For each district and citywide.

As we look at opportunities for this year, our team is looking to gain a lot of valuable feedback as we enter the budget development process for fiscal year 2027.

And with that, I'll turn it over to the team.

We have a video prepared.

And I'll allow the team who spearheaded this workshop to kick it off.

Thank you.

All right.

Can you hear me without this?

Can everyone hear her back there?

Good.

Okay.

Is this better?

We're doing better?

Okay, perfect.

All right.

Um so uh as we go through these goals today, the city commission will be sharing uh their goals, priorities, and direction for the city.

Um ultimately you'll also be approving some funding later on to move these and advance them forward.

Whereas staff, our role is really to operationalize these goals, create work plans, and implement them according to your direction.

Um I think it's helpful as we're kind of in the crossroads of 26 and 27 to share a timeline.

So today we're hearing from the city commission on what those priorities and ideas are.

We will take that in March through June and build it into our budget development process to make sure that we're moving those initiatives forward with a resources.

In July, you'll have the proposed budget where you'll clearly be able to see how we've articulated and funded each of those priorities.

Fast forward a few more months, we'll have our final budget hearings in September where they will officially be adopted as part of the budget.

Um, and then in October, we'll have funding in place and we're ready to hit the road running if we haven't already by that point.

Um, so that's really what we're as we're looking for where the process will end up.

Now, as a reminder, because I've said these priorities really serve to advance our five-year strategic plan.

We have six goals under this plan.

The first is focused on public safety.

The second is focused on housing, and this is inclusive of both affordable housing and how we address homelessness in our city.

Number three is focused on infrastructure, um, really more so the pipes in the ground, whereas the next goal is focused on infrastructure in terms of transportation, our roads, our sidewalks.

Um, goal five is uh all about making the city beautiful, welcoming our parks, uh making sure that it's an inviting community, and goal six is focused on economic development.

Now, if we're looking at the priorities that were established last year at this time, you can see that almost verbatim, they are perfectly aligned.

We had public safety, homelessness response, infrastructure and resilience, the enjoyment of waterways, public spaces and cultural initiatives, and to bolster our thriving communities.

So I'm gonna pause here for a second and I'm gonna ask our AV team, we're gonna pivot to a video to share just a little bit more context about uh the commission prioritization workshop as well as some of the progress that we've already made to date towards these 2026 priorities so that we can catapult onto that as we talk about next year.

So Andres, if you want, thank you, and while our A V team pulls that up, I do want to mention that staff and the city commission, you have what we call our resource guide.

And while our AV team pulls that up, I do want to mention that staff in the City Commission, you have what we call our resource guide.

Fort Lauderdale is a city you never want to leave.

Not just because of where we can follow along with today's discussion in here as well.

So with that, here is the video.

Not just because of where we are, but because of who we are.

A connected, resilient and thriving city where people want to live, work and play.

The city strategic plan turns our vision into action.

Guiding our work through focused priorities in public safety, housing, infrastructure, public places, and business growth.

Within each of these areas of focus, the city has outlined six goals.

One, build a safe community that is proactive and responsive to risks.

Two, enable housing options for all income levels.

Build a beautiful and welcoming community.

Build a diverse and attractive economy.

The city is additionally guided by the principles of customer service, fiscal responsibility, innovation, the wise use of technology, and inclusivity.

To ensure we are making progress towards our goals, accountability is key.

City staff regularly report progress through performance measurement dashboards, allowing for course correction and reflection on how to better achieve our goals.

Also, commission agenda memos highlight how the strategic plan applies to any given item.

It's a way to show how our operational and policy decisions are driven by the short and long-term goals of the city.

Everything ties back to our bigger vision.

Each year, the city commission develops its priorities, which are work plans that align with the city's strategic plan and advance the strategic plan in targeted one-year increments.

This process starts in January with a priority setting workshop.

Then, from March through June, staff works to fund the commission priorities through the budget development process.

The proposed budget is presented to the commission in July.

The city conducts public hearings and adopts the budget in September.

And in October, we implement our plan to make the priorities a reality.

Commission priorities are the product of collaboration and prioritization by the city commission to highlight areas of significant importance.

The commission priorities ensure the city is nimble and prompt to respond to an ever-changing environment.

As we move toward these goals, let's highlight some of the accomplishments already made toward the fiscal year 2026 Commission priorities.

Public safety.

Progress continues on the replacement of Fire Rescue Station 13, the construction of the new fire rescue station 88, and the Heron Garage Substation, strategically located to enhance emergency response times throughout downtown.

The fire rescue department secured 1.3 million dollars in grants, which will be used to expand high-rise response training.

We're also expanding access to life-saving opioid interventions by creating Narcan distribution hubs in areas with frequent overdoses.

The police department is launching a cyber attack response and mitigation program along with a new pedestrian and bicycle safety campaign.

Homelessness response.

The city is strengthening its homelessness strategy through outreach and enforcement.

Through position reclassifications, we created three homeless outreach team positions, two caseworkers, and an additional community health coordinator.

While partnering with Fire Rescue's Mobile Integrated Health Unit and the Police Co-Responder Unit to launch an intensive outreach unit.

New funding is also in place to develop a safe overnight parking program to provide a secure space for people experiencing homelessness.

The city increased assistance tenant-based rental assistance grants, providing short-term help with rent, mortgage, and utilities.

Plus, we're sponsoring substance abuse treatment beds.

In addition, $700,000 in ship program funds are supporting gap financing for seven new affordable housing units for low to moderate income families.

Infrastructure and resilience.

Construction of the new Prospect Lake Clean Water Center continues on schedule, and staff onboarding has begun.

The city is implementing a 105.5 million dollar public safety and infrastructure improvement bond, which will serve to finalize the new police headquarters and advance road, sidewalk, bridge, and seawall projects.

Phase one of the Fortify Lauderdale program is also moving forward in Progresso Village, Dorsey River Bend, and Melrose Manors to improve resilience to storms and flooding.

From the recent $33 million PFAS settlement, funding is being directed to capital improvements, including replacing the Bayview Drive Seawall and the West Lake Drive Bridges.

Public enjoyment of waterways.

The city hired its first chief waterways officer and established a marine facilities fund to ensure clean, well-maintained public boat ramps and marinas.

Grant funding will support a pump out boat, offering free services to prevent illegal sewage discharge into our waterways.

In coordination with community partners, the city planted 100 mangroves this year, with another 50 more planned, and adopted a new ordinance limiting vessel anchoring to no more than 30 days within a six-month period.

Public spaces and cultural initiatives.

Funding is in place for streetscape improvements along Breakers Avenue and Sunrise Lane and new lighting for the iconic wave wall.

Hosted the Cis Drunk Empowerment Summit to strengthen economic opportunities, and launched the CyberSmart FTL program, empowering our community for a more resilient digital future.

These efforts align with the city's commitment to economic growth, supported by the creation of a new economic development division.

It's been a busy year, but now we're ready to really hit the ground running for fiscal year 2027.

So if you're following along in your resource guide, we're now moving to the landscape review.

This is the first tab.

But really, the purpose of this next portion of the discussion is for to share a little bit of information, statistics, data about where we stand as a city, and the whole purpose of this is to create a shared context as a foundation for the rest of the discussion.

So with that, the next few slides are really going to be about the city's financial future.

Specifically talking about looking at the taxable values, and I know over the last year you've probably seen some of this information in a variety of other presentations, but I'm going to centralize it here this morning.

So taxable values.

Over the last 10 years, we've been fortunate in seeing growth year over year, but specifically the last four years have been especially positive, largely due to the new construction that's been coming online.

Now, each summer, as part of our budget development process, we have our consultant Stantec Consulting come in and share with the city a forecast for the future.

Now looking at some of the other funds that are not the general fund uh general fund, uh we have some planned rate increases over the next five years to keep these enterprise funds financially solvent.

So you can see those on the screen here, uh, our water sewer fee, our sanitation fee, and our stormwater fee.

Now this next chart shares uh what the population trend against what the personnel complement for the city of Fort Lauderdale looks like.

So in the dark blue bar, you'll see the number of general fund employees.

In the green bar, you'll see other fund uh employees.

So this could be the airport fund, our sanitation fund, parking, um, and then the light blue line would be our population trend, which you've seen has increased substantially over the last 10 years.

If there are any questions along the way, just feel free to jump in.

So population dropped 2020 and 2020.

Oh, yeah.

Sorry.

So our population drop between 20 and 21?

So this data is driven um by some of the census data.

So it is reflective of how many people are participating in that.

Oh, okay.

And just for clarification, for 2020, we use the actual census data.

For every other year, we use what we use statewide, which is a population survey that is completed by the University of Florida.

Right.

Um, and so that's why there's a description of the statistical data rather than actual data.

Okay.

All right.

We don't really know what the population is at Fort Lauderdale, do we?

I believe it fluctuates probably daily, hourly, yes.

Yeah, it fluctuates.

Okay.

All right.

Uh now uh property taxes has been uh discussion that we've been hearing a lot of recently, but we are very fortunate in the city of Fort Lauderdale to have a diverse tax base.

Um so you'll see in terms of the homestead of residential tax revenue, it comes in at just less than a third of our total tax revenue, which equates to about 76 million for fiscal year 2026.

30 percent is 30 percent is property tax of homestead property.

Yes.

So if they were to eliminate that, it would cut a 30 30% off of our of our income.

Okay.

Good to know when we talk to the people in Tallahassee.

All right, now switching gears a little bit.

Um at this workshop over the last couple of years, we talked a lot about diversifying our economy in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

And so this is showing all of the different occupations by industry and how many people are employed in each of those, and you can see the top result is professional and business services.

This can be anything from legal services, accounting, advertising.

Um, you can see we know that um our tourism and hospitality industry is quite large in Fort Lauderdale.

You can see that as fifth from the bottom.

Um, the marine industry is gonna be sprinkled a little bit depending on the focus of what that specific company would do, might be sprinkled throughout here.

One thing that I know came up last year as a question was what does other services mean?

I did a little bit of research in advance of today, and this is really a catch-all, but it could be anything from pet services, repair and maintenance companies, personal care services, salons, um, really kind of that catch-all.

Now, when we're talking about the workforce, uh, one of the contributors is obviously our housing prices in Fort Lauderdale.

Um, so when we look at the number of homes sold over the last five years, we've seen that drop a little bit, but really stabilize over the last three years specifically.

Um, and then looking at interest rates, those have also stabilized over the last year, hovering between six and seven percent.

Now, if we're gonna talk the price of those homes sold, um, Fort Lauderdale stands well above both Florida and the United States for our median home price at 530,000 for 2025.

And if we look at the same chart but flip it out for rents of a one bedroom, we can see that that trend continues.

These are Fort Lauderdale specific, not Broward County.

Fort Lauderdale specific, yes.

All right.

Now we talked a little bit about this earlier.

Um our average daily population.

So on the orange bar, this is that number that you saw earlier.

Uh for 2024, which is the most recent data, we have the average daily population for we're hovering about 190,000 permanent residents in Fort Lauderdale.

However, we know that we have many more people in our city every single day.

So the blue and green bars represent what that average daily population, it's inclusive of our residents, tourists, visitors, commuters, um, really anyone that would be doing anything in Fort Lauderdale.

The differentiator between the blue and the green is the green takes into account our peak period, which we define as November through April, considering our seasonal population of snowbirds, spring breakers, things like that.

Now, the point I really want to drive home here is that our daily population that we serve as a city is substantially larger than our actual residential population.

Obviously, public safety comes to mind, but there are other impacts such as sanitation, tracks, trash collection, keeping our beaches clean, transportation as things that we consider moving forward.

Um now, this is also something that's come up year over year.

Um, but considering the total percent of Broward County tourism tax, Fort Lauderdale is responsible for generating nearly half of that in 2025.

Now I've shared with you a lot of figures, statistics, but one other thing that I wanted to bring up this morning is our perception-based data, because for our residents, perception is reality.

And so every year, the City of Fort Lauderdale conducts what we largely call our community surveys, but it's inclusive of both a neighbor or resident survey as well as a survey for our business community.

So based on the most recent results, um, our residents reported that over half, 63%, are satisfied with the overall quality of life in Fort Lauderdale.

Now, the full survey results from our vendor for both of these is available in appendix C of your resource guide.

But I'm gonna highlight just a few things here this morning.

So as part of the survey, the city really focused in on three areas homelessness, parks and recreation amenities, and safety, and asked for those respondents that said that they weren't happy with the quality of the service.

We asked them, well, what is the number one thing that you think we should do to improve this?

So for homelessness, that was creating more affordable housing.

For parks and recreation amenities, uh, the number one thing was enhancing safety.

And then in terms of the overall sense of safety citywide, the number one thing that residents thought we could do to improve this was having more officers on patrol.

Now, in terms of our business survey, uh the number one thing uh that I wanted to highlight here was the factors that are important to businesses to staying in Fort Lauderdale.

And that was reported as our access to customers are markets, the cost of real estate our rent, and any financial incentives that they could take advantage of.

Now I am a fan of a matrix, so I put one together for you this morning, just so we can kind of see the trends between the resident survey and the business community.

So, in terms of strengths, our residents overall reported that they were happy with the quality of services overall in the city, the acceptance of residents of all backgrounds, as well as the variety of art and cultural events.

Whereas businesses reported that they were happy with the regulatory environment and access to customers or markets, which we know from the previous slide is one of the most important things to keeping their business in Fort Lauderdale.

In terms of some of the challenges, uh neighbors express that the cost of living or the availability of jobs that pay a living wage uh was a challenge for them, as well as the overall sense of safety, the sense of community, their ability to give input, and the overall cleanliness and maintenance of the city.

So when they say safety, what does that mean?

Is that because I hear some conflicting re uh responses from people?

Oftentimes people, you know, for example, what is that survey that we hear every year that Fort Lauderdale is the least safe city in the country?

And what is that that that often interprets as being the cost of living here?

And they they factor in cost of living as being a safety issue.

But are we really talking about safety here, or are we talking about other uh intangibles that that are somehow categorized under the name of safety?

So the way that we ask this question in the survey, it's a little bit broad.

We just say what is your satisfaction with the overall quality or sense of safety in Fort Lauderdale based on those results.

So that's where we started asking.

Well, if you're unhappy, what is the number one thing that you would like to see us improve on?

And based on that, those responses, it is largely public safety in terms of police response that we're hearing.

Um if you flip in uh your resource guy, page 84.

Thank you, Evet, and I'm gonna you have yours fresh.

Um but we can see while the number one response was put more police officers on patrol, we also see um ideas such as develop or improve crime prevention initiatives, reducing homelessness, reforming police department practices, improving response times, as well as this increasing street lights.

Okay.

All right.

And then for our business community, um the top three two things that they shared that were challenges are infrastructure conditions and employee quality of life factors.

Now, this is a bit broad, but what this really means in terms of the context of the survey is cost of living, education, health care for employees.

So I think in terms of infrastructure conditions, um that to me is a matter of messaging, because the city is undertaking the most massive infrastructure uh redevelopment in the history of Florida, and no city is doing the amount of infrastructure investment as the city of Fort Lauderdale is doing.

So why isn't that being uh understood by the people that live in the city?

And oftentimes people say, well, you know, we want it now, we want it, you know, we want to see we want to see instant results.

But I think a lot of it now going forward um is messaging and and getting the messaging out.

Other than the neighborhoods themselves that see the actual uh uh construction of um pipes going underground and and pump stations being installed, those specific neighborhoods see what's going on.

But 95% of the rest of the city doesn't see what's going on.

So I think in terms of infrastructure conditions, because lots of times uh very rarely, but once in a while I'll look at responses on Facebook to see when we put something very positive out there about let's say we've just inaugurated the uh the you know the Chris Everett uh tennis center, some of the comments will be why don't you focus your money the money on build building uh better infrastructure and and stop wasting money on uh on prop projects that don't address sewage and water treatment issues.

Now, why would anyone say that if in a city that's already doing that?

So it's a lot of it is just messaging.

So let's keep that in mind going forward.

And mayor, I and I'm glad you said that because I was actually about to address something along those lines.

Um messaging and education.

If you look at if you look at exhibit two page 15 of 120, and I think we actually have that up there as part of this, and first of all, thank you for all of this.

What I noticed from year to year, and again, page 15.

If you look at the three, four or five the bottom six items, every year those are the same where the percentages are very high in terms of negative responses.

And that to me goes to your point, Mayor, in terms of messaging and education.

Because if you look at those items, again, we are spending significant resources on on these items, but I just don't think the message is getting through.

Uh these are repetitive every single year that I've attended one of these goal setting workshops.

It's the same.

Um, and I again I I just think that we do have to step it up.

I think it is a matter of education, a matter of messaging.

Uh I I'll leave that up to you for the best way to do that.

I'm not always so sure.

I know social media has a part to play, but as the mayor says, people will chime in with everything on social media.

So, you know, it gets lost.

I don't know if we can somehow get right into folks' homes, whether it's through bills, whether it's water bills, whether whatever it is, but there we have to do a better job of and again for me it's not just messaging, it really is education.

Um, so that people are very much aware uh of what we're doing, so that these negatives to me, it's just interesting when you look at this chart, the responsive community characteristics, and you see what those percentages are.

That's it.

Thank you.

Just in response to that, we're in the process now of redefining our strategic communications function and how we go about promoting the city, and these are very good points that I think would be incorporated as we develop that plan on how we message uh positively.

Uh I think there's some opportunities for improvement, and I know that we've done a pretty good job of pushing out the fortified Lauderdale successes.

I know we had a uh strategic push to um show that we've made a lot of progress there, but I think it has to be continuous so that the messaging is consistent.

It does, and also we have to prove that uh and make it really clear that we can walk in chew gum at the same time.

When the mayor mentions people will respond to a Jimmy Everett tennis center reopening with a question or a uh a criticism of not doing enough for infrastructure.

Well, we're doing both.

We we do a lot every day across a wide spectrum of issues, and I think folks need to understand uh how we are able to multitask, and we do it every single day.

That's all.

Thank you.

Um also when it comes to efforts to address homelessness, I think a lot of people uh conflate uh panhandling with homelessness.

They'll see people on street corners and they they say, well, that's homelessness.

And you know, are those people really homeless or are those people just panhandling?

And and uh because I think our folks do a great job in trying to address homelessness, and I think the real uh the the barrier that we have in improving our results often has to do with finding actual homes for people to be able to live in.

Um even if they have a voucher, uh we don't necessarily have a place for them to live.

The cost of real estate is so high here, as you've uh as you mentioned, and a lot of landlords aren't so eager to uh to rent at lower rates to cook to accommodate homeless individuals, and it's not just the homelessness, it's the wraparound services that we often are are uh we realize is is necessary in order to take people out of homelessness and to elevate them to uh into a uh quality of life that uh in many cases we've seen such great success stories.

So I know it's a challenge, and I know we you know, through our community court, we've uh we initiated that several years ago, and it has is it has had its ups and downs.

But I do know that uh um you know the the amount of resources that we have committed as a city towards this effort is unmatched by anybody that I know of in Broward County.

And uh and I applaud you know this the um staff for realizing how important that is.

But too often, you know, we there's a misunderstanding of what homelessness is by the community.

And you know, a person who's on the street corner of Fourth Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard saying, you know, I'm a veteran and I need I need food, and you know, and he's got a belly on him.

