[0:10] >> We're still short with
[0:11] one commissioner,
[0:13] but I'm sure he's on his way.
[0:16] The time is now 5:33 and it's
[0:17] board night. And we always look
[0:20] forward to listening
[0:21] to what each
[0:23] of our advisory boards have
[0:24] to say once a year. But you all
[0:26] know that you can reach out
[0:28] to us anytime. We're always
[0:29] available to talk to you,
[0:31] even though we can't talk
[0:32] to one another
[0:34] except when we're here,
[0:36] we can always speak
[0:37] to you and we're very,
[0:38] very thankful
[0:39] for your service.
[0:41] Before I get started, Madam
[0:42] Clerk, if you please call a
[0:43] roll.
[0:44] >>[CALLING ROLL]
[1:01] >> We have quorum.
[1:03] >> Thank you very, very much.
[1:04] Welcome to all again. And we
[1:05] have about an hour for this.
[1:08] We have to get through about
[1:10] 11 boards that are
[1:12] on my list. So if we could keep
[1:15] it down to about five
[1:17] to eight minutes per board,
[1:19] that'll help. And you can
[1:21] always submit supplemental
[1:24] information to the clerk. You
[1:25] could always call us
[1:27] in between. But we want
[1:30] to hear from every board. And
[1:33] then the regular city
[1:34] commission meeting begins
[1:36] at 6:30.
[1:37] But if we start a couple
[1:38] of minutes late,
[1:40] that's okay.
[1:42] So let's start with the
[1:44] Economic Development Board. If
[1:45] they would please come forward
[1:48] and if you would say your name
[1:49] and your affiliation
[1:51] with the board and you're off
[1:53] to go. There's a button there
[1:56] that says speak. You're on.
[2:01] >> Good evening. My name is
[2:03] Christopher Zaidi. I am the
[2:05] chair for the Economic
[2:06] Development Board. Good
[2:08] evening, Mayor, commissioners,
[2:09] city attorney and city clerk.
[2:16] This evening I'm here to
[2:18] present the annual board report
[2:19] during our general business
[2:21] meetings. Our monthly liaison
[2:24] reports have been a part
[2:25] of the Economic Development
[2:27] Board meetings
[2:28] to inform members relevant to
[2:30] economic activity occurring
[2:31] throughout the city. Planning
[2:33] and economic development staff
[2:35] as liaison to the Economic
[2:38] Development Board provides a
[2:39] report to the board on a
[2:41] current and upcoming cultural,
[2:47] social and developmental
[2:49] businesses activities that's
[2:51] coming to the city.
[2:53] During the district reports,
[2:55] board members discussed topics
[2:56] of business and or community
[2:58] interests for their district or
[3:00] organizations. Monthly meetings
[3:04] have been held
[3:05] on the second floor of the
[3:07] frank giving the board members
[3:09] access to the art displays and
[3:11] being displayed
[3:12] for our community. Our key
[3:15] actions. In the past year,
[3:16] the Economic Development Board
[3:18] has held five meetings. The
[3:20] board along with staff created
[3:22] a meetings calendar
[3:24] for the entire year. The board
[3:26] did not meet in July
[3:28] of last year
[3:29] for summer recess. October
[3:31] of last year for Hurricane
[3:33] Milton. November 2024 for the
[3:35] Art Festival and February
[3:38] Taste of Pines this year. So the
[3:40] board members could so that the
[3:43] Board members could attend
[3:46] those community events
[3:49] sponsored by the city. The
[3:50] Meetings the meeting held in
[3:53] June of last year we operated
[3:54] as a workshop because the
[3:56] Board did not have quorum due
[3:57] to absences and vacancies. In
[3:59] the past year we had four new
[4:01] members that were appointed
[4:05] to the Economic Development
[4:07] Board and currently we are
[4:10] going to be getting, Mr. Mayor
[4:13] will be appointing an existing
[4:15] member, Scott Joiner, later
[4:17] on this evening as designee.
[4:20] As your designee, sir Mayor
[4:21] at large, you'll also Mr.
[4:23] Mayor will also be appointing a
[4:25] new member, Dr. George McLean
[4:28] as an alternate. The
[4:31] Commission is also appointing a
[4:33] new member, Teisha Harris, as a
[4:36] regular member,
[4:38] so we still need
[4:42] to fill one seat which is great
[4:43] by the Commission. The
[4:45] Economic Development Board
[4:46] discusses valuations of
[4:48] existing commercial properties,
[4:50] new residential properties and
[4:52] the impact on the tax roll.
[4:54] Also, the Economic
[4:56] Development Board focuses
[4:57] on the discussion of the
[4:59] City's strategic planning,
[5:01] including reviewing survey
[5:04] results as well as the goals
[5:05] and objectives
[5:07] of the plan held by the City.
[5:10] Economic Board members attend
[5:12] public meetings related
[5:13] to the plan. General
[5:15] information was also provided
[5:17] and the Economic Development
[5:20] Board regarding the general
[5:22] obligation bond referendum and
[5:24] the results this past March
[5:27] election. Moving forward
[5:28] Economic Development Board will
[5:31] work with City staff
[5:33] to enhance the City's
[5:35] Economic Development
[5:37] Information Strategy 1.2.1
[5:40] in the EDSP aims
[5:42] to enhance details about the
[5:44] City's assets to the public.
[5:45] Economic Development Data and
[5:48] Events during the meetings,
[5:49] the Economic Development Board
[5:52] examined other economic
[5:54] development websites and
[5:55] provided feedback
[5:58] to staff via a survey. We
[6:00] recommend including demographic
[6:03] data in the form
[6:05] of informatics, interactive
[6:08] maps that will allow easy
[6:10] navigation and the search of
[6:11] opportunity sites and
[6:15] development projects
[6:16] in the city. In addition,
[6:19] Economic Development would
[6:20] like to include small business
[6:22] resources,
[6:24] economic development news,
[6:26] upcoming events that will allow
[6:28] for networking opportunities
[6:29] and business programs
[6:31] implementation as available.
[6:33] To conclude, the Economic
[6:36] Development Board is
[6:39] enthusiastic about the City's
[6:41] adopted strategic Plan and how
[6:43] it will influence the future
[6:45] of our city. Along with the
[6:47] Economic Development
[6:48] Strategic Plan update,
[6:50] we look forward to the plan
[6:51] to implement the other City
[6:53] Master Plan Free Sessions
[6:55] Documents. We also look forward
[6:57] to seeing the outcome of the
[6:59] newly created budget committee
[7:00] and would like to schedule a
[7:02] joint advisory board workshop
[7:04] in the near future. And
[7:06] finally, we want
[7:08] to be thankful for the service
[7:10] of our past chair, Mrs. Susan
[7:11] Meister, who served on the
[7:13] Economic Development Board for
[7:15] over a decade. So we're
[7:17] thankful
[7:18] for the expansion also
[7:20] of the trustee membership
[7:22] from the Miramar Pembroke
[7:24] Pines Regional Chamber of
[7:27] Commerce. The Chamber is
[7:29] providing solid programming and
[7:31] that supports our city
[7:32] community.
[7:34] >> Thank you very much and
[7:36] thank you for all that you do
[7:37] on the Economic Development
[7:38] Board. And I'm sure that
[7:40] Assistant City Manager Stan is
[7:42] going to take a look at the
[7:43] website suggestions that you
[7:44] have. And I want to thank you
[7:46] for your service.
[7:48] Commissioners, any questions
[7:49] of economic development?
[7:53] >> No. Thank you to the chair,
[7:54] my appointee
[7:56] to the advisory board.
[8:00] >> Appreciate it. Wonderful.
[8:03] Thank you very, very much.
[8:06] Next up will be Planning and
[8:09] Zoning Board. And I see the
[8:11] incomparable Linda Gonzalez
[8:13] coming forward.
[8:14] >> Good evening, Mayor and
[8:16] commissioners. Linda
[8:17] Gonzalez. You already said my
[8:19] name, right. Chair of the
[8:21] Planning and Zoning Board.
[8:22] This is Lee Golditch, he is our
[8:24] vice chair. And this is
[8:26] Rosalie Labez. Been
[8:27] on the board since 2018. As you
[8:29] can see from our report,
[8:32] we had quite a few members
[8:33] over the past year. We have
[8:34] three new board members and I
[8:35] have to compliment you on
[8:37] picking them because they fit
[8:39] right in from the very first
[8:41] meeting they were at, asked
[8:42] appropriate questions and I
[8:44] think we have a really strong
[8:45] board right now. We heard three
[8:47] zoning changes, 12 site plans,
[8:49] 14 zoning variances, and 25
[8:51] miscellaneous applications.
[8:53] And you have the rest
[8:54] of our report in front
[8:56] of you. As you know, we added
[8:57] accessory dwelling units
[8:59] to the code,
[9:02] which only applies to property
[9:03] that have the land and meet the
[9:05] other requirements. And so far
[9:07] we've had no one apply
[9:09] for this. Other cities are
[9:11] doing different things.
[9:14] Dallas, Texas is making it easy
[9:15] for there to be 7,500 square
[9:18] foot apartment buildings with
[9:20] eight units or less and hoping
[9:22] that smaller units can go
[9:24] in smaller places. Portland,
[9:26] Oregon is making incentives,
[9:27] incentives so that unused
[9:30] office space can be turned
[9:31] into apartments. So I think
[9:33] there are other,
[9:36] maybe other options out there
[9:38] for us to look at as far as
[9:40] adding more housing. As you
[9:43] know,
[9:46] the city is pretty much built
[9:48] out, so we'll probably be
[9:49] hearing redevelopment plans or
[9:52] repurposing buildings that are
[9:54] already there anyway. Has it
[9:56] been five minutes yet?
[10:01] >> No, no.
[10:03] I want to tell you that
[10:05] since the start of the city,
[10:07] the Planning and Zoning Board
[10:09] has played an integral role
[10:11] in the development of
[10:13] Pembroke Pines, possibly more
[10:15] than any other advisory board.
[10:17] The work that you all
[10:19] over the years has done. Has
[10:22] been. It's come out of the
[10:24] ground and people can see it,
[10:25] and it's contributed
[10:27] significantly to the success
[10:29] of the city. And I'm very,
[10:31] very thankful
[10:32] for all that you do. You're
[10:34] right, Linda. Redevelopment is
[10:36] probably going
[10:37] to be the next big thing
[10:39] on the agenda. There actually
[10:41] have been several redevelopment
[10:43] projects in the city
[10:44] during your time,
[10:46] but that's likely to be the
[10:47] next thing that people see
[10:49] where areas that have buildings
[10:51] or uses right now that have
[10:53] become obsolete
[10:55] with the advancement of
[10:56] technology and other phenomena
[10:57] that's more and more common.
[10:59] And people will want
[11:01] to reuse that land
[11:02] in different ways. So there'll
[11:04] be land use plants, there'll be
[11:05] possibly rezoning applications
[11:07] of different kinds,
[11:09] and we'll just have to meet
[11:11] that challenge as it comes.
[11:14] But I'm very, very thankful
[11:15] to all of you for the work
[11:16] that you do and for the advice
[11:17] that you give us.
[11:18] >> I should add one thing.
[11:20] Because of the new members, I
[11:21] asked staff and the assistant
[11:23] city attorney
[11:24] to make presentations about the
[11:26] application review process.
[11:28] And if there's anything that
[11:30] you would like us
[11:32] to look into, please let us
[11:34] know, because we serve
[11:35] at your pleasure.
[11:36] >> We very much appreciate it.
[11:39] >> Thank you.
[11:40] >> Commission, any questions
[11:41] for the Planning and zoning
[11:42] board?
[11:44] >> Yes, Mr. Mayor.
[11:45] >> Commissioner Good.
[11:46] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So,
[11:48] yes, the accessory dwelling
[11:49] units, that's certainly a hot
[11:51] topic not just here, but
[11:53] certainly throughout the state
[11:54] of Florida. I'm very,
[11:56] very interested
[11:57] to see how some of that plays
[11:58] out. I know that nobody has yet
[12:00] applied
[12:01] for that. I think a lot of that
[12:02] is certainly because there's
[12:04] more questions than there are
[12:05] answers right now, because it's
[12:07] a really rather new concept.
[12:08] In order to be able to either
[12:10] house our youth or our parents
[12:12] and things. I can tell you that
[12:14] I participate in a regional
[12:16] affordable housing meetings,
[12:18] which many other cities are
[12:20] demonstrating different levels
[12:23] of successes with this type
[12:24] of building,
[12:26] which is the ADU. So I know
[12:30] that they are also, you know,
[12:32] having challenges and are
[12:34] finding solutions to some of
[12:36] the questions that are being
[12:38] asked. And I'm certain that
[12:42] Mr. Stan and his team will be
[12:44] receiving more and more of that
[12:46] information and hopefully
[12:49] getting it before you all. And
[12:50] then hopefully,
[12:52] maybe we can see some more
[12:55] of those ADUs come online
[12:57] within our communities that,
[13:00] you know, really kind
[13:01] of help us with both ends
[13:02] of our families. So thank you.
[13:04] Thank you for everything
[13:06] that you all do love.
[13:08] >> I think staff is looking
[13:09] at maybe ways to better
[13:11] publicize the availability
[13:12] of this
[13:13] for certain homeowners.
[13:14] >> Yeah.
[13:15] >> Because if I wasn't on the
[13:17] PNZ board. I wouldn't know
[13:18] about it. Anyway, thank you for
[13:19] your. I have good appointment.
[13:21] >> Commissioner Rodriguez.
[13:22] >> I really do appreciate the
[13:24] PRI. The prioritization of
[13:25] housing and that very large
[13:27] issue that we have, the housing
[13:28] crisis that we have. And
[13:30] for us to be able
[13:31] to do something like the
[13:34] accessory dwelling units here
[13:36] in the city is really,
[13:37] really important. And I would
[13:38] ask because it's a possibility
[13:40] in our city, but maybe we
[13:41] haven't communicated as much as
[13:43] whether it's a partnership with
[13:44] our communications department
[13:45] or a initiative that you all
[13:48] have. And as
[13:50] to how do we communicate to the
[13:51] public that this is an
[13:53] opportunity. Most young people
[13:54] would be, you know, interested
[13:55] in this are seniors, especially
[13:57] if you have an older parent
[13:59] living with you. These are
[14:00] definitely things that people
[14:02] are out there looking for.
[14:03] It's we haven't necessarily
[14:05] reached them for them
[14:06] to apply and do that
[14:07] in intrigued with, so making
[14:09] sure that we're communicating
[14:11] to them. Maybe it's an
[14:12] initiative that you all take
[14:14] on or a partnership with our
[14:16] communications department. I'd
[14:18] really appreciate that as well
[14:19] and look forward
[14:20] to seeing it.
[14:21] >> Okay, thank you.
[14:23] >> Anyone else? Thank you very,
[14:24] very much. The next speaker
[14:25] will be the Education
[14:27] Advisory Board.
[14:36] >> Good evening. My name is
[14:37] Danielle Spradley. I am the
[14:38] chair of the Education
[14:40] Advisory Board. You guys have
[14:41] reports I'm not going
[14:43] to bore you with just reading
[14:44] it. I just want
[14:46] to highlight a few of the
[14:47] things that we did accomplish
[14:49] this year. We had several
[14:50] members who were able
[14:52] to attend the Read for the
[14:54] Record Day which was held in
[14:56] October, which obviously
[14:57] reading is a big thing we're
[14:59] trying to push. And so
[15:00] to be able to have some
[15:02] of the members volunteer to do
[15:03] that was really successful.
[15:05] Also, you know, we to do our
[15:07] Student Ambassador Day. We did
[15:08] it in February this year,
[15:10] which was a little bit later in
[15:12] the school year than we
[15:13] normally do,
[15:15] but it was really,
[15:16] really good. We were able
[15:17] to host 24 students,
[15:19] they were all juniors from our
[15:20] surrounding high schools and
[15:22] they were able to meet
[15:23] with the mayor, city manager.
[15:24] It was a really good
[15:26] opportunity for them
[15:27] to kind of. We met
[15:29] with you as well to be able
[15:30] to see what goes on
[15:32] behind the scenes and try
[15:33] to encourage them to see this
[15:35] as a potential career opportun
[15:37] as they are planning their
[15:39] futures. And so that was a
[15:40] really good event. We ended up
[15:43] feeding them
[15:44] at the senior focal point,
[15:46] the Southwest Focal Point
[15:47] center, where they had lunch
[15:49] and then they came to the
[15:50] commission meeting where they
[15:51] were recognized. So that was a
[15:53] really good event. Also several
[15:55] members have been attending,
[15:57] including Myself the meetings
[15:58] concerning the redistricting
[16:00] plans, as obviously Pembroke
[16:01] Pines,
[16:03] like every city is affected
[16:05] by these. And just to be able
[16:07] to kind of stay
[16:08] in the know and
[16:09] to add our voices
[16:11] to the conversation about what
[16:12] we think should be happening as
[16:14] these schools are being
[16:16] repurposed due to
[16:17] under enrollment. And then the
[16:19] last thing I wanted to mention
[16:20] mention was this year we were
[16:21] able to participate in a STEM
[16:23] festival which took place at
[16:24] North Perry Airport back in
[16:26] November. And so it was an
[16:27] aviation fair,
[16:28] very well attended. Several
[16:29] of the members were able
[16:31] to attend as well and
[16:32] to be able to assist
[16:33] in that event. So our
[16:35] attendance record is attached
[16:36] and we are very grateful that
[16:38] we finally have all the seats
[16:39] filled. It's been a while
[16:40] since we've been there, so this
[16:42] has been a really good board
[16:43] for this, this year,
[16:44] and we look forward
[16:46] to it again going
[16:48] into the next year. And lastly,
[16:49] I just want to. The members
[16:51] want to thank Dr. Mirage, who
[16:52] is always such a great support
[16:54] for us due to.
[16:55] For her investment
[16:57] in us and just the guidance.
[16:59] And she's the one who puts
[17:01] on the student Ambassador day.
[17:03] It could not happen
[17:04] without her and Mr. Bolinia.
[17:05] And so we're just very
[17:07] grateful. So that's it.
[17:08] >> Well, thank you very,
[17:09] very much and thanks to the
[17:11] Educational Advisory Board
[17:12] for all they do
[17:14] during this graduation season.
[17:15] Of course, all
[17:17] of us had the opportunity
[17:18] to go around and meet with the
[17:20] different schools and help them
[17:21] to celebrate as we come closer
[17:22] to the end of the year. And two
[17:24] things sort of came out
[17:26] from my discussion with parents
[17:28] and teachers and even some
[17:29] of our principals
[17:31] at the charter schools. And the
[17:32] first was the addition
[17:35] of some additional guidance,
[17:38] particularly
[17:40] in the younger grades, on how
[17:41] to study. There are many
[17:42] different study habits. Some
[17:45] kids, it comes more natural
[17:47] than others.
[17:49] But it didn't seem like there
[17:51] was a particular discussion
[17:53] on how to study early in the
[17:55] grades. I'm talking about, you
[17:56] know,
[17:59] third grade or maybe even
[18:01] earlier, I really don't know,
[18:04] or whether or not it gets
[18:06] touched
[18:07] on incrementally over, over
[18:09] time and how that would happen
[18:10] the second that.
[18:12] But it does seem
[18:14] like something that. That
[18:16] should be there. And I'm
[18:17] thinking back to my own school
[18:19] experience. I don't know that
[18:21] there was anyone there talking,
[18:22] talking to us about that
[18:23] in any sort of formal way. I
[18:25] think that that could be
[18:26] helpful for students. The other
[18:28] thing that I heard was how it
[18:31] would be great if language was
[18:32] much more conversational and
[18:35] much less grammar. There were a
[18:38] number of people who spoke
[18:41] to me and said, you know,
[18:43] I took Four years of Spanish.
[18:44] One lady said in school,
[18:46] I don't understand a word
[18:48] of it. And I took four years
[18:50] of it. And it's because the
[18:51] conversation didn't stick. She
[18:53] knows the words,
[18:54] but she wasn't able
[18:56] to pick it up. And so they were
[18:58] wondering whether or not that
[19:00] was possible. Now, of course,
[19:02] you know, whenever you make a
[19:03] recommendation in the field
[19:04] of education,
[19:06] you inevitably run against
[19:08] about maybe eight or ten rule
[19:09] books
[19:10] of regulations and other
[19:11] things. But if you and your
[19:13] board and your members would
[19:14] take an interest in that,
[19:15] I would very much love to see
[19:17] how it is that we can
[19:19] incorporate those two things
[19:20] to a much greater degree in the
[19:21] schools and even encourage the
[19:23] district schools to sort
[19:24] of do that. It's not much. I
[19:26] don't think it would take much
[19:29] effort,
[19:30] but the achievement improvement
[19:33] in both regards, I think would
[19:35] be pretty significant. So I'm
[19:37] wondering if you'll take that
[19:38] suggestion and think about it a
[19:40] little bit and see what your
[19:41] board could do.
[19:44] >> Yeah, absolutely. And I was
[19:45] just thinking about Mr.
[19:46] Arana, who is the coordinator
[19:47] of Governmental affairs and
[19:49] Legislative affairs for
[19:50] the county. And perhaps he
[19:52] comes to several
[19:54] of our meetings, and perhaps we
[19:55] can go ahead and see whether or
[19:57] not there's anything that the
[19:59] county currently has or has
[20:00] even been thinking about.
[20:02] Their focus has probably been
[20:04] more so on the restructuring
[20:05] of schools, but that's
[20:07] definitely something that we
[20:08] can have the conversation and
[20:09] even perhaps present ideas
[20:11] in that arena.
[20:12] >> Wonderful. Thank you very
[20:13] much. Any other questions
[20:14] for the Educational Advisory
[20:15] Board? Thank you very much
[20:17] for a job well done and
[20:18] for all the work that you do
[20:20] for the city of Pembroke
[20:21] Pines. The Youth Advisory
[20:22] Board is next. Welcome.
[20:35] Your name for the record,
[20:37] please.
[20:38] >> Hello, Commissioner. Nice
[20:40] to meet you guys. My name is
[20:43] Roberta Joseph, and I am the
[20:44] chair for the Youth Advisory
[20:48] Board as well as my vice chair,
[20:49] Jaden Lee, who wasn't able
[20:50] to be here,
[20:52] but he's here spirit. From
[20:53] September 2024 to May 2025,
[20:55] we've had our student second
[20:56] year of youth Advisory Board.
[20:57] We've had members from
[20:58] Flanagan High School,
[21:00] Pembroke Pines Charter High
[21:01] School, Go Jaguars, Somerset
[21:03] High School, and College
[21:04] Academy. I'd like
[21:06] to take a quick moment to just
[21:07] ask the current members that
[21:08] are here today
[21:09] to stand because they were here
[21:11] to support me and I really
[21:13] appreciate them. Okay, thank
[21:16] you so much. Now I'd like
[21:18] to go on
[21:20] to just a brief summary of our
[21:21] best accomplishment this year
[21:23] and some of our suggestions.
[21:25] So, as you guys know,
[21:27] our biggest project for the
[21:28] Youth Advisory Board was Our
[21:30] career fair and life skills
[21:31] event. This was a event that
[21:33] was basically created from two
[21:35] ideas that were merged
[21:36] together. There were a lot
[21:38] of board members
[21:39] like me who want to learn more
[21:41] about the careers that are
[21:42] in our city. Because even
[21:44] though we in high school work
[21:46] towards building a career,
[21:47] there are a lot
[21:49] of times where a lot
[21:51] of students aren't aware of the
[21:53] actual businesses that surround
[21:55] them. As well as that there
[21:56] were a lot of seniors
[21:58] on the board who wanted
[22:00] to be able to learn more
[22:01] like life Skills
[22:03] before they were able to go
[22:05] into college. Things
[22:07] like being able
[22:08] to change a tire or being able
[22:10] to eat, like, to be able
[22:12] to eat healthy in college were
[22:14] things that they wanted
[22:16] to be able to learn outside
[22:18] of the classroom. Which is why
[22:19] I'm very excited to say that
[22:21] on April 2, 2025, we had 15
[22:22] businesses come and help almost
[22:23] 100 seniors
[22:25] from our board schools. And it
[22:26] was a very successful event,
[22:27] and we're very proud of it.
[22:28] And we hope that
[22:30] for next year,
[22:31] it can be bigger and better
[22:32] to impact more students. Now,
[22:34] I'll go on
[22:35] to our suggestions. As I just
[22:36] mentioned,
[22:37] our career fair was very
[22:38] successful,
[22:39] but as all things are, there
[22:41] are still things that we want
[22:42] to fix and improve,
[22:43] which is why we want to ask the
[22:45] commission if we could make
[22:47] this event an annual event so
[22:48] that students could look
[22:49] forward to it and so we can
[22:51] reach more students that aren't
[22:52] just seniors and also invite
[22:53] more businesses to
[22:54] really create a sense
[22:56] of community
[22:57] between our youth. Also,
[22:58] another suggestion that we
[22:59] have,
[23:00] which I think you guys will
[23:02] like, is to meet with the city
[23:03] commissioners and have a Q and
[23:04] A session. There are a lot of
[23:05] members that join this board
[23:06] because they want
[23:07] to learn more
[23:08] about our city government. And
[23:10] of course, to ask you guys
[23:11] would basically be the best
[23:12] opportunity for us. So we hope
[23:13] that next year we can interact
[23:15] more and be able to learn
[23:16] from each other. As well as
[23:17] this, we want
[23:19] to develop a third place idea.
