>> We're still short with
one commissioner,
but I'm sure he's on his way.
The time is now 5:33 and it's
board night. And we always look
forward to listening
to what each
of our advisory boards have
to say once a year. But you all
know that you can reach out
to us anytime. We're always
available to talk to you,
even though we can't talk
to one another
except when we're here,
we can always speak
to you and we're very,
very thankful
for your service.
Before I get started, Madam
Clerk, if you please call a
roll.
>>[CALLING ROLL]
>> We have quorum.
>> Thank you very, very much.
Welcome to all again. And we
have about an hour for this.
We have to get through about
11 boards that are
on my list. So if we could keep
it down to about five
to eight minutes per board,
that'll help. And you can
always submit supplemental
information to the clerk. You
could always call us
in between. But we want
to hear from every board. And
then the regular city
commission meeting begins
at 6:30.
But if we start a couple
of minutes late,
that's okay.
So let's start with the
Economic Development Board. If
they would please come forward
and if you would say your name
and your affiliation
with the board and you're off
to go. There's a button there
that says speak. You're on.
>> Good evening. My name is
Christopher Zaidi. I am the
chair for the Economic
Development Board. Good
evening, Mayor, commissioners,
city attorney and city clerk.
This evening I'm here to
present the annual board report
during our general business
meetings. Our monthly liaison
reports have been a part
of the Economic Development
Board meetings
to inform members relevant to
economic activity occurring
throughout the city. Planning
and economic development staff
as liaison to the Economic
Development Board provides a
report to the board on a
current and upcoming cultural,
social and developmental
businesses activities that's
coming to the city.
During the district reports,
board members discussed topics
of business and or community
interests for their district or
organizations. Monthly meetings
have been held
on the second floor of the
frank giving the board members
access to the art displays and
being displayed
for our community. Our key
actions. In the past year,
the Economic Development Board
has held five meetings. The
board along with staff created
a meetings calendar
for the entire year. The board
did not meet in July
of last year
for summer recess. October
of last year for Hurricane
Milton. November 2024 for the
Art Festival and February
Taste of Pines this year. So the
board members could so that the
Board members could attend
those community events
sponsored by the city. The
Meetings the meeting held in
June of last year we operated
as a workshop because the
Board did not have quorum due
to absences and vacancies. In
the past year we had four new
members that were appointed
to the Economic Development
Board and currently we are
going to be getting, Mr. Mayor
will be appointing an existing
member, Scott Joiner, later
on this evening as designee.
As your designee, sir Mayor
at large, you'll also Mr.
Mayor will also be appointing a
new member, Dr. George McLean
as an alternate. The
Commission is also appointing a
new member, Teisha Harris, as a
regular member,
so we still need
to fill one seat which is great
by the Commission. The
Economic Development Board
discusses valuations of
existing commercial properties,
new residential properties and
the impact on the tax roll.
Also, the Economic
Development Board focuses
on the discussion of the
City's strategic planning,
including reviewing survey
results as well as the goals
and objectives
of the plan held by the City.
Economic Board members attend
public meetings related
to the plan. General
information was also provided
and the Economic Development
Board regarding the general
obligation bond referendum and
the results this past March
election. Moving forward
Economic Development Board will
work with City staff
to enhance the City's
Economic Development
Information Strategy 1.2.1
in the EDSP aims
to enhance details about the
City's assets to the public.
Economic Development Data and
Events during the meetings,
the Economic Development Board
examined other economic
development websites and
provided feedback
to staff via a survey. We
recommend including demographic
data in the form
of informatics, interactive
maps that will allow easy
navigation and the search of
opportunity sites and
development projects
in the city. In addition,
Economic Development would
like to include small business
resources,
economic development news,
upcoming events that will allow
for networking opportunities
and business programs
implementation as available.
To conclude, the Economic
Development Board is
enthusiastic about the City's
adopted strategic Plan and how
it will influence the future
of our city. Along with the
Economic Development
Strategic Plan update,
we look forward to the plan
to implement the other City
Master Plan Free Sessions
Documents. We also look forward
to seeing the outcome of the
newly created budget committee
and would like to schedule a
joint advisory board workshop
in the near future. And
finally, we want
to be thankful for the service
of our past chair, Mrs. Susan
Meister, who served on the
Economic Development Board for
over a decade. So we're
thankful
for the expansion also
of the trustee membership
from the Miramar Pembroke
Pines Regional Chamber of
Commerce. The Chamber is
providing solid programming and
that supports our city
community.
>> Thank you very much and
thank you for all that you do
on the Economic Development
Board. And I'm sure that
Assistant City Manager Stan is
going to take a look at the
website suggestions that you
have. And I want to thank you
for your service.
Commissioners, any questions
of economic development?
>> No. Thank you to the chair,
my appointee
to the advisory board.
>> Appreciate it. Wonderful.
Thank you very, very much.
Next up will be Planning and
Zoning Board. And I see the
incomparable Linda Gonzalez
coming forward.
>> Good evening, Mayor and
commissioners. Linda
Gonzalez. You already said my
name, right. Chair of the
Planning and Zoning Board.
This is Lee Golditch, he is our
vice chair. And this is
Rosalie Labez. Been
on the board since 2018. As you
can see from our report,
we had quite a few members
over the past year. We have
three new board members and I
have to compliment you on
picking them because they fit
right in from the very first
meeting they were at, asked
appropriate questions and I
think we have a really strong
board right now. We heard three
zoning changes, 12 site plans,
14 zoning variances, and 25
miscellaneous applications.
And you have the rest
of our report in front
of you. As you know, we added
accessory dwelling units
to the code,
which only applies to property
that have the land and meet the
other requirements. And so far
we've had no one apply
for this. Other cities are
doing different things.
Dallas, Texas is making it easy
for there to be 7,500 square
foot apartment buildings with
eight units or less and hoping
that smaller units can go
in smaller places. Portland,
Oregon is making incentives,
incentives so that unused
office space can be turned
into apartments. So I think
there are other,
maybe other options out there
for us to look at as far as
adding more housing. As you
know,
the city is pretty much built
out, so we'll probably be
hearing redevelopment plans or
repurposing buildings that are
already there anyway. Has it
been five minutes yet?
>> No, no.
I want to tell you that
since the start of the city,
the Planning and Zoning Board
has played an integral role
in the development of
Pembroke Pines, possibly more
than any other advisory board.
The work that you all
over the years has done. Has
been. It's come out of the
ground and people can see it,
and it's contributed
significantly to the success
of the city. And I'm very,
very thankful
for all that you do. You're
right, Linda. Redevelopment is
probably going
to be the next big thing
on the agenda. There actually
have been several redevelopment
projects in the city
during your time,
but that's likely to be the
next thing that people see
where areas that have buildings
or uses right now that have
become obsolete
with the advancement of
technology and other phenomena
that's more and more common.
And people will want
to reuse that land
in different ways. So there'll
be land use plants, there'll be
possibly rezoning applications
of different kinds,
and we'll just have to meet
that challenge as it comes.
But I'm very, very thankful
to all of you for the work
that you do and for the advice
that you give us.
>> I should add one thing.
Because of the new members, I
asked staff and the assistant
city attorney
to make presentations about the
application review process.
And if there's anything that
you would like us
to look into, please let us
know, because we serve
at your pleasure.
>> We very much appreciate it.
>> Thank you.
>> Commission, any questions
for the Planning and zoning
board?
>> Yes, Mr. Mayor.
>> Commissioner Good.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So,
yes, the accessory dwelling
units, that's certainly a hot
topic not just here, but
certainly throughout the state
of Florida. I'm very,
very interested
to see how some of that plays
out. I know that nobody has yet
applied
for that. I think a lot of that
is certainly because there's
more questions than there are
answers right now, because it's
a really rather new concept.
In order to be able to either
house our youth or our parents
and things. I can tell you that
I participate in a regional
affordable housing meetings,
which many other cities are
demonstrating different levels
of successes with this type
of building,
which is the ADU. So I know
that they are also, you know,
having challenges and are
finding solutions to some of
the questions that are being
asked. And I'm certain that
Mr. Stan and his team will be
receiving more and more of that
information and hopefully
getting it before you all. And
then hopefully,
maybe we can see some more
of those ADUs come online
within our communities that,
you know, really kind
of help us with both ends
of our families. So thank you.
Thank you for everything
that you all do love.
>> I think staff is looking
at maybe ways to better
publicize the availability
of this
for certain homeowners.
>> Yeah.
>> Because if I wasn't on the
PNZ board. I wouldn't know
about it. Anyway, thank you for
your. I have good appointment.
>> Commissioner Rodriguez.
>> I really do appreciate the
PRI. The prioritization of
housing and that very large
issue that we have, the housing
crisis that we have. And
for us to be able
to do something like the
accessory dwelling units here
in the city is really,
really important. And I would
ask because it's a possibility
in our city, but maybe we
haven't communicated as much as
whether it's a partnership with
our communications department
or a initiative that you all
have. And as
to how do we communicate to the
public that this is an
opportunity. Most young people
would be, you know, interested
in this are seniors, especially
if you have an older parent
living with you. These are
definitely things that people
are out there looking for.
It's we haven't necessarily
reached them for them
to apply and do that
in intrigued with, so making
sure that we're communicating
to them. Maybe it's an
initiative that you all take
on or a partnership with our
communications department. I'd
really appreciate that as well
and look forward
to seeing it.
>> Okay, thank you.
>> Anyone else? Thank you very,
very much. The next speaker
will be the Education
Advisory Board.
>> Good evening. My name is
Danielle Spradley. I am the
chair of the Education
Advisory Board. You guys have
reports I'm not going
to bore you with just reading
it. I just want
to highlight a few of the
things that we did accomplish
this year. We had several
members who were able
to attend the Read for the
Record Day which was held in
October, which obviously
reading is a big thing we're
trying to push. And so
to be able to have some
of the members volunteer to do
that was really successful.
Also, you know, we to do our
Student Ambassador Day. We did
it in February this year,
which was a little bit later in
the school year than we
normally do,
but it was really,
really good. We were able
to host 24 students,
they were all juniors from our
surrounding high schools and
they were able to meet
with the mayor, city manager.
It was a really good
opportunity for them
to kind of. We met
with you as well to be able
to see what goes on
behind the scenes and try
to encourage them to see this
as a potential career opportun
as they are planning their
futures. And so that was a
really good event. We ended up
feeding them
at the senior focal point,
the Southwest Focal Point
center, where they had lunch
and then they came to the
commission meeting where they
were recognized. So that was a
really good event. Also several
members have been attending,
including Myself the meetings
concerning the redistricting
plans, as obviously Pembroke
Pines,
like every city is affected
by these. And just to be able
to kind of stay
in the know and
to add our voices
to the conversation about what
we think should be happening as
these schools are being
repurposed due to
under enrollment. And then the
last thing I wanted to mention
mention was this year we were
able to participate in a STEM
festival which took place at
North Perry Airport back in
November. And so it was an
aviation fair,
very well attended. Several
of the members were able
to attend as well and
to be able to assist
in that event. So our
attendance record is attached
and we are very grateful that
we finally have all the seats
filled. It's been a while
since we've been there, so this
has been a really good board
for this, this year,
and we look forward
to it again going
into the next year. And lastly,
I just want to. The members
want to thank Dr. Mirage, who
is always such a great support
for us due to.
For her investment
in us and just the guidance.
And she's the one who puts
on the student Ambassador day.
It could not happen
without her and Mr. Bolinia.
And so we're just very
grateful. So that's it.
>> Well, thank you very,
very much and thanks to the
Educational Advisory Board
for all they do
during this graduation season.
Of course, all
of us had the opportunity
to go around and meet with the
different schools and help them
to celebrate as we come closer
to the end of the year. And two
things sort of came out
from my discussion with parents
and teachers and even some
of our principals
at the charter schools. And the
first was the addition
of some additional guidance,
particularly
in the younger grades, on how
to study. There are many
different study habits. Some
kids, it comes more natural
than others.
But it didn't seem like there
was a particular discussion
on how to study early in the
grades. I'm talking about, you
know,
third grade or maybe even
earlier, I really don't know,
or whether or not it gets
touched
on incrementally over, over
time and how that would happen
the second that.
But it does seem
like something that. That
should be there. And I'm
thinking back to my own school
experience. I don't know that
there was anyone there talking,
talking to us about that
in any sort of formal way. I
think that that could be
helpful for students. The other
thing that I heard was how it
would be great if language was
much more conversational and
much less grammar. There were a
number of people who spoke
to me and said, you know,
I took Four years of Spanish.
One lady said in school,
I don't understand a word
of it. And I took four years
of it. And it's because the
conversation didn't stick. She
knows the words,
but she wasn't able
to pick it up. And so they were
wondering whether or not that
was possible. Now, of course,
you know, whenever you make a
recommendation in the field
of education,
you inevitably run against
about maybe eight or ten rule
books
of regulations and other
things. But if you and your
board and your members would
take an interest in that,
I would very much love to see
how it is that we can
incorporate those two things
to a much greater degree in the
schools and even encourage the
district schools to sort
of do that. It's not much. I
don't think it would take much
effort,
but the achievement improvement
in both regards, I think would
be pretty significant. So I'm
wondering if you'll take that
suggestion and think about it a
little bit and see what your
board could do.
>> Yeah, absolutely. And I was
just thinking about Mr.
Arana, who is the coordinator
of Governmental affairs and
Legislative affairs for
the county. And perhaps he
comes to several
of our meetings, and perhaps we
can go ahead and see whether or
not there's anything that the
county currently has or has
even been thinking about.
Their focus has probably been
more so on the restructuring
of schools, but that's
definitely something that we
can have the conversation and
even perhaps present ideas
in that arena.
>> Wonderful. Thank you very
much. Any other questions
for the Educational Advisory
Board? Thank you very much
for a job well done and
for all the work that you do
for the city of Pembroke
Pines. The Youth Advisory
Board is next. Welcome.
Your name for the record,
please.
>> Hello, Commissioner. Nice
to meet you guys. My name is
Roberta Joseph, and I am the
chair for the Youth Advisory
Board as well as my vice chair,
Jaden Lee, who wasn't able
to be here,
but he's here spirit. From
September 2024 to May 2025,
we've had our student second
year of youth Advisory Board.
We've had members from
Flanagan High School,
Pembroke Pines Charter High
School, Go Jaguars, Somerset
High School, and College
Academy. I'd like
to take a quick moment to just
ask the current members that
are here today
to stand because they were here
to support me and I really
appreciate them. Okay, thank
you so much. Now I'd like
to go on
to just a brief summary of our
best accomplishment this year
and some of our suggestions.
So, as you guys know,
our biggest project for the
Youth Advisory Board was Our
career fair and life skills
event. This was a event that
was basically created from two
ideas that were merged
together. There were a lot
of board members
like me who want to learn more
about the careers that are
in our city. Because even
though we in high school work
towards building a career,
there are a lot
of times where a lot
of students aren't aware of the
actual businesses that surround
them. As well as that there
were a lot of seniors
on the board who wanted
to be able to learn more
like life Skills
before they were able to go
into college. Things
like being able
to change a tire or being able
to eat, like, to be able
to eat healthy in college were
things that they wanted
to be able to learn outside
of the classroom. Which is why
I'm very excited to say that
on April 2, 2025, we had 15
businesses come and help almost
100 seniors
from our board schools. And it
was a very successful event,
and we're very proud of it.
And we hope that
for next year,
it can be bigger and better
to impact more students. Now,
I'll go on
to our suggestions. As I just
mentioned,
our career fair was very
successful,
but as all things are, there
are still things that we want
to fix and improve,
which is why we want to ask the
commission if we could make
this event an annual event so
that students could look
forward to it and so we can
reach more students that aren't
just seniors and also invite
more businesses to
really create a sense
of community
between our youth. Also,
another suggestion that we
have,
which I think you guys will
like, is to meet with the city
commissioners and have a Q and
A session. There are a lot of
members that join this board
because they want
to learn more
about our city government. And
of course, to ask you guys
would basically be the best
opportunity for us. So we hope
that next year we can interact
more and be able to learn
from each other. As well as
this, we want
to develop a third place idea.
There was a member part of our
board who did some research, a
class, and heard this idea
of a third place where a lot of
students establish school and
work as one place, and then
home and family as a second
place. So we wanted the city
to be able
to establish a third place
for youth like us to be able to
socialize and just create a
better community so that, you
know,
our youth can be more involved
with the city because a lot of
people will go their entire
high schooler not knowing the
city commissioners or the city
hall or just anything
about our city government. So
we really want
to engage our youth more. And
also I'd like to lastly give an
amazing thank you to Holly
Bonkowski. She has been such an
amazing mentor to all the
members and it's just really
uplifting to have an adult like
her who values our opinions
every single day and we really
appreciate her and I'm so
excited to work
with her next year. So thank
you so much, Hollywood. Also, I
would like
to thank the city commission
for even agreeing
for this board to be a thing.
It's really important
for adults like you
in government
to value the opinions of youth
and we're really glad that we
were able
to create change and we hope
to create even more change.
And that's all thanks
to you guys. So also a big
thank you to you. And as
for that,
that is my board report. Thank
you guys so much and I'll see
you same time next year.
>> Wonderful. And I want
to thank you
for all the work,
you and all your members. And I
know that Holly is taking notes
of the suggestions which I
think are wonderful and she'll
work on those and bring them
to us when that time comes.
But I want
to thank you so much
for all your work and for an
outstanding presentation.
>> Thank you so much. Have a
great night and have a great
meeting. Thank you.
>> So next we have our board
of adjustment. Is anyone here
from the board of Adjustment?
Okay, is the chair here? We'll
reschedule them. We'll
reschedule. The next is the
Charter Elementary Middle
School Advisory Board? Yes sir.
>> Good evening. My name is
Dr. Imran Siddiqui and I've had
the honor of serving as the
Charter elementary and Middle
School Advisory Board. I first
want to,
before I get started,
I just want to sincerely thank
this commission, the mayor,
the vice mayor,
our city manager
for having the vision
of providing and supporting us
with an A rated public school
system that's as equivalent
to any top notch school in all
of Broward and Dade County. So
I want to thank you
from the bottom of our heart
for all our children that what
you've done and you continue
to do so. Thank you. And thank
you for the vision. I know,
Mr. George, I know what your
vision was back then many years
ago and we're all benefiting
from that. Thank you again. So
to get started, I'm just going
to go down the 2024, 2025
accomplishments that we've had
as quickly as I can. We had an
election
of our chairman and vice chair.
We had the annual review
of our Sunshine Law
presentation. We reviewed and
approved the charter system
wellness policy along
with the charter system
School Security Safety
Evacuation Plan and including
the reunification and emergency
protocols. We reviewed and
approved the Guide to
Proactive discipline for
Charter elementary and Middle
Schools along with the
proactive discipline concerning
bullying for both the charter
elementary and middle schools.
We also approved the Parent
Handbook for Charter elementary
and Middle schools and we and
the improvement plan for both
the elementary and the middle
schools. Along with that, the
Charter system Strategic Plan
was approved as well. We
reviewed and approved the A
plus Funds Distribution
Committee Final Report to the
Charter and elementary middle
schools. We updated the
Innovative Learning process
for funding along with
reviewing the charter system
fundraising activities which
includes the dress down days.
The principal spoke
about JAGUAR Parent Point
series workshops and volunteer
hours and events that were
encouraged to parents
to participate in. Parents were
updated on the fast testing
during workshops conducted
during several meetings. And
just to mention, our school
system rated I believe it was
in the top three of all of
Broward county
for FAS score testing. So
that's a reflection
of the quality
of teachers that we have
in our system and what all
of you have provided us. So
thank you again for that.
Principals regularly reported
on individual school activities
and middle school sports
accomplishments,
recognized employees annually
for their outstanding
achievements and awards at
meetings recognize the charter
school's accomplishments and
organizational awards presented
to the schools and we strongly
encourage parents participation
to support the SOS fundraising
efforts. There was an open
forum that was conducted
at the end of every board
meeting which encouraged
parents, guardians,
teachers and students to raise
any issues that they have,
voice, praise or concerns.
This was also an opportunity
for parent questions
to be answered directly
by principals and other members
of the city and school staff
that were present
at the meetings. And what we've
noticed is year by year we've
had a larger and larger
presence
at these meetings every month.
We've encouraged parent
communication with
administrators and board
members,
maintained open communication
with our charter school
partners. Chartwells encouraged
parents and guardian students
to attend the charter High
School Advisory board meetings
as well. We reviewed the
election timeline and City
Manager's office provided
update on every meeting
on information
on fundraising activities,
upcoming events to earn
volunteer hours and lottery
enrollment process and results.
The City Manager's office
advised
on upcoming budget process
for the 2025, 2026 year which
is in our next meeting. We
participated in the budget
workshop yearly and finally we
supported staff
during preparation
for five year accreditation.
Overall, this has been an honor
serving on this board. I've
learned a tremendous amount
but again,
this is a true blessing
to be a part of this system and
I can't thank you all enough.
There is a lot that goes on
within the system, especially
getting our kids educated
in the middle school, high
school, elementary school. And
I could not have chosen a
better school system. So again,
from the bottom of my heart,
thank you. God bless all
of you.
>> Thank you very much
for a great presentation and
for all that you and your board
do at the charter schools. Any
questions
for the charter middle. Okay,
moving on. We have the
Charter Academic Village
Advisory Board. Welcome.
>> Good evening, Mayor and city
commissioners. My name is
Michelle Reynoso. And as chair
of the Academic Village
Advisory Board, that's the high
school and the middle school
at the Academic Village, I'm
here
to present the annual report.
