City Council - Regular Meeting

We could have commuted together. Can you drive me home? We'll be done around 11. All right. I get it. No problem. I know I'm getting old. Yeah, you know.

Thank you. I'm going to grab you afterwards, too, so don't leave.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ready? Good? How are you? Wow, you're sparkly. You know what's happening now.

JP's turning up the lights.

That's awesome. That's very... I was thinking disco, but... Just wait for... Ready?

Line unmuted.

Double Dutch is in the house, right? Be careful if they've got their jump ropes. I always try to avoid because I know I'm going to break a hip if I get near you guys. The last time you made me do that, I was in the hospital for two weeks. You guys ready? Can we start? Okay, okay. All right, I'm going to call to order the City Commission meeting of Tuesday, July 14, 2026. If you would, Ms. Rob, we'll call the roll.

Mayor Ryan.

Present.

Deputy Mayor Guzman.

Here.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark. Here. Commissioner Kirch. Here. Commissioner Skudo. Present. City Manager Mark Lebowski.

Present.

City Attorney Thomas Moss.

Present.

Citizen Service Specialist Amanda Cuba.

Present.

City Clerk Felicia Bravo here.

I knew it was somebody who was a bagpiper. Come on, bagpiper.

All right.

Welcome, everyone. Before we begin, let me announce this for the public and those watching. This meeting has been noticed both as an in-person meeting and a virtual meeting. The public may attend in person or participate in the meeting by calling 954-395-2401 and entering the code Procedures for public participation and comments will be explained in a moment. Information for each item on the agenda has been and is currently available at City Hall and online 24 hours a day at www.sunrisefl.gov. Anyone interested is also invited to call 954-746-3430 for additional information. The city has provided various options for members of the public to address the commission. Prior to the start of the meeting, we asked if anyone wished to speak on any matters before us, and I've maintained that list, and I'll call upon speakers at an appropriate time. I'll also open up for public comment at an appropriate time and ask if anyone attending in person or by phone wishes to speak. For those participating by phone, you may press five star on your phone to request to be heard. I'll attempt to take the comments in the order that they are requested by the five star feature, but please be assured all comments will be included as part of the public record for this meeting and will be considered prior to any action taken. When addressing us, please state your name, address, and what you're here to speak about. Anyone on the phone, I'd ask you to place your phone on mute. until you wish to speak. If you're experiencing any technical difficulties, you may call 954-578-4792 at any time. Staff is available to assist you. As we do before each meeting, it's an opportunity for us to stand for the pledge. But before we do that, we take a moment of individual and collective silence. It's an opportunity for us as a community, perhaps to reflect on the blessings that we have to be gathered here to celebrate whatever we might be here for even if it's simply to come to the podium and ask for the city to take into consideration something it's an opportunity for us to reflect on perhaps those that don't have the grace of being here tonight maybe it's battling an illness or they're going through their own issues and it's also an opportunity for us as a commission and we do this before each meeting to make sure that we recognize and we take a moment for ourselves to appreciate that as we're able to do this, there are those who are serving all across the world, so many in harm's way and so many others in ready support, those in training and those who are just beginning their service. At the same time, there are families who are missing their loved ones who are serving, and we watch the world in turmoil. We recognize that that line of demarcation between in harm's way and in ready support continues to evaporate. for those that are in training. So we make sure that we as a commission and as a community include them in our thoughts as we begin, particularly in the shadow of our July 4th celebration, recognizing that for generations there have been so many who served and sacrificed, and they are right now. Gathered with us today are veterans who served our country and continue to serve our city, and we are eternally grateful. It's also an opportunity to remember those that have passed since the last time we had an opportunity to share this moment. For us, we've lost a stalwart here in Sunrise, Jack Rose. He was in phase four, but was a true leader for his community. He was well known to the commission, not just because of his incredible intellect, his humility, but because he advocated for the community at large and didn't fear doing that at all. It's a thankless service sometimes when you are a local community leader within maybe even a few buildings. There's no one who sends you a card to thank you for what you've done during the year. But for us as a community, we are grateful for folks like Jack Rose, and it's a personal loss for me and for so many others. So please keep him in your prayers and his family in your prayers as well. Anyone else we need to remember? All right, if you would stand with us. the Pledge of Allegiance in a moment of silence, and I would ask our veterans from the Veterans Advisory Board to lead us in the pledge when I call upon you. If you would lead us in the pledge now. All right, we have some terrific presentations and awards tonight. Before we do that, we have some business we need to attend to. We have a motion on the consent agenda for A through K. Motion by Commissioner Skudow, seconded by Deputy Mayor. Any polls from my colleagues? Any other polls from my colleagues? Any polls from staff?

No pulls from staff.

Anybody in the public wish to have any items on the consent agenda removed from the consent agenda and handled as a full public hearing? If so, please raise your hand or press five star on your phone. I see no hands raised online. Can you confirm?

I confirm no hands are raised.

Okay. Go ahead and call the question on 4B through H and J through K.

Commissioner Kirch?

Yes.

Commissioner Scuddo? Yes. Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark? Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman? Yes. Mayor Ryan?

Yes. Those items pass 5-0. Deputy Mayor?

All right. Proclamation. Proclamation proclaiming the month of July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month in the City of Sunrise. Kevin Picard, Director of Leisure Services. Excuse me.

Damn, and I was going to wear my blue shirt. See, I would have fit right in. Look at that.

All right. Is anybody at the parks tonight? Okay, okay, okay, okay. So this is an opportunity for us as community to obviously join communities all over the country where we celebrate the concept and the importance of having a really active and vibrant park and recs, not only department, but a system that works across the county. Now, parks and rec for us is not like the sitcom. But perhaps you could figure out who the characters are from that. Kevin, I'll let you volunteer that. We call it Leisure Services Department, but it really is about the parks. It's about the celebration, not just of physical spaces or the brick and mortar that we rely upon. It's about the programming. It's about the concerts. It's about the Easter egg hunt. It's about the celebrations for those from very young to the young at heart. And this is an opportunity for us as a community not only to say to the community, we value, but it's an opportunity to thank these people and the many others that can't be here tonight because they're in the parks, to thank them for their service. And let me just say this, that this is a unique group of people in our organization. A lot of what we do, wherever we may work, we have metrics or benchmarks or things that we rely upon to folks who are into influencing. It's a number of likes and clicks and all sorts of things, metrics that we look at. That's not how these folks work. It's not about the number of folks who come to a concert or who came to an event. It's about the smiles. It's about the people who get up and dance, right? It's about the kids that have a memory that participate in summer camps and grow up and become camp counselors and go on to work in leisure services. It's about the experience of what it means to be a galvanized community around the spaces that mean the most to us and the connections that we feel when we're out there. So I'm going to turn it over to Kevin to really introduce Not everyone, but to introduce why this is so important and on behalf, as the Director of Leisure Services, what it means for us as a community to celebrate this.

Thank you, Mayor Ryan. Kevin Picard, Director of Leisure Services. And yeah, Mayor Ryan, you said it perfectly. For over 40 years, Parks and Rec agencies across the United States celebrate July as Parks and Recreation Month, really to recognize the hundreds of thousands of seasonal, part-time, and full-time professionals that maintain our local, state, and national parks and programs. parks and rec it really brings the community together it strengthens our overall health and well-being and and generally it um you know just builds more connected resilient communities and and this year the national theme for parks and rec month is the power of parks and recreation and the people that make it all possible so you know in sunrise we're celebrating the power of belonging the power of connection, community, the power of nature, the power of play, and just the power of health and well-being. So more importantly, standing alongside me here are a group of professionals that represent all 12 divisions in leisure services, administration, aquatics, athletics, camps, programs, tennis, cultural arts, special events, facilities maintenance, senior and social services, transportation, and golf. And I just want to truly thank the mayor and the entire city commission for celebrating with us tonight and really just acknowledging the power of our leisure services team. Thank you, mayor.

I was trying to think what's the acronym you're trying to remember all 12 of those. We'll figure that out. That'll be the next competition, right? There's another component of this that we have to recognize as a city. In 2014, we went out to the voters. We took two years to meet with the voters to say, what do you want from your park system? We understood our park system was tired. And it needed improvement. And we listened. And we went to meetings and charrettes and people would give us their ideas. And we said, listen, in order for us to accomplish this, we're going to have to go out on a general obligation bond. And as a result, it may raise your taxes a little bit if we're to deliver on this. And the bond amount was about $65 million, a big number. Not only did it pass, it passed overwhelmingly at 70% of the voters voting to say, yes, we believe that this is more than just an open space. There are those that you could be a cynic and say, this is economic development. Parks are economic development. Having a park near your house that's active, that is activated, that has concerts and things you can walk to or drive to very closely, that is expanded, makes a difference for a community. And we delivered on that as a community with this commission. and commissions before us as well as the city staff not only delivering on park improvements but doing it on budget and you look across from east to west north to south all of the parks have been improved they've been touched they are dynamic and it's an example of what happens what we can do as a community to say we know what we value we know what we want in our community and for the commission to listen. So really the celebration of park and Rex month is yes for these folks that are the professionals and all of those who work, but it's also for the residents and the businesses who said, this is an important value for us in our community. And there are some communities that can't deliver on that or won't deliver on that, but we did. And so to the folks that are here and all those that have supported over the years who believe in what the city's doing with its tax dollars to make a difference, a positive difference, I say thank you. And you all deserve a big round of applause. Let's give them a round of applause. And so it's my honor to declare Park and Rec Month. And I have a problem. Every time Park and Rec, I just think of the sitcom. I'm really having a hard time. Whereas parks and recreation is an integral part of communities throughout this country, including the city of Sunrise, whereas park and recreation promotes health and wellness, improving the physical and mental health of people who live near our parks, and whereas parks and recreation promote time spent in nature, which positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being and alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and Alzheimer's. Whereas parks and recreation encourage physical activities by providing space for popular sports, swimming pools, and many other activities designed to promote active lifestyles. Whereas park and recreation programming and education activities, such as out-of-school time programming, youth sports, environmental education, are all critical to childhood development. And whereas parks and recreation increase the community's economic prosperity through increased property values, expansion of the local tax base, increased tourism, and attraction and retention of businesses, as well as crime reduction. Whereas parks and recreation is fundamental to the environmental well-being of our community. Whereas parks and recreation is essential to it and is adaptable infrastructure that makes our communities resilient in the face of natural disasters and climate change. Whereas our parks and natural recreation areas encourage the ecological beauty of our community and provide a place for our children and our adults to connect with nature and recreate in the outdoors. and whereas the City of Sunrise recognize the benefits from Parks and Recreation resources and amazing people who work for us in the department. Now, therefore, I, Michael J. Ryan, Mayor of the City of Sunrise, along with my colleagues on the commission, do hereby proclaim the month of July 2026 as Parks and Recreation Month in the City of Sunrise, and give these folks a big round of applause for what they do. Where are you going? Why are you going to the back?

Get up there, Julie.

All right, one more time, big round of applause.

B, presentation for award of the winning of the parade participants in the annual City of Sunrise July 4th parade.

All right, come on, make some noise.

Kevin Picard, Leader Services.

All right, so we had an amazing July 4th. I think there was another bigger birthday party going on, right? 250, right? But for us, it was just yet again a celebration of community. And it started... in the morning very early with a parade that I think we had probably the most participants we've had in a long time along the parade route. And it was hotter than ever, I think, by far. Desperate for some cloud cover and there wasn't any drizzle to the end. It always happens that way. But I want to take a moment before we celebrate these amazing participants, while we're talking about parks and recs, to think about what it took to put that on in our July 4th celebration. to give you a little bit of time to understand this. When we do our fireworks at the Emery Bank Arena, usually what staff does is they go in the day before and they set up, they have the whole day of the parking lot to themselves and they wrestle around the thunderstorms and the rain and all that, but they set it all up and then they go home at night and they go do the parade in the morning and then they shift change and come back. Well, Ariana Grande decided to add a third concert night at the arena Yeah, on July 3rd. And that was fantastic for our community, obviously, but for staff, it created quite a challenge. So what they had to do was, instead of setting up on July 3rd, they went in at midnight on July 4th and began the first shift. And then the second shift came in at 4 a.m. to set up what they had to. And then they had to go to the parade that was setting up at 6 a.m., deal with the parade and the after party and everything else, and then go to the arena to have that set up. And obviously, it wasn't the same people all along, but same people took breaks and then came back, right? Showered, burned their clothes, whatever they had to do. But again, back to my point earlier, This group doesn't complain about this. They want this to be the best experience. They want the parade to be terrific and the celebration at night to be terrific. So while we're going to celebrate the folks that represent the various awards here tonight, we really do, again, have to start with just some of the people that you saw. They were all, last time I saw them, they were incredibly sweaty. And spent. But I want to thank them all for it because it was all hands on deck under tough circumstances. And, you know, the rest of the nation, July 4th, you know, it's a little warm. But, you know, for us, it's a big deal, right? Maybe we should move to, like, December. I mean, I think that would be a lot more convenient. But to the staff, let's give them again a huge round of applause for all of their work that they did in this. Thank you. And we have some great awards tonight. You can see these pictures up here that are fantastic. Look at that. I mean, she dresses like that every day anyway.

Good evening, Maria Little, Deputy Director, Leisure Services. Thank you, Mayor, for those kind words. It was a challenging day, to say the least, but we got through it. Looking forward to next year already. The theme for this year was Stars and Stripes, 250 Years of Smiles. We received more than 60 entries in total, so we have a big thank you to the members of the Leisure Services Advisory Board and our Cultural Affairs Advisory Board for dedicating their time in making these tough decisions. The judging was rough. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I know you were. There was some rivalry going on. I saw it.

Apparently, there was a lot of giveaways. Where did that come from?

I don't think we have any in the house. They purposely didn't come to the meeting. But spoiler alert, if you're watching the slideshow, you'll probably already see the winners, but we'll announce the winners and invite each one of you guys to come up and take your individual photos. And then afterwards, we're going to ask that you stay up here so we can take one group picture at the end, okay? All right, so for most unique, can anybody guess? Because it's already on the screen. City of Sunrise Sustainability Advisory Board. There you go. Come on, Carrie. They brought a banner. Give it up one more time for the Sustainability Advisory Board. Most unique. Congratulations.

Thank you.

All right, the next award. I was going to wait for the projector, but it's not catching up with me. We're going to go with youth involvement for the Halo Athletics. Come on down, guys. I see you dressed up.

This is an opportunity for a shameless plug.

Hi. I get very nervous when I'm doing this. So thank you for this award. We're Halo Athletics. We are an all-star cheerleading program that we have girls that are from Sunrise, Tamarack, Plantation, Davey, and we travel and we compete. And that's what we're doing this year. So thank you, guys.

Thank you, give it up one more time for Halo Athletics. All right, next up we have the Community Spirit Award. Go ahead and start making your way down, you know who you are. Give it up to the Piper High School Marching Band. I was waiting for the drum line, no drum line?

First of all, thank you. Good evening, everyone. My name is Mr. Jackson. I'm the band director at Piper High School. First of all, let me apologize. The band, they're on summer break. I know everyone's like, man, where's the band? But here's the thing. On Friday, we have a car wash. I'm sorry, I have this gum. On Friday, we have a car wash at Piper High School, and we have a hydration drive. So we need water for our students for the upcoming season. So if you want to come by, just drop a case of water or water or Gatorade to Piper High School. It's going to be from 10 to 3 p.m. All right? And we have a car wash at the same time. So thank you. Oh, oh, what else? Oh, fundraising. We're fundraising for our students for our program. This year we are going to Daytona. We're also going to Orlando. So yes, we need the funds. We need help. If there's any opportunities to perform, let us know and we'll come out. Thank you.

Mayor, I just want to say to Mr. Jackson, it's been a privilege to work with you this year. We work with Piper High School. Each of us do a lot of different things with Piper, but we normally give five scholarships to Piper High School students, and you came to us today in the middle of the year and said, you think maybe you could give scholarships to kids in the band because not everyone goes to college. Some of them wanted to go to a vocational school and we were like more than welcome to accommodate. So we were glad to give you guys two scholarships this year, a thousand dollars each.

All right, next up, and this is not my favorite just because my husband's a veteran and I'm a Jeep owner, but I had nothing to do with the results of this contest. But for most patriotic, give it up for the City of Sunrise Veterans Advisory Board.

You couldn't miss them. They had like 100 vehicles in the parade. It was like you kept on seeing a vehicle go by. It was theirs. Right?

Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mayor, city commissioners. Give an honor to God, our creator and maker of all things. This is a great evening, isn't it?

Yeah.

And especially the employees of the City of Sunrise. Let's give them another round of applause because they are outstanding. Yeah, and we also have two representatives of the South Florida Jeep Club. Those magnificent Jeeps, ten of them.

Come on up front. Come on up here. Come on. Come on up here. Right here.

We just want to say thank you. We really appreciate y'all's support. Those Jeeps were magnificent. Thank you. It was our honor. Thank you.

Thank you.

Geez, you gave Thaddeus the mic and he only talked for less than 30 seconds? Oh, my God.

All right, one more time, big round of applause. All right, and then there's one more award. and it's the 2026 Mayor's Choice Award for this parade. And this year it goes to the 40 plus Double Dutch Group. Come on! And if you're under 40, you're about to be shamed because what they can do is unbelievable. Come on, make some noise some more. Are you gonna speak? No jump rope up here, thank God.

I have it in my bag. No jump, no jump. I actually have it in my bag.

The last time this happened, right, we were in City Hall and I was trying to go to work. I had another job, so I was just leaving and they had the rope and they were like, hey, why don't you come do this? Which was like the worst idea ever. So I gave it a shot, and I survived a little bit. I did okay. It was pretty humorous, actually, more than anything else. But it gave me newfound respect, not only for the rhythm and the energy and athleticism, but when I saw what you all did on July 4th, it was so darn hot. And all the way to the end, right at the end, the only time was when the photographer was getting so close to try to get it. He got caught up in the rope, right? He was so – I mean, because everybody was in such awe of what you're doing. We're so thrilled. Now I want you to promote what you're doing because you've continued to grow. Everywhere you go, you're collecting folks. Even on the parade route, no doubt, people are like, well, I should be doing that. But go ahead and promote yourself.