[23:20] There was a member part of our
[23:21] board who did some research, a
[23:23] class, and heard this idea
[23:24] of a third place where a lot of
[23:26] students establish school and
[23:27] work as one place, and then
[23:29] home and family as a second
[23:31] place. So we wanted the city
[23:33] to be able
[23:35] to establish a third place
[23:37] for youth like us to be able to
[23:38] socialize and just create a
[23:39] better community so that, you
[23:41] know,
[23:43] our youth can be more involved
[23:44] with the city because a lot of
[23:46] people will go their entire
[23:47] high schooler not knowing the
[23:48] city commissioners or the city
[23:50] hall or just anything
[23:51] about our city government. So
[23:53] we really want
[23:54] to engage our youth more. And
[23:55] also I'd like to lastly give an
[23:57] amazing thank you to Holly
[23:58] Bonkowski. She has been such an
[24:00] amazing mentor to all the
[24:01] members and it's just really
[24:03] uplifting to have an adult like
[24:05] her who values our opinions
[24:06] every single day and we really
[24:08] appreciate her and I'm so
[24:10] excited to work
[24:12] with her next year. So thank
[24:14] you so much, Hollywood. Also, I
[24:16] would like
[24:20] to thank the city commission
[24:23] for even agreeing
[24:24] for this board to be a thing.
[24:26] It's really important
[24:28] for adults like you
[24:29] in government
[24:30] to value the opinions of youth
[24:32] and we're really glad that we
[24:34] were able
[24:35] to create change and we hope
[24:36] to create even more change.
[24:38] And that's all thanks
[24:39] to you guys. So also a big
[24:40] thank you to you. And as
[24:42] for that,
[24:43] that is my board report. Thank
[24:44] you guys so much and I'll see
[24:46] you same time next year.
[24:47] >> Wonderful. And I want
[24:48] to thank you
[24:50] for all the work,
[24:51] you and all your members. And I
[24:52] know that Holly is taking notes
[24:53] of the suggestions which I
[24:55] think are wonderful and she'll
[24:57] work on those and bring them
[24:58] to us when that time comes.
[24:59] But I want
[25:01] to thank you so much
[25:03] for all your work and for an
[25:04] outstanding presentation.
[25:06] >> Thank you so much. Have a
[25:07] great night and have a great
[25:08] meeting. Thank you.
[25:14] >> So next we have our board
[25:15] of adjustment. Is anyone here
[25:19] from the board of Adjustment?
[25:22] Okay, is the chair here? We'll
[25:29] reschedule them. We'll
[25:31] reschedule. The next is the
[25:33] Charter Elementary Middle
[25:34] School Advisory Board? Yes sir.
[25:42] >> Good evening. My name is
[25:46] Dr. Imran Siddiqui and I've had
[25:48] the honor of serving as the
[25:50] Charter elementary and Middle
[25:51] School Advisory Board. I first
[25:53] want to,
[25:55] before I get started,
[25:57] I just want to sincerely thank
[25:59] this commission, the mayor,
[26:01] the vice mayor,
[26:02] our city manager
[26:04] for having the vision
[26:05] of providing and supporting us
[26:07] with an A rated public school
[26:09] system that's as equivalent
[26:11] to any top notch school in all
[26:12] of Broward and Dade County. So
[26:14] I want to thank you
[26:16] from the bottom of our heart
[26:18] for all our children that what
[26:19] you've done and you continue
[26:21] to do so. Thank you. And thank
[26:23] you for the vision. I know,
[26:24] Mr. George, I know what your
[26:26] vision was back then many years
[26:28] ago and we're all benefiting
[26:30] from that. Thank you again. So
[26:31] to get started, I'm just going
[26:34] to go down the 2024, 2025
[26:37] accomplishments that we've had
[26:39] as quickly as I can. We had an
[26:41] election
[26:43] of our chairman and vice chair.
[26:45] We had the annual review
[26:47] of our Sunshine Law
[26:49] presentation. We reviewed and
[26:50] approved the charter system
[26:52] wellness policy along
[26:53] with the charter system
[26:55] School Security Safety
[26:56] Evacuation Plan and including
[26:58] the reunification and emergency
[27:00] protocols. We reviewed and
[27:02] approved the Guide to
[27:04] Proactive discipline for
[27:06] Charter elementary and Middle
[27:07] Schools along with the
[27:09] proactive discipline concerning
[27:11] bullying for both the charter
[27:14] elementary and middle schools.
[27:17] We also approved the Parent
[27:20] Handbook for Charter elementary
[27:23] and Middle schools and we and
[27:25] the improvement plan for both
[27:26] the elementary and the middle
[27:28] schools. Along with that, the
[27:30] Charter system Strategic Plan
[27:31] was approved as well. We
[27:33] reviewed and approved the A
[27:34] plus Funds Distribution
[27:35] Committee Final Report to the
[27:38] Charter and elementary middle
[27:39] schools. We updated the
[27:41] Innovative Learning process
[27:42] for funding along with
[27:44] reviewing the charter system
[27:45] fundraising activities which
[27:47] includes the dress down days.
[27:49] The principal spoke
[27:50] about JAGUAR Parent Point
[27:52] series workshops and volunteer
[27:53] hours and events that were
[27:55] encouraged to parents
[27:57] to participate in. Parents were
[27:59] updated on the fast testing
[28:00] during workshops conducted
[28:02] during several meetings. And
[28:04] just to mention, our school
[28:06] system rated I believe it was
[28:08] in the top three of all of
[28:09] Broward county
[28:11] for FAS score testing. So
[28:14] that's a reflection
[28:16] of the quality
[28:17] of teachers that we have
[28:19] in our system and what all
[28:21] of you have provided us. So
[28:23] thank you again for that.
[28:25] Principals regularly reported
[28:27] on individual school activities
[28:29] and middle school sports
[28:30] accomplishments,
[28:32] recognized employees annually
[28:34] for their outstanding
[28:36] achievements and awards at
[28:38] meetings recognize the charter
[28:39] school's accomplishments and
[28:41] organizational awards presented
[28:43] to the schools and we strongly
[28:46] encourage parents participation
[28:47] to support the SOS fundraising
[28:48] efforts. There was an open
[28:50] forum that was conducted
[28:52] at the end of every board
[28:54] meeting which encouraged
[28:55] parents, guardians,
[28:57] teachers and students to raise
[28:58] any issues that they have,
[29:00] voice, praise or concerns.
[29:02] This was also an opportunity
[29:04] for parent questions
[29:06] to be answered directly
[29:08] by principals and other members
[29:09] of the city and school staff
[29:10] that were present
[29:12] at the meetings. And what we've
[29:13] noticed is year by year we've
[29:14] had a larger and larger
[29:16] presence
[29:17] at these meetings every month.
[29:19] We've encouraged parent
[29:20] communication with
[29:22] administrators and board
[29:24] members,
[29:25] maintained open communication
[29:27] with our charter school
[29:28] partners. Chartwells encouraged
[29:30] parents and guardian students
[29:32] to attend the charter High
[29:33] School Advisory board meetings
[29:35] as well. We reviewed the
[29:37] election timeline and City
[29:38] Manager's office provided
[29:40] update on every meeting
[29:42] on information
[29:43] on fundraising activities,
[29:45] upcoming events to earn
[29:47] volunteer hours and lottery
[29:49] enrollment process and results.
[29:50] The City Manager's office
[29:52] advised
[29:53] on upcoming budget process
[29:55] for the 2025, 2026 year which
[29:57] is in our next meeting. We
[30:00] participated in the budget
[30:02] workshop yearly and finally we
[30:04] supported staff
[30:06] during preparation
[30:08] for five year accreditation.
[30:12] Overall, this has been an honor
[30:14] serving on this board. I've
[30:15] learned a tremendous amount
[30:17] but again,
[30:19] this is a true blessing
[30:21] to be a part of this system and
[30:23] I can't thank you all enough.
[30:25] There is a lot that goes on
[30:26] within the system, especially
[30:29] getting our kids educated
[30:31] in the middle school, high
[30:32] school, elementary school. And
[30:33] I could not have chosen a
[30:35] better school system. So again,
[30:36] from the bottom of my heart,
[30:38] thank you. God bless all
[30:39] of you.
[30:40] >> Thank you very much
[30:41] for a great presentation and
[30:42] for all that you and your board
[30:43] do at the charter schools. Any
[30:45] questions
[30:46] for the charter middle. Okay,
[30:48] moving on. We have the
[30:49] Charter Academic Village
[30:51] Advisory Board. Welcome.
[30:59] >> Good evening, Mayor and city
[31:02] commissioners. My name is
[31:05] Michelle Reynoso. And as chair
[31:07] of the Academic Village
[31:09] Advisory Board, that's the high
[31:11] school and the middle school
[31:12] at the Academic Village, I'm
[31:15] here
[31:16] to present the annual report.
[31:18] You should have a copy of our
[31:21] report and our attendance
[31:22] record as well.
[31:24] >> Yeah, we saw it.
[31:26] >> Good.
[31:28] >> And a lot
[31:29] of the points that I'm going
[31:31] to highlight, they kind of
[31:32] mirror what was just discussed.
[31:33] But I think we have a little
[31:34] more fun
[31:36] on our board meetings. Okay, so
[31:37] I'll just highlight some
[31:38] of the accomplishments. We
[31:39] reviewed and approved the
[31:41] 2025-2030 Pembroke Pines
[31:42] Charter School System strategic
[31:44] plan. We reviewed and approved
[31:45] both the past school year's
[31:46] middle and high school
[31:48] handbooks. We held an open
[31:50] forum at each board meeting,
[31:51] which is always very, very
[31:52] interesting,
[31:54] where parents were encouraged
[31:56] to voice their concerns, ask
[31:57] questions and provide feedback.
[31:59] Principal Bay always attended
[32:00] and every single board meeting,
[32:02] and he responded
[32:04] to every parent. We also
[32:05] received with enthusiasm from
[32:06] Principal Bayer monthly
[32:08] accomplishments of the various
[32:09] academic and athletic successes
[32:12] of our charter school students.
[32:15] And we were able
[32:17] to pay very close attention
[32:18] to Dr. Pizzos report
[32:20] on the safety improvements at
[32:22] our campuses and the
[32:23] reunification process.
[32:25] After an alert, we received and
[32:28] discussed monthly updates by
[32:30] the city controller regarding
[32:32] fundraising activities and
[32:35] results. Thank you, Jonathan.
[32:37] We will review the upcoming
[32:39] school year's budget on
[32:40] Monday, June 9,
[32:42] for recommendation
[32:44] to you all. And we monitor the
[32:47] adoption
[32:49] of the updated uniform policy
[32:50] to include black slacks and
[32:52] shorts, which began this past
[32:53] school year. It seems
[32:55] to have been a hit
[32:56] with the students. So the board
[32:58] appreciates the support
[32:59] of the city commission, the
[33:00] city manager's office and the
[33:02] school principals. The final
[33:04] version
[33:05] of this report was approved
[33:07] for presentation at our May
[33:09] 12th meeting. And that's it.
[33:12] >> You all have been doing a
[33:13] great job. And you helped
[33:15] to make the Academic Village a
[33:16] better place
[33:17] for the students,
[33:18] for the faculty, for the city
[33:20] of Pembroke Pines. And I just
[33:21] want to thank you
[33:22] for everything that you do.
[33:23] >> Thank you.
[33:24] >> Any questions
[33:25] for this board? Yes,
[33:26] Commissioner Good.
[33:28] >> Very well done, Ms.
[33:29] Reynosa. So just out
[33:31] of curiosity, I know that you
[33:33] all are very resourceful as a
[33:35] team and things. And now we're
[33:37] hearing from, you know, from
[33:40] our state leadership that we're
[33:42] starting to have some shifting
[33:45] of funds that may impact some
[33:47] of these very important
[33:49] programming, you know, that
[33:52] addresses, you know,
[33:54] higher level learning, so
[33:56] to say. So have you all started
[33:58] to engage in dialogue about,
[33:59] you know, how to maybe deal
[34:01] with some
[34:04] of those shortfalls that may
[34:05] potentially be coming
[34:07] to us?
[34:09] >> We did have discussion
[34:10] about this couple
[34:12] of meetings,
[34:14] and we were advised to, as
[34:16] parents, to please, you know,
[34:18] send letters,
[34:20] make phone calls. A lot
[34:22] of parents, we really
[34:24] appreciate the programming that
[34:26] our students, you know,
[34:28] exposed to, and we want those
[34:30] to continue. Anything else that
[34:31] we can do, you know,
[34:33] please let us know. We will
[34:34] definitely, you know,
[34:36] find a way
[34:37] to let everybody know. We have
[34:38] a nice turnout
[34:40] at our meetings, and we will
[34:41] let all the parents know what
[34:43] we should do.
[34:44] >> Great.
[34:45] And back to you. Anything
[34:47] that you all may come up with,
[34:48] you may tell us that maybe we
[34:50] can help as well, too,
[34:51] because we find this
[34:52] to be very,
[34:54] very important programming
[34:55] for the academic village.
[34:57] >> Yeah, definitely.
[34:58] >> Thank you again
[34:59] for being a leader.
[35:01] >> Thank you.
[35:02] >> Hard time.
[35:03] >> Yeah, exactly.
[35:05] >> Thank you very much.
[35:06] >> Appreciate it. Have a great
[35:07] night.
[35:09] >> Much appreciated. Board
[35:11] of adjustment, you ready?
[35:15] >> Yes, sir.
[35:18] >> Good evening, mayor,
[35:20] honorable commissioners. Good
[35:22] evening. Sorry that I'm a
[35:24] little bit late based
[35:26] on the fact that I am coming
[35:27] from Miami and I did catch a
[35:29] little bit of traffic.
[35:30] >> Thank you very much
[35:31] for being here.
[35:32] >> Thank you all.
[36:01] Good evening again.
[36:02] I'm your chair for the Board
[36:03] of Adjustment, Israel
[36:05] Rodriguez Soto, and I will be
[36:07] giving you a synopsis
[36:08] of the annual review in June
[36:11] of each year of course,
[36:14] as we are today,
[36:16] the advisory board of committee
[36:18] shall forward the city
[36:20] Commission a summary. So the
[36:21] summary accomplishment
[36:23] during the reporting term
[36:24] for last year is as follows.
[36:26] You, first of all,
[36:28] you have attachments
[36:29] of all the items that we have
[36:31] in front of you. So I'll just
[36:33] mention that. And therefore,
[36:35] between April 24 and March
[36:37] 25, the Board of Adjustment
[36:40] heard 94 requests for 41
[36:43] properties. The Board of
[36:46] Adjustment passed 84 motions
[36:48] and failed 10. Two of them, 10
[36:51] failed motions were appealed
[36:53] to the city commission. As per
[36:54] the city LDC, 155.311 69
[36:57] petitions, or 73.4
[36:58] of the requests, were
[37:02] to address work done
[37:06] without building permits. Last
[37:10] year and the year we have seen
[37:12] a trend going up of people
[37:13] basically actually favoring the
[37:15] fact
[37:18] of saying I'm sorry instead
[37:20] of just going
[37:22] out and do a request
[37:24] for permits. So we and the
[37:26] Board have been basically
[37:29] moving forth and ensuring that
[37:31] we start dropping that
[37:35] percentage. And we have had
[37:37] quite a success up
[37:39] to now. It was limited higher
[37:42] 69 petitions. As I said, 73.4
[37:44] of the requests were addressed
[37:45] of work done
[37:46] without a building permit.
[37:48] The Board
[37:49] of adjustments approved 89.3
[37:52] of the petitions and 9.4
[37:54] of the petitions failed. And
[37:56] then
[37:57] on 6-18-24 the ordinance number
[38:01] 2022 approved an increase
[38:02] for the front lot coverage FLC
[38:08] for driveways from 35
[38:09] to the front lot area
[38:11] to 40% allowable. That has
[38:12] helped us a lot. Thank you very
[38:14] much. Based on the fact that we
[38:16] do have very unequal lots and
[38:17] therefore now we can have a
[38:19] better understanding and a
[38:21] better I would say fair and
[38:27] reasonableness in order
[38:31] to assist those petitions
[38:33] quite well. Recommendations or
[38:37] suggestions to the city
[38:40] commissions regarding the board
[38:41] recommends that the appeal
[38:43] process suggested by member
[38:44] Jones during the 5-1-25 meeting
[38:46] and accepted by members
[38:48] of the Board of Directors. The
[38:51] appeal goes that the city
[38:52] commission to be granted only
[38:54] 5 to 0 vote or a simple
[38:55] majority. The board heard and
[38:58] denied a variance
[38:59] by a vote or 5 to 0
[39:01] on very simple majority. The
[39:02] board adjusted respectively as
[39:04] four conditions of variance is
[39:06] granted that you should take
[39:08] in consideration when they come
[39:09] to the front of you to ask
[39:11] for a review
[39:12] of what we basically disagree
[39:14] in the board of Adjustment that
[39:16] the code should inspect the
[39:18] property for compliance with
[39:19] 30 days. Within 30 days.
[39:22] Basically what I'm we're saying
[39:24] that the conditional variance
[39:26] issue when home renovations and
[39:29] alteration and the size
[39:33] increases are made without
[39:38] permits or when early owners
[39:43] made renovations alterations
[39:45] size increase could be granted
[39:49] only only as long as the
[39:51] hardship exists. And why?
[39:54] Because the property should be
[39:57] returned to prior conditions
[40:00] following the city rules and
[40:03] in that manner instead of just
[40:06] given granting them an approval
[40:08] that will basically be part
[40:10] of that property for life.
[40:12] But basically if you take in
[40:14] consideration a hardship then
[40:17] and it goes into their deeds in
[40:19] that manner and it will return
[40:22] to the existing conditions once
[40:24] that person leaves the
[40:27] property. Therefore, based on
[40:30] that I will just finish my
[40:33] synopsis
[40:36] to you and thank you very much
[40:41] for the support that you have
[40:43] given me and to the board
[40:46] throughout this year. We have a
[40:50] full staff and we're moving
[40:52] forward quite well. So
[40:53] therefore again, thank you and
[40:55] to those that I have just
[40:57] recently joined commission
[40:59] board. I do wish you a very
[41:02] successful endeavor and I'm
[41:04] sure that you will enjoy this
[41:07] quest. Thank you very much.
[41:11] Are there any questions
[41:14] for me?
[41:16] >> Thank you very much Board
[41:18] of Adjustment
[41:20] for all that you do
[41:22] for the city of Pembroke
[41:24] Pines. Any comments for Board
[41:25] of Adjustment? Seeing none.
[41:27] Thank you so very,
[41:31] very much.
[41:33] >> Thank you very much
[41:35] and have a good evening.
[41:37] >> You too. Next up will be
[41:39] Arts and Culture Board, Rose.
[41:41] >> Good evening Mayor,
[41:43] Commissioner. My name is Rose
[41:45] Colombo. I'm Chair of the Art
[41:47] Board. I would like to
[41:51] introduce my fellow members who
[41:54] are present this evening. We
[41:56] have Kit Jordan, Karen
[41:57] Corinne, Ananice Rodriguez,
[41:59] Jasmine Murias and two of our
[42:00] members were not present.
[42:02] Margo Mercado and Gloria
[42:03] Pierce are also board members.
[42:06] Okay. The Frank Art Gallery
[42:08] under the direction of Sophie
[42:10] Bonet, our chief curator
[42:12] at the Frank and also at
[42:14] Studio 18, the Frank continues
[42:15] to flourish as one
[42:17] of the premium art galleries
[42:19] in Brown County. The Frank
[42:20] offers workshops, field trips
[42:22] and special events such as
[42:23] movie screenings and musical
[42:25] events on the plaza. The
[42:27] gallery has hosted an amazing
[42:28] array of visual art exhibits
[42:30] featuring national and
[42:32] international artists and we
[42:33] are very proud that children
[42:35] and family themed events are a
[42:37] regular part
[42:39] of the cultural offerings
[42:41] at the Frank. Some
[42:43] of the art events held at the
[42:45] Frank include. Some
[42:46] of the major events held
[42:49] at the Franklin Frank include
[42:51] of Seeing and Being the
[42:53] Deering Estate at the Frank,
[42:55] Ebb and Flo, an exhibit
[42:58] exploring Womanhood, the
[42:59] Crossings, a global traveling
[43:01] exhibit and Gigi Morales, an
[43:03] exhibit organized
[43:05] by the national center for
[43:07] Children's Literature. Some
[43:08] of the children events
[43:10] Children Family events held
[43:11] at the Frank included
[43:13] Storytelling at the Frank,
[43:16] Teen Art Club, Summer reading
[43:19] party art and Yoga for Kids.
[43:21] Some of the special events
[43:25] at the Frank include In Movie
[43:27] Night on the Plaza, Savor the
[43:29] Sounds, concerts with a live
[43:31] Painting artist, Holiday Art,
[43:32] Pardon Me, Holiday Art Market
[43:35] and Family Day. The Frank
[43:37] supports artists at all stages
[43:39] of their career with various
[43:41] lectures and panel discussion
[43:43] and hands on workshops. The
[43:45] Studio 18 art complex continues
[43:47] to be a hub where emerging and
[43:49] established artists cultivate
[43:51] their skills. Some of the
[43:53] Events held at Studio 18
[43:55] include Got a Celebration of
[43:57] Art and Diversity, Naming
[44:00] Artist Takeover the Power
[44:02] within exhibit. The 19th annual
[44:04] art competition was also held
[44:09] at Studio 18 on May 24. The
[44:14] competition included 127 pieces
[44:18] of artwork created by 68
[44:20] artists who participated.
[44:22] Awards were given
[44:24] in eight categories and
[44:27] Marissa Meek's Beautiful
[44:29] Painting was chosen by the Art
[44:32] board as the 2024 Art Festival
[44:34] poster work winner. Studio 18
[44:36] held numerous lectures and
[44:38] workshops engaging the
[44:42] community and always working
[44:43] to advance the careers of
[44:45] emerging and established
[44:46] artists. Some
[44:48] of the other events Some
[44:51] of the workshop events
[44:53] for artists included FAU
[44:54] Digital Storytelling
[44:56] Showcase, Pottery Painting,
[44:58] Wearable Art, Coil Base and
[45:00] Clay Tile Workshops, Holiday
[45:02] Ornament Painting and Coffee
[45:05] and Create Workshops. The
[45:07] Pembroke Pines Art and Culture
[45:08] center continues to offer many
[45:10] year round programs and various
[45:12] workshops for children of our
[45:14] community including guitar
[45:16] lessons, musical theater and
[45:18] piano lessons. PP Topa, which
[45:21] was founded 30 years ago,
[45:23] continues to present amazing
[45:26] live theater featuring All
[45:27] Stars South Florida
[45:29] performances at the Susan B.
[45:30] Katz Theater. This season's
[45:32] shows included Barefoot
[45:34] in the Park, Death Trap and
[45:36] spelling bee. The 23rd
[45:39] Storybook Festival, which is co
[45:42] sponsored by the city and the
[45:44] Regional Library was held on
[45:46] November 16. This delightful
[45:48] children's event includes a
[45:50] book giveaway, costume parade,
[45:52] face painting and a craft tent.
[45:54] The 26th annual Art and Music
[45:58] Festival was held Nov. 2 and
[46:00] 3rd at City center and our
[46:04] festival truly featured
[46:06] something for everyone. The
[46:09] Frank held two workshops
[46:11] at the festival, Trading Cards
[46:13] with Mary Stout and Hemmed Use
[46:15] with Melanie Olivia. Live music
[46:18] was featured on stage
[46:20] throughout the weekend and an
[46:22] interactive belly dancing
[46:24] performance by the Arabian
[46:26] Roses was enjoyed by all. The
[46:30] festival also included food
[46:31] trucks, an arts and craft tent,
[46:34] the Color Bubble, face
[46:35] painting, balloon twisting and
[46:37] a bounce house and an arcade
[46:39] trailer. The seventh annual
[46:41] Student Art Competition which
[46:43] is part of the festival was a
[46:45] huge success featuring artwork
[46:46] from students at Pembrokeline
[46:48] Schools and students
[46:50] from our recreation programs.
[46:52] 243 Works of art were
[46:53] on display in the City center
[46:55] lobby and each grade level was
[46:57] given cash awards. The two day
[46:58] festival included diverse live
[47:00] entertainment and a digital
[47:02] festival booklet. Our awards
[47:04] breakfast was held Sunday
[47:06] morning
[47:08] in the beautiful mezzanine at
[47:09] City center and awards were
[47:11] given to artists in 12
[47:12] categories. Our arts and
[47:15] Cultural department were very
[47:17] successful
[47:18] in obtaining sponsorship
[47:20] for the festival. Some of the
[47:23] other very successful events
[47:26] and projects completed
[47:28] throughout the year by the
[47:30] Recreation and Cultural Arts
[47:32] Department include A new
[47:33] cultural offering is at the
[47:35] Pines Village Community
[47:37] Center. Gary Gore, One of our
[47:38] Studio 18 artists is now
[47:40] conducting two art workshops
[47:41] monthly at the Pines Village
[47:43] Community Center. One
[47:45] of the other events A few
[47:46] of the other events Storywalk
[47:47] in the Pines Spring into Art,
[47:49] Music and Children's Show
[47:52] Summer Art and Drama Camps
[47:53] Summer Symphony Series
[47:55] Biannual Art, Culture and
[47:57] Entertainment Guide Honoring
[47:59] Veterans Portrait Project
[48:02] Film Fest at Susan B. Katz.