You know, I don't uh you know it's it's it kind of makes you wonder, are they just standing out there trying to shake you down for money and are they really homeless?

And those are the people we need to address.

So you know, our our outreach officers need to go out there every day and say, hey, do you really are you really hungry?

Do we can we help you?

Get in my car and let's take you to a place where you can be fed today, rather than people uh feeling like you know they're being they're having to roll up their window and they don't want to, you know, they don't want to have to deal with somebody while they're waiting for the light to turn green.

So um, you know, those are uh those are the hot spots.

We all know where they are, you know, and normally they're right along Sunrise Boulevard or Oakland Park Boulevard.

And um, and I think you know, the other day I remember there was uh a fellow that came up it uh came up to me and said um you know he needed money, he was hungry, and uh and uh and I said, Well, you know you can go to uh Christ Church over on uh Oakland and 30th Street, and every Thursday, this was Wednesday night.

I said every Thursday, they have a feeding program, there's the you can get new clothing, they have you you they'll uh help you with social services.

And uh he claimed he didn't know anything about that, and I doubt that.

But he claimed he didn't know anything about that.

So um maybe it's a messaging thing on on some of these nonprofits uh who sometimes don't always always get their message out.

But we have a lot of very charitable and generous organizations in our city.

And uh we we are I feel doing a heroic job in and trying to help people who who find themselves in difficult positions.

Can we do more?

Yes.

But again, a lot of it is misunderstanding what the true sense of homelessness is and whether or not these people are really homeless or just there to uh to collect money.

So um, but again, I I ask our our outreach coordinators and our our our our homeless outreach team to go to continue to go to these intersections and and talk to these people and get them off the street.

It's often dangerous.

Uh we're trying to, you know, navigate uh intersections when there's tremendous amount of traffic, and you see people weaving in and out of these lanes uh either on wheelchairs or on foot, and it's very it's creates a very hazardous situation, and nobody should get hurt.

But we know that in this city, right on Sunrise Boulevard in the last few years, people have been killed because of of their interaction with traffic and their failure to get out of the way.

So we gotta stop that.

And there's a way to do that.

And I think that um a lot of it can be seen from the statistics here of what what priorities we need to address going forward.

Anyway, thank you.

Mayor, if I could on that.

Thanks.

Uh I think good points.

Uh yesterday I spent two hours riding along on what's called the rotary connect bus, which is a new bus that's funded by Rotary of Fort Lauderdale.

And the purpose is to provide transportation from those experiencing homelessness to key service providers in the city.

So, for example, that bus goes from uh task force uh for ending homelessness to get them uh on the housing list to the DMV to get a license, uh to Salvation Army for food.

I mean, so it's an amazing connector throughout the city.

As a circuit.

Exactly.

Has a circuit, has a schedule.

It was the bus was packed yesterday with folks availing themselves of those services.

So seeing what we're doing in partnership with providers is is fantastic.

And um a couple thoughts on that is one, we've done this with uh city manager, we've done this with um the chief waterway officer providing kind of once a month, I think it's a letter to the commission, right?

Of of the waterway initiatives.

I'd really like to have a one-pager once a month of the homeless initiatives that we have and and an update.

So in other words, here's the number of affordable and workforce housing units that are coming on board.

Here's uh some of the enforcement mechanism.

Mayor, you you mentioned the um intersections.

It's illegal to panhandle at high traffic intersections.

And so that's and and we have the city attorney has kind of evaluated that and we are able to enforce that.

So um capturing what we're doing there, how we're partnering with the service providers again, Raquel, uh just a one-pager, I think would be good for all of us, and so that we can share that with the community to say here's what we're doing, here's the progress we're making.

Is that city manager or something like that feasible?

I think that is feasible, and that's something that we're already working on, so stay tuned for that.

Okay, that'd be great.

Okay.

Thank you.

And Mayor, again, it's to your point, we allocate $13 million a year to support those that are experiencing homelessness.

Uh that's that's unmatched by by any other municipality.

I think part of it is the continued communication and sharing the results and the wins we're having to serve those.

Thank you.

And city manager, perhaps do we um the strategic communications work at all with the council of Fort Lodel civic associations?

I'm thinking that maybe if we had a liaison to that group, it would be a much more direct way to get our messaging and education out through every single one of those neighborhoods, and perhaps we can just work closer that way with the neighborhoods, the specific neighborhoods.

I I think in addition, we need to look at the way that our neighbor support division collaborates with strategic communications and the neighborhood associations, including the council.

So I I think multiple groups on the team need to be collaborating a little bit more so that the messaging is consistent and the collaboration is more intentional.

Right.

And but I think as a city though, we should probably attend every single one of those council meetings and have that kind of liaison and working directly, and as you mentioned with neighbor support as well, it it really is a communications effort, but I think that everyone needs to be involved every step of the way coordinating with each other.

And I think we typically have representation by city staff at uh the council and various other groups.

Uh recently, as I've been doing a tour of each of the civic associations and homeowners associations, we normally have staff representation there.

Uh that's something that we're also fine-tuning.

But we have them there sometimes only maybe to give a report or uh an update.

We don't really have them working together in terms of the day-to-day or the actual you know, the all actual mechanics of that organization and and directly assign as a liaison who is not just there to give a report or an update, but you know what I'm saying.

Thanks.

Okay.

So I do want to mention that we're taking notes and capturing everything from your conversation today, and this is going to be part of what helps uh drive what those priorities will be when we're done.

We'll consolidate and bring those to you at a future conference meeting.

Now shifting to the next part of the agenda.

So now if you're following along, we're gonna flip to the second tab, opportunities.

So city staff has prepared a number of topics.

Um of it is to prepare and share an update on key initiatives.

Others are areas where we need a little bit of direction from the city commission as we move forward.

Um and our first topic for today is an update on our infiltration and inflow.

So I'm gonna ask our utility services director, Albert Carbon, to come up and share with you.

Thank you, Erica.

Um again for everybody, Albert Carvan, the utilities director.

Uh for uh inflow infiltration, uh quick couple of quick definitions.

Uh infiltration uh is the groundwater that seeps into the through cracks and leaks in in the the pipes, the gravity pipes and the lower reaches of the manhole.

And then inflow is that that surface water, that rain water, uh the canal water that comes in from the surface that goes in through through uh cracked uh manhole covers or clean outs on the private property that have been broken.

Uh as far as our wastewater flows, it's estimated that going into our George T.

Lomaier treatment plant, there's up to 40 to 50 percent of the flows uh are from an INI perspective.

Uh this places stresses on our gravity uh sewer system, our our pump systems that maximizes our our our pump stations, and then our treatment plant, which gives us less available capacity, and would require options to to expand that treatment plant.

Uh the city has had a uh wastewater consent order that they've had since 2017.

Uh that was uh amended to extend the dates, but uh completion dates, uh but we are scheduled to be completed with that that uh original consent order and the first amendment by March 2027 to date.

There's 71 of the 76 milestones have been completed, uh, and 54 of those have been ahead of schedule.

Congratulations.

Uh we are uh in a thank you very much, Mayor, appreciate that.

Uh and for staff, uh, we appreciate their hard work.

The uh we are in negotiation for a second amendment uh to the consent order, which will focus in on the I and I reduction.

Uh the city, the staff uh just before Christmas supplied uh DEP with our our hopefully our final comments, and we're scheduling our next meeting to go over those comments and and looking forward to bringing that to City Commission later this spring.

That's the second amendment.

So we are ahead of the curve on that new uh uh second amendment because one of the first steps is the evaluation of our I and I.

And as we discussed at the last meeting that that we are in the under meeting uh undergoing that evaluation.

And we all also are are starting to correct pipes.

We have a total of about 30 million dollars in contracts uh to uh reduct reduce our INI and to date uh our linear feet of pipe that we've lined is 33 miles.

Uh we rehabed uh 40 manholes.

Uh we've lined uh uh just under 2500 laterals, and then uh we've made some point repairs, which are our critical areas where the top pipe has been dislodged, and we've made 300 repairs of those.

Uh so as far as the valuation is concerned, uh we're about halfway in through our through our manhole of inspections, 4400 inspections of the 10,000.

Uh we've smoke tested, so it's smoke testing tells us where those openings in that inflow on the surface comes, about 236 miles of pipe, and then we've done some additional night flows so we know where the low flows are to test where the the again where the inflows and infiltrations are.

So we're well on the path to to start that that consent order and to reduce our I and I.

So if uh I'm available for any comments or questions or can add some additional information if you need it.

So when you when we reach the 2027 milestone, what percent of the I and I uh rehabilitation project will have been completed.

Uh that uh excuse me, I may I was uh the original consent order and the amendment, those are we are to complete those 71 projects by March 2027.

The new amendment, amendment two will give us a seven-year period to to help mitigate the INI.

Now we're hopefully we are ahead of that.

We want to be ahead of that schedule.

So we've also identified funding in the uh the capital investment plan of around 130 million dollars.

Uh uh 61 is that available in or is it identified for 2027?

And then the rest of it, those following years.

All right, excellent.

Thank you.

Anyone have any questions?

Okay, thank you.

Great work, Al.

Thank you.

Uh so the next topic that we're gonna be discussing is broadband access.

So I'll ask our IT director, Ron McKenzie, to come and share a little bit more about this.

I don't think officially.

I think I need to tell the truth.

Good morning.

Good morning, good morning, Mayor Commissioner.

Ron McKenzie, IT director, CIO.

Um, before we get started, I don't want to take for granted that everyone clearly understands the term high speed broadband or the methods used to transport it.

So please allow me a couple of minutes to explain it.

Broadband is measured in megabits and gigabits, and the higher the number, the more the flow goes back and forth.

Picture a highway.

A highway will have a speed limit, let's say 70 miles per hour, right?

If the highway has a speed limit of 70 miles per hour, we'll say that that's the bandwidth.

You have that at 70 miles per hour, but if you're driving at 2 o'clock in the morning, if you're riding at about you know, five in the morning, you've got the whole highway, you can go 70 miles per hour, there's not a problem.

Let's say that you're trying at 9 o'clock, or you're trying at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, then it's going to be congestion.

The speed limit is still 70, but you're no longer able to go there.

It slows it down.

And sometimes, if there's an issue, it stops.

That's how coax works.

Then they allow additional bandwidth for coax.

So if there's additional bandwidth for coax, which coax is cheaper.

If you allow additional bandwidth, that's like the HOV lane.

The HOV lane says, okay, listen, everybody else is kind of here, but under specific circumstances, I'll allow you to go on this HOV lane.

But still, you're in that same area, and if an issue happens, it will slow you down.

A game is happening or something like that, a major event.

Now, let's look at fiber.

Fiber works kind of like the pay lanes.

It costs a little bit more, but in the pay lanes, both going up and going down, it's pretty much open.

If there's congestion over here in the coax area, you're not tripping.

Because over here, you've got your lane and for fiber, and you're going straight, both back and forth.

Then there's what we have is my fi, right?

Or ATT Air, those type of bandwidth.

That's more like a helicopter.

It depends on how many people you can put in the helicopter and how fast the particular vendor can go, right?

But it can either hold five people, ten people, fifteen people, and depending on the maker of it, you're able to go faster or slower.

But it's direct.

You don't have that congestion that other places have.

So now that we understand bandwidth, I'll go a little bit more and talk about the slides, right?

The city operates.

What happens if the speed limit is 30 and you're going 70?

What is that part?

You might even think it.

No, exactly.

All right, that's another question for another time.

Exactly.

Exactly.

So the city operates 35 public Wi-Fi locations, including parks and public facilities, although bandwidth is limited.

The bandwidth is actually small, so the speed limit.

And the total cost of that was 713,761, inclusive of an actual annual subscription cost of 43,368.

That's what it costs for the broadband there.

Other available resources.

Neighbors have wired and wireless service in their home, depending on the cost again.

Such as Xfinity, ATT Fiber, ATT Air, T Mobile, and Verizon.

As far as that goes, depending, like I said, on how much you pay, you may have a different type of service, right?

When you have you have coax in your house and you also have fiber, but depending on how much you pay, you get more bandwidth.

The providers offer various affordability programs.

So nice, I sound nice twice.

Okay, that's good.

I want to make sure some people are saying they can't find it online.

So I think we're good on YouTube with that.

Right.

Okay.

No worries, no worries.

So the 1495, the 2995 a month is coax.

It's the cheaper one, but that's the one, as I said, in the regular lane that can deal with congestion, etc.

etc.

And the T Mobile project, T Mobile has a project called T Mobile 10 million.

It also offers uh free service for eligible K through 12 students.

That's my fine, that's the helicopter way, which is really nice for a household.

You can connect up to five people or five devices in your home and be able to do that.

That's already available.

Broward County offers hotspot lending through public libraries as well as public Wi-Fi spots.

And of course, this free internet access that is available in many local businesses, including restaurants, coffee shops, and is also provided through public transit services.

Some of the options that we have.

Options to enhance broadband access.

One of the key elements is to educate our neighbors and affordable on the affordable means that they have.

As I stated before, in the school systems, there's there's free Wi-Fi.

Uh libraries have free Wi-Fi.

And some of these services, especially from K through 12, depending on if you're on SNAP or certain different other programs, they offer free Wi-Fi for up to five years for students in their family.

We can launch a unified broadband resource hub that lists all low-cost plans, eligibility criteria, and public Wi-Fi locations, so everybody can know where to go and how to do things.

We can integrate affordability program support into community engagement events.

Training neighbors on how to utilize broadband equipment and services.

We want to show them, or one of the options is also to show them how to use Wi-Fi, right to connect and how to connect everybody.

These things are available, but they may not know how to do it, even if they were able to obtain some of these devices.

And so to educate them isn't is important.

Expand the city's existing pilot with Internet Service Program.

That's the pilot that we talked about, a couple of commission meetings that we that you approved, that eight by eight block to be able to expand that if it's successful.

That particular pilot, when completed, will work similar to like a college campus, where a college campus, once you get Wi-Fi, you're able to walk all around that particular area, and you'll have MyFi expanding that.

An expansion of the program would include either widening the perimeter or replicating the service program throughout the city.

One of the other opportunities is to increase bandwidth in parks and public buildings.

As I spoke before, there are 35 parks and public spaces that we have to actually expand to additional parks or to expand the bandwidth because the bandwidth that we have right now is a limited bandwidth.

So look again, you're able to go up and down the highway, but the speed limit may be only 25.

Expand that to maybe 70.

So those are some of the options.

Questions.

Questions.

I have a question.

It doesn't pertain to what you just talked about, but talking about perhaps uh something else we need to consider.

So in terms of uh crime deterrence, um what's your what are your thoughts about trying to um uh add cameras throughout uh hot spots, crime hot spots in different parts of the city.

What are your thoughts about that?

We're actually looking into that.

There was some additional uh projects that they had, some money that was allocated, and we're actually looking into a few different areas on how to do that.

One of the solutions that they talked about, or at least that was quoted was broadband, but they also have Wi-Fi access for cameras.

So we're looking to see how sharp that image is to make sure that it can be helpful to the public safety people to see what's going on, because obviously having a camera is one thing, but we want them to actually be able to pick up something.

Right.

But we are in favor and we are looking into that.

So it would be really important.

I think the commission has mentioned in more than one occasion its interest in trying to expand uh the existence of cameras throughout the city, uh starting in in high crime hotspots, but certainly in more and more areas.

Because as we're seeing in today's world, everything needs to be captured on video because people's people's understanding of what happened and what didn't happen seems to differ.

And capturing it on on video is going to be important.

And uh I think um the city of Fort Lauderdale needs to step up its game in that regard.

Uh we need to find uh more opportunities for installing these cameras.

And um uh I know certain neighborhoods have have undertaken you know license plate reader programs and things like that, but that's their funding themselves and all and you know and managing it themselves.

But I think the city needs to consider um a more aggressive program in terms of uh establishing cameras throughout the city because things happen.

Just to add a little context, the commission did approve a decision package last year, inclusive of additional camera equipment for him or she downtown and Systronic.

So if there's a desire to expand even further, we would be open to looking at that with the budget development process.

Have those cameras been installed?

I I'm not sure where we are in the installation phase.

We're we're in the planning phase.

We've been talking, there's a chief right there.

We've been having a few meetings between IT and police, and we're still looking at the stuck.

You know, we approved it, and here we are a year later, and we're stuck.

So this this was approved in the fiscal year 26 budget.

We we just entered Q2.

Okay, so knowing that that's a the Commission has already expressed it as a priority if we could just move that along, uh, that would be really helpful.

All right.

I mean, we had an incident in Himershi recently.

Would have been nice if we had that on camera, right?

Bill, did you want to say something?

Good morning, everyone, Bill Schultz, Chief of Police.

Uh, we do have some video footage of that from city cameras, so that was very helpful in that investigation.

There you go.

Uh and to answer the question regarding installation, we did luckily get some uh money from you last year for more cameras.

Those are in progress.

Uh I've been meeting with Ron, his staff, and my staff regularly on this.

Uh there was a meeting during city commission last week on site on Hammershead.

That's going to be the first installation of the new cameras.

And we already have some.

We have four uh in our possession, and those will be in service hopefully by the end of the month.

Okay, great.

Also, um Mayor, um Ron, thank you so much for what you brought to the table with this presentation.

Um everyone knows I'm always talking about um the need and the expansion for broadband um in district three, and then I'll cost across the whole city.

And I'm really um thankful for what I'm seeing here.

Um these options for enhancement.

I I believe this is a great direction to go in.

And um, do we have like a timeline for these workshops and um training opportunities because that is key when I think about some of the uh my neighbors that are in district three who again I say have no access, so we're giving them now this great opportunity, and yes, they will need directions and instructions how to utilize this to the maximum.

So is there any um discussions, plans, timelines as to um executing these workshops?

The focus was to get that guidance, and so that's where we bring up these opportunities, and once we get that guidance, we can move forward.

Okay.

And so if you have any additional feedback on the options proposed, is it that the commission is interested in all of these opportunities, or that are there a few that are more desirable?

We kind of want to get that level of feedback so we know how to allocate resources.

With regard to which item?

This is the broadband access and broadband access.

Yes, uh, options for enhancement.

And and we could take multiple approaches, so depending on what the appetite is.

I I like where we're heading, city manager.

Uh I think one of the things that sticks out most to me is the uh C expand the city's existing pilot internet service program.

And I defer to you, uh District Commissioner, but that seems uh fantastic uh approach and where we're going.

And and and again, in regards to that incorporating that training for the neighbors, again, because we do have those who are um just kind of existing off of what they're able to gather and and use as they move around the city.

So B and C.

Yeah.

I was really going for A, B, N C and D.

I think it's a full package.

And I think I think we could approach it that way if that's the consensus.

Yes.

I like the idea of increasing bandwidth at parks and public spaces too.

Um other along these lines, City Manager, is I was just looking at our um some of our city's social media.

The I'd love to see us more celebrate the successes that we've had.

So, for example, um just some of the what we've done with broadband.

We've made some really good progress.

I'd love to just see uh simple graphic, four three or four points capturing some of what we've already done.

Um same thing with I and I.

This is great.

There's a little uh box that says accomplishments to date.

Great successes.

Just and and I don't know if it's uh so I think it it should be a couple fold.

One on city social media, just sharing tangible successes around numbers and dollars and improvements, and then a way that we as as commissioners can share that on social media as well.

So that can be us just liking, replicating and so forth.

