OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fort Lauderdale City Commission Meeting - May 19, 2026

City Commission — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyFort Lauderdale, Florida
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 5:13:50
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the city commission meeting this May 19, 2026.

0:05

We thank you all for being here.

0:06

I see we have a full house, so there must be something interesting on the agenda tonight.

0:10

We'll find out what that is.

0:13

So for those of you who are here for the first time, welcome and we thank you for participating.

0:18

Um so just to let you know the sequence of events.

0:21

We start out with our pledge of allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

0:25

There's some agenda announcements, and then we have presentations.

0:29

The presentations are normally to honor or recognize individuals, events, or or organizations that are notable during this particular time or this particular month.

0:42

So do we so may I invite Shauna Roberts, Zuri Williams, and Zoe Williams to the podium?

0:50

Where are where are they?

0:52

Oh, here, come on.

0:53

And may I ask you all to please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

1:29

And to the plea, what she said, when they say Anaga, and the visible, and then it's who are all.

1:40

So we have a little back for each of you.

1:43

Thank you.

1:43

Thank you.

1:45

Is anyone wait, wait, don't go away.

1:47

Is any member of your family here today?

1:49

Yes.

1:50

Why don't you come over here?

1:51

We're gonna take a picture of all with everybody.

1:54

Let's do it in front.

1:54

Come on, come on.

1:55

We'll do it in front.

2:08

Very good.

2:10

Okay, right.

2:50

So Shauna is from Mirror Lake Elementary, Zuri is from Walker Elementary, and Zoe's from Walker Elementary.

2:57

So I want to thank you, thank your family for being here today, and we appreciate your participating in the pleasures this after this evening.

3:04

Um so if we could just uh join the commission and the rest of the community here for a moment of silence.

3:23

Thank you so much.

3:26

So at the beginning of a meeting, we uh recognize individuals who are retiring who've been part of the city for at least 20 years.

3:34

And tonight we have three such individuals, and I'd like to announce their names.

3:38

We have Alan Lucouset, who has been uh public records clerk for 20 years.

3:43

Congratulations, Alan.

3:45

Uh we have Lana, okay, here we go.

3:49

Rangoonen, Rangunnen, who has been a court liaison specialist.

3:54

She's been with us for 23 years, and we have wow, Bob Dunkel, finally.

4:00

Thirty-eight years, Bob.

4:02

Wow.

4:08

Bob Dunkel has been uh, well, helped mentor me when I was first a commissioner almost 20 years ago.

4:14

So thank you all for your uh commitment and your service to our city.

4:17

We thank you again and again.

4:20

So now I would ask the city clerk to please call the role of the commission.

4:25

Commissioner Herbs Commissioner Glossman.

4:27

Here, Commissioner Beasley Pittman.

4:29

Here, Vice Mayor Sorensen.

4:30

Here, Mayor Trentals.

4:32

Here.

4:32

We have a full attendance.

4:34

Um we have three agenda announcements.

4:36

Um, these three items are going to be removed from the agenda for further for consideration at another meeting.

4:43

CR three is going to be removed.

4:45

Let me write this down.

4:50

Uh M five is going to be removed, and R five is going to be removed.

4:55

We have two walk-ons.

4:57

Resolution appointing Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen is the primary representative, and Pamel Beasley Pittman as the alternate as the alternate to the solid waste disposal and recycling materials processing authority of Broward County Governing Board.

4:59

And we have a walk, another walk-on ordinance regarding the charter of vision changes relating to the police chief and the fire rescue chief.

5:19

We have an item revision CM3, the exhibit to CM3.

5:24

It was revised with a minor change to the confidentiality section.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Economic Development█████████████████17%
Community Engagement██████████████14%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Public Safety█████5%
Personnel Matters███3%
Youth Programs██2%
Arts And Culture██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Lauderdale City Commission Meeting - May 19, 2026

The Fort Lauderdale City Commission met on May 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM (local time) for a regular meeting. The agenda included several proclamations, a consent agenda, multiple discussion items, and a lengthy public hearing on a rezoning and site plan for a new Weston Jewelers store on Las Olas Boulevard. The meeting also addressed charter amendments for November ballot placement.

Proclamations & Presentations

  • Dillard High School Lady Panthers Day: Commissioner Beasley Pittman presented a proclamation recognizing the girls basketball team for a 19-7 season and a second-round playoff appearance. Gabrielle King was highlighted for 1,200 career points and a 4.5 weighted GPA.
  • Jewish American Heritage Month: Commissioner Glassman presented a proclamation for May 2026, accepted by Sandy Allah of Goodman Jewish Family Services.
  • National Peace Officers Memorial Day: Commissioner Herbst presented a proclamation honoring 13 fallen Fort Lauderdale police officers.
  • National Beach Safety Week: Mayor Trantalis presented a proclamation noting that Ocean Rescue personnel performed 64,443 preventive actions, 441 rescues, and saved 218 lives from May 2025 to April 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved as amended: Agenda and previous minutes.
  • Consent items approved (with CP6 and CM3 pulled): M1 (Sebastian Seville seawall replacement), M2 (sewer repair contracts), M3 (asphalt resurfacing), M4 (concrete and paver stones), R1 (board and committee appointments), R2 (sidewalk master plan acceptance), R3 (FDOT lighting agreement), R4 (dock permit for Robert Gallagher), R6 (notice of intent to convey property to CRA), R8 (storm drain easement vacation).
  • Items removed: CR3, M5, R5 (per agenda announcements).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • CP6 (Central City CRA master plan): Troy Liggitt (Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association president) opposed the contract, stating the CRA advisory board had not reviewed it and that the process started from scratch despite prior work. The item was deferred to allow further review.
  • PH1 (Weston Jewelers rezoning and site plan): Over 70 people signed up. Key speakers:
    • Opposition: Residents of Cooley Hammock and Beverly Heights raised concerns about parking, height (81 ft 11 in), precedent of zoning change, and lack of enforceable agreements. LaDonna (Cooley Hammock) noted that parking agreements were not in perpetuity and enforcement was weak. Speakers also worried about construction disruption and environmental impacts.
    • Support: Ed Dykes (owner), Stephanie Toothacre (attorney), and many business leaders and neighbors emphasized the project's luxury retail destination, community engagement, removal of restaurants, 16-foot height reduction, and secured parking agreements (106 off-site spaces). Supporters argued Las Olas needs high-end retail to compete with Miami and Palm Beach, and that the project will bring jobs and tax revenue.
  • OFR3 & OFR4 (Charter amendments): Mary Fertig and Marilyn Mamano (Lauderdale Tomorrow) requested three changes: restore a 50-year cap on leases, require unanimous vote for park land disposition/rezone, and bar automatic renewals. Several residents echoed support for stronger park protections.