[48:04] Let's see. The City received a
[48:06] $25,000 grant from Broward
[48:10] county to be used for the
[48:15] Caribbean American Heritage
[48:18] Festival and also utilizing a
[48:20] recommendation from the Art
[48:23] Board. The Traffic Wrap Box
[48:26] program continues using images
[48:27] of past Art Festival poster
[48:29] winners. The Art Board wishes
[48:30] to extend our sincere
[48:32] appreciation to Christina
[48:34] Sorensen and Holly Bonkowski.
[48:37] Where would we be without
[48:39] Holly? She makes our dreams
[48:42] come true and the entire
[48:44] Recreation and cultural arts
[48:45] staff. Lastly,
[48:47] of course we wish
[48:49] to thank the City Commission
[48:50] for your year
[48:52] after year ongoing support
[48:54] of the arts in Pembroke
[48:55] Pines. And that's it.
[48:56] >> Year after year, the
[48:57] Pembroke Pines Art and
[48:59] Culture Board does a wonderful
[49:01] job presenting all different
[49:02] kinds
[49:04] of wonderful presentations
[49:06] in all different kinds
[49:08] of venues throughout the city.
[49:09] And we're very,
[49:11] very thankful. You add a great,
[49:12] great dimension
[49:14] to the enjoyment
[49:15] in the city and we're very,
[49:17] very, very thankful to you.
[49:19] Thank you.
[49:20] >> Thank you.
[49:21] >> Anyone have a question
[49:22] for us in culture? Thank you so
[49:23] very much. Well done.
[49:25] Environmental Advisory Board is
[49:28] next.
[49:37] >> Good evening. Namaste. By
[49:39] way
[49:41] of my background information
[49:42] before I give the report,
[49:44] it is my honor and pleasure
[49:46] to submit this report annually
[49:48] to the board and I want
[49:50] to thank you. Last time when I
[49:53] came in front
[49:55] of the commission, I said there
[49:56] should be a volunteer
[49:58] appreciation. So I'm happy to
[50:00] report there were two
[50:02] appreciation lunches, one
[50:04] at the police department and
[50:05] one
[50:07] at the community services. So
[50:08] thank you very much. I also
[50:10] want to thank Tom because in
[50:14] his personal capacity as vice
[50:15] mayor, he gave me appreciation
[50:17] certificate. So thank you,
[50:18] Tom. So I really appreciate
[50:21] that volunteers are being
[50:22] appreciated one way or other
[50:25] because we are selfless
[50:26] workers. By way
[50:28] of background, my name is Ram
[50:32] Tiwari. I have been living
[50:34] in this city since 1988 and I
[50:37] retired from Broward county
[50:38] in 2012. And since that time I
[50:40] have been volunteering with
[50:42] different committees and
[50:45] advisory board. So now
[50:48] honorable mayor, vice mayor,
[50:51] city commissioners, city
[50:53] manager, city attorney and city
[50:54] clerk and dedicated staff of
[50:57] city because they have been
[51:00] very helpful in our working as
[51:02] advisory board. And a special
[51:04] mention is to be made the
[51:06] Planning and Economic
[51:08] development department. They
[51:09] have been giving us
[51:12] information, data,
[51:14] any request we did. So I really
[51:16] want
[51:17] to thank their department. The
[51:21] role of Environmental
[51:25] Advisory Board is to provide
[51:27] constructive advice and council
[51:29] to the city commission with a
[51:31] broad outlook towards
[51:33] environmental protection. That
[51:35] has been our focus and I have a
[51:38] vice mayor and 3, 4 members
[51:40] of the board are here. They are
[51:41] very experienced and they are
[51:43] very enthusiastic
[51:45] about the environment. They
[51:47] have discussed all kinds
[51:49] of things. But only two things
[51:51] I will mention here. You
[51:52] already have a list
[51:54] of the recommendations. We have
[51:56] been pleading for past three
[51:58] years that cities should hire a
[51:59] sustainability coordinator.
[52:01] Reason is because I was looking
[52:05] at the budget and
[52:07] in the budget I was happy
[52:08] to see that green flag approved
[52:11] by EAB is included
[52:13] in the budget. So I assume that
[52:16] budget is appreciative that
[52:18] whatever elements are there for
[52:19] the green plan that will be
[52:21] becoming part of the budget.
[52:23] But as I said, we have been
[52:25] pleading every year because as
[52:28] you will see not only
[52:31] in the budget, but Also I
[52:32] looked at the. Also I looked
[52:34] at that 2023 strategic plan
[52:37] update which has six goals.
[52:45] And I saw out
[52:50] of those six goals, three,
[52:52] four, five and six are
[52:55] indirectly related with the
[52:57] environmental adversary board.
[52:58] So I am hoping that if you have
[53:00] something
[53:02] in your strategic plan,
[53:04] if you have in your budget,
[53:06] all this data has
[53:08] to be collected by someone.
[53:10] To just give you an example,
[53:11] I wanted a data
[53:12] since city stopped recycling
[53:14] in January 2022. So I asked the
[53:16] data what was three years data
[53:19] before and what is the data
[53:21] now. And I have not been able
[53:23] to get good data because I had
[53:25] to go to utility,
[53:27] the finance. So I want
[53:30] to say that's one aspect
[53:32] of it. If we were looking
[53:34] for biosolids or things
[53:35] of that kind, food waste. So it
[53:36] is. You need someone who could
[53:38] coordinate your all elements
[53:40] whether they are in the budget
[53:42] or whether they are
[53:43] in the static plan. Please do
[53:45] consider that. So that was one
[53:47] of the strong recommendation
[53:49] which our board members felt
[53:50] that I should make it plead
[53:52] again to the board that please
[53:54] do consider hiring a
[53:55] sustainability coordinator.
[54:10] Second one was as we care
[54:11] for the environment, solid
[54:12] waste. I know there was RFI
[54:14] done by the city and what
[54:16] happened we don't know. So
[54:18] because that was a good RFI
[54:20] which included all the elements
[54:22] of solid waste management. And
[54:25] I thought city is approaching
[54:27] it the right way.
[54:30] But I don't know. Three and a
[54:31] half years we have not been
[54:32] recycling so it must be going
[54:34] somewhere. So that was the
[54:35] request also because if these
[54:37] things are there,
[54:38] we are there. So if we get an
[54:41] update about what happened
[54:42] to RFI or these kind
[54:43] of things. So I will not
[54:46] elaborate more,
[54:49] but our members are very, very
[54:51] interested that you hire a
[54:55] coordinator. The job
[54:58] description has been included
[55:02] our annual report. So please do
[55:05] consider if you cannot do a
[55:08] full time, at least do a part
[55:10] time start something. Because
[55:11] there is a lot
[55:14] of data which has
[55:15] to be coordinated at one place
[55:17] to come out
[55:20] with certain conclusions. Let
[55:25] me highlight is that EAB is
[55:31] pleased to know that our green
[55:34] plan is included and hopefully
[55:35] those elements will be
[55:37] implemented and there will be
[55:39] some funds available
[55:41] for those elements.
[55:44] Thank you very much.
[55:46] And if you have any
[55:47] questions, I will be happy
[55:48] to answer that.
[55:49] >> Thank you very much, Ram,
[55:50] and to the entire committee
[55:52] for everything that you do.
[55:53] Mr. Dodge and I had a
[55:54] conversation about the
[55:56] Sustainability officer some
[55:57] months ago, and I know he's
[55:59] been considering who he's going
[56:01] to assign that function to.
[56:05] And so I know that that
[56:07] announcement will be coming
[56:08] shortly. And I want
[56:10] to thank you for that. It's
[56:11] something that the
[56:13] administration wants to do. So
[56:15] with that, we're thankful
[56:17] to you for that,
[56:18] for that recommendation and
[56:20] for all that you do
[56:24] for the city. Thank you.
[56:25] >> Thank you. Any questions
[56:26] for Environment? Thank you very
[56:28] much.
[56:29] >> Thank you.
[56:30] >> The next board will be
[56:31] Diversity and Heritage Board.
[56:45] >> Good evening. I'm Dawn
[56:48] Prospect and I am the chair
[56:50] of the Diversity and Heritage
[56:52] Advisory Board. And I would
[56:54] like to first start off
[56:56] by thanking you guys for
[56:57] hearing our cries last year
[56:59] because we haven't had a forum
[57:00] for to have our meetings
[57:01] regularly and we were able to
[57:03] have regular meetings this past
[57:04] year. So thank you
[57:06] for that and
[57:07] for appointing members
[57:09] to fill those seats. So
[57:10] with that, we were able
[57:11] to make a few suggestions
[57:13] to the board this year. And I
[57:15] must say that we were able
[57:17] to have the Caribbean
[57:18] American Heritage Festival last
[57:21] year. Caribbean American
[57:25] Heritage Festival last year,
[57:27] which was great. And, and the
[57:29] second annual one is coming up
[57:30] on June 28th. We also were able
[57:33] to put forth to have a
[57:34] Juneteenth Festival, which will
[57:36] be now on June 20 from 6 to 9.
[57:39] We're very excited
[57:41] about that. We also propose
[57:42] to put into the budget
[57:44] to have a MLK parade, which is
[57:46] not something that the city has
[57:48] had before. So this is
[57:50] something that we are looking
[57:52] forward to be approved
[57:54] in the budget. And also,
[57:56] I know the mayor made a charge
[57:58] to us last year and also
[58:00] to a meeting a few months ago
[58:02] of putting forth a calendar
[58:03] of events for monthly events to
[58:06] showcase the diversity and
[58:07] heritage within the city of
[58:10] Pembroke Pines. And we have had
[58:11] multiple discussions
[58:12] about this and we are working
[58:14] on putting this together.
[58:15] But what we do agree on is that
[58:16] the city does have some great
[58:18] events already, but where we
[58:20] saw the downfall was that
[58:21] there's not a lot
[58:22] of advertising. We don't.
[58:24] We're not aware even within the
[58:26] members we're talking,
[58:27] and we're not aware of these
[58:29] events that are happening. So
[58:31] what I must say is
[58:32] after a meeting, I've been
[58:34] seeing more emails coming
[58:35] out and also on social media
[58:37] about the events that are
[58:38] ongoing. So I must say that has
[58:40] improved significantly just
[58:41] in the past three weeks
[58:43] since our last meeting. So I
[58:45] must commend. And I will thank
[58:46] Christina for listening to us
[58:48] and bringing this information
[58:50] over
[58:52] to the commission.
[58:53] >> I want to thank you
[58:54] for the work that you do. It's
[58:55] important to the city. This
[58:56] board is especially important
[58:58] to me. And we look very forward
[58:59] to receiving your calendar,
[59:00] and we'll talk more about
[59:02] advertising once we know what
[59:03] events you're recommending. So
[59:05] that's an important thing
[59:07] to have,
[59:09] and we look very forward
[59:11] to getting that soon. Thank you
[59:13] so very much. Any other
[59:16] questions for Diversity
[59:18] Board?
[59:19] >> Yes, Mr. Mayor.
[59:20] >> Commissioner Good.
[59:22] >> Can somebody track
[59:23] down what that noise is? Thank
[59:25] you. Maybe it's you.
[59:27] >> I just want to say y'all
[59:29] doing a really wonderful job.
[59:30] I'm very, very excited about,
[59:31] particularly the programming
[59:33] that you have coming forward
[59:35] with the Juneteenth.
[59:37] Typically, you know,
[59:39] Juneteenth is celebrated
[59:40] on the 19th, but. But I know
[59:42] that you all are doing it on
[59:44] the 20th so that you can do it
[59:45] on a Friday. The 20th is a
[59:46] Friday, and you're doing on a
[59:48] Friday evening where you can
[59:50] accommodate people's schedule.
[59:51] I've seen a little bit
[59:53] of the programming,
[59:55] and I am really excited.
[59:56] There's some really important
[59:57] people,
[59:59] some guest speakers that are
[1:00:00] coming, the programming,
[1:00:01] the expansiveness of the
[1:00:03] programming. I couldn't be any
[1:00:04] more happier than what's
[1:00:05] coming. And I only want
[1:00:07] to say that so everybody knows.
[1:00:08] June 20th. Juneteenth
[1:00:10] celebration right here at
[1:00:12] City Hall. Please, please come,
[1:00:13] because the programming that
[1:00:15] these people put together is
[1:00:16] fantastic.
[1:00:23] >> Thank you.
[1:00:26] >> I'm looking forward to it.
[1:00:28] Thank you.
[1:00:29] >> Any other comments? Thank
[1:00:31] you very, very much,
[1:00:32] and thank you
[1:00:33] for everything that you do.
[1:00:35] And the last board presentation
[1:00:36] today is our newest board,
[1:00:37] the Citizens Budget Advisory
[1:00:38] Board.
[1:00:41] >> Commission, figure
[1:00:44] out what that sound is. Some
[1:00:45] gremlins in the building,
[1:00:48] huh?
[1:00:50] >> I just don't know. Can
[1:00:51] everybody just take a second
[1:00:53] and turn their mics
[1:00:55] off and then turn them back on?
[1:00:57] Okay, go ahead.
[1:00:59] >> My name is Scott Barnett.
[1:01:02] I'm the chair of the Budget
[1:01:03] Advisory Board, the new board
[1:01:05] on the block. Mayor, city
[1:01:07] manager,
[1:01:09] and commission. I do want
[1:01:11] to acknowledge one
[1:01:12] of our board members is here,
[1:01:14] Bill Huff. I don't know if any
[1:01:15] other budget members are here,
[1:01:17] but thank you for coming
[1:01:21] and supporting this
[1:01:23] presentation. Mayor, City
[1:01:24] Management Commission. Thank
[1:01:26] you for your continued support
[1:01:28] of this community
[1:01:29] by allowing residents
[1:01:31] to have this unique ability
[1:01:32] to authentically participate
[1:01:34] in our governmental process.
[1:01:36] Truly a government
[1:01:38] by the people and of the
[1:01:41] people. I have been humbled
[1:01:43] to have been selected as chair,
[1:01:46] especially as I'm surrounded
[1:01:48] by an incredible group
[1:01:49] of fellow residents who care
[1:01:51] about the future of our shared
[1:01:52] responsibilities and have much
[1:01:53] to offer. Mayor Castillo, I
[1:01:55] also want to acknowledge your
[1:01:56] unique vision
[1:01:57] to have initiated this process
[1:01:59] over four years ago
[1:02:00] with the original District 4
[1:02:01] board that would allow
[1:02:02] residents across the city
[1:02:03] to have meaningful dialogue
[1:02:04] with the city administrators to
[1:02:06] better understand how these
[1:02:07] operations function. It can
[1:02:09] also not be understated the
[1:02:10] boldness of your leadership
[1:02:11] with the recent referendum
[1:02:12] opportunity. This is one
[1:02:14] of the most difficult things an
[1:02:15] elected official has
[1:02:16] to deal with. And while it did
[1:02:17] not pass, it was successful
[1:02:19] by creating renewed energy
[1:02:20] within our community
[1:02:21] to create a sense
[1:02:22] of transparency
[1:02:23] within our city government,
[1:02:24] especially at a time in our
[1:02:26] history when it's needed most.
[1:02:27] These are indeed tumultuous
[1:02:28] times. There is much
[1:02:29] uncertainty in the
[1:02:31] near and present future, both
[1:02:32] at the national level and
[1:02:34] especially
[1:02:36] at the state level. Yet, as we
[1:02:37] gather around the proverbial
[1:02:39] kitchen table of our home here
[1:02:42] in Pembroke Pines, we are going
[1:02:45] to rely
[1:02:47] on this commission's leadership
[1:02:48] to tackle some
[1:02:49] of the hard issues facing us
[1:02:51] in the years to come.
[1:02:52] Over the past four years
[1:02:54] of my involvement
[1:02:55] with this process, I can tell
[1:02:57] you we are indeed privileged to
[1:02:58] have a city manager and
[1:03:00] assistant managers along
[1:03:02] with city staff who continue
[1:03:03] to conduct business
[1:03:04] with integrity and a dedication
[1:03:06] to this community
[1:03:07] like no other, as was proven
[1:03:08] through their endless hours
[1:03:09] of engagement
[1:03:11] with our residents
[1:03:12] in every district
[1:03:13] over the past year. I want
[1:03:14] to personally thank everyone
[1:03:15] for exceeding our expectations
[1:03:16] in terms of their fiscal
[1:03:18] responsibility and commitment
[1:03:19] to this community. With special
[1:03:20] acknowledgment as well to
[1:03:21] Assistant City Manager and
[1:03:22] Finance Director Lisa Chong and
[1:03:23] Budget Director Leslie White.
[1:03:24] And I'd also like to take a
[1:03:26] moment personally thank our
[1:03:27] city clerks, Marlene Graham,
[1:03:28] who was proceeding
[1:03:29] over our meetings, and Ms.
[1:03:30] Rogers. They always bring a
[1:03:31] high level of professionalism
[1:03:32] to all of our city's
[1:03:34] proceedings and always keep
[1:03:35] things moving. That being said,
[1:03:36] we are going to rely
[1:03:37] on this commission
[1:03:38] to make some bold decisions
[1:03:40] in the coming year.
[1:03:41] At our most recent meetings,
[1:03:42] we were presented
[1:03:43] with a thorough explanation
[1:03:44] of the various components
[1:03:46] of the city budget, along
[1:03:47] with presentations by the
[1:03:48] police and fire departments and
[1:03:49] the pertinent capital projects
[1:03:50] that are long overdue. Our
[1:03:51] upcoming meeting will address
[1:03:52] the water utility along with
[1:03:53] the forward thinking solutions
[1:03:55] that were presented in the
[1:03:56] recent visioning meeting. What
[1:03:57] we have learned is that we
[1:03:58] cannot and should not conflate
[1:03:59] one department's needs
[1:04:00] over any other. Each department
[1:04:01] has unique funding needs that
[1:04:02] necessitate unilateral
[1:04:04] solutions
[1:04:05] of their own devices. As the
[1:04:06] saying goes. We cannot take
[1:04:07] from Peter to pay Paul. This
[1:04:08] board allows residents to
[1:04:09] better understand how this
[1:04:10] administration functions and
[1:04:11] hopefully will clear up any
[1:04:13] confusion as to its operation
[1:04:14] with the recent referendum
[1:04:15] proposal. It showed was the
[1:04:17] fact that this community
[1:04:18] deserves better clarity as to
[1:04:20] how these projects are funded,
[1:04:21] as this will elevate our
[1:04:22] understanding of how we may be
[1:04:24] able to prioritize these needed
[1:04:25] capital improvements
[1:04:26] over the course
[1:04:27] of the next year. As the city
[1:04:29] has finally reached its max
[1:04:30] potential
[1:04:32] for residential development,
[1:04:33] we can no longer depend
[1:04:34] on additional revenues
[1:04:35] to placate funding deficits.
[1:04:37] On a personal note,
[1:04:38] as a resident here
[1:04:39] for the past two decades,
[1:04:41] I've been frustrated
[1:04:42] by the reactionary nature of
[1:04:43] the government proceedings and
[1:04:44] lack of a clear way forward.
[1:04:45] And I want
[1:04:46] to thank this commission,
[1:04:47] especially also assistant city
[1:04:48] manager Michael Stam, for
[1:04:50] bringing forth a strategic plan
[1:04:51] that that now sets new
[1:04:52] parameters
[1:04:53] for the future that lies ahead.
[1:04:55] We know what we need to do,
[1:04:56] and we now have the blueprint
[1:04:57] to move this forward. We can no
[1:04:58] longer kick the can down the
[1:05:00] road and defer these needed
[1:05:01] improvements to our next set
[1:05:03] of representatives. This certi
[1:05:04] deserves better because our
[1:05:06] business community, our
[1:05:08] residents, and especially our
[1:05:09] children deserve a quality of
[1:05:11] life that only this city can
[1:05:12] provide. We must find creative
[1:05:14] funding solutions
[1:05:15] to accomplish this task. There
[1:05:16] is no other choice. Myself and
[1:05:18] the rest
[1:05:19] of the budget board look
[1:05:20] forward to providing the kind
[1:05:22] of input and perspective
[1:05:23] to tackle some of the immense
[1:05:24] challenges that will come
[1:05:25] before us. And again,
[1:05:27] we will be relying
[1:05:28] on this commission
[1:05:29] to keep a steady hand on the
[1:05:30] rudder as we ply the rough
[1:05:31] waters ahead. This will not be
[1:05:32] easy.
[1:05:33] But as a wise man once said, we
[1:05:34] don't do these things because
[1:05:36] they are easy. We do them
[1:05:37] because they are hard. Because
[1:05:38] that goal will serve
[1:05:39] to organize and measure the
[1:05:40] best
[1:05:42] of our energies and skill.
[1:05:43] Because that challenge is one
[1:05:44] that we are willing
[1:05:45] to accept,
[1:05:47] one we are unwilling
[1:05:48] to postpone and one we intend
[1:05:49] to win.
[1:05:50] >> Thank you very, very much.
[1:05:51] And it gives me a rush
[1:05:52] of pride
[1:05:54] to welcome you and your board
[1:05:56] to the family
[1:05:57] of advisory boards in the city
[1:05:59] of Pembroke Pines. I know that
[1:06:00] you will do outstanding work,
[1:06:01] and we're very, very eager
[1:06:02] to hear always what you have
[1:06:04] to offer. Questions for the
[1:06:06] Citizens Budget Advisory
[1:06:07] Council.
[1:06:12] >> A quick comment there.
[1:06:13] >> Commissioner Schwartz.
[1:06:14] >> I believe the administration
[1:06:16] could support the board a
[1:06:17] little bit better
[1:06:18] by providing presentations,
[1:06:20] minutes,
[1:06:21] documents that they're going
[1:06:23] to digest that evening,
[1:06:25] certainly more than two hours
[1:06:27] before the meeting begins. I
[1:06:29] believe it's unfair
[1:06:30] for a member of the public,
[1:06:32] let alone a member
[1:06:33] of a board, to come
[1:06:35] to a meeting,
[1:06:36] and it's just hot
[1:06:38] off the press. I do believe
[1:06:39] there's an opportunity
[1:06:43] for the administration
[1:06:44] to provide this documentation
[1:06:45] at least one week in advance
[1:06:47] to allow the board to inquire
[1:06:48] so they can have a more robust
[1:06:50] in depth and cognitive
[1:06:51] understanding
[1:06:54] of the material that's
[1:06:55] in front of them. I believe
[1:06:57] that the last meeting
[1:06:58] with police and fire,
[1:07:01] while it looked really nice,
[1:07:03] it fell short of the
[1:07:05] depthness that's most required,
[1:07:06] considering that the board has
[1:07:07] already identified the
[1:07:09] percentage
[1:07:11] of dollars that are going
[1:07:12] to our first responders. And
[1:07:14] while I can't stress enough my
[1:07:16] support for every member
[1:07:18] of this board,
[1:07:20] it is the responsibility
[1:07:23] of us as policymakers
[1:07:24] to ensure that all
[1:07:26] of our board members,
[1:07:27] regardless
[1:07:29] of where they're at, that they
[1:07:30] have all the information
[1:07:32] possible as early as possible
[1:07:33] so they can ask questions
[1:07:35] of staff in advance.
[1:07:37] >> Thank you. Mary, have you
[1:07:38] been getting your board
[1:07:40] information late?
[1:07:42] >> No, I don't believe we've
[1:07:45] been getting anything late.
[1:07:46] And considering that this is a
[1:07:48] new board and we, you know,
[1:07:50] honestly haven't had a. We've
[1:07:52] only had two meetings so far.
[1:07:54] So right now it's a process
[1:07:56] of getting to know the city and
[1:07:57] the departments, but we've
[1:07:58] received them information
[1:08:00] on time, so I don't know.
[1:08:01] >> Okay, thank you. Any other
[1:08:02] questions of the Citizens
[1:08:04] Advisory Board? Seeing none
[1:08:05] that will wrap up the
[1:08:07] presentation of our Advisory
[1:08:10] Boards. And I want to thank
[1:08:12] everyone who's presented.
[1:08:13] We're going to take a two
[1:08:15] minute recess and then we will
[1:08:17] be back to begin the regular
[1:08:19] city commission meeting. Thank
[1:08:20] you very much.
[1:08:22] >>[RECESS]
[1:14:05] >> I'm glad you're here. No,
[1:14:07] that's okay. You don't want
[1:14:09] to speak? Okay, if we could all
[1:14:14] settle down,
[1:14:19] we have a big meeting to take
[1:14:22] to begin. Thank you very much
[1:14:26] for your cooperation. Thank you
[1:14:35] all very much. If you would
[1:14:42] take your seats. Thank you.
[1:14:44] Thank you very much. And
[1:14:52] welcome everyone to the June
[1:14:53] 4, 2025 meeting of the
[1:14:55] Pembroke Pines City Commission
[1:14:58] meeting. And
[1:14:59] before we get started, I want
[1:15:00] to give warm congratulations
[1:15:01] to the class of 2025. We had
[1:15:09] graduations last week and I
[1:15:10] believe into this week
[1:15:12] from one end of the city
[1:15:14] to the other. And we made as
[1:15:15] many of them as we can. And I
[1:15:16] can tell you that our city and
[1:15:18] our state and our country is
[1:15:20] in very good hands
[1:15:22] with these very, very talented
[1:15:23] and capable young people who
[1:15:25] bring so much
[1:15:26] to our community just
[1:15:28] by being around. But
[1:15:30] in addition,
[1:15:31] by giving us tremendous hope.