But I'd like to see more of that.

We can do that, Commissioner.

We can celebrate all the wins.

I love that.

Great.

And and another option for that is when I think of um the um Lauderdale, the the brief after the city commission meetings.

You know, we have a lot of what we accomplished, so maybe there's one or two graphics from that that just very simple we could use.

Thanks.

Any other questions?

There being none.

Thank you.

Thanks, Ron.

Thank you.

Happy found today.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

So the next conversation that we have, I'm gonna ask our police chief uh to come and share about uh potential for an additional police district.

Good morning.

Good morning again.

Again, Bill Schultz, Chief of Police, Mayor, Commission.

As I know we've heard in the past, there's been a lot of discussion for many years about whether there should be an implementation of an additional district, in this case encompassing the downtown entertainment areas.

They have become, they are and have become even continually growing epicenters of our entertainment.

The slide earlier was telling as well when you uh extrapolate the population residential from our daily population, by and large, a lot of that population is coming to those areas.

We've all been there, we've seen the packed house, uh, whether it's Parker Playhouse, uh Performing Arts Center, or uh the new Iceplex, uh it has become a truly downtown entertainment district.

So with this proposal, uh, as you can see on the maps, uh what we are proposing to do is take a portion of the existing PD District 1 and PD District 3 and encompass an additional fourth district.

Uh and just for perspective, uh especially because it's kind of hard to scan the map.

To the north, that would be East Sunrise Boulevard.

Uh to the south, that would follow the river.

To the west, that would be the Flagler Village area, uh, basically following the train tracks.

And then to the east, that would be the uh inclusion of the Lauderdale Isles.

Um in addition to the uh research regarding the calls for service, uh, which by and large are occurring in this area, uh demanding a lot of our resources.

Uh this takes into consideration geographic boundaries.

Uh when we respond, especially when it's a 911 call.

Uh continually our concern is encountering a stopped train on the train track or a uh drawbridge, whether it's up normal operation or whether it's malfunctioning.

This takes into consideration all of those aspects.

Only one small section uh, of course, near the Broward Boulevard area uh would be impacted by train track, but the drawbridges are eliminated from the equation in that case.

Uh but by and large, uh the main reason we're looking at this uh would be you take a condensed area.

This is approximately a three square mile area, take and condense the area uh and redistribute the staff which already work in that area, but um condense them into a smaller area.

You have officers having the ability to spend more time on calls for service if needed, but certainly uh in the area, they're spending less time going far north, far south, far east, far west.

They're condensed, they're not as spending as much time traveling.

That opens them up for better customer service on the call for service, visibility and proactive patrol.

Uh and in fact, in recent year, we've been uh studying our calls for service uh and we've seen the officer initiated calls have gone up.

Um that's a that's a uh that's a attributed to two things.

One, more officers are on the road because we've uh really impacted our um vacancies.

But secondly, the officers are uh able to make some time to go out and initiate contacts, initiate engagement, uh which we have not done in years past by shrinking that area and impacting three districts that would be with the inclusion of a fourth district.

You have officers who are gonna have the ability to not spend more time traveling, they're gonna spend less time traveling, more time with the ability to be visibly proactive on patrol, and spend time with those calls for service that truly demand uh a better customer service.

So um let me ask you though.

Umicers?

So I'm sorry, go ahead.

No, is it adding more police officers or taking the existing complement of police officers and concentrating them and focusing them into it into a more defined district?

That's exactly it.

So by uh shrinking one or the other.

Yeah, it's shrinking.

So it's yeah.

So if you look at the map, district one and district three, you would be taking those portions.

So those districts become geographically smaller.

It's the same amount of officers that are working in there, uh, will be then redistributed in the new district four, which is a smaller district as well.

So is that taking away from the other districts?

No, it's not, because geographically those other districts are smaller.

Okay.

So the the so but the idea here is to concentrate a uh a more uh it's to concentrate certain number of officers to be able to focus on a more narrow geographical area where there seems to be a greater call for service.

Correct.

Yeah, that and that area has its statistically has a large amount of our calls for service.

So why are you including the aisles?

Uh that's the geographic portion of uh the drawbridge uh response area and and the aisles uh traditionally not a huge call for service area, so it's not a strain on uh the newly created district.

So it creates the balance.

Yes, create.

Yeah, it's all part of the balance of the uh statistical.

And if you look at uh once you balance out the statistics, if a district four were implemented, all of the districts would have a very much so uh assimilated calls for service rate as opposed to a almost a 10 percent difference now.

Okay.

Anyone have any questions?

Yeah.

Chief, thanks for this.

It there have been times in the past where we've talked about creating an additional district and creating the districts in a way that mirror city commission districts.

So if I'm understanding right, this is what replace that idea and do away with that idea of reflecting mirroring city commission districts.

So we've often talked about uh mirroring fire response areas, police response areas with your commission districts, but as we know, those commission district boundaries change as well uh periodically.

With PD uh and to another extent with fire, but with PD, our national crime reporting of statistics uh is very complex, and each time we change a reporting area, that's going to impact the national reporting.

So we try to limit when we do that.

But in this case, uh we are just we're keeping up, but actually for future forecasting uh what the demands on the calls for service are.

Uh we will be able to redistribute those reporting areas.

Uh but again there's several considerations that we always take into into account, and that is especially uh geographic uh barriers, uh the railroad tracks and the bridges, and certainly our calls for service are are a very, very large factor.

Yeah.

So yeah, yes, yes, it's doing that.

It would it would certainly simplify if we could keep and always uh uh change our boundaries when you change your commission boundaries, but over the years we have just found that it's it's very challenging to do that.

Okay, so the idea would be if you so this is based on different this his district descriptions are based on different variables.

For us, it's just based on population and to some extent similarities in in neighbors.

Um but with for the police department, it seems that they're talking about fiscal barriers, uh calls for service, things you know, very um components that uh we don't really take into consideration when we do when we define our city commission districts.

Correct.

Yep.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

So Chief, I I really like the concept and I understand the need for it.

My one concern is with regards to the barrier island.

I don't want to lose the four officers on how you better assign there, and I I want to make sure there is no decrease, because as we know, even though you know this district is really not going to encompass Barrier Islands as much as the downtown hotspots.

I am concerned because of that entertainment district and because of what goes on on the Barrier Island.

So we can be assured that we're not going to lose anyone on the barrier island.

That is correct.

Okay.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Is there an estimate of how many um demand power, how many officers would be assigned to the district?

Uh your district would not change.

You'd have the exact same amount of officers and community support.

For the for the new district, oh, I'm sorry.

Yes.

So that would be approximately when we're still working out the numbers, and these are going to change over the next year.

And I need to caveat this before I give you uh numbers.

We can't do anything right now because we actually next week is our annual change, and that's contractual.

So we couldn't do anything until 2027, uh January 2027.

So approximately for your district, uh you would still have uh the 30 to 40 range uh normally uh but that's going to be recalculated.

The downtown district, obviously smaller, we're looking at closer to a 30 range.

Um but as we also increase our staffing, all of those numbers are going to change.

Um and that's for reminder, this is just strictly patrol we're talking.

We're not talking about public service aids, we're not talking about our specialty units, we're not talking about community support.

So there's an and human homeless outreach.

There's so many other factors and variables.

Uh and those numbers are strictly in the planning phase.

I think any other questions.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor, if you could provide uh consensus on a decision or an option that we've provided.

Would you like us to further explore the fourth district or would you like us to do that?

Well, I think we've been we've been we've been seeking more concentrated effort in this area for a while.

So I think you're on the right path, and I think this is a great this is a good solution, and we'll see how it works.

So thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

The next topic that we have for discussion will be around the federal courthouse.

I'm gonna ask assistant city manager Ben Rogers to come share that with you.

Uh good Mayor uh good morning, Mayor and Commissioner Ben Rogers, Assistant City Manager.

Um I wanted to just talk through uh the federal the existing federal courthouse building at 299 East Broward, as you're aware.

The new federal courthouse building is scheduled to be completed uh at the end of this calendar year uh with the expectation that they relocate by the end of the first quarter of 2027.

And so GSA has reached out to the city and to the county to start some predisposal conversations to see if there's interest in the property.

So I'm gonna go through a couple of things uh real quick and then I'll be seeking your feedback on if we're interested in pursuing the property and if so by what measure.

So the first thing is the building was built in 1979.

It sits on a 2.08 acre site.

Uh the gross building square footage is 257,000 with uh rentable space or a usable space uh interior of 169,000 square feet.

Uh the uh there are 226 parking spaces located in the basement uh and it is eligible for the National Historic Register, uh and that's an important factor as we talk through the considerations of this property.

It does not currently have uh designation, but there is a review process going on right now.

Uh and if it is designated, then there will be some restricted covenants placed on the title, and then if we would ask for any uh changes, modifications through that process, there might be adverse actions that result in some city obligation to memorialize, record uh or create some kind of file system of the existing property.

The value according to the Broward County property appraiser, uh the land is valued at uh just under 10 million dollars, and that's calculated at 105 dollars per square foot uh with approximately 91,000 square feet.

The building value is estimated at 27 million for a total property value of 36 million.

Uh if we would move forward with uh entertaining uh this property, we would obviously go through an appraisal process.

GSA would do their own appraisal, the city would do our appraisal, and then we would have a negotiation period.

Uh as I mentioned before, uh they are looking for the end of the calendar year to complete the building, the new building, and that is around the time that the surplus efforts will start uh on the GSA side.

Uh and what that means is they will be reaching out to uh the municipality, City of Fort Lauderdale and the county and making us aware that they uh intend to dispose the property.

The process starts with the federal uh screening, so they'll reach out to other federal agencies to see if there's an interest in the building.

Um my understanding right now is that they don't believe that that will be likely.

Uh the federal governments we don't have a strong presence of a regional hub here in Fort Lauderdale, and they also have to pay the fair market value for the building.

Uh the next step would be uh to reach out to HUD and uh determine if the building has uh a value or use for homeless services, uh and if so, they would create that as one of the potential disposal um options.

Housing.

Uh yes, so it could be housing or there could be public services.

Um it doesn't necessarily say that that is the use, but it would be one of the allowable public benefit conveyances, and I'll talk about that in just a moment.

Uh so once that happens, uh then the uh fancy homeless center.

And and if there is a uh an interest, they would go through an extensive application process.

It's not just that you could say, hey, we want to offer homeless services and that and the title be uh transferred over.

Uh and so right now what we're doing is we're in conversations with GSA on the predisposal process because when they send out that letter at that time, they want to understand what interest there is in the property uh because each one of these public benefit conveyances is up to the the current term administration.

And so there's different preferences at the administration if they want to retain property, have certain uses for the property, or if they want to dispose of the property.

And so if we have an interest in obtaining it through one of the public benefit conveyances, which I'll share in a second, um, they want to start that homework process through the administration and find out that would be an eligible option or not.

And then that way when they do the disposal paperwork a year from now, that would be listed as one of the conveyances if it gets approved.

So with that, I'm gonna hand out uh the public benefit conveyances.

Uh, this was previously shared with the commission in the summer of 2025 through a letter to commission.

Um these are the public benefit conveyances that would allow the city to uh purchase the property.

The first one on the sheet is the negotiated sale price, and so that is just like a regular transaction, there are no re uh restrictions on the use.

Uh the city could use it for whatever purpose, including a mixed-use facility.

Uh that would go through the process, like I said, of negotiating a sale um with GSA.

The one thing to note on that is if you do a negotiated sale, there is a clause that will be in the agreement, and that is a three-year uh excess profit clause, meaning that if we would turn turn around and sell the building, improve the building or make uh surplus revenues on it, they would have uh a portion of those revenues back to the federal government.

As for the public benefit conveyances, uh you have the list there uh and each one of them has its own benefit or um opportunity uh to acquire the property.

And so what we're looking for today is uh commission feedback on if we would want to pursue the building, and if so, if we want to go through the negotiated sale process or if we want to identify a public benefit conveyance that we would want to pursue.

So as I read your chart, um if as we go down the list and I and the fourth uh the fifth column where it says discount, um so any of these other than negotiated sale, other than that, all the other opportunities we can get up to a hundred percent discount on the purchase price?

That's correct, and it would just have a uh restricted covenant on the title uh at the time of transfer.

And then it's also important to note that when you pick one of these conveyances, you can only pick a singular conveyance.

So you can't split the building and say half of it would be uh public health facility and half of it would be a parks and recreation facility.

It has to be one conveyance that's selected for the whole entire property.

Okay.

Because I I mean, are you as does that complete your report?

Yes, sir.

Okay, because uh I've said on more than one occasion what I would love to see there is a charter school and uh mostly focused on artificial intelligence education from K through 12.

And I think it would be um a step forward.

You will, you know, this commission has shown itself time and again as being a commission that's very forward-thinking and um breaking itself outside of its bound uh the normative boundaries on you know what people expect its uh its government to do.

I mean, just last week we approved a parking garage, but it wasn't a parking garage, it was a landing area for a ver uh for a uh for a verteport.

Uh these are the kinds of things that I think allow Fort Lauderdale to stand out uh above and beyond many of the other municipalities around the country.

You know, providing, you know, we all know that artificial intelligence is here to stay and it's going to only get uh more and more exciting, and I think that Fort Lauderdale should be ahead of the game and provide uh an educational locus that um that can be supported by uh um the other colleges in the area as well as uh high schools in the area that would feed into uh an educational system.

And we've been talking about doing a charter school for a very, very long time, and this might be an opportunity for the city to step forward without stepping on toes that uh uh that for programs that are already offered in other institutions.

Um I don't think we would I think this would be a uh a cumulative effort of combined talent and combined resources from within the the South Florida area, and I think it would show that Fort Lauderdale is committed to the advanced education of its of its children, and um this might be a step forward that we might consider just one option that we that that I've thought about.

Uh Commissioners, any other thoughts on this?

Uh I have just I have a question before we go further.

Um I heard you say about designation of historic site.

Could you explain that?

Because I'm wondering if it's gonna be designated, does what bearing does it have on the options that's being presented?

So that is probably the the biggest wild card we have right now is it has not been designated.

Uh it's going through a review process now to better understand that.

Um unfortunately we don't have the ability at this time to understand what those restricted covenants may or may not be, um which makes it a little bit challenging.

What GSA provided earlier today was that during the the process uh when they would submit the offer or the amount that we would buy the building for, uh that would include uh the initial set of restricted covenants, and then at that point we can negotiate uh what that means uh if we accept them all or if we negotiate some of them uh out or up or down.

Uh and then also I think the biggest thing is the adverse action.

So if we would want to modify something, uh there would be a requirement of what that means.

So for example, if we would tear down a portion of it, we might have to create a artifact or a history historical file that we display at the uh you know a museum or a public building that highlights the significance of that aspect of the building.

So to to answer your question, correct me if I'm wrong, usually it refers to the exterior of the building.

They uh for historic designation, they don't really focus on the interior.

Because that that's that building has been plagued by the difficulty in trying to repurpose uh office space and the whole interior has been kind of a a conundrum and uh that's one of the impet one of the reasons why the um the federal courthouse wants to get out of there because it was never really properly designed, and uh um and so but but but to um Ben's point though we would have to find out exactly what they mean by it, but normally it means the exterior.

And there are two interior pieces that they have acknowledged that would have some kind of restriction on them.

One is uh historical painting, which they plan on removing uh as part of the relocation.

And the second one is there is a wall sculpture that's built into a wall that would have some kind of historical Where is that?

Uh I I don't know.

But it had been in almost every part of that building.

I don't think I've ever seen the.

The nuance there is that GSA would actually retain ownership of that that wall and then have some kind of uh restrictive.

We agree on that so Ben, uh is the GSA actually conducting that review in terms of uh the historic designation?

Yes.

And that would be strictly for the National Register?

That's correct.

Okay, so that's not a bad thing in a way that I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but local designation is much more restrictive than the national register.

The National Register is simply I mean, it sounds great and it's wonderful if you're on the National Register of Historic Places, but it doesn't have that local control.

In other words, you don't have to get a certificate of appropriateness to demolish.

You don't have to go through all of those things, and someone chime in if I'm wrong here, but again, that's a much easier level of historic designation than a local historic designation.

Um that being said, so do we know when they might determine if they are going to actually go through the process?

Because I think then you typically have to go through the State Division of Historical Resources to nominate a local structure for the National Register.

Um I don't know.

Can the can the Federal Government just bypass the State Division of Historical Resources and just put it right on the National Register?

I don't know the answer to that question, but I can just tell you that when my conversation with GSA recently, they identified that the process was starting now, so that way when they got to the disposal process, they would be fully prepared and have an informed uh decision of what the building requires.

We can look into that though.

I we should look into that.

Yeah, we should.

But I I honestly um I don't see how if they're gonna do this process, a transparent true process of this building will I think put this on the National Register of Historic Places.

Uh William Morgan, I believe, was the architect, very well known in the 70s for his brutalist architecture.

I know a lot of people don't like brutalism.

I happen to be a fan.

Um the movie The Brutalist was terrific.

I don't know if anyone saw it.

But uh I I this is a this is uh in all seriousness, this is a very significant structure in the city of Fort Lauderdale.

I am a fan of the structure, and I believe that we can do great things.

I think it we would be very short-sighted not to have a placeholder on this building, uh, especially if we're eligible for 100% uh uh of the cost.

Education, Mayor, I agree.

I think that's a great category, and I think it's broad enough that you could partner with other groups in some way, do something educational.

I mean, I think it's broad enough.

If you look at all of these lists, some of them are not so broad, but education is a broad um placeholder, broad topic.

Um I just think that we have to move forward with expressing interest to the GSA in this structure.

You know, that corner has always been a place of public uh comment, public gathering.

Uh people weigh in on a whole variety of issues.

It's just a really significant public arena uh for our city.

Uh and I think Mayor, even though you said it wasn't properly designed, I think that a lot of the problem over the years has really been maintenance.

Well, it's just the the layout of the interior space.

So it's built in the 70s.

Uh in the 70s, we were very focused on energy um energy uh uh what's the word I'm thinking of uh uh uh reducing our energy use.

You'll notice that there are very few windows in the building uh and the idea was to not expose it to the outside so that you know it was during the energy crisis and uh you know we've seen a lot of examples of brutalism.

Uh our city hall was brutal.

Uh but uh you know this was this was clearly a uh uh a step outside of your normal your normal brutalist architecture kind of brought in uh classical elements.

So we can gut I mean uh that's you're a hundred percent correct it's it's not even an entire exterior typically what really is only important is the facade of what actually uh faces the street is that what it is yeah so you could actually just do you know and we've done that in the past we've had we've done that um with the old um Laura El Beach Hotel which is now the Las Olas Beach Club and several restaurants in the front we we we have examples of that the gale on the beach we've done that um you know that used to be uh a well known resort in the 50s and 60s on the beach so we have examples of how we have done adaptive reuse with historic structures in our city um and I I just think that we we have to even if it means I'm and as I said we are eligible able to gut um the interior and make it work.

You know excuse me just a second Raquel but you know this is consistent with conversations we've had uh this past year with FAU who's looking to establish a greater presence in our downtown so we could connect with uh you know Adam Hasner has indicated you know they want to bring more of an FAU presence maybe this could be part of a campus that they would consider.

So all kinds of opportunities.

Raquel If I just may I think that also just so you know there is great interest in this structure.

I have attended several workshops and charrettes from the State Division of Historical Resources.