Discussion Items

  • CM3 (Group Violence Intervention Program): Commissioner Glassman asked about deliverables. Police Chief confirmed it is a pilot program using state funds, with no formal report yet. Approved.
  • M1 (Seawall Replacement): Vice Mayor Sorensen asked about living seawall feasibility. Staff said evaluation ongoing; preliminary findings show challenges due to water taxi traffic. Approved.
  • R2 (Sidewalk Master Plan): Staff presented a data-driven plan identifying 436 miles of gaps. Priority tiers focus on neighborhoods near schools. Over $20 million in appropriated funds. Approved unanimously.
  • PH1 - Weston Jewelers: Extensive debate on height, parking, zoning, and enforceability. Commission asked City Attorney to review proposed restrictive covenants between readings. First reading approved 5-0, with Commissioner Herbst conditioning his yes on City Attorney review.
  • Charter Amendments (OFR3 & OFR4): Commission debated park protections. Final amendments: park land sale/lease/rezone to require unanimous vote (over 1 year); non-park public land lease up to 50 years needs supermajority, over 50 years unanimous. Also added residency requirement for future police and fire chiefs. Approved first reading.

Key Outcomes

  • CP6 Deferred: To next meeting after CRA advisory board review and community input.
  • PH1 Approved on First Reading: Rezoning to Community Business District, site plan for 20,337 sq ft retail and 11,816 sq ft office, with parking reduction to 0 on-site (106 off-site spaces). Conditions include living seawall, no restaurants, employee parking restrictions, and further City Attorney review of deed restrictions.
  • Charter Amendments (7 items) Approved on First Reading: To be placed on November 2026 ballot. Key changes: simplification of property sales, supermajority/unanimous votes for public land leases, unanimous vote for park land changes, tie-breaking procedure for Civil Service Board, and new charter officer status for police and fire chiefs (with residency requirement for future hires).
  • Solid Waste Representative Appointed: Vice Mayor Sorensen as primary, Commissioner Beasley Pittman as alternate to the Broward County Solid Waste Authority.
  • Ordinances Approved: OFR1 & OFR2 (solid waste container placement civil citations) first reading; OSR1 (private sewer lateral clarification) second reading.
  • Meeting Extended: Meeting extended to 11:30 PM to complete agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the city commission meeting this May 19, 2026. We thank you all for being here. I see we have a full house, so there must be something interesting on the agenda tonight. We'll find out what that is. So for those of you who are here for the first time, welcome and we thank you for participating. Um so just to let you know the sequence of events. We start out with our pledge of allegiance followed by a moment of silence. There's some agenda announcements, and then we have presentations. The presentations are normally to honor or recognize individuals, events, or or organizations that are notable during this particular time or this particular month. So do we so may I invite Shauna Roberts, Zuri Williams, and Zoe Williams to the podium? Where are where are they? Oh, here, come on. And may I ask you all to please rise and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance? And to the plea, what she said, when they say Anaga, and the visible, and then it's who are all. So we have a little back for each of you. Thank you. Thank you. Is anyone wait, wait, don't go away. Is any member of your family here today? Yes. Why don't you come over here? We're gonna take a picture of all with everybody. Let's do it in front. Come on, come on. We'll do it in front. Very good. Okay, right. So Shauna is from Mirror Lake Elementary, Zuri is from Walker Elementary, and Zoe's from Walker Elementary. So I want to thank you, thank your family for being here today, and we appreciate your participating in the pleasures this after this evening. Um so if we could just uh join the commission and the rest of the community here for a moment of silence. Thank you so much. So at the beginning of a meeting, we uh recognize individuals who are retiring who've been part of the city for at least 20 years. And tonight we have three such individuals, and I'd like to announce their names. We have Alan Lucouset, who has been uh public records clerk for 20 years. Congratulations, Alan. Uh we have Lana, okay, here we go. Rangoonen, Rangunnen, who has been a court liaison specialist. She's been with us for 23 years, and we have wow, Bob Dunkel, finally. Thirty-eight years, Bob. Wow. Bob Dunkel has been uh, well, helped mentor me when I was first a commissioner almost 20 years ago. So thank you all for your uh commitment and your service to our city. We thank you again and again. So now I would ask the city clerk to please call the role of the commission. Commissioner Herbs Commissioner Glossman. Here, Commissioner Beasley Pittman. Here, Vice Mayor Sorensen. Here, Mayor Trentals. Here. We have a full attendance.

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