You should have a copy of our
report and our attendance
record as well.
>> Yeah, we saw it.
>> Good.
>> And a lot
of the points that I'm going
to highlight, they kind of
mirror what was just discussed.
But I think we have a little
more fun
on our board meetings. Okay, so
I'll just highlight some
of the accomplishments. We
reviewed and approved the
2025-2030 Pembroke Pines
Charter School System strategic
plan. We reviewed and approved
both the past school year's
middle and high school
handbooks. We held an open
forum at each board meeting,
which is always very, very
interesting,
where parents were encouraged
to voice their concerns, ask
questions and provide feedback.
Principal Bay always attended
and every single board meeting,
and he responded
to every parent. We also
received with enthusiasm from
Principal Bayer monthly
accomplishments of the various
academic and athletic successes
of our charter school students.
And we were able
to pay very close attention
to Dr. Pizzos report
on the safety improvements at
our campuses and the
reunification process.
After an alert, we received and
discussed monthly updates by
the city controller regarding
fundraising activities and
results. Thank you, Jonathan.
We will review the upcoming
school year's budget on
Monday, June 9,
for recommendation
to you all. And we monitor the
adoption
of the updated uniform policy
to include black slacks and
shorts, which began this past
school year. It seems
to have been a hit
with the students. So the board
appreciates the support
of the city commission, the
city manager's office and the
school principals. The final
version
of this report was approved
for presentation at our May
12th meeting. And that's it.
>> You all have been doing a
great job. And you helped
to make the Academic Village a
better place
for the students,
for the faculty, for the city
of Pembroke Pines. And I just
want to thank you
for everything that you do.
>> Thank you.
>> Any questions
for this board? Yes,
Commissioner Good.
>> Very well done, Ms.
Reynosa. So just out
of curiosity, I know that you
all are very resourceful as a
team and things. And now we're
hearing from, you know, from
our state leadership that we're
starting to have some shifting
of funds that may impact some
of these very important
programming, you know, that
addresses, you know,
higher level learning, so
to say. So have you all started
to engage in dialogue about,
you know, how to maybe deal
with some
of those shortfalls that may
potentially be coming
to us?
>> We did have discussion
about this couple
of meetings,
and we were advised to, as
parents, to please, you know,
send letters,
make phone calls. A lot
of parents, we really
appreciate the programming that
our students, you know,
exposed to, and we want those
to continue. Anything else that
we can do, you know,
please let us know. We will
definitely, you know,
find a way
to let everybody know. We have
a nice turnout
at our meetings, and we will
let all the parents know what
we should do.
>> Great.
And back to you. Anything
that you all may come up with,
you may tell us that maybe we
can help as well, too,
because we find this
to be very,
very important programming
for the academic village.
>> Yeah, definitely.
>> Thank you again
for being a leader.
>> Thank you.
>> Hard time.
>> Yeah, exactly.
>> Thank you very much.
>> Appreciate it. Have a great
night.
>> Much appreciated. Board
of adjustment, you ready?
>> Yes, sir.
>> Good evening, mayor,
honorable commissioners. Good
evening. Sorry that I'm a
little bit late based
on the fact that I am coming
from Miami and I did catch a
little bit of traffic.
>> Thank you very much
for being here.
>> Thank you all.
Good evening again.
I'm your chair for the Board
of Adjustment, Israel
Rodriguez Soto, and I will be
giving you a synopsis
of the annual review in June
of each year of course,
as we are today,
the advisory board of committee
shall forward the city
Commission a summary. So the
summary accomplishment
during the reporting term
for last year is as follows.
You, first of all,
you have attachments
of all the items that we have
in front of you. So I'll just
mention that. And therefore,
between April 24 and March
25, the Board of Adjustment
heard 94 requests for 41
properties. The Board of
Adjustment passed 84 motions
and failed 10. Two of them, 10
failed motions were appealed
to the city commission. As per
the city LDC, 155.311 69
petitions, or 73.4
of the requests, were
to address work done
without building permits. Last
year and the year we have seen
a trend going up of people
basically actually favoring the
fact
of saying I'm sorry instead
of just going
out and do a request
for permits. So we and the
Board have been basically
moving forth and ensuring that
we start dropping that
percentage. And we have had
quite a success up
to now. It was limited higher
69 petitions. As I said, 73.4
of the requests were addressed
of work done
without a building permit.
The Board
of adjustments approved 89.3
of the petitions and 9.4
of the petitions failed. And
then
on 6-18-24 the ordinance number
2022 approved an increase
for the front lot coverage FLC
for driveways from 35
to the front lot area
to 40% allowable. That has
helped us a lot. Thank you very
much. Based on the fact that we
do have very unequal lots and
therefore now we can have a
better understanding and a
better I would say fair and
reasonableness in order
to assist those petitions
quite well. Recommendations or
suggestions to the city
commissions regarding the board
recommends that the appeal
process suggested by member
Jones during the 5-1-25 meeting
and accepted by members
of the Board of Directors. The
appeal goes that the city
commission to be granted only
5 to 0 vote or a simple
majority. The board heard and
denied a variance
by a vote or 5 to 0
on very simple majority. The
board adjusted respectively as
four conditions of variance is
granted that you should take
in consideration when they come
to the front of you to ask
for a review
of what we basically disagree
in the board of Adjustment that
the code should inspect the
property for compliance with
30 days. Within 30 days.
Basically what I'm we're saying
that the conditional variance
issue when home renovations and
alteration and the size
increases are made without
permits or when early owners
made renovations alterations
size increase could be granted
only only as long as the
hardship exists. And why?
Because the property should be
returned to prior conditions
following the city rules and
in that manner instead of just
given granting them an approval
that will basically be part
of that property for life.
But basically if you take in
consideration a hardship then
and it goes into their deeds in
that manner and it will return
to the existing conditions once
that person leaves the
property. Therefore, based on
that I will just finish my
synopsis
to you and thank you very much
for the support that you have
given me and to the board
throughout this year. We have a
full staff and we're moving
forward quite well. So
therefore again, thank you and
to those that I have just
recently joined commission
board. I do wish you a very
successful endeavor and I'm
sure that you will enjoy this
quest. Thank you very much.
Are there any questions
for me?
>> Thank you very much Board
of Adjustment
for all that you do
for the city of Pembroke
Pines. Any comments for Board
of Adjustment? Seeing none.
Thank you so very,
very much.
>> Thank you very much
and have a good evening.
>> You too. Next up will be
Arts and Culture Board, Rose.
>> Good evening Mayor,
Commissioner. My name is Rose
Colombo. I'm Chair of the Art
Board. I would like to
introduce my fellow members who
are present this evening. We
have Kit Jordan, Karen
Corinne, Ananice Rodriguez,
Jasmine Murias and two of our
members were not present.
Margo Mercado and Gloria
Pierce are also board members.
Okay. The Frank Art Gallery
under the direction of Sophie
Bonet, our chief curator
at the Frank and also at
Studio 18, the Frank continues
to flourish as one
of the premium art galleries
in Brown County. The Frank
offers workshops, field trips
and special events such as
movie screenings and musical
events on the plaza. The
gallery has hosted an amazing
array of visual art exhibits
featuring national and
international artists and we
are very proud that children
and family themed events are a
regular part
of the cultural offerings
at the Frank. Some
of the art events held at the
Frank include. Some
of the major events held
at the Franklin Frank include
of Seeing and Being the
Deering Estate at the Frank,
Ebb and Flo, an exhibit
exploring Womanhood, the
Crossings, a global traveling
exhibit and Gigi Morales, an
exhibit organized
by the national center for
Children's Literature. Some
of the children events
Children Family events held
at the Frank included
Storytelling at the Frank,
Teen Art Club, Summer reading
party art and Yoga for Kids.
Some of the special events
at the Frank include In Movie
Night on the Plaza, Savor the
Sounds, concerts with a live
Painting artist, Holiday Art,
Pardon Me, Holiday Art Market
and Family Day. The Frank
supports artists at all stages
of their career with various
lectures and panel discussion
and hands on workshops. The
Studio 18 art complex continues
to be a hub where emerging and
established artists cultivate
their skills. Some of the
Events held at Studio 18
include Got a Celebration of
Art and Diversity, Naming
Artist Takeover the Power
within exhibit. The 19th annual
art competition was also held
at Studio 18 on May 24. The
competition included 127 pieces
of artwork created by 68
artists who participated.
Awards were given
in eight categories and
Marissa Meek's Beautiful
Painting was chosen by the Art
board as the 2024 Art Festival
poster work winner. Studio 18
held numerous lectures and
workshops engaging the
community and always working
to advance the careers of
emerging and established
artists. Some
of the other events Some
of the workshop events
for artists included FAU
Digital Storytelling
Showcase, Pottery Painting,
Wearable Art, Coil Base and
Clay Tile Workshops, Holiday
Ornament Painting and Coffee
and Create Workshops. The
Pembroke Pines Art and Culture
center continues to offer many
year round programs and various
workshops for children of our
community including guitar
lessons, musical theater and
piano lessons. PP Topa, which
was founded 30 years ago,
continues to present amazing
live theater featuring All
Stars South Florida
performances at the Susan B.
Katz Theater. This season's
shows included Barefoot
in the Park, Death Trap and
spelling bee. The 23rd
Storybook Festival, which is co
sponsored by the city and the
Regional Library was held on
November 16. This delightful
children's event includes a
book giveaway, costume parade,
face painting and a craft tent.
The 26th annual Art and Music
Festival was held Nov. 2 and
3rd at City center and our
festival truly featured
something for everyone. The
Frank held two workshops
at the festival, Trading Cards
with Mary Stout and Hemmed Use
with Melanie Olivia. Live music
was featured on stage
throughout the weekend and an
interactive belly dancing
performance by the Arabian
Roses was enjoyed by all. The
festival also included food
trucks, an arts and craft tent,
the Color Bubble, face
painting, balloon twisting and
a bounce house and an arcade
trailer. The seventh annual
Student Art Competition which
is part of the festival was a
huge success featuring artwork
from students at Pembrokeline
Schools and students
from our recreation programs.
243 Works of art were
on display in the City center
lobby and each grade level was
given cash awards. The two day
festival included diverse live
entertainment and a digital
festival booklet. Our awards
breakfast was held Sunday
morning
in the beautiful mezzanine at
City center and awards were
given to artists in 12
categories. Our arts and
Cultural department were very
successful
in obtaining sponsorship
for the festival. Some of the
other very successful events
and projects completed
throughout the year by the
Recreation and Cultural Arts
Department include A new
cultural offering is at the
Pines Village Community
Center. Gary Gore, One of our
Studio 18 artists is now
conducting two art workshops
monthly at the Pines Village
Community Center. One
of the other events A few
of the other events Storywalk
in the Pines Spring into Art,
Music and Children's Show
Summer Art and Drama Camps
Summer Symphony Series
Biannual Art, Culture and
Entertainment Guide Honoring
Veterans Portrait Project
Film Fest at Susan B. Katz.
Let's see. The City received a
$25,000 grant from Broward
county to be used for the
Caribbean American Heritage
Festival and also utilizing a
recommendation from the Art
Board. The Traffic Wrap Box
program continues using images
of past Art Festival poster
winners. The Art Board wishes
to extend our sincere
appreciation to Christina
Sorensen and Holly Bonkowski.
Where would we be without
Holly? She makes our dreams
come true and the entire
Recreation and cultural arts
staff. Lastly,
of course we wish
to thank the City Commission
for your year
after year ongoing support
of the arts in Pembroke
Pines. And that's it.
>> Year after year, the
Pembroke Pines Art and
Culture Board does a wonderful
job presenting all different
kinds
of wonderful presentations
in all different kinds
of venues throughout the city.
And we're very,
very thankful. You add a great,
great dimension
to the enjoyment
in the city and we're very,
very, very thankful to you.
Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> Anyone have a question
for us in culture? Thank you so
very much. Well done.
Environmental Advisory Board is
next.
>> Good evening. Namaste. By
way
of my background information
before I give the report,
it is my honor and pleasure
to submit this report annually
to the board and I want
to thank you. Last time when I
came in front
of the commission, I said there
should be a volunteer
appreciation. So I'm happy to
report there were two
appreciation lunches, one
at the police department and
one
at the community services. So
thank you very much. I also
want to thank Tom because in
his personal capacity as vice
mayor, he gave me appreciation
certificate. So thank you,
Tom. So I really appreciate
that volunteers are being
appreciated one way or other
because we are selfless
workers. By way
of background, my name is Ram
Tiwari. I have been living
in this city since 1988 and I
retired from Broward county
in 2012. And since that time I
have been volunteering with
different committees and
advisory board. So now
honorable mayor, vice mayor,
city commissioners, city
manager, city attorney and city
clerk and dedicated staff of
city because they have been
very helpful in our working as
advisory board. And a special
mention is to be made the
Planning and Economic
development department. They
have been giving us
information, data,
any request we did. So I really
want
to thank their department. The
role of Environmental
Advisory Board is to provide
constructive advice and council
to the city commission with a
broad outlook towards
environmental protection. That
has been our focus and I have a
vice mayor and 3, 4 members
of the board are here. They are
very experienced and they are
very enthusiastic
about the environment. They
have discussed all kinds
of things. But only two things
I will mention here. You
already have a list
of the recommendations. We have
been pleading for past three
years that cities should hire a
sustainability coordinator.
Reason is because I was looking
at the budget and
in the budget I was happy
to see that green flag approved
by EAB is included
in the budget. So I assume that
budget is appreciative that
whatever elements are there for
the green plan that will be
becoming part of the budget.
But as I said, we have been
pleading every year because as
you will see not only
in the budget, but Also I
looked at the. Also I looked
at that 2023 strategic plan
update which has six goals.
And I saw out
of those six goals, three,
four, five and six are
indirectly related with the
environmental adversary board.
So I am hoping that if you have
something
in your strategic plan,
if you have in your budget,
all this data has
to be collected by someone.
To just give you an example,
I wanted a data
since city stopped recycling
in January 2022. So I asked the
data what was three years data
before and what is the data
now. And I have not been able
to get good data because I had
to go to utility,
the finance. So I want
to say that's one aspect
of it. If we were looking
for biosolids or things
of that kind, food waste. So it
is. You need someone who could
coordinate your all elements
whether they are in the budget
or whether they are
in the static plan. Please do
consider that. So that was one
of the strong recommendation
which our board members felt
that I should make it plead
again to the board that please
do consider hiring a
sustainability coordinator.
Second one was as we care
for the environment, solid
waste. I know there was RFI
done by the city and what
happened we don't know. So
because that was a good RFI
which included all the elements
of solid waste management. And
I thought city is approaching
it the right way.
But I don't know. Three and a
half years we have not been
recycling so it must be going
somewhere. So that was the
request also because if these
things are there,
we are there. So if we get an
update about what happened
to RFI or these kind
of things. So I will not
elaborate more,
but our members are very, very
interested that you hire a
coordinator. The job
description has been included
our annual report. So please do
consider if you cannot do a
full time, at least do a part
time start something. Because
there is a lot
of data which has
to be coordinated at one place
to come out
with certain conclusions. Let
me highlight is that EAB is
pleased to know that our green
plan is included and hopefully
those elements will be
implemented and there will be
some funds available
for those elements.
Thank you very much.
And if you have any
questions, I will be happy
to answer that.
>> Thank you very much, Ram,
and to the entire committee
for everything that you do.
Mr. Dodge and I had a
conversation about the
Sustainability officer some
months ago, and I know he's
been considering who he's going
to assign that function to.
And so I know that that
announcement will be coming
shortly. And I want
to thank you for that. It's
something that the
administration wants to do. So
with that, we're thankful
to you for that,
for that recommendation and
for all that you do
for the city. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Any questions
for Environment? Thank you very
much.
>> Thank you.
>> The next board will be
Diversity and Heritage Board.
>> Good evening. I'm Dawn
Prospect and I am the chair
of the Diversity and Heritage
Advisory Board. And I would
like to first start off
by thanking you guys for
hearing our cries last year
because we haven't had a forum
for to have our meetings
regularly and we were able to
have regular meetings this past
year. So thank you
for that and
for appointing members
to fill those seats. So
with that, we were able
to make a few suggestions
to the board this year. And I
must say that we were able
to have the Caribbean
American Heritage Festival last
year. Caribbean American
Heritage Festival last year,
which was great. And, and the
second annual one is coming up
on June 28th. We also were able
to put forth to have a
Juneteenth Festival, which will
be now on June 20 from 6 to 9.
We're very excited
about that. We also propose
to put into the budget
to have a MLK parade, which is
not something that the city has
had before. So this is
something that we are looking
forward to be approved
in the budget. And also,
I know the mayor made a charge
to us last year and also
to a meeting a few months ago
of putting forth a calendar
of events for monthly events to
showcase the diversity and
heritage within the city of
Pembroke Pines. And we have had
multiple discussions
about this and we are working
on putting this together.
But what we do agree on is that
the city does have some great
events already, but where we
saw the downfall was that
there's not a lot
of advertising. We don't.
We're not aware even within the
members we're talking,
and we're not aware of these
events that are happening. So
what I must say is
after a meeting, I've been
seeing more emails coming
out and also on social media
about the events that are
ongoing. So I must say that has
improved significantly just
in the past three weeks
since our last meeting. So I
must commend. And I will thank
Christina for listening to us
and bringing this information
over
to the commission.
>> I want to thank you
for the work that you do. It's
important to the city. This
board is especially important
to me. And we look very forward
to receiving your calendar,
and we'll talk more about
advertising once we know what
events you're recommending. So
that's an important thing
to have,
and we look very forward
to getting that soon. Thank you
so very much. Any other
questions for Diversity
Board?
>> Yes, Mr. Mayor.
>> Commissioner Good.
>> Can somebody track
down what that noise is? Thank
you. Maybe it's you.
>> I just want to say y'all
doing a really wonderful job.
I'm very, very excited about,
particularly the programming
that you have coming forward
with the Juneteenth.
Typically, you know,
Juneteenth is celebrated
on the 19th, but. But I know
that you all are doing it on
the 20th so that you can do it
on a Friday. The 20th is a
Friday, and you're doing on a
Friday evening where you can
accommodate people's schedule.
I've seen a little bit
of the programming,
and I am really excited.
There's some really important
people,
some guest speakers that are
coming, the programming,
the expansiveness of the
programming. I couldn't be any
more happier than what's
coming. And I only want
to say that so everybody knows.
June 20th. Juneteenth
celebration right here at
City Hall. Please, please come,
because the programming that
these people put together is
fantastic.
>> Thank you.
>> I'm looking forward to it.
Thank you.
>> Any other comments? Thank
you very, very much,
and thank you
for everything that you do.
And the last board presentation
today is our newest board,
the Citizens Budget Advisory
Board.
>> Commission, figure
out what that sound is. Some
gremlins in the building,
huh?
>> I just don't know. Can
everybody just take a second
and turn their mics
off and then turn them back on?
Okay, go ahead.
>> My name is Scott Barnett.
I'm the chair of the Budget
Advisory Board, the new board
on the block. Mayor, city
manager,
and commission. I do want
to acknowledge one
of our board members is here,
Bill Huff. I don't know if any
other budget members are here,
but thank you for coming
and supporting this
presentation. Mayor, City
Management Commission. Thank
you for your continued support
of this community
by allowing residents
to have this unique ability
to authentically participate
in our governmental process.
Truly a government
by the people and of the
people. I have been humbled
to have been selected as chair,
especially as I'm surrounded
by an incredible group
of fellow residents who care
about the future of our shared
responsibilities and have much
to offer. Mayor Castillo, I
also want to acknowledge your
unique vision
to have initiated this process
over four years ago
with the original District 4
board that would allow
residents across the city
to have meaningful dialogue
with the city administrators to
better understand how these
operations function. It can
also not be understated the
boldness of your leadership
with the recent referendum
opportunity. This is one
of the most difficult things an
elected official has
to deal with. And while it did
not pass, it was successful
by creating renewed energy
within our community
to create a sense
of transparency
within our city government,
especially at a time in our
history when it's needed most.
These are indeed tumultuous
times. There is much
uncertainty in the
near and present future, both
at the national level and
especially
at the state level. Yet, as we
gather around the proverbial
kitchen table of our home here
in Pembroke Pines, we are going
to rely
on this commission's leadership
to tackle some
of the hard issues facing us
in the years to come.
Over the past four years
of my involvement
with this process, I can tell
you we are indeed privileged to
have a city manager and
assistant managers along
with city staff who continue
to conduct business
with integrity and a dedication
to this community
like no other, as was proven
through their endless hours
of engagement
with our residents
in every district
over the past year. I want
to personally thank everyone
for exceeding our expectations
in terms of their fiscal
responsibility and commitment
to this community. With special
acknowledgment as well to
Assistant City Manager and
Finance Director Lisa Chong and
Budget Director Leslie White.
And I'd also like to take a
moment personally thank our
city clerks, Marlene Graham,
who was proceeding
over our meetings, and Ms.
Rogers. They always bring a
high level of professionalism
to all of our city's
proceedings and always keep
things moving. That being said,
we are going to rely
on this commission
to make some bold decisions
in the coming year.