They've brought people here I went on tour they've brought people here from across the state to look at this building.

Yes and the there really is an interest in people that are you know pretty tuned into historic preservation they know they know of this building and I just think it would be a loss if we let it go.

I agree I mean it's we're not looking to put an outback steakhouse in there you know be a much more uh functional purpose requel thank you mayor I just wanted to allow Chris Cooper to chime in on the historic designation aspect and provide a little bit of color in terms of our local uh context.

Thank you manager Williams.

Chris Cooper, Deputy City Manager So a lot of what's been said about historic preservation in particular with this building is is very accurate.

So a local designation is really the more strict and stringent process by which a landmark or a structure can be designated that report whether it's state or or it's local or national will typically outline what aspects of the building are suitable for designation and should be preserved and sometimes how they should be preserved.

Historic designation doesn't necessarily mean that redevelopment or alterations to the site whether it's interior or exterior are not possible.

Los Beach Club was brought up and that's a great example where a historic structure was added to and built upon and still retained its historic significance under its local designation and it could retain it if it was a nationally designated site as well.

So from a preservation perspective it doesn't close the door on on really I think up many of the things if not all of the things we've discussed here today and redevelopment in addition to the site could still be possible even under those types of of conditions.

Okay.

And then further mayor is there consensus around the eligible use any of the uses where they give a hundred percent discount yeah yeah start from that.

But uh I pick one so what GSA is looking for is a way that they can start the review process to see if it they would be willing to do one of the public benefit conveyances the commission if there's two or three of them it's probably better at this point to narrow down and let them start the research process so that way when they start the formal disposal process a year from now it will already have that understanding if it can't be so why don't we why if I could ask the commission if we could focus it and as as an educational site.

You know we have other facilities for that you know wildlife uh conservation highway public airport you know we have other facilities for that so that's why I think maybe if we could just focus on education that might be a good uh first step.

Well uh Mayor thanks what uh what's uh I think we need you know we've just been talking about we need more workforce and affordable housing what's why not we want to put do we want we want to put how uh affordable housing there and one of the most most one of the most expensive pieces of real estate we have in downtown how do you justify the cost that's thinking justify the cost of we have to rehabilitate the building to make it for housing.

Okay.

There aren't we would have to rehabilitate it for education.

Well but educ let me t for example, we'd have to put kitchens in there, we'd have to put more bathrooms in there, we'd have to put all kinds of things in there, whereas educational institutions you don't have to put all that stuff in there.

There the most of the facilities are already in place.

You'd have to spend a lot more money to make apartments in there as opposed to um creating uh creating it as a housing facility.

Oh that's all I'm saying.

It's just there's there's not the the to rebuild the interior for housing would be a lot more money than just put creating classrooms.

Okay, I I I think we need workforce and affordable housing, and I think with the partnering with developer so forth.

I mean, I think there are options that's I think worth exploring.

Um because I I think whatever we use this, this has massive structural and maintenance challenges.

Uh the the roof has massive challenges from what I understand.

Um so a lot of these apartments would have no windows.

Yeah.

Which I don't think is I don't think it's appropriate.

If you want to make housing there, a lot of these houses a lot of these apartments would have zero windows.

There aren't any windows in this.

There's some glass frontage in in the uh in the courtyard area, but most of the back area has no windows.

So which by the way is has a big impact if this is declared historic, because you would have to go into that exterior of that facade and just totally disrupt it with windows, and that once you do that to this historic structure, you're gonna run into problems with that, just so you know that's a big ask.

If that's a big request for a certificate of appropriateness on a historic structure if you're gonna go in and just decimate the facility to put in windows, just just as an aside.

And I will tell you that I have had um uh several conversations with several development teams that are interested in this structure.

So I I have met with folks that are looking to do things such as uh educational components because they see the potential to team up with other projects that we have going on in the city.

Um and they they see it as a as a very interesting concept.

But I I have been meeting for the last two years, actually trying to even incorporate there's an incredible piece of land just to the west of it that's been open for how long?

How many years has that land sat there?

I mean, you could do something, I mean you over 25 years just city.

That's a huge piece of land that could be a real revenue generator if it was connected somehow into the redevelopment of the courthouse.

Uh that would be a way to bring someone in that I see uh financially is really a win-win because again, that's a significant piece of land that you could do something in conjunction uh with the courthouse.

I'm not familiar.

I know the the space that you're referring to, but not familiar with the background.

Who owns it?

Is it part of the the um it's separate separate ownership?

Private owner, yeah.

Okay.

All right.

Um I'm I need clarity.

I I when it says 100% discount, are we talking about free?

I like easy words.

Is that mean free?

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

So we're we were given this value of $36 million, we'll be in a sense gift this property to do.

Be gifted by the federal government, by the federal government to choose one of these options to okay.

All right.

But I I do um agree with what Ben is saying we should um include other options in case it doesn't fit their criteria.

Um kind of um I was when Ben began to talk about the affordable housing piece, I was on that thought as well.

But understanding that we cannot necessarily change to add windows, that alleviates that opportunity.

But also um with the others, what could we also do?

Um parks and rects, what could we do?

Carl Williams, how about a massive indoor pickable facility here uh at the federal courthouse?

I see that as a real win-win.

We need some indoor uh on a day like today.

This was all indoor, this would be packed.

I mean, what do you think, Carl?

Just to clarify, it's it's not that an affordable housing development could not happen.

Uh the likelihood is that any use that would be selected would require uh redevelopment of the site and possibly require a partner uh to work with the city.

And so the the structure it's we're not precluded from going in that direction.

It would probably take a little bit more creativity, uh higher level of partnership and investment to accommodate that, but it's not impossible that affordable housing you know could be done there.

Um just to share, just to add, when um National League of Cities, when we were out there in Salt Lake in November, um they had offered um a creative um competitive contest for um developers to come in and say how they could and what you could do with property.

So even with that, maybe this is something that we have done that we have done that in the past.

They did an amazing uh I don't even know if that magazine's still in existence, but they uh a couple of years ago, they actually asked uh several architects in our city to come up with ideas for the federal courthouse.

I think I still have a copy of that somewhere to share it.

Uh I think three concepts were created.

It was great.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But just the you know, um, having those open conversations to see where we can go with it.

Um, which is most cost effective, which is more than which is more appropriate for us.

Totally totally agree.

Okay.

But so if we want to look at an affordable housing, we want to look at education.

Those are the two paths that I guess the commission could agree on.

Understood.

And negotiated sales, something that the city would want to also entertain, or is that something we should do?

No, I don't think that we don't have the resources for a negotiated sale.

Okay.

So we'll follow we'll follow up with GSA, provide them the feedback that we're interested in pursuing the property with uh two potential private benefit conveyances, one being the education, the other one being affordable housing, and they'll make the termination work one or the other from what you said.

So at this point, we will provide them with both.

They will then determine if they would want to offer the this parcel for one of those reasons or not.

Okay.

And then when they do the disposal process, it will clearly define which ones they will or will not offer as a public conveyance.

Okay.

And then we'll come back to the commission with that information.

Okay, great.

Okay.

Um is there anything?

Is there any more to your presentation that you wish to originally plan to break for lunch?

Lunch will not be available until eleven thirty.

So why don't we take a 10 minute break and then maybe have lunch at around noon?

What other two topics are there?

We have the one feature of the one-stop shop and an update on the city.

Oh, that's at the 12 o'clock meeting.

Yeah.

So we'll just push everything back a little bit.

And we'll and so um let's just take a little break now.

Okay.

And then I'm not in favor of pushing it back.

Well, just let me finish.

Okay, go ahead.

Okay.

Please do.

So why don't we take a 10 minute break and do the one-stop shop and city hall co conversation before lunch and then have lunch.

What time is lunch?

Lunch is scheduled for eleven thirty.

Okay.

Well, so we're gonna take a 10 minute break now, take a look.

And then we'll and then we'll have the we'll do the 12 o'clock program, and then right after the 12 o'clock program, we can have lunch.

All right, well.

So we'll have lunch at noon instead of 11 30.

Is that gonna is that gonna upset your system?

Well, it's not my system.

It's just that you're pushing everything back a half an hour and and we'll still end at two o'clock.

We will.

Yes.

Yeah.

Okay.

Okay, let's do that.

Let's take a 10 minutes.

It's a unilateral decision by the mayor just there, but out of my colleagues.

I'll resume our workshop, folks.

Where's Commissioner Glassman?

Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

There she is, okay.

Oh, you want a lawyer before we begin our next session?

I just want to take a moment and thank the folks here at the fort for allowing us and accommodating us here today.

This is an amazing space.

Um, and it really is an opportunity for all of us who haven't been here to see what a beautiful facility has been built here that the city owns, by the way.

And uh, and that's um once again is activated a an area of the park that uh um certainly has shown how many hundreds and I would say thousands of people have now come here to the fort and experience Snyder Park.

Uh this is was a great opportunity for the city, and we're so happy that we were able to take advantage of it.

So as we continue, um, we're moving on to opportunities for the upcoming year, and we'll begin with the one-stop shop, city manager.

So, as you are aware, we've had recent discussions surrounding the one-stop site, and today Deputy City Manager Chris Cooper will walk through some opportunities for the future.

Good afternoon again, Mayor, Commissioners.

Chris Cooper, Deputy City Manager.

So, as Manager Williams said, I'm going to walk through a little bit of a very brief history of the one-stop shop site as well.

You have to remind us.

Yeah, sorry.

As well as as what the uh generally what the development potential is of the site, and then seek your input on what some of our next steps could be to activate that site.

So the one-stop shop parcel is named after the city's one-stop shop permitting site, which was used, I think until the mid-2010s and then demolished around 2019.

Since that time, it's sat vacant as a green space in our downtown at the corner of North Andrews Avenue and Northwest 2nd Street.

In September of 2021, uh, the city appraised the property, and the 2.75 acre site was appraised at 26 million.

Again, that was about five years ago, so we would expect that price to have increased since that appraisal.

26 million.

26 million for the three and a quarter acres.

Two and a quarter, two and three-quarters.

Two and three-quarters acres.

The site itself, when you're thinking ahead about what the development potential could be, is within our RET uh RAC City Center zoning district.

It's one of our it is our most permissive zoning district in the city.

Uh there's no limitations on height other than our FAA uh restrictions.

There's no density limitation, and the site would allow for a single use or mixed-use development that includes residential or commercial.

Affordable housing is a potential use of the site, um, either under our normal development process within the RAC CC zoning district or through things like the Geller Amendment, which allows for affordable housing on a site in the regional activity centers and transit corridors, as well as the Live Local Act.

And the site also permits public purpose facilities, and some of those facilities include an active or passive park, educational facilities, cultural educational, and civic facilities, police and fire facilities, a government facility, library, a museum, and art gallery.

Actually contemplated what the one-stop site could be used for when it was when the master plan was created.

Doesn't necessarily mandate what the master plan has set for the use of the site, but it does suggest that the site could be one of the um primary downtown parks.

The plan considered six major parks in the downtown, and the one-stop site was included in that plan as a potential one of the six parks.

The project would have included a number of amenities, including a cultural venue, I think I believe a gallery and a food hall.

Since that time, um the city has moved on from that unsolicited proposal, and that gives us the opportunity to reconsider what the one-stop site could be used for.

So some next steps that we're asking you to consider today are whether or not the city would like to entertain another unsolicited proposal in the term of a public-private partnership to redevelop the site.

If the city commission would like us to move forward with looking at the site to be converted into a city park or some other type of public asset, and whether or not the commission would like us to begin the process to engage the community to obtain feedback about the desired use for the space.

Now, some of those options could be done in tandem, so certainly we could embark on a public participation and public engagement process to seek input on what that site could be used for, and it could lead to one of the other next steps that I mentioned.

And if we do that, it might be helpful if the commission could give us at least some idea of what potential interest there may be for the use of that site so that we could incorporate that into the engagement effort to help focus that effort and hopefully um shorten the process.

Okay.

Floor is open.

We'll start with the district commissioner, Commissioner Glassman.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Chris.

So I have been in conversations with the immediate neighbors of the site.

Don't overdevelop the site.

And again, I guess it's just for us to decide.

But I'm also open to hearing some of the ideas from you and the city manager about what we would do if we actually did explore this as a public park site developed, run by, operated by the city.

I know that we had some concerns about that back when we actually did pick the development for the P3, where we thought it would be easier to have a private entity handle all of that development operations, maintenance, security.

I want to know if any of that's changed since that original assignment of that P3.

Um I will tell you that I've also heard from others uh in our city.

Uh as we all know, we're going to soon be going to an opening of Hyzinga Park.

Uh those folks are interested in being part of this process.

Other people, other agencies in our city are interested in moving forward.

So I guess I would love to hear from city staff.

Um, what are your thoughts about that uh in terms of either the city going alone on this or looking for partners or looking for other agencies that have had that experience now uh in developing these kinds of spaces?

Thanks.

All right, before we get to city staff, if we could just uh poll the rest of the commission.

Uh Commissioner Beasley Pittman, do you have any thoughts on this?

Um interested in also knowing um what the neighbors and the members of the city would like to do with the property.

I am, as you know, a fan also of the green space and not um you overdeveloping is the word that you use.

So if we can come to an agreement where the property is used to even um look at what we were doing before, because the project idea was good.

Um unfortunately it just didn't, you know, go through the whole process.

So I'm open to having that conversation where we could um reintroduce something that was similar to what was proposed before with not overdevelopment but keeping a little bit more green space to it.

Okay.

Uh Ben?

Thanks.

Um yeah, I think that one stop should be uh public park, public park space.

Just public park space?

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

So I have a couple of ideas also.

Um I go back to the beginning of our conversation uh this morning, in which we talked about strategic plan goals, and one of the goals, number three in particular, was sustainability and resilience.

You know, as you look at Flagra Village, we created a downtown which before didn't exist.

Um we had the the land was there, but there was very little activity.

And uh for those who have those of us who have lived here for a long time, uh we know that um the transformation, the metamorphosis of of that uh that particular area has been phenomenal and has been recognized by um groups around the country as being uh an amazing accomplishment for any city to have a to have accomplish.

But one of the things that I've noticed about Flagler Village is that most of it is just housing.

And when we talk about sustainability, we have to talk about, you know, why does anyone want to live there?

It's all very exciting and fun and new and as it is now, and you see a lot of young people and some families uh that are living there.

But the reality is there has to be something to do to sustain it, you know.

And I had a conversation with uh Jim Karas, who's uh well-known expert on on urban planning and urban design and urban sustainability.

And uh he happens to live in Fort Lauderdale, and we had this conversation, and um he agreed that you know we need to take it to another level.

We have to start activating Flagra Village more than what it is today.

And the reason why it was exciting that um the folks that were uh going to create the arts park is because it was helping to activate the area and at the same time maintain the open space so that um we don't find it as a magnet for vagrants and homeless people that because that area is traditionally known as being uh uh a location for where homeless people have gathered over this over the decades.

And but at the same time created something to do.

It was going to be a food uh food hall, it's going to be uh they were gonna have entertainment, there was going to be uh theater, there was going to be uh art space, and to us it was like a win-win for for so let's just say for many of us it was a win-win for what we're hoping to accomplish in Fallagra Village.

Um I'm not sure if if it's possible.

I know uh Pam, you say that that would be a great thing to do, but because these folks couldn't come up with the financing, I'm wondering if anyone can come up with the financing.

Is it a bankable deal to be able to have the kind of thing that we had envisioned for that area to be able to have all of these uh amenities, uh all these things that folks that live in Flagra Village could could walk to because we don't have a lot of walkable things in Flagoville, like Flagra Village, unless you want to walk to a donut shop and a pizza place.

You know, we don't have grocery stores, we don't have uh prepared food uh uh uh establishments, we don't have you know hair salons, we don't have all the things that people need want in their daily life, they have to get in their car and they have to drive somewhere.

Well, if they have to still get in their car and drive to where they need to go, then we failed in what we are trying to accomplish in Flagra Village.

Because Flagra Village is supposed to be exactly that, a village.

And we need to be able to keep this thing going, and part of it is trying to find locations and activities that help sustain the viability of what we've created so far.

So having said that, I agree with those who said that we should look for ways to continue to activate this site.

Yes, keeping most of it as open space is great.

Having someone monitor it, like the DDA in Heisinger, they're gonna be managing Heisinger Park.

So they'll be able to manage it, and they're not under the same constraints that a public entity like ours is required to keep an open space open to everybody, regardless of their purpose.

So we have to be careful about that.

So, you know, whatever we can do to try to encourage uh another uh applicant to come in there with an unsolicited proposal to see if we could again create uh an activated space.

Um and and if you're asking for direction on how to do about how to go about doing that, yes, Chris.

I think that we should perhaps put out to the to the public out on the street that we're looking for unsolicited proposals to see how we can best utilize that space, keeping in mind that we still want most of it to be open space, but at the same time to be able to activate it for public use and have it uh have it serve as a functional uh purpose, not just uh recreational.

So Mayor, I just want to address a few of the comments mentioned earlier.

Uh one of the things that speaks to the viability of downtown and how much that area has evolved.

Uh one of the concerns that we have from a development standpoint is our ability to service new development in the downtown area.

And so we have been looking at the one-stop shop site as a potential opportunity for a sort of lift station that is much needed to be.

We have a lift station at Peter Felman Park.

Didn't we just install one there?

So I think we have some capacity concerns that could limit future development, and we know that we need a sore lift station in the area, and the one-stop shop shop site could provide that opportunity.

Okay, but but what's happening with Peter Feldman Park, which by the way is still a blank wall and has still not been wrapped and still looks as ugly as from day one as it does today.

What's happening there?

So I'll start with the Lyft station itself.

Circle back to the uh wrap on the uh wall.

So the uh the city in including downtown is is split up into multiple basins each served by a lift station.

And so each lift station has a maximum capacity to the point that when it becomes surcharged and the runtime exceeds what our what are what's what it's capable of, um we have a need for a new lift station.

You can only expand Lyft stations and their capacity by so much, the the motors and things that serve it are are limited in that way.

So with all the new development that we've had in the downtown in particular, there is a need to continue to split those basins that the lift stations serve.

So we're at that point in the area that is in and around the one stop city hall, um the the Broward Boulevard area south of Third Avenue.

So it's a continuous improvement project to look to upsize and install that new infrastructure to keep up with the development that we're experiencing, and we're at that point with that basin.

So what we're looking to do is split that basin, add a new lift station, which is known as the A5 lift station.

Um sighting of it would ideally be in the area of the one-stop site in that general vicinity.

So what we're asking for footprint of that.

It's about 50 by 50.

A lot of it's underground.

There is some above ground infrastructure, like you see in Feldman Park, but a lot of it is below grade.

50 by 50.

That's a big block.

50 feet by 50 by 10.

50 feet.

Well, and about isn't it like a three and a half acre site?

2.75.

But 50 by 2050 feet.

The one at Peter Feldman Park is not 50 by 50.

Yeah, I think that's the maximum.

I think it's, you know, it could be 50 by 30, but it's generally that 50 by 50 box.

Okay, but that's just a corner.

It's a corner.

So I think what the manager is asking is as part of this conversation, we'd like to know if if you're okay with us moving forward with designing this new lift station and this deserve the basin on the one-stop site, understanding that we need to make sure that it's out of the way, it's not impacting the overall redevelopment potential of the site, which we'll be mindful of in that design.

