Hollywood City Commission Regular Meeting – October 7, 2026

The Hollywood City Commission met on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in Commission Chambers at Hollywood City Hall, 2600 Hollywood Blvd. The meeting opened with a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. It included proclamations, a unanimous consent agenda, a second-reading ordinance on budget and procurement changes, two quasi-judicial approvals for The Club at Emerald Hills, several regular agenda contracts, and a lengthy public hearing on the proposed Hollywood Beach Overlay District. The supplied transcript ends during that public hearing, so no final commission vote is recorded for items 23–25 or for the later 4:00 p.m. items 29–30.

Consent Calendar

• The commission approved the consent agenda, items 5 through 16, unanimously on a motion by Vice Mayor Callari, seconded by Commissioner Gruber. No speaker cards were submitted. The approved consent items included: a HUD HOME tenant-based rental assistance subrecipient authorization up to $424,003.13; Cigna medical/pharmacy administrative services up to $994,644.20 per year for five years; Cigna stop-loss coverage up to $961,837.80; Vision Service Plan vision insurance up to $351,339.00 per year; a Broward County Transportation Surtax funding application; Stryker Power Pro 2 ambulance stretchers up to $257,784.40; R2 Unified Technologies consulting/support services up to $257,194.20; Playworx playground equipment and installation up to $314,844.32; a Stantec blanket purchase agreement renewal up to $400,000.00; a Brown and Caldwell construction administration work order up to $382,040.00; a Cardinal Contractors non-compensable 120-day time extension; and Hazen and Sawyer in-house support work orders up to $500,000.00.

Presentations, Proclamations & Awards

• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was proclaimed for October 2026. Mike Rodriguez of the American Cancer Society accepted and noted that about one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. The proclamation cited an estimated 321,910 U.S. women to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2026, 60,730 additional cases of DCIS, and an estimated 42,140 deaths. He invited the community to the Making Strides walk on October 17 at 7:00 a.m. in Fort Lauderdale.
• Fire Prevention Week, October 4–10, 2026, was proclaimed. Fire Marshal Jeff Lucas highlighted the 2026 theme, charged into fire safety, safe charging is a superpower, and reported that the Fire Prevention Bureau completed 100% of annual inspections, reduced plan review times from about 28 days to about six days, and performed about 5,000 permit inspections. Commissioner Biederman also recognized the nonprofit Austin's Fire Chiefs, founded in memory of nine-year-old Austin Belvin.
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month, October 2026, was proclaimed. IT Director Raheem Citron noted the 23rd annual observance and encouraged strong passwords, password managers, multi-factor authentication, scam recognition, and software updates.

Public Comments & Testimony

Emerald Hills (Items 21–22)

• During the quasi-judicial hearing for The Club at Emerald Hills, staff, the applicant, and members of the public waived formal hearing procedures. Commissioners disclosed ex parte communications and contacts with the applicant and residents.
• Nearly all public speakers supported the project. Supporters described an eight-year community process, the reduction from an original roughly 900-unit concept to 284 dwelling units and 40 lodging units, and the developer's responsiveness to resident concerns about scale, drainage, and clubhouse uses.
• One resident, Ephraim Saragovia, raised concerns about drainage capacity, lake dredging, storm drain maintenance, and the golf course's flood role. The applicant responded that dredging was already starting, the plan adds five acres of lakes, and less than 10% of the overall site would be developed.

Hollywood Beach Overlay District (Items 23–25)

• Approximately 60 speaker cards were submitted. The majority of speakers opposed the proposed overlay and companion allocations, with many asking the commission to reject or delay the items.
• Opponents cited concerns about residential density and building height, traffic and parking, A1A evacuation capacity, hurricane evacuation, flooding during king tides, drainage and infrastructure adequacy, shadows on the beach, loss of the beach's low-rise character, public beach access, and the risk of Hollywood becoming like Sunny Isles. Several speakers questioned public trust, the pace of engagement, and whether the public benefit was proportional to added development rights.
• Some speakers expressed support or mixed views. Barry Leff, representing owners of the Caribbean Resort properties, supported the overlay as a framework that gives property owners an alternative to Live Local and a structured conversation with the city, while acknowledging it does not create as-of-right development. Michael Seltzer said he favored beach development generally but argued the overlay would not stop Live Local.
• Associations including the Hollywood Beach Civic Association and Hollywood Lakes Civic Association asked for broader community involvement and more detailed parameters before decisions were made.