At our most recent meetings,
we were presented
with a thorough explanation
of the various components
of the city budget, along
with presentations by the
police and fire departments and
the pertinent capital projects
that are long overdue. Our
upcoming meeting will address
the water utility along with
the forward thinking solutions
that were presented in the
recent visioning meeting. What
we have learned is that we
cannot and should not conflate
one department's needs
over any other. Each department
has unique funding needs that
necessitate unilateral
solutions
of their own devices. As the
saying goes. We cannot take
from Peter to pay Paul. This
board allows residents to
better understand how this
administration functions and
hopefully will clear up any
confusion as to its operation
with the recent referendum
proposal. It showed was the
fact that this community
deserves better clarity as to
how these projects are funded,
as this will elevate our
understanding of how we may be
able to prioritize these needed
capital improvements
over the course
of the next year. As the city
has finally reached its max
potential
for residential development,
we can no longer depend
on additional revenues
to placate funding deficits.
On a personal note,
as a resident here
for the past two decades,
I've been frustrated
by the reactionary nature of
the government proceedings and
lack of a clear way forward.
And I want
to thank this commission,
especially also assistant city
manager Michael Stam, for
bringing forth a strategic plan
that that now sets new
parameters
for the future that lies ahead.
We know what we need to do,
and we now have the blueprint
to move this forward. We can no
longer kick the can down the
road and defer these needed
improvements to our next set
of representatives. This certi
deserves better because our
business community, our
residents, and especially our
children deserve a quality of
life that only this city can
provide. We must find creative
funding solutions
to accomplish this task. There
is no other choice. Myself and
the rest
of the budget board look
forward to providing the kind
of input and perspective
to tackle some of the immense
challenges that will come
before us. And again,
we will be relying
on this commission
to keep a steady hand on the
rudder as we ply the rough
waters ahead. This will not be
easy.
But as a wise man once said, we
don't do these things because
they are easy. We do them
because they are hard. Because
that goal will serve
to organize and measure the
best
of our energies and skill.
Because that challenge is one
that we are willing
to accept,
one we are unwilling
to postpone and one we intend
to win.
>> Thank you very, very much.
And it gives me a rush
of pride
to welcome you and your board
to the family
of advisory boards in the city
of Pembroke Pines. I know that
you will do outstanding work,
and we're very, very eager
to hear always what you have
to offer. Questions for the
Citizens Budget Advisory
Council.
>> A quick comment there.
>> Commissioner Schwartz.
>> I believe the administration
could support the board a
little bit better
by providing presentations,
minutes,
documents that they're going
to digest that evening,
certainly more than two hours
before the meeting begins. I
believe it's unfair
for a member of the public,
let alone a member
of a board, to come
to a meeting,
and it's just hot
off the press. I do believe
there's an opportunity
for the administration
to provide this documentation
at least one week in advance
to allow the board to inquire
so they can have a more robust
in depth and cognitive
understanding
of the material that's
in front of them. I believe
that the last meeting
with police and fire,
while it looked really nice,
it fell short of the
depthness that's most required,
considering that the board has
already identified the
percentage
of dollars that are going
to our first responders. And
while I can't stress enough my
support for every member
of this board,
it is the responsibility
of us as policymakers
to ensure that all
of our board members,
regardless
of where they're at, that they
have all the information
possible as early as possible
so they can ask questions
of staff in advance.
>> Thank you. Mary, have you
been getting your board
information late?
>> No, I don't believe we've
been getting anything late.
And considering that this is a
new board and we, you know,
honestly haven't had a. We've
only had two meetings so far.
So right now it's a process
of getting to know the city and
the departments, but we've
received them information
on time, so I don't know.
>> Okay, thank you. Any other
questions of the Citizens
Advisory Board? Seeing none
that will wrap up the
presentation of our Advisory
Boards. And I want to thank
everyone who's presented.
We're going to take a two
minute recess and then we will
be back to begin the regular
city commission meeting. Thank
you very much.
>>[RECESS]
>> I'm glad you're here. No,
that's okay. You don't want
to speak? Okay, if we could all
settle down,
we have a big meeting to take
to begin. Thank you very much
for your cooperation. Thank you
all very much. If you would
take your seats. Thank you.
Thank you very much. And
welcome everyone to the June
4, 2025 meeting of the
Pembroke Pines City Commission
meeting. And
before we get started, I want
to give warm congratulations
to the class of 2025. We had
graduations last week and I
believe into this week
from one end of the city
to the other. And we made as
many of them as we can. And I
can tell you that our city and
our state and our country is
in very good hands
with these very, very talented
and capable young people who
bring so much
to our community just
by being around. But
in addition,
by giving us tremendous hope.
And we are always very thrilled
to see them do well. Nothing's
more important in the city
of Pembroke Pines and family.
And our children are a deep
source of inspiration. So we
congratulate them all. Madam
Clerk, if you would please call
the roll.
>>[CALLING ROLL]
>> We have quorum.
>> Thank you very much.
Leading us today in the pledge
and then the national anthem is
Sierra Leighton. And Sierra is
a 13 year old silver Trail
Middle School student who also
attends Music Legacy where she
takes singing classes. And so,
Sierra, we welcome you and we
ask you to lead us
in the pledge. And then if you
would remain standing, please,
for the national anthem.
>> I pledge
allegiance to the Flag of the
United States of America and
to the Republic
for which it stands, one
Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for
all.
>>[NATIONAL ANTHEM]
>> Sierra Leighton, thank you
so very, very, very much.
Announcements of items
to be pulled
from the agenda?
>> We have none, Mayor.
>> Okay, we have several
presentations. They are
like ready to go. So this is
one of my favorite kinds
of presentations. Where is she?
I gotta go say hello. Is she
coming? She's coming up.
All right,
if you all can just come right
around the back and look who's
here. Wow. Okay.
I'm going to stand right
by her. Okay. Ladies and
gentlemen,
this is a proclamation
of the city of Pembroke
Pines, Florida, in honor of
Yvonne Serecigni's 100th
birthday. Whereas Yvonne
Serecigni was born on June
23, 1925 in New Bedford,
Massachusetts, and raised a
vibrant French Canadian.
Raised in a vibrant French
Canadian household,
fostering a lifelong passion
for language and culture. And
whereas her dedication
to nursing began
with her training at Bellevue
Hospital in New York City, a
path briefly interrupted by
tuberculosis diagnosis that
never damped her joyful spirit,
even earning her light hearted
reprimands
for laughing too much
during her recovery. And
whereas Yvonne's adventurous
and compassionate spirit led
her to work at the American
Embassy Hospital in France,
travel across Europe, and
ultimately meet her husband,
her beloved husband, Enrique
Sarasini, in Ibiza, Spain,
continuing a long distance
courtship
through letters written in
French and English
before marrying and returning
to the United States. Whereas
after earning her anesthetist
license through University of
Massachusetts, Harvard and
Harvard, Yvonne went on
to serve over 30 years as a
night shift,
ICU and emergency room nurse
at North Shore Hospital in
Miami. And whereas throughout
her career and
into retirement, she raised a
loving family that now includes
her daughters, Michelle,
Alisa, Suzanne, and Opalka, her
grandchildren, Nicholas and
Pam, Noel and Christina,
Emma, Maria, Michelle,
Rosalie, Elisa, Lena and
Janine, and her great
grandchildren, Amalia and
Jacob, all while maintaining an
active and spirited retirement
as a Miami Heat golden oldies
dancer,
this lady has stayed busy. She
is a language enthusiast and an
active participant at the
Carl Schechter Southwest
Focal Point Community Center.
For all
of that and so much more.
Now, therefore, I, Angelo
Castillo, mayor of the city
of Pembroke Pines, and
on behalf of the City
Commission, do hereby recognize
and celebrate Yvonne Serecigni
on the occasion
of her 100th birthday.
For a life richly lived
with resilience, joy,
service and inspiration. And
encourage all residents
to join me in honoring her
extraordinary contributions and
vibrant legacy.
Congratulations to you. Happy
birthday to you.
Isn't that wonderful?
Okay, I'm going to hold on
to this so that you can. You
can take this microphone and
you get
to say whatever you want.
But remember, we're
on live TV.
>> I want to thank everybody
for all this terrific
reception.
>> Thank you so very much.
Commissioners, why don't you
gather behind us here so that
you can all be in the picture
in the photo.
>>[PICTURE TAKING]
>> All right,
we'll give them a couple
of minutes. Thank you so very
much. Is Denise Eyerman here?
Okay. All right,
thank you very much. Moving
along. This is a proclamation
to the city of Pembroke
Pines, Florida,
on the occasion of
Alzheimer's Awareness Month.
And if you would come forward,
please. Yes, I'll get to you
in a second. Okay. Whereas
Alzheimer's disease is a
progressive, neurodegenerative
brain disorder that tragically
robs individuals
of their memories and leads to
severe mental and physical
decline,
impacting not only those
diagnosed, but their family and
caregivers. Whereas more than
7.2 million Americans live
with Alzheimer's disease,
including an estimated 580,000
individuals in the state of
Florida, with approximately
47,800 residing in Broward
County. And whereas
Alzheimer's disease is the
seventh leading cause of death
in the United States and
remains the only disease
among the top 10 causes of
death that cannot yet be
prevented, cured or slowed.
And whereas the city of
Pembroke Pines recognizes and
supports the efforts of the
Alzheimer's association,
all those who raise awareness,
advocate for resources and
advance research,
and provide care for
individuals and families
affected
by this devastating illness.
Now, therefore, I, Angelo
Castillo, mayor of the city
of Pembroke Pines, along
with the city Commission, do
hereby proclaim June 2025 is
Alzheimer's Awareness Month
in the City of Pembroke Pines
and urge all awareness,
all residents to join
in raising awareness
in support of these efforts
to combat the disease. And
Commissioner Good. I know that
this is a very important thing
to you and your family. If you
could come forward and assist
me in the presentation
of this proclamation. Let's
give him a minute to join us.
And with us today from the is
the committee co chair
for the Alzheimer's Walk,
Denise Eyerman. And Denise, if
you would say a few words.
>> Mayor, vice mayor,
commissioners and fellow
residents, thank you so much
for the opportunity
to address you. And thank you
for taking the time
to recognize Alzheimer's to
help raise greater awareness.
My name's Denise Eyerman, and
I'm honored to serve as a
volunteer and committee co
chair for the Alzheimer's
Association. Alzheimer's has
touched me personally. Aside
from my mom in 2019 who
suffered for 10 years,
I've lost four other
in addition to that,
and it's just been an
insidious, horrific disease to
watch. I'm here representing,
as the mayor said, 47,800
residents of Broward county
living with this disease. We
have the second highest number
of individuals living with
Alzheimer's in Florida. It's a
critical. It's critical that we
raise awareness
for the disease. We know the
disease has physical,
emotional and financial impacts
on the individual and family.
But there is hope. We are
in a new era
with treatments available
for those in the early stages
of the disease. And just last
month, rather,
the FDA cleared a blood test
to help detect Alzheimer's
disease. So ask your doctors
about it if you need. Where was
I? Hold on one sec. Right.
In addition, House Bill 801,
which a lot of you may not know
about, was enacted in 2024.
This created an Alzheimer's
disease and related dementia
continuing education course
for law enforcement. In 2023,
the Florida legislature passed
House Bill 1275. The
legislation established the
ability for counties to Create
a Persons with Disabilities
registry. It is voluntary
for all counties. The bill went
into effect on January 1,
2024. This is so important. We
have one for mental illness.
We need one for dementia and
Alzheimer's. My mom crossed the
road at Kings Point in Tamarac
shortly after my dad died. I
was working downtown Miami
for the courts. It was
within six months
before I could get a caregiver
for her or move her
to our home. She darn near got
hit and police stopped. Didn't
realize she had Alzheimer's.
And this is why we did this.
This is why we pushed
for this. Please know there's
support available
in our community. The
Alzheimer's association
provides free education and
support. We also have a 24/7
hotline at 800-272-3900,
that's available 365 days a
year, which is run
by dementia experts to handle
any and all questions. You can
also visit us at als.org
to learn
about local resources. But we
hope you will join our
community on Saturday,
December 6 walk. Because
funding has been cut
off or cut down
at the federal level
for cancer, Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's. So we got
to step it up. And Broward
county walked into
Alzheimer's is a great
opportunity to meet people,
build teams, raise money,
raise awareness. And I have a
shout out to Jay Schechter,
City of Pembroke Pines,
wherever he is. Okay. He
formed. Hey, Jay. He formed a
team. City of Pembroke Pines.
And I hope he comes back.
Okay, thank you very much.
>> Thank you very much. Let's
take a photo together.
>>[PICTURE TAKING]
>> All right,
the next item is a proclamation
from the representatives of
Florida Rising. And
Commissioner Rodriguez, if you
would join me. If you could all
come down. And as they're
walking down, Commissioner, if
you would read the whereas
clauses.
>> And before that, I just
wanted
to say thank you so much
to the mayor and
to the commission for agreeing
to do this. This group came
to me a couple months ago
for this proclamation,
which I think is really,
really important for Domestic
Workers Day, not only because
they came to me,
but personally in college,
I did work as a domestic
worker, not here, but in
France, nannying, cleaning
houses,
to make sure that I was able
to pay at least a part
of my college tuition. And so
this is really important
because of not only everything
in this proclamation will give
you some information and
statistics as well
during the presentation. So
Domestic Workers Day. Whereas
domestic workers, including
housekeepers, nannies,
and caregivers for children,
the elderly, and the people
with disabilities,
play an essential role
in maintaining the stability,
health and the well being
of families and households
in the city of Pembroke Pines
and across the nation and make
it possible for others
in our community
to participate
in the workforce and contribute
to our economy. And whereas
despite their invaluable
contributions, domestic workers
have historically been excluded
from many basic labor
protections
under federal and state laws,
leaving them vulnerable
to low wages, long hours and
unsafe conditions and little
to no job security. And whereas
most domestic workers do not
have access
to health insurance,
paid sick leave or severance
pay,
and face limited protections
against discrimination or
exploitation
in the workplace,
while also encountering
barriers to economic security
and equitable treatment. And
whereas organizations and
advocates across South Florida
and the nation continue
to uplift the voices
of domestic workers, promote
fair labor standards and fight
for the dignity and the rights
of those who care
for our families and our homes.
And recognizing June 16 as
domestic workers Day is an
opportunity for the city of
Pembroke Pines to honor their
contributions and stand
in solidarity with efforts
to ensure their rights,
safety and well being.
>> Now, therefore, I, Angelo
Castillo, mayor of the city
of Pembroke Pines, on behalf
of the city commission,
do hereby proclaim June 16,
2025 as Domestic Workers Day
in the city of Pembroke
Pines. Encourage all residents
to recognize and appreciate the
dignity, labor, humanity
of domestic workers
in our community and to support
policies and practices that
ensure fairness, safety and
opportunity for all workers.
Congratulations.
>> My understanding is they
have a presentation. Okay, you
can make it. It's just a video.
Okay, hold on. You're on.
>> Hi, everybody. I used
to be a school teacher,
so we're gonna have a quiz
after this. I'm kidding. Good
evening, everyone. My name is
Isabela Oses. I proudly speak
serve as the Latino
constituency director at
Florida Rising. I am a proud
resident of Pembroke Pines and
I am, most importantly, the
daughter,
niece and granddaughter
of a domestic worker. Tonight, I
speak as someone whose life was
shaped, nurtured and uplifted
by the hardworking women
in my family who gave
everything to care
for others. They give their
time, energy, labor,
love and care to families that
weren't even their own, often
while their own families made
sacrifices in their absence.
On behalf of Florida Rising
Semillas, Colombia and women
working together, we want
to express our deepest
gratitude to this commission,
our mayor, our vice mayor,
and especially to
Commissioner Maria Rodriguez
for your bold leadership and
commitment to justice.
From today on June 16th will
now officially be recognized as
Domestic Workers Days
in my city, the city of
Pembroke Pines. Let's take a
moment to reflect
on what this means. Right.
This is not just a date
on the calendar of our city.
This is a declaration
of dignity. Domestic workers
are often unseen,
but their impact is everywhere.
Domestic workers make all other
work possible. They clean,
they cook, they care. Often
without sick days,
without job security,
and far too often without
recognition or fair wages. You
entrust domestic workers
with the most precious parts
of your life. Your homes, your
children, your aging parents.
And yet their labor has too
often been devalued, enforced,
formal, and unprotected.
By passing this proclamation,
Pembroke Pines is leading
by example. We are saying loud
and clear, your work matters.
We see your labor. We are
with you. We still have work
to do to ensure better pay,
labor protections,
and respect. But today, we
celebrate this meaningful step
forward. This
proclamation is not the end,
so be ready, because it is the
beginning, the beginning
of a more just, more human and
more compassionate city.
A city that chooses to
recognize and uplift the people
who hold up so many others. To
all domestic workers listening
today, this is for you. And
this is because of you. So
from the bottom
of my heart and on behalf
of the many voices I represent,
thank you for standing
with my abuelita.
>>[SPANISH] Let's make
June 16th not only a day
of celebration, but a day
of continued commitment to
justice and visibility and
care. So now you're gonna ask,
where is the data? I got it. I
got it for you. Okay. So in
Florida. Oh, okay. We're
starting from there. Let's go.
We can go down if you want.
Perfect. So data wise, right
now, in the state of Florida,
we have 106,000, 437 domestic
workers,
and they play a significant
role in our local economy. We
are the spine. We make
everything run smoothly.
People take care of children
while everybody else goes
to work. Then we can go
to the next one. Miami and
Broward county account
for half of the state domestic
workforce. So the majority of
people who practice domestic
work live here. We represent
about 10% of Florida's total
workforce, and 94%
of us happen to be women.
Thank you. We can go down. So
what is the economic impact
of domestic workers? Right.
By supporting care
for older adults, people
with disabilities, home care,
domestic work,
it allows individuals
like you and I
to continue participating
in the economy of our city. It
is a rapidly growing sector
with over 2 million
workers nationwide. And we also
have to talk about unpaid
domestic work that many
of us do at home. Go next. So
why is the proclamation
important? We have
to make domestic work visible.
It helps recognize the value
of the work of domestic workers
and it can also shift societal
perceptions and improve the
conditions of domestic workers
in the labor force and push
for a more dignified quality
of life. So what happens
in our city? Pembroke Pines, we
know, is a diverse,
dynamic and multicultural city.
Recognizing the contributions
of people like my grandmother
is also a celebration
of the human richness
of our community. And we want
to build bridges of empathy
among sectors that, while
different,
always complement each other.
And then we want
to send a clear message
of ethical leadership right
in Pembroke Pines. We're a
pioneering city in the state
of Florida. We see the news. I
love living here. It is a
gesture of moral leadership
that can inspire other
communities and set a
precedence for our
responsibility not only as
leadership, but as citizens and
the shared humanity
of our residents. And then we
want to help push, promote
inclusive public policies. And
recognition like this, while
symbolic,
can serve as a foundation
for initiatives
in the future and passing
of local public policy. So
domestic workers make all other
work possible.
Like I said before,
you entrust domestic workers
with what you care
about and love the most. And so
to end,
domestic work is not just a
job, right? It is an act
of care, of community,
of community, building
of humanity. And honoring this
work is a way to honor the
values that sustain our city,
our families, our respect,
diversity, and justice. So I
want to thank everybody
for giving us this recognition,
for telling people like ela que
tutra vajo important. And thank
you all
for giving me a little bit
of time to talk. I appreciate
you all.
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you very, very much.
And Commissioner Good, if you'd
join me one more time,
having requested this item,
this is a proclamation of the
City of Pensacola, Florida,
declaring National Women's
Veterans Recognition Day. I'm
going to ask my colleague,
Commissioner Tom Good, who is a
veteran, if he could please
read the whereas clauses.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Can we
invite the women veterans down,
join, in America?
Are there other women
veterans that want
to come and join us? Come
on over. So thank you. Thank
you for your service too.
So this is National Women
Veterans Recognition Day.
Whereas American veterans,
including the courageous women
of the United States Armed
Forces, have served our nation
with honor
during both peace and wartime,
safeguarding our freedoms and
continuing
to contribute meaningfully
to our communities. And whereas
women have played vital roles
in every conflict throughout
U.S. history, serving
in combat, medical,
and command roles, efforts
which were formerly recognized
and advanced by the passage
of the Women's Armed Services
Integration Act in 1948. And
whereas, this landmark
legislation introduced by
Senator Margaret Chase Smith
and signed into law by
President Harry S. Truman
enabled women
to serve as permanent,
regular members
of the military,
paving the way for their full
integration and career
advancements
within the armed forces. And
whereas the state of Florida is
home to approximately 160,000
women veterans,
including many residing
in the city of Pembroke
Pines, whose service continues
to enrich our state and local
communities and whose
dedication deserves recognition
and appreciation.
>> Now therefore, I, Angelo
Castillo, Mayor of the city
of Pembroke Pines, along
with the city commissioners,
Do hereby proclaim June 12,
2025, as National Women's
Veterans Recognition Day
in the City of PembaR PineS,
and encourage all residents to
honor and thank all women
veterans for their service,
sacrifice, and lasting impact
on our nation. Congratulations
and thank you
for your service.
>> You want
to say a few words? Thank you.
>> Well, they did tell me I get
to say something,
so this is going to kind of be
off the cuff but that doesn't
stop me. I'm the president
currently of the Broward
Veterans Coalition, and I when
I served, I served
in the women's Army Corps. So I
was in a segregated portion
of the Army. And then I was
also part
of history where I was got
to be in the regular Army. I
was part of that transition
in 1978.
But it happened a little bit
before that. The guys didn't
want us. They really didn't.
They didn't want us there. And
it was a tough road. But women
have persevered and we are
leading today and still moving
forward for our veterans. And
anybody who's a veteran,
we're going to have a function
over in Weston. We have an
annual Resource and Benefits
Fair and we get all sorts
of information to you. We have
regular meetings and we would
love you to attend. That's
browardveteranscoalition.org.