[1:15:33] And we are always very thrilled
[1:15:36] to see them do well. Nothing's
[1:15:41] more important in the city
[1:15:43] of Pembroke Pines and family.
[1:15:45] And our children are a deep
[1:15:47] source of inspiration. So we
[1:15:49] congratulate them all. Madam
[1:15:50] Clerk, if you would please call
[1:15:52] the roll.
[1:15:53] >>[CALLING ROLL]
[1:16:09] >> We have quorum.
[1:16:11] >> Thank you very much.
[1:16:13] Leading us today in the pledge
[1:16:14] and then the national anthem is
[1:16:16] Sierra Leighton. And Sierra is
[1:16:18] a 13 year old silver Trail
[1:16:20] Middle School student who also
[1:16:21] attends Music Legacy where she
[1:16:24] takes singing classes. And so,
[1:16:26] Sierra, we welcome you and we
[1:16:28] ask you to lead us
[1:16:29] in the pledge. And then if you
[1:16:31] would remain standing, please,
[1:16:32] for the national anthem.
[1:16:35] >> I pledge
[1:16:36] allegiance to the Flag of the
[1:16:37] United States of America and
[1:16:39] to the Republic
[1:16:40] for which it stands, one
[1:16:42] Nation under God, indivisible,
[1:16:43] with liberty and justice for
[1:16:45] all.
[1:16:56] >>[NATIONAL ANTHEM]
[1:18:19] >> Sierra Leighton, thank you
[1:18:20] so very, very, very much.
[1:18:26] Announcements of items
[1:18:28] to be pulled
[1:18:29] from the agenda?
[1:18:30] >> We have none, Mayor.
[1:18:31] >> Okay, we have several
[1:18:38] presentations. They are
[1:19:00] like ready to go. So this is
[1:19:10] one of my favorite kinds
[1:19:11] of presentations. Where is she?
[1:19:12] I gotta go say hello. Is she
[1:19:15] coming? She's coming up.
[1:19:37] All right,
[1:19:38] if you all can just come right
[1:19:41] around the back and look who's
[1:19:43] here. Wow. Okay.
[1:20:03] I'm going to stand right
[1:20:05] by her. Okay. Ladies and
[1:20:06] gentlemen,
[1:20:07] this is a proclamation
[1:20:08] of the city of Pembroke
[1:20:10] Pines, Florida, in honor of
[1:20:12] Yvonne Serecigni's 100th
[1:20:14] birthday. Whereas Yvonne
[1:20:28] Serecigni was born on June
[1:20:29] 23, 1925 in New Bedford,
[1:20:30] Massachusetts, and raised a
[1:20:33] vibrant French Canadian.
[1:20:34] Raised in a vibrant French
[1:20:37] Canadian household,
[1:20:39] fostering a lifelong passion
[1:20:42] for language and culture. And
[1:20:44] whereas her dedication
[1:20:46] to nursing began
[1:20:47] with her training at Bellevue
[1:20:49] Hospital in New York City, a
[1:20:50] path briefly interrupted by
[1:20:52] tuberculosis diagnosis that
[1:20:53] never damped her joyful spirit,
[1:20:56] even earning her light hearted
[1:20:59] reprimands
[1:21:00] for laughing too much
[1:21:03] during her recovery. And
[1:21:06] whereas Yvonne's adventurous
[1:21:07] and compassionate spirit led
[1:21:09] her to work at the American
[1:21:11] Embassy Hospital in France,
[1:21:14] travel across Europe, and
[1:21:16] ultimately meet her husband,
[1:21:18] her beloved husband, Enrique
[1:21:20] Sarasini, in Ibiza, Spain,
[1:21:22] continuing a long distance
[1:21:26] courtship
[1:21:32] through letters written in
[1:21:35] French and English
[1:21:37] before marrying and returning
[1:21:38] to the United States. Whereas
[1:21:41] after earning her anesthetist
[1:21:42] license through University of
[1:21:44] Massachusetts, Harvard and
[1:21:45] Harvard, Yvonne went on
[1:21:47] to serve over 30 years as a
[1:21:49] night shift,
[1:21:51] ICU and emergency room nurse
[1:21:53] at North Shore Hospital in
[1:21:55] Miami. And whereas throughout
[1:22:03] her career and
[1:22:05] into retirement, she raised a
[1:22:07] loving family that now includes
[1:22:09] her daughters, Michelle,
[1:22:12] Alisa, Suzanne, and Opalka, her
[1:22:19] grandchildren, Nicholas and
[1:22:23] Pam, Noel and Christina,
[1:22:27] Emma, Maria, Michelle,
[1:22:30] Rosalie, Elisa, Lena and
[1:22:31] Janine, and her great
[1:22:37] grandchildren, Amalia and
[1:22:41] Jacob, all while maintaining an
[1:22:43] active and spirited retirement
[1:22:45] as a Miami Heat golden oldies
[1:22:47] dancer,
[1:22:57] this lady has stayed busy. She
[1:23:00] is a language enthusiast and an
[1:23:02] active participant at the
[1:23:03] Carl Schechter Southwest
[1:23:05] Focal Point Community Center.
[1:23:09] For all
[1:23:10] of that and so much more.
[1:23:12] Now, therefore, I, Angelo
[1:23:13] Castillo, mayor of the city
[1:23:15] of Pembroke Pines, and
[1:23:16] on behalf of the City
[1:23:18] Commission, do hereby recognize
[1:23:19] and celebrate Yvonne Serecigni
[1:23:21] on the occasion
[1:23:23] of her 100th birthday.
[1:23:25] For a life richly lived
[1:23:27] with resilience, joy,
[1:23:29] service and inspiration. And
[1:23:30] encourage all residents
[1:23:32] to join me in honoring her
[1:23:33] extraordinary contributions and
[1:23:35] vibrant legacy.
[1:23:45] Congratulations to you. Happy
[1:23:47] birthday to you.
[1:23:54] Isn't that wonderful?
[1:24:03] Okay, I'm going to hold on
[1:24:04] to this so that you can. You
[1:24:07] can take this microphone and
[1:24:08] you get
[1:24:09] to say whatever you want.
[1:24:10] But remember, we're
[1:24:12] on live TV.
[1:24:15] >> I want to thank everybody
[1:24:17] for all this terrific
[1:24:19] reception.
[1:24:27] >> Thank you so very much.
[1:24:28] Commissioners, why don't you
[1:24:30] gather behind us here so that
[1:24:31] you can all be in the picture
[1:24:33] in the photo.
[1:24:35] >>[PICTURE TAKING]
[1:25:42] >> All right,
[1:25:43] we'll give them a couple
[1:25:45] of minutes. Thank you so very
[1:25:49] much. Is Denise Eyerman here?
[1:25:58] Okay. All right,
[1:26:04] thank you very much. Moving
[1:26:05] along. This is a proclamation
[1:26:08] to the city of Pembroke
[1:26:09] Pines, Florida,
[1:26:11] on the occasion of
[1:26:13] Alzheimer's Awareness Month.
[1:26:14] And if you would come forward,
[1:26:16] please. Yes, I'll get to you
[1:26:23] in a second. Okay. Whereas
[1:26:29] Alzheimer's disease is a
[1:26:31] progressive, neurodegenerative
[1:26:32] brain disorder that tragically
[1:26:34] robs individuals
[1:26:35] of their memories and leads to
[1:26:37] severe mental and physical
[1:26:39] decline,
[1:26:41] impacting not only those
[1:26:42] diagnosed, but their family and
[1:26:44] caregivers. Whereas more than
[1:26:45] 7.2 million Americans live
[1:26:47] with Alzheimer's disease,
[1:26:48] including an estimated 580,000
[1:26:51] individuals in the state of
[1:26:53] Florida, with approximately
[1:26:55] 47,800 residing in Broward
[1:26:56] County. And whereas
[1:26:58] Alzheimer's disease is the
[1:27:00] seventh leading cause of death
[1:27:01] in the United States and
[1:27:03] remains the only disease
[1:27:05] among the top 10 causes of
[1:27:07] death that cannot yet be
[1:27:08] prevented, cured or slowed.
[1:27:10] And whereas the city of
[1:27:12] Pembroke Pines recognizes and
[1:27:13] supports the efforts of the
[1:27:15] Alzheimer's association,
[1:27:16] all those who raise awareness,
[1:27:18] advocate for resources and
[1:27:19] advance research,
[1:27:21] and provide care for
[1:27:23] individuals and families
[1:27:24] affected
[1:27:26] by this devastating illness.
[1:27:28] Now, therefore, I, Angelo
[1:27:30] Castillo, mayor of the city
[1:27:32] of Pembroke Pines, along
[1:27:33] with the city Commission, do
[1:27:35] hereby proclaim June 2025 is
[1:27:36] Alzheimer's Awareness Month
[1:27:37] in the City of Pembroke Pines
[1:27:39] and urge all awareness,
[1:27:40] all residents to join
[1:27:42] in raising awareness
[1:27:44] in support of these efforts
[1:27:46] to combat the disease. And
[1:27:48] Commissioner Good. I know that
[1:27:49] this is a very important thing
[1:27:51] to you and your family. If you
[1:27:52] could come forward and assist
[1:27:54] me in the presentation
[1:27:55] of this proclamation. Let's
[1:27:59] give him a minute to join us.
[1:28:09] And with us today from the is
[1:28:11] the committee co chair
[1:28:12] for the Alzheimer's Walk,
[1:28:14] Denise Eyerman. And Denise, if
[1:28:16] you would say a few words.
[1:28:19] >> Mayor, vice mayor,
[1:28:20] commissioners and fellow
[1:28:22] residents, thank you so much
[1:28:23] for the opportunity
[1:28:24] to address you. And thank you
[1:28:26] for taking the time
[1:28:28] to recognize Alzheimer's to
[1:28:30] help raise greater awareness.
[1:28:31] My name's Denise Eyerman, and
[1:28:33] I'm honored to serve as a
[1:28:35] volunteer and committee co
[1:28:37] chair for the Alzheimer's
[1:28:38] Association. Alzheimer's has
[1:28:40] touched me personally. Aside
[1:28:41] from my mom in 2019 who
[1:28:44] suffered for 10 years,
[1:28:46] I've lost four other
[1:28:48] in addition to that,
[1:28:51] and it's just been an
[1:28:52] insidious, horrific disease to
[1:28:54] watch. I'm here representing,
[1:28:57] as the mayor said, 47,800
[1:28:59] residents of Broward county
[1:29:02] living with this disease. We
[1:29:04] have the second highest number
[1:29:06] of individuals living with
[1:29:07] Alzheimer's in Florida. It's a
[1:29:09] critical. It's critical that we
[1:29:12] raise awareness
[1:29:14] for the disease. We know the
[1:29:15] disease has physical,
[1:29:17] emotional and financial impacts
[1:29:19] on the individual and family.
[1:29:21] But there is hope. We are
[1:29:23] in a new era
[1:29:25] with treatments available
[1:29:27] for those in the early stages
[1:29:29] of the disease. And just last
[1:29:31] month, rather,
[1:29:33] the FDA cleared a blood test
[1:29:35] to help detect Alzheimer's
[1:29:38] disease. So ask your doctors
[1:29:40] about it if you need. Where was
[1:29:42] I? Hold on one sec. Right.
[1:29:50] In addition, House Bill 801,
[1:29:56] which a lot of you may not know
[1:29:58] about, was enacted in 2024.
[1:30:00] This created an Alzheimer's
[1:30:04] disease and related dementia
[1:30:05] continuing education course
[1:30:07] for law enforcement. In 2023,
[1:30:10] the Florida legislature passed
[1:30:13] House Bill 1275. The
[1:30:15] legislation established the
[1:30:17] ability for counties to Create
[1:30:20] a Persons with Disabilities
[1:30:22] registry. It is voluntary
[1:30:24] for all counties. The bill went
[1:30:27] into effect on January 1,
[1:30:30] 2024. This is so important. We
[1:30:31] have one for mental illness.
[1:30:34] We need one for dementia and
[1:30:36] Alzheimer's. My mom crossed the
[1:30:38] road at Kings Point in Tamarac
[1:30:40] shortly after my dad died. I
[1:30:43] was working downtown Miami
[1:30:47] for the courts. It was
[1:30:50] within six months
[1:30:52] before I could get a caregiver
[1:30:54] for her or move her
[1:30:56] to our home. She darn near got
[1:30:58] hit and police stopped. Didn't
[1:31:00] realize she had Alzheimer's.
[1:31:02] And this is why we did this.
[1:31:04] This is why we pushed
[1:31:05] for this. Please know there's
[1:31:07] support available
[1:31:09] in our community. The
[1:31:12] Alzheimer's association
[1:31:13] provides free education and
[1:31:15] support. We also have a 24/7
[1:31:18] hotline at 800-272-3900,
[1:31:20] that's available 365 days a
[1:31:23] year, which is run
[1:31:26] by dementia experts to handle
[1:31:27] any and all questions. You can
[1:31:30] also visit us at als.org
[1:31:33] to learn
[1:31:36] about local resources. But we
[1:31:38] hope you will join our
[1:31:40] community on Saturday,
[1:31:43] December 6 walk. Because
[1:31:49] funding has been cut
[1:31:50] off or cut down
[1:31:52] at the federal level
[1:31:54] for cancer, Alzheimer's,
[1:31:56] Parkinson's. So we got
[1:31:58] to step it up. And Broward
[1:32:01] county walked into
[1:32:03] Alzheimer's is a great
[1:32:04] opportunity to meet people,
[1:32:07] build teams, raise money,
[1:32:09] raise awareness. And I have a
[1:32:11] shout out to Jay Schechter,
[1:32:12] City of Pembroke Pines,
[1:32:14] wherever he is. Okay. He
[1:32:16] formed. Hey, Jay. He formed a
[1:32:18] team. City of Pembroke Pines.
[1:32:20] And I hope he comes back.
[1:32:23] Okay, thank you very much.
[1:32:28] >> Thank you very much. Let's
[1:32:30] take a photo together.
[1:32:32] >>[PICTURE TAKING]
[1:32:41] >> All right,
[1:32:48] the next item is a proclamation
[1:32:49] from the representatives of
[1:32:51] Florida Rising. And
[1:32:54] Commissioner Rodriguez, if you
[1:32:55] would join me. If you could all
[1:33:03] come down. And as they're
[1:33:10] walking down, Commissioner, if
[1:33:19] you would read the whereas
[1:33:21] clauses.
[1:33:24] >> And before that, I just
[1:33:25] wanted
[1:33:26] to say thank you so much
[1:33:27] to the mayor and
[1:33:29] to the commission for agreeing
[1:33:30] to do this. This group came
[1:33:31] to me a couple months ago
[1:33:32] for this proclamation,
[1:33:34] which I think is really,
[1:33:35] really important for Domestic
[1:33:36] Workers Day, not only because
[1:33:38] they came to me,
[1:33:39] but personally in college,
[1:33:40] I did work as a domestic
[1:33:42] worker, not here, but in
[1:33:43] France, nannying, cleaning
[1:33:45] houses,
[1:33:46] to make sure that I was able
[1:33:47] to pay at least a part
[1:33:49] of my college tuition. And so
[1:33:50] this is really important
[1:33:53] because of not only everything
[1:33:54] in this proclamation will give
[1:33:56] you some information and
[1:33:58] statistics as well
[1:34:00] during the presentation. So
[1:34:01] Domestic Workers Day. Whereas
[1:34:02] domestic workers, including
[1:34:04] housekeepers, nannies,
[1:34:06] and caregivers for children,
[1:34:07] the elderly, and the people
[1:34:08] with disabilities,
[1:34:10] play an essential role
[1:34:11] in maintaining the stability,
[1:34:13] health and the well being
[1:34:14] of families and households
[1:34:16] in the city of Pembroke Pines
[1:34:17] and across the nation and make
[1:34:18] it possible for others
[1:34:19] in our community
[1:34:21] to participate
[1:34:22] in the workforce and contribute
[1:34:23] to our economy. And whereas
[1:34:24] despite their invaluable
[1:34:25] contributions, domestic workers
[1:34:27] have historically been excluded
[1:34:28] from many basic labor
[1:34:29] protections
[1:34:30] under federal and state laws,
[1:34:32] leaving them vulnerable
[1:34:33] to low wages, long hours and
[1:34:34] unsafe conditions and little
[1:34:36] to no job security. And whereas
[1:34:37] most domestic workers do not
[1:34:38] have access
[1:34:39] to health insurance,
[1:34:40] paid sick leave or severance
[1:34:42] pay,
[1:34:43] and face limited protections
[1:34:44] against discrimination or
[1:34:46] exploitation
[1:34:47] in the workplace,
[1:34:48] while also encountering
[1:34:50] barriers to economic security
[1:34:51] and equitable treatment. And
[1:34:52] whereas organizations and
[1:34:54] advocates across South Florida
[1:34:55] and the nation continue
[1:34:57] to uplift the voices
[1:34:58] of domestic workers, promote
[1:35:00] fair labor standards and fight
[1:35:01] for the dignity and the rights
[1:35:02] of those who care
[1:35:04] for our families and our homes.
[1:35:05] And recognizing June 16 as
[1:35:06] domestic workers Day is an
[1:35:08] opportunity for the city of
[1:35:09] Pembroke Pines to honor their
[1:35:11] contributions and stand
[1:35:12] in solidarity with efforts
[1:35:15] to ensure their rights,
[1:35:19] safety and well being.
[1:35:22] >> Now, therefore, I, Angelo
[1:35:23] Castillo, mayor of the city
[1:35:24] of Pembroke Pines, on behalf
[1:35:26] of the city commission,
[1:35:27] do hereby proclaim June 16,
[1:35:29] 2025 as Domestic Workers Day
[1:35:31] in the city of Pembroke
[1:35:32] Pines. Encourage all residents
[1:35:33] to recognize and appreciate the
[1:35:34] dignity, labor, humanity
[1:35:36] of domestic workers
[1:35:37] in our community and to support
[1:35:38] policies and practices that
[1:35:40] ensure fairness, safety and
[1:35:42] opportunity for all workers.
[1:35:43] Congratulations.
[1:36:37] >> My understanding is they
[1:36:38] have a presentation. Okay, you
[1:36:40] can make it. It's just a video.
[1:36:43] Okay, hold on. You're on.
[1:36:51] >> Hi, everybody. I used
[1:36:53] to be a school teacher,
[1:36:55] so we're gonna have a quiz
[1:36:56] after this. I'm kidding. Good
[1:36:59] evening, everyone. My name is
[1:37:00] Isabela Oses. I proudly speak
[1:37:02] serve as the Latino
[1:37:03] constituency director at
[1:37:04] Florida Rising. I am a proud
[1:37:07] resident of Pembroke Pines and
[1:37:08] I am, most importantly, the
[1:37:10] daughter,
[1:37:12] niece and granddaughter
[1:37:14] of a domestic worker. Tonight, I
[1:37:16] speak as someone whose life was
[1:37:19] shaped, nurtured and uplifted
[1:37:20] by the hardworking women
[1:37:22] in my family who gave
[1:37:24] everything to care
[1:37:26] for others. They give their
[1:37:28] time, energy, labor,
[1:37:29] love and care to families that
[1:37:31] weren't even their own, often
[1:37:32] while their own families made
[1:37:33] sacrifices in their absence.
[1:37:37] On behalf of Florida Rising
[1:37:39] Semillas, Colombia and women
[1:37:42] working together, we want
[1:37:46] to express our deepest
[1:37:47] gratitude to this commission,
[1:37:49] our mayor, our vice mayor,
[1:37:51] and especially to
[1:37:53] Commissioner Maria Rodriguez
[1:37:57] for your bold leadership and
[1:37:59] commitment to justice.
[1:38:00] From today on June 16th will
[1:38:02] now officially be recognized as
[1:38:04] Domestic Workers Days
[1:38:06] in my city, the city of
[1:38:07] Pembroke Pines. Let's take a
[1:38:09] moment to reflect
[1:38:11] on what this means. Right.
[1:38:13] This is not just a date
[1:38:15] on the calendar of our city.
[1:38:17] This is a declaration
[1:38:18] of dignity. Domestic workers
[1:38:20] are often unseen,
[1:38:22] but their impact is everywhere.
[1:38:23] Domestic workers make all other
[1:38:25] work possible. They clean,
[1:38:26] they cook, they care. Often
[1:38:28] without sick days,
[1:38:33] without job security,
[1:38:35] and far too often without
[1:38:37] recognition or fair wages. You
[1:38:40] entrust domestic workers
[1:38:42] with the most precious parts
[1:38:43] of your life. Your homes, your
[1:38:45] children, your aging parents.
[1:38:47] And yet their labor has too
[1:38:49] often been devalued, enforced,
[1:38:51] formal, and unprotected.
[1:38:53] By passing this proclamation,
[1:38:56] Pembroke Pines is leading
[1:38:58] by example. We are saying loud
[1:39:00] and clear, your work matters.
[1:39:02] We see your labor. We are
[1:39:04] with you. We still have work
[1:39:08] to do to ensure better pay,
[1:39:09] labor protections,
[1:39:12] and respect. But today, we
[1:39:13] celebrate this meaningful step
[1:39:15] forward. This
[1:39:17] proclamation is not the end,
[1:39:19] so be ready, because it is the
[1:39:21] beginning, the beginning
[1:39:22] of a more just, more human and
[1:39:24] more compassionate city.
[1:39:25] A city that chooses to
[1:39:28] recognize and uplift the people
[1:39:30] who hold up so many others. To
[1:39:32] all domestic workers listening
[1:39:35] today, this is for you. And
[1:39:36] this is because of you. So
[1:39:37] from the bottom
[1:39:39] of my heart and on behalf
[1:39:41] of the many voices I represent,
[1:39:42] thank you for standing
[1:39:43] with my abuelita.
[1:39:46] >>[SPANISH] Let's make
[1:39:50] June 16th not only a day
[1:39:52] of celebration, but a day
[1:39:54] of continued commitment to
[1:39:56] justice and visibility and
[1:39:57] care. So now you're gonna ask,
[1:39:58] where is the data? I got it. I
[1:40:00] got it for you. Okay. So in
[1:40:04] Florida. Oh, okay. We're
[1:40:08] starting from there. Let's go.
[1:40:12] We can go down if you want.
[1:40:16] Perfect. So data wise, right
[1:40:20] now, in the state of Florida,
[1:40:22] we have 106,000, 437 domestic
[1:40:24] workers,
[1:40:26] and they play a significant
[1:40:28] role in our local economy. We
[1:40:31] are the spine. We make
[1:40:35] everything run smoothly.
[1:40:37] People take care of children
[1:40:38] while everybody else goes
[1:40:40] to work. Then we can go
[1:40:42] to the next one. Miami and
[1:40:45] Broward county account
[1:40:46] for half of the state domestic
[1:40:48] workforce. So the majority of
[1:40:49] people who practice domestic
[1:40:51] work live here. We represent
[1:40:54] about 10% of Florida's total
[1:40:58] workforce, and 94%
[1:41:00] of us happen to be women.
[1:41:03] Thank you. We can go down. So
[1:41:11] what is the economic impact
[1:41:14] of domestic workers? Right.
[1:41:15] By supporting care
[1:41:17] for older adults, people
[1:41:20] with disabilities, home care,
[1:41:21] domestic work,
[1:41:22] it allows individuals
[1:41:24] like you and I
[1:41:25] to continue participating
[1:41:26] in the economy of our city. It
[1:41:28] is a rapidly growing sector
[1:41:29] with over 2 million
[1:41:31] workers nationwide. And we also
[1:41:33] have to talk about unpaid
[1:41:35] domestic work that many
[1:41:36] of us do at home. Go next. So
[1:41:38] why is the proclamation
[1:41:40] important? We have
[1:41:42] to make domestic work visible.
[1:41:45] It helps recognize the value
[1:41:47] of the work of domestic workers
[1:41:50] and it can also shift societal
[1:41:55] perceptions and improve the
[1:41:57] conditions of domestic workers
[1:42:00] in the labor force and push
[1:42:03] for a more dignified quality
[1:42:06] of life. So what happens
[1:42:12] in our city? Pembroke Pines, we
[1:42:15] know, is a diverse,
[1:42:16] dynamic and multicultural city.
[1:42:18] Recognizing the contributions
[1:42:21] of people like my grandmother
[1:42:23] is also a celebration
[1:42:24] of the human richness
[1:42:26] of our community. And we want
[1:42:28] to build bridges of empathy
[1:42:30] among sectors that, while
[1:42:32] different,
[1:42:33] always complement each other.
[1:42:36] And then we want
[1:42:39] to send a clear message
[1:42:41] of ethical leadership right
[1:42:44] in Pembroke Pines. We're a
[1:42:45] pioneering city in the state
[1:42:47] of Florida. We see the news. I
[1:42:49] love living here. It is a
[1:42:50] gesture of moral leadership
[1:42:52] that can inspire other
[1:42:54] communities and set a
[1:42:55] precedence for our
[1:42:57] responsibility not only as
[1:42:59] leadership, but as citizens and
[1:43:00] the shared humanity
[1:43:02] of our residents. And then we
[1:43:04] want to help push, promote
[1:43:06] inclusive public policies. And
[1:43:08] recognition like this, while
[1:43:09] symbolic,
[1:43:11] can serve as a foundation
[1:43:12] for initiatives
[1:43:13] in the future and passing
[1:43:15] of local public policy. So
[1:43:16] domestic workers make all other
[1:43:17] work possible.
