunity to recognize great student athletes in our community. And this commission is not focused on, you know, what the metrics are, where they are on the pitch or what they've done on the diamond or the court or the gridiron. It's about who they are as people, what they've accomplished in their young lives already, and what they prove to us as adults is…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 33:01
“So, Leisure Services did not disappoint tonight, and these two amazing young people. Let's take some time, though, to also recognize our coaches who volunteer, don't have a big contract, right, at all. We double your salary every year, right? So let's give the coaches who take the time and really care. And to the parents, right, it's a labor of love, right, to make sure everybody's there on time, they have their gear, it's washed, they haven't lost, you know, all sorts, your eyes are open wide, I know. I'm sure everything is always washed before you get there. But it takes a lot from the…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 39:38
“So tonight, you know, we get to talk about things that we've experienced and we've had members of our fire rescue family respond to 9-11. They've long retired but still committed one who's passed from brain cancer, and we always can question whether it was because of his dedication to respond. And it reminds us that when there's not just a national tragedy, but a tragedy that occurs anywhere in the world, that these heroes may get called upon to go help someone that they've never met in an area that they don't know, for someone who will never attend a commission meeting to tell them how much…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 44:37
“Come on, make some noise. You've been hearing his collar all night, so... Thanks for doing this again this year.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 45:18
“All right, so, you know, we so often see in our community a service dog and we see the dog helping someone do something important and we can't always understand how that came to be or what happened to allow the dog to be associated with. But there's a whole team that starts years before you see that moment that are working so that it seems seamless to the rest of us. And it takes a lot of people. It takes those, of course, that need the service dog to inspire. It takes those that care about these canine companions to work hard to raise. And it takes... truly a village to help raise these dogs…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 50:38
“plug about how to support canine companions and help us to understand what we do when we see someone with a service dog because we all want to run up and hug because we care that much”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 52:31
“I know you got to take her on the road. She's good. She she's good. I don't want to follow that to the organization and the volunteers and the donors. The change in trajectory in somebody's life towards independence is really the driving. I hear that is the driving force. Right. As you pointed out, it changes lives. It saves lives for those who can't see, those who can't hear, those who just need the alerts, those who need their medication. The stories are so many that it seems miraculous, but we are very fortunate that in our community that there's so many people who care, both in terms of…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 57:08
“Are they here? Coming? Okay, coming. You got to come up. You got to come up.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 57:35
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Exactly. So we're here tonight to come forward. You don't have to hide in the back. Come on, come on, come on, come on. This is a loving crowd. They want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. And it's something we've been doing in Sunrise a very long time. And we're so fortunate in our community to be able to celebrate the diversity of what Hispanic Heritage Month means. It's not monolithic, right? It represents so many influences. And in Sunrise, you can find those influences in art and music and food, as you can tell. throughout our community. And so it's an opportunity…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:04:02
“Good job, good job. Give them a round of applause.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:04:24
“And the work you do, right, in not only supporting Hispanic businesses, but in outreach to the community and celebrating the Hispanic heritage, it influences all of us and makes us all better. And, you know, I heard from another mayor who used the phrase melting pot and then corrected me. And he said, you know, I don't really think of it as a melting pot. I think of it more as a stew. Because as you put each ingredient into it, it never loses its own character. It becomes part of something greater. And rather than losing, as was said, maintaining that cultural sense, but also helping us to…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:12:00
“So first of all, thank you for choosing Sunrise. Obviously, when the chief sat down with you, he saw something that really touched him, that realized that more than just an internship, you needed to be part of this family, of this organization. And you've taken that on in a full-throated way. You've really worked at it. And folks don't realize that behind the scenes there are PSAs like you who are making such a difference in our community. Sometimes we see them on the roadway, sometimes they're doing other things, maybe responding at the police department, and that are as critical in the…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:15:04
“So, yeah, this is one that folks don't always clap to, right? It's a tough topic. It's a really tough topic. And for us in Sunrise, it's very raw. We know in the community that broader mental health issues are present for everyone and in all the communities. And we've worked really hard for years to try to reduce the stigma of not being okay. We've said it's okay to not be okay. And we have programs and we have outreach and we have work that we do to try to help, but we can't always know. And what we need to do as a community is not shy away from the topic. For too long, even the vernacular…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:24:45
“Give her a round of applause. And the work you do, just to put it in some perspective, because the survivors of those who've died by suicide are on edge. in so many different ways, and they don't know how to process, and they don't know how to grieve. And it's not just the family. It's the coworkers and the friends. They don't know how to grieve. They don't know what their grief should be, and everybody's grief is different. But we see too often, you know, it's replicated. That fear of suicide is replicated. And so the support groups perform an incredible function of not just – helping people…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:26:49
“Yeah. But you know what? These kids are smarter today. They know what not okay is we, you know, didn't have the phones and things like that. And we need to make sure we're continuing to communicate. We have to grow up is really what has to happen. So on behalf of the city commission and our city staff, it's my honor to work with you and your team and the commission working alongside all those that work on suicide prevention, whereas suicides, a major public health issue that affects individuals, families, and communities across our nation nation causing immeasurable pain and suffering.…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:32:20
“All right. That's Carly... M. Is Carly here? How do I say? Carly, come on up, please. I did struggle with this beforehand. And I'm embarrassed, but I'm so happy you're here tonight. Can you take a moment and introduce yourself to the millions at home?”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:33:39
“Come on, a round of applause for that. And Carly, if I can call you by your first name, Carly, what we would say to you is we need you. Your community needs you. And the fact that you took the time not only the service you're already providing right you could just do your club work and do your high school work but to reach out beyond that and be part of the community and advising us what we need to do is inspirational and we're really grateful to you you're joining a great board they really care they're very active and there's a lot going on right now so we really really need you and so we're…”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026
- Play at 1:36:31
“Yeah. uh so see what happened you came here to apply and you brought back swag for the school right um and there's so much work that that the schools are doing right now uh the school board is launching a recycling curriculum in this coming year and working with the Solid Waste Authority. In addition, Carly, we're going to need you to join the composting pilot program that is just starting. So we'll get you the information before you leave. Just get with Lourdes. She'll put you on that list so you get all that information. And we look forward to working with you going forward.”
City Commission · Sep 8, 2026