>> Thank you so very much.
Thank you
for your service. Next up is
our amazing property appraiser
in Broward County, Marty
Kiar, who stopped by to, he
comes every year and provides
us with important information
and thank you Marty for all
that you do and that you have
done and will do for Broward
County, we love you and the
floor is yours, sir.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor and I
love you too and I also want
to thank you
for the great work that you do
on behalf of the people of
Pembroke Pines. We've been
friends for a long time and I
love seeing you as the mayor
and I want to thank also all
of your colleagues. Everybody
up here is a dear friend
of mine and I have
to tell you Pembroke Pines is
very special to me. I've lived
in Broward County my entire
life but the first place I ever
lived,
my parents brought me back
from the hospital, was in
Pembroke Pines and I even went
to Pasadena Lakes Elementary
School for a little bit
of time and to see where
Pembroke Pines has come from
when I first lived here as a
baby in 1977 to where it is now
which the second largest city
and one
of the biggest economic engines
in Broward County is pretty
incredible. And the one thing I
know about Pembroke Pines, I've
never met somebody that lives
here that dislikes living here.
And so thank you so much, Mr.
Mayor, for your great work and
everybody for the great work
that you all do. I also want
to thank your awesome staff.
As you know,
there is no city manager
with a more depth
of knowledge than Charlie
Dodge. I think Charlie has done
just an incredible job. And I
see his name all the time
because my daughter's in
competitive cheer and we always
are over at the Dodge Center
while she competes. And you
also have without a doubt one
of the best legal minds I've
ever met in my life. I've
always found if you ever want
free legal advice, just call
Sam Gore. It's the best way
to get it.
But he is just a great guy.
And with that said, Mr.
Mayor, I promise I won't take
up too much of your time. What
I was hoping
to just quickly talk
about was first, just
for the residents, what we do
and how we can help them. I
also want to talk about
property values because we just
released our June 1st estimates
of value
for this year that you're going
to use
to set your millage rate on
to determine the amount
of money that you need
to operate for the people of
Pembroke Pines. And once again,
as you'll see, values rose.
And I wanted to talk
about something I always talk
about that's near and dear to
my heart that I'm very
passionate
about and it's cracking out
on title fraud. But first
for the residents,
there are three main functions
to our office. The first
function is we determine the
value of every piece
of property in Broward County
for tax purposes, whether it's
residential, commercial,
tangible, personal property,
or essentially assessed
property,
which are railroads. And the
reason that's important is when
people pay their property
taxes, the amount of taxes they
pay is the relationship
between the value of the
property we set and the tax
rate set by you all, the
County Commission, the school
board, and all other taxing
authorities. So the most
important thing we want to do
is just make sure we get it
right. and as you know, Broward
County is a huge place. More
people live here than 13
states, the District of
Columbia and all US territories
except Puerto Rico. That's how
big it is. And we appraise more
parcels than exist
in many states. And even though
the people in our office do a
very good job and their
assessments are very accurate,
mistakes can occur or maybe
people have information about
their property that we don't
have that could help us bring
down their market value,
which could bring
down their assessed value,
which bring
down their property taxes. So I
always tell everybody go
on our website at bcpa.net. Look
at your property. And if you
have any concerns
for the value
of your property, just call me
by September 17th, email me,
come to us or we'll even come
to you. We'll go
through it together. And if we
can use information to bring
down your assessed value,
we're always going to do it.
The second that we do,
and this is what I love most
about my job,
is we give tax saving
exemptions
to people that qualify. And
there are a lot of exemptions
under Florida law that people
qualify for. You have the
homestead exemption, which is
so very important. It
basically says that if this is
your primary residence,
you get that exemption,
which saves you about $1,000
in your taxes at first. But it
really protects you going
forward, because every year
after you have it,
the value your tax on cannot go
up more than a maximum of 3%.
It keeps your assessed value
manageable so it won't
skyrocket
with your market value. And
once you get that,
there are senior exemptions,
veterans exemptions, widows
exemptions,
disability exemptions. There's
a lot of ways to save money
in your property taxes. So I
always tell everybody go
on our website at bcpa.net, look
at exemptions. And if there's
something you're not getting,
just contact us by September
17th and we'll apply it
to your tax bill. The other
thing I wanted to quickly talk
about if it's okay, Mr.
Mayor, is basically where
Pembroke Pines is right now
when it comes
to property values. As I said,
just before values increased
again this year. And that's
because there's been a lot
of new construction. And also
people are paying more money,
especially for single family
homes than they were the year
before. And so
to give you an idea,
the first value I want to talk
about is not what you set your
military on,
but just an interesting value.
If you took all of the
commercial and residential
value in Pembroke Pines and you
sold it on the open market in
2024 last year,
you would have got right
about $32 billion. Fast forward
just this year,
there's been a 5.66% increase
in market value to right
about $34 billion. That's a
pretty hefty increase,
especially during a time where
there's not as many sales,
but people are still paying
more for property. When it
comes to the taxable value,
that's the value that you're
going to utilize, you're going
to set your military on
to determine the amount
of money that you need
to provide great services
to the people of Pembroke
Pines. And in 2024, the taxable
value was right about $18.7
billion. Fast forward
to this year,
there's been a 6.29% increase
in taxable value to about 19.
$6.911 billion. And so what
that means your current
operating millage rate is right
about 5.690. If you keep that
the same you'll get an
additional $6.6 million more
this year than last year
in revenue
to provide great services
to the people of Pembroke
Pines. And what's very
interesting about that number
is the vast majority
of residents here in Pembroke
Pines are homesteaded and the
value they're taxed
on can't go more than 3%. So
the bulk of that additional
revenue is being paid for by
new construction and people
moving into Pembroke Pines and
paying top dollar
for properties. There was
about 92.4%
of new taxable value added
to the tax roll. The largest
being, I think right here at
10120 City Center Boulevard, we
added about $16 million and
it's an assisted living
facility that was put
on the tax roll. And the second
being an addition to Finger
Lickin' Restaurant, which put
about 8,900 square feet onto
the tax roll for about $2.2
million. There are 41,000
homesteaded properties here
in Pembroke Pines. You have
4,025 low-income seniors who
get the value
of a senior exemption. They
save money. You have 354 or
long-term seniors that pay no
property taxes to Pembroke
Pines or the County
Commission. And I just want
to thank you so much for that
because that's an exemption
that you have to adopt. And not
every city has adopted it.
But you all did. You had the
foresight to basically say,
you know what, there's a senior
that's really struggling
to make ends meet. They qualify
and they shouldn't have
to pay property taxes. It's a
really great thing. I hope that
every single city that hasn't
adopted it follows your lead
and adopts that excellent
exemption because it really
helps some of our most needy
and vulnerable residents. you
also have 1,265 American hero
veterans who receive an
exemption. And out of that,
there's actually 587 that are
totally permanently disabled
veterans that pay no property
taxes to Pembroke Pines or any
taxing authority. You also have
10 American hero first
responders who have made
Pembroke Pines their home that
are disabled, that pay no
property taxes as well.
Currently, there have been 318
sales. this year in Pembroke
Pines of single family homes.
And the average sale price
of a single family home is
right about $706,313, about
$10,000 more than last year.
The other thing that's very
interesting about that though
is the average taxable value is
right about $303,000, which as
you can see is much lower than
the sale price. That's because
most
of the people that live here
in Pembroke Pines, they love
it, they don't want to leave.
They come here, they file
for homestead,
they get the benefit
of that 3% cap,
so their assessed value stays
low, and so even though their
market value is much,
much higher because
of these sales,
their value that they're taxed
on is capped and that's a
really great thing. When it
comes to condominium parcels,
that's one area that we did see
in Pembroke Pines where there's
been a slight dip when it comes
to the actual sale price. So
to give you an idea,
when it comes to condominiums
in 2024, the average sale price
for a condominium parcel was
right about $237,000. Fast
forward to this year,
there's been a slight decrease
to about $218,000 and really
where I see that is in
Century Village.
to give you an idea,
there's been about 300
condominium units that have
sold about 100 and Century
Village, and in the Century
Village condominium units,
there's been
about a 4% decrease in their
sale price. I believe a lot
of that has to do with the fact
that their reserves had to be
pretty significant as a result
of the Surfside bill that was
passed a few years ago. But
what I am hoping is the
legislature just passed some
relief, and I'm hoping that
that relief that they passed
will help once again spur the
condo market. in Century
Village and Hollybrook and
other areas that would qualify.
And so I think that's very,
very important. The other thing
I wanted
to quickly talk about, if it's
okay, Mr. Mayor, is something I
always talk
about because it's very
near and dear to my heart and
because it's an epidemic,
I guess you can say, and a
really terrible epidemic that
really hurts some of our most
vulnerable people and it's
title fraud. As I always say,
South Florida is the title
fraud capital of the world.
It's the capital of the world
because you have criminals and
that's what they are. And what
they do is they walk into the
recording divisions every
single day in the state of
Florida. They file fake deeds
on people's properties. and
they take those deeds and they
extort people for money or they
mortgage rent or sell the
property. They do it all the
time. And as you know,
the reason it's so easy for
them is every recording
division has a ministerial
duty. They have to accept
whatever documents filed
with them. So you have these
criminals, they walk in, they
file a fake deed and they do
something nefarious with it.
So the first thing we want
to do is give the people of
Broward County the opportunity
to fight the fraud
before the fraud occurs. So
in 2021, we came up
with a great program called
Owner Alert. As you know, it's
a free notification program
letting people know if somebody
changed the title on their
property. and here's how they
can sign up. They go
to our website at bcpa.net,
they type in their name,
they type
in their email address,
and they type
in their parcel ID number. If
we have their email address
on file,
that's because we had it
with an exemption application,
they're automatically verified.
If not, they have
to upload their Florida
driver's license or Florida ID.
If they don't have that,
they have to upload a utility
bill or something showing that
they own the property, and then
if any document legitimate or
not is file changing ownership,
they'll be notified
instantaneously by email,
by text message,
they can even get a hard copy
in the mail. What I'm very,
very proud about is
in right here in Pembroke
Pines because of your
assistance and your wonderful
city's assistance, 50% of all
of your homesteaded property
owners have signed up for our
owner alert program and a
significant amount of your
non-homesteaded properties have
signed up as well. And my goal
though is to get everybody
to sign up in Broward County
because they're to protect
their most important asset,
their home. And something
that's very important to note
for everybody that hasn't
signed up,
the information that we collect
for your owner alert program is
exempt from disclosure
under the law. The legislature
passed a fantastic law that all
Democrats, all Republicans
voted for and the governor
enthusiastically signed that
basically said that any
information we collect, your
email, your phone number, your
address,
even the fact that you signed
up, that's exempt
from public disclosure. So your
alert can only come
out one way and one way only.
And that's to let you know if
there has been a title change
to your property. So I hope if
anybody hasn't signed up,
please sign up. It's there to
protect your most important
asset, your home. And when I
started this program in 2021, I
started getting lots of calls
from residents and they would
say Marty, I just got an alert
from your office that somebody
changed the title
on my property,
but I didn't do it. And then I
got more and more and more and
I realized how big
of a deal it was. So I came up
with a different idea. I wanted
to work with law enforcement,
build criminal cases and put
the people
in jail who are doing this. So
I got the approval
from the state of Florida
to be able to do it. I decided
to name my crimes against
property team. I got the county
commission to be great funders
of it and big supporters of it
to give me the money that I
needed to have it. Sheriff
Tony, who's a very good friend
of mine, partnered with us as
well and has provided us three
sheriff's detectives to work
with our office so we can do
the job of law enforcement.
And Harold Pryor has been a
really fantastic partner. He
assigned an assistant state
attorney to prosecute the
people that we bring to him.
And over the past few years,
we've had more than 500
criminal investigations. We've
had numerous arrests, numerous
convictions,
and we've been able to work
with the court system
to get property back to people
in a much more expeditious and
cost-efficient manner. And we
work with every city police
force as well. And Pembroke
Pines, because it's such a big
city, we've we've had a number
of different criminal
investigations and arrests and
convictions as a result
of property stolen in
Pembroke Pines.
But your police chief, your
officers, Pembroke Pines,
they've been fantastic partners
with our office as we've been
cracking down on the people
that have been doing this. And
people ask me all the time.
They ask me kind
of four things. They say,
Marty, who are the people that
do this? What kind of
technology do they use? who do
they target and what kind of
prison sentences are the people
getting that are convicted?
Well, I have a few stories,
one story on each
of those that kind
of illustrates each one
of those questions but also
shows how prevalent this is and
the extent that criminals will
go to to try to defraud people
of their property. With regard
to the first question,
who does it? We found it's just
about everybody. We found all
races, religions, national
origins, people
of all different income levels,
educational backgrounds,
everybody does it. and
to give you an idea, just
over this last summer, we even
arrested a lawyer who was
allegedly helping people steal
properties in Cooper City. So
lots of people do it. The one
common denominator is they are
very, very,
very smart people and they try
to pick on the people they
think they can best get away
with it. So that's one,
the way I always answer that.
The second that people ask me
is, what kind
of technology do they use?
Well, generally their
technology is very primitive.
Somebody walks
in the recording division, they
follow fake deeds. they get a
courier to file a fake deed.
We even had a person
on death row in Georgia who had
a courier file a fake deed
on homes in Broward County. We
didn't prosecute him because he
had other problems going on
over there,
but it shows how easy it is.
But their technology is
actually getting much more
sophisticated. We have an
ongoing criminal investigation
right now that really shows how
evolving this crime is. There
was a title company that got a
phone call from a lady,
and she said, you know what? I
own this property in
Hallandale Beach. It's a vacant
lot. and I've had it my entire
life. But you know what? My
kids, they live in Michigan.
They have grandkids there as
well. And it's time for me
to move up there and be with
them and enjoy my golden years.
But for me to be able
to move there, I really need
to sell my nest egg,
this parcel in Hollandale
Beach. And the title company
said,
of course we'll handle it
for you and we'll get it sold
for you,
but show us you own it. So she
sent over a wonderful looking
passport,
a wonderful looking photo ID of
her driver's license. other
information showing that she
owned the property, but they
were very smart and they said,
we have to meet you
in person. And she said, well,
I can't meet you in person,
but I can do it over Zoom. And
they said, great. So the Zoom
meeting opens up and there was
a sweet senior sitting at a
dining room table drinking
coffee or tea,
one or the other. And she's
sitting there talking about how
much she loves her grandkids,
how she can't wait to move to
Michigan, how she's so excited
to retire. But it just so
happened that as she was
talking, every 30 seconds,
there was a little bit
of a glitch where she would go
like this. But it was the same
thing that made the title
company very concerned that
something weird was happening
here. So they contacted our
office, we launched an
investigation, and it turned
out that sweet lady sitting at
a dining room table drinking
coffee or tea was artificial
intelligence. So they are
getting very,
very sophisticated. The other
thing people ask me is who do
they target? Well, we found
they target everybody. We've
had people with mega million
dollar homes being targeted,
and we've had people that are
very low income people be
targeted. we've had people
with disabilities,
with seniors,
we've had all kinds
of different people targeted.
But the majority of people
targeted are really our most
vulnerable. They're seniors,
low-income people,
they are people
with disabilities. They
actually love the target people
that don't speak English as
their first language because
they always try to target the
people they think they can best
get away with it. And there's
one case that I have that's
really my guiding light,
why I'm so passionate
about this, because the most
disabled person you can imagine
was the one targeted and it
really illustrates what these
people will do to try
to hurt somebody. Let me tell
you
about the two people involved.
The victim was about as
disabled and as vulnerable as
they come. He was a senior who
had the mentality of a
six-year-old that he had his
entire life. The defendant that
we arrested and she'll have her
day in court,
she hasn't yet been convicted,
but I believe she will be,
was a Miami-Dade law
enforcement officer. And that's
what makes me so upset
about this issue, is you have a
person that is so vulnerable
that deserves
to be protected,
and the person that's supposed
to be protecting him is the one
that's actually defrauding him.
And here's what allegedly
occurred. The disabled
gentleman lived
with his parents. They were his
caregivers in Miramar, just
basically your neighboring
city. And he lived
with them his entire life.
They passed on. And when they
passed on,
they left their home
to their daughter, his sister,
who then became his caregiver.
She then passed on. And when
she passed on, that's when his
neighbor two doors down
allegedly did what she did.
The first thing she allegedly
did was make a fake power of
attorney so that she could make
all the decisions
for him financially. She used
that fake power of attorney to
allegedly open up a fake bank
account that was getting all
kinds of money
from his social security into
that bank account that she was
using for herself. She then
decided to allegedly open up a
probate estate in Broward
County Circuit Court to try
to get everything
from the sister
into his name. She used that
power of attorney to do it. It
went
through the court system. The
judge signed the order and
everything went
into his name,
including the house. She then,
the first thing she did was
sign over his home to her. She
then started renting
out the home. She started
to try to take a mortgage out
of the home. She was trying
to get lots
of other money that was coming
in through his Social Security
and all the other assets. She
got away with that
for some time. And so then she
decided to do something else.
She opened up a life insurance
policy in his name, making
herself the beneficiary. he
then passed away and she
received that money. It just so
happened though that while this
occurred was occurring, Miami
Dade had an internal affairs
investigation into some of her
other actions and they couldn't
understand how she all of a
sudden had all these assets,
a new house, all kinds of money
she didn't have before. And so
they actually sent it down
to us. We investigated it. She
was arrested. She'll have her
day in court. I believe the
evidence is overwhelming,
but she will definitely, but
of course you're innocent
until proven guilty, but I
think she will be proven
guilty. when it does go
to trial. The last thing that
people ask me is what kind of
prison sentences are people
getting? Well, they're getting
pretty large. Let me give you
two fast examples. One case
that I talk about a lot,
we had a prison,
actually a person went
to jail recently,
was a case I've spoken
about before. There were a
number of people that decided
to use the court system
to steal people's properties.
The ringleader would file quiet
title actions
in circuit court,
basically lawsuits in circuit
court saying this senior, this
bank, or this person no longer
wanted the property. the return
of service would go
to the guy's buddy who was
in a mobile home in
Hillsborough County. And he
would say, oh, yeah,
I remember that senior
at that bank, that person.
Yeah, they don't want the
property anymore. Put in this
guy's name or his company's
name. They sold dozens
of properties throughout
Barrera County. Fortunately,
the ringleader was found guilty
recently. He was sentenced
to eight years
in state prison, followed by
10 years probation. If he
violates his probation,
he goes to jail for life. And a
minor co-conspirator I thought
this was kind of interesting
was found guilty. She was only
given 10 years probation. but
she was also ordered deported
to her home country of
Moldova, which is a very cold
Eastern European country and
she can never return to the
United States. Another very
recent conviction that we had
involved the jury trial. And
there was a man who was
convicted
of stealing seniors' homes in
Tamarac. And he was convicted
very recently by a jury
of his peers. And as soon as
the jury found him guilty,
he walked up to the judge,
to the bench, and he goes, you,
Honor, I was just found guilty.
When do I come back
for my sentencing hearing? and
Judge Odom says, well,
it's actually right now. And he
gave him 15 years
in state prison with a 10-year
minimum mandatory. So I wanted
to bring those up because the
prison sentences are getting
very, very long and they should
be because the people that do
this, they target vulnerable
people and they steal our most
important assets. And I love
talking about this everywhere
because I want everybody
out there
to know if there's anybody,
anybody that hears me talk and
is watching this,
that's thinking
about doing this, if you do it,
you may get away with it,
but if we get you,
you're gonna go to jail
for a long time.
With that said, I can go
on and on and on with Mr.
Mayor. I just appreciate y'all
having me. And I have
to tell you, before I go, I
also loved your proclamations.
They were so heartfelt,
so warming. It started,
of course, with the young girl
that did a great job singing
the national anthem and
to see the young lady that's
100, that was so touching. And
I just love the fact that I got
to witness that. So thank you
all for doing that.
>> Well, thank you so very
much.
>> I appreciate it. Thank you.
>> You're a beloved person
in our County, and you've
served us for a very,
very long time,
and we look forward
to your every success story.
So thank you so very much
for being with us.
Commissioners, anything for the
property appraiser?
>> I just want
to say a thing, one thing, you
know, your owner alert program
and the way that you instituted
the program has been received
incredibly well. Almost
everybody that I talked to,
when they know about the
program and they sign up
to the program,
they almost turn
around and say, you know,
I have a peace
of mind because they know
Marty Kiars
on watch and he's looking
for anybody who's going
to be messing
with their home. And that's
very, very important, though.
But for these people to
actually say that that program
actually gives them a peace of
mind is a very good success
story for the programming that
you've done. So thank you again
for doing that.
>> Thank you, Tom. And thank
you
for the great work you do.
And, you know,
I'm exceptionally proud
of our owner alert program.
And but the reason it's been so
successful is because we've had
just fantastic partners in
Pembroke Pines and the other
30 cities because, you know,
as you know, when you serve
in public office,
there's a lot you can do, but
sometimes the difficulty is
reaching everybody.
But there is no people
with more of a reach to their
constituency than the local
elected officials. and the
reason we have 50% of all of
the home-stated property owners
here in Pembroke Pines that
have signed up is because you
all have been just such great
partners
in helping us publicize it.
The city has as well. I mean,
you all allow us to come to a
few places every single month
where we're here no matter
what,
where people are signing up.
You've just been great partners
and that's really the only
reason it's been as successful
as it is. So thank you
for that.
>> Thank you very much.
>> Thank you again.
