Fort Lauderdale First Budget Hearing Tentatively Adopts FY2026 Budgets and Millage Rates – September 3, 2025
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Fort Lauderdale City Commission First Budget Hearing – September 3, 2025
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission held the first of two legally required public hearings on September 3, 2025, to review and tentatively adopt the Fiscal Year 2026 budgets, millage rates, and five-year Community Investment Plan. The meeting featured a split vote on the city’s overall tax rate and spending plan, with Vice Mayor John Herbst dissenting. A public speaker voiced strong support for a new homelessness initiative, and the commission finalized the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) budget.
Consent Calendar
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[Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District]: The commission unanimously adopted a tentative millage rate of 1.0000 mills (a 9.15% increase over the rollback rate of 0.9162 mills) and a tentative budget of $223,168 for the district’s security services. No public comments were received on this item.
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[Community Redevelopment Agency Budget]: The CRA Board unanimously approved the final FY2026 CRA operating budget and Community Investment Plan allocations.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Joe Kenner, President of Hope South Florida, expressed full support for the $200,000 allocation in the city’s tentative budget for a safe overnight parking pilot program for homeless individuals. He commended the City Commission and county officials for their collaborative work on the issue. City staff clarified that the city’s $200,000 pilot is independent of a $350,000 countywide pilot, though the two efforts are closely coordinated on structure and evaluation data.
Discussion Items
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Citywide Tentative Millage Rate (BGT-2): Vice Mayor Herbst voted against maintaining the current millage rate of 4.1193 mills (a 6.71% increase over the rollback rate of 3.8604 mills). He argued the city could lower taxes by cutting “non-essential services” and eliminating proposed new personnel positions, directly challenging the premise that the current rate was necessary to honor approved public safety contracts. Mayor Dean Trantalis and city staff countered that the budget was built on commission guidance and that ad valorem revenue was a critical component. Mayor Trantalis requested specific proposals from Vice Mayor Herbst. Herbst stated he would present a detailed proposal at the final budget hearing on September 12, 2025. The commission approved the tentative millage rate on a 4-1 vote.
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Tentative Budget & Personnel Complement (BGT-4): Following a presentation of budget adjustments since the June proposal, Vice Mayor Herbst cast the sole dissenting vote against the overall tentative budget of $1,194,366,687.
Key Outcomes
- Tentative Millage Rate: Adopted operating millage of 4.1193 mills and debt service millage of 0.2306 mills, resulting in an aggregate rate of 4.1230 mills. Vote: 4-1 (Herbst dissenting).
- Tentative Community Investment Plan: Adopted the five-year Community Investment Plan (FY2026–2030). Vote: Unanimous.
- Tentative City Budget: Adopted the total FY2026 tentative budget for all funds at $1,194,366,687, along with the personnel complement. Vote: 4-1 (Herbst dissenting).
- Next Hearing: The second and final public hearing to adopt the final millage rate and budget will be held on September 12, 2025, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, folks, so we're going to resume our meeting. Um the uh conference meeting will be suspended until this evening when we'll take up the balance of the items on the conference meeting, which will include the commissioner's report, the mayor's report, and the city manager's report. Right now, um I am now convening the budget hearing. Uh this is the first of two public hearings as required by law in the city of Fort Lauderdale Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District Millage and Budget for fiscal year 2026. Purpose of the hearing is to receive requests and comments regarding the Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District budget and to explain the budget and any amendments there too. The public hearing is now open. The city manager will now present the proposed millage rate and tentative budget. The city manager The Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District taxes the residents of this special district to provide security to their neighborhood. At its May 6, 2025 meeting, the district voted its millage rate at 1.000 mil, which will generate an estimated tax collection of 223, 168 dollars to support an operating budget of 223,168 dollars. This millage rate is 9.15 percent more than the rollback rate of 0.9162 mills, and is necessary to maintain services for the Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District. This concludes my report on the Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District. Thank you. This is a time for anyone in the public to speak or ask any questions about the budget. No one is signed up to speak. Um do I hear a motion to close public hearing on budget one? Moved. Second. The moved and seconded. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Mayor, just for official, I'm just gonna do the roll call real quick for this meeting. Uh Vice Mayor Herbst is not present. Uh Commissioner Glossman? Here. Commissioner Beasley Pittman? Here. Commissioner Sorensen? Here. Mayor Trentals. Here. All right. And for the closure of the public hearing. Vice Mayor Herbst, not present. Commissioner Glossman? Yes. Commissioner Beasley Pittman. Yes. Commissioner Sorensen? Yes. Mayor Trentals. Yes. And public hearing is now closed. So the tentative millage rate for the Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District purposes will be 1.000 mil, which represents an increase of 9.15% over the rollback rate of.9162 MILS. So there's going to be two votes tonight. One's going to be on the tentative millage rate and one's going to be on the budget. So right now we will just uh I would like someone to introduce a resolution adopting the tentative millage rate for the Sunrise Key Neighborhood Improvement District for the fiscal year 2026. Introduced. Resolution has now been introduced. No one is signed. Okay.
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