So we're the 40-plus Double Dutch Club for South Florida. We have chapters all over the U.S., but we primarily operate here in the City of Sunrise, and all the women in this group are over the age of 40. The oldest member in this particular sub-club is 70 years old, and our oldest member nationwide is 92. 91 years old. We line dance, hula hoop, and of course, jump double dutch. And our main goal is mainly to promote health, wellness, fitness amongst women over 40, just because we do so much for our families, our husbands, our children, our pets, but we never take any time out for ourselves. So this is a moment for us to step away from adulting and just kind of go back to our younger days and just have a really good time. And the mayor alluded to how we've grown and a lot of that growth we can attribute to the City of Sunrise because you guys really embraced us. Not only do you allow us to use city parks, so you can see us there Saturday mornings and Thursday nights we're in the gym. But we participate in a lot of the city's events because we just know how important this is. And we're also in the city magazine, so we get a lot of walk-ins on Thursday night. Whether we saw you in the magazine or we saw you in the Fourth of July parade. So we also want to thank the city for really embracing us and making us feel like a genuine part of this community.

On behalf of the commission who really, when you first came and said, hey, we're going to do this and we'd love to have some support, it was unanimous. We saw what you all were about. And you talked about the big issues, but it's also the camaraderie. It's the getting people up out of the house, getting away from all the things that distract on a daily basis. And for you to just be together. And we're so proud as a commission that what you told us you were going to do, you absolutely delivered it and more. And we're proud to continue supporting it in new ways. And to the city staff that have also embraced this, maybe they're not jumping with you, but they fully support all the events that you go to because they know how important it is to our community. And the hope is every time you guys come here, you pick up a couple more from the crowd here. So any volunteers? Yeah, they're scared, but don't worry. They can contact you anonymously and say, I want to join. So thank you for being such an important part of our community and continue to remind us why it's so important for us to just get up and get out and be together. So one more time, big round of applause for them. Thank you.

All right, how do they contact you?

Shameless plug.

We have a website, 40 Plus Double Dutch. You can go on the website, and you can find our sub club. But also, if you're a resident of the City of Sunrise, we are in Horizon Magazine under Senior Activities. You'll see us there, lovely picture, and it has the dates, the days, and the times that we meet. oh also my team just reminded me you do not need to know how to jump to join us because we will teach you on the spot so many of the ladies that have joined us never jumped before and now you would never know that they never jumped before joining us and if you are not over 40 tell your mama or your grandmama or your auntie spread the word

All right, so we're going to take a group picture. So maybe if one representative holding the award can come to the front, and then we will get everybody to... Yeah. All right, Mackenzie, you're going to help us out. Don't be shy. Come on, we're going to take one big family picture here. Everybody between the podiums.

You want to bring the kids across?

You guys can all move into this section.

Amen.

Have you been all right? Take care, Miss Jackson.

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

Little Dutch has another announcement. Uh-oh. They worry me. We're going to make him jump. No!

We were just interviewed by Channel 10. Andrew Perez did a feature on our sub club. It will be featured this Wednesday, the 22nd, at 6.30 a.m., 9.30 a.m., 4.30 p.m. So set your TVs, Channel 10, ABC, Andrew Perez. It's his health and wellness piece. So you'll be able to see us.

Is there gonna be a watch party, like at the Ameren Bank Arena for that, or? I don't know.

We know some people, don't we?

All right, make sure you guys watch that. All right, well done. Give them another round of applause.

Presentation of the Youth Athlete of the Month Award for July 2026 to Richard Hanna from the Kids Total Fit Zone Program and Jaylin Santeel from the Sunrise Karate Program, Kevin Bacard, Director of Leisure Services. All right, give him a round of applause.

All right, come stand right here. All right, so we're going to stay right up front. Don't hit them yet. OK. So let me first introduce what we're doing here and why this is important. We'll just have them close the back doors. Robert, can you help out there? Thanks. So probably going on almost 15 years, we've been recognizing great athletes and great students in our community. And the idea was not just to focus on what they did on the pitch or the court or what they did in between the lines. It was who they are as people, what they represent in the highest ideals of not only what they've chosen as their passion, but also how they interact Hang on one sec, we gotta close those doors. One of the things that's great, this acoustics is fantastic in here, by the way. Dangerously so. If you sit in the back row, we can hear you up there whispering. So I appreciate, yes, I put on weight, I understand. double-dutch, I got you, I heard you, you just keep it down a little, is that we wanted to celebrate what they are as young people and the trajectory of their lives and to be there alongside them. And there's so many high accomplishments you can look at, right, in terms of scoring or what somebody achieves, but that's not really the measure. And our Leisure Services Board is given all of these nominations and they have to sort through all these amazing young people. and choose those that really represent the ideals of what we want to celebrate in a great student and a great athlete and someone who's a great young person. It's also a shameless opportunity for us to say we knew them when, right? So when they go on to stardom, we have pictures and autographs from them, and we can say we do know them when everyone will say, no, you don't know them. But I think you're going to be really impressed tonight, so I'm going to hand the mic over for this month's award winners.

Thank you, Mary. My name is Nick Ortiz. I'm the Assistant Director of Leisure Services, and it's my honor to congratulate these two young kids in front of us on being our Youth Athletes of the Month for July 2026. First is going to be Richard Hanna. Richard is an 11-year-old student. At Franklin Academy and a participant in Sunrise's kids total fit zone program. These words are from his instructor Anna. It is my pleasure to nominate Richie. I've had the opportunity to work with him for over three years. From the very beginning I saw a strong character determination and motivation that are rare to find at such young age. Over the years he has grown tremendously both personally and academically. In my classes, he is hardworking, respectful, competitive in a positive way, and always willing to help others. He takes pride in his achievements, pays attention to proper form, and consistently gives his best effort. It has been truly rewarding to watch him mature into such a kind and driven young man. I am proud to recommend him for this award, and I'm excited to see all he will accomplish in the future. Congrats again to Richard. Our second recipient is going to be Miss Young Jenny Lynn. She is a 12-year-old student at St. Bonaventure Catholic School and a participant in the Sunrise Karate Program. These are the words from her coach, Penny, and Russell. It is a pleasure to have Jenny Lynn in our class for two years. She sets an example for other karate students, comes to class motivated to learn, and is a role model for her peers. Jenny Lynn has earned her red belt in addition to her karate. She runs track and plays soccer. Jenny Lynn is a high achieving student in the talented and gifted program and she recently placed second in the yearly science Olympiad competition and she also sings in the school choir. We are proud to nominate this well rounded young adult and believe she is an excellent candidate for recognition as a youth athlete of the month. Now first I'm going to pass it over to Anna to see if she has any additional words to add for our youth athlete.

Thank you very much. It's really an honor to nominate Richard. My name is Anna Nicolau. I own Total Fit Zone. I'm the founder of Total Fit Zone, and we help every generation move better, live healthier, and feel stronger. When I started this program, the idea was not everybody is into sports. Not every kid wants to participate in football and soccer, and they're all into video games, which is amazing sometimes, but we need to get them out of the house, including my son as well. So when I created this program, it was for kids that want to just connect with other kids that maybe have the same interests, but at the same time, move, learn what a proper form is in a squat, in a push-up, and also build that team spirit, right? So I remember three years ago, we were outside, and I think there was some fence climbing, and... But over the years, he's such a great kid. I'm so happy to see him evolve. He's 11 years old now. What I do, the best part of what I do is to see the kids grow and become mature and kind and The teamwork is there, and not only that, but really strive to do really good in school because they know the first thing that comes off is the fun after, right? So very, very honored for the opportunity. Congratulations. Thank you for allowing me to be a coach.

thank you thank you very much good evening everyone my name's penny pentland uh... my husband and i have had the karate program here at the city of sunrise i'm gonna say for almost thirty years and uh... we love it here we love the city uh... we did have a karate school in in our past and we just wanted to bring a program to the city where we can allow all kids to openly participate and make it easy for them This month, Jenny Lin is here. We're so proud of her. She comes to class every Monday and Wednesday, motivated, ready to learn. She actually comes in from track, so she gets there after she's finished running track or playing soccer, and we're very proud of her. She's a role model for all of her students, and we're very proud of her. Thank you very much. Your mom, too. Thank you, Mom. Thank you.

All right, Richie's family's here. You guys got to come up as well. Come on, let's give them a round of applause too. And to Jenny Lynn's family, we give you a round of applause. So you guys stand up here. You're the stars. You can't stand in the back anymore. You're now stars. And before we do any pictures, let me just say, first of all, to both of you, Congratulations, but most importantly, you really represent the highest ideals of what we're trying to celebrate. You're both role models, you both work incredibly hard, you're both very smart, and you're the complete package, right? This is why everyone's so happy to hear about your stories and about what you're gonna do next. Jenny Lin, I don't know many people that do track to warm up for karate. I don't understand that at all. Like, I still can't get my head around what she just said. But I don't know how many hours you sleep, but it sounds like none based on everything you do. But you're an inspiration. And we really look forward to hearing about your progress and what you're going to do in life. And we want to be there for you as well. We're really, really proud of you. Let's give her a big round of applause. And, Richie, you chose – this is a tough coach. She's one of the coaches for the Chambers kickball team, which keeps losing to the city. Yeah, not this year. Yeah, yeah, blah, blah. They're apparently going to bring some World Cup players in to try to play kickball with us. But you chose something very unique, and you focused on it, and you stuck to it on top of everything else. And you are not only athletic, you're a really nice guy. And I know that because I see him in my neighborhood. He's my neighbor. And he's an incredibly well-rounded young man. And so what we're really celebrating is all the things you've already done. And we're so proud of you. And we want to be there for the next steps of your journey so that we can all celebrate you. So congratulations.

Let's give him a big round of applause.

All right.

So let's you guys get up front.

Now, with that, you get to choose where you go to dinner tonight, by the way. Before that, raise your hand if you feel like a slacker now after listening to these two. I know. Look at everybody raising their hands. Congratulations. Go celebrate.

Go ahead and do it again.

Presentation, recognition of service time and dedication for employees that are retiring from city service awarded to Michael Calvano, Sergeant, Police Department, Eric Miller, Equipment Operator, Utilities Department.

Good evening, Mayor and Commissioner Rodrigo de Castro. I'm the Director of Utilities. So I'm proud to recognize Eric for his years of service to the City of Sunrise. So Eric is one of our equipment operators in Public Works. Before he served Sunrise, he served in the military, so he was a Marine before he came to Sunrise. And Eric joined the city in 2014. So it's been 12 years since he's been with us. He's the lead worker, and he's in charge of our call-out crew. So when we get those calls that there's an accident, that someone hit a pole, he's one of the first ones over there to clean that up. But he does much more than that. So he's also in charge of our concrete crew. So all the sidewalk repairs, curb repairs, a lot of the work that we do on the right-of-way. Eric is involved on that. He's very, very detailed. So sometimes we're walking out and we see them working and the level of detail and finishing the concrete and how much care we have. And all the public works team has that. But a lot that come from Eric to the level of detail, the level of caring, and how much we care for the community. So we're proud for his years of service in Sunrise. You'll be missed, but there's a great group coming behind you that will continue the services. So thank you for your service.

Don't be smiling yet. Don't be smiling for your pictures yet. We're going to keep you. All right? All right? You all right with that? I'm good. He's all good with that. All right. First of all, thank you for your service to our country. Another round of applause, right? And the Marines. And then you came and served our community more locally, and you brought that same level of dedication and commitment, that sense of the mission. And call-out's tough because every call is different, and everybody needs a rapid response. And it takes someone who's not only detail-oriented but can work great with a crew, can motivate everybody to take care of what has to be done, and to complete the mission and be ready for the next one. And people don't realize, even the sidewalk program, which, you know, Not every city has. We have a very unique program here where we'll come out and actually help fix sidewalks for folks in front of their homes and otherwise. It takes a level of care and customer care, not just about what's going on on the sidewalk, but actually caring about the customers. And you're the face of the community. That's who they talk to. That's who they are happy that are there. And it means so much. And your legacy is that type of commitment to the mission. And we're really proud of you. Where are you going to go from here? You're going to go traveling?

No, we just purchased a house in Ocala.

There you go. There you go. They have no sidewalks in Ocala. Zero. So is that why you picked there? You picked the furthest place from a sidewalk? Okay. Well, anyway, congratulations. And to everybody on your cruise and everybody who you really influenced and touched, congratulations. Well-deserved. One more time. Big round of applause. Come on up, guys.

All right, you have any other family here other than these guys?

No, no, gosh. Sorry to hear that. Anyway, come forward. All right, one more time, big round of applause.

E, Presentation for Outstanding Performance for July 2026, Crystal McDonald, Recreation Specialist, Kevin Picard, Director of Recreation Specialist.

Okay, you ready for your speech? No, I'm just kidding. All right, one more time. Kevin Picard, Director of Leisure Services. I am joined tonight by Maria Little, our Deputy Director, Amanda Tomlinson, Division Director, and Wayne Skirvin, our Supervisor at the Senior Center. But most importantly, we're here to celebrate this month's Outstanding Performance Award winner, our Citywide Employee of the Month, Ms. Crystal Maldonado. Thank you. So a little background. Crystal was hired by the City of Sunrise as a seasonal camp counselor, a counselor one in 2018. And every summer she was with us, she was promoted. And in the summer of 2021, she ultimately was an assistant site supervisor at one of our campsites. A few months later, she was promoted to a recreation specialist and part-time at the senior center. And then in 2024, she was promoted again to a full-time rec specialist. So at the senior center, Crystal's day-to-day responsibilities really include, you know, making sure our senior recreation programs are planned, organized and really just running smoothly. But over the last year and a half, Crystal's really made sure that we were doing a good job of, we'll just say pushing that technology and making sure our seniors are well-informed with emails and notifications. Those are things that we historically have shied away from a little bit, but for no reason. Crystal's made sure that we as a department really you know, our seniors are more than capable, and Crystal made sure we knew that, but really tonight, what's above and beyond about Crystal's effort is, you know, she led the way in a senior center satisfaction survey. Now, Crystal, I want to pause for a second and just acknowledge the team, and Amanda, Wayne, and Darius is here, and this was really a team effort to get this survey done, but Crystal led the way, and Getting a survey done, it was our first survey, okay? And Crystal said, no, I'm going to take the lead on this. We're going to go fully digital. And she spent countless hours formatting the survey and developing the questions with lots of approvals needed, right? Sorry about that. But, you know, working through the questions and focus groups and talking to our seniors and our members to make sure that we were really going to get the best information possible. And I'll admit, this was a comprehensive survey. This was not three questions, rank one through five. This took a real commitment, and we really wanted to make sure that we got great feedback. And so even with that time commitment, Crystal and the team's above and beyond effort to get out there and make sure everybody knew about the survey was incredible. From signage to speaking at programs to emails, we were able to get 310 responses to a fully digital survey, okay? Impressive is exactly the right word, Mayor. You know, 310 responses. They really took the time to give feedback. It was incredible. And At this point, the entire team is evaluating the data, and now we have some really great information, and now our goal will be to make sure that we're improving on our efficiencies and doing everything we can to make sure we provide the best possible experience at our senior center. So to the entire team, but tonight, to Crystal, we're so proud of your growth here over the last eight years, and we just look forward to everything in the future. Thank you so much for your above and beyond work, and congratulations.

Make sure we get those results. We got to see how much is it going to cost us.

Efficiencies, efficiencies, yeah. So first of all, you've chosen an area of leisure services that can be challenging. It's a clientele. These are not, you know, eight-year-olds playing sports, right? This is a senior group that knows what it wants and participates and really wants to be part of a broader program. And you see some of the folks... that participate in the program are here tonight to just thank you for that second to to take this on and say no i i think uh technology is a great thing we it helps to connect them when they're not here right because that's a major issue for our seniors and you know just them learning you know zoom or teams or something to be able to connect with their kids or whatever i was there one night when we were trying to teach how to use qr codes and it was it was interesting right but it was also opens up the world for them in so many different ways when they know how to do that kind of you know what we take as routine whether we go to a restaurant or we go somewhere else or trying to you know link our TV or whatever we get used to that it was totally foreign if somebody didn't say I think this is important for you I'm going to take the time to teach you and I know you can do it because there's a lot who don't want to even learn right they're too scared and You know, when we're all trying to learn something new, it can be frightening, and you took that on. That would have been enough right there. We could have just stopped there. But as I said at the outset in celebrating Parks and Rec, you know, you all measure your success not in numbers because you could easily do that. How many showed up for art class? How many showed up for this? And you say, okay, look at how many we got, and they – to take on a survey, which risks learning some things that maybe people aren't happy with, right? And to not just go with, because a lot of times you see in government, they pick a survey and it has three questions, right? As he was saying. And that's about all the information we want to know. Rank one to five, and we're okay with a bunch of threes, and that's good enough. But you understood that really what this program has to be is responsive to our members, to our residents, to our seniors. And to the credit of the command staff, so to speak, they said, yeah, OK, this is important. And you took the time. It's going to be really interesting to see the data, really interesting to see the data. We'll see whether they take this back from you later, because they're like, oh, no, look at the data. But it's a tribute to the confidence you have, right? Not in that you're going to get great results, but the confidence you have in being able to respond to and hear what they're saying, to actually listen to them, and then to incorporate. That says a lot. And I think for the City of Sunrise, it's an example of how we need to be in all of our departments, right? To be that transparent and that, you know, people just want to be heard. And they have the confidence in you all that you do it. It's very, very special. I'm taking extra time with it because it is so unique. And so we're so grateful. So give her a big round of applause. Well done. Come on, Crystal's brother, come on. Senior Center folks, come on. Senior Center folks, come on, that's you. Stop using your QR code back there.

Joanie's not quiet.

All right, one more time, big round of applause.

Proclamation F, proclamation proclaiming the month of June 2026 as National DJ Month in the City of Sunrise, Mayor Michael J. Ryan, Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Guzman, Assistant Deputy Mayor Latoya Clark, Commissioner Neal Kirch, and Commissioner Joseph Scudo.

All right, come on up. You better have a banner. That's all I got to say.