>> One comment if I could. I
wanted to thank you Marty.
for coming out to Sentry
Village and call him out
by name, Michael Albeta,
for what he has done
with several of my residents
that did not realize that they
qualified
for certain exemptions,
especially some residents who
were chronically ill. So I did
want to thank you for that.
By the way, the Sentry
Village Temple wants you
to speak to them on a Sunday,
so I need to call you. She's
putting that
on your radar.
>> Thank you. I would be
honored. And Mike, I also want
to thank you as well because as
you know, we have a pretty
aggressive outreach department.
It's our mobile exemption
education. Michael Albet is a
part of it. And this year
they'll go to about 1500 events
because we like to kind of go
where the people go and where
you all allow us to go
to a number
of different city halls,
which is very helpful. We also
been getting into Publixes and
we of course are in a Publix
in Pembroke Pines because you
got us in there. And so thank
you very, very much.
>> I cannot tell you the amount
of people we've been able
to help there.
>> We working on Walmart?
>> Yes, Walmart as
well. So actually right now
we're in Publix's, Walmart's,
Lowe's, and a few others. And I
just find that to be really
fantastic because you know,
it's almost like we're kind of
like the Girl Scouts. We're
there, our table set up,
and people sit down with us and
we sign them up and it's just
awesome. So thank you, Mike. I
really appreciate it. And thank
you for what you do as well.
Hey Jay.
>> How are you sir?
>> I'm doing good. It's good
to see you.
>> It's good to see you too.
>> Two things. We haven't seen
each other but I had a
constituent who became widowed
and his wife handled all the
affairs. So the next year the
property, the envelope comes,
doesn't know what to do
with it, inadvertently lost the
exemption. I contacted your
office within two weeks. Not
only was the exemption put back
in place, but I think it was
in excess of $8,000 in property
tax that he had paid was
returned. He was in shock. So
thank you
for that. I just want
to thank your staff.
>> Thank you, Jay. And if I
could just add, I want to thank
you as well because it's kind
of like I said just before,
there's so much we can do
to help people, but the
difficulty is reaching
everybody and we would never
have been able
to help that person going
through the time that she was
going through if you didn't
take the time
to send her our way. So thank
you for that.
>> Well, secondly, we always
encourage our residents to go
out and vote,
protect your vote. Perhaps you
and the supervisor
of elections could tag team,
protect your vote,
protect your property. And this
way, when they're doing a
registration drive, right
near the Broward County, you
can,
you can combine the protect the
house, welcome
to the neighborhood type
of thing. Just a suggestion.
>> It's a great idea. And
actually
for a couple reasons. One, when
people register to vote,
they can also, like you said,
they you know,
protect their house.
But let's say, for example,
they don't have a homestead
exemption. One thing we like
to look at is,
are they a voter? Because it
shows that it's their primary
residence where their driver's
license is, too. And so,
you're right, if we go out
with Joe Scott's office and
somebody registers to vote,
maybe they just bought a home.
We can actually sign them up
for a homestead exemption
at the same time.
>> So they get
to vote and they get
to save money. It's a great
idea. Thank you, Jay. Thank
you. I appreciate it.
>> Thank you so much
for all the information. And
thank you for presenting also
at the League cities event
recently. There you talked a
little bit about what's going
on at the state legislation. I
was wondering if you could
present a small bit because I
know the legislation is
endlessly changing and we don't
even, you know,
we haven't even honed in
on a budget yet.
But if you have any kind
of insight as to how it may
affect cities like Pembroke
Pines with the legislation
they've put forth affecting
property taxes,
of course.
>> No, of course, that's a
great question and thank you
for your service, Maria. I was
very proud when you got
elected. Just
like everybody here,
you worked so hard, walked to
so many doors and really earned
it. I think it's really just
wonderful and I love the fact
that you brought, you know,
the really nice people here
that from, I think, rising,
Florida rising. I think it's
amazing that 50%
of all home workers live here
in Broward and Miami-Dade.
That's an incredible number.
That really is.
But you're right, you know,
as you know, there is a lot
of conversation in Tallahassee
with regards
to property tax relief. And
just a little history, it kind
of started, you know, a number
of months ago when there was a
tweet and Governor DeSantis
retweeted something that said
eliminate property taxes. And
it kind
of started a big conversation
in Tallahassee as
to what they should do
with regard
to property taxes. And it was
interesting watching the
session this time. The governor
had advocated
for the elimination
of property taxes. The House
Speaker advocated
for the reduction
of the sales tax from 6
to 5.25%. And the Senate
President
at the time advocated
for a study on the elimination
of homesteaded property taxes
and what that would do. So it
doesn't look
like anything is going
to pass this year, of course,
because it's
over the budget is about
to be finalized. But the
House Speaker did put together
a select committee with regard
to studying somebody to put
on the ballot. And it looks
like what they all seem
to be focused
on is homesteaded property
taxes at this time. I haven't
seen anything new with regard
to commercial property taxes or
commercial assessed values.
And so there are a number of
different proposals that were
put out there. One, the speaker
looked at a $500,000 homestead
exemption. We did run the
numbers on that. And what was
interesting
about that is if that were
to pass, Yes, people would save
a lot of money
in their taxes,
but conversely,
a significant amount of the
revenue that you all collect
would go away. For example,
the county commission would
lose about 30% of its revenue
and the cities would lose a
greater portion. I think if I
remember Cooper City was
about 60% of its revenue,
which is a big number. So I do
believe that something will be
put on the ballot in November
of 2026. It just depends
on how big it's going
to be and what they're going
to target. And, you know, I
think one thing that would make
it very hard, you can't really
eliminate property taxes
without replacing it
with something else. There's
about $55 billion of property
taxes are collected statewide
throughout the state of
Florida. And those $55 billion
fund your most important
services, your police, your
fire, it funds all, all your
entire general fund is funded
through,
advocating property taxes. And
so if you were
to eliminate everything,
you would have
to increase the sales tax
to possibly 12%, 13%,
or they would have
to put an income tax
on the ballot. I don't think
any of that is on the table.
So I do believe that they may
put something on the ballot
that's more targeted towards
targeted relief so that people
can continue to be able
to function as a government,
but maybe provide people some
opportunities. And I'll just
give you one example
of one proposal that Marie
Woodson Marie Woodson is one of
my most favorite state
representatives on the face of
the earth. I think she has a
portion of Pembroke Pines.
>> Yes.
>> And she's on the select
committee, it's a 37 member
committee that's actually
looking
at property tax relief. And a
proposal that she's proposing
that she's bringing to them is
to give targeted relief where
it's needed. And it's really
needed
with first time home buyers.
They're the ones that really
see the big increases in
property tax because if you've
been in your property
for a long time,
you're protected by the Save
Our Homes assessment cap,
so your taxable value is much,
much lower than your market
value. But somebody that's
never owned a home before,
they buy a property, they pay
at the top values. They have
very large increases
in their taxes. So one thing
that she's proposing,
for example, is a super-sized
homestead exemption for a
first-time homeowner that
basically says that the first
year you would get a 30%
reduction
of your market value up to
$250,000. that would start you
at a pretty big chunk that you
would have some relief. And
what's neat about her proposal
is it's not revenue neutral,
but the cities and the counties
wouldn't lose any money. And
the reason being is because the
person that buys the property
is probably buying
from a person like me or
yourself that had been
in their homes
for a long time. And, you know,
and because they're getting
that exemption, they're, you
know, I guess they're not,
they won't be paying,
less than what we paid
for ours,
if that makes sense. So the
cities won't be getting
additional revenue, they just
won't lose any revenue. I think
something
like that is very targeted. It
could actually help the people
that really need it and also do
it in a way that doesn't
handicap local governments
being able to operate
in a way that they need to
for the people. And so I think
there may be some things
on the ballot in '26. I'm just
hoping that whatever they put
on there is targeted,
that helps the people that
needs to help, and also gives
our cities and our counties and
our schools the ability
to continue operating
in the way that they need to,
to make this the best place,
the best state to live
in the country.
>> Mr. Property Appraiser
again, thank you so very much
for your very comprehensive
presentation and we always look
forward to seeing you and thank
you again.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank
you so much.
>> Okay, now we have the
District 1 and 4, Natalie
Belmonte, Great Yards Award.
Commissioners, if you'll join
me.
>> I'd like to invite the
Graham family and the
Mirabella family down
to the podium.
>> How you doing?
>> Congratulations. I think
you've got a great job.
>> He's got a great job.
>> Right ahead.
>> So while I'm queuing this
up, Mayor. Family from
District 4. Okay,
but we will get this one.
>> Yep.
>> So, Mayor, if you look
at the screen right now,
this was from last month. They
weren't able to attend,
but you can see this is in
District 4. This is the
mirabel family. It's just a
beautiful house. They did a
phenomenal job
of promillads and a bunch
of different material
in here. This is over in
District 4 in the Encantada
neighborhood. And then we have
the Graham family. And again,
I mean, just going above and
beyond.
I know it, Commissioner. But
we're just so fortunate
everybody, they put this time
into their yard and just It
really reflects
in our community.
So we're really proud.
>> Well, that's wonderful. So
what's your secret
to this beautiful yard? What's
the secret?
>> It's hard work. Lots
of money.
>> He's the one that does the
work.
>> So who gets the 50 bucks?
You or you? I think Home Depot
ends up with it
in the long run, but
Congratulations, beautiful
home.
>> Touching the hands of
greatness. Amen. Let's take a
photo,
please.
>>[PICTURE TAKING]
>> Thank you very much.
>> Mayor, in August we'll
have our district 2 and our
district 3 winner
since we don't,
we're not meeting in the month
of July. So we'll have two more
next month.
>> Are there representatives
from the drainage districts
here? Okay, if you can come
forward. So we're getting
into hurricane season,
everybody. And
in preparedness,
I asked representatives
from the South Broward drainage
district and also from the
South Florida Water
Management District
to give us an update on where
we stand and where they stand
in terms of preparedness and
how we can work together
to get
through this hurricane season.
So if you can state your name
and affiliation and we'll begin
the presentation.
>> Thank you, Mayor. My name is
Julio Tejeda with South
Florida Water Management
District. I handle their
external affairs. It's
basically just their
communications
between you guys,
the local government level,
county level,
with our district.
>> Welcome.
>> Thank you very much. So,
like I said, good evening,
basically, mayor and
Commissioners, City Mayor,
City Manager as well. So let's
begin with a little bit
of background, a little bit
of History, why we are here.
So in 1926 and 1928, we had two
devastating hurricanes. So that
was the Great Miami Hurricane.
and the Lake Okeechobee
hurricane. These hurricanes
caused a great deal
of devastation,
caused the dikes
around the lake
to basically break,
and that water flowed south,
causing great deaths. About
over 2,000 deaths happened
during that time frame. Lots
of devastation to crops,
housing, multiple,
multiple damages
on that. so due to this, the
Army Corps of Engineers decided
to work on the largest
infrastructure project
of the time. This was the
Central and Southern Florida
Flood Control and the Hoover
Dike. So in that history, so
in 1949, this new system needed
to be maintained. There needed
to be some sort of an agency
to take care
of this system afterwards,
operate it,
manage it. once the Army Corps
developed it. So in 1949, the
legislature brought
into existence a Central and
Southern Florida Flood
Control District. This was
tasked to basically operate
this new system and improve it
over time. A little bit later
on in 1972, those duties were
greatly expanded, allowing us
to do a little bit more work
and basically be able
to manage that along with that.
There was a definite need to
put a little more flood control
into the rest of the of
Florida. So there was five
additional drainage districts
created. So water management
districts. So 1977, that's the
big day. That's when we
officially got renamed from
Central and Southern Florida
Control District to South
Florida Water Management
District. who we are today. We
manage 18, 000 square miles.
That's 31 of the state's total
land area and 16 counties
overall. So here we go. So here
is our governing board. This
governing board basically
dictates how we operate,
what we do,
and basically how we can help
during flood times and how we
keep everything operating.
on all those times. These guys
are appointed
by the governor and they come
from a little bit
of different walks. Some
of them are former military,
some of them are landowners,
some of them come
from the environmental realm.
So a little bit going back
here. So we have 2,000 plus
miles of levees and berms that
we managed, 900 upwards of 900
flood control infrastructure.
So that would be structures and
89 of those would be pump
stations. So you can see here a
little bit of difference how
the berms we have monitoring
stations and how that those
structures operate overall. So
to get a little more technical
background, so we have what are
called gated structures. These
structures only allow water
to move to gravity. So
basically as that tide comes
down, water within the canal as
it's rising, we are able
to release it. Once that sea
level starts to come up,
like we're having a little bit
of sea level rise every year,
that potential of water release
is we're losing it. We're not
able to release as much as we
were able to back when the
original structure was created.
We're currently working
on upgrading a lot
of these coastal structures,
which are currently operating
as gated structures
through gravity alone.
into pump stations. This allows
us to move water
through gravity still, but to
regain that capacity that we've
lost, we are adding some pumps
to that. So those are the two
main type
of structures that we operate.
Some of those gated structures
are being upgraded
to pump stations. That does not
mean that we are going
to move more water,
increase that capacity
of release. It is only
to regain what has been lost
over the years. so we like
to refer
to flood control as a little
bit of a partnership. So we
have your local drains. That
would be your swales, that
would be your storm drains.
That is all
at the local level. That is the
first basically infrastructure
that the rain hits as soon as
it hits the ground.
Basically, that is your main
flood control operation.
From there, it would move to
either a drainage district or a
county level Canal. which are
your smaller canals that you'll
see along the streets. They're
smaller, capable
of moving smaller amounts
of water out
of the neighborhood,
and then they move
into the primary system,
which is the first tier system,
which is what we operate.
These are your main canals that
flow west to east,
moving the large volume of
water and creating that flood
control capability. We like
to say that everything needs to
move together. your local
drainage,
your neighborhood drains need
to stay clean. The secondary
system needs,
those culverts need to stay
clean so that water can move.
If not, these things to start
to back up. We at South
Florida Water Management
District, that primary canal
system is always ready to take
on water. We're currently and
constantly doing maintenance
on that system, making sure
there's no blockages and
without, we're ready
to accept that water coming
from you guys. so let's give
you a little bit of background
in what we do whenever there is
a storm coming or a heavy rain
event coming
like we've had just recently.
Realistically, we have a
meteorologist
at our headquarters in West
Palm Beach that monitors water
and storm that's about to drop
on the district overall any
of these 16 counties and our
water managers, which observed
the,
the whole operations are able
to gauge what levels our canals
are at. Are they
at their low stage,
at their high state? Every
single canal has different
peaks and different levels. As
you know, you may know,
Florida has different levels
and elevations. We had
original, you know, those
streams which are where the
canals currently lie. So 42
hours to 48 hours,
we start that drawdown. We
start
to move that water down. As I
mentioned, due
to the sea level rise,
we've had a bit
of a wrench thrown
in that works because we've had
to start drawing
down a little bit earlier just
to be able
to get the proper capacity out
of those canals. Now, flood
control. Flood control is a
little bit complicated when it
comes to when we get a report
of flooding. A lot of the
flooding concerns that we
receive,
we get residents calling
different, you know,
municipalities calling, hey,
we're having flooding,
we're having water backup. And
then we send a team
out there and we see, hey,
the streets flooded out,
your swells are flooded out,
water is backing up
into the streets.
Realistically how we see it
at our level since we handle
the main large primary system,
we see this as a good location
for the water to be held. It
might not be great because
residents can't move
around as much but this is
basically where the water
moves. Those roads,
those swales are used to move
that water funnel it into,
like I said,
your neighborhood drains
into the local canals, and out
to us. And that's the most
important thing. As long as
those drains and that water can
move, we are good
to go. A little bit of ponding
here and there is bound
to happen
during very large storms. As
some of you may know,
your local drainage may only be
able to handle so that's your
storm water system. Your drains
can only handle
about five inches of rain
in a 24-hour period.
After that, you will start
to see a little bit
of water standing
on that road. so here are some
of our challenges. As I said,
you know, those canal blockages
can happen. Those storm drains
can back up with leaves,
branches, different things like
that that do end up there will
cause up a large backup. And as
soon as one
of those tiers backs up,
it impacts all the way back.
So if something
at the county level or at the
drainage district level starts
to back up,
it you're gonna see it here
at the local level in your
neighborhood. so we have a
annual maintenance plan
basically going
through observing trees,
anything that may be falling
into the canal, we look
into the backyards
of residents, try
to see what they're planting,
we do try
to keep a certain area
of clearance between that water
and the residents backyard just
to avoid anything
from falling in. And that's
basically all I have
for you guys, feel free to ask
me any questions and that's my
information there, feel free
to reach out.
>> So thank you very much and
we're very, very thankful. If
someone from the drainage
district here as well,
if you could come forward,
we're happy to hear from both
of you. One of the concerns
that we had when we had
Tropical Storm ETA was that it
was reported to us that the
canals were simply overwhelmed.
They were simply too high and
the gravity that the water
movement relies upon couldn't
work because it was backed up.
What are we doing now? Because
even though they described that
story as a 1000 year storm,
was it a hundred year storm or
100 year storm? Even at 100
year storm,
I don't feel that lucky. And
we're seeing more and more
rain. So what are we doing?
What lessons did we learn
from that event that we can
sort of use going forward to
try and keep those canals lower
so that our system sort
of can discharge? Because
here's the issue. We're so
close to the,
we're the last stop on the
Everglades and you know,
we're competing with all these
other cities that are dumping
water into your canal. And so,
I'm sort of curious to know
from your perspective. And then
I'm going
to ask drainage district, what,
what they're doing, what,
what have you all been doing
since ETA in order
to keep that
from happening again?
>> So what we've been basically
doing is, like I mentioned,
we've been up trying
to upgrade those structures
to be able
to move water not only
during that low tide,
but be able to move it 24 hours
a day with those upgrades
to have pumps
in those locations. That's what
we've been doing mainly
at the South Florida Water
Management District. I know
that the drainage district has
done a little bit more work
on their end, but Lewis will be
able to talk a little bit more
on that end.
>> So what are the metrics
on the improvements
from your capital projects?
What are the metrics
in terms of,
is there an X amount of
additional water that you all
feel that you can move now that
you weren't be able,
that you weren't able
to do then because
of these improvements? Are
there metrics associated
with this?
>> So there are metrics. I
don't have them exactly
off the top of my head,
but I can get those definitely
to you to see what the enhanced
capacity is. Like I said, over
the years we've lost capacity.
That discharge capacity that
originally was built into the
system has been lost due
to sea level rise. So the
amount of time that we have
to discharge has been lost. But
I don't have the exact numbers
for you.
>> I would appreciate it if you
could send that over to us,
Mr. Dodge, if you would,
if you would, if you would
receive that and share it
with the city engineer. I'd
like to be able to know, I'd
like the entire commission to
know what additional capacity
we can rely on if we get a
serious flooded storm
like that. Commissioner
Hernandez lives
in a community where.
>> We were underwater
for four days after ETA.
>> Yeah. And I was the district
commissioner there
at the time. And it was very,
very frustrating because
everybody was running around
to do this, but doing the best
that they can. But the canals
were just so high that the
drainage. The drainage system
could not work. The gravity
didn't allow it. The water was
above where the
discharge had to happen. So it
backed up. I wouldn't even be
surprised if we got canal water
coming into.
>> Mayor, I think.
>> Didn't the state allocate
additional pumps?
>> Yeah, but the pumps went
to the drainage district.
Right now, I'm asking him
about his canals. So that data
is important for us to have so
that we can have a better
assurance of. And I know that
you guys work hard and these
storms are difficult and I know
that you have meteorologists
and I'm merely an economics
graduate. However, I have
to tell you, I believe,
and I'm not Kreskin,
but I believe we're going
to get more rain and I need
to understand how we are going
to deal with that
on some metric level. So if you
could provide that information.
I really appreciate it and I
really, really enjoy your
presentation. I'm thankful
for it. If you could come
forward on behalf of the
drainage district and offer
your presentation, then
commissioners,
we can open it up for some
questions and then we have a
long agenda tonight. Go right
ahead.
>> Sure. Good evening, Mr.
Mayor and Commissioners, City
Manager, appreciate being here.
>> Your name
for the record?
>> My name's Louis Ochoa,
district director over at
South Broward Drainage
District. I've been
at the district almost 30
years, so I'm pretty familiar
with the growth of Pembroke
Pines and how it was all
constructed. Very familiar
with the overall. So you guys
asked us to come and talk
about the Atlantic hurricane
season. On average
over the last 30 years,
we can expect anywhere
from approximately 14 named
storms, approximately seven
hurricanes, and of those, three
are approximately major
hurricanes. The many different
agencies have forecasted
predictions for 2025 ranging
from 10 to 19 named storms,
six to 10 hurricanes and two
to five
of them being major hurricanes.
Since Hurricane Andrew in
1992, there have been 13 major
hurricanes that have hit
landfall in Florida. In 2024 we
had two. Hurricane Helene which
hit Perry, and Hurricane
Milton which hit Siesta key.
So that's 13 storms in 32 year
period. It's about 40% chance
that one makes landfall. The
district is an independent
special taxing district. We
were established
by state legislature back in
1927. Were governed under
Chapter 298 of the Florida
Statutes as a water control
district. We were originally
known as the Hollywood
reclamation district until
1986 when our name changed
to the South Broward Drainage
District. And we have a seven
member elected board of
Commissioners. The local
drainage district. Our district
covers portions
of five cities. At the north
end we have southwest ranches.