Okay.

Yeah, I think we need that.

It sounds like we need that from an infrastructure standpoint.

So we're hearing of that.

Should be part of that city we need.

We would have looked to the city hall site as a potential opportunity or sought a partnership with a private property owner.

Yeah.

So an Arts Park had significant control and say of what went on to that site, and we did have conversations with them, but there was concern that it would impact the overall layout and design of what they had proposed for the site at the time.

So as the manager said we looked at some alternative locations, but really one stop site is ideally situated to host the uh lift station.

All right.

So I I think that we heard a desire for activating the site for green space for public park for a potential public-private partnership.

And I think one of the ways that we can accommodate that public-private partnership is potentially through a solicited P3, where we give a framework, hey, we need ABC DE as a starting point as opposed to an unsolicited P3, where folks just tell us what to include.

Maybe we could give a couple of mandatory minimums for inclusion in the project and ask the development community hey, what can you add to this?

What can you propose to ensure that we're getting what we're looking for?

I like that idea.

I'll tell you why, because lately we've tended to almost take these unsolicited proposals and make them solicited proposals by telling them eventually through the process what we want.

And they be they look more like design build to me than unsolicited proposals, because we have we have done that.

So why don't we just cut out that whole path to that and just do the solicited and let everyone know right up front what it is we want, and then we can you know bypass all that you know, footing in around well solicited, unsolicited, design build, and let's just get to the point.

Okay.

Well, how does that how does that process work?

I mean, that's just a regular procurement then.

Not not an RFP process, which would have been a regular procurement process, so an unsolicited P3 leaves it open for the development community to add additional elements.

But what we're saying is hey, this is what's required from the city up front as opposed to figuring it out on the back end.

Okay.

All right.

And uh another consideration that was brought up is a partner to potentially manage and operate, and we have um had some preliminary discussions.

We know that there are groups that are interested in working with the city, and I would like us to work with the city attorney's office to make sure that we understand what the rules of engagement are on a public park, uh, even if it is managed by uh an entity that is outside of the city.

I think that there's some uh rules and regulations that carry through no matter who's managing based on the fact that it's a public park facility.

So I think we can talk through that and what that means as we uh go through the process to look for partners.

Okay.

All right, any other comments or suggestions?

All right, there being none.

Does that give you enough to work with?

Okay, great, thank you.

On to City Hall.

So we have Yvette Matthews, Assistant City Manager.

This is largely a discussion about the financing surrounding the proposed city hall.

And just for your awareness, we're already engaged with the developer.

We've already begun that negotiation process.

We're establishing uh collaborative working groups in various functional areas and one step uh in the process, and especially uh with Yvette chairing that finance group working group, uh, we need to get a handle on where we see ourselves in terms of the financial capacity of the city for this project.

Great.

Thank you, City Manager.

Um, so I think we saved the best for last, but I know that you all want to get to lunch, so I'll try to be able to do that.

No, take your time, take your time.

Um You're gonna take away our appetite anyway.

There we go.

Um before the holidays, the commission really tasked staff with beginning negotiations with the highest rank proposer for the city hall project.

And as the manager said, since that time we've engaged with the city attorney's office, our outside council to begin drafting that interim agreement framework.

Over the next weeks, we'll be making those interdisciplinary groups that the city manager talked about, so that we can make sure that we have feedback from across the organization, including our charter officers, as we um enter into this negotiation process.

We're also beginning to consider what that cadence for public input looks like in the process as well.

But today we're really talking about the high level financial information or financial framework.

So the finance team or the financial team will include representatives from OMB, from finance, the city, um auditor's office, as well as PFM, our financial advisor.

And over the years, we've been sharing with the commission that we had built into our financial sustainability model a 200 million dollar project.

We're still using that as the target cost for this project to include both the project costs as well as operations and maintenance of the facility.

So that's what we're using as our starting point.

As we think through financing, we know that there are a number of financing mechanisms that we can use for this project.

One leveraging the city's really strong credit rating, but we know that our project partner is really interested in making sure that they too have skin in the game, and we believe that that will help advance this project.

We'll be working on developing the right myths of you know our debt financing as well as the equity that we would like the partner to continue to have in the project to incentivize them as we go through the process.

Um and then the last thing is really as we talk about operations and maintenance.

This is a once-in-a-generation project, and we know that this building has to last for decades to come.

And so we're planning for the operation and maintenance of this building as we begin the the development of the building.

And so you'll also see some of that information as we go through our um interim agreement process.

So we wanted to give the commission early indications of some of these high-level things so that if there was any additional guidance that you wanted to provide us as we go through the process, we could incorporate that.

And just to add to that, we have some preliminary indicators that uh working with the developer, we could deliver a project that's in alignment with our anticipated budget that we've been discussing over the years.

So their $344 million projected costs can be brought down to 200 million?

We have some preliminary indicators that suggest that.

Okay, that's magical.

Um why don't you continue with your presentation?

And uh and all right, so why don't you continue with your presentation?

I'd like to know how much of the uh of the FEMA money from the flood is going to be um uh contributing to this process and what are your other sources of funding.

Um so that's really the end of my presentation.

Um but at a high level, we haven't hit all of those details yet.

What we're really working on more is the framework for how we're engaging with the developer in the process, so what we're using as overall project budget um as we go through the process.

All right, so let's just let's let us then discuss it.

Okay.

So uh what was the amount of money we got from FEMA, 80-something million?

88 million.

88 million, right?

Okay.

So what is your office anticipating?

Uh how are you going to allocate that money, not so much with all the projects, but just with regard to how much you think should be devoted to City Hall.

Have you thought about that?

Who we who are you looking to?

Yeah, I'll handle this one.

Okay.

So if you recall uh a month or so ago, the commission approved a draft or action plan for HUD to consider, which provided a breakdown of the types of areas that the C D BGDR funding could be used.

Part of that did include a public facilities budget.

It wasn't a lot of money, but understanding that there's a lot of restrictions and rules around how that funding can be used towards a public facility.

We didn't believe there was a an opportunity for a high level of funding.

So we'll look to that to see if there's opportunities to fund aspects of City Hall within what HUD allows us to do.

Um, but we're not certain on how much of that will reasonably be able to be used based on those guidelines as well as the timing of the grant.

Just to go ahead.

But we don't want to bank on the CDBG funds, knowing that there could be additional hurdles.

Uh there could be timelines associated that don't necessarily line up with the development timeline for the project.

And so we're still exploring that, and I think it's very fluid, but we don't anticipate uh a heavy reliance on the CDBG funds to fund the City Hall project.

Okay, I understand that.

But to the to the extent that we receive that amount of money, part of it I understand was based on the fact that the City Hall was destroyed.

So I think that I I had always thought that was the intended purpose for some of the funds was to either allow us to rehabilitate City Hall or to apply it towards new construction.

I maybe I misunderstood, but maybe you'll come back to us with that.

Sure.

And we can come back with whether or not some of that conversation was around some of our FEMA reimbursed funds, if that was related to that, but we can certainly circle back on that conversation.

Okay.

Um in terms of FEMA reimbursed funds, did they pay for the demolition of the of the city hall?

Did that come out of uh FEMA funds you recall?

Yes, that was part of the Okay.

So it didn't cost the C so interesting how things happen.

So um okay.

Um does anyone have any questions of that or of Chris?

So when are we gonna get a more up a more conclusive update like every like in 60 days?

This is a very rapidly uh rapidly um uh uh advancing project, so we need to be kept up to date on everything.

Absolutely, Mayor.

We do intend to have a robust communications and outreach plan uh that's specific to the community, but also to ensure that you all are kept abreast of our progress.

We don't want to come to you so frequently that we're not really reporting anything tangible, but we do want to make sure that for the various milestones in the process uh we are communicating and engaging with you for feedback.

One of the things that the commission brought forward is uh a request to have some additional transparency in the project and to allow for the community to provide some input along the way.

And so we want to account for that while recognizing that the commission has requested that staff expedite this process so that we can uh deliver it rather quickly.

So we want to find the right balance between seeking that engagement and also uh just putting our heads down and and doing what we need to do to move the project forward.

So I I don't want to commit that we would report to the commission uh more frequently than we would have, you know, any new information.

Uh but I do want to make sure that you're aware that we are making progress, and some of those communications might be a little more uh informal, and then some of those communications will be more formal, like a letter to the commission or even uh an update to the city commission at a conference meeting.

Our intention is to bring forward a draft term sheet for an interim agreement as a first step in getting official feedback from the city commission uh before having a finalized interim agreement for consideration.

So that's sort of the framework that we're gonna be using.

And uh if the commission would like to engage more frequently, please just let us know.

And the timeline for that interim draft.

What's it so we just started the uh partnership uh with the developer at a kickoff meeting last week.

Uh we're gonna be meeting with them on a weekly cadence as a large project team, and our goal is by the end of February, uh first meeting in March to have the term sheet brought to Commission and have their approval.

Uh and then based off of uh any changes, modifications, then the interim agreement would be uh a few meetings behind that date.

Okay.

I I would love to see it actually a little sooner than that.

If we're only going to get the interim by the end of February, March, it's still like two months away just for the interim.

I don't know.

I understand.

I'm just just voicing an opinion.

Okay.

Uh and your take on how that first meeting went on, Jen, uh January 8th, was it your first meeting?

I'll allow the city attorney to also lay in she was there, but I think it was very positive.

Yes, Commissioner was very positive.

I think we have a good um team relationship with the developer.

Um and our groups are working closely together to advance this as quickly as possible.

We emphasized more than once that we want this to move quickly.

I think they understand that.

We are uh working, uh our own legal group is working with the external council to finalize term sheets and which will also become the interim agreement.

Um the first step of that might be ready this week to turn over to the other side.

So while I believe um uh the uh the manager is making sure that expectations are realistic and met, um we would strive to exceed them if we could.

That's great.

Thank you very much.

Okay, any other questions?

Yeah, thanks for your work, keep it going.

Great.

And and again, we're aiming for a 200 million dollar budget for this.

Well, I I think that's a little pie in the sky.

I I know it's gonna be more than that, but that's certainly a nice target.

I don't know how you go for 340 to 200.

So something we're not only cut off 10 floors, you know, it doesn't seem to make any sense.

So let's not assume that that's gonna be the final number.

I I agree, Mayor.

And Commissioner Sorenson, I think this is a great target, and I think we need to come in plus or minus somewhere, you know, very close to that 200 million, uh, considering that there's a lot yet to be discovered and um put together as part of the negotiation process.

But I I believe that that 200 million needs to be our our focus, and any deviation from that hopefully should be in the other direction, so less than 200 million.

I agree.

Thank you.

Yeah, I just want to make sure that we're understanding that we're building a building not just for today but for the future.

Um so I I don't want us to cut off our nose to spite our face, and I want to see a realistic number and a realistic scope as opposed to just change ordering us to death as the process goes on, and then it's just laughable.

So I I again I just let's find the balance and and be realistic and remember that this is a building that's gotta serve our city for generations to come, not just now.

Thanks.

Okay, anything further?

All right, let's break for lunch and we'll resume at uh just just for your consideration, the commission will convene downstairs and preparations have been made downstairs, so no need to um consider the hospitality available up here.

And what time would you like us back?

Okay, so um according to the schedule, we had 30 minutes for lunch.

So why don't we plan to convene at 1215?

1215.

1215.

Great.

All right.

Thank you.

Okay.

Great.

Great, thanks.

Let's resume our meeting and our workshop.

Uh, City Manager.

Thank you, Mayor.

I hope everyone enjoyed the brief recess and had an opportunity to walk around the site.

We certainly wanted to take this meeting off campus so that we could enjoy the facility.

So thank you.

Uh, at this time we're going to move forward with our agenda.

And we have uh neighbor input as the next element.

And Erica, do you want to kick it off?

Yes, so um, I'm not sure if anyone from the public has signed up to speak, or is no one to sign up to speak.

David.

We did we didn't do actual cards.

We were just going to the public, please raise your hand.

Who wants to speak?

Marilyn Amano, come on up.

You have forty-five seconds now, just kidding.

I don't have a timer yet.

I I don't have a timer, so you're in luck.

Okay, all right.

Um, as your January thirteenth, twenty twenty-six general goal, a goal setting meeting.

Lauderdale tomorrow, our number one priority for twenty twenty-six is getting the charter revision recommendations regarding public lands on the November twenty twenty-six ballot.

We especially support the revisions to section eight that would close the sale lease license loophole.

Any conveyance of any interest in a city park should be for public purpose and require unanimous approval in our opinion.

Many of these have been accomplished, while portions of others are being addressed, including monitoring improving water quality, attention to homelessness, and accelerating stormwater infrastructure.

The additional priorities, in addition to getting the charter revisions done, would be adopting a specific P3 ordinance, addressing conditional uses in the ULDR to protect neighborhoods and increase stormwater retention in green space.

Address citywide traffic congestion, road conditions, and first responder times, and review data on existing homeless programs to ensure that these efforts are actually being effective and what more can be done.

And increasing and enhancing green and open space.

The discussion today on one stop shop is a great start on that.

In years past and throughout the coming year, we are always available to participate with the City Commission and the City staff as you seek solutions.

Don't hesitate to call on us for suggestions and feedback.

We wish you a productive workshop as you plan for our city and community in the coming year.

Thank you all for your attention.

Okay, great.

Thank you so much.

Is there anyone else who from the public who wishes to speak?

Okay.

Um very good.

Anyone have any comments about any of these recommendations, or do you want to just talk about them at a future I love your new logo?

Um, let us move on.

Except I I just want to point out on the logo you spell the word future wrong.

Yeah, building a brighter, you have furture.

Well, that's the French way.

Is that the is that the is that the French the future?

I just want to mention you might want to check out that logo.

Thank you.

We we what um Yes, thank you so much, teacher Glassman.

That's right.

That's right.

Do you remember Mayor when he used to Commissioner Glassman used to read through the minutes and give updates to the minutes?

Do you remember that back years ago?

You don't do that as much.

He would edit edit them, yes, with punctuation marks.

But we don't miss it.

We don't miss it, but David works extra hard now to make sure I don't have to do that.

Thank you, David.

We appreciate more than you know.

You have no idea.

David.

And the CAMs.

Well, I thank you.

But you see, you don't you don't really see what happens in my pre-agenda meetings.

I think fix it after my pre-agenda meeting so when you see it, it's fixed.

It's fixed.

It's all beautiful.

It's all good.

We appreciate your service.

We're all working together.

What's um the uh city specific P3 ordinance?

Is that something I just don't know if we've talked about that or considered that?

What are we I know we fall under the state P3?

It's work so far.

Yeah, I mean, uh I think these the one of the recommendations that was made was to allow for another level of public input, but I don't know.

I think we had discussed that, and um I don't know.

It's just work so it's work good so far.

So I'm I don't I don't know whether we want to really need to change any of that.

Additional conditional use of the ULDR to protect neighborhoods.

Um, I think we've been pretty respectful of of neighborhoods.

The only the only time I mean I'm trying to think what situation has arisen, which neighborhood feels that there's been overdevelopment that compromises the single family home neighbors.

Um let's see.

Uh traffic congestion, yeah.

Well definitely that's the road conditions and part of the road conditions, Mayor, is the bond, right?

Which was what what is what's going to road conditions for that?

I I want to say 27.

About 27 million.

27 million, I thought that's what it was.

27 million we've allocated for road improvements.

Exactly.

Um review data, existing programs on homelessness.

We talked about that work definitely uh we're on top of that and increasing and enhancing green space.

So well, we are totally agree with you there then.

Thank you.

All right.

Um, so now it's your turn, folks, uh, members of the commission to provide input and re and feedback to the city staff.

So I will start with uh well, Vice Mayor is not here, so we'll start to go to District 2.

Commissioner Glassman.

Yes, thank you.

Uh first of all, I want to thank all of you for the work today for all of this.

I I really uh I want you to know how appreciated it is uh every single year, the work that goes into this, uh reading all of the backup and then listening today um to all of the highlights.

So I just want to say thank you for that.

Uh it's really important.

And I I will say that holistically, I don't see us really changing a lot of our goals and priorities.

I mean, they're all so important, they're all so strong.

Um, and I did reach out to all of our neighborhoods in District 2 and receive feedback, and they really fall within these categories almost every single time from all of the neighborhoods.

Um I will tell the neighborhoods that might be listening or just everybody that the the ones that we did receive that were very specific to neighborhoods in general.

I'm sorry, specifically to those neighborhoods and not in general.

I will share with the city manager's office and I will go over that when we meet.

Um because again they're very neighborhood specific.

Um but in terms of overall, again, uh and I'll go through this very, very quickly.

Um I hear the same thing over and over and over again in terms of what those priorities already are.

So I again uh they're still relevant, they're important.

I don't think our work will ever be concluded uh honor those topics because they just continue, but they need our attention uh very much.

Specifically, I did want to mention though some from the neighborhoods that I think do have uh impact throughout the city.

Um I'm hearing a lot of complaints about, and again, this is gonna be it's gonna be important for us to work with some of these other agencies.

I hear from about FPL.

When people when FPL goes into a neighborhood, um when they go into uh our city, whether it's along A1A or anywhere else, the environment's not left as nicely as when they first encountered it.

We have to make sure um that we're making sure that our sidewalks look good, um, not just patches of asphalt all over the place.

Aesthetically, uh I think we need to put more pressure on them uh in terms of uh how they leave a job, uh, and that is really citywide.

Uh as I go through these really quickly, again, I see a lot of the inf issues like you know flood mitigation, keep working on the infrastructure.

Um again, some of my waterway neighborhoods are very concerned with illegal dumpling dumping, regulation of pump out facilities, things like that.

Um again, enforcement is a big issue, whether it's parking enforcement on the barrier island, people have a hard time driving along A1A and maneuvering in between all of the delivery trucks.

Is there a way that we can look at making sure that some cities I know have certain hours where they can have those trucks blocking off the streets?

I mean, obviously in areas where we have a lot of hotels uh and commercial enterprises.

Uh it really is difficult to navigate uh on making your way through those streets.

Um South Gordon had some really interesting um comments for us that I think apply uh to the whole city uh in terms of please let's keep working on kink tide issues, heavy rain events, uh you know, also um to make sure that we are moving quickly and expeditiously on all of these projects.

Um I've seen issues brought up to us in terms of uh city seawalls, people would like to see city seawall projects move a little bit faster in all of the neighborhoods uh that have that.

Um I'm still getting a lot of concern uh about Los Boulevard and traffic mitigation, uh a lot of speeding.

Um the e-bikes, those electric scooters and the e-bikes have been a real nuisance in a lot of our neighborhoods in our district, uh, whether it's along Los Olas or whether it's in Holiday Park.

Actually, the night that we were at War Memorial recently, there were a lot of a lot of kids doing that same exact thing in Holiday Park um that very night.

Um what are you talking about?

Scooters and e-bikes.

Well, I mean like those electric you know what I'm talking about, right?

What what's the word for them?

I don't know.

What are we talking about?

E-bikes, e-bikes, e-bikes.

Okay, and what is the issue?

Well, there's just like groups, like big groups of them, and they're just like just bad behavior, like just riding.

Well, you're talking about the kids that and these bike clubs that swarm the the streets.

Okay.

And holiday parks.

Not just the use of e-bikes.

People like you and me can use electric bikes.

Right, right.