You're not even going to mix anything? Come on, man. Play some old school. JP's in the back.

He wants you to mix some stuff, bro. So we're here tonight to celebrate something that might seem a little unusual, but it's such a talent, first of all, and for generations have grown up in doing it in their own different way and always trying to push the limits and finding new ways to really entertain. And we found, even as we did our July 4th, Right. We used to always have band after band after band. It turned out, you know, having a really energetic DJ to mix and go really was getting the crowd up even more. Right. And it was really kind of a lesson for us, the power of what it is in the creativity. And make no mistake, you know, I can be a DJ at home by just selecting on my TV. Right. But what you and all those who've dedicated their creativity to this have really revolutionized how we listen to music and what it means for us as a community to be able to take different genres and reintroduce them to somebody maybe who would not have normally listened. And all of a sudden, they're like, I recognize that beat from something else and mixing it up and really trying to celebrate. And that is an incredible talent. I have none of that. So I'm in complete awe of what you can do. So I'm gonna hand it over to you just to talk about how do you get into this and why is it something that drives people and creativity?

First, I want to say thank you to God and, of course, the mayor, and, of course, Deputy Mayor Jacqueline Guzman for obviously bringing me up here, and, of course, the city of Sunrise for recognizing June being the National DJ Month. I am privileged to work in Sunrise as well as a DJ, so, Commissioner, I'm going to give you one of these. And, Commissioner, I'm going to give you one of these, as I'm the official DJ for our Florida Panthers as well. So... So here to represent for all those DJs that make it on a national stage and those that just rock parties, their regular house parties, weddings, corporate events and whatnot. The DJ is so important to, it may seem just a party, but that's the community coming together, whatever community that might be. Your family, I'm sure you guys have galas and you guys have get togethers and it's very important that we bring the community together and we do it through music. And having a good DJ is always very important. How did you get into it? Oh, wow. I got into DJing. Actually, I needed a DJ for my graduation from college. And at that time, I couldn't afford it. So I cut some mixes together from some CDs. And then a friend of mine was like, why don't I teach you to do it the right way? So I was able to join a group. And then that's how I got into DJing. And the reason I stuck with it over 20 years is because it was the first thing that I found that I loved that loved me back, kind of, sort of. And so with that talent and then the talent that I have of communication and relationships has been able to blossom into a career that's made me travel the world, work with Grammy Award artists, and now we're working with two-time champion Florida Panthers, you know, so... I'm so happy for the City of Sunrise and what you guys do with the organization. I want to thank, of course, the Florida Panthers that play in Sunrise for the opportunity to be able to rock in front of 18,000 people every night and for a championship organization. I want to big shout out to Mike and Lauren for the opportunities there. And I just can't wait for what's going to come. Obviously, this is the City of Sunrise, the City of Champions. I want you guys to hold that together. and let us hold that high. Don't take it lightly, you know, and hopefully we go back and we get a third one.

It's all because of the beat.

That's the only reason. It's always because of the beat, man. You got to get the boys rocking, you know.

Give a shameless plug. You know, what you do, how people get.

Well, my name is DJ Genesis. Again, the official DJ for the Florida Panthers. You can find me on Instagram at IamDJGenesis. Not just that, we call it a corporate killer. Any event that has to come with any galas, weddings, uppers, if anything that has to be done on a high-end side of DJing, I do that. But I also have a DJ company where I have younger DJs. under me that may have to. So I facilitate their events and their gigs and put them in the right situations for them to grow and learn and get paid. So I'm happy about that. And I want to say thank you so much for Sunrise naming June the official month of DJing. I really appreciate that. Also, oh, of course, can't thank, I got to, of course, thank my wife. She's been my support system since I've been on this journey. And my nephew, Nahil, is here from Jamaica. So I want to thank, of course, them for their support. And the official photographer for the Florida Panthers and my brother Noah here as well for coming and supporting. So I just want to give them a shout out and thank you as well.

Well done, well done.

So to show my age, it wasn't possible to take the 8-tracks and make anything out of them. When I could do cassettes, that was as good as it was going to get for me. But I am mystified at what you do, not just the creativity, but the use of technology. It's become very, very advanced. And for young people, it's an opportunity, even if they don't ever go on to a job, to just be creative. And so I really celebrate this. And maybe as we go forward, we can figure out how to introduce that to the next generation.

I can get some of you.

Yeah, I'm gonna lose on that one, I know that. Joey's got it. So it's my honor on behalf of the commission to declare National DJ Month here in the City of Sunrise. Whereas music serves as a universal language that brings people together, transcending cultures, generations, and communities. Whereas DJs play an essential role in shaping the musical landscape by curating soundtracks that energize audiences, celebrate diversity, and create memorable experience at events, venues, and broadcasts. Whereas DJs contribute significantly to the cultural entertainment industries using their creativity, technical skill, and passion to connect people through rhythm and sound, keeping nightclubs vibrant, fitness studios energized, and music festivals and sporting events alive. And it's the reason why the Panthers are the champions, right? With excitement, right? We have to probably tone that one down a little bit, yeah. Whereas National DJ Month provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the dedication, artistry, and influence of DJs across the nation and internationally that serve as a time to express gratitude for the entertainers who enrich our daily lives. Whereas the City of Sunrise proudly recognized DJ Genesis, the official DJ for the Florida Panthers. Come on, make a little noise. whose exceptional talent, creativity, and dynamic performances elevate the fan experience and energize audience both locally and beyond, and whose ability to seamlessly blend music, culture, and entertainment has made him a respected figure within the industry, uniting diverse communities and amplifying the spirit of South Florida. Whereas DJ Genesis exemplifies professionalism, innovation, and community spirit, serving as an inspiration to all those aspiring DJs out there and just simple music enthusiasts throughout our region. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Michael J. Ryan, Mayor of the City of Sunrise, along with my colleagues on the commission, do hereby proclaim the month of June 2026 as National DJ Month in the City of Sunrise and encourage all to recognize and celebrate the contributions of DJs who enrich our community through music and entertainment and connection. Congratulations. Well done. Thank you.

So I just wanted to say inside the proclamation, there was a word that stuck out for me, and it was culture. And as a Hispanic woman, music is something we grew up with. And I believe in a lot of the Caribbean cultures, music is something how we connect to people, whether it's for joy, whether it's for moments of sadness. And so what you do as a DJ and to be able to get into the hearts of people individually, even as a group, It's just, it's a talent. It's not easy, and you do it so effortlessly and so full of passion. It's such a joy to see you on the big screen, in the stadium, having a great time, connecting with the audience. Everyone loves you, and I'm so honored for you to be here today to accept this, so thank you.

A round of applause. It's a full family experience.

All right. H. Proclamation proclaiming the month of July 2026 as Sichuan and Chongqing Culture Month in the City of Sunrise. Mayor Michael J. Ryan, Deputy Mayor Jacqueline A. Guzman, Assistant Deputy Mayor Latoya S. Clark, Commissioner Neal C. Kirch, and Commissioner Joseph A. Scudo.

Okay, come on, give a round of applause. So we're here to celebrate, again, the word culture, right? We're talking about the beauty of sunrise and how we press the cultural limits and continue to expand our recognition and our understanding, our celebration of culture. I'm going to hand the microphone off to explain what we're celebrating this month and why it's so significant, even for our little town, Sunrise.

Thank you so much. Thanks, Mayor, and also Commissioner. My name is Li Koushka, so I am Chinese. Today, we wanted to get the programmation today is because we wanted to celebrate the subgroup called Chongqing and the Sichuan Group. So it is a subgroup for Chinese that we speak our own dialect and they are famous for spicy cuisine and beautiful people and the city. So we have a lot of Chinese across tri-county here. So how we actually get started is because since COVID and people just relocate from New York, from San Francisco or California because they could not afford living there. So they come to Borough County and especially City of the Sunrise. So we have a lot of people here. So we actually create this group to just kind of really helping them to find out where they can find the best restaurants here and the communities and schools to help them out. And also some elderly that they actually from New York, they're just very getting bored at home and they have no transportation. They do not speak English. So we are trying to help them out to get to the local community that speak the language. So actually this Sunday, we do have our annual party together at Knap Hill Hall. So we have about 140 people that already attended over there. And they're going to have a lot of cuisine and beautiful people are dancing and have some entertainment. And we're very happy to have that.

That's fantastic. Congratulations. And, you know, there was an article, I think, in the Washington Post talking about, just because you said spicy foods, and how in our community, you know, we forget that culture is more than just music, right? It's food and what it does to connect people. But the Washington Post was saying that there's medical evidence now that spicy foods make you healthier, right? My father-in-law is Indian, and when he eats, he sweats because his food is so spicy. I can't touch it, but... He's incredibly healthy at 85. He continues to be. And there's real medical evidence about that, right? That this type of celebration of cultural differences that we may not celebrate as we grew up really impact our lives. And being able to bring the community together like an event like that to really open up the community to share is really, really important. And we thank you for sharing that with the community. Let's give her another round of applause. Thank you. So it's my honor to declare Sichuan and Chongqing Culture Month. All right, so this will be the challenging one for me. Whereas the City of Sunrise celebrates and values the rich cultural diversity that strengthens our community and enriches the lives of our residents and businesses. And the South Florida Sichuan Chongqing Close, I guess. Association was established in 2012 to promote Chinese culture and create an organization where Chinese people can feel at home. Every July, the association hosts a cultural event full of traditions, whereas the cultures of these regions in southwest China are renowned for their deep historical roots, vibrant traditions and significant contributions to global heritage, particularly in the areas of cuisine, art, music and community life. Whereas this culture is widely recognized for their distinctive culinary traditions, including bold flavors and unique spices, which have gained international appreciation and brought people together across cultural boundaries. Whereas the regions are also known for their contributions to performing arts, including opera and traditional folk expressions, which reflect centuries of storytelling and creativity and cultural pride. Whereas recognizing this month provides an opportunity to celebrate cultural exchange, promote mutual understanding, and honor the contributions of individuals and families right here in our community who share these traditions within our community and with our community. Whereas the City of Sunrise is committed to fostering an environment where all cultures are respected, celebrated, and embraced. Now, therefore, I, Michael J. Ryan, Mayor of the City of Sunrise, along with my colleagues on the Commission, do hereby proclaim the month of July 2026 as Sichuan and Chongqing Culture Month in the City of Sunrise, and I encourage all to recognize and celebrate the cultural heritage, traditions, and contributions of this community.

Let's give them a big round of applause.

Congratulations, thank you.

Thank you, Mayor. So when you brought this to my attention, of course, I was honored to be able to bring you here to accept this. But one thing that's important to me is that Sunrise is very diverse. And as you can see with our commission, we are full of representation in many areas. So we have a big, also large community of our Chinese, Asian, American. So thank you for choosing Sunrise to have the gala in. I'm looking forward to attending. And congratulations to you and your community.

Oh, okay.

So it's this Sunday. What time again?

3.30.

Is it sold out or is it open to the community?

Supposedly the club is less than 150. So what I was told last night was 140 some. Oh, okay.

So we're almost at max. No, no one else can go.

All right. What's that?

Sunday or Saturday?

Sunday. See, they're writing it down. They heard there were 10 tickets left, right? Well done.

Just say you had 50 cancellations and you got 50 more coming.

You had me at spicy food.

I think what Commissioner Sudo is saying, it's easier to apologize than to ask permission to expand beyond. Anyway, we hope you know it's going to be a great success. We look forward to hearing all about it. So once again, let's give her a big round of applause. And thank the deputy mayor for bringing that forward. Let's give her another round of applause. Well done.

Okay.

All right. Voting delegates, commission discussion or action or a selection of voting delegates to the Florida League of Cities 2026 Annual Conference. City Manager Mark Lebelski, Lawrence Lawrence, Administrative Services Manager of Motion. Motion by Commissioner Scudo, I mean Commissioner Kirch, seconded by Commissioner Scudo. All right, who's going? I'm going. Okay. I'm going.

I nominate Scudo and Kirch.

Second. Is there a second to that?

Second.

All right. Any discussion on that? All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All right. Congrats. Well done. Enjoy. All right. Open discussion. This is an opportunity for anybody in the public to talk about any items that are not on the agenda. If you're here and wish to speak on any items, go ahead and come forward.

Could I... Just say to that, if Commissioner Guzman would change to make Neil the delegate and me the alternate, because he's going to... We'll figure it out. Well, I'm saying because you're going to be the incoming president for the Broward League, so if you'd want to be the voting delegate, I'm more than welcome to have you.

So I motion to be the delegate and Scooter to be the second, or alternate.

Right. That's what I thought she said. All in favor say aye.

I just wanted to make sure. All right, we're good. Okay. All right, so back to open discussion. We have anyone signed up for open discussion? For any items that are not on the agenda? Here for Youth Council, that's on the agenda. No, different, different, different. Okay, go ahead. Sorry, it said Youth Council. That's why I thought it was agenda. Thank you. Go ahead and give us your name.

My name's Ethan Zager. Okay. Okay. Good evening, mayor, deputy mayor, assistant deputy mayor, and city commission. Like I said, my name's Ethan Zager, and tonight I'm speaking on behalf of my club, Movement for Democracy. I'd like to start by saying that we were thrilled to see item 16C on tonight's agenda, because it echoes our mission of expanding youth civic engagement. And so we deeply appreciate the commission's leadership on that. That said, our goal here tonight is to expand on item 16C by proposing what we believe is a greater opportunity for students to be heard while learning about real-world policy implementation. Now I'd like to get to an overview of our side of the proposal. Our aim is to add student delegates to the city's existing advisory boards. To ensure this framework is efficient, we're proposing a targeted launch. Instead of trying to staff all of the city's boards on day one, we propose selecting specialized student delegates for a handful of advisory boards where students have the most immediate practical alignment, such as a small business advisory board.

Hang on one second. Were you able to mute whatever was going on in the background there? Sorry.

I didn't mean to cut you off. You're doing a great job, by the way. Thank you. Very impressed. All right, we just don't want people interrupting. Other than me, of course, right? Go ahead. Thank you. So such as the Small Business Advisory Board and the Sustainability Advisory Board. In terms of specialized delegates, that could look like a DECA student for the Small Business Advisory Board or a student taking an environmental science class for the Sustainability Advisory Board. Now, this creates an extraordinarily unique learning opportunity. giving students firsthand insight into how local government operates while ensuring the city gets targeted youth feedback exactly where policy is debated. Delegates would be selected using the city's existing application and appointment format, ensuring they meet both high academic and behavioral standards. Both our vision and item 16c work in perfect conjunction. The Youth Advocacy Council will function as the central hub for delegates, meaning monthly to collaborate on broad youth events and coordinate student initiatives. Meanwhile, the individual delegates act as a spokes, attending their assigned advisory boards to offer a real-time, live perspective on city policies. So we're not asking you to choose between our vision and item 16C. We're asking you to combine them. And so we asked the commission to pass item 16C along with the delegate framework within the final program guidelines. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Let's give them a round of applause for that presentation. Thank you. And we'll move that item up so we can have a discussion on it in a moment. So thank you for being here. And you brought an entourage with you, and they're all well-dressed as well. Where are they all from? You want to introduce yourselves? You came all the way out. You might as well do it. Yeah, no, just introduce yourselves.

They're going to need to come up to the microphone so it can be recorded.

What schools do you represent? We need you to come to the microphone because the millions at home won't be able to hear you. And as it was requested, what school?

Western High School.

Okay.

Hello, my name's Ann.

From what school, Ann?

From Western High School.

Okay. Hello, my name's Ryder Culp from Western High School also. Okay.

Hi, my name's Olivia Ahern. I'm also from Western High School. Good evening. My name is no for my son. I'm also from Western high school.

Okay. Well done. Let's give them a round of applause for being here. Why don't you guys have a seat in the front row so that when we talk about this issue, you'll be right up front. Anyone else who's here for open discussion? All right. Seeing none, I'll go ahead and close open discussion. Do you want to go ahead and move up?

If I may, maybe the person that was on the phone was trying to say something because there's delay.

Maybe is there a hand raised?

No, there are no hand raises.

Motion to move up 17C. Second. Okay, motion to move up 17C in a second. All in favor say aye. Aye. All right, so we have 17C. Let me go ahead. No, that's not it.

I'm sorry.

You don't want them voting. 16C. You want them voting on the transportation assessment fee? 16C. All right, you're going to withdraw that motion? Withdraw and substitute 16C. Okay, do I have a second on 16C? Second by Deputy Mayor. Okay. All in favor say aye. Aye. City Commission discussion or action regarding the creation of a Youth Advocacy Council update. Assistant Deputy Mayor Latoya Clark.

So I couldn't have asked for a better collab, right, to this whole agenda item that I have here. So the purpose of it really was to create a board to really enhance what we're currently doing in the city with our youth and to give them a space where their voice can be heard and to be able to learn more about what city government is and to actually want to be involved as they graduate and as they move on into other careers. And so being able to incorporate that within our city, giving them a monthly voice to really operate in their own space will allow our city to grow and to be able to see what our student has to offer. The programs that we currently have are usually one day, two day, or five days expansion, but this would be an all year round expansion of this program. And it would allow them to have like mini mock sessions city commissions within our commission office and be able to even if they find something that is able to come forward to our commission as a youth, that would be something that you can also do as well. So it's really to really empower and strengthen the youth voice within our community as we expand city government.

Okay, thank you for that. I've had the opportunity to review the proposal. I have some suggestions, particularly as we first begin. I want to make sure that we don't over-commit and then it's not as successful. First of all, I want to begin with, you know, we have, how many advisory board members do we have, Mr. Lebowski, right now?

I think we're around 140.

Across how many boards?

14. 14?