We cover the majority of
Pember Pines and majority
of city of Miramar. We have two
small slivers, town of Davie
and the city of Hollywood. Our
overall area is 72 square
miles. We have over 7,500 acres
of lakes and we serve over
270,000 residents. Here you'll
see a slide discussing the flow
of how your asking
about flow. So let me explain a
little bit about the flow. Our
system is the secondary system
we discharge into. The primary
primary system is South
Florida Water Management
District canals which is a C11
canal on Griffin Road. And then
you have the C9 canal
along the Dade county line.
Pembroke Pines, Commissioner
Rodriguez's own and district
and a small portion of Chapel
Trails and Vice Mayor
Hernandez's zone flow north
to the C11 canal. Okay. All
that water flows
to our SA pump station. We have
control structures
with floodgates that go
into that canal system. All the
other areas,
the other districts flow south
into the C9 canal. They go
through our pump stations, our
S1, S2, S7, all the way
across the board from
University drive
to towards US 27. As Julio
mentioned,
a three tiered system. They're
the primary. We communicate
with them
during storm events. They
monitor the meteorological
conditions. They coordinate
with the local drainage
districts and municipalities.
On many occasions when there's
a storm event notified,
they'll have a 298 call and
they'll bring everybody in.
They'll talk about the
conditions that we're
expecting, what to expect.
They'll talk about their
operations and how much they're
going to be able
to lower the water,
what the conditions are, if
there's any restrictions that
we may have or any other agency
may have and we can answer
questions back and forth and
talk
with the the water managers
on plans in order
to improve the discharges. So
we are the secondary and the
tertiary system is the city and
the homeowner associations.
The role of the district is to
maintain and operate the
secondary system. We provide
water quality and discharge
control behind our pump
stations and control
structures. We handle
permitting and inspections
within our jurisdictional
boundaries. We monitor and
operate our local facilities,
our pump stations,
control structures. We
coordinate with South
Florida. We respond to resident
concerns and most importantly
the pre storm and post storm
activities that we're going
to talk about. The tertiary
System is an important role,
like Julio mentioned, has
to do
with your local drainage, you
know, your roadway drainage,
drainage within the community
behind commercial developments
like you see here
in this picture. That's behind
the BJ's shopping center. They
were not familiar
with how their system worked.
Water 3ft high
in the retention areas, a foot,
2 foot of water
in the parking lots. Staff went
out there, found the structure
that was blocked up,
cleaned it up,
and you can see the before and
after
of what that looks like. It's
important that everybody be
familiar with how their
drainage system works. Look
at the plans. Where does all
this water go? What do we have
to do
to keep it open and flowing?
It's very, very important. As
part of that, the district has
a five year operation and
maintenance permit that we have
all the property owners or
subdivisions prepare and
basically they go through,
have an engineer come out,
verify their system is fully
functional,
have a contractor clean line,
clean structures. We go out
to a joint inspection,
make sure it's all
like it needs to be, and
basically give them a clean
bill of health
for the next five years, making
sure their system is
functioning as it was
in the initially intended.
Okay. As mentioned, the
district's main function is
stormwater management. Our goal
is always
to keep the stormwater moving,
flowing, keep,
keep it operational. We have
seven stormwater pump stations,
all automated, all serving
Pembroke pines. We have 27
gravity fed floodgates
in our system. 25
of those serve Pembroke pints.
We do aquatics and vegetation
removal
of district owned water bodies
at our pump stations and
control structures. We handle
culvert inspections in the
primary system and again the
five year operation and
maintenance program. Our
primary pump stations, as I
mentioned, are automated 24/7.
They're redundant systems.
When I say redundant,
for example, on the left you
have our S1 pump station on
University Drive. It has four
pumps. Of the four pumps,
three of them can be operated
at a certain time depending
upon the levels of the canal.
One of them is a backup. So you
can always rotate engines out.
We have a SCADA system. It's
our telemetry,
it's our eyes and ears,
where we can monitor
from our phones,
computer and have readings
on water elevations,
the amount
of rainfall that we get,
if the pumps are on,
what the RPMs are
on the engine, the oil
pressure, our gear drives are
functioning, our diesel
engines, which are our cat,
3304, 3306s, 3126s. You know,
we have emergency backup
generators at each
of the stations and we also
have a mobile backup generator
as well. Pump station flow
capacity RS1 that we talked
about can move 47,500 gallons
per minute. We're allowed
to discharge three pumps
at a given time into the C9,
so our ranges go from 31,000
gallons per minute per pump up
to RSA, which is 75,000 gallons
per minute. Or we can run two.
So total pump capacity
into the C9 Canal is 628,650
gallons per minute. When
everything is operational and
into the C11, we can do
150,000 gallons per minute
to our pump station. That does
not include our control
structures that are gravity
fed.
>> Okay.
>> We have an ongoing
maintenance program where we
pull our pumps
on a seven year cycle. So we'll
take the pumps out at the end
of the pumping season,
take them out,
get them looked at. So we'll
pull two, three depending upon,
depending on the site,
there could be four a year.
And they'll go out, they'll go
to the shop, they'll replace
bearings, check the line shaft,
anything else that could be
damaged or repaired, the
impellers or what have you get
taken care of at that time.
Along with the pump station
maintenance, we do routine
startups and testing. We do
maintenance inspections and
then we do updates
to our facilities,
whether it be our roof,
our exhaust systems, control
panels and engine rebuilds
after 6,000 to 8,000 hours
of operation. We talked
about automated floodgates.
Floodgates are a gravity,
it's a gravity fed system. So
if you're,
if your downstream is lower,
your upstream is higher,
you can open up the gate,
move the water. And again,
we can do that physically
on site. We can do that
from our phone. We can do that
pretty much anywhere. I mean
I've been
in the district almost 30
years. I've monitored and open
things
in my honeymoon. I've done
stuff in Canada, I've done
stuff all over the United
States. So whenever I've
traveled. So we're definitely
on call here. Referring
to tropical storm ETA, you see
one of Silver Lakes floodgate
on the left, you have our
normal, normal conditions,
what the gate looks like and
the tropical storm ETA. You can
see the vast amount of water,
how high the water got
during that storm. Now that
storm,
that specific area was reported
to have more than 20 inches
of rain. It is more than 100
year storm event. We're talking
about a 200 plus because
the 20 inches plus fell
in the 48 hour instead of a 72
hour period. Our SCADA system,
I talked about that being our
eyes and ears.
Our SCADA system allows us
to check water levels upstream,
downstream, lets us open gates,
lets us turn pumps on,
turn pumps off,
identify what the RPMs are
in engine, if it's running. We
talked
about getting phone calls. We
have an extensive alarm system.
So if I get 2 inches of rain at
any location where we have our
telemetry system, we'll get a
phone call no matter what time
of night,
no matter where you are. And
that'll be continuous. Whether
it be pump station one,
whether it be pump station
three, everyone can keep going
off as long as you got the
calls. And you'll have
to clear them in order to make
sure that you acknowledge that
the alarm was taken. So again,
we have alarms for rainfall.
If our pumps are running
for more than 30 minutes
because they turn
on automatically,
we get a phone call. If the
station is supposed to turn on
or it's running and it fails,
we get a phone call. So a lot
of different features,
alarms that we are privy
to because of our telemetry
systems. A big benefit that the
district has water level
recorders. We talked
about how important it is to
know the water level so you can
manage the water. We have 29 at
our pump stations and control
structures and we have 15
remote locations. So a total
of 44 water level recorders.
2003, the district was
fortunate to have some grant
funding and we purchased two
mobile pumps which you'll see
here deployed
in the pictures. We have a 24
inch and a 20 inch pump. These
pumps can be pulled
out and it's a form
of resiliency. If one
of our pumps were to go down
at our pump station, we can
deploy the pump and be able
to move water. Now the one
caveat with these pumps is I
can't just take it to a
neighborhood and just drop it
in the, in the lake and lower
the level. We actually have
to have the,
the area prepared. You have to
have a bottom that the pump is
going to sit in. It's got
to be submerged
by a certain amount of water
before you can turn the pump
on and operate. You also have
to be able
to have enough discharge hose
to get it across from point A
to point B. So it's not ideal
to put across University Drive
or other roadways. So things
have to be prepared and planned
ahead and be ready to go.
That we've
done all of our stuff at
our pump stations and we're
looking at other alternative
locations where
we could put these pumps.
We talked about aquatics and
vegetation control. This is a
big issue when it comes
to moving water. You can see
the vast amount
of vegetation that's
in the canal. We have to remove
that vegetation so it doesn't
block up our flow path. You
know those trash racks,
those boards that you see there
in front of the pump station.
We either move manually
with our rakes. We have a wedo
boat that will move vegetation
to central Broward Water
control District. We also have
a grapple truck. We have two
of them actually that come out,
remove vegetation, debris.
We're on call 24/7.
Like I mentioned. Staff will go
out up to 35 mile an hour
winds. They're instructed
to go out and do what we need
to do. Culvert inspections. We
talked
about primary inspections. So
we looked at the system when it
gets installed other than
permitting. We're out there
observing the construction and
gets all put in place. Here you
have
on your left the city center
on seventh apartments,
the entrance. Those are dual
96 inch culverts that were
installed there. And then there
was a 10 foot 6 inch culvert
that was installed on Pembroke
road and our C4 canal which is
approximately. It's the pipe
that goes between Grand Palms
and Silver Shores underneath
Pembroke Road. Just
on the east, on the west side
of the overpass SPD we
performed a slip liner. We were
able to get some funding
for this large slip liner.
This is
at our S1 pump station. This is
triple 96 inch pipes. Just
north of our pump station. We
had some pipe failure,
some pipes getting older,
fatigued
over time and we needed
to do a repair. We got some
emergency funding
in and we're able
to fuse together 84 inch pipe,
113ft long and float in three
different three new pipes
in which are going
to basically serve,
serve that area for at least
100 years. We identify choke
points. When I say choke points
in canal systems. This picture
actually is in the city of
Pembroke Pines and Southwest
Ranches. Excavator there. And
then you see here on the left
another control structure.
Storm mode. We talked
about storm mode. Once a named
storm or storm is out there,
you get that, that cone,
that cone is out there.
Everybody jumps
into active mode, right? So you
have, I mean out here through
the years we've seen anytime
two to four storms a year.
We're buying water,
we're buying batteries,
we're buying plywood,
we're getting prepared for
storms because we know what's
coming, right? So we coordinate
with South Florida Water
Management district. Again the
298 calls. Drawing down the
water levels is extremely
important. The lower you get
the level, the more capacity,
extra capacity you're gonna be
able to generate, right? So
there's what's called control
elevation,
which is where we pump the
water down to get the water.
That's where our pumps
automatically shut off. Then
with coordination with South
Florida, if they give us the
green light in order to create
additional storage capacity, we
will discharge a couple days if
we can, and get the levels
down 6 inches below, 8 inches
below. Whatever we're allowed
to do to get the levels down to
create that additional storage
capacity throughout the overall
basin. We talked about 7,500
acres
of lakes. I dropped a little
bit of water in
at our pump station,
but it's not just. It's got to
go all the way the overall
area. So it's a large area you
got to cover in order
to move the water. So our
facilities, South Florida
Water Management District, we
coordinate with them and
continuous monitoring the
storm. And also we communicate
with the city of Pembroke
Pines. Post storm is very
similar. Monitoring the
facilities,
inspecting the canals to make
sure that there's no blockages
in the canals, tree debris,
what have you. We have
contracts post storm contracts
in place
with vendors already secured
for debris removal and
cleaning. So if there is a
named storm,
we can communicate
with them and get them
on call and ready to go. So if
something comes in,
if we can't handle it,
we can get a contractor
to take care of it. We respond
to resident concerns,
and then we do our post storm
drawdowns, get everything back
down to control. That being
said, I can answer all your
questions.
>> I want to thank you
for a great presentation. I
want to thank you both for
everything that you and your
team does
to keep us high and dry. One of
the things that I have seen is
shopping center parking lot
flooding. It's a huge problem
in western Pembroke Pines,
but I've seen it in eastern
Pembroke Pines as well.
What are we doing to keep
those drains clear? I'll give
you an example. The public's
on 184th after any even, you
know, not a name
storm, but after a
hard rain that puddles up
for days. What are we
doing to get these shopping
center owners
to clear that out? Because you
got senior citizens,
you got other folks,
you lose the parking,
it becomes a problem going
through the area. What are we
doing to get that fixed?
>> Those areas obviously are
the property owner's
responsibility right now. That
being Said the Publix that
you're referring to,
we have met with the property
manager and they've done some
improvements to their system.
Behind the Publix, there's a
large retention area goes
across the whole width
of the parking lot from 184 all
the way to like,
1-80-ballpark. So all that area
is flat area, barely pitched.
And they let the grass grow.
They don't maintain it. You
know, you get tree clippings
after tree clippings or grass
mowing clippings, trash. It all
builds up. They've done some
modifications, I want to say
about four or five years ago,
and actually brought a
contractor out and cleaned
out the swale at our request
in order to help improve that.
But it's a continual cycle.
They need
to do.
>> I gotta tell you, do you
have, like, inspectors that go
out and look at these? I don't
know. I'm asking, like,
after a hard rain, to see where
the huge puddling is, because
it happens there constantly.
>> We have staff that goes
out to. There are certain
shopping centers that we know
are prone for flooding. West
Fork is one. There's one
Monday. We had three and a half
inches of rain over at Silver
Lakes, Floodgate Pines
Boulevard and 178th area.
Across from that is the Pollo
Tropical, the Jiffy Lube, the
Chevron. That whole shopping
center was flooded. There was
18 inches of water
across the parking lot. Staff
went back in there. There's a
retention area in the back
where basically all the water
flows out
into this large holding pond.
Right. So it holds all this
water, and once the water gets
a certain elevation,
it meets its water quality,
it's allowed
to discharge and go out. But
what happens is they're not
maintaining their system. So
they've got oak trees lined
on both sides.
>> So is that something you
have jurisdiction over? Is that
a code system? Does any code
matter? What is that? Who gets
them to fix this problem?
>> Well, it can be a joint
thing. I mean, it's really the
property manager. Right. So
what we're going to do,
I had staffed in 2ft
of water removing leaves off of
this grate so that the parking
lot would drain. We're meeting
with the property manager
to have a conversation
with them. Now, the problem is
property managers change every
six months. So if they're not
meeting with the people doing
their landscaping, they're just
blowing the leaves and the
clippings into these areas and
not bagging it continually,
it's going to continue.
>> I'm wondering if you would
be willing to meet
with the representatives with
code and see what it is that
they can do together. I'm
constantly getting complaints
from all parts of Pembroke
Pines that
after strong rains, there are
parking lots that are flooded
for days, for days. And there
are drains there. So
something's not.
>> To interrupt,
but if there's flooding,
if there's flooding going on,
we'd like to know about it
because we're very familiar
with the drainage system.
>> So, see,
that's why we have plans
to meet with the code
enforcement officer.
>> Maybe what we need is a
survey after a hard rain and so
that you can see it.
But if you get even an inch
of rain, which happens here
frequently,
you'll see it's all
over the city. So, Mr. Dodge,
could you make a
note to do that? Thank you
very, very much. And I want
to thank you all
for what you do.
Commissioners.
>> Thank you, ma'am. Mr.
Ochoa, thank you. 30 years
already, huh?
>> Yes, sir.
>> So that means you were here
for the no name Storm in
2000.
>> Yes, sir.
>> That was the last time that
University Canal breached.
Remember, cover the entire
road. As a result of that, the
drainage district started
digging deeper. FDOT was just
here
at the last meeting talking
about the improvements,
and they've committed
themselves to working with you
to ensure that water shedding
isn't going to be an issue.
It's a shame the mayor's not
here to hear this, but North
Perry Airport is a huge
collection of water. And if it
wasn't for that airport,
Pines Village and the
surrounding area would have a
foot or more
in their driveway. The issues
out west, 20 inches of rain.
You're not a magician,
certainly not a miracle worker.
And I was a little disappointed
years ago when the drainage
district was being blamed
for that historic event.
Because when you have
hydrostatic pressure coming
from the lake,
when you have wind coming out
of the southeast,
the water is not going
to drain out to Miami. The wind
has to stop. So our senior
chief meteorologist John
Morales at NBC 6 has made
national news. Not sure if you
saw the story or not, but he
said yesterday that because
of the gutting of the
National Weather Service, that
we will not be able
to predict where storm is going
to turn like Dorian. He said
specifically, if we had Dorian
today, based
on the staffing level,
which is between 18
to 40% reduction
in workforce,
we won't know if Dorian is
hitting South Florida. He also
said that 17%
of the weather balloons,
the ones that drop all the
data, will not be available.
He also said that the hurricane
hunters won't be going
out as often. So quite frankly,
gentlemen,
I don't know how you're going
to do your job,
because it's based on
prediction. I don't know how
the meteorologists that you
have on staff in Palm beach is
going to be able
to do their job, unless you're
a magician or a psychic.
Because there's one thing that
can't change, okay? And that's
the Everglades. That watershed
flow is only going
to go so fast, historically.
I know that Griffin Road
Pumping Station can do what?
40 million gallons in
an hour? Is it in an hour.
I've seen that discharge 60
million gallons a minute. A
minute. 40 million a minute, 1
million. Let alone what's
happening
with the gravity fed stuff. So
historically, if you lived
in florida in the 1920s,
if you were east of US 1, you
were above ground. Everything
else is a swamp,
ladies and gentlemen. So what
this agency does on a daily
basis is nothing short
of a miracle,
considering how many McDonald
cups get thrown out the window
and how many drains get stuck.
It's so bad with the change
in environment. We have
manatees now in Pembroke
Pines. We know this. They're
actually breaching our canals.
And they're living
in our canals because
of sea level rise and the
change
in the overall environment. So
I applaud what you are doing. I
am praying that this 40%
number, we don't see it this
year because the federal
government has absolutely put
us in danger. And I don't see
any changes happening. When the
head of FEMA doesn't know that
there's a thing called
hurricane season, I don't know
how that's even possible. So I
appreciate what you're doing as
far as. And I also want
to shout out to
Representative Robin
Bartleman. When she first got
elected, I asked her to get
with Ronnie Bergeron and learn
about the water network and how
it worked. And so we were able
to get these temporaries.
But you're right,
they're limited. If it's
underwater, you can't do it.
We are in a region. So unless
everything works correctly,
there will be areas, God
forbid, Coral Springs, if they
lose power, they're
like a salad bowl. They're just
going to fill up. But
at least here in Pembroke
Pines, we have an
administration, Carl Kennedy
and staff who vacuums drains
constantly. I want to thank
Carl Kennedy for that. And
here's the thing, colleagues.
We just heard from the Board
of Adjustment tonight. The
biggest thing that's impacting
our city is the Paving
of driveways. It's the uneven,
the non permitted work causing
hills and valleys holding this
water. And we've already heard
the testimony of Mr. Ochoa that
commercial property owners
aren't doing their part
to maintain property. So yes,
we have a responsibility to
ensure that our streets are
passable,
that our houses are livable
in the shortest amount
of time, allowable
under science. But you can't
make the water go any faster if
you're pumping it out off of
Griffin Road. That's head
pressure that's going
to keep our lakes up. So you
can only do so much. You can
displace it, but it has
to be moved to the south. And
until they get Tamiami fixed,
we have a major issue in the
Everglades right now. The water
is just backing up. If we have
another Etta, God forbid we had
an Etta for a longer period
of time,
that water can't get out. It's
going to back up against
Tamiami and you're going
to find overflow
in all the industrial areas
along U.S. 27. So we have a
crisis right now when it comes
to understanding how this is
going to work. And I,
and I'm asking the governor to
ensure that y' all have the
resources necessary that
there's enough advance notice
for a declaration of emergency
so you can do your job, because
I don't know how else we're
going to be able to do it. We
can't rely on the federal
government this hurricane
season. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Commissioner. I
appreciate those comments and
like to remind people that when
we occasionally go
to use the men's room, we can
hear every word that's said
because there are speakers back
there. So I didn't miss a word.
And I think part
of the discussion that's,
that's happening here is that
we rely on them
to keep us dry. That's their
job. It's their only job. And
so what we need
to do is we need to figure
out how we can team together.
Not to say, oh, shucks,
there's nothing we can do
but how to come up
with a plan.
If they need land
to store water, then that has
to be confronted. If they need
more equipment
to improve conveyance,
then that's what needs
to be done. But it can't just
be that we don't meet and
organize. And so we know that
there are pockets
of flooding all through the
city. I think we need to
inventory them because what I'm
hearing is that sometimes we're
not aware of what those are.
Let's identify what those are,
and let's start chipping away
at how we can improve that
situation. And that's what this
discussion is about.
Commissioner Rodriguez, you had
your hand up.
>> No, I didn't. Okay, well,
I was going to say something,
but it was along the lines
of what Commissioner Short
said.
>> Okay, Commissioner Good.
>> Yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I
gotta say...
>> I see your hand. Go ahead,
Commissioner Good.
>> I didn't know if I had my
hand.
>> No, go ahead.
>> I want to say to both
of you, great presentation.
Lewis. In particular, very
impressive you presenting the
South Broward Drainage
District. I know that the,
the South Florida Water
Management District is working
with the Army Corps of
Engineer. And I do also know
that even Broward county has
even chipped
in a couple million dollars
to accelerate some
of these programs that deal
with the, you know,
your pumps that are discharging
at certain points
to move the water
within your canal system. So
kudos to that. And I know that,
you know, South Broward Drains
District, and I say this
with confident knowledge, is
probably the best drainage
district in all of Broward
County. The way that you were
designed, the way that you
operate, very, very the best.