But you're talking about those uh police enforcement of these.

So why don't we invite the uh the police chief to come up here and talk to us about that?

Okay.

Why don't you address your questions to Bill?

Thanks.

And we have had some of these discussions already, but again, I was going through the list.

So are we making progress on that, Chief?

In terms of the I guess I'll for lack of a better word, I'll just call them groups or gangs of you know, just kids that are just you know making their way through our streets and our parks and uh it's a little menacing to the average person that's using those areas.

Uh agreed.

And to put it into perspective, we had this problem with the electric scooters a few years ago, as you recall, uh, and then the city took action to uh ban the rental companies of those electric scooters.

With electric bicycles, uh there are rental opportunities for those, but by and large, the ones you're seeing are purchased.

They're owned by individuals, and the popularity has absolutely skyrocketed in their use.

Um they are allowed by law, but they are also regulated by state law.

Uh the problem we're finding now is uh a lot of it centers around whether the bicycle has pedals and has the ability to have pedal power.

Uh if it does, that changes the enforcement uh opportunity.

But what we are finding is some manufacturers and some aftermarket, but some manufacturers are now installing pedals on bicycles to get around laws that regulate that.

Um I'm gonna plan to attend the rour days uh in Dallahassee and this is one of my number one discussion points that I'd like to uh bring up to our lawmakers.

We need to keep up at a state level.

Uh I know that I've spoke to the city attorney uh and the city manager, and we've all discussed uh where we could go with a city level uh regulation of it as well.

Uh there have been enforcement.

Uh there's been some impounding of some of those vehicles, and there have been citations.

Uh there's even been an arrest.

So I don't have those statistics readily available, but I know that there has been actual enforcement of it.

Excellent.

Thanks.

And I think we have to just keep that going.

Yes, um, it's gonna be uh I think a constant button.

I I appreciate that.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chief.

Uh along those lines, also along Las Olas and some of the neighborhoods in the aisle neighborhoods off of it.

Uh they still want to see more traffic calming measures.

Um they're looking forward to the um mobility plan moving forward, and also they have concern about street lighting along Los Solas.

Uh they don't believe it's adequate.

Um, this specifically the stretch um between South Gordon Road and the 7, 11 and 16th Avenue, um, because that also impedes the safety, uh, a lot of visibility issues related to that darkness.

So um thank you for that.

Uh again, a lot of these neighborhood issues are very much the same all the way through public safety, uh code enforcement, nuisance abatement, uh neighborhood beautification.

I do hear a lot of folks noticing that we're doing a better job at the medians on our on our roadways, and that really does add to a nice aesthetic for the city when you're driving through uh the different areas, and I think people really uh really appreciate that.

Um I will tell you that I I I thought that the email that we received from the DDA, I think last night, uh again also encapsulated a lot of the issues with regards to public safety, infrastructure and resilience.

I'm sure did you did your office your office got that right from the DDA last night?

Yes, I saw it last night.

Good public spaces, cultural initiatives, uh, and again, bolstering thriving communities.

Um so I think that one was important.

Um also I think we received something from Riverwalk, which again I agree with.

Again, that's the seawall component that I mentioned earlier.

Uh some of these seawall replacements have been just going on for years and years and years, um, especially along uh along the River Walk.

Um and basically that's it.

Again, I will make sure that I get to a lot of the specifics with the neighborhoods when I meet with the city manager.

Um, but uh I just wanted to say that I really appreciate um everyone's work today.

Um and I'm all for just moving forward with a lot of what we've already talked about uh in the past couple of years.

I think it's just as relevant today um as it was in the last couple of years of goal setting.

So thank you.

All right, very good.

Uh Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

Thank you, Mayor.

And also I would like to thank everyone who has um come together to put this this opportunity uh for this workshop together.

Amazing job.

Yes.

Great job.

And um Commissioner Glassman, I do agree with you.

The priorities that we have in place, they are um following what we are trying to achieve and are doing a good job in meeting that.

Um I just I would like to add a little bit more to what it is that we're doing with our public safety um to our police, and um we've been in conversation, and um there is um pending in what we're moving forward with through grants that the PDE was able to secure is the gun violence interruption program.

And this is a program that um is um basically a curriculum that's is done by John Jay College and bringing the community together um to be eyes, ears, hands on, um, being able to reach those who um may be part of that violence, but those who also watching in order to make a change in the community.

So making it more of a a um community dive in to be a part of what we're doing to make the change.

And I'm really really impressed with what we're doing in the direction that it's going in.

And what I'm asking and recommending that we do as a city, make this citywide.

It it's piloting in District 3, but as we know, we have incidents all over our city, and um this cannot be a one and done type opportunity.

And the PD, you once again there, the young lady.

Um I'm sorry, I don't have the name in front of me.

She's done some great work as to secure those grants that are needed.

And Chief, if you would, if you would come back over.

Yeah.

Dana, yes, Dana.

And um and Dana, I appreciate everything that you're doing.

And forgive me, I'm I'm I'm working on retaining names.

So but I recognize and I appreciate everything that you're doing.

And again, we are in the process of moving this forward.

And I'm hoping that what we are doing is something that we can also move forward into fiscal year 27 and adding it to our master plan to continue it.

So if if you would just add a little bit more cheap, so I if I miss some points, you can bring it to the forefront as well.

Okay, certainly I'm happy to.

So this is another initiative uh that we've spoke about for years.

Uh and it's finally coming to fruition.

Uh Dana Bagan is our grants manager, and also with the outstanding assistance and uh the great intentions of Major Steve Selfhoe, who's uh was very successful in helping us secure a state appropriation to start this program of $600,000.

That that's what we needed.

That was the boost we needed.

Uh and as you mentioned, we partnered with John Jay College, or we are partnering with them, and they're gonna help us in this first year get it started, show us what's worked in other cities, show us how we can sustain it uh perpetually from here on out.

Uh but the state appropriation is one year.

So we do intend to ask for potentially an extension or a different appropriation.

But you are correct that if the program, and I think it's going to be very successful, it's already proven successful in other cities, including in South Florida, but certainly nationally, we will want to continue that program, and we will want to make it citywide as well.

Thank you for elaborating on that for me, Chief.

But that is my for public safety, that is the request that I'm asking and recommending that we do include an opportunity for funding to um assure that this continues to go on.

Also, in regards to infrastructure in um district three, I know we are doing a lot of things pertaining to our storm water and and our um water, rainwater piping and things of that matter.

But we I'm asking that we look into what we're hearing to be a repeated um situation in the district.

It appears that we are having um underground pipings that are now disintegrating from age.

So you have what what appear to be sinkholes in different areas, and there have been some patching, we'll go out and we'll patch it up, and then in months we're coming back.

So if we could do a true dive in of the different areas, and I know that we we continue to get um calls from Lake Air area, that's one of the areas, as well as um Rock Island community.

They call and they're telling us about you know, they we came out six months ago, we did this, and now it is again um just basically sink holding.

So I'm asking that if we could do a further dive in to the opportunity to see um how we can go ahead and begin to take care of that because what um I've I've heard since we you know I began to be a part of this journey with the commission.

There's some times that we overall have by necessity, I would say maybe kick something down the can down the road, and you become to a point where it becomes from a it becomes an emergency, and if we can get in front of it, I think that would be a great opportunity instead of just waiting for those pipes to just we wake up one morning and half of the road is completely sunk in.

So I'd like to ask our public works director, Brad Kane to address that.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Good afternoon, could you put your speaker in?

Okay, good afternoon, Mayor Commissioners.

Yeah, it's something we can definitely look into and and try to evaluate what it is.

Definitely the issues where you know we're having sinkholes, not sure if it's related to some utility issues versus you know stormwater, but we'll absolutely uh work in conjunction with Al and his team if it's related to those type things, but certainly where there are issues, potholes, anything like that that are causing you know depressions or issues in the roadway, you know.

I can have our team go out there and take a look at those things.

You know, we are really getting into a big time of the year for us now.

We have a lot of money, thankfully, from the bond process for um you know sidewalk repairs and a lot of um you know redoing of the roadways, asphalt and milling and resurfacing.

So it's gonna be something we're really concentrating on, and we're gonna make a huge effort this year to be successful and to try to complete as many of these type of projects as we can.

Uh and I'm confident, you know, between contractors and some staff, uh, some of the littler issues, you know, we'll definitely uh try to elevate those where they're uh seem to be more problematic things going on in the district.

And Commissioner, I I think some of these challenges are related to the annexed areas of our city and we're we're definitely seeing a difference there in the level of um maintenance that had occurred prior to the city's annexation of those areas.

So we we are focused on making sure that we're addressing this through various resources and programs, and I I think that the challenges are ongoing, but we're trying to mitigate them.

I appreciate that.

And and I I know we have and we are in the midst of that, and uh when I say this it's not to um throw any shade, okay, but I what I want to make sure that we do is to pre-be and proactive and um what we've seen in our district, we will get I've said it before, we'll come in and we'll pave the roads all new, and then in a month, two months, then we come back and we dig it all up.

So in that process, if we would go ahead and just align it where it's a done deal, you know, start at A, let's not start at at B or C.

Let's do the process where it'll be a complete project.

But thank you for everything that you're already doing, and we appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

No, for this, I'm down.

Okay, yes.

Well, while we're on the subject, uh 18th Street in Poinsettia Heights, where we had a big sewer pipe put in there, um sinkholes continue to materialize mysteriously.

Um, what it has caused is is opportunity for us to slow cars down because instead of speed bumps, we have speed dumps, and uh cars have to go around them or or be s be a victim of them.

But I know we filled in a couple in the last couple of years, but I guess because of the the nature of the pipe and maybe drawing moisture or something from the from the uh uh in the areas surrounding the pipe, there continues to be more uh of these little dips in the road that uh where exactly where the pipe was was laid.

Just let me to bring to your attention.

Since the commissioners brought it up, I just we'll absolutely take a look at that as well, Mayor.

Thank you.

I only experience it every single day of my life, but that's okay.

Just food for thought.

18th, you said 18th Street, 18th court.

You know, that that's like almost a consistent roadway.

Well, I but I know this is because of the pipe that was it was we didn't have that problem until the sewer pipe showed up.

And and understandable, but it's all your fault at house.

That 18th Street, maybe you know, maybe all of that piping.

Yeah, you you'll do your due diligence to find out what that is for us.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Okay, that's all my comments for the infrastructure.

I do want to roll back.

Um this is something that um I would like to, I'm gonna add on the public safety, um, a swim initiative.

I you know, we are we are surrounded by water everywhere, um, canals, our our waterway in the beach, and um the pools, we have so many pools in our community.

And I would like for us as a city um to take on the initiative for every child learning how to swim proficiently, not just a two two-day swim lesson to float, but being able to actually swim how to swim, how to swim, save themselves, you know, in a situation.

And then also from that, this can be an opportunity where we talk about the Hall of Fame.

All right, you know, we begin to build champions within our city.

We have this multi-million dollar complex, and right now most of our um neighbors are not even using this structure.

So if we could talk about the opportunity first to um put our young people, all people in a position where they're learning to swim, then tap into those who have a desire to become champions, and then have that national, that natural um input to be that champion.

It's no reason why with the Hall of Fame that we have, the money that we have invested, that that investment does not include the next Olympic stum athlete from our city.

So I'm asking if we could look into that.

I have some ideas that I would love to share.

Um like after school programs, after school swim programs, which we already have.

We have to make it more aggressive.

Aggressive about it, and then also with that, um many times um because of the fee, they may not be able to um afford it.

Afford the training or the the lessons.

And then also I had even said, you know, many parts of our our city um we get new complex, new buildings, new um more so in district three.

A lot of times the amenities does not include a pool.

So they're doing this, of course, to um what I believe to help keep the the cost down for affordability.

Right.

But also in that, I have even said when I've had my conversation, if you're not able or um including a pool as an amenity, are you willing to give a voucher to those children that lived in your building to the local um city pool?

Does the Adderley have a pool?

The Adatley does have a pool.

And Arcadia, the what are we doing the ribbon cutting on the Arcadia?

I think they do.

Um and and Fort Laurie Dale High has a pool.

Sunrise Middle has a pool.

You have the large pool that Carter Park.

At Carter Park, we have a pool.

On the YMCA has a pool.

And the new one will have a pool.

So there are some pools.

Yes, there are pools are.

But I think I think it's more programming than it is uh uh f the actual facilities.

I mean we have facilities.

I know the one that's at uh Sunrise Middle is totally underutilized.

Um we used to see regular classes going on there, and and now I see very very few uh people using that.

So um I think it's more a question of programming.

Now, it's interesting, you know, the schools should make swimming perhaps a man a mandatory class, like a PE class, but we can't involve ourselves with their with what they do, but certainly we can we can offer maybe even free access to um to our pools with supervised instruction as part of our parks program.

Is is Carl here?

Is this a Carl, do you want to come up here?

And mayor, if I might share that that project, the Arcadian does have a pool.

I'm sorry?

The Arcadian project does have a pool.

Yes, it does.

Carl, can you talk to us about the um these what kind of swim programs we have already?

Carl gets here.

I also I agree with you a hundred percent.

I just want to make sure that we're also working with, you know, you mentioned the swimming hall of fame.

That organization was instrumental in getting state legislation passed two or three years ago called Every Child a Swimmer.

They have a great program, but I don't think we partner enough with them, and that is at the swimming hall of fame.

So perhaps we can, you know, we're manager work a little bit closer with the Every Child a Swimmer program through the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Sorry, Carl, do you have any can you uh talk to us a little bit about what programs currently exist for for us uh um young kids to learn how to swim?

Yes, sir.

Uh good afternoon.

Uh so we do have uh a uh uh learn to swim program.

We do incorporate uh learn to swim.

Um we specifically address it during the summer, because that's when our kids are out of school and um there's a a full-fledged program dedicated to that.

But we also have the water is much warmer.

Very much so.

Very much so.

Um we do uh incorporate uh swim lessons and uh other swimming components that we do have in many of our swimming uh areas of our five pools that we do have in the city.

We do, yes, yeah.

So I guess what the commissioners is suggesting is make it more available to young people.

Uh I don't know what the cost would be for the city, but certainly be more proactive in trying to get more swim teams, swim clubs, uh something that makes it cool to be part of a swim program.

Um something to think about, Carl.

Absolutely.

We do and we still do have our existing swim teams and they still engage in um like competitions and things like that.

But we certainly can look at enhancing those efforts.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

And that's that's my um my ask because um I believe um first the safety part for our our our youth.

We we always say the person to live, work and play.

So we want them to be safe as they're living and they're playing here.

And then also that opportunity where we're missing to now groom and and begin to prepare the next Olympic athletes right here in our own city.

Yeah.

And Commissioner, I was just gonna uh uh highlight that there was a letter to commission that was sent out in early December about the Aquatic Center and also our citywide swimming pool initiatives that has some statistics in there to highlights that uh in 2025 we had 1,300 swimmers that went through the program.

Uh talks about this uh the locations where we offer services and the voucher program.

So understand the concern 100 percent uh and we'll work to make sure that that's more readily available to the community.

But uh just want to highlight that that memo that went out that had that information and also the YMCA uh projects, which is coming to Holiday Park.

Uh the city made a two uh million dollar contribution to deliver that park uh pool complex, and that does have some requirements for swimming public swimming as well.

Yeah.

Okay.

Two million.

Carl, you're getting very gray.

Is it the job?

Yes.

I had a just for men, Carl.

Just for men.

Thank you.

So close.

And and Mayor, I do have uh one additional item in regards to um our our commitment to economic growth within um the city overall.

Um we have really advanced our opportunities and our our um a vision of what it is we would like to see in the city of Fort Lauderdale, and I am suggesting that we continue on that path.

Um with those who we could we renamed, we renamed the the um the department.

Help me out with city manager, you know.

So the economic development division is currently part of the new community services department.

Uh that group was previously bundled with our public affairs team that was focused more so on advocacy and lobbying efforts, and so now that group has been um separated into a portfolio of functional areas that support each other, so including business tax.

Um we have the CRA also reporting to Chris Cooper uh alongside the portfolio of community services.

Um also working with cultural affairs uh to make sure that we're promoting all things arts and culture in our community, and we're seeing a lot of growth and opportunity here in the city, uh, but we want to make sure that we're aligning the resources to advance that even further.

We do have some very viable candidates for the chief economic development officer role, and we intend to fill that very soon.

And highlighting um the program startup Fort Lauderdale, um great opportunity, great core hope that we've been doing.

Um I believe there was was it five, four?

Five, the fourth iteration, yes.

I I think so.

You I think we've completed four core hopes, and um those who have taken part in it, they we have received great feedback, and um again it's our part of showing what we as a city how we want to elevate new businesses, entrepreneurs, and give them a place to be recognized and support them.

Um there was a little time there where we did not do that as openly, I believe, and that we're headed in a great direction, and I would like to see us again to continue to fund that whatever it takes.

I I know we uh would take a step here, another step, but wherever we can do to increase the opportunity financially, I would like to see that done.

So when we we're talking about 2027, so let's continue to go on that path.

Let's not make it a one and done.

I we hear that a lot.

We don't want to be the one and done city.

Thank you.

I'm done, Mayor.

All right, thank you.

Commissioner Sorensen.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um just overall, I think we're heading in a great direction in terms of infrastructure, public safety, quality of life, uh, affordability, those are all big areas we continue to work on and need to continue moving.

Um specifically, just some specific uh topics just want to touch on.

So Commissioner Glassman, you mentioned the uh um seawall along Riverwalk.

So just want to touch on that for a little bit.

So one of the and give you some history is one of the issues has been, I think, and uh city manager correct me if I'm wrong, but we missed a uh grant funding deadline as a result.

We were delayed at least a year um for moving this project for the riverwalk seawall replacement.

Um so city manager, could we just get an update in terms of kind of our next steps for that, please?

So when we identified that there was a challenge with obtaining the permits necessary to move forward with the grant application, uh we determined that we would be looking ahead to future application cycles in order to obtain grant funding for this project.

In the meanwhile, our public works team has been working to ensure that the project progresses, although we haven't been able to secure the funding at this time.

We're still doing a lot of the preliminary work for the next funding cycle.

I'm gonna turn it over to Rad Kane to share more details.

Thank you.

Just to kind of give an update where things are today, um, and understand as the manager said, we're we're still looking at um you know other mechanisms, you know, internal to our process to uh see if we can just fund the whole thing, irrespective of whether we get the additional grants or not, um, because we understand the criticalness of this project and you know kind of how long it's been going on.

So you know, permits today that have been issued.

We have the Broward County ERL permit, um the FDEP permit has been issued.

Uh the only thing that really is pending as far as permits go is with the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Uh and we submitted FDEP submitted permit to them on the 23rd of December.

And we're just waiting for comments and approval of that permit, and we hope to have that um you know by the end of this week is what we anticipate.

Knock on wood, but that's you know what we've been told.

Um the estimated cost of this overall project is about eight to nine million dollars.

Um and there's like a four million dollar funding gap.

So that's what we're doing internally uh with our team and looking at different uh potential mechanisms and ways, and we're working with vet and staff and everybody is trying to see if we can find a way uh to be able to identify additional funding sources to close that gap.

Um, you know, while parallel track, we continue to go ahead, you know, this uh process forward uh with applications to find uh for the additional funding.

Uh the applications are due, I believe, March 30th, uh, and we're gonna be continuing to uh you know pursue that as well.

