October 2020
Assessing the State of our City
Normally, we would have gathered in person by now so I could deliver a State of the City message and tell you about all the great things that the city accomplished over the past year. 

Unfortunately, world events intervened. The COVID-19 pandemic struck and our lives have been indelibly changed. 

Addressing this deadly and contagious virus has been our top priority. We put the health of our residents first and led the way with responsible and reasonable measures to control the spread while allowing businesses and services to reopen.

We joined with Miami Beach to be the first coastal communities to close beaches during Spring Break. We organized neighboring cities to issue stay-at-home orders at the start of the pandemic. We lobbied the state to set up convenient testing sites in our city and to provide us a high-tech mobile hospital when there was concern the virus could overwhelm local facilities. 

We worked with community leaders to draft detailed plans for how businesses, services and places of worship could re-open safely. And when a second wave hit, we formulated a strategy of heightened enforcement of mask requirements and social distancing so we didn’t have to shut down again.

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on our economy. Fort Lauderdale has been leading on how to address this as well. We’ve distributed food to those in need, redoubled our efforts to help the homeless, and started a relief program to assist with mortgages, rent and utility bills.
Economic growth is more important than ever now. This past year, we promoted increased international investment, started a high-tech incubator and helped spearhead new business development and diversification. 

This truly has been a can-do commission. 

Let me thank my colleagues — Vice Mayor Steve Glassman and commissioners Heather Moraitis, Robert McKinzie and Ben Sorensen — for their dedication. Credit also goes to City Manager Chris Lagerbloom and his staff. We make a great team.

Particular progress has been made regarding our city infrastructure. Under a very aggressive schedule set by this commission, there are more than 150 projects underway to bring our water and sewer systems up to date.

Old sewer and water lines are being replaced, and others reinforced. New lift stations have been built, including one to increase capacity in our growing downtown. 

Special accolades go to the rapid work to replace the 50-year-old sewer main in our city’s core. Two contractors have been working simultaneously to get this job done as fast as possible — and with as little neighborhood disruption as possible.

Plans are underway to build a bigger and better water treatment plant. To ensure a sufficient water supply well into the future, we’ve purchased options to tap a reservoir being built in Palm Beach County.

 I’m also pleased to report that the state of the city finances is healthy.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, we’ve maintained the same low property tax rate for 14 consecutive years. And, we have good reserves to deal with any crisis. 
 
Our credit rating is very strong. Wall Street recently boosted it to the highest possible, AAA. We ended the long-standing practice of raiding utility reserves to balance the budget. That money now is being spent on improving our infrastructure. 

And, we reformed our impact fees, increasing what the city charges developers for the first time in 15 years. Now, new construction projects pay their fair share of the cost of utility upgrades.

This city is taking its commitment to the environment seriously. 

We have fast-tracked work to clean up George English Lake and the Tarpon River and address the sewage spills caused by recent pipe breaks. We are talking to experts about other steps to clean our waterways including an innovative approach of skimming pollutants from water surfaces. We plan to start weekly testing of waterway cleanliness this fiscal year.

But that’s not all. 

We’ve begun regular inspections to detect and mitigate algae blooms. And, we’ve prohibited the use of fertilizer during the rainy season and banned the use of plastic straws in restaurants — all to ensure the Venice of America is as pristine as possible. 

As a coastal community, Fort Lauderdale has felt the impact of climate change. Addressing the frequent flooding is a key priority. 

Construction is commencing to better protect low-lying neighborhoods by adding tidal control valves, storm drain systems, pump stations and catch basins. And, we are building new seawalls.
Public safety is always the paramount responsibility of local government.

Our crime rate per capita is the lowest it’s been since 1972. We’re taking steps to ensure this trend continues. We’ve employed new technology so we can respond faster when a gun is fired in our community and can locate its source

We will soon start construction of the new police station that voters approved. Planning is moving forward for an EMS substation south of downtown and a new fire station on Sunrise Boulevard. 