[1:43:18] Like I said before,
[1:43:20] you entrust domestic workers
[1:43:21] with what you care
[1:43:23] about and love the most. And so
[1:43:25] to end,
[1:43:27] domestic work is not just a
[1:43:29] job, right? It is an act
[1:43:33] of care, of community,
[1:43:36] of community, building
[1:43:40] of humanity. And honoring this
[1:43:41] work is a way to honor the
[1:43:42] values that sustain our city,
[1:43:44] our families, our respect,
[1:43:45] diversity, and justice. So I
[1:43:48] want to thank everybody
[1:43:50] for giving us this recognition,
[1:43:51] for telling people like ela que
[1:43:53] tutra vajo important. And thank
[1:43:55] you all
[1:43:56] for giving me a little bit
[1:44:00] of time to talk. I appreciate
[1:44:04] you all.
[1:44:19] >> Thank you.
[1:44:21] >> Thank you very, very much.
[1:44:22] And Commissioner Good, if you'd
[1:44:24] join me one more time,
[1:44:28] having requested this item,
[1:44:30] this is a proclamation of the
[1:44:31] City of Pensacola, Florida,
[1:44:33] declaring National Women's
[1:44:35] Veterans Recognition Day. I'm
[1:44:37] going to ask my colleague,
[1:44:40] Commissioner Tom Good, who is a
[1:44:41] veteran, if he could please
[1:44:44] read the whereas clauses.
[1:44:45] >> Thank you, Mayor. Can we
[1:44:48] invite the women veterans down,
[1:44:51] join, in America?
[1:44:59] Are there other women
[1:45:03] veterans that want
[1:45:04] to come and join us? Come
[1:45:06] on over. So thank you. Thank
[1:45:08] you for your service too.
[1:45:13] So this is National Women
[1:45:14] Veterans Recognition Day.
[1:45:16] Whereas American veterans,
[1:45:17] including the courageous women
[1:45:19] of the United States Armed
[1:45:20] Forces, have served our nation
[1:45:22] with honor
[1:45:23] during both peace and wartime,
[1:45:25] safeguarding our freedoms and
[1:45:27] continuing
[1:45:28] to contribute meaningfully
[1:45:30] to our communities. And whereas
[1:45:31] women have played vital roles
[1:45:32] in every conflict throughout
[1:45:34] U.S. history, serving
[1:45:36] in combat, medical,
[1:45:38] and command roles, efforts
[1:45:40] which were formerly recognized
[1:45:41] and advanced by the passage
[1:45:44] of the Women's Armed Services
[1:45:45] Integration Act in 1948. And
[1:45:47] whereas, this landmark
[1:45:49] legislation introduced by
[1:45:50] Senator Margaret Chase Smith
[1:45:51] and signed into law by
[1:45:53] President Harry S. Truman
[1:45:55] enabled women
[1:45:58] to serve as permanent,
[1:46:00] regular members
[1:46:02] of the military,
[1:46:04] paving the way for their full
[1:46:05] integration and career
[1:46:06] advancements
[1:46:08] within the armed forces. And
[1:46:09] whereas the state of Florida is
[1:46:10] home to approximately 160,000
[1:46:11] women veterans,
[1:46:12] including many residing
[1:46:14] in the city of Pembroke
[1:46:15] Pines, whose service continues
[1:46:17] to enrich our state and local
[1:46:18] communities and whose
[1:46:19] dedication deserves recognition
[1:46:21] and appreciation.
[1:46:26] >> Now therefore, I, Angelo
[1:46:29] Castillo, Mayor of the city
[1:46:30] of Pembroke Pines, along
[1:46:31] with the city commissioners,
[1:46:33] Do hereby proclaim June 12,
[1:46:34] 2025, as National Women's
[1:46:37] Veterans Recognition Day
[1:46:40] in the City of PembaR PineS,
[1:46:41] and encourage all residents to
[1:46:43] honor and thank all women
[1:46:44] veterans for their service,
[1:46:45] sacrifice, and lasting impact
[1:46:47] on our nation. Congratulations
[1:46:49] and thank you
[1:46:50] for your service.
[1:47:14] >> You want
[1:47:16] to say a few words? Thank you.
[1:47:18] >> Well, they did tell me I get
[1:47:19] to say something,
[1:47:22] so this is going to kind of be
[1:47:24] off the cuff but that doesn't
[1:47:25] stop me. I'm the president
[1:47:26] currently of the Broward
[1:47:27] Veterans Coalition, and I when
[1:47:30] I served, I served
[1:47:31] in the women's Army Corps. So I
[1:47:33] was in a segregated portion
[1:47:34] of the Army. And then I was
[1:47:35] also part
[1:47:37] of history where I was got
[1:47:38] to be in the regular Army. I
[1:47:40] was part of that transition
[1:47:41] in 1978.
[1:47:45] But it happened a little bit
[1:47:47] before that. The guys didn't
[1:47:49] want us. They really didn't.
[1:47:51] They didn't want us there. And
[1:47:53] it was a tough road. But women
[1:47:54] have persevered and we are
[1:47:56] leading today and still moving
[1:47:59] forward for our veterans. And
[1:48:01] anybody who's a veteran,
[1:48:03] we're going to have a function
[1:48:05] over in Weston. We have an
[1:48:09] annual Resource and Benefits
[1:48:11] Fair and we get all sorts
[1:48:13] of information to you. We have
[1:48:15] regular meetings and we would
[1:48:17] love you to attend. That's
[1:48:19] browardveteranscoalition.org.
[1:48:21] >> Thank you so very much.
[1:48:28] Thank you
[1:48:32] for your service. Next up is
[1:48:38] our amazing property appraiser
[1:48:42] in Broward County, Marty
[1:48:44] Kiar, who stopped by to, he
[1:48:48] comes every year and provides
[1:48:52] us with important information
[1:48:54] and thank you Marty for all
[1:48:57] that you do and that you have
[1:48:58] done and will do for Broward
[1:49:01] County, we love you and the
[1:49:02] floor is yours, sir.
[1:49:05] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor and I
[1:49:06] love you too and I also want
[1:49:07] to thank you
[1:49:08] for the great work that you do
[1:49:09] on behalf of the people of
[1:49:10] Pembroke Pines. We've been
[1:49:11] friends for a long time and I
[1:49:12] love seeing you as the mayor
[1:49:13] and I want to thank also all
[1:49:14] of your colleagues. Everybody
[1:49:15] up here is a dear friend
[1:49:17] of mine and I have
[1:49:18] to tell you Pembroke Pines is
[1:49:19] very special to me. I've lived
[1:49:20] in Broward County my entire
[1:49:21] life but the first place I ever
[1:49:22] lived,
[1:49:23] my parents brought me back
[1:49:24] from the hospital, was in
[1:49:25] Pembroke Pines and I even went
[1:49:27] to Pasadena Lakes Elementary
[1:49:28] School for a little bit
[1:49:29] of time and to see where
[1:49:30] Pembroke Pines has come from
[1:49:31] when I first lived here as a
[1:49:32] baby in 1977 to where it is now
[1:49:34] which the second largest city
[1:49:36] and one
[1:49:38] of the biggest economic engines
[1:49:39] in Broward County is pretty
[1:49:41] incredible. And the one thing I
[1:49:42] know about Pembroke Pines, I've
[1:49:43] never met somebody that lives
[1:49:45] here that dislikes living here.
[1:49:46] And so thank you so much, Mr.
[1:49:47] Mayor, for your great work and
[1:49:49] everybody for the great work
[1:49:50] that you all do. I also want
[1:49:51] to thank your awesome staff.
[1:49:52] As you know,
[1:49:54] there is no city manager
[1:49:55] with a more depth
[1:49:57] of knowledge than Charlie
[1:49:58] Dodge. I think Charlie has done
[1:49:59] just an incredible job. And I
[1:50:01] see his name all the time
[1:50:02] because my daughter's in
[1:50:03] competitive cheer and we always
[1:50:05] are over at the Dodge Center
[1:50:06] while she competes. And you
[1:50:07] also have without a doubt one
[1:50:08] of the best legal minds I've
[1:50:09] ever met in my life. I've
[1:50:11] always found if you ever want
[1:50:12] free legal advice, just call
[1:50:13] Sam Gore. It's the best way
[1:50:14] to get it.
[1:50:16] But he is just a great guy.
[1:50:17] And with that said, Mr.
[1:50:19] Mayor, I promise I won't take
[1:50:20] up too much of your time. What
[1:50:21] I was hoping
[1:50:22] to just quickly talk
[1:50:24] about was first, just
[1:50:25] for the residents, what we do
[1:50:26] and how we can help them. I
[1:50:27] also want to talk about
[1:50:28] property values because we just
[1:50:29] released our June 1st estimates
[1:50:31] of value
[1:50:32] for this year that you're going
[1:50:33] to use
[1:50:34] to set your millage rate on
[1:50:35] to determine the amount
[1:50:36] of money that you need
[1:50:37] to operate for the people of
[1:50:39] Pembroke Pines. And once again,
[1:50:40] as you'll see, values rose.
[1:50:41] And I wanted to talk
[1:50:42] about something I always talk
[1:50:43] about that's near and dear to
[1:50:44] my heart that I'm very
[1:50:45] passionate
[1:50:46] about and it's cracking out
[1:50:47] on title fraud. But first
[1:50:48] for the residents,
[1:50:49] there are three main functions
[1:50:50] to our office. The first
[1:50:51] function is we determine the
[1:50:52] value of every piece
[1:50:53] of property in Broward County
[1:50:54] for tax purposes, whether it's
[1:50:55] residential, commercial,
[1:50:56] tangible, personal property,
[1:50:57] or essentially assessed
[1:50:58] property,
[1:50:59] which are railroads. And the
[1:51:00] reason that's important is when
[1:51:01] people pay their property
[1:51:02] taxes, the amount of taxes they
[1:51:03] pay is the relationship
[1:51:04] between the value of the
[1:51:05] property we set and the tax
[1:51:06] rate set by you all, the
[1:51:07] County Commission, the school
[1:51:08] board, and all other taxing
[1:51:09] authorities. So the most
[1:51:10] important thing we want to do
[1:51:11] is just make sure we get it
[1:51:12] right. and as you know, Broward
[1:51:13] County is a huge place. More
[1:51:14] people live here than 13
[1:51:15] states, the District of
[1:51:16] Columbia and all US territories
[1:51:17] except Puerto Rico. That's how
[1:51:18] big it is. And we appraise more
[1:51:19] parcels than exist
[1:51:20] in many states. And even though
[1:51:21] the people in our office do a
[1:51:22] very good job and their
[1:51:24] assessments are very accurate,
[1:51:25] mistakes can occur or maybe
[1:51:26] people have information about
[1:51:27] their property that we don't
[1:51:29] have that could help us bring
[1:51:30] down their market value,
[1:51:31] which could bring
[1:51:32] down their assessed value,
[1:51:33] which bring
[1:51:34] down their property taxes. So I
[1:51:35] always tell everybody go
[1:51:36] on our website at bcpa.net. Look
[1:51:37] at your property. And if you
[1:51:38] have any concerns
[1:51:39] for the value
[1:51:40] of your property, just call me
[1:51:41] by September 17th, email me,
[1:51:42] come to us or we'll even come
[1:51:43] to you. We'll go
[1:51:44] through it together. And if we
[1:51:45] can use information to bring
[1:51:46] down your assessed value,
[1:51:47] we're always going to do it.
[1:51:48] The second that we do,
[1:51:50] and this is what I love most
[1:51:51] about my job,
[1:51:52] is we give tax saving
[1:51:53] exemptions
[1:51:54] to people that qualify. And
[1:51:55] there are a lot of exemptions
[1:51:56] under Florida law that people
[1:51:57] qualify for. You have the
[1:51:58] homestead exemption, which is
[1:51:59] so very important. It
[1:52:01] basically says that if this is
[1:52:02] your primary residence,
[1:52:04] you get that exemption,
[1:52:05] which saves you about $1,000
[1:52:06] in your taxes at first. But it
[1:52:07] really protects you going
[1:52:08] forward, because every year
[1:52:09] after you have it,
[1:52:10] the value your tax on cannot go
[1:52:11] up more than a maximum of 3%.
[1:52:12] It keeps your assessed value
[1:52:13] manageable so it won't
[1:52:14] skyrocket
[1:52:15] with your market value. And
[1:52:16] once you get that,
[1:52:17] there are senior exemptions,
[1:52:18] veterans exemptions, widows
[1:52:20] exemptions,
[1:52:21] disability exemptions. There's
[1:52:22] a lot of ways to save money
[1:52:23] in your property taxes. So I
[1:52:24] always tell everybody go
[1:52:25] on our website at bcpa.net, look
[1:52:26] at exemptions. And if there's
[1:52:27] something you're not getting,
[1:52:28] just contact us by September
[1:52:29] 17th and we'll apply it
[1:52:30] to your tax bill. The other
[1:52:31] thing I wanted to quickly talk
[1:52:33] about if it's okay, Mr.
[1:52:34] Mayor, is basically where
[1:52:36] Pembroke Pines is right now
[1:52:37] when it comes
[1:52:39] to property values. As I said,
[1:52:40] just before values increased
[1:52:41] again this year. And that's
[1:52:43] because there's been a lot
[1:52:44] of new construction. And also
[1:52:45] people are paying more money,
[1:52:46] especially for single family
[1:52:48] homes than they were the year
[1:52:49] before. And so
[1:52:50] to give you an idea,
[1:52:51] the first value I want to talk
[1:52:52] about is not what you set your
[1:52:53] military on,
[1:52:54] but just an interesting value.
[1:52:56] If you took all of the
[1:52:57] commercial and residential
[1:52:58] value in Pembroke Pines and you
[1:52:59] sold it on the open market in
[1:53:01] 2024 last year,
[1:53:02] you would have got right
[1:53:04] about $32 billion. Fast forward
[1:53:05] just this year,
[1:53:06] there's been a 5.66% increase
[1:53:08] in market value to right
[1:53:09] about $34 billion. That's a
[1:53:11] pretty hefty increase,
[1:53:13] especially during a time where
[1:53:14] there's not as many sales,
[1:53:15] but people are still paying
[1:53:17] more for property. When it
[1:53:18] comes to the taxable value,
[1:53:19] that's the value that you're
[1:53:20] going to utilize, you're going
[1:53:21] to set your military on
[1:53:22] to determine the amount
[1:53:23] of money that you need
[1:53:25] to provide great services
[1:53:26] to the people of Pembroke
[1:53:27] Pines. And in 2024, the taxable
[1:53:29] value was right about $18.7
[1:53:30] billion. Fast forward
[1:53:31] to this year,
[1:53:32] there's been a 6.29% increase
[1:53:34] in taxable value to about 19.
[1:53:36] $6.911 billion. And so what
[1:53:37] that means your current
[1:53:39] operating millage rate is right
[1:53:40] about 5.690. If you keep that
[1:53:42] the same you'll get an
[1:53:44] additional $6.6 million more
[1:53:46] this year than last year
[1:53:47] in revenue
[1:53:49] to provide great services
[1:53:51] to the people of Pembroke
[1:53:53] Pines. And what's very
[1:53:54] interesting about that number
[1:53:55] is the vast majority
[1:53:57] of residents here in Pembroke
[1:53:58] Pines are homesteaded and the
[1:53:59] value they're taxed
[1:54:00] on can't go more than 3%. So
[1:54:01] the bulk of that additional
[1:54:02] revenue is being paid for by
[1:54:03] new construction and people
[1:54:05] moving into Pembroke Pines and
[1:54:06] paying top dollar
[1:54:07] for properties. There was
[1:54:08] about 92.4%
[1:54:10] of new taxable value added
[1:54:11] to the tax roll. The largest
[1:54:12] being, I think right here at
[1:54:14] 10120 City Center Boulevard, we
[1:54:16] added about $16 million and
[1:54:17] it's an assisted living
[1:54:19] facility that was put
[1:54:20] on the tax roll. And the second
[1:54:22] being an addition to Finger
[1:54:24] Lickin' Restaurant, which put
[1:54:25] about 8,900 square feet onto
[1:54:26] the tax roll for about $2.2
[1:54:29] million. There are 41,000
[1:54:31] homesteaded properties here
[1:54:32] in Pembroke Pines. You have
[1:54:33] 4,025 low-income seniors who
[1:54:35] get the value
[1:54:36] of a senior exemption. They
[1:54:37] save money. You have 354 or
[1:54:39] long-term seniors that pay no
[1:54:40] property taxes to Pembroke
[1:54:42] Pines or the County
[1:54:43] Commission. And I just want
[1:54:45] to thank you so much for that
[1:54:46] because that's an exemption
[1:54:47] that you have to adopt. And not
[1:54:49] every city has adopted it.
[1:54:50] But you all did. You had the
[1:54:51] foresight to basically say,
[1:54:53] you know what, there's a senior
[1:54:54] that's really struggling
[1:54:56] to make ends meet. They qualify
[1:54:57] and they shouldn't have
[1:54:58] to pay property taxes. It's a
[1:54:59] really great thing. I hope that
[1:55:00] every single city that hasn't
[1:55:01] adopted it follows your lead
[1:55:03] and adopts that excellent
[1:55:04] exemption because it really
[1:55:05] helps some of our most needy
[1:55:07] and vulnerable residents. you
[1:55:08] also have 1,265 American hero
[1:55:10] veterans who receive an
[1:55:13] exemption. And out of that,
[1:55:15] there's actually 587 that are
[1:55:16] totally permanently disabled
[1:55:17] veterans that pay no property
[1:55:19] taxes to Pembroke Pines or any
[1:55:21] taxing authority. You also have
[1:55:22] 10 American hero first
[1:55:24] responders who have made
[1:55:25] Pembroke Pines their home that
[1:55:27] are disabled, that pay no
[1:55:28] property taxes as well.
[1:55:30] Currently, there have been 318
[1:55:31] sales. this year in Pembroke
[1:55:32] Pines of single family homes.
[1:55:34] And the average sale price
[1:55:36] of a single family home is
[1:55:37] right about $706,313, about
[1:55:40] $10,000 more than last year.
[1:55:43] The other thing that's very
[1:55:45] interesting about that though
[1:55:47] is the average taxable value is
[1:55:49] right about $303,000, which as
[1:55:50] you can see is much lower than
[1:55:52] the sale price. That's because
[1:55:53] most
[1:55:55] of the people that live here
[1:55:56] in Pembroke Pines, they love
[1:55:58] it, they don't want to leave.
[1:55:59] They come here, they file
[1:56:00] for homestead,
[1:56:01] they get the benefit
[1:56:02] of that 3% cap,
[1:56:03] so their assessed value stays
[1:56:04] low, and so even though their
[1:56:05] market value is much,
[1:56:06] much higher because
[1:56:07] of these sales,
[1:56:08] their value that they're taxed
[1:56:09] on is capped and that's a
[1:56:10] really great thing. When it
[1:56:11] comes to condominium parcels,
[1:56:12] that's one area that we did see
[1:56:14] in Pembroke Pines where there's
[1:56:15] been a slight dip when it comes
[1:56:16] to the actual sale price. So
[1:56:17] to give you an idea,
[1:56:19] when it comes to condominiums
[1:56:20] in 2024, the average sale price
[1:56:21] for a condominium parcel was
[1:56:23] right about $237,000. Fast
[1:56:24] forward to this year,
[1:56:25] there's been a slight decrease
[1:56:26] to about $218,000 and really
[1:56:27] where I see that is in
[1:56:29] Century Village.
[1:56:30] to give you an idea,
[1:56:31] there's been about 300
[1:56:33] condominium units that have
[1:56:36] sold about 100 and Century
[1:56:38] Village, and in the Century
[1:56:39] Village condominium units,
[1:56:41] there's been
[1:56:43] about a 4% decrease in their
[1:56:44] sale price. I believe a lot
[1:56:46] of that has to do with the fact
[1:56:47] that their reserves had to be
[1:56:48] pretty significant as a result
[1:56:51] of the Surfside bill that was
[1:56:52] passed a few years ago. But
[1:56:55] what I am hoping is the
[1:56:56] legislature just passed some
[1:56:57] relief, and I'm hoping that
[1:56:58] that relief that they passed
[1:56:59] will help once again spur the
[1:57:00] condo market. in Century
[1:57:02] Village and Hollybrook and
[1:57:03] other areas that would qualify.
[1:57:04] And so I think that's very,
[1:57:05] very important. The other thing
[1:57:06] I wanted
[1:57:07] to quickly talk about, if it's
[1:57:09] okay, Mr. Mayor, is something I
[1:57:10] always talk
[1:57:11] about because it's very
[1:57:12] near and dear to my heart and
[1:57:13] because it's an epidemic,
[1:57:14] I guess you can say, and a
[1:57:16] really terrible epidemic that
[1:57:17] really hurts some of our most
[1:57:18] vulnerable people and it's
[1:57:19] title fraud. As I always say,
[1:57:20] South Florida is the title
[1:57:22] fraud capital of the world.
[1:57:24] It's the capital of the world
[1:57:25] because you have criminals and
[1:57:26] that's what they are. And what
[1:57:27] they do is they walk into the
[1:57:28] recording divisions every
[1:57:29] single day in the state of
[1:57:31] Florida. They file fake deeds
[1:57:32] on people's properties. and
[1:57:33] they take those deeds and they
[1:57:34] extort people for money or they
[1:57:35] mortgage rent or sell the
[1:57:36] property. They do it all the
[1:57:38] time. And as you know,
[1:57:39] the reason it's so easy for
[1:57:40] them is every recording
[1:57:41] division has a ministerial
[1:57:42] duty. They have to accept
[1:57:43] whatever documents filed
[1:57:44] with them. So you have these
[1:57:45] criminals, they walk in, they
[1:57:47] file a fake deed and they do
[1:57:48] something nefarious with it.
[1:57:49] So the first thing we want
[1:57:50] to do is give the people of
[1:57:51] Broward County the opportunity
[1:57:52] to fight the fraud
[1:57:53] before the fraud occurs. So
[1:57:55] in 2021, we came up
[1:57:56] with a great program called
[1:57:57] Owner Alert. As you know, it's
[1:57:58] a free notification program
[1:57:59] letting people know if somebody
[1:58:00] changed the title on their
[1:58:01] property. and here's how they
[1:58:03] can sign up. They go
[1:58:04] to our website at bcpa.net,
[1:58:05] they type in their name,
[1:58:06] they type
[1:58:07] in their email address,
[1:58:08] and they type
[1:58:09] in their parcel ID number. If
[1:58:10] we have their email address
[1:58:11] on file,
[1:58:12] that's because we had it
[1:58:13] with an exemption application,
[1:58:14] they're automatically verified.
[1:58:15] If not, they have
[1:58:16] to upload their Florida
[1:58:17] driver's license or Florida ID.
[1:58:18] If they don't have that,
[1:58:19] they have to upload a utility
[1:58:20] bill or something showing that
[1:58:21] they own the property, and then
[1:58:22] if any document legitimate or
[1:58:23] not is file changing ownership,
[1:58:24] they'll be notified
[1:58:25] instantaneously by email,
[1:58:27] by text message,
[1:58:28] they can even get a hard copy
[1:58:29] in the mail. What I'm very,
[1:58:30] very proud about is
[1:58:31] in right here in Pembroke
[1:58:33] Pines because of your
[1:58:34] assistance and your wonderful
[1:58:36] city's assistance, 50% of all
[1:58:37] of your homesteaded property
[1:58:38] owners have signed up for our
[1:58:39] owner alert program and a
[1:58:40] significant amount of your
[1:58:41] non-homesteaded properties have
[1:58:43] signed up as well. And my goal
[1:58:44] though is to get everybody
[1:58:45] to sign up in Broward County
[1:58:46] because they're to protect
[1:58:48] their most important asset,
[1:58:49] their home. And something
[1:58:51] that's very important to note
[1:58:52] for everybody that hasn't
[1:58:53] signed up,
[1:58:55] the information that we collect
[1:58:56] for your owner alert program is
[1:58:57] exempt from disclosure
[1:58:58] under the law. The legislature
[1:58:59] passed a fantastic law that all
[1:59:00] Democrats, all Republicans
[1:59:02] voted for and the governor
[1:59:03] enthusiastically signed that
[1:59:04] basically said that any
[1:59:05] information we collect, your
[1:59:06] email, your phone number, your
[1:59:08] address,
[1:59:09] even the fact that you signed
[1:59:10] up, that's exempt
[1:59:11] from public disclosure. So your
[1:59:12] alert can only come
[1:59:13] out one way and one way only.
[1:59:14] And that's to let you know if
[1:59:15] there has been a title change
[1:59:16] to your property. So I hope if
[1:59:17] anybody hasn't signed up,
[1:59:19] please sign up. It's there to
[1:59:20] protect your most important
[1:59:21] asset, your home. And when I
[1:59:22] started this program in 2021, I
[1:59:23] started getting lots of calls
[1:59:25] from residents and they would
[1:59:26] say Marty, I just got an alert
[1:59:27] from your office that somebody
[1:59:28] changed the title
[1:59:30] on my property,
[1:59:31] but I didn't do it. And then I
[1:59:32] got more and more and more and
[1:59:33] I realized how big
[1:59:34] of a deal it was. So I came up
[1:59:35] with a different idea. I wanted
[1:59:37] to work with law enforcement,
[1:59:38] build criminal cases and put
[1:59:39] the people
[1:59:40] in jail who are doing this. So
[1:59:41] I got the approval
[1:59:42] from the state of Florida
[1:59:43] to be able to do it. I decided
[1:59:44] to name my crimes against
[1:59:46] property team. I got the county
[1:59:47] commission to be great funders
[1:59:48] of it and big supporters of it
[1:59:49] to give me the money that I
[1:59:51] needed to have it. Sheriff
[1:59:52] Tony, who's a very good friend
[1:59:53] of mine, partnered with us as
[1:59:54] well and has provided us three
[1:59:56] sheriff's detectives to work
[1:59:57] with our office so we can do
[1:59:58] the job of law enforcement.