It is the best in class in all
of Broward County. So thank you
for that. You know, act of God
is an act of God. But Mayor, I
gotta say one thing. I'm very
impressed
with your deductive approach to
this because I do believe that
we can help
in regards when you
start moving more towards the
code support. One
of the things that was spoken
to and kind of went over,
but it's real, it's called that
five year operating permit,
you know, whenever the
district, you know,
accepts design and the
construction,
you know, every five years,
these owners
of the systems are supposed to
come and get a recertification.
And Mr. Ochoa went ahead and
expressed how some of that is.
But sometimes there's not
compliance, you know,
and you could chase
after these people for years
and years and years and years.
I don't know specifically what
the Sopper Hour Drainage
District's enforcement arm is,
but I don't know that you have
a code enforcement magistrate
situation sort of
like what the city does. And if
there's a way for code
to connect with that where
there's clearly a failed
operation,
the city might be able
to help that compliance
by bringing it into the city's
code enforcement process
in order to be able
to get that owner
to get that shopping plaza
to be more responsible to what
the drainage district has given
them an operating permit for.
So I mean, I hope that that
dialogue works well
into the advantage
of being able to allow
as Sapphire Drainage
District partners with South
Florida Water Management
District. I would love to see
the south us actually us as a
city partner with the south
by our drainage district
to assist
in that compliance element.
Because I think that is, Mr.
Mayor, what you picked up on
and you did that intuitively
and that was really excellent.
And I will support anything
like that that comes
before this commission.
>> Thank you, Commissioner.
Vice Mayor, anything?
I want to thank you
for your presentation. There is
a one resident who wants
to speak on this item. And then
we're going to move to
Commissioner to. I have one
item for request to speak. And
then that's three minutes. And
then we're going to move on
to Vice Mayor's item for which
there are people here. And I
want to thank you all
for being patient.
>> Hi, my name is Gil Lerner.
My address is 19. I'm actually
going
to use my commercial prop 6900
Pembroke Road. And the reason
I'm using a commercial property
is because Commissioner
Schwartz was sort of co-
mingling the responsibilities
of the federal government as
well as the private property
owners. Now, as a private
property owner and an
engineering contractor that
does install those catch basins
and drain lines,
there's a very easy solution to
it because I've got a car wash
at one of my gas stations and
it requires a catch basin.
Now, every month they. I'm
sorry,
every quarter I am required
to report to Broward County.
I'm sure you may be familiar
with it that the catch basin
has been pumped out,
cleaned and is
in good working order. Now that
can simply be applied
to the standard catch basins
to each property. Now, I don't
know that the Broward county
has the capacity
to do those inspections,
but I do believe the city does.
And it's very easy to just go
out annually just
like the fire inspections.
Make sure those drains have
been cleaned out. And an
inspector has signed, an
engineering contractor has
signed off that those drain
catch basins and drain lines
are not caked and operating
accordingly. So there's nothing
parking lot floods. And if
there are violate the guy let
make sure he fixes his drains.
That's part
of owning property. If I own a
property, I gotta change my
drainage and it cost me
$200,000. That's the part
of doing business. And I really
think code enforcement could
assist Broward county if they
don't have the wherewithal
to do those annual inspections,
at least
on a quarterly basis.
>> Thank you very,
very much.
>> Yes, that's just my two
pennies to the try
to situation. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. And I
want to thank you both
for your your presentations.
And we'll be coordinating
together to see what else we
can do and let's hope for a
drier summer than than we had
before. Now we're going
to be moving on to requests
from the public. Mr. Lerner,
you are recognized. You put
in a form.
>> I just wanted to thank the
chair, the dream of district
for doing the great job that
they do. Okay, thank you.
>> You're
on your name and address
for the record.
>> Again, my name is Gil
Lerner. My address is 1958
Northwest 74th Avenue,
Pembroke Pines, FL 33024. I'm
here tonight due to. It doesn't
bring me joy to have to come up
here and say what I've got to
say tonight. I've had a
violation on my property and
it's been well over a year. I
said it's creeping on,
maybe even two years. And I'm
trying to understand how code
had arrived to my property.
Since the laws have changed,
it's got to come
from a person. No more
anonymous tits and asking the
code. The head of code, Larry
Diaco, I believe is his name. I
sent him an email not too long
ago after a lean certification
hearing that we couldn't make
due to my mother having an
emergency surgery. And I was
going to request a rehearing,
but I don't know how to go
about that. I was going
to ask the clerk how
to do that, but moving on,
I asked him for transparency on
the matter and he said he
needed 10 more days. That put
me in a position where I had
to petition the courts
to invoke my appellate rights
to the lien certification. And
with that being said, I believe
that was strategically planned
to ask for 10 more days
to get an answer to me
about transparency. Now I still
haven't gotten the answer.
Whether he's cooking one up or
not, I don't know and I don't
really care. But it's obvious
to any average minded
American
that what is going
on is not right. Now
for two years to have or let's
just call it a year and then
to ask for 10 more days
to come up with an answer for
transparency. I don't think he
himself, as the head of the
code enforcement department
knows how that anonymous tip
came about and why
administration opened it up.
I'd love to have answers
to it. And Mr. Carl Kennedy
does a wonderful job.
Although South Florida Water
Management District was here
and their inspector was out at
my property and completely
debunked the assessment that an
issue I had on my property was
in compliance. If you do a
survey,
the numbers don't lie. And it
will. With all due respect.
Sometimes people make mistakes.
I don't know what it is,
but I don't think the South
Florida Water Management
District makes mistakes. And I
would love
to present that email,
but I haven't been able to.
>> Thank you. The city
attorney.
>> Yes, Mayor, Just
to give you a quick reference,
the speaker before you this
evening has chosen his
destination. He has retained
legal council.
We are in the middle,
that being.
The city, with a litigation
matter now with Mr. Lerner and
his lawyer. The matter is
currently pending in the
Broward Circuit Court. I would
caution the members
of the commission
into responding
to any questions this evening
at the advice of your council
in connection
with preparing for, and also
in preparing the city for
whatever actions it will take
with regard to the matter
currently pending and will be
guided accordingly. If you
wouldn't mind, Mr. Mayor,
commission. Thank you.
>> Thank you for your
testimony. I have three
additional
members signed up
to speak,
but they're all signed up
to speak on the FPNL matter.
Those are Deborah Wilson,
Etta, Yvonne Fernandez and
Alberto Salvi. So if you don't
mind, I'm going to call
Commissioner Vice Mayor
Hernandez's item up,
and then you can testify as
part of the item. Is that fair
enough? Okay. So, Vice Mayor,
you're recognized.
>> Well, it's a discussion
item. And possible action
regarding FPL seeking a new
rate increase. This is item
number 15, Mayor.
>> Yes.
>> Okay. Briefly. And I want
to thank you all
for coming out, particularly
because I made the mistake
of telling you it'll be fast.
You'll come at the beginning
of the agenda. That's my bad. I
didn't realize that the
drainage district is here. I
owe you all coffee. And I'm
sorry. I'm very sorry. So I did
want to mention. And I spoke
with Yvonne and she'll be up
here. But also I wanted
to thank our city manager and
City Attorney, Sam Gorn,
for speaking with me
on this. I have a very. I want
to be very clear what I'm.
What I'm trying
to do here tonight. Number one,
as a city commissioner, I have
zero authority. I am not a
member of the Public Service
Commission. This is not an item
before the City Commission.
This is not an Item before
Broward county, it's
before the Public Service
Commission. However, each
of us up Here represents
roughly 47,000 residents.
13 of mine are in
Century Village. The mayor
knows it well. He represented
it for probably 20 years.
13,000 residents in 141
buildings. Who actually Marty
Kiara was here earlier and
mentioned the challenges with
Century Village properties
because before the Surfside
state laws changed in the wake
of that tragedy, the average,
and this is according
to the president of the Master
association for Century
Village residents there were
paying approximate numbers of
about $350 per month in
maintenance fees and insurance
rates. That number is now north
of 700, some a little bit
higher, some on the lower end
of 700. And then I have other
residents who live in single
family. I didn't forget you
guys. I'm just focusing a lot
on Century Village because
they're the ones that I know
are most impacted who live
on fixed incomes. And I am not
somebody that is here
to be overly critical of FP and
L. I know some
of you read my op ed in the
Sun Sentinel or heard me
on radio this morning. My first
job out of college was with
FPL. I've had different stints
where I've worked with FPL,
not in house,
but as a contractor, as a
consultant, and during
Hurricane Irma when I worked
for former Miami Dade Mayor
Carlos Jimenez. We were
inseparable in that emergency
operations center. I want
to be very clear and stated
here on the record record,
just like I did in that opinion
piece. I think FPL is an
exceptional company that is
committed
to renewable and clean energy.
And they have very, very,
very talented folks that I know
personally, many of them,
whether they work in Juneau
beach or South Florida. So I,
I would ask. Obviously some
of us are frustrated
with the rate increase request,
but I'm not here to bash
Florida Power and Light. I
respect them very,
very much as a company.
However, I do need
to as a commissioner,
give my residents voice
and have this discussion item.
I'll let the conversation
flow because there's five
of us up here. We obviously
haven't been able
to have a discussion
about this before. My intent is
for us to hear directly
from them. And Yvonne will
speak. She's with AARP who
opposes the increase. But also
a possible action which it's
here. Whether it's a letter,
whether it's a resolution, I
don't know. I can't say that
it's up to the five of us. But
I did want even though again,
it's got nothing to do
with the City of Pembroke
Pines in the sense we cannot
approve or reject it or amend
it. I heard from enough
residents that I wanted them
to have this opportunity
to speak and for us to consider
whether or not there is some,
even if it's largely symbolic
action that we take as a city
commission, Mr. Mayor.
>> Commissioners, anyone wants
to speak on this?
We'll do one round,
and then we'll listen
to the public. And then,
if you wish,
we can have another round.
Commissioner Good.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So I
believe that the path that the
vice mayor is on
a good path
to consider. The only one
of the questions I have
on this is,
when is the FPL going
before the PSC
for the rate increase?
>> If from what I received,
the information I received from
the company and I have been
speaking with them is in
August. However, obviously,
there are public hearings that
take place and motions back and
forth because it is a judicial
body that they're in front of
with the PSC. But as
of right now, I believe it's
in August and that's the
introduction
of the rate increase.
>> Well, they've already filed
the request for the increase.
Those would be the hearings
which can last as long FPS see
the five commissioners
determine.
>> So August is like the first
public hearing to say?
>> If I'm not mistaken.
Well, public hearing is public
but the first hearing at the
Florida Public Service
Commission, my understanding,
is in August.
>> Yes.
>> Mr. Mayor,
to the city manager, one,
what meetings do we have in
July and August?
>> We have our regular meetings
in August. July is
traditionally our summer break.
>> So the first Wednesday in
August would be a regular
meeting for us, right?
>> Yes.
>> Vice Mayor, I think that
maybe we can do this as a two
prong approach. You know, you
mentioned a letter and a
resolution. You know, I don't
know if you would consider
maybe doing a letter with a
time limit response response.
And in August, the first
meeting in August, we take up a
resolution.
>> That's why I brought it
to you guys. So I'm fine
with that. I'd love to hear
from Jay, Maria, Commissioner
Schwartz, and Rodriguez as
well, but I was looking more
for direction. I don't know
when they can speak,
though. I did.
>> Yeah. I want to hear what
they're gonna have. We're gonna
have one round, and then. And
then we'll go to the public.
Commissioner Schwartz.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Vice
Mayor, I say this because you
work the industry just
for the public to understand.
This comes up every four years,
that it's not just FPL, it's
teco, it's Duke. All the
utilities have a round,
and they happen to come up all
at the same time. Generally
speaking,
the governor has no authority
over the outcome. Can't
override, can't veto. But the
governor does have the
appointment process for the
Public Service Commission. And
over the years, whether it's
Governor DeSantis, Scott,
Charlie Criss, and so forth and
so on, members of the Public
Service Commission have changed
over time. So
Governor DeSantis vetoed a bill
last year that would not have
protected homeowners
for solar power. And so
through the governor's office,
the governor is letting the
Public Service Commission know
the feelings of the governor.
Now, whether or not they,
they follow that path,
they're an independent agency
and they can do what they want.
With respect to FPL, yes, they
filed and they're the last one
because they're the largest.
They have more utility
customers than the other two
combined. But the other two
have already received their
increases. It's just that their
increases that they've received
has a sunset. I believe one
of them is 18 months, the other
one might be as short as 12.
And it was
for hurricane recovery only.
That being said,
the percentage based on my own
independent research and
forgive me, Vice Mayor, there
wasn't anything in the backup
for me to go through,
so I kind of just kind
of hit the books and looked
on my own. But the percentage
that FPL is requesting is very
similar to what Tico and Duke
have received,
except the FPL is looking at a
four year extension and it's
not a storm related recovery.
It's an infrastructure based
upon factors such as the
exploding population
of the region in which they're
currently servicing. So the
Public Service Commission has
received no less than 30
organizations opposing a four
year billion dollar increase.
>> Nine billion.
>> I apologize. Nine billion
over this four year period.
Now what's interesting is
historically, I mean,
I've been here for 13, the
mayor's been here for 20.
We've never had a Public
Service Commission utility
discussion in the past,
nor has there ever been a $9
billion request because it's
the largest in U.S. history.
Those are the facts. Okay, So I
believe it would be,
I think it would be
in our best interest. Letters
and resolutions aren't
necessarily paperweight, but
public input is certainly
easier to say. Look, we had
this city commission held a
local event where local folks
can come
out because they're not going
to Tallahassee. They are
certainly not going
to travel. They're not going
to get on buses and go
through that expense.
But if we can provide a forum
for them, I think we've done,
I think we've.
>> I did want to say that they
did have a local foreman.
Well, I'll let her speak
to it. But I know it was
in the city of Hollywood. So
they have had that opportunity.
>> Yeah, allow me. Okay.
Well, Hollywood may have had
that. Pembroke Pines hasn't.
So if we have like
Commissioner Good says we have
generally till August, we can
certainly open up chambers and
have the ability
for the public
to speak because
it does require us
to alert people
of what's happening. Okay. Now
everything's out in the open.
There's been a lot
of coverage thus far,
but sometimes, you know,
if you missed a three day news
cycle, you may not know what
happened. So I think there's an
opportunity for us maybe
to have a, let's call it a
workshop format where we can
invite the public Mayor,
first meeting of August, let
them speak. And then we package
that up and, and send it off
to the Public Service
Commission with their
testimony. I don't know if
a resolution or a letter
drafted by the city attorney or
the city manager embraces the
folks
in which we're basically trying
to provide them an opportunity
to get more information out on
the table.
>> I appreciate those thoughts.
I understand what you're
saying. Here's the couple of
reasons why I've brought it
forward. Number one, you're
absolutely right. I did my own
research and the city of
Pembroke Pines has not had this
discussion before.
But we also haven't had what is
to be the largest rate increase
not in the history of
Florida, in the history
of the United States. That's
number one. Number two, I don't
think it's very challenging.
If you go through the PSC
docket and others, bottom line
is four years ago they had a
rate increase. There was a
settlement, that settlement.
Yvonne knows better than I do
the, the exact numbers. What I
am saying is I don't think my
residents, at least in
Century Village, Commissioner
Good, Hollybrook, wherever else
they see the numbers,
the same electrical usage and
this, these numbers come from
Lisa Chong and City Manager
Charlie Dodge. The average
Pembroke Pines resident. I'm
not talking about a business
because businesses are
in a different category. Is
facing up to $240 more per year
in electrical fees. If this is
approved within four years of
2029. You're right, it is a
four year phased in. I could go
on. I did this in 2005
for the company. I sat
in PSC meetings. So I'm well
aware of the process. And
by the way, that process back
then was very different
from what it is today. What I
am basically saying is,
and you could say no. What I am
hoping to get consensus
on here is number one,
that the City Commission speak
with one voice. Whether it's a
letter or not. We have no.
Whether we hold a forum or not,
the city of Pembroke Pines has
zero weight in the decision
of the Public Service
Commission or if there's
there's been settlements
in the past between parties or
if there's a setup,
we have no weight. But I do
think it's incumbent upon the
five
of us as elected officials,
each one of us
from a district and the mayor
at large throughout the city,
to at least say, based on the
information that we have seen,
which Al Salvi, who's here
from by district,
attended that meeting. Based
on what I've read,
when you actually read the
docket, based on what has been
reported and it's not just been
in a three day news cycle,
this was filed in the middle
of February. I find it. And if
no one supports me, I'll do it
on my own. I find it incumbent
upon me to say my residence
in Century Village and others,
they can't pay 240, 250 more
dollars per year.
>> Mayor and Vice Mayor, I'm
certainly not debating you.
First of all, I oppose the
increases personally as an
individual and certainly I have
no issues advocating my
position on social media. The
Public Service Commission needs
to review the rod
of FPL and I think they're
going
to come. I think they're going
to wind up with a settlement. I
don't believe there's going
to be a rate increase.
However, it is incumbent upon
us to provide an education
component. Whether it was filed
in February or it was in the
Sun Sentinel yesterday,
there are thousands of people
in this city who have no idea
that there is going to be a
potential rate increase. So if,
if a letter written
by the city attorney and
by the city manager,
if you believe based upon your,
your consulting experience
from, from 2005 is going
to make a positive difference
in changing their mind,
I fully support that. I'm also,
I'm also, I'm also.
>> This is just first round.
>> I understand. So I'm not
making the motion, Mayor. I'm
not but the Vice Mayor is
asking my opinion.
>> There's other information
that's coming forward. So
before let's just issue our
first impressions and then I
believe because again,
there's no backup. Okay.
There's no backup here. I
received a letter
from the AARP. I'm sure most
of us have okay with,
with their position. I agree
with their position,
but I believe that there is.
If we can have 17 town halls
on a bond referendum,
we can certainly do something
over the summer to advise our
residents that they need to pay
attention and the process
in which they
can submit their information
directly to the Public
Service Commission through the
regular channels. I think as
an, I would think fully support
education about how you go
about doing that process,
whether you're a resident or a
business. Because at the end
of the day, we're all paying
for it one way or the other.
So those are my comments and
I'll wait
for round two.
>> I'd like to hear from
Commissioner Rodriguez.
Again, I want
to be very clear. 2005 was my
first experience. I've had
experience with this company
for 21 years. Again, I think
they're a wonderful company.
However, why I've brought this
up is each one of us is going
to have impact
in their district. And I think
it's important if we have that
opportunity. Whether it's a
letter, again, this is a
Public Service Commission item.
It has nothing to do with
Broward County, Pembroke Pines
or any of the 430
municipalities we have in the
state. I'm asking if there
would be support
to sign a letter, each
of us or as a city body.
However, Sam, you tell me how
that would be or
at a later point to
Commissioner Goods Point, as
we're getting into August,
to basically put on record that
the second most populous city
in Broward county with 171,000
residents, has concerns and
would hope that there would be
either a modification, a
rescinding or an outright
rejecting of any kind of rate
increase that would negatively
impact our families
at this time. To your point
on the bond, why it failed,
I put it in my article. More
than likely is folks didn't
want to pay more because they
could not pay more when folks
are getting kicked
off their homeowners insurance,
when folks are having issues
in Century Village or anywhere
else with insurance rates. And
this is where as much as I want
to invest in a company like
Florida Power and Light and
they deserve to be able
to present their case,
which they have at public
meetings where these folks have
been plus in emails,
plus right now, as a matter
of fact, to your point,
what you could say
to the psc, any one
of the folks
in here that is a Florida
resident can email the Public
Service Commission or call them
today. And not just
about the rate increase. If I
feel that I'm not getting
proper service
of any utility, not FPL, any
utility, I can call the
Public Service Commission
tonight as a resident
of the state of Florida. So I
wanted to clarify that.
>> Commissioner Rodriguez.
>> I think we can find a
balance between parts
of that each of you bring
forward. I think a letter is
necessary and something that we
can do a little bit faster,
but probably based on some of
the information that we
received from residents here.
So a letter from all of us,
as you said on,
highlighting most importantly,
not the fact that the
investments may or may not be
necessary because we. I
personally, I'm not aware of
exactly the investments being
posted
for this rate increase,
but mostly because
of the impact that it would
have on our residents. I think
we're going to hear from the.
The people here and we can put
a part of that in our letter.
If then during the summ,
we get the opportunity
to hold some kind
of town hall, some kind
of informational meeting,
that would be great. We do have
to do that, I believe,
alongside FPL, because while
they have the information and
we need to hear their side,
whether it's that or having or
mobilizing our residents to
attend what is already being
set up in these town hall in
these public hearings. I'm not
sure of any future dates,
if there is one,
maybe that can be the way.
Instead of us taking
on the charge of,
of doing that, what is the next
public hearing? Can we mobilize
our residents to attend,
to hear
from that side and explain some
of their grievances
against the rate increase? And
so that communication,
we can also post about it on
our social media personally and
both from the city, because
people,
our channels are also a way
for people
to know what's going on
in other levels of government.
In my opinion, we did the same
when the state legislation was
looking at decreasing funds
for AP classes,
because our students really,
really like those AP classes
their parents did. And so we
mobilized our parents to reach
out to the governmental agency
that was focusing
on that.
>> There may be solution
on that too, I read.
>> Yes, but looking forward,
I think merging those ideas,
I think we don't have to do
more work than is already being
done by FPL
in their public hearings. We
need to just make sure that
people are getting
to those public hearings.
Because that's the point.