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis shocked the world. 

We must address the difficult issues surrounding race and law enforcement. This City Commission takes the matter seriously. We are proud of the men and women who work hard each day to keep our community safe, but that doesn’t mean we cannot do better.

The city manager is bringing new leadership to the Police Department. The Citizen Police Review Board is spearheading a discussion of reform to ensure everyone is treated fairly and equally and with full transparency. 

Our body camera program became fully operational this past year. Critical policies are now being updated, such as a duty for officers to intervene if they see a colleague behaving badly.
We have other priorities as well. This past year has brought major strides in improving the quality of life in Fort Lauderdale. 

Our arrangement with David Beckham’s major league soccer team has reshaped the Lockhart site. A magnificent sports stadium was constructed in record time as part of a larger redevelopment that they are paying for. All this and not a dime out of the taxpayers’ pocket.

There are athletic fields for a youth academy associated with the team as well as for public use. The site will be available for concert, high school athletic events and international sporting events. And, the team is even footing the bill for a major new public park.

We’ve opened the new Oceanside Park at Las Olas and A1A. And construction has started on the rehabilitation of the aquatics center. When completed, residents will not only have a better place for their use, but Fort Lauderdale will return to the world stage for swimming and diving competitions. There will even be a 27-meter dive tower, the highest in the world, that will attract extreme sports events. 

The renovation of the historic Parker Playhouse will be completed soon, and work on the Tunnel Top Park on Las Olas is set to begin. That was a key component of the $200 million bond initiative that voters passed to improve our public parks. An upgrade to D.C. Alexander Park is in the final stages of design and will include an iconic beach overlook, and a new YMCA is being built in the Northwest area with city financial support. 

The city’s arrangement with the Florida Panthers hockey team is moving forward to renovate War Memorial Auditorium. Gone are the gun shows. The Panthers are making a multimillion-dollar investment to add rinks for ice skating and hockey and to restore the existing interior for concerts and family-friendly programming. The Panthers will run the auditorium, saving the city on operational expenses that had become a serious drain on our budget.
The work doesn't stop there.

A new streetscape is being installed in the North Beach shopping district, and design work is underway to refresh Breakers Avenue. We are lobbying the FAA to adjust flight patterns at the international airport so residents of nearby neighborhoods are less disturbed by aircraft noise. We helped preserve local control of the historic Bonnet House and passed the city’s first LGBT non-discrimination ordinance. I’m glad we took this action because diversity is so important to our city.

Fort Lauderdale has also been tackling the issues of affordable housing and homelessness. 

Major new affordable housing developments have opened or nearing completion. Some like Sailboat Bend II are public projects developed by our Housing Authority. Others like Six13 are private developments that received public incentives for construction. 

The city has started a food-sharing program with groups interested in feeding the homeless. We stepped up to find temporary housing for homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, our community court program marked a successful first year in diverting homeless charged with minor offenses away from jail and to needed assistance.

The city also has made strides in addressing traffic and congestion. 

Planning is underway for a rapid-transit loop downtown. The county has agreed to build a bypass road through the port to relieve traffic on SE 17th Street. The Sun Trolley community shuttle has transitioned to a free service. 

We are working with Broward County on a project to install an adaptive traffic signal control system on Broward Boulevard using money from the penny transportation sales tax. And, we’ve been working with the state on finding ways to ease congestion on Sunrise Boulevard. We implemented a quiet zone along the FEC rail corridor this past year so residents are no longer disturbed by train whistles. And, we are working with other local governments to bring commuter rail service to the FEC tracks. 

Despite the setbacks dealt by COVID, Fort Lauderdale is a city on the move. We have so much to be proud of — great neighborhoods, the distinction as a world renown tourist destination, our beautiful beaches and waterways, our thriving marine industry and our incredible nightlife. We accomplished a lot over the past year, and more progress lies ahead.

Sincerely,


Dean