[1:59:59] And Harold Pryor has been a
[2:00:01] really fantastic partner. He
[2:00:02] assigned an assistant state
[2:00:03] attorney to prosecute the
[2:00:04] people that we bring to him.
[2:00:05] And over the past few years,
[2:00:07] we've had more than 500
[2:00:08] criminal investigations. We've
[2:00:09] had numerous arrests, numerous
[2:00:11] convictions,
[2:00:12] and we've been able to work
[2:00:13] with the court system
[2:00:14] to get property back to people
[2:00:16] in a much more expeditious and
[2:00:18] cost-efficient manner. And we
[2:00:19] work with every city police
[2:00:20] force as well. And Pembroke
[2:00:22] Pines, because it's such a big
[2:00:23] city, we've we've had a number
[2:00:24] of different criminal
[2:00:25] investigations and arrests and
[2:00:26] convictions as a result
[2:00:27] of property stolen in
[2:00:28] Pembroke Pines.
[2:00:29] But your police chief, your
[2:00:31] officers, Pembroke Pines,
[2:00:33] they've been fantastic partners
[2:00:35] with our office as we've been
[2:00:37] cracking down on the people
[2:00:38] that have been doing this. And
[2:00:40] people ask me all the time.
[2:00:42] They ask me kind
[2:00:43] of four things. They say,
[2:00:45] Marty, who are the people that
[2:00:46] do this? What kind of
[2:00:47] technology do they use? who do
[2:00:49] they target and what kind of
[2:00:51] prison sentences are the people
[2:00:53] getting that are convicted?
[2:00:54] Well, I have a few stories,
[2:00:55] one story on each
[2:00:57] of those that kind
[2:00:58] of illustrates each one
[2:00:59] of those questions but also
[2:01:01] shows how prevalent this is and
[2:01:02] the extent that criminals will
[2:01:03] go to to try to defraud people
[2:01:05] of their property. With regard
[2:01:06] to the first question,
[2:01:07] who does it? We found it's just
[2:01:08] about everybody. We found all
[2:01:09] races, religions, national
[2:01:10] origins, people
[2:01:11] of all different income levels,
[2:01:12] educational backgrounds,
[2:01:14] everybody does it. and
[2:01:15] to give you an idea, just
[2:01:17] over this last summer, we even
[2:01:18] arrested a lawyer who was
[2:01:19] allegedly helping people steal
[2:01:20] properties in Cooper City. So
[2:01:22] lots of people do it. The one
[2:01:23] common denominator is they are
[2:01:24] very, very,
[2:01:25] very smart people and they try
[2:01:27] to pick on the people they
[2:01:28] think they can best get away
[2:01:29] with it. So that's one,
[2:01:31] the way I always answer that.
[2:01:32] The second that people ask me
[2:01:34] is, what kind
[2:01:35] of technology do they use?
[2:01:36] Well, generally their
[2:01:37] technology is very primitive.
[2:01:39] Somebody walks
[2:01:40] in the recording division, they
[2:01:41] follow fake deeds. they get a
[2:01:42] courier to file a fake deed.
[2:01:43] We even had a person
[2:01:44] on death row in Georgia who had
[2:01:45] a courier file a fake deed
[2:01:46] on homes in Broward County. We
[2:01:47] didn't prosecute him because he
[2:01:48] had other problems going on
[2:01:49] over there,
[2:01:50] but it shows how easy it is.
[2:01:51] But their technology is
[2:01:53] actually getting much more
[2:01:54] sophisticated. We have an
[2:01:56] ongoing criminal investigation
[2:01:57] right now that really shows how
[2:01:58] evolving this crime is. There
[2:01:59] was a title company that got a
[2:02:00] phone call from a lady,
[2:02:01] and she said, you know what? I
[2:02:04] own this property in
[2:02:05] Hallandale Beach. It's a vacant
[2:02:07] lot. and I've had it my entire
[2:02:09] life. But you know what? My
[2:02:10] kids, they live in Michigan.
[2:02:11] They have grandkids there as
[2:02:13] well. And it's time for me
[2:02:15] to move up there and be with
[2:02:17] them and enjoy my golden years.
[2:02:18] But for me to be able
[2:02:20] to move there, I really need
[2:02:21] to sell my nest egg,
[2:02:22] this parcel in Hollandale
[2:02:24] Beach. And the title company
[2:02:25] said,
[2:02:26] of course we'll handle it
[2:02:27] for you and we'll get it sold
[2:02:29] for you,
[2:02:30] but show us you own it. So she
[2:02:31] sent over a wonderful looking
[2:02:32] passport,
[2:02:33] a wonderful looking photo ID of
[2:02:35] her driver's license. other
[2:02:36] information showing that she
[2:02:38] owned the property, but they
[2:02:39] were very smart and they said,
[2:02:41] we have to meet you
[2:02:42] in person. And she said, well,
[2:02:43] I can't meet you in person,
[2:02:44] but I can do it over Zoom. And
[2:02:45] they said, great. So the Zoom
[2:02:46] meeting opens up and there was
[2:02:47] a sweet senior sitting at a
[2:02:49] dining room table drinking
[2:02:50] coffee or tea,
[2:02:51] one or the other. And she's
[2:02:52] sitting there talking about how
[2:02:54] much she loves her grandkids,
[2:02:55] how she can't wait to move to
[2:02:56] Michigan, how she's so excited
[2:02:57] to retire. But it just so
[2:02:58] happened that as she was
[2:03:00] talking, every 30 seconds,
[2:03:02] there was a little bit
[2:03:03] of a glitch where she would go
[2:03:04] like this. But it was the same
[2:03:05] thing that made the title
[2:03:06] company very concerned that
[2:03:08] something weird was happening
[2:03:09] here. So they contacted our
[2:03:11] office, we launched an
[2:03:13] investigation, and it turned
[2:03:14] out that sweet lady sitting at
[2:03:15] a dining room table drinking
[2:03:17] coffee or tea was artificial
[2:03:18] intelligence. So they are
[2:03:19] getting very,
[2:03:21] very sophisticated. The other
[2:03:23] thing people ask me is who do
[2:03:24] they target? Well, we found
[2:03:25] they target everybody. We've
[2:03:26] had people with mega million
[2:03:27] dollar homes being targeted,
[2:03:28] and we've had people that are
[2:03:29] very low income people be
[2:03:31] targeted. we've had people
[2:03:32] with disabilities,
[2:03:33] with seniors,
[2:03:35] we've had all kinds
[2:03:36] of different people targeted.
[2:03:37] But the majority of people
[2:03:38] targeted are really our most
[2:03:39] vulnerable. They're seniors,
[2:03:41] low-income people,
[2:03:42] they are people
[2:03:43] with disabilities. They
[2:03:44] actually love the target people
[2:03:45] that don't speak English as
[2:03:46] their first language because
[2:03:47] they always try to target the
[2:03:48] people they think they can best
[2:03:49] get away with it. And there's
[2:03:51] one case that I have that's
[2:03:52] really my guiding light,
[2:03:54] why I'm so passionate
[2:03:55] about this, because the most
[2:03:56] disabled person you can imagine
[2:03:57] was the one targeted and it
[2:03:59] really illustrates what these
[2:04:00] people will do to try
[2:04:01] to hurt somebody. Let me tell
[2:04:03] you
[2:04:04] about the two people involved.
[2:04:05] The victim was about as
[2:04:07] disabled and as vulnerable as
[2:04:09] they come. He was a senior who
[2:04:10] had the mentality of a
[2:04:11] six-year-old that he had his
[2:04:13] entire life. The defendant that
[2:04:15] we arrested and she'll have her
[2:04:16] day in court,
[2:04:18] she hasn't yet been convicted,
[2:04:19] but I believe she will be,
[2:04:20] was a Miami-Dade law
[2:04:21] enforcement officer. And that's
[2:04:22] what makes me so upset
[2:04:23] about this issue, is you have a
[2:04:25] person that is so vulnerable
[2:04:26] that deserves
[2:04:27] to be protected,
[2:04:29] and the person that's supposed
[2:04:30] to be protecting him is the one
[2:04:31] that's actually defrauding him.
[2:04:32] And here's what allegedly
[2:04:34] occurred. The disabled
[2:04:35] gentleman lived
[2:04:36] with his parents. They were his
[2:04:38] caregivers in Miramar, just
[2:04:39] basically your neighboring
[2:04:40] city. And he lived
[2:04:43] with them his entire life.
[2:04:46] They passed on. And when they
[2:04:48] passed on,
[2:04:49] they left their home
[2:04:51] to their daughter, his sister,
[2:04:53] who then became his caregiver.
[2:04:55] She then passed on. And when
[2:04:57] she passed on, that's when his
[2:04:58] neighbor two doors down
[2:04:59] allegedly did what she did.
[2:05:00] The first thing she allegedly
[2:05:01] did was make a fake power of
[2:05:02] attorney so that she could make
[2:05:03] all the decisions
[2:05:04] for him financially. She used
[2:05:05] that fake power of attorney to
[2:05:06] allegedly open up a fake bank
[2:05:07] account that was getting all
[2:05:08] kinds of money
[2:05:09] from his social security into
[2:05:10] that bank account that she was
[2:05:11] using for herself. She then
[2:05:12] decided to allegedly open up a
[2:05:13] probate estate in Broward
[2:05:14] County Circuit Court to try
[2:05:15] to get everything
[2:05:17] from the sister
[2:05:18] into his name. She used that
[2:05:19] power of attorney to do it. It
[2:05:20] went
[2:05:21] through the court system. The
[2:05:22] judge signed the order and
[2:05:23] everything went
[2:05:24] into his name,
[2:05:25] including the house. She then,
[2:05:26] the first thing she did was
[2:05:28] sign over his home to her. She
[2:05:29] then started renting
[2:05:30] out the home. She started
[2:05:32] to try to take a mortgage out
[2:05:33] of the home. She was trying
[2:05:34] to get lots
[2:05:36] of other money that was coming
[2:05:37] in through his Social Security
[2:05:38] and all the other assets. She
[2:05:40] got away with that
[2:05:41] for some time. And so then she
[2:05:43] decided to do something else.
[2:05:44] She opened up a life insurance
[2:05:45] policy in his name, making
[2:05:46] herself the beneficiary. he
[2:05:47] then passed away and she
[2:05:49] received that money. It just so
[2:05:50] happened though that while this
[2:05:52] occurred was occurring, Miami
[2:05:53] Dade had an internal affairs
[2:05:54] investigation into some of her
[2:05:56] other actions and they couldn't
[2:05:57] understand how she all of a
[2:05:58] sudden had all these assets,
[2:06:00] a new house, all kinds of money
[2:06:01] she didn't have before. And so
[2:06:02] they actually sent it down
[2:06:03] to us. We investigated it. She
[2:06:04] was arrested. She'll have her
[2:06:06] day in court. I believe the
[2:06:07] evidence is overwhelming,
[2:06:09] but she will definitely, but
[2:06:10] of course you're innocent
[2:06:11] until proven guilty, but I
[2:06:13] think she will be proven
[2:06:14] guilty. when it does go
[2:06:15] to trial. The last thing that
[2:06:16] people ask me is what kind of
[2:06:17] prison sentences are people
[2:06:18] getting? Well, they're getting
[2:06:19] pretty large. Let me give you
[2:06:21] two fast examples. One case
[2:06:22] that I talk about a lot,
[2:06:23] we had a prison,
[2:06:24] actually a person went
[2:06:25] to jail recently,
[2:06:27] was a case I've spoken
[2:06:29] about before. There were a
[2:06:31] number of people that decided
[2:06:32] to use the court system
[2:06:34] to steal people's properties.
[2:06:35] The ringleader would file quiet
[2:06:36] title actions
[2:06:37] in circuit court,
[2:06:39] basically lawsuits in circuit
[2:06:40] court saying this senior, this
[2:06:41] bank, or this person no longer
[2:06:43] wanted the property. the return
[2:06:45] of service would go
[2:06:47] to the guy's buddy who was
[2:06:48] in a mobile home in
[2:06:49] Hillsborough County. And he
[2:06:51] would say, oh, yeah,
[2:06:52] I remember that senior
[2:06:53] at that bank, that person.
[2:06:54] Yeah, they don't want the
[2:06:56] property anymore. Put in this
[2:06:57] guy's name or his company's
[2:06:58] name. They sold dozens
[2:06:59] of properties throughout
[2:07:00] Barrera County. Fortunately,
[2:07:01] the ringleader was found guilty
[2:07:02] recently. He was sentenced
[2:07:03] to eight years
[2:07:04] in state prison, followed by
[2:07:05] 10 years probation. If he
[2:07:06] violates his probation,
[2:07:07] he goes to jail for life. And a
[2:07:08] minor co-conspirator I thought
[2:07:09] this was kind of interesting
[2:07:10] was found guilty. She was only
[2:07:11] given 10 years probation. but
[2:07:12] she was also ordered deported
[2:07:13] to her home country of
[2:07:14] Moldova, which is a very cold
[2:07:15] Eastern European country and
[2:07:16] she can never return to the
[2:07:17] United States. Another very
[2:07:18] recent conviction that we had
[2:07:19] involved the jury trial. And
[2:07:20] there was a man who was
[2:07:21] convicted
[2:07:22] of stealing seniors' homes in
[2:07:23] Tamarac. And he was convicted
[2:07:25] very recently by a jury
[2:07:26] of his peers. And as soon as
[2:07:27] the jury found him guilty,
[2:07:28] he walked up to the judge,
[2:07:29] to the bench, and he goes, you,
[2:07:30] Honor, I was just found guilty.
[2:07:32] When do I come back
[2:07:33] for my sentencing hearing? and
[2:07:34] Judge Odom says, well,
[2:07:35] it's actually right now. And he
[2:07:36] gave him 15 years
[2:07:37] in state prison with a 10-year
[2:07:38] minimum mandatory. So I wanted
[2:07:39] to bring those up because the
[2:07:41] prison sentences are getting
[2:07:42] very, very long and they should
[2:07:43] be because the people that do
[2:07:44] this, they target vulnerable
[2:07:46] people and they steal our most
[2:07:47] important assets. And I love
[2:07:48] talking about this everywhere
[2:07:49] because I want everybody
[2:07:50] out there
[2:07:51] to know if there's anybody,
[2:07:53] anybody that hears me talk and
[2:07:54] is watching this,
[2:07:55] that's thinking
[2:07:56] about doing this, if you do it,
[2:07:57] you may get away with it,
[2:07:59] but if we get you,
[2:08:00] you're gonna go to jail
[2:08:01] for a long time.
[2:08:02] With that said, I can go
[2:08:03] on and on and on with Mr.
[2:08:05] Mayor. I just appreciate y'all
[2:08:06] having me. And I have
[2:08:07] to tell you, before I go, I
[2:08:08] also loved your proclamations.
[2:08:09] They were so heartfelt,
[2:08:11] so warming. It started,
[2:08:12] of course, with the young girl
[2:08:14] that did a great job singing
[2:08:16] the national anthem and
[2:08:18] to see the young lady that's
[2:08:21] 100, that was so touching. And
[2:08:23] I just love the fact that I got
[2:08:25] to witness that. So thank you
[2:08:27] all for doing that.
[2:08:28] >> Well, thank you so very
[2:08:29] much.
[2:08:31] >> I appreciate it. Thank you.
[2:08:33] >> You're a beloved person
[2:08:34] in our County, and you've
[2:08:36] served us for a very,
[2:08:37] very long time,
[2:08:38] and we look forward
[2:08:39] to your every success story.
[2:08:41] So thank you so very much
[2:08:42] for being with us.
[2:08:43] Commissioners, anything for the
[2:08:44] property appraiser?
[2:08:46] >> I just want
[2:08:47] to say a thing, one thing, you
[2:08:49] know, your owner alert program
[2:08:50] and the way that you instituted
[2:08:52] the program has been received
[2:08:54] incredibly well. Almost
[2:08:58] everybody that I talked to,
[2:09:00] when they know about the
[2:09:03] program and they sign up
[2:09:05] to the program,
[2:09:06] they almost turn
[2:09:09] around and say, you know,
[2:09:10] I have a peace
[2:09:12] of mind because they know
[2:09:14] Marty Kiars
[2:09:15] on watch and he's looking
[2:09:17] for anybody who's going
[2:09:19] to be messing
[2:09:21] with their home. And that's
[2:09:23] very, very important, though.
[2:09:27] But for these people to
[2:09:29] actually say that that program
[2:09:31] actually gives them a peace of
[2:09:32] mind is a very good success
[2:09:34] story for the programming that
[2:09:35] you've done. So thank you again
[2:09:37] for doing that.
[2:09:39] >> Thank you, Tom. And thank
[2:09:41] you
[2:09:43] for the great work you do.
[2:09:44] And, you know,
[2:09:46] I'm exceptionally proud
[2:09:48] of our owner alert program.
[2:09:49] And but the reason it's been so
[2:09:50] successful is because we've had
[2:09:51] just fantastic partners in
[2:09:53] Pembroke Pines and the other
[2:09:55] 30 cities because, you know,
[2:09:56] as you know, when you serve
[2:09:58] in public office,
[2:09:59] there's a lot you can do, but
[2:10:01] sometimes the difficulty is
[2:10:02] reaching everybody.
[2:10:04] But there is no people
[2:10:05] with more of a reach to their
[2:10:06] constituency than the local
[2:10:08] elected officials. and the
[2:10:09] reason we have 50% of all of
[2:10:10] the home-stated property owners
[2:10:12] here in Pembroke Pines that
[2:10:13] have signed up is because you
[2:10:14] all have been just such great
[2:10:15] partners
[2:10:16] in helping us publicize it.
[2:10:17] The city has as well. I mean,
[2:10:19] you all allow us to come to a
[2:10:20] few places every single month
[2:10:21] where we're here no matter
[2:10:22] what,
[2:10:24] where people are signing up.
[2:10:26] You've just been great partners
[2:10:27] and that's really the only
[2:10:29] reason it's been as successful
[2:10:30] as it is. So thank you
[2:10:31] for that.
[2:10:32] >> Thank you very much.
[2:10:33] >> Thank you again.
[2:10:34] >> One comment if I could. I
[2:10:35] wanted to thank you Marty.
[2:10:36] for coming out to Sentry
[2:10:37] Village and call him out
[2:10:39] by name, Michael Albeta,
[2:10:40] for what he has done
[2:10:41] with several of my residents
[2:10:42] that did not realize that they
[2:10:43] qualified
[2:10:44] for certain exemptions,
[2:10:45] especially some residents who
[2:10:46] were chronically ill. So I did
[2:10:47] want to thank you for that.
[2:10:48] By the way, the Sentry
[2:10:49] Village Temple wants you
[2:10:51] to speak to them on a Sunday,
[2:10:52] so I need to call you. She's
[2:10:53] putting that
[2:10:54] on your radar.
[2:10:55] >> Thank you. I would be
[2:10:56] honored. And Mike, I also want
[2:10:57] to thank you as well because as
[2:10:58] you know, we have a pretty
[2:10:59] aggressive outreach department.
[2:11:00] It's our mobile exemption
[2:11:01] education. Michael Albet is a
[2:11:02] part of it. And this year
[2:11:03] they'll go to about 1500 events
[2:11:04] because we like to kind of go
[2:11:05] where the people go and where
[2:11:06] you all allow us to go
[2:11:07] to a number
[2:11:09] of different city halls,
[2:11:10] which is very helpful. We also
[2:11:11] been getting into Publixes and
[2:11:12] we of course are in a Publix
[2:11:13] in Pembroke Pines because you
[2:11:14] got us in there. And so thank
[2:11:16] you very, very much.
[2:11:17] >> I cannot tell you the amount
[2:11:19] of people we've been able
[2:11:20] to help there.
[2:11:21] >> We working on Walmart?
[2:11:22] >> Yes, Walmart as
[2:11:23] well. So actually right now
[2:11:25] we're in Publix's, Walmart's,
[2:11:26] Lowe's, and a few others. And I
[2:11:28] just find that to be really
[2:11:29] fantastic because you know,
[2:11:31] it's almost like we're kind of
[2:11:32] like the Girl Scouts. We're
[2:11:34] there, our table set up,
[2:11:35] and people sit down with us and
[2:11:36] we sign them up and it's just
[2:11:37] awesome. So thank you, Mike. I
[2:11:39] really appreciate it. And thank
[2:11:40] you for what you do as well.
[2:11:41] Hey Jay.
[2:11:42] >> How are you sir?
[2:11:44] >> I'm doing good. It's good
[2:11:47] to see you.
[2:11:49] >> It's good to see you too.
[2:11:51] >> Two things. We haven't seen
[2:11:52] each other but I had a
[2:11:55] constituent who became widowed
[2:11:57] and his wife handled all the
[2:12:00] affairs. So the next year the
[2:12:01] property, the envelope comes,
[2:12:04] doesn't know what to do
[2:12:08] with it, inadvertently lost the
[2:12:11] exemption. I contacted your
[2:12:14] office within two weeks. Not
[2:12:16] only was the exemption put back
[2:12:18] in place, but I think it was
[2:12:20] in excess of $8,000 in property
[2:12:22] tax that he had paid was
[2:12:24] returned. He was in shock. So
[2:12:28] thank you
[2:12:31] for that. I just want
[2:12:36] to thank your staff.
[2:12:39] >> Thank you, Jay. And if I
[2:12:40] could just add, I want to thank
[2:12:41] you as well because it's kind
[2:12:42] of like I said just before,
[2:12:44] there's so much we can do
[2:12:45] to help people, but the
[2:12:46] difficulty is reaching
[2:12:47] everybody and we would never
[2:12:48] have been able
[2:12:50] to help that person going
[2:12:51] through the time that she was
[2:12:52] going through if you didn't
[2:12:53] take the time
[2:12:54] to send her our way. So thank
[2:12:55] you for that.
[2:12:56] >> Well, secondly, we always
[2:12:58] encourage our residents to go
[2:13:00] out and vote,
[2:13:01] protect your vote. Perhaps you
[2:13:04] and the supervisor
[2:13:06] of elections could tag team,
[2:13:08] protect your vote,
[2:13:10] protect your property. And this
[2:13:12] way, when they're doing a
[2:13:15] registration drive, right
[2:13:16] near the Broward County, you
[2:13:18] can,
[2:13:20] you can combine the protect the
[2:13:22] house, welcome
[2:13:23] to the neighborhood type
[2:13:25] of thing. Just a suggestion.
[2:13:26] >> It's a great idea. And
[2:13:27] actually
[2:13:28] for a couple reasons. One, when
[2:13:29] people register to vote,
[2:13:30] they can also, like you said,
[2:13:31] they you know,
[2:13:33] protect their house.
[2:13:34] But let's say, for example,
[2:13:35] they don't have a homestead
[2:13:37] exemption. One thing we like
[2:13:38] to look at is,
[2:13:40] are they a voter? Because it
[2:13:41] shows that it's their primary
[2:13:42] residence where their driver's
[2:13:44] license is, too. And so,
[2:13:46] you're right, if we go out
[2:13:47] with Joe Scott's office and
[2:13:48] somebody registers to vote,
[2:13:50] maybe they just bought a home.
[2:13:52] We can actually sign them up
[2:13:53] for a homestead exemption
[2:13:54] at the same time.
[2:13:55] >> So they get
[2:13:56] to vote and they get
[2:13:57] to save money. It's a great
[2:13:58] idea. Thank you, Jay. Thank
[2:13:59] you. I appreciate it.
[2:14:01] >> Thank you so much
[2:14:02] for all the information. And
[2:14:04] thank you for presenting also
[2:14:05] at the League cities event
[2:14:07] recently. There you talked a
[2:14:08] little bit about what's going
[2:14:10] on at the state legislation. I
[2:14:11] was wondering if you could
[2:14:12] present a small bit because I
[2:14:14] know the legislation is
[2:14:15] endlessly changing and we don't
[2:14:16] even, you know,
[2:14:17] we haven't even honed in
[2:14:19] on a budget yet.
[2:14:20] But if you have any kind
[2:14:21] of insight as to how it may
[2:14:23] affect cities like Pembroke
[2:14:24] Pines with the legislation
[2:14:25] they've put forth affecting
[2:14:26] property taxes,
[2:14:27] of course.
[2:14:28] >> No, of course, that's a
[2:14:30] great question and thank you
[2:14:31] for your service, Maria. I was
[2:14:32] very proud when you got
[2:14:33] elected. Just
[2:14:34] like everybody here,
[2:14:35] you worked so hard, walked to
[2:14:36] so many doors and really earned
[2:14:37] it. I think it's really just
[2:14:38] wonderful and I love the fact
[2:14:40] that you brought, you know,
[2:14:41] the really nice people here
[2:14:42] that from, I think, rising,
[2:14:43] Florida rising. I think it's
[2:14:45] amazing that 50%
[2:14:46] of all home workers live here
[2:14:47] in Broward and Miami-Dade.