Right. So we have a lot of advisory boards already. So it's a very demanding process for staff and having staff go to all these different meetings, right? So as you know, we already have a lot of advisory boards. I really, really like the idea of expanding the youth participation. We already have that on our sustainability board, right? We have a high school member. We've struggled, I'll be honest with you, because everybody's busy. Um, and to, to go to all of the meetings all year long is hard. Um, and so we've not seen as much success out of that, but still important voice. And we want that there to non-voting member. Um, and there are certain boards where I think it makes sense to maybe start to expand it, to do all 14 and find 14 individuals to go to every board at every month. I want it to be successful, right? I want the participation. One of the things that's important in these advisory boards, is participation it's hard to have the continuity if you don't go to every meeting right because you miss what's happening you don't get the flavor from reading just minutes which are not verbatim right it's not you know you're not going to go back and listen to the audio or anything So I think there's a really good way of starting this to see and make sure there's enough interest in the community. I mean, you five are amazing, right? And we had Piper here. We know we couldn't find another five from Piper probably. But there's all sorts of other considerations to make sure it's actually working. Because there'd be nothing worse than starting this and then folks just don't show up to the economic development board or the small business board to learn and listen and participate. There are certain boards that it makes a lot of sense, like leisure services, right? What's going on in our parks? What are we doing in terms of programming? Our cultural advisory board makes a lot of sense, right? What are some other things that we're missing? And so I think the first You know, kind of what I'm thinking before we get to all the voting for president and secretary and all the things that's in this, which I don't really hesitate just yet to have it that formalized because we don't have our other boards like that. There's a chair to just run the meeting at the advisory boards and a vice chair if the chair is not there. But everybody's an equal there, right? And in participation here, I want to guard against having, all right, this is just me personally. The others may feel differently, but having a president, a vice president, a treasurer, a board secretary, and all sorts of others makes it You know, may encourage participation by some, but may discourage from others. Right. And really, you want everybody. I think I would want all of if we're going to do a council, all the council members have an equal voice and have you have to have some organization. Right. Somebody's got to do it. It's probably run by staff initially. So that that's one, too. I would pick a handful of boards where it makes sense to start. right, where you say, all right, in combination with the commission and staff saying, all right, what are the four or five boards that could really use input from the next generation, right? We knew right off, we didn't need to ask anybody. Sustainability was clearly one of those, right? Some of the boards might be a little narrow. Social services, you know, might not be one that, you know, a lot of young people, it's powerful, it's important, it's your point about policy it's hugely important but it may not draw the most attention right so the first step i think in in any change is to make sure you're successful and then grow that that's just my my gut reaction um and i and i would rather see us start that way and see how much interest there is before we have a full-blown council that's just me um And as has been pointed out, we have a lot of folks that we draw from, right, from the Sunrise Leadership Academy. That is not just one meeting or a couple of hours. That's a sustained program for a full semester. The youth event that's turned out to be incredibly successful, a great place to like harvest, not harvest, but to encourage people to participate. But I'd like to see that first start before it's full blown because it takes a lot of staff time to get this organized. You worry about quorum. As we get into certain times of the year, it's harder, depending on what grade you're in, to be able to make everything, right? So I think, I don't know what staff's perspective, and then I'll turn it to the commission. I don't know if, Mr. Lebowski, you've given this some thought, but from the perspective of if we were to add, say, four or five student advisors, student members, non-voting members to certain boards, and we can kind of figure out what the most interest is, and follow the same application process that we do for sustainability, is that something staff would be prepared to do and be able to make sure to report back on the success of that?

Yes, Mayor.

With respect to starting a whole new council, I think it's a really great idea. I think there's more to talk about. I mean, I know there was one provision in there that said, oh, and the council could bring to the commission, put something on the agenda. We don't have any of the advisory boards doing that. the ones that have been here for 20 years not the ones that you might think of as big ones economic development and leisure services and i hesitate to create a what appears to be a right that the city manager says no we're not going to put that on the agenda or there's more considerations and then people get disappointed then they get angry and then there's politics to get involved i think the first step is to really gauge my opinion gauge how much in sustained interest i mean to assistant deputy mayor's point some of the programs are just a day or a couple days some are more you know require more time but to come to every advisory board it's at four or five o'clock or five or six o'clock you know has some conflicts with folks they have to be committed we tell our board members you gotta come and in fact we have rules of suspending folks who don't come regularly and it's part because we need the continuity so it might be something to explore i mean it's up to the will of commission i think this might get us on the trajectory towards something if it could be more sustained i'm worried about starting and then we don't have enough interest and we've had staff do it and then the spokes issue is a great idea what i'd like to say and i guess the the challenge is right some of the advisory board members have been on there years you all aren't going to be you got a couple of years you're moving on to other things so then it's the next component of it is how do we encourage the next how does it become self-sustaining we don't want to create something that's just because we have a a moment in time of interest that makes it hard to sustain right the schools are a great resource for trying to encourage this from student government otherwise but what we've learned is that Folks that are in student government already have a lot of demands on their time. Right. So sometimes it's not as easy to get them to attend. And I'll just come back and I'll close comments on this. We found the sustainability board. It's been really hard, even though that's like one of the most passionate items for young people. We saw a great op ed in the Sun Sentinel this past week written by three local students that got published. That was really compelling about the next generation and what we're facing in terms of climate and trash and all sorts of other things. But having enough people all the time, year after year, I think is really challenging because all of you are going to be going on to big schools or whatever your life's going to take you to. You're not going to give that up. Or maybe you will. Maybe you'll give it up to stay on our boards here and not go to an Ivy League or some other international school, but likely not. So that's just my initial thoughts. I don't know what –

So I beg to disagree. I think that students in school are dedicated to whatever club and organization they actually join. They are involved in student government. They're involved in key club. They're involved in drama club. And these are things that are passionate and it has shown success in other areas. cities, any other counties, how individuals have progressed from being on these advisory council who have then moved on into student government and have moved on into city government. So to say that we will not obtain anyone that would really make it I don't think that would be something that I would actually put towards this, considering that even the young individuals that came and debate in front of us, they have now moved on to being Broward County School Board advisory, which shows that their passion was driven from elementary school to middle school, and then they move on to high school. So this has been a real push from individuals in the community, and this is something that I believe that the community needs to actually empower the youth to have sure that their voice is being heard.

So make no mistake, my comments are not because I don't value youth or don't value youth voices. In fact, my start before I sat in a seat was organizing youth to come here to this commission and announce that we were opposed to something. So that's not my point. My point is that what we've seen here, at least in Sunrise, I don't know about other communities, but it's been a challenge getting our sustainability board to have a consistent advisory board member, and it's one of those that just really draws. I'm hopeful that this becomes very successful. I think the first measure of whether there's enough student interest, particularly given the kind of spoke and hub analogy that was driven, is to determine whether or not there are enough students interested in that part. And if the issue is no, maybe they won't be interested in small business or others. and it's just going to be the council, then the question is, what is it being formed to do? I think it is to understand policy, as was pointed out. And one of the best ways to do that is to participate in one of the boards. So I think that that's a really compelling idea. I mean, I really, really like that. And I think that it might catalyze, might energize some of the boards that maybe haven't had the same energy right to have a youth voice in there saying here's an issue right that we really think is important we want to participate in it so I'm not I'm not against this in fact years ago I raised with city management a very similar idea it was a challenge of finding that balance because there's a lot of staff time that unlike the other boards which generally self-populate in the sense that we have way more applications than we have board positions right there are people in the community that want to be on boards that we just don't have the space for them and what the clerk whenever we lose a board member contacts us all and says hey by the way we lost a board member here are the other applications from earlier in the year that people were interested and we were able to fill it like that generally speaking with some exceptions right some of the some of the boards are tougher than others because they require an expertise or something but But I do think I want this to be successful. I'm worried about just launching it without consideration for staff time, which is pretty demanding as it is right now. And not wanting to first start with, do we have that measure? These five are obviously would be fantastic. And I really wish I had known you all were even considering. I don't know if anybody knew you were coming, but I would have liked to have known because I would have said, hey, can you reach out to Piper as well? You all came from Western, and that's really good. But to sustain these programs, we need both high schools to really, and maybe Plantation High, another one that is, again, has a lot of Sunrise residents in it. So there's the three high schools that really need to get together and say, if Sunrise is going to create a council, if it's going to be that first step towards public service or just developing leadership skills or understanding public policy, I'm really supportive of that. Um, but I wanna see that, that, that, you know, maneuvers now it's middle of July, right? So the challenge of getting a hold, right? So come September, maybe what we're talking about is you all using your contacts with plantation and Piper to say, hey, this is what we're, the commission's, you know, talking about or the commission did or whatever the will of the commission is tonight. But we need to need the schools to, to really get together on this cuz we can't do a youth council on five. And I know you have other friends that will wanna do it. Uh, no doubt. But we need to gauge. I think we need to first gauge that. Let me open up. Deputy Mayor and then Commissioner Kirch.

So first of all, thank you, Commissioner Clark, for bringing this to the agenda. And I want to thank the students from Western for also being here. What I've noticed over the past five, 10 years is the younger generation are so much more civically engaged more than ever, which is why I choose support programs such as this. I do see the concern the mayor brings as far as having the regular attendance because we have issues with the other advisory boards. However, the difference I see with the adults versus our youth is adults have their life. They have challenges. They have families. So I can see where attending would be difficult for them to make a day or miss a day, however that attendance looks like. Whereas our youth, they're just getting their life started. They're committing to something. They are using these opportunities to help their future grow. So I really do believe that if we do find these students, they're going to be committing to this for at least a year or two, depending on when they graduate. The requirements to join, personally, I do kind of want to expand on that. I see where it's 10 to 12. If we were to move forward in this, I personally think ninth grade should be included. I know, again.

It's a draw on parents, and it gets all the much harder in supervision. I understand. I agree.

We have students in elementary, in fifth grade, in eighth grade. middle school that are so articulate and it's so mind-blowing to see how smart and engaged these kids are getting younger and younger. So if we're going to do high school, I believe we should do 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th. And then I do think that if they are going to go into something like this, they should have already attended RLA and at least one of the... SLA. Sorry, SLA. Thank you. And also one of the teen summits to show that they clearly had their commitment prior to wanting to enroll in this. Yes. You're not looking at actually my backup, but...

But it was already there, so we're all good.

Oh, okay, so that's part of it? Okay, good, good, good. But I'm at the will of the commission. Thank you, I'm supportive of this, and I give kudos to any Piper High School, Western, and Plantation High School, and even Millennium. We have some students that go to Millennium, so that's to be considered.

I didn't notice in the backup that it said it was a requirement for SLA students Oh, I was only looking at the backup here. All right, so it's a work in progress. Okay, I got you. Okay, Commissioner Kirch.

So it was about a month ago when Ethan emailed me with the idea, and because of sunshine, I can't run up to you all and let you know that they were coming. So it is a pretty interesting coincidence that Commissioner Clark put a similar item on here. But as I talked with him in the email... I figured it was better for him to pitch it in person to all of us at once than try and set individual meetings with everyone scheduled to do that for his convenience. And I'm glad all the other students came out to support and have an interest in the program. He reached out to me. This wasn't me reaching out to him, so I do believe there is a demand or interest to participate in a program like this, whether it's adding a member to an existing board or creating a new council. That is the dilemma, but I'm supportive of doing one or the other or both at the appropriate time. The mayor's position on whether we start the board right now, again, he's absolutely right. Being up here 13 years, I've seen the difficulty of constantly fulfilling a sustainability officer. It may go well for a couple of years, but then goes back. Whatever the will is commissioned, if it's just add a member to education, sustainability, leisure services, bicycle, cultural, those five, see how that gauges. And then at the end of the year, if it's full and they meet the requirements, we can expand it and make this combined program that Commissioner Clark has. But I'm supportive of it. I just need to know the framework of what we're going to do.

It's a good point. You know, did you all participate in the Student Leadership Academy? SLA, you did, right? It's a really good introduction, right? To city, not only city government, but working with others and finding out where you can have a voice. I love that as a requirement. Because I think what you see out of that are young leaders. When we see the beginning of the year, when we first go in and all talk, and then we see you all at the end. Wow. I mean, it's already not only have those that have been shy, you know, really begin to bloom, but the amount of energy dedicated towards changing the world, whatever that may be, right, for whatever passion it is, is palpable. You feel it and you know it. You went through it. I think it's a great idea to first, you know, look at the SLA now. That is an expanded group, right? SLA starts in 9th? Or no, it's 11th and 12th. Right, we have to think that through, yeah. But there's a reason for that, though, right? Why 11th and 12th? That was because they were coming out of the school day as well. There was another component to it. So I'd have to think that through. But I think the importance of it, though, if you come through SLA first, is that you're really hitting the ground running. So if you go to the bike and pedestrian board, You already have this concept of what the city's about and what staff is, because you've met with a lot of staff. You may even see some of the staff. Or you go to the education board. It's not just because you're going to school and you need better cafeteria lunch or something. You're thinking about higher policy issues, but you've already had the groundwork of what it means to work together. So it may be exclusionary, as you point out.

It shows their commitment, too, that they're going to come to that meeting, so we know they're not going to miss it.

And it is a big deal. And it's been a real understandable frustration on the sustainability because there's so much interest in that one. And yet we constantly have that vacant. And maybe you can help us figure out how to do a better job because we don't really have the tentacles into the schools to do this. We would need SLA-like ambassadors. to go back and talk to 9th and 10th graders and say, you need to do this. You have a voice, right? All right, let me just go down the line.

So first of all, I really want to thank you guys for coming tonight. Both my daughters went to Western High School. My daughter, Caitlin, in freshman year and I guess almost sophomore year, she was part of HOSA. So Elise was part of forensic. You know, when you guys first go and you go to Weston, they had it inside the big, I guess, cafeteria. The first two days, all the parents and the kids get to see all the clubs that are available, right? And the parents and you guys are all there handing out whatever it is for whatever club to join. And it's all great. And then everybody joins and it starts off with 40, 50 kids. Some hoses starts off with 100 kids. And then by the end of the year, they all dwindle down because people change and they got different things. Then they got sports or whatever. That's a given no matter what. So where I'm going with it is, You know, and I mentioned this the last time that 20-something years ago, we tried to start something that's for just specific for youth. The same kids had interest back then are the same kids today. The only difference is back then they didn't have a phone, and now they have a phone. They had beepers, now they have computers. I'm just saying.

You've seen what beepers are, right?

So the generations of kids that want to be active want to be active. Bringing up the idea, and this would be for us to decide, if we have 14 boards, right, for us to figure out out of the 14 boards, which ones would say be beneficial. Now the mayor brought up the sustainability. 20 years ago, nobody cared about sustainability. But today, 20 years later, there's a board for it. So whether it's for lighting, whether it's conservation of water, whether it's for recycling, whether it's for whatever, okay? People may be interested in that, right? But if we're only putting one person on that board, you know what I'm saying? Who do I pick? boy or girl from Weston, the boy or girl from Piper, the boy or girl from Plantation, the boy or girl from St. Thomas, Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop, American Heritage. I'm just saying, right? Could be like very difficult to pick one person. If the one student doesn't show up, right, are we making them just to be a non-voting candidate? I mean, it's an advisory board. Whatever they're voting on is not, you know, policy. Besides planning and zoning, okay, unsafe structure, the... Your board, I'm just saying.

Affordable housing.

Affordable housing and then board of adjustment because it has to pass that to go to planning and zoning. But then I look at some of these boards, how important they are because some people may want to be an engineer. Some people may want to be an architect. Some people may want to be a lawyer. Some people may want to be a builder, a plumber, electric, right? So to go to the planning and zoning board may be like unbelievably interesting for someone that may be interested in that. I say this because it's gotta probably be like 25 years ago. Broward County School Board had a program called Community as a School, where the chamber was part of it and students could actually come to my business back then, which was a ceramic business. The kids would come. My brother would teach them how to airbrush. Some kids want to be an artist. I made clay. You know what I'm saying? Kids wanted to be a potter. You know what I'm saying? Then we had ovens. But then they were allowed to go to a bank. They were allowed to go to an insurance company. There was many different things that... But then they stopped it, right? So I'm saying you had a great opportunity to go into all these businesses and learn, and now you don't. So I agree to start somewhere, but now I'm just saying, if you put in that you gotta go to SLA, how many positions are SLA, 20? So now if they're not in as a junior, and they're not the first 20 kids They can't participate. Now they're a junior. They don't get in the 20. They're not going to. I'm just saying. So I don't want to restrict. You know what I'm saying? I'm happy that the five of you are here. But I don't have five from Piper. I don't have five from Plantation. I don't have five from these other schools. To see if they're really interested. You know what I'm saying? When I went to Western, there was hundreds of kids everywhere trying to sign up for a club. Is it like that at Piper? Is it like that at Plantation? You know what I'm saying? I hope to God they are as enthusiastic as you guys are to want to make this grow. So whatever boards we pick, just saying, you have to know the day of that meeting you have to know that time of that meeting so it doesn't conflict with whatever it is that you are doing because if we're only picking one person on five different boards and you may want to go to the engineering you know the planning and zoning but you have something at school for whatever board you are or whatever so i'm saying is I don't want to make it where it's so difficult because these boards are set for the last 20, 25 years. They're not going to change the time and the date for, so I think let's pick all the, if we go that route, let's pick all the boards that we want to do this with, tell them what day it is and what time it is, right? Then you got to bring it back and Piper has to bring it back to figure out If it's gonna- We get applicants. Right, how to get applicants to say, you're not going on the planning and zoning yet because you gotta pick, you gotta know that it's on this day and on this time. You gotta make sure it works because you don't wanna fill out for the board and then you say, you get picked and then they're like, oh, it's on Thursday at five o'clock. You're like, I'm still at school or some of the boards meet at different times. So that's going forward. So I guess for us, it's to pick which boards we think are going to be beneficial for the kids.

If that's the will. Because the assistant deputy mayor has a different version. Right. I'm just saying. I don't think the assistant deputy mayor didn't know they were coming. Right.

No, no, no. I'm not saying them. I'm just saying anyone in general. If you're only having five boards, that means you're only going to be able to pick five people.

Or you had two positions per week.