Uh so there's just a lot of things going on with it.

We're very it's a very, very high radar project, and we're trying to make sure that you know we can get this done uh you know, everything that we need to in a expedited manner for this process.

So for the fine grant that requires commission approval, so our intention is to come to the commission in early March before the application is due at the end of uh March, March 30th, I think is is the date you mentioned.

Uh so the March 3rd meeting, we anticipate having the Commission consider that application.

Great.

Thanks.

Thanks for the update.

And so that fine grant application would be it for that four million gap.

Is that what we're thinking?

Correct.

Great.

And if you could just remind all of us the so this is the north side of the river walk we're talking about from where to where, just so everyone's tracking.

Oh.

One thing not in my little notes, I'll get the exact delineation.

So I think we're going from Andrews.

Commissioner, it's goes from Andrews to the uh FEC train tracks.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Uh that area right there.

And I would also like to note that you know we're continuing to move forward with the design.

Uh, based off of public feedback over the last probably six to nine months, there's been a lot of changes to uh the design.

We came back to the commission at the end of 2025 to do a change order for the design.

So even though we are short funded right now, we're still moving forward with the design elements.

So it's not that it's on a on hold or on a shelf waiting for funding.

It's still going through the process so that way when we get the funding source, it's ready to move forward.

Great.

Thanks.

And part of the challenge with this, Mayor and Commissioners, is if if you walk along the riverwalk, you'll see the the pavers, the bricks begin to kind of degrade, fall down, and that's part of the failing at seawall that's that's causing this.

So it's just it's a hazard.

We have fences up there.

It's just not it's not a good look for us as a city.

So anything else you need from us as a commission to support help move this.

Okay.

And Commissioner, I would just say that as part of last year's fine grant, we actually did get a million dollars towards this project for upland improvements.

Okay.

And so staff's working with the grantor right now to determine what that looks like since it's kind of out of order from what the seawall improvements would be.

Yeah.

And so there might be a chance that we could use some of those funds to mitigate some of the current conditions or make changes to the upland uh until the the big project comes along.

So we're evaluating that, understanding that the it's an inconvenience uh to the community at this point.

Okay.

Thanks.

And while we're thank you, Brad.

While we're talking about funding, um, and I know we're gonna talk about this mayor next commission meeting but Las Oulas mobility.

Just like in advance of that, give us uh a little bit of a view.

Funding-wise.

So for either of the Los Alas Mobility projects, I think we're looking at about for the shops district, we're looking at about eight million, maybe to ten million for either of those projects, whether it's median or no median.

I just like to hear about what funding do we have in place and then plans for the um the delta.

Yes, good afternoon, Middle Ministry Transportation Mobility Department Director.

So when it comes to Las Molos Las Olas Mobility, uh we are coming to City Commission on uh January 20th with uh conference presentation.

Um following that on February 3rd, uh we are also will be coming to City Commission to seek direction uh related to which concept um for the Las Olas Mobility, particularly shop segment, uh the City Commission would support one with median or without a median.

Uh when it comes to funding, either one of the two options would be about 7.5 million dollars uh to construct for the shops only uh for the entire Western quarter, it would be about 19.3 million dollars.

What we have right now is about one million dollars in uh CAP.

Uh we also have uh state appropriation that we were able to secure for uh an additional one million dollars.

Um and uh as part of the FY twenty-seven uh surtax funding, uh we will be uh seeking up to three million dollars from the grant matching program from the SERTAX.

That is uh uh something that was made available through Third Amendment to surtax agreement.

And finally, more immediately we are planning on submitting uh grant application for the bill grant.

Um that application is uh due uh late February, and uh we will likely be coming to City Commission on February third to uh get a support from the Commission to uh apply for the grant.

Our intent is to apply for the entire Western Corridor.

Um there is uh required benefit cost analysis uh that is required as part of the application, uh and we will be developing that as well.

Um depending what the BCA turns out to be um again the intent is to apply for the entire corridor unless one of the segments uh yields higher BCA and we change our approach.

And who's the thanks?

Who's the build grant from?

Um USDOT.

Okay.

And so the total ask from build would be how much?

Um the entire Western Corridor that would be from Andrews Avenue to Southeast 17th Avenue based on the current concept and opinion of probably cost would be about 19.3 million dollars to construct.

Okay, so that's west of the shops.

That is actually from yes, that's correct.

So it would be downtown shops and the collie hammock.

Okay, so for the shops itself, is the surtax funding that we would seek the three million, is that for just the shops or for the entire quarter?

So that would be part of the funding plan.

Uh depending really what the feedback is that we get from the Commission or feedback or how likely we are to secure build, we would have to determine at that point, which would be a couple of months from now, probably, as to which section we use money from the SERTAX.

But again, um any time we have any outside funding we can go to the county and ask for grant matching program.

Uh a few months ago we were able to secure about three million dollars for the breakers avenue in similar fashion uh from the SERTAX as part of the FY26 um application to SERTAX.

And just to add to what Milosh explained, uh at this point we don't have any certainty as to whether any of the private property owners may want to contribute to this project or a particular segment.

Uh so that's something that we still would want to explore to determine if um those external resources could be applied to the project.

Yeah, thanks.

And I've I've had some of those conversations, and there's um so far at least a limited interest in and financial support for it.

So that I just want to bring this up, Mayor, just as we think about you know funding and so forth, that we're we still have a uh a gap there to try to figure this out.

Um so that's that's uh top of mind.

Okay.

Uh thank you.

Before you leave, I'd want to pick up on uh I'm gonna pick up on something.

So we need to have a come to Jesus moment about these trees.

Okay.

Our urban forester has said that the life expectancy of the median trees is X to eight to twelve years.

Ten years.

Okay.

So the the continual debate or dialogue that's happening in this community seems to be based on false expectations, that these trees are going to live forever, and that we can never get rid of the median because the trees are gonna we're gonna end up cutting down the trees, which is not the case, correct.

So, Mr.

Mayor, uh as part of the conference meeting on January 20th, we will have uh urban forester uh that is part of a our consulting group, we'll have urban forester from the city.

We will also have uh experts that are part of our consultant team that also did a risk analysis on so.

So that will be the final discussion on what we're doing with regard to the median and what we and what the expectations are with regard to the the the life of these trees.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

We will have all our facts uh to present to you and at that point we can determine what the appropriate next steps in my opinion.

What is desired?

I was just gonna say my understanding is that based on previous meetings that we have had is that there is a life expectancy that's less than ten years or less.

And so what we need to be doing is looking for funding to um to re-establish a tree canopy based on a different configuration, which would allow for the elimination of the median and and provide for uh I think it's eighty trees or something.

So I hope that can be part of our conversation at the next meeting so that we can have an intelligent balanced and fact based conversation rather than all the hysteria that we continue to hear.

Thank you.

Yes wanted to clarify the schedule on the discussion although we're bringing a conference item on January 20th it's anticipated that if there's consensus on a direction that we would bring back an item to the evening meeting on February third.

Perfect thank you.

Sorry to mean just erupt you know thank you.

I just wanted to get some clarity up yeah yeah no appreciate it I think it's important and and why don't while we're just talking about while you also what's for again we've got to figure out so are we contemplating general fund dollars for this shops project?

Where are we getting the Delta So if this is a priority of the city commission we would look at every potential revenue source to fund the project or a particular segment of the project and so at that time we would identify whether we need to look at general fund dollars and that would certainly be at the discretion of the city commission as we go through the budget development process.

Okay thank you um next up thank you Milos Milo Sh you are just thank you for your service appreciate it.

Till the next time very nice till the next time um let's see um this came up let's see through just some of the um kind of activities that have happened on the beach and him or she is um and I mentioned this to city attorney is um maybe this is a question for Chief Schultz is the idea of juveniles when there's a disorderly conduct misdemeanors um some of the um I've heard the possibility of should we consider a way to um kind of hold parents responsible for the juvenile conduct or misdemeanors or fighting or disorderly conduct is that familiar with this concept or Chief Yes we've we've held this conversation previously and I have spoke to the city attorney about it.

I don't think we've had enough time to really research it together yet but we have spoke about it.

Okay.

And so you're exploring that is that you're looking into it.

Okay great that sounds good thank you Chief that that's it's good good input.

That was a lot of that's a lot of walking a lot of walk in you're welcome to keep you heart healthy chief we need you need you around um great one other piece and and is uh I think we're all we've all been talking about this is continue to brand and market the city of Fort Lauderil.

So I've just informally been talking with the DDA, Chamber, um Alliance workshop yeah workshop just how we can more collaboratively talk about the city, message about the city, draw employers to the city and so um that's just something I feel strongly about we need to do we need to message outside of the city um to share why people should come and visit and relocate and grow their business in in the city so I'm just continuing to uh to work on that feel strongly about that.

Um have you been doing anything with regard to that?

Yeah I've been just in uh form just an informal group with the DDA with Alliance just to talk about the chamber how can we communicate more effectively um and and make sure we're not communicating different messages but more um uh kind of uh aligned message so I've just been doing that with them and we're gonna have a little um kind of brainstorming session in a week or so talking more about that so I'll just report back as I'm um but they're excited about it and and you know and it's everything from you know how should we think about the motto of the city of Fort Lauderil, what should be some of our key focuses where we focus on and mess um that's we have a lot of labels attached to our city as it is in America Marine Capital of the world the audience capital of the world place you never want to leave is that what we heard today.

Right place you never want to leave, is that what we heard today?

Right.

Uh you know, I mean we have some uh very famous brands that uh anyway agreed, and I think it's how can we be more kind of targeted in our uh communication engagement.

Um let's see.

Uh I think Mayor, that's it that I've got right now.

Thank you.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

Uh just a couple things.

Uh first of all, um thank you for uh uh Raquel for bringing uh your team together here uh to really uh this is your first uh goal setting workshop and we appreciate uh the participation that everyone has made in this effort.

Uh I know a lot of work has gone into preparing this book and uh uh and it's going to you know certainly sit next to me over the next several weeks, if not months, so that I have it as a as uh a yardstick against which I will be able to you know decide a lot of the things that we're gonna be asked to decide upon.

Uh I also again want to thank the people at the Fort for uh this facility.

It's a great facility.

It's one of the I can't believe we've this is what we agreed upon.

I never thought it would be this beautiful.

And this oh, of course you did, yes, I understand, yes.

Um uh so we're very we're very blessed to have uh people who invest in our community, uh not just their time but their their financial resources and to make this a quality lifestyle for so many people that have come to enjoy the uh the fort here.

Um so having said that, I just there are a couple things I want to touch upon.

First of all, I uh I want to thank um our city staff for aggressively moving on fortified Lauderdale.

Um for so many years, and especially when I served as a commissioner, it was so frustrating to see how little was being done to uh harden our infrastructure to the point where the state came came back to us and insisted on our doing a number of infrastructure projects to the point we're now under a consent order.

You know, it's not a good thing to be under a consent order.

The only time those things happen is when we're not doing the right thing.

Uh and and uh um and so at least this is keeping us honest and it's allowing us to create a uh uh a pathway to ensuring the the sustainability of our city, and we're doing a really good job at it.

And uh I think that the staff should be commended for its focus and its efforts to try to complete this task uh within a reasonable amount of time.

I know it's hard to rebuild a city overnight.

Um a lot of our neighborhoods were built on the cheap.

They didn't have any kind of infrastructure when they were first built.

They just built the houses and moved on.

Uh so now that the climate is changing and all kinds of things that we could not have anticipated 30, 40, 50 years ago, uh, we now have to respond to with great effort at great expense.

So we appreciate the community for understanding that.

We appreciate the community for allowing us to move forward on these projects.

Uh we know they're expensive, uh, but we all share in that burden.

So, you know, what happens in in um like River Oaks and and uh um uh any any neighborhood in our city, uh the entire city pays for that.

So if we're spending 40 million dollars in one neighborhood, everyone is paying for that through our through our our water bills.

So this is a community effort to create um a sustainable and resilient uh community throughout the whole city so that everybody shares not only in the burden but also in the benefits of it.

Um so to that extent, uh I want to talk about a couple of projects that uh I want to see where we stand.

Uh the first project I would like to talk about in terms of infrastructure is the uh commuter rail tunnel.

Uh I know Ben, uh you've been talking with the uh U.S.

Department of Transportation folks, um, and uh I know that our city staff has been working to try to come up with numbers as to what this is going to cost.

But Ben, do you want to give us a little update on some of the things you have learned and to see where we are?

Because I know the county is going to be expecting us to report to them soon, and I'd like to know what it is that you know we're gonna have to, what's our position at this point?

Yeah, thanks, Mayor.

I'm glad you bring that up.

I uh should have brought that up earlier.

Okay.

Um so conversations with uh the U.S.

Department of Transportation continue to go very well.

The uh chief of staff for Secretary Duffy, Pete Meachum continues to be just a great partner, great advocate for the tunnel, great believer in the tunnel.

He's connected uh myself and city manager and and Ben Rogers uh with the appropriate entities under the U.S.

Department of Transportation, which includes the Federal Transit Administration.

We had a meeting recently with the Federal Transit Administrator Administration's regional director um and uh she and and her team were also very positive about the direction.

They shared with us that the next steps for them to consider and move the project forward is for Broward County uh in collaboration with the city to come forward to the FDA FTA US dot with a proposal for the north region of the commuter rail which is basically the kind of um the begins more or less and Ben Rogers correct me if I'm wrong on this but I think the starting point that for that is basically Broward Health Medical Center moving north which would include the tunnel and then the northern portion of uh Broward County.

Okay.

I then loop back with uh Broward County administration again continue to be very supportive of the direction we're going with the tunnel.

I shared with them that conversation with US DOD and FTA.

They were appreciative of that.

They said that the next uh step for them to make that proposal to FDA and US dot is for the city to receive a proposal from a tunnel construction company with a you know high level analysis of cost for the program.

I told uh the Broward County administration that uh thankfully we have at least one maybe more tunnel construction companies that have indicated to us that they will be submitting a proposal for the tunnel uh sh soon within weeks.

Okay.

So as soon as we get that proposal then we can share that with the county and then that can hopefully support the county in one us meeting the county's expectations and then the county developing a proposal to bring the FDA.

Okay.

And Ben Rogers correct me if I'm off on any of that or I think that was a a good summary there's a couple things there that you know Broward County is still leading the charge on so if it's Broward commuter rail north starts at the Broward Health facility or if they started north of the new river and then do a third project for the crossing all of those things are still being worked out.

But in addition to those efforts staff did a r request for information that went out to the tunneling uh industry and we sought to get more information you know what procurement methodology do they envision what are the deal factors risk factors how should you know the city approach moving this forward um and we're in the process now of analyzing that information I I expect that we'll have uh an update for the city commission through a letter to commission sometime in the next uh next week or so uh that will kind of immoralize that there were I believe 13 uh firms that responded to it uh all with strong interest in the project um but they do also have some concerns about being able to bid on it without knowing certain factors like the geotechnical uh structure underneath the underneath um and some of those things so uh we continue to meet with Broward County administration uh at a staff level we meet with them I think three or four times a month uh at our last meeting we talked about what the expectations are for that February deadline how we package the materials uh what kind of uh structure and content goes into the materials and so I again we're working towards that path but as Commissioner Sorensen said they're looking for a specific proposal and at this point I don't know from the staff meaning county the county is looking for a firm you know fixed price proposal uh the staff efforts don't deliver that uh we really focused on making sure that we could build a build a project that would be viable uh and we tried to better understand what the risk factors and the conditions that industry would want to see in a in a potential deal.

Okay.

All right very good so all right so what happens if the February deadline comes and you know these uh these contractors haven't yet submitted a proposal what do we do there we ask for an extension the recommendation is that we assess what we do have and determine if we should provide that to the county or if we should request an additional extension at that time.

Okay.

And part of our last meeting we actually we asked the county are they moving forward a bridge in March or how how they envision that timeline and they committed to us that that wasn't an immediate next step.

They still have things on their their side they need to do but we are trying to understand what happens after the end of February.

Right.

Okay.

I'm not sure the county holds themselves to the same standard to which they are holding us to.

Um and uh it's almost as if we have to keep begging for their attention and and their cooperation.

Uh but I appreciate, I know the commission appreciates everything you have been doing, Ben, and and uh trying to move our position forward.

Um if in fact commuter rail is ever going to happen for reasons which over which we have no control, which has to do with the with the viability of Bright Line itself.

We understand I mean we all read the news and Bright Line is so underwater, I'm not even sure it's going to keep functioning much longer, but um you never know what could happen there.

But at least we're prepared should the should the question have to be asked, you know, what's the best uh local prefer locally preferred alternative and and like to make sure that uh our that our community, our city, is prepared to respond to that.

All right, thank thanks so much, Ben.

Thank you.

Thank you, folks.

Um let's go back to my discussion earlier about Flagler Village and sustainability.

You know, one of the things that uh I've mentioned time and again is the fact that there are there are uh um uh there's there's a quality of life component to living in Flagler that's missing.

And I keep talking about like um grocery stores and and uh things that people walk to or should walk to and not have to get in their car to go to.

And I'm wondering, and I want to put it out there, you know, Flagler is still on the CRA.

And I'm wondering whether we should provide incentives to operators to um fund a build-out or help fund or help augment uh the rent payment to locate in some existing structures that right now might be financially prohibitive, to allow for some of these, you know, pop-up uh kind of stores to where people can can walk to them, because like I said, you know, it's all fun and exciting to look to be in Flagra right now, Flagra Village, but there'll come a point in time where people sit find it inconvenient to live there and it will lose its its edginess and lose its appeal.

We gotta st we gotta make sure we're ahead of the game there.

We gotta make sure that we have a well-rounded uh walkable neighborhood where um where a lot of these amenities of life exist and they're within a five to ten minute walking distance.

So something I want to put out there to see, you know, what the appetite is of the commission to provide such incentives, because nothing is happening.

We don't see it happening.

All we see are restaurants and bars.

And um and that does not, you know, fulfill anyone's life expectancies, especially if a three-year-old is living there and you know they're not going to be going to places like that.

They're gonna have to get in their car.

Parents are gonna have to get in their car, and they're gonna have to um drive to places, and that kind of defeats the whole purpose of having uh, you know, a densely populated uh area within our city which does not um provide the amenities of life that people uh should be able to walk to.

So any thoughts on that?

Any any feelings, Commissioner?

Your chair district?

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

Well, I think that we can have conversations with uh the developers that are in Flagler Village.

Plus we have several projects still coming forward.

We can talk to people like I've talked to them since day one, but we don't do anything.

But they all have they all have space.

There's a multi-uses and like plenty of space.

Yeah.

Uh no, but let's back up.

There's so many empty spaces in Flagler right now, it's it's it's embarrassing.

And why?

Because the developer chooses to keep them empty until they can get their price point.

Just I mean, here's an example.

At the corner of of uh of Systrunk and Ninth Avenue or 7th Avenue, what was um where the Bank of America is that was 7th Avenue.

How many years have those spaces remained vacant because the developer does not want to uh uh fill them with the with the neighborhood amenities until they get their price.

The point is that we can't keep playing this game with with the developers.

We've we need to provide some kind of incentive, not so much to the developer, but to the to the operator who wants to go in and says, hey, I don't have the money to build out the space for a gr a small uh grocery market.

So if you could give me X amount of dollars, now it makes it financially feasible.