5:00 p.m. Citizens’ Comments

• Residents also spoke on topics unrelated to the overlay, including city pensions, illegal political signs, code enforcement, the historic overlay district, speed bumps, a tree blocking sight lines at Davy Road Extension and 78th Avenue, and the conduct of commissioners toward the public.
• Several speakers criticized commission decorum and called for more respect and meaningful public participation. Mayor Levy responded, saying he regretted an outburst but rejecting what he called election-season scare tactics about his family and defending his family's record in Hollywood.

Discussion Items

Item 20 – Budget, Procurement, Finance, and Economic Development Ordinance

• On second reading, the commission considered PO-2026-024a, amending Chapters 30 and 38 of the City Code. Procurement Director Steve Stewart noted a minor clarification inserting per contract year into city manager and chief procurement officer approval thresholds. The agenda stated no changes since first reading, while staff described this small clarification.
• The ordinance passed 6–1, with Commissioner Shuham voting no for the same reason she stated at first reading.

Items 21–22 – The Club at Emerald Hills Rezoning and Site Plan

• Staff and the applicant presented the rezoning of 166.134 acres at 4100 N. Hills Drive from Country Club to Planned Development, including master plan and design guidelines, variances from peripheral setback requirements, and site plan approval for eight development sites comprising 284 dwelling units, 40 lodging units, a clubhouse, indoor and outdoor recreation, a neighborhood park, and related infrastructure.
• The applicant noted revisions since first reading, including 150 additional parking spaces in a clubhouse garage, and described drainage improvements, lake dredging, a redesigned golf course, and public walking trails.
• Commissioner Gruber asked that PPG remain identified as the developer of record, and the applicant agreed.

Items 23–25 – Hollywood Beach Overlay District and Companion Allocations

• Staff presented the proposed Section 4.26 Hollywood Beach Overlay District, including optional bonus programs, urban design guidelines, a regulating plan map, a Public Benefit and Resilience Trust Fund, rooftop amenity changes, and a five-year sunset.
• Staff summarized changes made after first reading: in precinct three, the landmark bonus was reduced from 50 feet to 30 feet, with a maximum height of 180 feet on eligible landmark sites; in precinct four, staff reverted to the 340-foot maximum recommended to the Planning and Development Board, subject to independent third-party feasibility review and commission discretion at application time; the historic rehabilitation incentive was restored; flexibility units and TDRs were made available in mapped portions of non-controlling hotel properties through a unified master plan; and the resiliency fund calculation was changed to a per-unit basis.
• Staff showed illustrative massing and shadow studies for five sample sites, emphasizing that the renderings were not actual projects and that all applications would require shadow studies and discretionary commission approval.
• Companion items would allocate 500 flexibility units for overlay-eligible areas in precincts three and four and establish an initial inventory of 2,300 hotel rooms for the Tourism Incentive Density Entitlement, or TIDE, program. Staff stressed that these are program ceilings, not project entitlements.
• The public hearing remained open when the supplied transcript ended; no vote was recorded on items 23–25.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda items 5–16 were approved unanimously.
• Ordinance PO-2026-024a passed on second reading by a vote of 6–1, with Commissioner Shuham dissenting.
• Ordinance PO-2026-022a rezoning The Club at Emerald Hills passed unanimously, 7–0.
• Resolution R-2026-326 approving the Emerald Hills design and site plan passed unanimously by voice vote.
• Resolution R-2026-329 with Synagro South, LLC for biosolids hauling, treatment, and disposal was approved unanimously. The agreement is up to $7,476,960.00 per year for ten years, with up to 5% annual escalation and two optional five-year renewals. The agenda noted the item required a 5/7 vote; all seven commissioners voted yes.
• Resolution R-2026-330 authorizing the BRIC grant application for the Southern Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Bar Screen Improvements was approved unanimously. Total project cost is $1,487,010.00; requested grant is $1,115,257.00; city match is $371,753.00.
• Resolution R-2026-331 with AT&T Enterprises Florida, LLC for cellular and data services was approved unanimously, in an amount up to $2,880,000.00 over five years. Commissioner Biederman requested improved in-building wireless connectivity as part of the service.
• No vote is recorded in the supplied transcript for items 23–25 or items 29–30; the transcript ends before those matters were decided.