I'm just saying, or you have, you could put, I mean, we could pick as many as we want on the border. It doesn't matter. Or you could do alternates. But I'm saying that if you do an alternate, then it may be difficult to find the person. And at the last minute, this person can't go. And then they're going to call the alternate. I'm just saying, then that ain't going to work. And then if you do just a board meeting, Just for youth, it's the same thing. We'd have to figure out a date. We'd have to figure out a time. They all have to figure out if they're going to be available for it. But what is the benefit for it? I mean, I would like to see them benefiting, like going to the planning and zoning and really learning something, or maybe where they're gonna find out what their next career is. And that would be one great board. The sustainability, they could learn about what it is, and how they could have their own input to it. But we really wanna hear from you guys. So, I mean, it's important to understand What it is that you want to learn from this? Just to create, you know, a board, right? What is it that you want to get at? I don't want to just say, this is a commissioner, this is the deputy mayor, and you're going to be the mayor, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, that's not going to make them want to be a lawyer, a plumber, an electrician, or whatever. I mean, if we're going to go somewhere where we want to help people, I'd rather help them with what they're going to do in their career rather than what it is how we are as a government. You know what I'm saying? I want to know where we want to go with it.

Or an outlet for their passion, right? Whether it's education, bike and pedestrian.

I'd rather see it go that route rather than you know, having these mock, you know, the way Hazel just did what she did. One, it's a great program. She's been doing it for years. I've been giving a pizza for how many years that she did this all over. I just, I want to know what it is, the benefit that you want to get out of these, you know, and how you could contribute if you were to get on one of these boards, or is it that you guys want to learn what? I mean, that's what I would want to know.

All right, so let's just hang on one second. Mr. City Manager and then Deputy Mayor.

Briefly, Mayor, real brief. I just want to say if the commission's desire is for us to look at and evaluate adding a student member to the boards, I'd like the opportunity to sit with Ms. Bravo and also the city attorney. Because some of our boards are statutory requirements. I'll use like the Affordable Housing Advisory Board has very specific guidelines. I would want to make sure like our P&Z board will have the ability to do that without impacting any of the development regulations. So some of them are very easy, but there are some I would like an opportunity to sit with legal and Ms. Bravo before we would say commit to those.

Okay, fair enough. Deputy Mayor, and then... Okay, just I knew your light was on. So the question was, what do you want? And it's not what you want, right? It's what the vision is that you think is sustainable, understanding your fellow students, right? So in this setting where you're at the podium, you're speaking not just for yourself, as kind of a representative of what you think can happen. I want you to elevate kind of the thinking of this.

Well, let me add, when you first started, you said that you had a board of When you first came up to the podium, you have a club. So what is the club? A blueprint for democracy.

What is it? A blueprint for democracy.

So what do you guys do in your thing? So I could get an understanding of what it is that you do.

Okay, well, our current mission right now is, of course, getting this passed. But also, we're supporting a candidate for school board, District 6. So we go out canvassing for her, show up at events for her. And another thing we have is we've been put in touch with a state representative, and we're currently drafting legislation to hopefully get it onto the Florida Congress floor.

So you're just specifically, you want to be a political thing? This is what it is?

It's about just engagement, youth engagement in government.

Okay. All right. Well, so you guys are going one way to be a political thing and canvassing for candidates when... I'm just asking him what he does. So they're canvassing for candidates and doing things like that, which is great. That's all a political thing. I don't want to make... whatever we're doing, a political thing. If I want to add an advocate of a youth to a board, I don't want him to... I'm just saying. I'm not knocking what you're doing. Believe me. I want to support youth that want to be involved in a city to learn the functioning of bettering yourself as far as what you could do as a career. Political, that is a totally different thing. I don't want to be up here to be on that side. I'll support you and do whatever you want. For the canvassing and for stuff like that, it's totally different. So don't let me take this wrong. Originally when you spoke, I thought that you wanted to be on boards because of something else. The political side, I'm not going to...

If I could just interject just for one second. I don't think it's just the political part of it. It's the civic...

But that's what I'm asking you, what it is that they're doing, and that's what they're doing. What you asked about is... Hold on, one at a time, one at a time, one at a time.

Let me just... Because I know this may look a little tricky and... just to be clear, it's a component of what they do in the civic engagement, not so much political and canvassing in that aspect. What they do in that program, I understand, but what I think Commissioner Erlatoye was trying to do is more of the civic. and the municipal, local government aspect of it. Now, if any of those students are a part of it, nine times out of 10, their passion and future is to go into political science or some kind of law and whatnot. And if they want to get involved in something like what the Western students are doing, then they can do it on their own time. But I believe the students, if we do move forward in this club or advisory board that Commissioner Clark is talking about, I think that would be definitely something we say, no campaigning whatsoever. I think we all agree with that.

I just wanted to know what it is that his club.

Their club and their advisor is different.

All right, Deputy Mayor, I mean, Assistant Deputy Mayor, one other thing, consideration, is I would like the school leadership to commit to this program. Because it occurs to me as we're talking this through, know when we're trying to fill the sustainability board we're kind of doing that on our own we haven't really pushed this like for a student advisor at the school to drive that year after year and it's kind of embarrassing we don't have somebody right and it should be a point for the three high schools and you can expand it beyond but the three that are most relevant right are Piper Western and plantation to have somebody in below the principal, actually engaged in this process to make it sustainable, like they do for student government. If we're going to create this, we have to make sure it's sustainable, because they're only going to be here two years. And maybe just, hang on a second, maybe it's only one year before they find a new passion, right? We need a teacher, advisor, if you will, I think, to get behind this and say, okay, yeah, we're going to encourage, because there are huge benefits, right? What you're trying to, I think, I'm not speaking, your vision of this has huge benefits beyond whatever a professional can achieve, right? It's engagement in general in the community. It's going to translate into SLA figures this out, right? It translates into something I had nothing, I never even envisioned, right? They figured out how to organize, or they figured out, how to call local government and complain or influence legislation and policy and the broader concept. But I feel like we're kind of running blind. We did the sustainability because we had some real student interest, and then it waned, and then the new student didn't come in. We don't really have engagement with the three schools to market it and harvest it. So I think, I mean, there's passion there. You know it from Piper. It's just a question of how do we make sure we're going to populate all of this if we're going to do it, because it's

There's a need. It's almost like if you build it, it will come. I know there's.

I know.

And I think we can reach out to those schools. Student government programs. Yeah, and the student government programs and all these other programs that are there. I don't, I foresee that we'll get engagement and we'll have a student or teacher back in to make sure that we get somebody on the board. I don't foresee it as something, especially they're getting hours for this. It's going to be a draw for any, who don't want to do manual labor and is really involved in government and book smarts and want to learn something, I think it's going to be a big draw for individuals.

But I just don't want to limit just for government and not for kids that want to... No, no, no, I'm saying... I'm not limiting at all. But if you're making this about... If you're making this about Student government and and saying and make it as a like a commission form a thing. I think you're limiting All the kids then if you're gonna do that, then I would want to do so I'm saying We have Different things in the city not necessarily just government so there's different fields I hear you, but when we do SLA and RLA, it's just to inform people what we're doing inside of the city, right? But my, I'm saying, but my engagement for what you're saying is say one thing. You're not opening, to me, you wouldn't be opening it up. for the youth to figure out what it is that they want to do as a career. That's my only difference.

I don't think she's excluding that. I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

But when you make it into this form, then to me, it's like you're limiting it to political stuff. I'm not saying that you're making it. I'm not saying this was your intention, political. I'm just saying I would like to see where, look, and I only say this because, and again, I don't want this just to be for public school, okay? Just hear me out. I went to St. Thomas. And while I was at St. Thomas, and I said this story before, they had junior achievement. And I stayed after school because American Express was the sponsor for the Junior Achievement. And I don't know if this stuck in my head, but it taught us how to start a business and come up with an idea and come up with something and go out and market it and go out and sell it. And I did that. And maybe did that push me to go into business my whole life? I don't know. But it was something that they gave me. This young gentleman... And the students here, this is maybe their passion, right, for right now. Like you said, next year it could change. But I don't want to say what his passion is. It has to be my passion. And what my passion has to be is not their passion. Because if you had five other students that want to go into medical and five students that want to go to vocational, like I said, tonight, We always give out scholarships every single year to students that were going to a college. And it was Piper High School that came to us and said, if we fill out for the application, are you only going to give the scholarship to the kids that are going to college? And we said, no. They said, these kids may want to go to a vocational school. And we said we would be more than welcome to do that. So look. whatever I'm saying is whatever you're proposing, I just want to make sure you expand it into other areas and not limit it. That's all I'm saying. That's just my opinion. That's all I'm saying.

And so I think that's a great point, right? So everyone who joins the club won't necessarily end up in a field that has to do with government. I mean, sure, I was in student government in high school. I was in student government in college. And sure, expanded, but then my career expanded into something totally different until I'm here now. But either way, the point is that your interest is going to change over a period of time. And when you're in the advisable council, that also gives expansion to see what else can be done. These are young people coming up with ideas to see what the next generation is going to look like, which we are beyond that point. It's really their voice at least being expanded at that particular time to actually show how the club can be evolved. So as we're going through, they may say, hey, you know, I think that we need to expand on this particular role or we feature one particular different advisory club throughout the entire time and we expand upon that. But I think it should be a learning engagement for everyone who's participating and not necessarily just learning on two people go to this, three people go to that, but there's no collaboration at the end. When you have an advisory council at the end of the day, they all belong to one council and they're expanding their knowledge at all times because they're still coming back to the main focus And there can talk and engage that way.

Let me just jump in for a second. We've got to bring this in for a landing because I think we're not going to solve this tonight. And this is part of your first lesson, right? Policy. There are so many considerations at times, right? You can be supportive of a goal and then say, how do we get there? What's the mechanism? What are the considerations? And so the broad principles of youth engagement, learning about our city, we are better because... students have come to the podium to demand change on issues we have stoplights um sros whatever they're passionate about they've come and that's been time and time again the commission's listened and so we want more of that that's number one um number two i think i'm not sure i'm committed to the concept you build and people will come i mean i think that's fanciful at some level because Unlike the boards that have year after year the same applicants who want and are passionate about it, we're going to lose you by definition. By definition, you're going to grow and find a new passion, and you're going to leave. So we have to create a sustainable. Third, we need the schools to actually help us because one of the things we can't do is – is build something that falls on its face because then it's harder to ever come back and becomes less. Fourth, if we're going to have a hub and spoke analogy to this, that means two meetings a month. That's even more demand, right? I think there's some real merit to it. I think I love the concept, right, of going to whether it's education, sustainability, leisure services, bike and pedestrian, PNZ, whatever, and coming back together to talk about what did you learn, right? What are some interesting things? It could be just a passion that somebody goes, I didn't even know that existed, right? So part of it's also being building on engagement. I'm not yet prepared to create a system or an advisor counselor that has president, vice president, secretary, treasurer. We don't need a treasurer, right? Because we're the treasurers, right? But I like the concept of whether maybe it's a quarterly matter that – students from the advisory boards get back together to talk about what they learned, make presentations. What's the P&Z board? People don't even know what that is. What does planning and zoning do? Because that type of board exists everywhere. They call it different things in different states, but it exists, right? It's an advisory board that says, yes, you can do or you can't do. Or an education board. You're going to have, what are the hot button issues in Sunrise or broader? So I think there's a way to get there. It's unfortunate we're talking about it in the middle of July, but I actually think it's better that we are Because maybe there's some groundwork that can be done between now and September to say, okay, we have these kind of broad work with staff, figure out the boards. And I like a hybrid of what the Deputy Mayor suggested, what you all are suggesting and trying to build. Because I think there's one of the things that we've learned over the years is that one of us will come up with an idea and somebody will have a better way of doing it or will offer a new idea. and build it that way. And I think that this is in its incubation. So I know you said you're here to get us to pass something. As you're learning from this policy, it's a lot more complex than just saying, yes, let's do what's on this paper. There's a lot of considerations. I don't want it to become paralyzing. Right? So I'm going to leave it up to my colleagues how to proceed. But what I would like to do is what I would like to do is is have staff and maybe the assistant deputy mayor work with staff on a proposal what we've heard here from colleagues and from you all on that of course any of the other commissioners could as well and then between now and say the first meeting in september which is pretty robust because it's budget season and everything but this is a time when you will be able to go to piper and plantation and your own school like the commissioner scudo was saying and hey And then the third thing we need is staff to engage with the principals, which we have great relationships with the principals to say, we're thinking of doing this. We need it to be sustainable year after year. And will you work with us to try to help us do that? I think this is deputy mayor's right. I think deputy mayor said this. I think there's a lot of passion. I think there is interest in it. But I think we need some infrastructural support to be successful. and to build something that, and maybe we consider this the building year where we work out the kinks and prove on it, and you guys continue to participate already as advisors, right? Because once you're on a board, you're covered by what's called sunshine law. You can't really talk to each other if you're on the same board and otherwise. But now you can be an advisor between now and September and say, here's some of the considerations, and maybe go back to the drawing board after hearing this and seeing if you can build something that, can work, understanding it can improve over time, right? It can expand over time. But like anything that you start, you want to be successful in the first effort. The first tranche has got to be successful. Failure means it won't come back again. Does that make some sense? Yes. Okay.

Okay, so now let me just make my last comment. And no disrespect to Ms. Guzman, and this is a positive thing for you. Ms. Commissioner Guzman had an idea about doing a youth council and taking them out of state. We were gonna spend tens of thousands of dollars, right? No, no, no, no, right. I'm just saying. But after the long discussion that we had up here, we end up coming up with a different idea. It was to engage in a kids teen summit that we all said it would better to benefit more kids, okay, than less kids. So we end up taking only, say, seven kids for $50,000, or whatever it was going to be, to now getting 75 kids that went to the Teen Summit. But now imagine, do that more than once, and with their help from Western, from Piper, from Plantation, and then say we're gonna have this X amount of times and get more people. You could end up getting hundreds of kids and then you pick the topics of each time. My thing is, you make us vote on this tonight, because you came here and said that. Only five to seven kids are gonna get selected for this board for the whole year. What benefit is that gonna have to the hundreds of kids in Sunrise? very minimal right that's just my opinion so having a summit or whatever you want to call it and if you guys are the ones that organize it you say this month it's going to be about this next month it's going to be about this or whatever it is and you get hundreds of kids that are going to show up and have that input into the city but to have only five kids or seven kids to be on a board It's not, I'm just saying you're not gonna get the benefit. The boards that we have, some of them are because we have to have them. Okay, some of them are just to get input from the community. But very rarely do they ever come here and make presentations to us for what we need. I think the benefit of having more people involved and more kids involved and having more things like that where Maybe one day the chamber could come and they bring a lawyer, a plumber, electrician and talk to the kids about what it is you could do in your career. Maybe one time you could have law enforcement and city employees or whatever and to go that side. I'm just saying, I think we'd rather, I would rather see it more broader than forming a five to seven board club that is not gonna benefit more kids. That's all I'm saying, so.

I'm going to give you the last word and then actually then the deputy mayor has her light on. I know we have her first and then you.

You know, it's crazy to say this, I actually agree with Commissioner Scudo to a point. It almost seems like it's like a debate club in a sense where you're gonna have different topics and talk about this X amount of quarterly, however that looks like. So it's almost kind of like defeating the purpose of the advisory council. And then I believe that we'll require more staff engagement if we do it that way. Not that I'm against it, but I do see the significance in creating a council and a rotation of kids, not going to be the same kids every single time. So there's opportunities, and we can start a pilot and then take it from there.

Yeah, I mean, we're in the middle of summer, so it's hard, but it gives us the opportunity, right? We can kind of launch in August, right, to say is there interest in this in general and put it back on the agenda. You're the sponsor of this, so I'm not trying to overstate that, but I don't think we're there yet. I think it has to bake a bit. That's my personal feeling. So if this was a night to say, oh, up or down, it's not really a fair point, right? Because everybody's in support of what the concept is. It's what is the best model, given what we know in Sunrise to Start. And I've now rethought to the point that Commissioner Stoodle said, and this is part of why having a discussion is important, right? Here, I agreed with you right away about SLA, but it's a good point that really that means they have to go in 11th And then by 12, they may have picked it, and then they're out. And so the concept made sense, right? Because you were trying to see, is somebody really passionate about learning about this? And they would already have knowledge base. Like if you, after doing SLA, joined a board or you were on an advisory account, you already know the city. You already know a lot of what's going on. And that's beneficial, but it's too exclusionary. It turns out the criteria is too exclusionary. But the concept's there, right? So the question then is, how do you, for me, not maybe for the others, but how do you substitute that inclusionary criteria that you're seeking, that is someone who's truly passionate, not just wants to put it on? Because you'll know, right, some of your colleagues just want to say they did something, they got it, and then they don't do it, right? And that's not going to be helpful. But how do we get the school administration to say, yeah, this is a good idea? We need them, right? Because when you graduate and you graduate and you move on, we need that next generation coming through. And I say generation in probably two years. We're not talking generation. But we need to have it sustainable. And I guess that that's what I'd like you to really think about between now and the next time we're all together. Is that something y'all are willing to do? Yes. I'll give you the last word.

Okay, so I'd like to address some of your concerns. I know, Mayor, you brought up the point about how hard it is to staff the Sustainability Advisory Board and how difficult it is to ensure a quorum. One thing I'd like to point out is that not every student who wants to get involved is interested in, say, sustainability. Students who may not be interested in joining the Sustainability Advisory Board may be interested in joining another advisory board.

We're already on that. We totally agree with you on that. My point of it was not to say that that's – we had demand, and we had for a few years. The student wanted to be involved, and then they didn't – after that, we couldn't get another one, couldn't get applicants. This is what I'm saying. I'm agreeing with you, and I think Commissioner Skouda's pointed out, I'd be interested in P&Z. I hadn't even thought of that. You might have an engineering background. You're like, I want to be an architect, right, and I want to understand how do you get things through. I agree with you. I'm not limiting it. I just don't want you to – think we're thinking broader because of what you've inspired.

Right. OK. So then the next point would be, So as you pointed out, getting in touch with the schools to get them on board, I agree that's a great step to do. And if we were to do that, we could have them have assemblies to promote this, to ensure kids know about it, and that there's a large population that knows about it, that they're interested, and then who are interested to then apply. So ensure that... this continues from beyond just one year. Another point I'd like to add, for students who are interested, we could have whoever's, let's say there's a delegate to the Small Business Advisory Board, whoever serves that one year, if they're being replaced the next year, they could sit down with whoever's coming to replace them, mentor them, explain what the procedure is, and so we have some sort of continuity between delegates to ensure that it's sustainable beyond just us here.