People don't know that there's
a public hearing. And it's our
job to. To vocalize that and
communicate that
to our residents, then that is
what I think moves the needle
forward. Just
to summarize,
I think a letter would be
great, including some
of the commentary from the
public here today as our Pines
residents, if we need
to a resolution
down the line, because that is
obviously a more formal way
of going
about voicing our opinions. But
I think informing the residents
on a larger scale is first and
foremost, because if there is
another public hearing,
they can attend or maybe part
of the letter be requesting one
that could be in Pembroke
Pines, something along those
lines that we can work
in partnership rather than kind
of taking on the burden
of doing that ourselves.
Because we are simply advocates
for our residents rather than
the people obviously voting
on this.
>> Thank you.
>> I appreciate you. Thank you.
>> I want to hear
from the public, however,
I have to say this, Vice
Mayor, I'm very proud of you.
You are giving voice to people
in the city that have. That
have a concern. And I have tons
and tons of respect for that.
If it's this commission's wish
to ask me on your behalf
to write to the president
of FP&L and invite the company
to come to Pembroke Pines
for a very respectful,
informative town hall where
they explain why this 9 billion
is necessary. Because we have
such regard for our residents
and because we have a healthy
amount of respect
for the company that keeps us,
quite frankly, from entering
into the dark ages again. I'm
happy to do that. I'm happy
to write to the president of
the company and say all the
things that
on your behalf that the Vice
Mayor has said in his op ed.
We have great respect and
regard and we've been partners
with FP&L for decades.
However, what's up with this?
Nine million bucks. Nine
billion bucks. And we'd
like you to come here and talk
to our residents and explain it
to them. And then based
on what we hear
from the company and based
on what we hear
from the residents,
we can follow Commissioner
Good's recipe,
which I think is the right one,
and decide what, if any,
next steps is appropriate
for the city to take. That's
where I think I am right now.
But I want to hear
from the residents. And so I
know that you represent aarp.
Is that it? If you could come
forward and give your name and
your affiliation. There's a
button there that'll turn the
mic. Your name and affiliation,
please.
>> Yes, my name is Yvonne
Fernandez and I represent AARP
Florida as the Senior
Associate State Director for
Advocacy.
>> Welcome to Pembroke Pines.
>> Thank you. I really
appreciate, and I want
to say that I concur with
Mayor Castillo that the work
of Vice Mayor Hernandez had
been really a surprisingly good
surprisely support for the work
that AARP had been doing
in regards to FPL. I'm going
through my talking points
because I don't want to let
out any of the points that are
very important
for our organization.
But then I would like
to expand a little bit on the
Commissioner's comments
regarding the work that had
been done on the field
with our organization.
I stand before you today not
just as an individual,
but as the voice
of the millions of Florida
residents facing the largest
electric rate increase in
United States history. And this
is a very heavy lift because
really we work
with many other, as you said,
many other utility companies
across the United States. And
we have a team dedicated just
to work on these projections.
And every single utility
company is waiting
to see how this play off.
Florida Power and Light is
proposing an unjustified rate
hike that will
disproportionately affect our
seniors, low income families
and those living
on fixed incomes.
Under this proposal,
the minimum base bill for
residential customers would
jump from 25 to $30 monthly.
That will be on the base. And
this actually will be
regardless of how much energy
the customer is using. So
everybody is going
to feel the effect
of this high. But even more
concerning is that FPL is
seeking an excessive 11.9%
return on equity. That's the
base of of the proposal. Far
beyond the national average.
That is 9.5%. That's the reason
why all the utilities company
in the nation is waiting
to see this flagrant push for
profit will make essential
necessities like electricity,
food, transportation, medicine,
every single expense
of already struggling families.
And I want
to point that the city of
Penro Pines, as you say,
the second most populated
in the region,
but also is home of 19,479 ARP
households. And this is
approximately 28%
of the total household
in your city. So it's a good
reason, including me,
including you,
including my mother
in law and many other
of my family members. So really
it is going to impact it. And
ARP represent the third part
of your household. And it is a
good reason for us
to be excited
about what you could do. Many
of these older adults that
income restricted and they will
be the most affected.
Definitely all this rate are
going to affect a person that
don't get those incomes raising
every year when you are
retired, you probably won. We
recognize and appreciate the
leadership of city officials
in standing up
for their constituents.
Especially those who would be
hit hardest by this proposal.
As public servant,
you have the power
to be a voice
for your residents. That's why
we know that the residents rely
on strong leadership
to protect them
from corporate overreach.
With all respect,
FPL is not thinking
about the impact
of the person that is receiving
$1,400 a month
to leave when they are thinking
to on the profit
on the investors. I don't think
with all respect that they are
going to convince anyone
different that it is the
Fair. Way to go. We urge you
to advocate on behalf
of your community by signing a
resolution that encouraged the
Public Service Commission to
consciously study FPL ray
proposal and demand that the
Public Service Commission reign
in the excessive return
on equity that's the base
of the hike. That's why it's in
our opinion so important that
you as electors,
leaders and leaders
of a community like Pembroke
Pines could send a note
for the PSC. Floridians deserve
fairness and accountability.
No unchecked corporate grid.
This is not simply an issue
of balancing interest. It is a
matter of justice. On behalf
of AARP Florida, I ask you
to take action, speak for those
who cannot be here and stand
with your residents. Thank you.
>> Thank you so very,
very much.
>> Mayor, I would like
to just expand this on the
information. I understand your
concern for the communication
and education of the customers
of APL. AARP had been working
from the beginning, before even
the proposal was filed. We have
been working with our members
and as you can tell, 30% of
your household have been
receiving information from AARP
consistently explaining the
effect and the reason how this
proposal has been built up to
pledge so people can sign and
understand the process and
understand what means this
proposal. They send the
comments and we are printing
out every single pledge. Last
year we did it when other
proposals like this happened
two years ago. I'm sorry. And
we delivered to the meeting
in August boxes and boxes of
all the customers signing and
asking how important is
to keep low rates
on the proposal. So education
has been done,
the hearing has been done for
the public service collision.
Now they need to hear
from leaders. So that's why
we're respectfully asking you
and we literally, you are the
first city that opened that
opportunity. Thank you, Vice
Mayor. We are really thrilled.
As you could tell,
all these volunteers on your
residence had been kind enough
to be for this long session.
Very good. Hundred years, we
don't celebrate every day that
beautiful birthday,
but had been kind enough to
stay here because it matters.
>> Thank you very,
very much.
>> Thank you.
>> I want you to know I gave
you additional time because
you're wearing red and all
of you are wearing red. So I
have a feeling that many
of you have the same point
of view. Is that
about right?
>> Yes, sir.
>> However, each
of you has a chance to speak.
And if there's something that
you'd like to say that you
didn't hear already,
please let us know. The
consensus that I'm hearing here
is that we are going to engage
in a correspondence
with FP&L inviting them to
Pembroke Pines
to explain themselves
on this issue. We're all going
to listen very carefully,
have an opportunity
to ask questions, and then this
commission will decide what
next steps we will take
on behalf of the residents.
And I think that that's a very
good approach at dealing
with a problem like this over
which we have no direct
authority. So I want
to thank you all
for your advocacy. We are very,
very persuaded by
what you're saying. And we want
to move this thing
forward expeditiously. I'd love
to see a,
a public hearing held in
Pembroke Pines of some kind,
town hall meeting. However it
is that we frame it sooner
rather than later.
>> Mayor, I did want to add,
though.
At the appropriate time,
when I make the motion that,
that letter that we're talking
about, it's fine to send
to the president of Florida
Power and Life.
>> However, my preference is,
of course, that the decision
making body is the public
service.
>> It's FBNL that's going
to have to present. They're not
going to come here.
>> No.
>> We can do all those things.
>> Yes.
>> Okay. Does anyone want to
say something that we haven't
heard already? Mr. Salvi,
please. Madam Clerk, could you
hand him a microphone,
please? Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank
you very much.
>> Your name for the record,
please.
>> My name is Al Salvi. I'm a
resident of Pembroke Pines,
Silver Lakes. I'm going
to say a couple
of extra things, Mr. Mayor, and
thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor and
commissioners today
for hearing me out. I'm here
with my colleagues from aarp.
I'm an AARP member and I'm a
volunteer. But I want
to thank the city,
the great city of Pines. I'm
very proud to be a resident
of Pines, being supported by
such great leadership and our
leaders. A special thank you
to Mr. Mike Hernandez, our vice
mayor, for bringing this as a
forefront issue and
spearheading it and
for bringing attention
to this very important issue.
Now, I'm going to say a lot
of things that may be a little
bit different than my colleague
Yvonne. Obviously, this will
impact 5.8 million people which
are FPL ratepayers. All right?
But I am going to talk about a
little different. I'm going
to talk about me and how it
impacts me as a person,
as a simple person. Okay. I'm
here
by today and thanking my
support of my colleagues. The
back. We just Spent a couple
hours here today, and I really,
really am grateful
for the support. So I want
to thank them for doing that.
But I am opposed to this rate
increase that will be
commencing on January 26th
through 2029. As we talked
about it, and Jay mentioned
that it's going to be,
or everyone mentioned about a
$9 billion increase
for the FPL,
which is a base rate of 22%,
from 25 to $30 a month. $20.
25 to $30 on the base rate,
which is going
to affect us no matter what.
Okay. Which is going
to accurately account to me
for about another $360. Now I'm
going to go
into something personal,
and I want everybody to
understand where I'm coming
from. Okay? My Social
Security Cola increase in 2025
was 2.5%. My COLA increase
projected for 2026 will be
2.3%. That's what I'm hearing
about. That's not substantially
a lot of money for someone in
Social Security. And I'm here
also representing seniors in
Century Village, which Mike and
I know very well, that are
hurting really big time. And
I'm a senior,
but also a disabled senior,
and I'm really hurting
by this. And right now, one
of the things I want
to talk about,
and specifically I want
to mention is about this
demonstration that I have here.
That medication right there,
okay, on 2024, I paid $20
for it. Right? Now, this
medication that you see right
there, which is 28 pills
in that bottle, cost me $450
in 2025. Why? Because Medicare
has dropped it
off the formulary. So I've gone
from something critical
in my life from $20 to $450 a
month. Now I can't afford it.
So the way I get these pills is
through my doctor. He gives it
to me as samples. You see,
there's no prescription
on it. These are samples that I
have to ask my doctor.
In order
to get healthy or stay healthy,
in order to survive, I have to
get samples because I can't
afford that. So how do you
expect me to pay $360 more
annually for FPL? And all they
do is provide electricity.
What this is going to do
to me is I'm going to have
to make choice. Either I
survive on that or I pay my
electric bill. Now, they're
both needed and critical
for someone like me. Same thing
for seniors. Well, these are
the choices that we all have
to make as seniors. Now, some
of us gonna have
to determine are we gonna stay
on that medication or we're
gonna have to skip doses or
we're gonna have
to stop eating,
or we're gonna have to pay
electric bills that are higher,
all because
of corporate greed. And that's
why I need your support as
leadership. And you're all
great people,
and you're all great leaders.
And I know you understand and
you know I'm a simple man, and
I'll support each and every one
of you here. But I need your
support as both myself as an
individual for the seniors in
Century Village and in
Pembroke Pines, as great
residents they are.
But I also want
to support my colleagues
in aarp, which are supporting
me as an organization because
they know what's the right
thing to do. So I asked this
committee and this commission
to consider a resolution or
letter, a formal letter
to the psc. Okay? Right. Now,
I've attended several PSC
hearings,
and it's been a disgrace.
Every single one of the people
that have gone up there have
been business owners all
in favor of FPL. And the reason
they're in favor is because
they're going
to pass those costs directly
on to us. So we're going
to get double hit. We're going
to get it
in the personal life,
and we're going to get it from
businesses because they're not
going to absorb that. They're
just going to put it
on their cost and say, hey,
you know what? We're getting an
11.9%. We're going
to pass that right down
to the customer. Let them pay
for that 11.9. Just
like corporate,
everything else corporate. And
I'm asking you right now, guys,
we're going to get hit hard.
It's the largest increase
in US history, and people
like me will not be able
to get through it. I may have
to move out of Pembroke Pines
if this continues
in this forum,
because everyone knows the cost
of living has gone up.
But my cost
of living adjustments for
Social Security is at 2.3%.
The numbers are not
sustainable. Thank you very
much.
>> Thank you, Mr. Salvi. Very
powerful. Thank you very much.
And thank you for your love
of community. Yes, ma' am. If
you can come forward and that's
all right. If you could just
push that button. You give us
your name and address
for the record, please.
>> Good afternoon. My name is
Deborah Wilson. I live at
13001 Southwest 11th Court,
which is in Century Village.
So thank you, Mr. Hernandez,
for being our representative.
I'm here today to tell you guys
there's no way now,
probably me personally, I may
be able
to absorb the price hike and
Just have to decide to do a
little less than what I had
planned on doing at this stage
of my life. But however I know
my neighbors that won't be able
to. And so I stand here
before you and I won't go
through my whole speech that I
have prepared. But I do want to
tell you not only do I am I
retired,
I'm also a cancer survivor.
Three times cancer survivor.
>> God bless you.
>> Blood cancer, cancer
of the bladder,
last one was cancer
of the uterus. They had to do a
complete hysterectomy. I stand
before you a person that my
medical bills and my medicine
and all treatments that I have
to have is the biggest impact
on my pocket
in the last five years. I've
had to decide, no,
I'm not going on vacation. I'm
making sure that I can pay my
bills. The last notification
that I got from Cleveland
Clinic says now that if I don't
have the money that I have
to pay in order
to see the doctor, they will
reschedule my appointment.
They're not going to let me go
see the doctor unless I pay the
amount that needs to be paid
to the doctor. This is their
new thing. So I don't have a
choice. I know that FPNL is a
wonderful company, I agree.
But it's a monopoly. We don't
have a choice. When the egg
price went up to $10, I told my
son, guess what? We're going
for cereal. We're not eating
eggs every morning. We can make
those kind of choices
for the prices of groceries.
We can't make that kind
of choice for the price of 40
pound life. We need the power.
I don't know if anyone here
in Florida that could live
without ac. I know I can't. So
I thank you. This is not, you
know, a bashing. We're not
trying to bash Florida Power
Life. We're just asking them
to be fair and to be just and
that they look again
at their increase. And just so
that you know, I've been
to three, two. I'm sorry, two
of the commission,
the public commission forum.
There was one today online.
There are two tomorrow online
at 10am and at 2pm. There are
also forms that the public can
complete and send
to them because just like Al
said, there were people there
that our fourth Florida Power
light and they are saying it's
okay for them
to raise their rate.
Of course they're not going
to have to pay it. They're
going to pass it down
to the customers.
But we who have to pay have
to Let the commissioners know,
hey, this is not okay
with us. Unless we get
multitude of people saying this
is not okay, it's going
to pass. And if it passes,
we're going to have to pay. I
thank you and have a good
evening.
>> Thank you very, very much
for your important and
penetrating comments. Vice
Mayor, I would turn to you now
for a motion,
however it is that you'd like
to make it.
>> One point of clarification
from Commissioner Good. Your
recommendation was two tiered.
I forgot because we spoke a
little while ago.
>> You spoke
about a letter and then.
>> Yes, I stated that the
letter would be time certain
response. And if you know,
based on either the response or
no response,
then we would have a decision
to make to...
>> Make a resolution and the
letter to whom? Because we've
heard PSC, we've heard FPC,
PSC.
>> And to add to that, I think
just like we would do when any
petition, every one
of us signs that letter.
>> Okay, so I have
to repeat this all back. So I
may ask you for something. My
motion is to prepare a letter
on behalf of the City of
Pembroke Pines Commission. Nod
your head if I'm saying...
Yes?
>> Yeah, I would say not
on behalf, but from the City
of Pembroke Pines.
>> My motion is a letter
from the City of Pembroke
Pines Commission to the
Public Service Commission
opposing a rate increase. The
proposed rate increase date
certain of July 31st.
>> I thought the date certain
was well for them to P and L.
We're never going
to get a response from the
Public Service Commission.
>> I would have to disagree
with that. Public Service
Commission regulates the
utilities.
>> Well, most likely they're
going to say thank you
for writing to the Public
Service Commission. We have
your letter and we wish you
well. Yes, probably what we're
going to get.
>> But you're on record.
>> But my understanding was,
and then, and indeed we are.
However, my understanding was
that there was a desire
for inviting Florida Par and
Light to come to Pembroke
Pines. Great.
>> So we could do two letters.
How about this? Here's my
motion. My motion is,
and you tell me if I'm wrong,
Tom. A letter from the City
of Pembroke Pines Commission
to the Public Service
Commission opposing the rate
increase. And also a letter
from the mayor of the City of
Pembroke Pines on behalf
of the City Commission
to the president of Florida
Power and Light inviting them
to have a public forum
within the City of Pembroke
Pines explaining and justifying
their rate increase prior
to their hearings in August
of 2025 in front of the
Public Service Commission. I'm
looking at Commissioner
Rodriguez.
>> Is there a second?
>> Second.
>> There's a motion and a
second. Any discussion?
>> I would simply ask, Vice
Mayor, you being this close to
the issue and having done this
research,
if you could together
with the city attorney,
craft this language
for this letter
on our behalf, are you willing
to do that?
>> Yes.
>> Thank you very much. Any
further discussion? Any
from the public seeing? None.
All those
in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
>> Any opposed? Show passes
unanimously. Thank you very
much for your item. There's no
commission audit report. There
are no appeals of the Board
of Adjustment. I will be
appointing the following
regular member and alternative
member to the Economic
Development Advisory Board,
Scott Joiner, presently an
alternate member,
will be appointed to serve as
the regular member. I want
to thank Norm Taylor
for his years of service
to the city of Pembroke Pines
on that board. He is unable to
continue serving and we wish
him all the very, very best.
Additionally, I am appointing
George McLean, who applied
to serve as the alternate
to the Economic Development
Board. I want to thank both
of them. The consent agenda
today.
>> Mr. Mayor?
>> Yes, sir?
>> I'm sorry.
Before we do consent, because
we're doing board appointments.
Why don't we just do item 14?
>> Yes, sir, 14.
>> We have item 14 in front
of us. Hold on. Commission
appointment
of one regular member to the
economic development board
for a two year term pursuant
to chapter 32.123 (C) and the
applicant is Tisha Harris
Baker. Is there a motion?
>> So moved, Mr. Mayor.
>> Moved by Commissioner
Good. Is there a second?
>> I'll second.
>> Seconded by Commissioner
Rodriguez. Any discussion?
>> Yes. A quick question.
>> Yes.
>> For the applicant.
>> The applicant here?
>> Yes.
>> Can you come forward,
please? Your name and address
for the record, please. If you
could just press the...
There's a button there that...
You're on.
>> Tisha Harris Baker. 9956
Southwest 16th Street.
>> Commissioner Schwartz.
>> Thank you so much
for the application
in the resume. Your employer?
>> Right.
>> Did you have to go
through any process to serve
on a city board? Is there any
prior approval required?
>> No.
>> Okay. And you're aware
of the time and day
of the meetings?
>> Yes.
>> There won't be a conflict
with your current employment,
correct?
>> No. Correct.
>> I'm happy
to support you.
>> Thank you. Any further
discussion? All those
in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
>> Any opposed? It passes
unanimously. I want to
congratulate you and thank you
for your service to the City
of Pembroke Pines. And we'll
all be talking soon.
>> Thank you very much.
>> Thank you.
>> Congratulations. Good night.
Thank you
for staying and thank you
for pointing that out, Vice
Mayor. That was a very elegant
way to get all
of the appointments done. The
consent agenda today, well,
it consists of items 1
through 13. What's your
pleasure? Are there any pulls?
>> Without objection.
I motion to approve the
consent agenda.
>> Are there any pulls? A
motion's been made
to approve the consent agenda.
Is there a second?
>> Second.
>> Seconded by Commissioner
Rodriguez. Any discussion? Any
from the public? Seeing none.
All those
in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
>> Any opposed? Show passes
unanimously.
>> City Manager's report?
>> No items, Mayor.
>> City attorney report?
>> Not tonight, Mayor,
but thank you.
>> Thank you so very much.
Reports
of the league and MPO. Any
reports?
>> No specific reports. Just a
reminder,
from my understanding,
there is a meeting, a
director's luncheon tomorrow.
>> Yeah. And that would be the
Broward League?
>> Yes, I will be attending.
All y'all can can go. What I'd
like to see going forward,
Mayor, if possible, is that the
league agenda be shared with
the entire commission going
forward. Right now,
it's a link that we're getting,
and unless the director can't
make it, then the alternate.
It's relatively easy for
Cellie
to go ahead and send that
to us. And that would just be
my general request. I'm also
requesting that the city
attorney, through the league,
advised the most recent OIG
scenario. There are cities that
are currently unaware of the
Form 9, and we certainly want
to make sure that they're aware
of that and that will be it.
I'll report back
in two weeks.
>> Thanks. Commissioner
Rodriguez, could you ask the
league to copy all the city
commissioners on the.
>> Yeah, moving forward.
I can do that.
And then their annual
appointment meeting. Sorry, I
forgot the name of it,
but it's Saturday.
>> The State League.
>> The swearing in for
Broward.
>> Oh, the swearing in for
Broward. Right.
>> That's going to be at
Margaritaville this Saturday.
>> Is everybody going? Are you
going, Commissioner Good?
>> I'm going. I'm just having a
tough time
with the dress code.
>> Yeah.
>> Description.
>> What is the dress?
>> It's Margaritaville.
>> So it's suit and tie.
>> Sandals.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay. Anything else?
Anything
from the MPO this time? Okay,
this meeting's adjourned.
Thank you.