Hollywood City Commission Regular Meeting - June 18, 2025
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Hollywood City Commission Regular Meeting - June 18, 2025
The Hollywood City Commission met on June 18, 2025, starting at 1:00 PM, for a lengthy regular meeting covering over 50 agenda items. Key actions included the appointment of a new city attorney, adoption of a stormwater master plan with a rate increase, approval of a zoning ordinance update, and discussions on the centennial celebration, the FDOT Stirling Road interchange, and a Brightline railroad crossing agreement. The meeting also featured proclamations, police awards, and annual reports from several advisory committees.
Consent Calendar
- Items 5-29: Approved unanimously. These included routine resolutions such as payment of legal fees (up to $200,000 for Weiss Serota), grant application for coastal resiliency ($500,000), contract extensions, easements, purchase orders for equipment, and various professional service agreements. No speaker cards were submitted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 50 (Citizens’ Comments): Several residents spoke in opposition to the proposed 99-year lease of public land at 1301 North Ocean Drive for a 27-story condominium. Speakers (Ann Ralston, Julie Greenfield, Laurie Ehrenfeld, Susan Howlett, Rita Lipoff, Ronna Lee) argued the land should remain for public use (library, community center, beach access) and called for a referendum. Other speakers addressed the library closure, and one speaker expressed support for promoting Demaris Henlin as city attorney.
Presentations, Proclamations & Awards
- Proclamation - National Boys & Girls Club Week (June 23-27): Presented by Commissioner Biederman. Alyssa Arlequin from the Marty Heizinga Club accepted, noting the club serves over 260 members daily.
- Police Department Awards: Acting Chief Stephen Bolger recognized officers for actions in February-April 2025, including lifesaving efforts (tourniquet applications), arrest of a mail theft suspect, and support for skating families after the D.C. midair crash.
- Sister Cities Advisory Committee Annual Report: Ben Key presented goals for reconnecting with existing sister cities (e.g., Albania, France, Romania, Israel, Uruguay, Guatemala, Morocco) and expanding cultural/educational exchanges.
- Artwork Selection Committee Annual Report: Chair John McMillan reported streamlining the submission process and selecting 11 artists for display; requested commission endorsement for an art festival at Arts Park.
- Centennial Celebration Committee Annual Report: Vice Chair Andrew Ruffner outlined events planned through December 2025, including a November festival at Arts Park. Discussion revealed concerns about the lack of a headlining act and the need for more funding. Commissioners urged staff to accelerate planning and consider additional funding.
- Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report: Finance Director Stephanie Tensley and auditor Hermes Garzon presented a clean audit opinion with no internal control deficiencies. The prior year’s bank reconciliation finding was resolved.
Discussion Items
- FDOT Stirling Road Interchange (Item 32): Justin Relitz (Atkins Realis) presented the proposed new interchange on Florida’s Turnpike at Stirling Road. The project aims to reduce congestion at Hollywood Boulevard and Griffin Road interchanges, with travel time savings of 30-45% at those interchanges. Features include a new bridge, shared-use path, and intersection improvements at SR7/441. Design expected to take ~4 years; construction timeline uncertain. Commissioners expressed support but raised concerns about impacts on churches and the need for safety improvements at existing interchanges.
- City Attorney Appointment (Item 33): After interviewing four finalists, the commission ranked candidates. Following debate, a motion to appoint Demaris Henlin (acting city attorney) carried 4-3 (Commissioners Shuham, Quintana, Biederman, Hernandez in favor; Mayor Levy, Commissioner Callari, Commissioner Gruber opposed). Alex Boxner, the other finalist, was not selected. The commission directed negotiations for an employment agreement with Henlin.
- Ordinance - Emergency Temporary Housing (Item 37, First Reading): Aligned with state law extending temporary housing permits from 90 days to 36 months during declared emergencies. Passed 6-0.
- Ordinance - Zoning Amendments (Item 35, Second Reading): Revised development review process, administrative approvals, and thresholds. After floor amendment, commission approved 6-1 with thresholds set at 30,000 sq ft or 30 units (staff alternative #1) for projects that require Planning & Development Board review. Also included strengthened public participation requirements.
- Ordinance - Live Local Act Implementation (Item 38, First Reading): Established regulations for statutorily authorized mixed-use affordable housing developments. Passed 7-0 with direction to staff to review and potentially strike requirements for identical interior finishes between market-rate and affordable units and to re-evaluate the 50% ground-floor commercial mandate.
- Stormwater Master Plan and Rates (Items 46-48): Staff presented the adopted stormwater master plan with $375 million in projects ($75M pay-as-you-go, $300M CIP). Stormwater rates increased from $10.62/ERU to $22/ERU (approximately $128/year for an average home). Adopted unanimously.