Um I think those are the kinds of things that we have to start incentivizing in order for this to work.

Because if we don't if we just you know are blinded to the thing and think that it's all gonna happen on its own, for example, um uh where uh Mitch's Mitch's deli is right.

There's plenty of space there for a grocery store.

Nothing's happening.

I was told one was going to be there this year, it nothing's happening.

This so it's not like the space isn't there.

It's not like all those affordable housing projects that are on that intersection don't have space.

They don't accommodate for it.

I remember when we were when we were approving the gables, which is right at the at the by the uh third av Third Avenue Bridge, which is almost open, it's gonna be open this year, I believe.

Um, and we asked, I asked uh Courtney Crush, who is representing them.

What's the chances of their having a small grocery store in the first floor of that building?

She says no problem, we'll get it done.

And it's not done, it never will be done, and they use the space for something else.

So where are the people that live in that building?

Where are they gonna go by the grocery stores?

They're gonna buy their groceries.

They're gonna have to get into their car and they're gonna have to go somewhere.

That's not a success story.

That shows we failed in providing the kind of walkable city that we have been trying to establish since the early on.

Same with the society.

We there's 70 something thousand square feet of commercial space.

The developer sat at my desk across from my desk and said, we're gonna put a grocery store in there, we have the square footage, we're gonna make sure it happens.

What did he do?

He sold off all the commercial space to another another operator.

All he put was restaurants and bars in there, some of which succeeded, some of which didn't, and we still don't have a uh any kind of uh place to buy food or prepared foods within a walkable distance.

So those are the kinds of things I'm talking about.

We see it in other cities, uh it's successful in other cities.

For some reason, we need to find we as a city need to jump start that effort because we're gonna we're gonna find that people are gonna be fed up and not want to continue to live in our downtown because it it's not as convenient as they thought it should be.

That's all yeah, no argument.

So let's explore those options.

Do you have to go back to that developer and say, hey, you told me this and then you did that?

I have.

Okay.

And they first of all they they don't hold, they don't own the development anymore.

They've moved on to other developments, right?

So those promises are are never kept.

But but at the same time, I'm not trying to reward the developer.

I'd like to incentivize an operator, a private mom and pop or whatever, even a chain, to come in and say, look, we'll we'll help subsidize your uh your build out or help pay for your you know, help pay for your first year's rent or something, just to get them started and incentivize them so that again it's not just to put them in business, but it's to maintain a walkable, livable, enjoyable downtown where people want to come to because of the convenience that it offers them.

And again, I I'm not gonna disagree.

So you're right, Flagler Village is part of the CRA.

Um do you see that city manager as part of the enabling legislation and mission of the CRA to do the kinds of things that the mayor is suggesting?

Well, we do that already.

I think that the CRA could focus on that.

I think our economic development division could take a look at that, looking at the vacancy rates in the area and the available square footage.

Um I know that grocery stores and some of these other types of uses have a minimum footprint that would be required, and you know that's something that we could explore.

We could develop uh an incentive program specific to that area and for the the program that you are looking to have in flight.

I think it's a good idea.

Even like a dry cleaner, something like you know, things that people need in a neighborhood.

Exactly.

We could create a whole program surrounded um that would be important.

If you could put something like that together.

Okay, great.

Um the Laird Arts project.

Um about four years ago we were given five million dollars to provide artwork in our city, and we've only spent a third of it, maybe a quarter of it.

What's going on there?

Why can't we move this thing forward?

Every time I ask about it, there's always a problem.

Um, you know, we wanted to install something on the beach, and we're told, oh, FDOT is is dragging their feet.

You talk to FDOT, they say we have nothing on our desk, no one's talked to us about it.

You know, we don't know what you're talking about.

Downtown, we've only installed one piece of art and right right there at uh Laura Ward Laura Ward Park.

Um the this was a gift to us, and we can't even get out of our own way to accept the gift and to provide the kind of artwork, public art pieces that would make the downtown a much more pleasurable experience.

Why can't we what's going on here?

You know?

I don't that's a rhetorical question, because I need someone to someday figure out how we're gonna get past that.

Is that your job?

It is now.

Have a seat.

Okay.

Have a seat, push the button.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioner.

I know you're new to this.

You're I mean not new to the city, but you're new to this responsibility, because you this wasn't your responsibility before.

So tell us what your thoughts are.

So my thoughts are that we have an internal public arts tracker that we're using to track the status of each of the projects.

We're now working on defining a consistent process to ensure that we don't continue run running into different roadblocks.

So we are meeting weekly at this point to discuss any type of FDOT roadblocks, any types of community meetings, such as if we're engaging the public art and placemaking board as well as the Council of Fort Lauderdale, civic associations.

Okay.

So all right, so you're on top of this.

Yes, Mayor.

Okay.

I have a question.

Oh in addition, through our Capital Projects Department, we have been uh leveraging that expertise to coincide with the efforts of our cultural affairs division to move these project forward with a project manager that could assist with those FDOT uh engagements and the regulatory process that may not be as um familiar to someone more so focused on the artistic elements as opposed to the construction and implementation elements.

Fine.

But at the same time, again, there are things in the hopper that are sitting there waiting to be installed, and just you know, it's been almost two years on some of these things.

So mayor, I would add that the commission um allowed us to fund a position to help our public art program in this year's budget.

Portia's been working hard to get that position filled, and I believe we're very close if it hasn't been filled already.

Okay, great news.

So that will help assist with some of the processes that Portia mentioned along with the tracker that she's developed in her I thought that was Josh Cardin's job.

So we have our cultural affairs um officer, but we you funded a position to be more of an administrative person to help manage the public arts board, some of those processes to really help us avoid some of those unforced errors and getting through these processes that either involve internal processes or those outside agency ones like FTOT or the county in some cases.

So we're making a lot of improvements to make that program more efficient.

Are we placing all of our arts and cultural endeavors under the cultural affairs office?

Or now I mean we I know that sometimes this department might have some arts cultures at this one.

Are we bringing it all under one umbrella now?

That's the intent.

Um part of the reorganization was to ensure that um departments or divisions that are focused on a specific subject matter uh are working together, and so where we found opportunities to pull people from different departments to focus them in the area where they effectively belong, we've done that.

Uh I do ask as well that the commission, if there are uh opportunities that you have for acquiring public art that you uh help to filter that through our cultural arts officer and program to make sure that we're accounting for all the uh public art in our city, whether that be paintings or sculptures or murals or what have you great.

And I think um and I have had people tell me this before.

Um folks think that uh a city like Pompano Beach has made some really nice strides with regards to bringing all of their arts and cultural activities together under one house and really giving that that extra push.

I don't know if there's anything that we can learn there, but it it's just a suggestion because I know sometimes our arts and cultural stuff, although I I think really good work, it's been a little bit fragmented in terms of who is handling it, whether it's art, you know, whether it's cultural affairs officer, parks and rec, whatever, you know, activities, grants, summer programs, you know.

I think it all needs to be under one umbrella.

Thanks.

Great, thank you.

Um it was uh brought up earlier about charter revisions and um a couple of things I wanted to talk to the commission about.

Uh some thoughts about, you know, the city commission made some charter revisions a number of years ago, mostly relating to elections.

And um, and so I want to talk uh today a little bit about um what our observations have been with regard to the successes or or lack of success to some of the changes that we made.

For example, uh we decided to change our elections from March to November with to m to coincide with the presidential national election cycle.

Um has that been successful for us?

Do we feel that the that um the number of people that are engaged uh in the in the city elections has been um successful?

Do people pay attention to city elections in November?

When is it presidential or senatorial or congressional elections that are at the top of the ticket?

Um do we feel lost in the whole election cycle?

Um on the at the same token.

Do we find we now find ourselves more and more people voting in city elections?

I remember when I was first elected mayor, there were 15 percent.

It was a 15 percent now.

Yeah, 12 people.

Uh there were um uh 15 percent uh voter turnout, which is probably one of the largest we had for a March election, right?

But then for the national election, we had like 70, 80 percent.

So a lot of those people that voted the the next time were voting for city elections for the first time in the you know since they've lived here.

So um so it's a question I ask, you know, was that a good choice?

Did we make a uh was that a good decision?

And the the next question is if we decide to keep it in November, should we also implement a primary system so that it isn't um it isn't the person who wins by plurality but has to win by majority?

We had that in the previous election process, where in March uh it was always a runoff if there was if there were more than two candidates running for office.

We usually I think the uh the uh primary was in January and uh the election was in March.

So um uh again, you know, we're finding people win elections with less than 50 percent, including me this last cycle.

Um but uh but you know, is that a good thing for the city?

Should we have our elected officials get a majority instead of just the plurality?

Something to think about before we open I open it to discussion.

The other thing I want to talk about um is um campaign contributions.

Uh I think we upped the campaign contribution uh from 250 to 1,000.

Um, has that been a good thing?

Is uh have we just made elections just more expensive and uh pushing out some candidates who can't raise the same amount of money as other candidates?

Um I know that the Supreme Court of the United States has allowed for political uh campaign committees that uh allow for money to be raised far in excess of a thousand dollars per contributor, um which kind of belies the whole idea of election uh caps on uh contributions.

But um uh again, has that has that worked out for us and uh do we want to continue with that uh thousand dollar um uh cap.

Um moreover, um, and this is uh something that probably we really need to s sit and think about, you know, as I go around the country uh and look at the way other cities are run, I find that as cities grow larger and larger, they find that the management of the city um often finds uh a strong mayor-elected uh uh individual as opposed to the the managed the mayor system we have now, which is sort of a weak mayored form of government.

Uh our entire city is run by our city manager, and what I do is I run the meetings and I guess I'm the spokesperson.

Um I'm just thinking that in terms of accountability and because everyone thinks I run the city.

You know, people come up to me, why haven't you fill this pothole?

Why haven't you taken care of this?

What my sidewalk is broken, you know.

And I'm happy to hear them, and I just refer them to Alter Raquel.

But uh but the point is there's no sense of accountability.

You know, the mayor, I'm not I you know, there's there's no um uh there's no direct accountability in a weak mayor form of government when it comes to citizen expectations of what they uh what they want to receive from their elected officials.

So um something to think about.

I look at some other models.

The only other city in uh Broward that has a strong mayor form of government is plantation.

Uh and um uh and for some reason it's just never been the culture of Broward County to have a strong mayor.

Uh in Miami Dade, uh I know that the City of Miami has sort of a uh hybrid hybrid kind of government.

Um and again, it works differently in different cities.

Um our history in Fort Lauderdale has always been to have a manager mayor form of government.

Uh but uh those this is my last term, so those who would succeed me would you know would be uh the ones that would have to think about you know where do we want the city of Fort Lauderdale to go?

Do we want it to be more responsive to its people through a a direct mayor election uh uh for a strong mayor form of government, or do we just want to keep the status quo?

Those are just some topics I wanted to throw out there.

We've never really had an open and fair discussion about them.

And so I just wanted to hear your thoughts about any or any or all of those comments.

You have any thoughts?

I always have some thoughts.

Yeah.

Well, take it back to what year did we do that?

2018?

When did we do that?

When we changed?

When we changed the case, and I I supported that.

I I think any time that you can engage more people in a city in an election is great.

I think most of our city elections actually average between 10 and 12 percent for a long time.

So I I I'm fine with that.

Not even that.

Yeah, so I I was in favor of moving into the presidential cycle.

Yes, I understand what you're saying about oh, maybe you get a little lost in the shuffle there after that.

But I still think it's a good thing, and then I think it's incumbent upon folks to just educate everybody about the issues and what's going on.

We've had very robust elections since 2018, lots of good discussions, lots of good debates.

So I'm not afraid of the city's uh place on the ballot of getting a loss.

I I'm more pleased with the fact that we're engaging more people, that we're reaching more people, that our turnout is is better.

Um so you know, that's how I feel about that.

We did raise the contribution level, but we did that to match the county and the state, I believe.

That was that was the county limit, that was the state limit, and we felt that we should just be on an equal par uh with however people contribute to a campaign, and we didn't feel um that it was necessary to to keep the the amount that low back then.

So I was also um in favor of that.

I and I and I still am.

With regards to the the strong mayor, um what about the primary system?

Oh, the primary system.

That's interesting.

I guess we'd have to figure that out.

We did that when we had we did that when we had a primary and then a general election.

So I don't know what the logistics are.

You're talking about that maybe we would have to have a primary in August, I guess, before November.

I don't know.

That's a whole nother election.

I guess we could dovetail one of the reasons we also went to November was because it saved us a significant amount of money, not having to have our own elections in January and March.

We used to have a primary, I think in January, occasionally according to the calendar, it moved to February, and then the general election in 2018 was in March.

Um we got rid of that again to save money.

So we would have to explore the cost of having a primary and then doing what you're saying, avoiding just someone getting elected with a plurality as opposed to um a majority.

So I guess that's worth a future conversation.

I I don't know if it's worth doing that in August.

Historically, August turnouts are very low.

Um so that's another factor that we would have to be you know considering because then do we want to go back to those days of of of really low turnout, and then that primary would determine who would be in November.

I probably lean towards just keeping it in November without a primary in August.

Again, I'm I'm certainly open to discussion.

Um and then lastly, with your regard with regards to the strong mayor.

Um, I I I like that expression, if it's not broken, don't fix it.

I I think this system works well for Fort Laurerdale.

We're used to we're used to this form of government with a city manager um and the elected commission.

Uh I don't know.

I mean, by the way, I didn't want to say that most cities now have moved from that March to November.

That's the trend, so I don't know why we would want to go backwards.

Uh because as I said, there's only a few now, I think, that are having their elections in March.

A lot of the ones that had it in March moved to November like we did.

So it's not a large number.

Uh I'm not in favor of going backwards on that.

Um I I think that our form of government really works well for us in terms of just the way it is now with a city manager uh form of government uh and then you know, all of us doing the district representation and the mayor getting elected citywide.

I I I don't see a problem with that.

I I don't know if we're going to accomplish anything uh by moving to a strong uh mayor form of government.

I again I'm open to discussion.

We haven't, as you said, had that discussion.

Uh but I I think what we have now in place works for us as a city.

Uh it's what people are used to.

Right.

Um and the culture is definitely evolved around it.

Yeah, I and that would take quite a bit, I think, to change that culture um so that people number one would understand it and number two would even accept it.

Right.

So again, those are just again, we haven't had this conversation.

Those are just the thoughts up the top of my head.

But again, uh I think everything that we have in place works well for us uh right now.

Thanks.

Any other comments?

Um yes, thank you.

Um thank you, um Commissioner Glassman for giving some more of the background for how we truly got from the uh March to the November um election.

Um, the election part of this is not saying I wasn't voting, I was voting.

I always voted for local, but we do know a lot of times because it's a separate election, people don't necessarily take their time to go in and vote locally.

And when it is a part of the general election in November, we do get the turnout.

And those voters are educated.

They they want to vote, they want to make their voice um known for who they want to represent them.

So I agree with a staying the path that we're on for the November.

Not understanding or seeing a need, I should say, for that primary.

Right now, what um I've experienced and even talk to other neighbors, they are enjoying what they are they are benefiting from the November opportunity.

So my recommendation, our conversation is to keep the November path that we're on.

And then in regards to the campaign funding, um, if we are in alignment with what the state and what the county is doing, county and the state.

County and state, I'm comfortable with that.

It's not like we're saying um that thousand and we you know everyone else is doing five hundred.

You know, we're in alignment, so I'm comfortable with that as a representative um representing um our our city and our neighbors.

Um the strong mayor conversation.

Um what was that term you use?

You said week.

I don't know, I didn't understand that you said strong mayor versus weak mayor.

Weak mayor system.

Okay.

Um mayor, manager, phone government.

Right.

That part I understand, but for you to say the week, that was you know, I don't necessarily agree with that term that you used.

But where I'm going with this deal, okay.

This is what I want to share with you.

Yeah, um a lot of times um neighbors, and like you said, you get the calls first, and then it has to come back to the district or you give it to the city manager.

So there's still that concept where I'm gonna call my mayor first.

So that part of being the weak part of it, I don't I don't put that uh attached to what you're adding to this conversation.

Um I believe that the way that we are operating with the city, the city manager to form a government, it works.

Um I believe it keeps the balance as well, because this way our districts we're getting that voice, we get in the representation.

Um because moving forward, if we go in that direction, we don't know who may be mayor, how they may take on the position, and it will be, you know, some people will take that on.

I want to be the strong mayor and take it to the highest opportunity under that title.

So I believe what what we're doing now is fair and it benefits our city overall.

Okay.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Do you have any additional comments?

Yeah, thanks, Mayor.

I think thanks bringing up good conversation.

I I like the November election.

I think in this past campaign, I'm sure we all were doing this, knocking on doors.

I mean, I found folks were even the mess of a presidential election just so engaged and locked on to the local, what's happening locally that we got you know good, good.

Um we we weren't lost, I'm sure with some folks we are, but but the majority are filled like really were locked on to what we're doing, where they want their city to go, where they want their neighborhood to head.

So I are like that.

I love the cost savings we have in the November election.

In terms of uh earlier election, a primary something.

I I I thought uh there's some limitations to that, Sherry.

I don't know if you've looked into this or Raquel, but I think there's some legal limitations to having a primary.

For example, this is if you have a November election.

Can you have a primary can you have a municipal primary?

I think our city clerk can also in.

Yeah, I don't think we can go ahead.

So for under the Broward County Special Act, it does say there could be a primary in February for a March election.

You couldn't do it any other time, however exactly.

That would cost for two elections because for the entire county, the uh polling locations aren't open.

So being now that we're on November, we're on that cycle.

Uh the new policy actually for the supervisor of elections is it's free when it's only uh candidates on the ballot.

The only time you pay now is for if you do ballot questions.

Right.

Right, exactly.

So and I don't even know if if the supervisor elections would hold a February primary.

Uh if yeah, they they if March would have been the next time to have it, and they just won't uh do special elections on in certain months, it's only when they'll do it.

So what about August?

Because people do vote in August.

August primary would be a no-no for November election.

You cannot have a primary election.

Correct.

School board.

They might not fall under it.

I this is for uh Brown County municipalities.

Well, I guess to your point, very few people do vote in August.

You know, it's a very pathetic turnout.

Okay.

And then thank you.

Uh that was my understanding is municipal in the county cannot have an August primary of that we'd have to shift it entirely to that m March, which I don't think is a good idea.

So okay.

Thanks.

And then in terms of form of government, I like what we've got, Mayor.

I think it I think having you know a professional city manager makes a lot of sense.

I think it has uh some really good upside and um and it also I think drives uh heavier degree of collaboration and coordination among the commissioners and the mayor.

So I like that.

Yeah.

All right.

May you know when my office gets a lot of inquiries, we send them to your office because we tell people he wants to feel stronger.

Uh can you let his office help you?

And they understand.

Scott really appreciates that.

It's uh it's our pleasure, it's our pleasure to work together.

All right.

So uh as we conclude, city manager, are there any final comments you'd like to make?

I just want to thank you, Mayor and the entire commission for your support of our team as we continue to plan for the future.

I also want to acknowledge uh Vice Mayor Herbst and send condolences to him and his family, and to just say thank you to our entire team, especially those who facilitated today and and made sure that we had all the information necessary for you all to make recommendations.

So thank you, Mayor.

Okay.

Meeting concluded.

Thank you.

Thank you.