[2:14:48] That's an incredible number.
[2:14:49] That really is.
[2:14:51] But you're right, you know,
[2:14:52] as you know, there is a lot
[2:14:53] of conversation in Tallahassee
[2:14:54] with regards
[2:14:55] to property tax relief. And
[2:14:57] just a little history, it kind
[2:14:58] of started, you know, a number
[2:14:59] of months ago when there was a
[2:15:01] tweet and Governor DeSantis
[2:15:03] retweeted something that said
[2:15:04] eliminate property taxes. And
[2:15:06] it kind
[2:15:08] of started a big conversation
[2:15:09] in Tallahassee as
[2:15:10] to what they should do
[2:15:12] with regard
[2:15:13] to property taxes. And it was
[2:15:14] interesting watching the
[2:15:16] session this time. The governor
[2:15:17] had advocated
[2:15:18] for the elimination
[2:15:19] of property taxes. The House
[2:15:21] Speaker advocated
[2:15:22] for the reduction
[2:15:23] of the sales tax from 6
[2:15:25] to 5.25%. And the Senate
[2:15:26] President
[2:15:28] at the time advocated
[2:15:29] for a study on the elimination
[2:15:31] of homesteaded property taxes
[2:15:33] and what that would do. So it
[2:15:35] doesn't look
[2:15:36] like anything is going
[2:15:38] to pass this year, of course,
[2:15:39] because it's
[2:15:42] over the budget is about
[2:15:43] to be finalized. But the
[2:15:44] House Speaker did put together
[2:15:46] a select committee with regard
[2:15:47] to studying somebody to put
[2:15:48] on the ballot. And it looks
[2:15:50] like what they all seem
[2:15:51] to be focused
[2:15:53] on is homesteaded property
[2:15:54] taxes at this time. I haven't
[2:15:55] seen anything new with regard
[2:15:57] to commercial property taxes or
[2:15:58] commercial assessed values.
[2:16:00] And so there are a number of
[2:16:01] different proposals that were
[2:16:03] put out there. One, the speaker
[2:16:05] looked at a $500,000 homestead
[2:16:07] exemption. We did run the
[2:16:08] numbers on that. And what was
[2:16:10] interesting
[2:16:11] about that is if that were
[2:16:12] to pass, Yes, people would save
[2:16:14] a lot of money
[2:16:16] in their taxes,
[2:16:17] but conversely,
[2:16:18] a significant amount of the
[2:16:20] revenue that you all collect
[2:16:21] would go away. For example,
[2:16:23] the county commission would
[2:16:24] lose about 30% of its revenue
[2:16:25] and the cities would lose a
[2:16:27] greater portion. I think if I
[2:16:28] remember Cooper City was
[2:16:29] about 60% of its revenue,
[2:16:31] which is a big number. So I do
[2:16:32] believe that something will be
[2:16:34] put on the ballot in November
[2:16:35] of 2026. It just depends
[2:16:37] on how big it's going
[2:16:38] to be and what they're going
[2:16:40] to target. And, you know, I
[2:16:42] think one thing that would make
[2:16:44] it very hard, you can't really
[2:16:46] eliminate property taxes
[2:16:48] without replacing it
[2:16:50] with something else. There's
[2:16:53] about $55 billion of property
[2:16:54] taxes are collected statewide
[2:16:56] throughout the state of
[2:16:58] Florida. And those $55 billion
[2:16:59] fund your most important
[2:17:00] services, your police, your
[2:17:02] fire, it funds all, all your
[2:17:03] entire general fund is funded
[2:17:04] through,
[2:17:06] advocating property taxes. And
[2:17:07] so if you were
[2:17:09] to eliminate everything,
[2:17:10] you would have
[2:17:11] to increase the sales tax
[2:17:13] to possibly 12%, 13%,
[2:17:14] or they would have
[2:17:15] to put an income tax
[2:17:17] on the ballot. I don't think
[2:17:18] any of that is on the table.
[2:17:20] So I do believe that they may
[2:17:21] put something on the ballot
[2:17:22] that's more targeted towards
[2:17:24] targeted relief so that people
[2:17:26] can continue to be able
[2:17:27] to function as a government,
[2:17:29] but maybe provide people some
[2:17:30] opportunities. And I'll just
[2:17:31] give you one example
[2:17:33] of one proposal that Marie
[2:17:34] Woodson Marie Woodson is one of
[2:17:36] my most favorite state
[2:17:38] representatives on the face of
[2:17:39] the earth. I think she has a
[2:17:41] portion of Pembroke Pines.
[2:17:42] >> Yes.
[2:17:44] >> And she's on the select
[2:17:45] committee, it's a 37 member
[2:17:47] committee that's actually
[2:17:48] looking
[2:17:50] at property tax relief. And a
[2:17:51] proposal that she's proposing
[2:17:52] that she's bringing to them is
[2:17:54] to give targeted relief where
[2:17:56] it's needed. And it's really
[2:17:58] needed
[2:17:59] with first time home buyers.
[2:18:01] They're the ones that really
[2:18:02] see the big increases in
[2:18:04] property tax because if you've
[2:18:05] been in your property
[2:18:07] for a long time,
[2:18:08] you're protected by the Save
[2:18:09] Our Homes assessment cap,
[2:18:11] so your taxable value is much,
[2:18:12] much lower than your market
[2:18:14] value. But somebody that's
[2:18:15] never owned a home before,
[2:18:17] they buy a property, they pay
[2:18:18] at the top values. They have
[2:18:20] very large increases
[2:18:21] in their taxes. So one thing
[2:18:23] that she's proposing,
[2:18:24] for example, is a super-sized
[2:18:25] homestead exemption for a
[2:18:26] first-time homeowner that
[2:18:28] basically says that the first
[2:18:29] year you would get a 30%
[2:18:30] reduction
[2:18:31] of your market value up to
[2:18:32] $250,000. that would start you
[2:18:34] at a pretty big chunk that you
[2:18:35] would have some relief. And
[2:18:37] what's neat about her proposal
[2:18:38] is it's not revenue neutral,
[2:18:39] but the cities and the counties
[2:18:41] wouldn't lose any money. And
[2:18:42] the reason being is because the
[2:18:43] person that buys the property
[2:18:44] is probably buying
[2:18:46] from a person like me or
[2:18:48] yourself that had been
[2:18:49] in their homes
[2:18:50] for a long time. And, you know,
[2:18:52] and because they're getting
[2:18:53] that exemption, they're, you
[2:18:55] know, I guess they're not,
[2:18:56] they won't be paying,
[2:18:58] less than what we paid
[2:18:59] for ours,
[2:19:01] if that makes sense. So the
[2:19:03] cities won't be getting
[2:19:04] additional revenue, they just
[2:19:06] won't lose any revenue. I think
[2:19:07] something
[2:19:09] like that is very targeted. It
[2:19:10] could actually help the people
[2:19:12] that really need it and also do
[2:19:13] it in a way that doesn't
[2:19:14] handicap local governments
[2:19:15] being able to operate
[2:19:17] in a way that they need to
[2:19:18] for the people. And so I think
[2:19:19] there may be some things
[2:19:21] on the ballot in '26. I'm just
[2:19:22] hoping that whatever they put
[2:19:24] on there is targeted,
[2:19:25] that helps the people that
[2:19:26] needs to help, and also gives
[2:19:27] our cities and our counties and
[2:19:29] our schools the ability
[2:19:30] to continue operating
[2:19:32] in the way that they need to,
[2:19:33] to make this the best place,
[2:19:34] the best state to live
[2:19:35] in the country.
[2:19:36] >> Mr. Property Appraiser
[2:19:37] again, thank you so very much
[2:19:38] for your very comprehensive
[2:19:39] presentation and we always look
[2:19:41] forward to seeing you and thank
[2:19:42] you again.
[2:19:43] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank
[2:19:44] you so much.
[2:19:50] >> Okay, now we have the
[2:19:51] District 1 and 4, Natalie
[2:19:53] Belmonte, Great Yards Award.
[2:19:54] Commissioners, if you'll join
[2:19:55] me.
[2:20:09] >> I'd like to invite the
[2:20:10] Graham family and the
[2:20:12] Mirabella family down
[2:20:14] to the podium.
[2:20:35] >> How you doing?
[2:20:38] >> Congratulations. I think
[2:20:39] you've got a great job.
[2:20:41] >> He's got a great job.
[2:20:42] >> Right ahead.
[2:20:48] >> So while I'm queuing this
[2:20:50] up, Mayor. Family from
[2:20:56] District 4. Okay,
[2:20:58] but we will get this one.
[2:21:02] >> Yep.
[2:21:04] >> So, Mayor, if you look
[2:21:05] at the screen right now,
[2:21:07] this was from last month. They
[2:21:08] weren't able to attend,
[2:21:10] but you can see this is in
[2:21:12] District 4. This is the
[2:21:14] mirabel family. It's just a
[2:21:16] beautiful house. They did a
[2:21:17] phenomenal job
[2:21:19] of promillads and a bunch
[2:21:20] of different material
[2:21:21] in here. This is over in
[2:21:24] District 4 in the Encantada
[2:21:26] neighborhood. And then we have
[2:21:28] the Graham family. And again,
[2:21:31] I mean, just going above and
[2:21:32] beyond.
[2:21:34] I know it, Commissioner. But
[2:21:35] we're just so fortunate
[2:21:36] everybody, they put this time
[2:21:38] into their yard and just It
[2:21:39] really reflects
[2:21:40] in our community.
[2:21:42] So we're really proud.
[2:21:43] >> Well, that's wonderful. So
[2:21:45] what's your secret
[2:21:47] to this beautiful yard? What's
[2:21:48] the secret?
[2:21:49] >> It's hard work. Lots
[2:21:50] of money.
[2:21:52] >> He's the one that does the
[2:21:56] work.
[2:21:57] >> So who gets the 50 bucks?
[2:21:59] You or you? I think Home Depot
[2:22:00] ends up with it
[2:22:01] in the long run, but
[2:22:03] Congratulations, beautiful
[2:22:05] home.
[2:22:08] >> Touching the hands of
[2:22:09] greatness. Amen. Let's take a
[2:22:10] photo,
[2:22:12] please.
[2:22:16] >>[PICTURE TAKING]
[2:22:24] >> Thank you very much.
[2:22:31] >> Mayor, in August we'll
[2:22:32] have our district 2 and our
[2:22:33] district 3 winner
[2:22:34] since we don't,
[2:22:36] we're not meeting in the month
[2:22:38] of July. So we'll have two more
[2:22:41] next month.
[2:22:44] >> Are there representatives
[2:22:47] from the drainage districts
[2:22:48] here? Okay, if you can come
[2:22:49] forward. So we're getting
[2:22:50] into hurricane season,
[2:22:51] everybody. And
[2:22:52] in preparedness,
[2:22:54] I asked representatives
[2:22:55] from the South Broward drainage
[2:22:56] district and also from the
[2:22:57] South Florida Water
[2:22:58] Management District
[2:22:59] to give us an update on where
[2:23:01] we stand and where they stand
[2:23:03] in terms of preparedness and
[2:23:05] how we can work together
[2:23:06] to get
[2:23:08] through this hurricane season.
[2:23:09] So if you can state your name
[2:23:12] and affiliation and we'll begin
[2:23:13] the presentation.
[2:23:16] >> Thank you, Mayor. My name is
[2:23:17] Julio Tejeda with South
[2:23:19] Florida Water Management
[2:23:20] District. I handle their
[2:23:22] external affairs. It's
[2:23:23] basically just their
[2:23:24] communications
[2:23:26] between you guys,
[2:23:28] the local government level,
[2:23:29] county level,
[2:23:31] with our district.
[2:23:32] >> Welcome.
[2:23:33] >> Thank you very much. So,
[2:23:34] like I said, good evening,
[2:23:36] basically, mayor and
[2:23:37] Commissioners, City Mayor,
[2:23:39] City Manager as well. So let's
[2:23:41] begin with a little bit
[2:23:42] of background, a little bit
[2:23:44] of History, why we are here.
[2:23:46] So in 1926 and 1928, we had two
[2:23:48] devastating hurricanes. So that
[2:23:49] was the Great Miami Hurricane.
[2:23:51] and the Lake Okeechobee
[2:23:52] hurricane. These hurricanes
[2:23:54] caused a great deal
[2:23:58] of devastation,
[2:24:00] caused the dikes
[2:24:01] around the lake
[2:24:04] to basically break,
[2:24:05] and that water flowed south,
[2:24:07] causing great deaths. About
[2:24:09] over 2,000 deaths happened
[2:24:11] during that time frame. Lots
[2:24:12] of devastation to crops,
[2:24:14] housing, multiple,
[2:24:16] multiple damages
[2:24:18] on that. so due to this, the
[2:24:20] Army Corps of Engineers decided
[2:24:22] to work on the largest
[2:24:23] infrastructure project
[2:24:25] of the time. This was the
[2:24:27] Central and Southern Florida
[2:24:29] Flood Control and the Hoover
[2:24:31] Dike. So in that history, so
[2:24:36] in 1949, this new system needed
[2:24:40] to be maintained. There needed
[2:24:42] to be some sort of an agency
[2:24:44] to take care
[2:24:46] of this system afterwards,
[2:24:48] operate it,
[2:24:51] manage it. once the Army Corps
[2:24:53] developed it. So in 1949, the
[2:24:55] legislature brought
[2:24:57] into existence a Central and
[2:24:58] Southern Florida Flood
[2:25:00] Control District. This was
[2:25:01] tasked to basically operate
[2:25:03] this new system and improve it
[2:25:04] over time. A little bit later
[2:25:06] on in 1972, those duties were
[2:25:08] greatly expanded, allowing us
[2:25:10] to do a little bit more work
[2:25:12] and basically be able
[2:25:14] to manage that along with that.
[2:25:15] There was a definite need to
[2:25:18] put a little more flood control
[2:25:20] into the rest of the of
[2:25:23] Florida. So there was five
[2:25:24] additional drainage districts
[2:25:25] created. So water management
[2:25:27] districts. So 1977, that's the
[2:25:30] big day. That's when we
[2:25:35] officially got renamed from
[2:25:37] Central and Southern Florida
[2:25:39] Control District to South
[2:25:40] Florida Water Management
[2:25:43] District. who we are today. We
[2:25:47] manage 18, 000 square miles.
[2:25:49] That's 31 of the state's total
[2:25:50] land area and 16 counties
[2:25:52] overall. So here we go. So here
[2:25:55] is our governing board. This
[2:25:56] governing board basically
[2:25:57] dictates how we operate,
[2:25:59] what we do,
[2:26:00] and basically how we can help
[2:26:02] during flood times and how we
[2:26:03] keep everything operating.
[2:26:05] on all those times. These guys
[2:26:06] are appointed
[2:26:08] by the governor and they come
[2:26:09] from a little bit
[2:26:10] of different walks. Some
[2:26:11] of them are former military,
[2:26:13] some of them are landowners,
[2:26:14] some of them come
[2:26:16] from the environmental realm.
[2:26:17] So a little bit going back
[2:26:18] here. So we have 2,000 plus
[2:26:21] miles of levees and berms that
[2:26:23] we managed, 900 upwards of 900
[2:26:26] flood control infrastructure.
[2:26:27] So that would be structures and
[2:26:30] 89 of those would be pump
[2:26:34] stations. So you can see here a
[2:26:41] little bit of difference how
[2:26:46] the berms we have monitoring
[2:26:50] stations and how that those
[2:26:52] structures operate overall. So
[2:26:55] to get a little more technical
[2:26:56] background, so we have what are
[2:26:58] called gated structures. These
[2:27:00] structures only allow water
[2:27:02] to move to gravity. So
[2:27:04] basically as that tide comes
[2:27:06] down, water within the canal as
[2:27:07] it's rising, we are able
[2:27:09] to release it. Once that sea
[2:27:11] level starts to come up,
[2:27:12] like we're having a little bit
[2:27:14] of sea level rise every year,
[2:27:16] that potential of water release
[2:27:18] is we're losing it. We're not
[2:27:20] able to release as much as we
[2:27:21] were able to back when the
[2:27:23] original structure was created.
[2:27:26] We're currently working
[2:27:27] on upgrading a lot
[2:27:29] of these coastal structures,
[2:27:30] which are currently operating
[2:27:32] as gated structures
[2:27:33] through gravity alone.
[2:27:35] into pump stations. This allows
[2:27:37] us to move water
[2:27:38] through gravity still, but to
[2:27:39] regain that capacity that we've
[2:27:41] lost, we are adding some pumps
[2:27:43] to that. So those are the two
[2:27:45] main type
[2:27:46] of structures that we operate.
[2:27:48] Some of those gated structures
[2:27:50] are being upgraded
[2:27:51] to pump stations. That does not
[2:27:52] mean that we are going
[2:27:54] to move more water,
[2:27:55] increase that capacity
[2:27:57] of release. It is only
[2:27:58] to regain what has been lost
[2:28:00] over the years. so we like
[2:28:02] to refer
[2:28:03] to flood control as a little
[2:28:05] bit of a partnership. So we
[2:28:06] have your local drains. That
[2:28:07] would be your swales, that
[2:28:10] would be your storm drains.
[2:28:11] That is all
[2:28:13] at the local level. That is the
[2:28:15] first basically infrastructure
[2:28:17] that the rain hits as soon as
[2:28:19] it hits the ground.
[2:28:21] Basically, that is your main
[2:28:22] flood control operation.
[2:28:24] From there, it would move to
[2:28:26] either a drainage district or a
[2:28:27] county level Canal. which are
[2:28:29] your smaller canals that you'll
[2:28:32] see along the streets. They're
[2:28:34] smaller, capable
[2:28:36] of moving smaller amounts
[2:28:38] of water out
[2:28:39] of the neighborhood,
[2:28:41] and then they move
[2:28:42] into the primary system,
[2:28:44] which is the first tier system,
[2:28:45] which is what we operate.
[2:28:47] These are your main canals that
[2:28:48] flow west to east,
[2:28:49] moving the large volume of
[2:28:51] water and creating that flood
[2:28:52] control capability. We like
[2:28:54] to say that everything needs to
[2:28:55] move together. your local
[2:28:57] drainage,
[2:28:58] your neighborhood drains need
[2:29:00] to stay clean. The secondary
[2:29:02] system needs,
[2:29:03] those culverts need to stay
[2:29:05] clean so that water can move.
[2:29:07] If not, these things to start
[2:29:09] to back up. We at South
[2:29:10] Florida Water Management
[2:29:12] District, that primary canal
[2:29:14] system is always ready to take
[2:29:15] on water. We're currently and
[2:29:17] constantly doing maintenance
[2:29:19] on that system, making sure
[2:29:20] there's no blockages and
[2:29:23] without, we're ready
[2:29:24] to accept that water coming
[2:29:26] from you guys. so let's give
[2:29:29] you a little bit of background
[2:29:30] in what we do whenever there is
[2:29:31] a storm coming or a heavy rain
[2:29:33] event coming
[2:29:34] like we've had just recently.
[2:29:36] Realistically, we have a
[2:29:38] meteorologist
[2:29:40] at our headquarters in West
[2:29:42] Palm Beach that monitors water
[2:29:44] and storm that's about to drop
[2:29:45] on the district overall any
[2:29:47] of these 16 counties and our
[2:29:48] water managers, which observed
[2:29:49] the,
[2:29:50] the whole operations are able
[2:29:52] to gauge what levels our canals
[2:29:53] are at. Are they
[2:29:54] at their low stage,
[2:29:55] at their high state? Every
[2:29:56] single canal has different
[2:29:58] peaks and different levels. As
[2:29:59] you know, you may know,
[2:30:00] Florida has different levels
[2:30:02] and elevations. We had
[2:30:03] original, you know, those
[2:30:04] streams which are where the
[2:30:06] canals currently lie. So 42
[2:30:07] hours to 48 hours,
[2:30:08] we start that drawdown. We
[2:30:10] start
[2:30:11] to move that water down. As I
[2:30:12] mentioned, due
[2:30:14] to the sea level rise,
[2:30:15] we've had a bit
[2:30:16] of a wrench thrown
[2:30:18] in that works because we've had
[2:30:19] to start drawing
[2:30:21] down a little bit earlier just
[2:30:23] to be able
[2:30:24] to get the proper capacity out
[2:30:26] of those canals. Now, flood
[2:30:27] control. Flood control is a
[2:30:29] little bit complicated when it
[2:30:30] comes to when we get a report
[2:30:31] of flooding. A lot of the
[2:30:33] flooding concerns that we
[2:30:34] receive,
[2:30:36] we get residents calling
[2:30:37] different, you know,
[2:30:38] municipalities calling, hey,
[2:30:39] we're having flooding,
[2:30:40] we're having water backup. And
[2:30:42] then we send a team
[2:30:43] out there and we see, hey,
[2:30:45] the streets flooded out,
[2:30:47] your swells are flooded out,
[2:30:48] water is backing up
[2:30:50] into the streets.
[2:30:51] Realistically how we see it
[2:30:53] at our level since we handle
[2:30:55] the main large primary system,
[2:30:56] we see this as a good location
[2:30:58] for the water to be held. It
[2:30:59] might not be great because
[2:31:00] residents can't move
[2:31:02] around as much but this is
[2:31:03] basically where the water
[2:31:05] moves. Those roads,
[2:31:07] those swales are used to move
[2:31:09] that water funnel it into,
[2:31:10] like I said,
[2:31:12] your neighborhood drains
[2:31:13] into the local canals, and out
[2:31:14] to us. And that's the most
[2:31:15] important thing. As long as
[2:31:17] those drains and that water can
[2:31:18] move, we are good
[2:31:19] to go. A little bit of ponding
[2:31:20] here and there is bound
[2:31:21] to happen
[2:31:22] during very large storms. As
[2:31:23] some of you may know,
[2:31:24] your local drainage may only be
[2:31:25] able to handle so that's your
[2:31:27] storm water system. Your drains
[2:31:28] can only handle
[2:31:29] about five inches of rain
[2:31:31] in a 24-hour period.
[2:31:33] After that, you will start
[2:31:35] to see a little bit
[2:31:36] of water standing
[2:31:37] on that road. so here are some
[2:31:38] of our challenges. As I said,
[2:31:40] you know, those canal blockages
[2:31:41] can happen. Those storm drains
[2:31:42] can back up with leaves,
[2:31:43] branches, different things like
[2:31:44] that that do end up there will
[2:31:45] cause up a large backup. And as
[2:31:47] soon as one
[2:31:48] of those tiers backs up,
[2:31:49] it impacts all the way back.
[2:31:50] So if something
[2:31:52] at the county level or at the
[2:31:53] drainage district level starts
[2:31:55] to back up,
[2:31:56] it you're gonna see it here
[2:31:58] at the local level in your
[2:31:59] neighborhood. so we have a
[2:32:01] annual maintenance plan
[2:32:03] basically going
[2:32:05] through observing trees,
[2:32:06] anything that may be falling
[2:32:08] into the canal, we look
[2:32:09] into the backyards
[2:32:11] of residents, try
[2:32:12] to see what they're planting,
[2:32:13] we do try
[2:32:15] to keep a certain area
[2:32:16] of clearance between that water
[2:32:18] and the residents backyard just
[2:32:19] to avoid anything
[2:32:21] from falling in. And that's
[2:32:23] basically all I have
[2:32:25] for you guys, feel free to ask
[2:32:26] me any questions and that's my
[2:32:27] information there, feel free
[2:32:28] to reach out.
[2:32:29] >> So thank you very much and
[2:32:31] we're very, very thankful. If
[2:32:32] someone from the drainage
[2:32:33] district here as well,
[2:32:35] if you could come forward,
[2:32:36] we're happy to hear from both
[2:32:37] of you. One of the concerns
[2:32:38] that we had when we had
[2:32:39] Tropical Storm ETA was that it
[2:32:41] was reported to us that the
[2:32:44] canals were simply overwhelmed.
[2:32:45] They were simply too high and
[2:32:47] the gravity that the water
[2:32:48] movement relies upon couldn't
[2:32:50] work because it was backed up.
[2:32:51] What are we doing now? Because
[2:32:53] even though they described that
[2:32:54] story as a 1000 year storm,
[2:32:56] was it a hundred year storm or
[2:32:58] 100 year storm? Even at 100
[2:33:00] year storm,
[2:33:02] I don't feel that lucky. And
[2:33:03] we're seeing more and more
[2:33:05] rain. So what are we doing?
[2:33:09] What lessons did we learn
[2:33:11] from that event that we can
[2:33:13] sort of use going forward to
[2:33:16] try and keep those canals lower
[2:33:17] so that our system sort
[2:33:19] of can discharge? Because
[2:33:21] here's the issue. We're so
[2:33:23] close to the,
[2:33:25] we're the last stop on the
[2:33:27] Everglades and you know,
[2:33:30] we're competing with all these
[2:33:31] other cities that are dumping
[2:33:34] water into your canal. And so,
[2:33:37] I'm sort of curious to know
[2:33:40] from your perspective. And then
[2:33:42] I'm going
[2:33:43] to ask drainage district, what,
[2:33:44] what they're doing, what,
[2:33:46] what have you all been doing
[2:33:47] since ETA in order
[2:33:49] to keep that
[2:33:50] from happening again?
