February 2019

City Commission sets goals for progress in 2019

This past month, the City Commission and city staff convened a two-day goal-setting session in order to map out our objectives for the coming year. We chose to pursue some ambitious undertakings to ensure our infrastructure is up to par, that we are better prepared for the world’s changing climate and that more housing options are available for everyone. 

The city has achieved great progress since 2017 when burst sewage pipes flooded streets and yards in several neighborhoods. 

The city has installed new 30-inch mains downtown and opened new lift stations in critical areas. Projects are underway to reduce stormwater from entering the sewer system and overwhelming it. Construction of a new lift station downtown near Broward Boulevard and Federal Highway has proven challenging but is nearing completion. 

At our goal-setting retreat, the commission told staff that we must press ahead and look beyond the requirements that the state set for the city in late 2017. 

Particularly, we need to make a decision soon about the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant. As you may remember, outside experts told us that the plant was at significant risk of calamitous failure. A study is underway of whether it would be better to repair the existing plant or build a new one. 

At the same time, the rest of the commission and I want to move ahead with planned improvements to our stormwater system. Too many of our neighborhoods are at risk of flooding during high tides or heavy rain. 

In April, the commission expects to receive a rate plan to pay for the work. Projects are designed and ready to go. 

We plan to spend $200 million which will include upgrading the seven neighborhoods experiencing the worst flooding — Progresso Village, Victoria Park, Dorsey Riverbend, the Isles and Rio Vista, River Oaks, Edgewood and Durrs. 

Sea-level rise is occurring much more rapidly than scientists expected, so we need to undertake immediate action. These flood-control projects are a critical part of that. 

Housing is a major priority because the cost to buy a home or rent continues to climb in Fort Lauderdale. 

We want to make sure that the city remains affordable to everyone. The core of our workforce cannot be priced out of living here. That is not a sustainable community. 

Private developers unfortunately have stepped forward with relatively few workforce housing projects, particularly in the downtown area. The commission wants to find ways to encourage more — whether that’s through changes to our code or through some sort of collaboration. Staff is going to explore what our options are. 

Affordable housing also includes a discussion of how we deal with homelessness. This remains part of the commission’s housing priority. 

We’ve had tremendous success in recent months. We cleared the encampment next to the main library. We followed the nationally recognized housing-first approach where an offer of housing is combined with social services to address medical issues, mental health problems, substance abuse or job training. 

We also started a community court that deals with homeless people who are charged with minor offenses. Rather than sentencing them to jail, these individuals also are connected with social services and housing. 

However, we cannot rest on our success and let these efforts dissipate. 

When the city joined with the county, business leadership and non-profit community, we vowed to end homelessness in Fort Lauderdale. We have a long way to go. 

We need to move forward with the creation of day respite centers and food-sharing programs. We also need additional money to pay for permanent and temporary housing. 

To that end, I hope more of the business community follows the example set by the likes of AutoNation and the Castle Group. This is our community, and we all share a responsibility to help resolve the tragic circumstances of the hundreds of homeless living here. 

Another priority for the city is the quality of our waterways. We have been greatly impacted in recent years by algae blooms. 

When I first raised questions about the blooms two years ago, I was told it was fake news and that I was misinterpreting scientific data despite the vast pools of unsightly green gunk that had seldom been seen before in our canals. 

The new administration in Tallahassee has made this a priority as well. In one of his first executive orders, Gov. DeSantis directed state agencies to address the algae blooms with a major goal of reducing the pollutants and nutrients that algae feeds on. The city of Fort Lauderdale will work with the governor, state and Broward County to tackle this problem. 

Rounding out our top priorities is improving the city’s network of sidewalks. We need to ensure that Fort Lauderdale is a walkable community. 

Five additional projects were ranked as very important: improving the streetscape on Birch and Breakers, building a joint government campus, creating the LauderTrail network, implementing improvements to the Las Olas Boulevard corridor proposed by an ongoing working group, and enhancing streetscapes and tree canopy citywide. 

Scooters

In my last newsletter, I discussed my concerns regarding the dangerous use of the scooters that were introduced to the city last fall and I called for the City Commission to address the problems. Change is now underway.

The commission has agreed to prohibit scooters in the beach area during the height of the Spring Break tourist season. There are so many people walking and so much traffic on the streets that it would not be safe to allow scooters at the same time. 

The city manager is working with the scooter companies to determine how the Spring Break ban will work and where scooters would be stored by those using them to reach the beach. 

More broadly, the commission has agreed that we want to find a way for electric scooters to remain a transportation option in Fort Lauderdale. More than 300,000 rides were logged in the first three months of their presence. While some may use scooters for fun, many are using them for short trips that otherwise would be made via car. That is helping reduce traffic congestion. 

Still, too many accidents are occurring and scooters are being misused. It is crucial that riders and pedestrians be alert, attentive and look out for each other to avoid injuries and accidents.

We asked staff for recommendations to better regulate issues such as speed, the areas of operation, parking, and enforcement. They will be bringing legislation back to us in the coming months. We may raise the fees charged to the companies in order to increase enforcement. The companies also are being asked to better educate riders about proper use.  

Lockhart Stadium

A lot of excitement is suddenly surrounding Lockhart Stadium. The city recently received two significant proposals to rebuild the site to accommodate professional and community soccer. 

The complex of Lockhart and neighboring Fort Lauderdale Stadium at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport once hosted high school football championships and baseball spring training. The site slipped into disrepair after spring training moved away and plans to build a water park fell through. 

The first proposal we received was from Inter Miami, a group led by soccer star David Beckham. His plan focuses on transforming the property into a state-of-the-art soccer training facility for his Major League Soccer team and a youth soccer academy. The group would build a new stadium and construct a community park that includes fields for public use. Part of the plan is to locate an affiliated minor league soccer team here.

The other concept is from a new company, FXE Futbol. They want to renovate Lockhart to be home to a minor league soccer team. Surrounding it, they would add a mall of restaurants and shops, a Topgolf facility, and multipurpose fields that could be used by the public. 

The commission has agreed to review both and any other proposals that arrive in the coming weeks. Both myself and the rest of the commission want to improve Lockhart and included it as one of the major components of the bond issue that goes before voters on March 12. With private investment at Lockhart, bond money could be directed to other projects or toward further enhancements there.

Hopefully, by working with the private sector, we can create a major sports-recreation campus on the Lockhart site that will be boon to our community.

Yours,

Dean Trantalis

Mayor Trantalis hosts a telephone town hall meeting to discuss the March 12 vote on bond issues to build a new police station and improve city parks.

Mayor Trantalis open a gala at the Ritz Carlton to benefit the Human Rights Campaign, the group's first dinner held in South Florida in many years.

Mayor Trantalis greets people attending the Broward Bares It performance that raised money for Latinos Salud and Deliver the Dream.

Mayor Trantalis attends the annual gala for the South Florida Symphony Orchestra before a performance of Porgy & Bess at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

Mayor Trantalis opens a town hall regarding work underway to make city infrastructure more resilient and ready for climate change.

Mayor Trantalis answers questions from residents during the annual meeting of the Imperial Point Association at Broward Health's Imperial Point Hospital auditorium.

Mayor Trantalis addresses people attending an economic summit hosted by YPO's regional chapter at the Conrad Hotel.

Mayor Trantalis meets with architectural experts and the Downtown Development Authority to discuss ideas for a joint government campus with Broward County.