I love that. Great idea. You're already you're already thinking now beyond just getting a single night passage. You think, how do I build something that's going to be long term? That's going to be a legacy. And those are the type of things I need you all. I would ask. I don't I can't tell you anything. But I'd ask you to put your heads together and say, how do we do that? It's a great idea. That that's part of the obligation when you complete your year is that the next one you have to spend time. You have to sit down, go over, maybe attend the first meeting of the following year. Whatever you guys think about and come back. I really like that idea.

And my thing is I don't just want you to have one kid to follow the next year. I'd want to see 100 kids that want to come back. You know what I'm saying?

I think we could expand it beyond one delegate, but I think other programs like SLA and teen youth summits could cover the issue of reaching a lot of students, whereas this program, that's not its main priority. We could have SLA to cover a larger group of students, whereas that's not the aim of this program necessarily because we can't accommodate a large group of students for a program like this.

we have alternatives for if we have um too many students we have alternative programs for them to do as well i i like the way you're thinking about this i really do i think this has really been beneficial so it's up to you as a deputy mayor how you'd like like to proceed with this tonight Um, I think we ought to put it back on just me. I would want to put it on the agenda specifically. So you all know when we're talking about it again, you have kind of a timeline, a horizon. To think about, I don't say deadline a horizon to think about some of these things. Like, can we accommodate or how we do it? Who do we engage in our schools? You know, are you going to need staff help to reach out to Piper or to. plantation or you already have contacts there. I mean, I think it's probably going to come from staff level because they'll contact the principals. You'll have an email that goes out saying, hey, we're working on this and we'd like you to engage on it. So there's stuff to think about. How do you want to proceed?

I think August is going to be too soon if there's no school right now. I suspect so. And you can't get a hold of the people that are in the school to see. I'm not saying to vote on it.

I'm not saying to vote on it. To bring it back, because I see this as a... it's a living, breathing concept, right? That over years may, we may get grow and may get more constricted, contracted, depending on what the interest is. But I think we want to build something. And I think I don't want, I don't personally, I don't want, I know none of us do want it to slide too long. I want you to put your heads together and you can communicate to all of us, right? You have our, our emails and you can let us know your ideas and put together, but create kind of a timeline. We're at least going to discuss it again to see where we are. Has staff been able to, reach out. The principals are back in the beginning of August. They may be able to designate somebody who's their student advisor on it, you know, that we're asking them to do. Maybe they're going to say they're already overwhelmed. That's always a possibility too. It's always hard to get folks to volunteer. But I think that that's how I would want to see this. I need to see some more contours of this is just my point. It's up to you.

So, I mean, this has kind of evolved in like 500 different things as we are like, talking about it, so it's not necessarily the same program envisioned and it's not the same program of how it was necessarily shaped and now it's as kind of evolved. And I don't think August is gonna be a good time, probably not until like the second week in September. It's gonna require a lot of coordination.

Yeah. And no matter what, even if we were doing the council, we would still need some, there's still enough questions, right? What we're asking them to do or what they're not doing. I mean, like I said, I had concerns about how this was written, but they weren't fatal. It were just things that we'd have to tweak.

Then if you want to put people on the boards, city manager said he has to talk to legal.

Yeah, that's a good point. So even if we, you know, get started, right. What we know. We got to get rolling right in October, right? Because after that, we're hitting the holidays and then people aren't around. And then you're getting into finals and exams and following. And then you got started the next semester. And for seniors, they're thinking already, I'm checking out in a positive way. I don't mean that negatively. So I think I was just trying to keep it on a pace.

Yeah. So second week in September.

Mr. Lebowski? Understood. Is everybody in agreement or?

The principals are back before. Yeah, it's not just the principal.

It's about we have to have to speak to this lovely young gentleman and I completely forgot your name in this. So I apologize.

But he's not the only one who's going to meet. You have to get with Piper. I know. That's what I'm saying. You have to get with Plantation.

Right. Yeah. It's a lot more than just a two-minute conversation. Plus, city manager has to do additional workflow. And it's the middle of budget. We have a lot of stuff going on. So second week in September.

Ethan, what do you think?

That sounds perfect. All right.

Well, I think we're all better tonight because you guys were here. And I hope you got to see the process, right? Sometimes policy stuff, and you can all share the same direction that you want to go, but now you've got to figure out how to implement. So I hope that you'll continue on this. I hope you are energized by it and look forward to hearing a report from you all, what you think can happen in your engagement with the other schools.

All right, perfect.

Thank you. All right, let's give Ethan a round of applause. Okay, anyone else for open discussion for any items that are not on the agenda? All right, anyone online? I see no hands raised. Can you confirm?

I confirm no hands are raised.

All right, we'll close open discussion. Consent agenda 4A and 4I. 4A, resolution of the City of Sunrise approving an agreement between the City of Sunrise, listen to this, and the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County, providing effective date city manager Mark Lebelski. Can I have a motion?

Move it.

Motion by Commissioner Skudo, seconded by Commissioner Kirch and... everyone else up here. Why don't you come on up? I know Commissioner Scudo, you pulled this. This is really interesting for you folks as well. As we talk about this youth issue, we have to think beyond.

You don't have to come forward. I want to thank him.

I want to thank him. Introduce yourself to millions at home. You've sat here the whole time. As we talked about this other program, it's also homeschool folks. We've got folks in private schools. Boys and Girls Club.

So Christian Tilley, Boys and Girls Club, co-CEO. We are just grateful for the partnership with the City of Sunrise. I know we started this journey a couple years ago, and it's been an immenseful, immenseful program for the city residents here, the parents, the kids. We were just sharing yesterday with some folks in the city about, we had about 10 kids in the City of Sunrise that went on some college tours, funded fully by the Boys and Girls Club. So they got a chance to go outside of the city, kind of experience what life is like outside of their environment. But that's all happening because of you all, the daily work you guys are doing, and the commitment you made to improving the lives of the kids and the youth here in the community, so we applaud you for that. This club right now over the summer is getting about 35 to 40 kids a day, and that work hall, which you know is not a very big space, but to get that many kids, when you're teenagers you have a choice, and they're choosing to come there because they want to be around friends, they want to learn about their future, they want opportunities, and the biggest thing that we do at the Boys and Girls Club is provide opportunity and access, and when you do that, the potential is limitless. And so we applaud you guys for your partnership and your visioning and allow us to do what we got to do and work hard for these kids. But it's just more than just for the kids. It's also for the parents. These parents have the opportunity to work, know that their kids are in a safe environment. They're getting fed. They're getting programs. And so, again, thank you so much for your commitment. Our job is to make sure that these kids and this community and these families are getting what they need. And because of that, we appreciate you guys very much.

Thanks, Chris. Let's give Chris a round of applause for that work.

Oh, yeah, now let me speak right after you had to make all that, right? No, so I just pulled it because it's not like I'm putting the cart before the horse, but not just our city, but cities around the state of Florida are going to look at, you know, we don't know what's going to happen in November during the election, right?

And what you're talking about is not political offices. It's about the property tax.

It's about the property tax. So some cities are just going to be hit terribly hard. Some of them are going to be able to try to recoup. Some of them are going to be devastated. And I'm just... Here to point out, I mean, originally when we partnered with you, it was great. We had a facility. We didn't have to build it. It was already an existing facility. We've had a great working relationship with you. I'm just saying going forward, we used ARPA money. So it was very easy when money came from the federal government and it was just sitting with us and then we passed it to you. in the rate of $249,000 for the year. Now this year it's going up to 312,000. So all I'm saying is, you know, none of us know exactly what's going to happen in November, but you know, I just want to put on the record that, you know, we're not looking to cut any programs. We're not looking to cut services for the residents, but it's going to come to a point, um, We're gonna have to make some tough decisions up here. Assistant Deputy Mayor said, we're going through the budget. We do a lot for non-profits. Some of them were here in the audience today. They have great programs. They just had the Double Dutch. Doesn't come and ask for much. They ask for 5,000, but you know, Different programs like that, what's gonna happen when each year when we first started, it was 100,000, 125,000, 150,000, 200,000, 250,000. These are difficult decisions that we're gonna have to make, especially even with our own programs. Summer camp, we fund summer camp to almost 1,000 kids a year and we subsidize it No city in the county does what we do, but certain things, hopefully, whatever. I can't say to a resident, don't vote for it because you need the savings because the Senate and the legislature and the governor didn't go after the insurance for your home and get that a reduction. They didn't go after homeowners insurance and go after that. They didn't go after car insurance. They didn't go after that. So those people are still going to make their billions. But so the residents throughout the state are looking for some type of relief, and this is what they've come up with. So that burden gets shipped to us, an unfunded mandate or whatever you want to call it. you know, home rule. But, you know, here, we could fight it all we want, or we could not fight it, you know. The only thing we could do is explain to the residents what it is. But for a resident that wants to vote for it because they want to see a savings, you know, if they're going to vote because they want to get, they only get 50 now, and next year they're going to get 150, then the next year they're going to get 250. I mean, we could look at it as one way. Anybody East of university in the city of sunrise, Tamarack, Lord of Hill, Davey plantation, right? Those are all the oldest. And if you've been a resident there for 20, 30 years, you're probably paying less than $300,000 on assessed value. Come in at 250,000. You're only going to pay tax on 50,000. It's pretty hard to probably tell these people not to vote for it. You know, or for them to vote for it because they want to get a savings or not vote for it because they don't want to see services go away. So I mean, we're in for the battle just like everybody else. So I'm not signaling you out. Going forward, the city manager, assistant city manager, and the other assistant city manager, and all the department heads, and all the chartered offices, You know, we're all going through this whole summer figuring out what it is that we have to do. You know, my opinion would have been, it's just my one opinion, start cutting now, wherever we could cut. Don't come in zero or don't come in 10%. Start deducting now to put us in a good position. But... I can't, I'm only one vote. And the city manager, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying he's trying to hold because he doesn't want to do what I said, put the cart before the horse and take away from services and it doesn't pass or whatnot. So I know you guys are banging your heads. I know staff and all the department heads, you're all banging your heads. I know there's a lot of things that, women and men in your departments need that may have to go on hold. And then you have the fire side and the police side. Huge amount. The EMS fee that we charge supplements a little bit of what we have for fire. It helps us as a city. But on the police side, a huge amount of money. A huge amount of money. And they don't bring in money. They bring in minimal money. People say the red light cameras, it's minimal to what it costs 60 plus million to run a police department. So I didn't mean to signal you out. It's all good. But things like this are going to be the easier things to say, hey, you know what I'm saying? How do we save and I don't want programs like this to fall to the side because they're important for the kids that we just had a full discussion for an hour for kids. And it's not like we're trying to, but then you look, you say you only charge $15 for a whole year. Okay. But then I say, and people say, well, you're giving the guy $315,000. That's why he only has to charge $15. If you didn't give him the $315,000, he'd have to raise his price. The double Dutch people are asking $5,000. But then the guy from Piper High School said he's going to have a car wash to raise money so they could go travel. Maybe the Double Dutch is going to have to have a car wash or something to raise their money. I'm just bringing this out and pointing it out.

And you make a good point, just from our perspective.

I'm not knocking you. You guys have run a great program, not just citywide, countywide, statewide, nationally. Absolutely. Where you help tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of kids. But then we have just something here in Broward, the Children's Services Council provides an enormous amount. Right. An enormous amount.

And we get funds from those guys as well, too, yeah.

They are going to get, if this passes, they get zero. That means they're, like, totally out of business. It leaves you have a funding source from municipalities or whatever. They don't have that.

Well, we'll lose a lot of the programs that they offer. No, no, no. I'm saying... They're providers. They fund programs. No, no, no.

I'm saying, right. Correct. But I'm saying... This is an effect that is going to trickle across, and this is all I was trying to bring up. This is going to be something that, if this passes, is going to affect programs that people... are used to getting that are going to be totally vanished, that people don't know. Aftercare, summer camp, you know, speech therapy, whatever, you know, so many different programs. I understood. I didn't mean for you to.

I was just trying to, you know, make a point. The other thing I think that this gives us an opportunity to talk about, just like we did in parks and rec tonight, is to flip the script a little bit And that is what residence tax dollars actually do right now. And you're the premier youth empowerment organization. You're not a summer camp. You're not a babysitting service. It is all about youth empowerment. And the anecdotes have risen to the point of the quality of a clinical trial to prove that. So when we talk about park and rec programs and senior programs and all these things, these are powerful things. forces for change and for connection and for betterment of quality of life and that's all from our city tax dollars this is what the residents have voted for this is what they've asked for and it's right it's going to be hard folks are going to don't fully understand it and summer camp's the best example we have one of the most affordable it's like a dollar an hour for a kid for the summer and for a working family that's a lifeline That makes the difference. That's why they sit out from 5 a.m. to get a spot, because it's the difference between paying $5.50 and $3,000 for the summer. And so this is powerful investment in the community that we have subsidized, and we're proud to do that. These are programs. Whether it's ADRC and all the others who have matching grants, they're going to be at risk. It's going to be harder and harder. And so what we have to do is talk about The the powerful fulcrum that you represent and change for the community betterment and why it's so important because I think if if you were to envision a world without you. Not just you, Chris. I mean, without the Boys and Girls Club, it's it's a very different world. It's not as rich. It's not as. helpful to the next generation. It's not changing the world around us away, and it's not affecting positively the trajectory of so many young lives in a way that no one else can. So I see it as a spotlight of why it's important for us to make sure that we can continue to try to fund these passes. It's going to be hard.

I appreciate that. We're here as a partner, so whatever we can do, whether it's unique opportunities and ways to continue to do it, because We realize now you invest now or you pay later. And we know the value. There's many nonprofits out there that do good work and we collaborate, but the value of Boys and Girls Club, for every dollar that's spent, $18.45, positive return on investment right back in the community. So we know it's changing lives. And so we're here as a partner and we understand tough decisions, but we're going to work with you all and do what we can to make sure we continue. The last thing we want to do is close a program, a facility, and I think that's the farthest thing from our minds. So we're going to make sure we do everything we can not to do that. So we appreciate you guys.

Your board's got a loud voice, so I hope they understand the difficult issues that all the cities are facing right now. Appreciate you guys.

Appreciate you. Thank you.

All right, any further discussion on this item? Call the question.

Deputy Mayor Guzman. Yes. Commissioner Kirch. Yes. Commissioner Scuddo. Yes. Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark. Yes. Mayor Ryan.

Yes. Thanks for being here, Chris. Thanks for your patience tonight. All right. 4I, Resolution of the City of Sunrise, Florida, to award bid number 26-47-03-MS for Springtree WWTP Odor Control and Sludge Holding Tank Improvements Project to Daniel O'Connell, Sons, Inc., approving contract number C26-47-03-MS.

dash ms and providing an effective city manager mark lebelski rodrigo de castro director of utilities now a motion move it motion by commissioner kirsch seconded by commissioner scudo commissioner scudo floor is yours okay i i just want to point out again this is a huge amount and at the end it says about them putting up a bond and putting up this it was close between the first and the second have we worked with this company before i mean if they've done a lot of work with us

We have not worked with them before, but they have done similar projects and references, and we have no concern with them and the ability to deliver their bond.

Okay. And my next thing is, is there a way to have people be approved for a bond when it's this amount of money before so that we could not go through the process where previously the people just didn't put up their insurance, didn't put up their bond after they were awarded the contract. Because this is a big amount, I'm just saying.

Let me get with staff and I can report back to you on that.

Okay, thank you.

All right, any further discussion? Call the question.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark? Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman? Yes. Commissioner Kirch?

Yes.

Commissioner Scuddo?

Yes.

Mayor Ryan?

Yes, item passes five to zero. All right. On to 16A through C. We've covered C already. Can I have a motion to move up 16A and B? Move it.

Second.

Motion by Commissioner Kirch. Seconded by Commissioner Skudo. All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All right. A, resolution of the City of Sunrise Floor amending resolution number 11-122 is amended committing additional fund balance and general fund for economic development providing effective base city manager Mark Lebelski, Susan Nabors, Director of Finance and Administrative Services. Can I have a motion?

Move it.

Motion by Commissioner Skudo. Seconded by Commissioner Kirch. This is a public hearing. anyone wish to be heard this matter please come forward press five star on your phone i see no one come forward can you confirm no hands raised i confirm no hands raised all right i'll close public discussion any discussion from my colleagues call the question commissioner kirch yes commissioner scudo yes assistant deputy mayor clark yes deputy mayor guzman yes mayor ryan yes item passes uh five to zero b commission discussion and update regarding the city's granicus system public meeting access live streaming capabilities and implementations all right deputy mayor floor is yours and i'm going to hand the gavel to you just for

All right, thank you. So we've been having issues regarding the ground ecosystem, which we've known this for some time. And so I know there have been discussion in reference to an upgrade or what the potential looks like with the system online, the technicalities we've been having. I know there were previous discussions regarding live streaming and recording, whether it's via YouTube or Facebook or any of those channels. I wanted to get an update from our city clerk to what is going on currently, what's going to be happening in the future with our upgrade, and then also to give an idea of what the opportunities are for us to Get in touch with the community. In a better way than just our current. Meeting so as you can see in all the backup, I know we have an extra information here from the cities other than what's already on the agenda, so I don't know if you all have that. But clearly you can see a lot of the cities are using other ways to communicate to the public about local government. And that's where I am with that so far.

No, I heard it all all right So first of all, I I Let's go in steps here. I thought we were on the course to do an upgrade for Granicus, right? Where where are we on that? Mr. Lebowski

So at this point, a purchase order has been issued, I believe, for the upgrade to occur. The plan, I believe, was to do in November, December of this year. However, I did ask Mo, our IT director, to reach out to Granicus if there's any possibility to potentially move that up. And he actually just informed me this evening, he heard back from them, that if there's a desire of the commission, and Ms. Bravo is... We could start that in July after this meeting. They do have the bandwidth, and we could probably, it's a two-phase component, and probably have it delivered by September. All right. Ms. Bravo?

Okay, I'd just like to add that this is not just something that is between the IT department and the city clerk's office. It involves the city commission office because there is an agenda management portion of that. Leisure services is also involved in the back of the house. The city clerk's office is involved, as is the city manager's office. So you can't just ask my opinion about it. There are other departments that have to be asked as well. But my office is ready to move on that at any time.