- Brightline Railroad Crossing – Garfield Street (Item 36): Approved a supplemental grant agreement for quad gates and safety improvements. City’s share $314,000; total grant $2.9 million. Commissioners directed staff to work with Broward County to fund a traffic signal at the crossing, citing safety concerns after two fatalities due to a utility box obstructing sight lines.
- Noresco Energy Conservation (Items 44-45): Approved execution of construction work order and master equipment lease-purchase agreement (up to $6.6 million) for energy efficiency upgrades (LED lighting, HVAC upgrades, building automation) at 27 city buildings. Projected $388,000 annual savings.
Key Outcomes
- Appointed Demaris Henlin as City Attorney (4-3 vote).
- Adopted Stormwater Master Plan and increased stormwater rates to $22/ERU (from $10.62), effective FY2026.
- Approved Zoning Ordinance Amendments (6-1) with new thresholds of 30,000 sq ft or 30 units for Planning & Development Board review of as-of-right projects.
- Passed Live Local Act Ordinance on First Reading (7-0) with direction to revisit interior finish requirements.
- Approved Brightline Grant Agreement for Garfield Street crossing with city funding up to $314,000.
- Approved Noresco Energy Services Contract and associated financing up to $6.6 million.
- Approved Change Order for Hollywood Beach Golf Course Stormwater Modifications ($5,315,136.54).
- Authorized Voting Delegate for Florida League of Cities Annual Conference (Commissioner Callari).
- Directed staff to explore summer reading program alternatives at the closed Hollywood Library and to address FPL service issues.
Other Business
- Comments by Commission: Commissioner Callari raised concerns about the Hollywood Library closure and requested a scholastic book locker; Commissioner Hernandez reported on Fletcher Street wall completion, downtown lighting issues, and requested neighborhood association bylaws; Commissioner Gruber inquired about Sun Shuttle stop timing at Grandview; Commissioner Biederman thanked utilities for FDOT meeting on turnpike widening; Vice Mayor Quintana announced a new summer reading program under a tree at Zinkle Park. City Manager Keller reported on FPL power shutdown on Father’s Day and pledged to escalate service complaints. City Attorney announced a closed attorney-client session for July 2.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everyone. It is uh Wednesday, June eighteenth, twenty twenty-five. We're here for a regular city commission meeting, but as I say, every meeting, no meeting is ever regular because there's always important uh substance ahead of us. And uh like to welcome uh and it's great to see the men and women of the Hollywood Police Department here today uh for an item with us here. Thank you all for being here. Um let's go ahead with our agenda. We start every meeting with uh a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Uh and as we conclude the Pledge of Allegiance, uh Commissioner Kollary will have a moment of privilege uh to uh recognize a special person here who will uh give us a nice performance, right? All right, so uh everyone please uh rise for the moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flags of America to the Republic for just nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for our thank you so much. Before I turn it over to Commissioner Kallery, let's uh recognize our veterans, active service personnel and their families. So if you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or a family member of uh of a service member, please rise. We'd like to recognize you. Thank you so much. A roll call, please. Commissioner Clary. Commissioner Gruber. Here, Commissioner Biederman. Here, Vice Mayor Cantana here, Commissioner Shoeham here. Commissioner Hernandez. Here, Mayor Levy. Here. All right, thank you. Now I'd like to extend a moment of privilege to Commissioner Kaleri. Thank you, May. Um, today we have uh Dovan Perry, also known as DP Sowell. He is a trumpeter, vocalist, and an artist from our very own Liberia, right here in Hollywood. A product of Bethune Elementary and a graduate of Dillard High School. Dovan went on to earn his bachelor's degree in jazz and contemporary music from the new school's Parsons School of Design in New York City. Today he returns home to help celebrate Juneteenth with a performance of the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing. Thank you, everyone. Please rise. It's great to uh have such talent in our city and learn about your uh your uh studies for for music. Thank you so much. Uh he did not need a microphone, that was cool. Uh and I'll tell you uh the Juneteenth celebration that the African American Advisory Council had at the MLK Center uh this past Saturday was really nice. Uh we had, of course, uh you perform and and others too, and Destin uh gave us a really awesome uh monologue. Um and so it was really nice. And tomorrow uh the holiday continues with a parade in Washington Park. So we invite everyone to uh 10 a.m. The parade will start out of the Washington Park uh community center and we'll uh help celebrate the holiday. So today's consent agenda, ladies and gentlemen, includes items five through twenty-nine. These are items that don't usually require individual discussion. However, if there is a speaker card or a request for a member of the city commission, we're happy to remove an item for individual discussion later in the agenda. Pat, are there any speaker cards on five through twenty-nine? No cards. Motion to approve second. We have a motion and a second to approve items five through twenty-nine on consent. All those in favor say aye.
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