The Hollywood City Commission convened a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 1:00 PM in the Commission Chambers (Room 219) at City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Blvd. The meeting opened with a moment of silence remembering community members Steve Worthman, attorney Larry Davis, and victims of the Venezuela and Colombia earthquakes, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a recognition of veterans. Roll call confirmed all seven commissioners present: Mayor Josh Levy, Vice Mayor Traci Callari, and Commissioners Caryl Shuham, Peter D. Hernandez, Adam Gruber, Kevin Biederman, and Idelma Quintana. The meeting included multiple award presentations, two state legislative session briefings, two utility ordinance readings, a significant redevelopment program discussion, an affordable housing loan commitment, a waterfront property purchase for flood mitigation, and public comments.
Welcome everyone. Welcome to City Hall here in the City of Hollywood. Today is Wednesday, August 26th, 2026, and we are here for a city commission meeting, of course. Every meeting of the city commission has uh important items on the agenda, uh and important recognition, and today will be no different. And in fact, today will be um really exceptional in what we're recognizing today. Uh but before we uh get on with the agenda, uh, we do always start the meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. And at times when a member of the City Commission wishes to uh ask for a moment of privilege to remember someone in the community or in their personal life that was lost uh during since we last met as a city commission, then we of course extend that opportunity for the community to uh uh think of someone as we rise for the moment of silence. So at this time, I'd like to recognize Commissioner Quintana, who would like to uh extend her uh remembrance of a friend. Go ahead, Commissioner Quintana. Thank you very much, Mayor. Uh today I'd like to take a moment for us to remember Steve Worthman. Steve's enduring legacy is in South Florida, where he was a beloved community activist, a devoted husband, son, and friend. He was a Broward County resident from the age of two, where uh Steve witnessed tremendous change over his lifetime and helped bring about some of the best of it. For more than four decades, he served as Broward County through served Broward County through his work in environmental conservation, affordable housing, mental health, and homeless services. While some people measure their lives by personal success, Steve measured his by the difference he made in the lives of others. In the late 70s, Steve co-founded environmental coalition of Broward County in 1982. He became the first executive director of the Florida League of Conservation Voters. He later served as site supervisor for specialized urban ministries urban garden program in Broad County, and in the late 80s, he became Broward County's first outreach case manager for people experiencing homelessness and mental illness at Henderson Mental Health Center. He went on to manage the county's first transitional shelter shelter for homeless families, operated by Salvation Army, and later he opened the Miami Rescue Mission, Broward Outreach Center, right here in Hollywood. He ended his formal career as chief operating officer for Hope South Florida. Above all, Steve Sherish, the life he shared with his beloved wife Kathy. They met in 1991 when both worked for the Salvation Army of Broward County. Their friendship bloomed into a romance, and they married at Trinity College Chapel in Hartford, Connecticut. Together they enjoyed a life centered on love, friendship, music, faith, family, and community. Their partnership reflected the same compassion and generosity that defined Steve's life. So I every time I'll barefoot, I'll remember Steve. Thank you. Thank you, uh, Commissioner Quintana. As well, you all might have heard that the community lost uh uh a member. His name was Larry Davis. Uh Larry was uh an attorney that lived here in the city of Hollywood, practiced here uh on Harrison Street at his law office for decades. Uh served a lot of people again as an attorney, uh began his career as I later learned uh in social work and in behavioral health when that was first uh really uh starting to bud here in Broward County back in the 1980s and 90s, was very close with uh Bob Butterworth, the former attorney general who still lives in Hollywood uh and has a lot of close friends that will miss him dearly, uh a lot of colleagues in the professional legal world that will miss him. He was uh someone who was very well known in uh in the Broward County Courthouse uh by every uh bailiff, by every clerk, uh, and was a real uh real great person. Uh, we're all gonna miss him, and uh it really is uh a great loss. So think of uh Steve and think of Larry. Mayor. Yes. Go ahead, Commissioner. Just uh also if we would just remember all of the lives lost in the earthquake in Venezuela and uh the lives lost in Colombia. Indeed. Well, thank you all. Uh let's be thankful for our for our blessings and and uh for the moments we've had with people that we care about. Uh please rise for that moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to report for which it stands. Uh we also take an important moment to recognize our veterans, active service personnel, and their families. So if you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, family member thereof, active duty, please rise. We'd like to recognize you. Thank you. All right.