If you're ready, they'll be ready. Right?

Mr. That is correct. We're ready.

All right. If you're ready, they're ready. So what? We can start. We're in July. So that's only the first component of this, right? There is no doubt. I know you made a point. It's not working well. It's hard at home to hear. It's hard to engage. It's hard. We had the breakdowns of it. And the risks are real, right? It wasn't that I couldn't be heard. It's that the streaming stopped, right? So that meant city business had to stop. And that meant we had a problem. It was just simply being able to hear. I could see and everything else. So we've got to get that fixed. The upgrades are supposed to take care of these issues, right?

Yes, I believe you'll see improvements in every area. We're also looking at opportunities to improve the process that we have on the vast conference call system. I know RIT is looking at that to, I don't know if the word is upgrade, but transition to a better way of doing that. Because we have to, right?

Because, again, this is about more engagement. We learn from... lesson from covet right when people were at home they had the opportunity to be more engaged to learn more about it and we want that that's better not everybody can come and park and do it but they can call in and they can be part of it and to the credit of this commission we've not backtracked from it i mean there's plenty of cities who've said no we're not going to do that anymore and i've had the opportunity recently to attend a lot of commission meetings because of the swa we're one of the few that allow folks to call in and actually have public comment It's pretty impressive. But if that comes at a cost of stalling city business because it shuts down, then we have another problem. Because what the city attorney tells you and the city clerk would say, if you announce it, you've got to do it. And when you can't do it, you can't go forward. So we have to get that right. That's number one. Will the upgrades allow a lot of what Deputy Mayor's pointed out, this issue of live streaming and tying to the other features, whether it's YouTube or otherwise, through that, or is this going to have to be a freestanding system?

No, it will allow for stability to live stream whether it's through YouTube or Facebook with no additional cost. It's actually built into the system.

With disabling of comments? Correct.

Yes.

And who would manage that?

It sounds like it's just a – because I think like Fort Lauderdale and most of these places have YouTube, right, where it's just there. Like when you go on their site, you can watch it this way or that way or this way because sometimes you may – like you may not have Wi-Fi access, so you may need to use some other feature in order to have access to it. So it's on the page itself, and so it should link – Automatically. Automatically, right? There's no management of this, right? Yeah.

And also, the upgraded system will also improve the video quality of what we currently put out under the Granicus system also.

Which is another point. It is really pretty poor quality. I've seen some commissions where they've got individual cameras. I don't really like that. I mean, it looks like a Zoom call with everybody up there. But on the other hand, it's really hard to see the speakers, to see the presentations and everything else. I think we need to make sure that's done. It should be as close as if you were here. without going to an extreme. Go ahead, sorry.

So then once this system is in place, it's just a matter of learning it. I'm saying like for the city clerk, city, for Lourdes or IT, and once they've learned it, then it doesn't require any more work or needing any more employees to do any more jobs. I just want to make sure we have this clear.

Yeah.

So there's two components of it. One is, as Ms. Raba mentioned, it's the agenda management system, which is going to require training internally. So we all use the new system. We believe we can do that by the September time frame. And the other is the actual technical side, the technical side. That is, I think, the first phase that will be able to be implemented probably in the first month, month and a half. But once it's implemented, there shouldn't be the need for any additional staffing.

All right. How's that work? Everybody good? Let's see how this works, because I think the next step, you know, you're going to have to both beta test it and then make sure that one of the concerns I had, right, is that I'm on the system. The resident. It shuts down. If the resident doesn't reach out to somebody they know, no one seems to know that. We have to have monitoring of it because I think what legal would tell you is the worst thing that could happen is it shuts down and then we find out afterwards and we pass a bunch of things and someone comes in and challenges it and whether real or not says, oh, I wanted to comment on that and you passed it without public comment because I couldn't be heard and then it's confirmed. So we need to make sure it's being monitored internally when it's going online.

And we are doing that currently, Mayor. So if there's a break, we're monitoring it full time during the meeting to catch that up front.

All right. Perfect. One last thing.

Yeah.

So the component will allow Facebook and YouTube? Or is it something we're all agreeing on to utilize both or one? Or has that been discussed?

We have not got to that level, but I'll certainly bring that back for a full decision by the commission.

Okay.

Thank you.

Perfect.

All right.

Thank you to... But if you're going to have it done by July and September, when are you going to... I'm just saying...

Let me start the process with actually getting Granicus here to be able to do the implementation. I'll circle back with the commission of the options. But from my understanding, the system that's being upgraded to will allow for YouTube, Facebook for live transmissions.

All right. Well, thank you to Felicia. Thank you, Mr. Lebowski, all departments involved. And let's get this. I mean, it's a long time coming. All right. Perfect. Any further comments? All right. Move up to 17A through D. Can I have a motion?

Move it.

Motion by Deputy Mayor, seconded by... I'll come back.

Portable housing colleagues. All right.

Fine. I just wanted to roll through these that could be knocked off. All right. Let's do 12A through C. Got a motion? Move it. Motion by Commissioner Kirk, seconded by Assistant Deputy Mayor. All right. Public hearings. A resolution of the City of Sunrise, Florida, approving and adopting the second program year action plan FY2026-2027 annual action plan under Community Development Block Grant Program, proving the city's application for federal assistance under Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan, and provide effective aid to City Manager Mark Lebelski, Susan, Neighborhood Director of Finance and Administrative Services. Can I have a motion?

Move it.

Motion by Commissioner Kerr. Second. Second by Commissioner Skudow. This is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to be heard in this matter, please come forward or press 5-star on your phone. I see no one come forward. Can you confirm no hands?

I confirm no hands are raised.

Okay. I'll close public hearing. One thing on the CDBG issue, and I don't know whether this is possible. We get a lot of complaints about code. We get a lot of complaints about need for additional code. And we're looking at being able to make sure we can fund all this going forward. Is it legal and possible under the CDBG action plan to actually pay for a code officer so that we have consistent funding and we know that that's not going to get cut?

Thank you, Mayor. Mark Lebowski, City Manager. As you may recall, we used to fund a code officer out of the CDBG program. We stopped that maybe three years ago probably. We can fund a code officer like we did in the past. If that was the case, we would need to come back and do an amendment to this action plan, which would require some more notification and if the Commission would Would want us to move forward that I would suggest that we take that from the public facilities public infrastructure and leave The the dollars in the residential, right?

Yes, we do yes, so it's a desire a commission we can certainly work on that and bring that back for consideration I And what would be the timetable for that? Is that a big deal for you to have to do an amendment or re-notifications or anything like that?

No, I mean, it's a process we have to go through, but it's something we would be absolutely more than willing to do.

No, it would be taking a code officer and making sure they're funded through this so that they're not at risk in the future on funding.

So it's just a way.

So we're not adding an officer. We would be adding an officer, but what we would be doing is funding one of our court officers. That court officer would work exclusively in LMI, which is the census tracts, and then we would have to document that and provide that to HUD to be able to justify those dollars. We've done that in the past. I don't see any issue why we couldn't do that moving forward if the commission desires.

All right. Sorry.

Mr. Kirch.

I would just ask... Before we go that route that we run this through the Affordable Housing Advisory Board, I know.

But we're not touching residential. No, we're not? Not at all.

All right, all right.

That's fine. That's a fair point. If we were, I would say absolutely, that's a great point. You're saying that we will not, this doesn't increase anything we're dedicating to residential funding at all?

That is correct.

Not new housing, nothing like that?

Correct. Okay.

Fair enough.

Thoughts? Anybody oppose that? None. All right. I think you have direction, no objection to that. You'll be able to do that?

Yes, Mayor. I would suggest this gets approved tonight, and then we'd make an amendment. You'll come back. Don't amend this right now, though.

Yes, correct. Okay. Mr. Moss, you're okay with that?

Yes, sir.

All right. Any further discussion on this one? Call the question.

Commissioner Skudo?

Yes.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark? Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman? Yes. Commissioner Kirch? Yes. Mayor Ryan?

Yes. Item passed 5-0. Commissioner, discussion and our action. First reading of an ordinance of the City of Sunrise. Mending fiscal year 2025-2026 budget ordinance number 720, amending the general fund 001, the general capital improvements fund 325, the water and wastewater connect fund 403, and the water and wastewater capital fund project 465, providing for conflict, providing for severability, providing effective aid. City Manager Mark Lewelski, Susan Nabors, Director of Finance and Administrative Services. Motion by Commissioner Escudo, seconded by... Commissioner Kirch, this is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to be here on this matter, please come forward or press 5-star on your phone. Does anyone want to come forward? Confirm no hands raised? I confirm no hands raised. All right, I'll close public discussion. Any discussion from my colleagues? Call the question.

Commissioner Kirch?

Yes.

Commissioner Escudo?

Yes.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark? Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman? Yes. Mayor Ryan?

Yes. Item passes 5-0C. Commission discussion on our action rate. First reading of the norms of the City of Sunrise, Florida, regarding the November 3, 2026 general municipal election in the City of Sunrise, Broward County. prescribing the form of ballot to be used, providing for conflict, providing for severability, and providing effective aid to city manager Mark Lebelski, Felicia M. Bravo, city clerk. And a motion?

Motion.

Motion by Commissioner Kirch. Second. Seconded by Assistant Deputy Mayor. This is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to speak on this matter, please come forward or press 5-star on your phone. Does anyone want to come forward?

Mayor, I'm sorry. I have to... There was a scrivener's error in the exhibit to the ordinance that should be corrected before a vote. Okay. So the... There's a reference to City Commissioner seat B, and that should be revised to say City Commissioner seat D. Commissioner in seat B will be thrilled to hear that.

What do you need from us to do that?

Just a motion to revise the Exhibit A to the ordinance. The ordinance does not need to be revised, just the Exhibit A.

All right, so first let me have a motion on that motion by Commissioner Kirsch, seconded by Commissioner Kirsch. Do you need any further definition? Is it correct the scrivener's error in Schedule A to the ordinance to change it from B to D, correct?

Correct. Mayor said Kirsch and Kirsch, so. Sounds like a law firm. Yeah, yeah.

Exactly. All right, I'll open that up for public hearing. And one wishing to be heard in that matter, please come forward or press five star on your phone. You know, hands raised. No one come forward. Can you confirm?

I confirm no hands raised.

Just as an abundance of caution, I'm going to close public discussion on that, but I want to do that as an abundance of caution. All right. Then we have the separate motion. All in favor of that amendment? Scrivener's error? Please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed? No. All right. So it's passed. Do you need anything further on that? We'll just vote on the ordinance.

You can just vote. You already opened a public hearing. And so you can just vote on the ordinance.

All right. Call the question on the ordinance as with the amended schedule.

Deputy Mayor Guzman. Yes. Commissioner Kirch. Yes. Commissioner Skudo.

Yes.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark. Yes. Mayor Ryan.

Yes. Item passes five to zero. All right. Motion to move up 17A through D. Second. Motion by Commissioner Kirch. Seconded by the Deputy Mayor. A. Resolution of the City of Sunrise Floor accepting a proposed millage rate for 2026-2027 fiscal year. Also computing a rollback millage rate providing for the date, time, and place in which a public hearing will be held to consider a proposed millage rate and a tentative budget accepting a proposed millage rate for 2026-2027 fiscal year for the voted debt service millage for the general obligation bonds providing for date, time, and place at which a public hearing will be held to consider the proposed millage rate and a tentative budget directing the appropriate city officials to advise Broward County Properties Appraiser's Office of the information contained herein and providing an effective day city manager Mark Lebelski Susan Abrams, Director of Finance and Administrative Services. Can I have a motion? Move it. Motion by Commissioner Kurtz, seconded by Commissioner Skudo. This is a public hearing. Anyone wish to be heard on this matter, please come forward. We'll prize a five star on your phone. See no one come forward. Can you confirm no hands raised? I confirm no hands raised. All right, I'll close public discussion. Any discussion from my colleagues? Call the question.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark. Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman. Yes. Commissioner Kirch.

Yes.

Commissioner Skudo.

Yes.

Mayor Ryan.

Yes. Item passes 5-0. B, a resolution of the City of Sunrise, Florida relating to the provision of fire rescue services, facilities, and programs in the City of Sunrise, Florida establishing an estimated assessment for the rate of, for the fire rescue assessments for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026, directing the preparation of an assessment roll authorizing a public hearing directing the provision. notice thereof and providing effective a city manager mark Lebelski Susan neighbors director of finance its administrative services kind of motion by commissioners skuto second by Commissioner Kurtz this is a public hearing anyone wishing to be heard on this matter please come forward press 5 star on your phone see no one come forward can you confirm no hands raised I confirm my hands raised all right I'll close public discussion any discussion for my colleagues all question

Commissioner Skudow?

Yes.

Assistant Deputy Mayor Clark? Yes. Deputy Mayor Guzman? Yes. Commissioner Kirch?

Yes.

Mayor Ryan?

Yes. Item passed is five to zero. C, proposed fiscal year 2026-2027, transportation assessment fee. An initial assessment resolution of the City of Sunrise, Florida, relating to the provision of transportation services in the City of Sunrise, Florida, establishing the estimated transportation assessment rate for the transportation assessments for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026, directing the preparation of an assessment role, authorizing a public hearing, directing the provision of notice thereof, and providing effective dates. City Manager Mark Lebelski, Susan Nabors, Director of Finance and Administrative Services. A motion?

Move it.

Motion by Commissioner Skudow, seconded by Commissioner Kirch. This is a public hearing. Anyone wishing to... please come forward or press five star on your phone. See no one come forward. Confirm no hands raised?

I confirm no hands raised.

All right, I'll close public discussion. Mr. Lebowski.

Thank you, Mayor. Mark Lebowski, city manager. I'm going to bring up Terry Bilberry, our consultant with Raftelis, who is the senior vice president with Raftelis, who's helped us with the assessment methodology and also the economic analysis. We have a short presentation to kind of go over the process of the methodology and how we've gotten here. BEFORE I HAND IT OFF OVER TO TERRY, JUST TO REMIND THE COMMISSION, THIS IS THE FREEBEE SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN OPERATING IN WESTERN SUNRISE FOR QUITE SOME TIME THAT ORIGINALLY WAS FUNDED THROUGH A GRANT, 50% COST SHARING GRANT THROUGH DOT THAT HAS EXPIRED AS OF LAST DECEMBER. WE HAVE FUNDED THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND OF IT THE REMAINDER THROUGH THIS FISCAL YEAR WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE WOULD WORK TOWARDS HAVING THIS ASSESSMENT AND HAVE IT OFF OF THE CITY'S GENERAL FUND. The assessment will be to all the commercial properties, only the commercial properties within the district. As Terry goes through the presentation, as he gets towards the end, there is some recommendations in there, which I'll probably chime in and at least share with you staff suggestions for your consideration as we look for some direction from the commission on a few items. So with that, I'll turn it over to Terry.

Terry, the floor is yours. Introduce yourself to everyone, please. Yeah, for the record, my name is Terry Bovery with Reftalis.

And thank you, city manager, mayor, deputy mayor, deputy mayor, commissioners.

This evening, I have a short presentation that's going to run you through some background that you may already be aware of.

So I'll try to be brief. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to jump in.

We'll go through the fee design requirements, the assessment methodology, the calculated fee design, some additional fees and revenues, and recommendations. Some background what is freebie freebie is on-demand transportation service that operates within the sunrise business and entertainment district it provides services to residents businesses patrons within the district How much is it used roughly? 42,000 rides and 65,000 passengers per year based on data for the last three years as provided by the city and freebie operators Why does it exist, it fills an accessibility gap within the city effectively for this particular district. Oh, the key issues city manager already touched on that funding for this program was contributed by grant funding and that, in order to create a sustainable funding source outside of. The general fund the city Commission to develop a non ad valorem assessment study that our firm reptile us. perform the evaluation on. We worked with, sorry for the animation here. Let's see if we can get everything on here. You're going to blame it on Granulus? Yeah. So we worked on development of the scope with, you know, design that meant working with city's legal counsel to identify the the methodology as well as some input during that process as you may be familiar was to perform an additional economic impact analysis to create some linkage between the property valuations and the services being offered through this program which was done and is included in the report that's appended to the agenda item So what are those key design requirements? Basically a two-pronged test. The services must provide a special benefit or a peculiar benefit to the properties themselves, and that the cost must be fairly and reasonably apportioned. That's kind of the basic metric through which we develop this fee design. So it's simplistic, but not entirely simple, meaning that when we design the fees themselves, we have to come up with this methodology to figure out what is that fair apportionment to each one of the parcels or the properties within that.

And we're going to run you through that methodology here this evening. Again, sorry for the animation.

I didn't realize it. Just a quick overview of the economic impact study that was performed by our firm. It identified that property values are tied to income. So the property appraiser, when they develop the assessed valuation, they understand that it's tied to income. And that increased patrons, incremental patrons to the businesses.

When you say income, you're talking about income produced by the property. You're not talking about income of individuals.

Yes, thank you for the clarification, Mayor. income produced by um the the ridership the additional patrons that wouldn't have been there alternatively uh so increased accessibility effectively is is the point here and that this um this this this is the connection that relates back to increased income for the properties themselves within the district and i think there was an analysis that tried to estimate what the total spending was for those specific riders. So they don't know what the actual spending is of the riders, but the linkage is that, you know, we know the total number of riderships. We know generally from, you know, studies that are out there how much spending there is on food and entertainment and things of that nature. So our economists went through and identified what that value was and that said that, you know, if we could capture something like, you know, half a percent to two percent of their annual spending in these areas it could generate up to this type of value now that's not to suggest that that's the actual increase in the value but it's just to double underscore this point that you know increased spending at the venue increases the income for the property and that's the that's the connection for that two-prong test you know again that it's providing a special benefit to the property through increased property value associated with the program that's the main point of the study So how do we apportion the cost? And that's kind of the methodology. So the report goes into a little bit more detail. We try to synthesize it down to about a four-step process here for this evening's presentation. One is to identify the applicable costs. That's very simple, just the direct cost of the program itself, which we know, and then the incremental overhead costs associated with the program itself. How do we apportion the cost? That's a little bit more complicated. We looked at parcel data. We identified the square footage, and then we tied it to trip generation, which I'll talk a little bit more about that, to come up with an equivalent billing unit for each one of these parcels. And then that equivalent billing unit was the basis of the denominator in this calculation of the fee. So in the step three, we calculate the unit cost. We take that cost. That is in step one, and we divide it by the equivalent billing units in step two, and that gives us a unit cost in step three. Final step is four, apply that unit rate per equivalent billing unit to all the properties based on the calculated equivalent billing units for each property.

When you're talking properties, you're not talking residential at this point. We're talking about commercial only. Only. Only. None of this EBU discussion or assessment or methodology has anything to do with residential properties.

Correct. There's no assessment to any residential properties. They were excluded from the analysis.

So commercial property. What about the apartment complexes?

They're not included. It's residential.

I'm just asking because they're not owned. It's considered commercial. Yeah. So you didn't go after any of the apartment complexes? No. And the apartment complexes are a huge component to this. I mean, they're a good generator for free. I'm just asking in general. Yeah. They were a very good generator.

We're not charging those properties.

Okay.

Yeah, it's essentially residential while it's maybe commercially owned.

But I'm saying, why couldn't we have charged them because they're considered a commercial property? So I'm just asking him why.

Yeah, I mean, that's a good question. I think that because it was viewed as residential in nature and that there are residents in those properties that you're not going to, you know, patrons aren't, going to do business as a destination at there. They may be coming from there. So it's sort of counted in the sense that they're going to a commercial business.

No, I understand. I'm just saying. But for you living there, it's a benefit for the people that rent, the people that own the commercial site. I'm just going this way. Yeah. I'm just saying.

But then they pass it on to the tenants, you know?

Right. Well, but that's why not pass it on to the residents and what I'm saying is, oh, well, it's a benefit to the shopping center. OK, but the shopping center passes that on to everyone through their common area maintenance. I'm just saying that's what they're going to do. They're not going to absorb it. They're going to pass it on to the tenants. What I'm saying is. When somebody rents there, I'm just saying, they could say, you also have a great benefit by living in here because you're going to have a freebie service where you're going to have free accessibility. I'm just saying, free accessibility to go to Publix, to go to the arena, to go to the mall. And I'm just saying, for the commercial, I'm saying for the apartment.

I know, but it's true for every residential landlord. You could say that, right? So then you're now into residential. Everybody who rents.

But I'm saying they're a landlord, okay, and they're a commercial destination. I'm not trying to pick a fight. All I'm saying is it's a benefit for them, and they're not homesteaded people.

So I'm saying when you said residential, they're not.

That's all I'm trying to say. Understood, Commissioner. It's fair. I'm saying this because wait until you finish because I have something else for you that I'm happy that you're giving us this presentation.

Thank you, Commissioner. I think the idea is that we're focusing on commercial properties because they would be benefiting from the patronage of the people utilizing the service. So that was the focus of it. But certainly if that's something that we would want to consider, we could maybe look at that. I'm not sure.

We can look at that next. Go ahead.

Yeah.

But you're right, they are benefit. I mean, obviously everybody in the district.

I understand.

We know the exact, I mean, I don't have it committed to memory like the, but we have the, we have very detailed data. You know, the freebie operator has very detailed data about the point to point pickups and destinations, the time, the number of people riding. So yeah, we do have that.

Yeah, there's, on residential to residential right somebody's going from one place and that that's a consideration right something we have to decide tonight whether whether that's whether that should still be part of the program should that be a should that still be part of the freebie program but if you're just going to somebody's house to hang out with not moss but some other time should should that should that be allowed in the program and that's a policy decision

okay terry sorry no no problem um i was just trying to because um i know that we've got a lot packed onto this just for the public record here as well along with the report but the assessment methodology the ebus we relied upon the ite institute for transportation engineers trip generation rates this is a a somewhat authoritative source of information that's used a lot of times in fee designs for certain types of assessments where we're trying to create a linkage between the number of trips to and from properties. The benefit that we have here is not only did we use that data when we consider the methodology, we also had the freebie ride data. Those two data sources were utilized to create estimated number of trips per the categories of properties and so on the right hand side of the screen you'll see we have the land use categories and then the resultant calculations of the what we're referring to technical term an EBU multiplier so based upon the number of trips that were identified for the different types of properties that fell under those various land use codes I mean what the relative amount of trips were relative to each other's categories and came up with those multiplier rankings and then those were multiplied based upon the units of measure included in that table. To each property to come up with that equivalent billing unit. So as I mentioned before, simplistic but not simple to try to get an apportionment methodology that was what we deem fair and reasonable, let's say, for allocating all the costs. And those EBU multipliers, as I said, created the foundation to the EBUs that we relied upon and designed the fee. And that was the denominator in the fee. So let's run you through the steps again here specifically so step number one is the cost, this is a breakdown of all the costs that were identified just want to. disclose a few key assumptions, you can see the ride share costs $549,000 that includes all the rides we. up excluding you can see third from bottom row allocated residential to residential trips so of the five hundred and forty nine thousand dollars in cost about you know to two and a half percentage points or so was tied to these residential to residential so we excluded that from the design of the fee since it wasn't considered to be a benefit to the commercial properties. Additionally, we included some overhead costs that are going to be annually recurring. And then we had the one time cost identified for the assessment design and admin fee within our report on page two or some of the other pages, I think. We have a multi-year projection as well of these costs. So we're only looking at fiscal year 27, but the costs are projected to change over time. So we have a multi-year projection for you as well. But focusing in here just on fiscal year 27, you can see that we've also increased for early prepayment and a contingency discount since when we goes on to the tax bill, we'll see that discount. And then finally, the last key assumption here is that there's been a commitment from Metropica for about $110,000 per year that reduces the overall costs. The sum of all that calculation results in a net annual revenue requirement for this assessment estimated at $525,000 per year. In that form, the applicable cost that we identified for the commercial properties.

So Betropica is going to pay us $110,000?

Yes, for the next three years. And my understanding, and I'd maybe let the city manager jump in.

So it was negotiated as part of their DA. The expectation is that in 2030, they actually have a development that is now, that gets built in commercial development into the assessment methodology that they'll be paying themselves at that point directly.

So this year they're going to give us $110,000 or it doesn't start until they start building something?

No, it was actually already started. They paid us already for this current fiscal year already.

Part of their commitment. No, no, no. Whether they build or not.

Right.

Yes.

Okay.

So that was step one. Step two is the EBUs. Like we mentioned before, here is just a breakdown of the total number of allocated units and thousands of square feet. And then the associated EVUs based upon the EVU multipliers. And that got us to a total of about 5,551 equivalent billing units that we divided that cost by to come up with the annual assessment amount, which we'll present in the ensuing slides here. One thing to kind of mention is that there are governmental properties in here, and that cost is going to not be covered by the commercial properties. That's going to be covered by the city. It's a fairly minor amount, but just want to make that disclosure. It's roughly $7,000 per year that we identify.

The assumption there is people took freebie to go to a government building, pay their water bill, go meet with somebody, whatever. Okay. Okay. And that's not being paid by the commercial properties. Correct.

Yep. Sorry. So you can see here, when we take that net revenue requirement technical term again from the other slide on the cost at $525,000, and we divide by the EBUs from step two, we get an annual rate per equivalent billing unit at $94.71. And then we can apply that rate different equivalency factors to get what the effective rate is per square foot for each of the different properties within the various land use codes within the city. Here's a hypothetical example of properties based upon various units of property size and then the units of measure the ebu multiplier and what the rate might look like for um different examples although we do have the complete tax roll with these impacts for all the commercial properties within the district so the large one you're saying would be like the soil

So that $189,000 is going to get passed to all the businesses at the Sawgrass Mall?

Yeah, I mean it would.

Right, okay. Then Olive Garden, say they're 5,000 square feet, they're going to pay $1,800. Because I'm saying they're outside of the mall, they're outside of whatever.

Okay. Okay.

I would not want to venture to give you an incorrect answer. I can double check in the data and confirm for you, Assistant Deputy Mayor. OK. Next slide, or you're? Yeah. i was just giving folks a moment i just want to make sure yep we're nearly done with the presentation so um some of the other things that we looked at were additional revenues that could offset the cost of the program and that could be advertising revenues those have been successfully applied in other freebie programs the expected revenue tied to that was estimated by the operator for the city for the program and then we incorporated that estimate into our analysis And the potential revenue there was 72 to 96,000 so rough percentages may be able to you know if we implemented that and we were collecting that kind of revenue anywhere from 10 to 20% reduction in the fees that we calculated and presented on the prior slide. The other potential option for another revenue offset could be a ridership fair. The range of 120 to 145,000 I think is assumed off of maybe the 120 was like $2 per person that would be taking a ride, would generate something like $120,000 per year. And then if you had a tiered rate, you know, it's $3 for the first rider, $1 for each additional rider, for example. It was calculated around $145,000 per year. So then it's not freebie no more.

No, I'm saying.

Yeah, it wouldn't be freebie anymore. And, you know, this gets into elasticity of demand, right? At some point, people then don't use it, and so it becomes diminishing return. Now we've got the cost, and it's not getting the benefits of it.

mean i'll let you finish i have thoughts on i'm sure we all do on all of this so sure sure yeah so um that kind of leads us to our recommendations and we have a few of them mainly one to provide sustainable uh program funding um if if that's the core objective um and consider the proposed fee at ninety four dollars and seventy one cents per ebu And the role pursuant to the rate study report we're recommending based on discussions with staff and the objectives of the city. to discontinue the residential to residential trips, since that doesn't seem to be a main focus of the program. But obviously, that's a policy choice. We're not necessarily recommending policy to you, just based on the input that we receive. The decision point, you're saying? Correct, yeah, the decision point. We know we can evaluate additional potential advertising and ridership fares. That could be a consideration. this evening direction from y'all and then you know if you choose to move forward with this we're just basically saying to revisit the methodology again in another few years particularly around the time that Metropica would be coming online because at that particular time if there were more square footage getting added then the fee would need to be recalculated could vary kind of materially so we would recommend that but also just to recalculate the fee annually based on the cost changes which I assume that staff could probably

And from staff's perspective, staff supports the restriction of the residential to residential rides. We also support the ability to advertise on each of the freebie vehicles. We do not support the fee charge on a per user basis. We believe that would deter the usage of the freebie system and take away from the original intent of the program.

All right, so the advertising.

Let me just make sure he's done because each of these points I want to talk about too. Yeah, so we're done. Perfect. Yeah, advertising. I mean, I have a lot of concerns around it. How do we make sure that what they're charging for advertising, it's transparently audited, we're getting the fee? I also worry about what that advertising looks like. I mean, one of the concerns that taxis we had with is that they had all sorts of stuff on it that we can't regulate.

We don't allow bus benches. We don't allow billboards. And now I'm just saying to have these cars that started off as a nice program for the city. I mean, I understand it could generate money, but now to start having whatever business is wrapped on that vehicle, then it's not, I'm just saying. I mean, look, after November, this could be a different discussion, but you know what? I really wouldn't want to see all the vehicles that we have wrapped with all different businesses. I mean...

I agree. Or a sign up top of some business. I think we denigrate the program, and you're right, it's inconsistent with all the other issues that we have here. I don't know how everybody else feels about it.

And look, eventually, look, the people are going to use this program, right? Because it's for free. I agree with you. But if you were to tell somebody you had to pay a dollar each, I'm sure they're not going to complain for $4 for four people to go from their house to the arena. I'm just saying. So you know what? If you want to make that extra $120,000, I'm saying, not now, but in the future, a dollar a person, who's going to complain about that? If you wanted to go wherever and you called Uber, it's a minimum $20, $25, you know what I'm saying?

But I would cite and quote the great statesman, Joey Scudo, that's no longer a freebie.

Yeah. I have three rows in my catalog, and I've done this when I had my Durango. I would pile in as many people as possible. Did you charge? No, I drove you around.

Exactly. Did everybody have a seatbelt? I think to start, if we're going to do it, I don't think about charging. That's just me. But I want to talk about some of the broader issues. I'm certainly in agreement at presidential residence. Let me ask you, the features on this, Mr. Lebowski, is one, we could stop this at any time, right?

That is correct.

How would you stop it mid-year if you've done an assessment? You'd have to wait until the next year, right?

Yeah, I would say we would stop it at the end of the fiscal year.

So if the program's just for whatever reason, something changes, not working, the assessment's in, we're still operating it, right?

But I would suggest we have three years of data that demonstrates the demand in the district.

either way we can't stop at mid-year we're in for the whole time right yes we if we wanted to mid-year increase it let's say there's greater demand for some reason something unusual you could get freebie to add the car and then the costs would be part of the following year assessment or would we be sucking wind in that fiscal

I would have to probably spend some time talking to Terry, but I would assume if we see demand increasing and we're starting to see the wait time beyond where we want to be.

Right, where people are going to stop using it. Yes. The first couple of experiences where it doesn't come quickly, they're going to move on because they're not going to take a chance for the third one, or it doesn't come when they say it's coming.

Then I would say they'll wait.

Well, maybe, but they won't go or something, right?

I was going to say our best scenario would be to try to upgrade at the next fiscal year so that we can program the costs better and know what they are. And I think that's why Terry said an annual analysis, I think, is a good recommendation from his part.

Okay. So one of the things that some of us talked about up here about this program, the criticism was previously, because folks didn't understand most of this was being paid by DOT, was why isn't this replicated around? city in different locations now that we don't have the dot grant establishing this in another city would mean assessing those businesses in that area right correct and at that point you're not talking about big commercial properties like the mall and others you're talking about small strip centers and everything else I personally don't support that right now, but does staff have any plan or coming back to try to replicate this throughout the city, or is this just in this business district?

So we've looked at that, Mayor. We looked at it, a couple different options, which I believe I shared with the commission. At this point, based upon that analysis, we are not recommending an expansion outside of the district, of the Western Sunrise District at this time. Maybe things change over the course of the period of time. We'll continue to be active with our conversations with Freebee. They've been a very good partner in terms of sharing data and information. If it becomes more feasible in the future, we can bring it back forward.

The reason why, though, you're not recommending, it's not because you don't think there's demand for it. It's that the cost would be assessed against really a lot of small businesses.

Correct. And we looked at it even by setting. You couldn't do the city as a whole. You have to set up separate zones like you've done here. And then if someone wanted to go from all the way east to west, they'd have to piggyback and stop off at a transit hub to pick up another car to go to another car.

Because of the restrictions on the assessment fee process.

Well, that and you want to be able to make sure that you have the lead times.

Okay. Understood. Yeah, that's complicated. All right. What do we do about... this gets done small strip center and the dance studio gets no business whatsoever from this zero right nobody's getting in the car to bring their kids to dance studio they're in a strip center their landlord passes it on and they say this is this is just not benefiting me at all right there could be a theoretical argument well you've increased foot traffic maybe somebody I went to the sandwich shop next door and saw, oh my gosh, there's a dance studio there. I didn't know that. That's kind of theoretical. But what do we do when somebody says, look, my landlord's passed this on. What does that dollar amount look like? If we had a strip shopping center and they had X number of EBUs, are we talking about a lot of money going to that that we would expect to that small business?

That's a really good question. If you have a use that is not – so as Terry said, we started out with ITE data, and then we used it to validate it with actual ridership data. And it was based upon not necessarily an individual tenant or a business. It was based upon uses. So if we go through the next year and let's say we do an analysis and we say, it comes back that there really hasn't been a lot of trips going to the dance studio. So it's not just one specific dance studio, but all the dance studios in the district, we see a significant drop. Then we would reanalyze, and then that EBU, let's say that one EBU is for a straight retail, that the equivalent for a dance studio maybe drops, so then the rate could potentially drop for that dance studio, for all dance studios, because there's just not that use. That being said, on the Converse side, if there's a huge usage now in the dance studio that wasn't there before, the rate could increase for that use. So that's kind of really the concept of the annual analysis, and maybe Terry can explain that.

Yeah, and I think the other thing to consider, too, is that we're getting a rate of about $94 a thousand square feet for a type of property like that before adjusting for the EBU. So to the city manager's point, we could develop new or more customer classes as needed to address this kind of issue. I've run into this kind of problem When we design these types of fees that make assumption about usage without really being able to measure the usage and the approach that we've taken there is to come up with more. Potential customer classes potentially to address those particular issues and so one potential solution that we could do is think about like a mitigation policy as well, so that we can feel those types of things about like okay well. types of businesses? Are they raising legitimate concerns? Is there a way to kind of mitigate that? Could we create a new customer class to address that? Also, what is the total fee that would be applicable to them? When we looked at this, we were looking at what is the percent increase to the tax bill from the addition of an assessment like this onto it? And for the majority of the properties, I think if you just take the average of everything, it's like less than 1%. But there are going to be some properties, commercial properties, that are going to be, you know, seeing 3%, you know, upwards of 5% for a few properties like that that would see, like, a change like that. And so that's where, you know, we just want to be careful about that.

So I want to use the example that Commissioner Scudo pointed out in Olive Garden. Let me ask you, is the data granular enough that you know where the riders went for a whole year? Yes. All right. Yeah. So at the end of the year, you can plug in Olive Garden's location. There's a hotel and there's a Sam's. You could, you know, plug that in, let's say.

Yeah, and we want to say like maybe food, like a restaurant.

A particular restaurant, right? And it comes back zero. That business says, you know, yeah, it was only, I got $500 that was charged because I had five EVUs or whatever because I'm 5,000 square feet. That is that how that would work.

No, I mean, sort of. So what we want to try to do is create a class. So it wouldn't be a specific restaurant. It would be the patronage of like all restaurants. Right.

But for that restaurant who's getting assessed like any other restaurant who gets no business, how much are they for 5000 square feet? Do we know what we're Assessing on their bill.

$94 times 1,000. Times the EBUs.

Yeah. Just under 500.

For the restaurant, the EBU multipliers higher like four times, I believe. For commercial restaurant, it was 3.9465.

Per 1,000 square feet? Per 1,000 square feet. So it's even higher. So you're talking about really about two grand. Yes.

Okay.

And they say, we didn't get anybody this year.

Yeah.