[2:33:57] >> So what we've been basically
[2:33:58] doing is, like I mentioned,
[2:33:59] we've been up trying
[2:34:01] to upgrade those structures
[2:34:02] to be able
[2:34:03] to move water not only
[2:34:05] during that low tide,
[2:34:06] but be able to move it 24 hours
[2:34:08] a day with those upgrades
[2:34:10] to have pumps
[2:34:11] in those locations. That's what
[2:34:12] we've been doing mainly
[2:34:14] at the South Florida Water
[2:34:15] Management District. I know
[2:34:17] that the drainage district has
[2:34:18] done a little bit more work
[2:34:20] on their end, but Lewis will be
[2:34:21] able to talk a little bit more
[2:34:22] on that end.
[2:34:23] >> So what are the metrics
[2:34:25] on the improvements
[2:34:26] from your capital projects?
[2:34:27] What are the metrics
[2:34:28] in terms of,
[2:34:29] is there an X amount of
[2:34:30] additional water that you all
[2:34:32] feel that you can move now that
[2:34:33] you weren't be able,
[2:34:34] that you weren't able
[2:34:36] to do then because
[2:34:37] of these improvements? Are
[2:34:38] there metrics associated
[2:34:39] with this?
[2:34:40] >> So there are metrics. I
[2:34:42] don't have them exactly
[2:34:43] off the top of my head,
[2:34:44] but I can get those definitely
[2:34:45] to you to see what the enhanced
[2:34:47] capacity is. Like I said, over
[2:34:48] the years we've lost capacity.
[2:34:49] That discharge capacity that
[2:34:51] originally was built into the
[2:34:52] system has been lost due
[2:34:53] to sea level rise. So the
[2:34:54] amount of time that we have
[2:34:56] to discharge has been lost. But
[2:34:57] I don't have the exact numbers
[2:34:58] for you.
[2:35:00] >> I would appreciate it if you
[2:35:01] could send that over to us,
[2:35:03] Mr. Dodge, if you would,
[2:35:04] if you would, if you would
[2:35:05] receive that and share it
[2:35:07] with the city engineer. I'd
[2:35:09] like to be able to know, I'd
[2:35:10] like the entire commission to
[2:35:12] know what additional capacity
[2:35:13] we can rely on if we get a
[2:35:15] serious flooded storm
[2:35:16] like that. Commissioner
[2:35:18] Hernandez lives
[2:35:19] in a community where.
[2:35:22] >> We were underwater
[2:35:24] for four days after ETA.
[2:35:26] >> Yeah. And I was the district
[2:35:29] commissioner there
[2:35:30] at the time. And it was very,
[2:35:32] very frustrating because
[2:35:34] everybody was running around
[2:35:36] to do this, but doing the best
[2:35:37] that they can. But the canals
[2:35:38] were just so high that the
[2:35:39] drainage. The drainage system
[2:35:41] could not work. The gravity
[2:35:42] didn't allow it. The water was
[2:35:43] above where the
[2:35:45] discharge had to happen. So it
[2:35:47] backed up. I wouldn't even be
[2:35:49] surprised if we got canal water
[2:35:50] coming into.
[2:35:52] >> Mayor, I think.
[2:35:56] >> Didn't the state allocate
[2:36:00] additional pumps?
[2:36:03] >> Yeah, but the pumps went
[2:36:04] to the drainage district.
[2:36:06] Right now, I'm asking him
[2:36:07] about his canals. So that data
[2:36:08] is important for us to have so
[2:36:10] that we can have a better
[2:36:12] assurance of. And I know that
[2:36:15] you guys work hard and these
[2:36:18] storms are difficult and I know
[2:36:20] that you have meteorologists
[2:36:24] and I'm merely an economics
[2:36:25] graduate. However, I have
[2:36:27] to tell you, I believe,
[2:36:29] and I'm not Kreskin,
[2:36:31] but I believe we're going
[2:36:32] to get more rain and I need
[2:36:34] to understand how we are going
[2:36:36] to deal with that
[2:36:38] on some metric level. So if you
[2:36:39] could provide that information.
[2:36:41] I really appreciate it and I
[2:36:42] really, really enjoy your
[2:36:44] presentation. I'm thankful
[2:36:45] for it. If you could come
[2:36:47] forward on behalf of the
[2:36:48] drainage district and offer
[2:36:50] your presentation, then
[2:36:51] commissioners,
[2:36:52] we can open it up for some
[2:36:54] questions and then we have a
[2:36:55] long agenda tonight. Go right
[2:36:59] ahead.
[2:37:00] >> Sure. Good evening, Mr.
[2:37:01] Mayor and Commissioners, City
[2:37:03] Manager, appreciate being here.
[2:37:05] >> Your name
[2:37:07] for the record?
[2:37:09] >> My name's Louis Ochoa,
[2:37:10] district director over at
[2:37:11] South Broward Drainage
[2:37:12] District. I've been
[2:37:13] at the district almost 30
[2:37:15] years, so I'm pretty familiar
[2:37:16] with the growth of Pembroke
[2:37:17] Pines and how it was all
[2:37:19] constructed. Very familiar
[2:37:20] with the overall. So you guys
[2:37:22] asked us to come and talk
[2:37:24] about the Atlantic hurricane
[2:37:25] season. On average
[2:37:27] over the last 30 years,
[2:37:28] we can expect anywhere
[2:37:30] from approximately 14 named
[2:37:32] storms, approximately seven
[2:37:34] hurricanes, and of those, three
[2:37:36] are approximately major
[2:37:37] hurricanes. The many different
[2:37:40] agencies have forecasted
[2:37:42] predictions for 2025 ranging
[2:37:43] from 10 to 19 named storms,
[2:37:45] six to 10 hurricanes and two
[2:37:48] to five
[2:37:50] of them being major hurricanes.
[2:37:51] Since Hurricane Andrew in
[2:37:54] 1992, there have been 13 major
[2:37:58] hurricanes that have hit
[2:37:59] landfall in Florida. In 2024 we
[2:38:01] had two. Hurricane Helene which
[2:38:03] hit Perry, and Hurricane
[2:38:05] Milton which hit Siesta key.
[2:38:07] So that's 13 storms in 32 year
[2:38:09] period. It's about 40% chance
[2:38:11] that one makes landfall. The
[2:38:15] district is an independent
[2:38:17] special taxing district. We
[2:38:19] were established
[2:38:22] by state legislature back in
[2:38:24] 1927. Were governed under
[2:38:26] Chapter 298 of the Florida
[2:38:29] Statutes as a water control
[2:38:31] district. We were originally
[2:38:32] known as the Hollywood
[2:38:34] reclamation district until
[2:38:36] 1986 when our name changed
[2:38:38] to the South Broward Drainage
[2:38:40] District. And we have a seven
[2:38:42] member elected board of
[2:38:44] Commissioners. The local
[2:38:47] drainage district. Our district
[2:38:49] covers portions
[2:38:50] of five cities. At the north
[2:38:53] end we have southwest ranches.
[2:38:55] We cover the majority of
[2:38:57] Pember Pines and majority
[2:38:59] of city of Miramar. We have two
[2:39:01] small slivers, town of Davie
[2:39:02] and the city of Hollywood. Our
[2:39:04] overall area is 72 square
[2:39:06] miles. We have over 7,500 acres
[2:39:08] of lakes and we serve over
[2:39:10] 270,000 residents. Here you'll
[2:39:12] see a slide discussing the flow
[2:39:15] of how your asking
[2:39:16] about flow. So let me explain a
[2:39:18] little bit about the flow. Our
[2:39:20] system is the secondary system
[2:39:21] we discharge into. The primary
[2:39:23] primary system is South
[2:39:26] Florida Water Management
[2:39:27] District canals which is a C11
[2:39:29] canal on Griffin Road. And then
[2:39:31] you have the C9 canal
[2:39:32] along the Dade county line.
[2:39:33] Pembroke Pines, Commissioner
[2:39:34] Rodriguez's own and district
[2:39:35] and a small portion of Chapel
[2:39:38] Trails and Vice Mayor
[2:39:40] Hernandez's zone flow north
[2:39:42] to the C11 canal. Okay. All
[2:39:46] that water flows
[2:39:49] to our SA pump station. We have
[2:39:52] control structures
[2:39:55] with floodgates that go
[2:39:57] into that canal system. All the
[2:39:59] other areas,
[2:40:02] the other districts flow south
[2:40:04] into the C9 canal. They go
[2:40:05] through our pump stations, our
[2:40:08] S1, S2, S7, all the way
[2:40:09] across the board from
[2:40:11] University drive
[2:40:13] to towards US 27. As Julio
[2:40:16] mentioned,
[2:40:20] a three tiered system. They're
[2:40:21] the primary. We communicate
[2:40:23] with them
[2:40:25] during storm events. They
[2:40:27] monitor the meteorological
[2:40:28] conditions. They coordinate
[2:40:29] with the local drainage
[2:40:30] districts and municipalities.
[2:40:32] On many occasions when there's
[2:40:33] a storm event notified,
[2:40:34] they'll have a 298 call and
[2:40:37] they'll bring everybody in.
[2:40:38] They'll talk about the
[2:40:39] conditions that we're
[2:40:41] expecting, what to expect.
[2:40:42] They'll talk about their
[2:40:44] operations and how much they're
[2:40:45] going to be able
[2:40:46] to lower the water,
[2:40:48] what the conditions are, if
[2:40:49] there's any restrictions that
[2:40:50] we may have or any other agency
[2:40:52] may have and we can answer
[2:40:53] questions back and forth and
[2:40:54] talk
[2:40:56] with the the water managers
[2:40:57] on plans in order
[2:40:58] to improve the discharges. So
[2:41:00] we are the secondary and the
[2:41:02] tertiary system is the city and
[2:41:03] the homeowner associations.
[2:41:05] The role of the district is to
[2:41:07] maintain and operate the
[2:41:09] secondary system. We provide
[2:41:11] water quality and discharge
[2:41:13] control behind our pump
[2:41:15] stations and control
[2:41:17] structures. We handle
[2:41:18] permitting and inspections
[2:41:20] within our jurisdictional
[2:41:22] boundaries. We monitor and
[2:41:24] operate our local facilities,
[2:41:26] our pump stations,
[2:41:27] control structures. We
[2:41:29] coordinate with South
[2:41:30] Florida. We respond to resident
[2:41:32] concerns and most importantly
[2:41:35] the pre storm and post storm
[2:41:36] activities that we're going
[2:41:37] to talk about. The tertiary
[2:41:40] System is an important role,
[2:41:42] like Julio mentioned, has
[2:41:44] to do
[2:41:45] with your local drainage, you
[2:41:47] know, your roadway drainage,
[2:41:49] drainage within the community
[2:41:51] behind commercial developments
[2:41:52] like you see here
[2:41:55] in this picture. That's behind
[2:41:56] the BJ's shopping center. They
[2:41:59] were not familiar
[2:42:01] with how their system worked.
[2:42:04] Water 3ft high
[2:42:07] in the retention areas, a foot,
[2:42:10] 2 foot of water
[2:42:12] in the parking lots. Staff went
[2:42:13] out there, found the structure
[2:42:14] that was blocked up,
[2:42:16] cleaned it up,
[2:42:18] and you can see the before and
[2:42:19] after
[2:42:21] of what that looks like. It's
[2:42:22] important that everybody be
[2:42:23] familiar with how their
[2:42:25] drainage system works. Look
[2:42:26] at the plans. Where does all
[2:42:27] this water go? What do we have
[2:42:28] to do
[2:42:30] to keep it open and flowing?
[2:42:31] It's very, very important. As
[2:42:32] part of that, the district has
[2:42:33] a five year operation and
[2:42:34] maintenance permit that we have
[2:42:35] all the property owners or
[2:42:37] subdivisions prepare and
[2:42:38] basically they go through,
[2:42:39] have an engineer come out,
[2:42:41] verify their system is fully
[2:42:42] functional,
[2:42:44] have a contractor clean line,
[2:42:45] clean structures. We go out
[2:42:46] to a joint inspection,
[2:42:48] make sure it's all
[2:42:49] like it needs to be, and
[2:42:50] basically give them a clean
[2:42:51] bill of health
[2:42:52] for the next five years, making
[2:42:54] sure their system is
[2:42:55] functioning as it was
[2:42:56] in the initially intended.
[2:42:58] Okay. As mentioned, the
[2:43:00] district's main function is
[2:43:01] stormwater management. Our goal
[2:43:03] is always
[2:43:04] to keep the stormwater moving,
[2:43:05] flowing, keep,
[2:43:06] keep it operational. We have
[2:43:08] seven stormwater pump stations,
[2:43:09] all automated, all serving
[2:43:11] Pembroke pines. We have 27
[2:43:14] gravity fed floodgates
[2:43:15] in our system. 25
[2:43:16] of those serve Pembroke pints.
[2:43:18] We do aquatics and vegetation
[2:43:19] removal
[2:43:22] of district owned water bodies
[2:43:23] at our pump stations and
[2:43:24] control structures. We handle
[2:43:26] culvert inspections in the
[2:43:28] primary system and again the
[2:43:29] five year operation and
[2:43:31] maintenance program. Our
[2:43:32] primary pump stations, as I
[2:43:34] mentioned, are automated 24/7.
[2:43:36] They're redundant systems.
[2:43:37] When I say redundant,
[2:43:39] for example, on the left you
[2:43:41] have our S1 pump station on
[2:43:42] University Drive. It has four
[2:43:43] pumps. Of the four pumps,
[2:43:44] three of them can be operated
[2:43:47] at a certain time depending
[2:43:49] upon the levels of the canal.
[2:43:51] One of them is a backup. So you
[2:43:52] can always rotate engines out.
[2:43:54] We have a SCADA system. It's
[2:43:56] our telemetry,
[2:43:57] it's our eyes and ears,
[2:43:58] where we can monitor
[2:43:59] from our phones,
[2:44:02] computer and have readings
[2:44:04] on water elevations,
[2:44:05] the amount
[2:44:07] of rainfall that we get,
[2:44:09] if the pumps are on,
[2:44:11] what the RPMs are
[2:44:13] on the engine, the oil
[2:44:15] pressure, our gear drives are
[2:44:16] functioning, our diesel
[2:44:18] engines, which are our cat,
[2:44:20] 3304, 3306s, 3126s. You know,
[2:44:22] we have emergency backup
[2:44:23] generators at each
[2:44:25] of the stations and we also
[2:44:26] have a mobile backup generator
[2:44:28] as well. Pump station flow
[2:44:30] capacity RS1 that we talked
[2:44:31] about can move 47,500 gallons
[2:44:34] per minute. We're allowed
[2:44:36] to discharge three pumps
[2:44:40] at a given time into the C9,
[2:44:42] so our ranges go from 31,000
[2:44:44] gallons per minute per pump up
[2:44:45] to RSA, which is 75,000 gallons
[2:44:47] per minute. Or we can run two.
[2:44:48] So total pump capacity
[2:44:49] into the C9 Canal is 628,650
[2:44:51] gallons per minute. When
[2:44:52] everything is operational and
[2:44:54] into the C11, we can do
[2:44:55] 150,000 gallons per minute
[2:44:57] to our pump station. That does
[2:44:59] not include our control
[2:45:00] structures that are gravity
[2:45:02] fed.
[2:45:03] >> Okay.
[2:45:05] >> We have an ongoing
[2:45:07] maintenance program where we
[2:45:08] pull our pumps
[2:45:10] on a seven year cycle. So we'll
[2:45:11] take the pumps out at the end
[2:45:13] of the pumping season,
[2:45:15] take them out,
[2:45:17] get them looked at. So we'll
[2:45:18] pull two, three depending upon,
[2:45:20] depending on the site,
[2:45:21] there could be four a year.
[2:45:23] And they'll go out, they'll go
[2:45:25] to the shop, they'll replace
[2:45:26] bearings, check the line shaft,
[2:45:28] anything else that could be
[2:45:29] damaged or repaired, the
[2:45:31] impellers or what have you get
[2:45:33] taken care of at that time.
[2:45:35] Along with the pump station
[2:45:36] maintenance, we do routine
[2:45:38] startups and testing. We do
[2:45:39] maintenance inspections and
[2:45:42] then we do updates
[2:45:43] to our facilities,
[2:45:44] whether it be our roof,
[2:45:47] our exhaust systems, control
[2:45:48] panels and engine rebuilds
[2:45:51] after 6,000 to 8,000 hours
[2:45:53] of operation. We talked
[2:45:56] about automated floodgates.
[2:45:59] Floodgates are a gravity,
[2:46:01] it's a gravity fed system. So
[2:46:05] if you're,
[2:46:11] if your downstream is lower,
[2:46:13] your upstream is higher,
[2:46:15] you can open up the gate,
[2:46:17] move the water. And again,
[2:46:18] we can do that physically
[2:46:20] on site. We can do that
[2:46:21] from our phone. We can do that
[2:46:23] pretty much anywhere. I mean
[2:46:24] I've been
[2:46:26] in the district almost 30
[2:46:27] years. I've monitored and open
[2:46:29] things
[2:46:30] in my honeymoon. I've done
[2:46:31] stuff in Canada, I've done
[2:46:33] stuff all over the United
[2:46:34] States. So whenever I've
[2:46:36] traveled. So we're definitely
[2:46:37] on call here. Referring
[2:46:39] to tropical storm ETA, you see
[2:46:40] one of Silver Lakes floodgate
[2:46:42] on the left, you have our
[2:46:44] normal, normal conditions,
[2:46:45] what the gate looks like and
[2:46:48] the tropical storm ETA. You can
[2:46:49] see the vast amount of water,
[2:46:50] how high the water got
[2:46:53] during that storm. Now that
[2:46:54] storm,
[2:46:55] that specific area was reported
[2:46:57] to have more than 20 inches
[2:46:59] of rain. It is more than 100
[2:47:01] year storm event. We're talking
[2:47:03] about a 200 plus because
[2:47:05] the 20 inches plus fell
[2:47:06] in the 48 hour instead of a 72
[2:47:08] hour period. Our SCADA system,
[2:47:10] I talked about that being our
[2:47:12] eyes and ears.
[2:47:13] Our SCADA system allows us
[2:47:16] to check water levels upstream,
[2:47:18] downstream, lets us open gates,
[2:47:20] lets us turn pumps on,
[2:47:23] turn pumps off,
[2:47:27] identify what the RPMs are
[2:47:29] in engine, if it's running. We
[2:47:31] talked
[2:47:33] about getting phone calls. We
[2:47:35] have an extensive alarm system.
[2:47:36] So if I get 2 inches of rain at
[2:47:38] any location where we have our
[2:47:40] telemetry system, we'll get a
[2:47:42] phone call no matter what time
[2:47:44] of night,
[2:47:45] no matter where you are. And
[2:47:46] that'll be continuous. Whether
[2:47:48] it be pump station one,
[2:47:50] whether it be pump station
[2:47:52] three, everyone can keep going
[2:47:54] off as long as you got the
[2:47:56] calls. And you'll have
[2:47:58] to clear them in order to make
[2:48:00] sure that you acknowledge that
[2:48:02] the alarm was taken. So again,
[2:48:04] we have alarms for rainfall.
[2:48:05] If our pumps are running
[2:48:07] for more than 30 minutes
[2:48:09] because they turn
[2:48:10] on automatically,
[2:48:12] we get a phone call. If the
[2:48:14] station is supposed to turn on
[2:48:15] or it's running and it fails,
[2:48:17] we get a phone call. So a lot
[2:48:18] of different features,
[2:48:20] alarms that we are privy
[2:48:22] to because of our telemetry
[2:48:23] systems. A big benefit that the
[2:48:25] district has water level
[2:48:27] recorders. We talked
[2:48:28] about how important it is to
[2:48:30] know the water level so you can
[2:48:32] manage the water. We have 29 at
[2:48:34] our pump stations and control
[2:48:36] structures and we have 15
[2:48:38] remote locations. So a total
[2:48:39] of 44 water level recorders.
[2:48:41] 2003, the district was
[2:48:42] fortunate to have some grant
[2:48:44] funding and we purchased two
[2:48:45] mobile pumps which you'll see
[2:48:47] here deployed
[2:48:49] in the pictures. We have a 24
[2:48:51] inch and a 20 inch pump. These
[2:48:52] pumps can be pulled
[2:48:54] out and it's a form
[2:48:56] of resiliency. If one
[2:48:58] of our pumps were to go down
[2:49:00] at our pump station, we can
[2:49:01] deploy the pump and be able
[2:49:04] to move water. Now the one
[2:49:06] caveat with these pumps is I
[2:49:07] can't just take it to a
[2:49:09] neighborhood and just drop it
[2:49:11] in the, in the lake and lower
[2:49:13] the level. We actually have
[2:49:14] to have the,
[2:49:16] the area prepared. You have to
[2:49:17] have a bottom that the pump is
[2:49:20] going to sit in. It's got
[2:49:22] to be submerged
[2:49:23] by a certain amount of water
[2:49:24] before you can turn the pump
[2:49:26] on and operate. You also have
[2:49:27] to be able
[2:49:28] to have enough discharge hose
[2:49:30] to get it across from point A
[2:49:31] to point B. So it's not ideal
[2:49:32] to put across University Drive
[2:49:33] or other roadways. So things
[2:49:35] have to be prepared and planned
[2:49:36] ahead and be ready to go.
[2:49:37] That we've
[2:49:39] done all of our stuff at
[2:49:40] our pump stations and we're
[2:49:42] looking at other alternative
[2:49:43] locations where
[2:49:44] we could put these pumps.
[2:49:45] We talked about aquatics and
[2:49:47] vegetation control. This is a
[2:49:48] big issue when it comes
[2:49:51] to moving water. You can see
[2:49:52] the vast amount
[2:49:53] of vegetation that's
[2:49:55] in the canal. We have to remove
[2:49:57] that vegetation so it doesn't
[2:49:59] block up our flow path. You
[2:50:01] know those trash racks,
[2:50:03] those boards that you see there
[2:50:05] in front of the pump station.
[2:50:08] We either move manually
[2:50:10] with our rakes. We have a wedo
[2:50:12] boat that will move vegetation
[2:50:13] to central Broward Water
[2:50:15] control District. We also have
[2:50:17] a grapple truck. We have two
[2:50:19] of them actually that come out,
[2:50:21] remove vegetation, debris.
[2:50:23] We're on call 24/7.
[2:50:24] Like I mentioned. Staff will go
[2:50:26] out up to 35 mile an hour
[2:50:27] winds. They're instructed
[2:50:30] to go out and do what we need
[2:50:32] to do. Culvert inspections. We
[2:50:34] talked
[2:50:36] about primary inspections. So
[2:50:38] we looked at the system when it
[2:50:40] gets installed other than
[2:50:41] permitting. We're out there
[2:50:42] observing the construction and
[2:50:44] gets all put in place. Here you
[2:50:45] have
[2:50:47] on your left the city center
[2:50:48] on seventh apartments,
[2:50:50] the entrance. Those are dual
[2:50:51] 96 inch culverts that were
[2:50:53] installed there. And then there
[2:50:55] was a 10 foot 6 inch culvert
[2:50:57] that was installed on Pembroke
[2:50:59] road and our C4 canal which is
[2:51:01] approximately. It's the pipe
[2:51:02] that goes between Grand Palms
[2:51:04] and Silver Shores underneath
[2:51:06] Pembroke Road. Just
[2:51:07] on the east, on the west side
[2:51:09] of the overpass SPD we
[2:51:10] performed a slip liner. We were
[2:51:12] able to get some funding
[2:51:13] for this large slip liner.
[2:51:15] This is
[2:51:17] at our S1 pump station. This is
[2:51:20] triple 96 inch pipes. Just
[2:51:22] north of our pump station. We
[2:51:24] had some pipe failure,
[2:51:26] some pipes getting older,
[2:51:28] fatigued
[2:51:30] over time and we needed
[2:51:31] to do a repair. We got some
[2:51:33] emergency funding
[2:51:34] in and we're able
[2:51:35] to fuse together 84 inch pipe,
[2:51:36] 113ft long and float in three
[2:51:38] different three new pipes
[2:51:39] in which are going
[2:51:40] to basically serve,
[2:51:42] serve that area for at least
[2:51:43] 100 years. We identify choke
[2:51:44] points. When I say choke points
[2:51:45] in canal systems. This picture
[2:51:47] actually is in the city of
[2:51:48] Pembroke Pines and Southwest
[2:51:49] Ranches. Excavator there. And
[2:51:51] then you see here on the left
[2:51:52] another control structure.
[2:51:53] Storm mode. We talked
[2:51:55] about storm mode. Once a named
[2:51:56] storm or storm is out there,
[2:51:57] you get that, that cone,
[2:51:59] that cone is out there.
[2:52:00] Everybody jumps
[2:52:02] into active mode, right? So you
[2:52:04] have, I mean out here through
[2:52:05] the years we've seen anytime
[2:52:07] two to four storms a year.
[2:52:08] We're buying water,
[2:52:10] we're buying batteries,
[2:52:12] we're buying plywood,
[2:52:13] we're getting prepared for
[2:52:15] storms because we know what's
[2:52:16] coming, right? So we coordinate
[2:52:18] with South Florida Water
[2:52:20] Management district. Again the
[2:52:21] 298 calls. Drawing down the
[2:52:23] water levels is extremely
[2:52:24] important. The lower you get
[2:52:26] the level, the more capacity,
[2:52:28] extra capacity you're gonna be
[2:52:29] able to generate, right? So
[2:52:31] there's what's called control
[2:52:33] elevation,
[2:52:36] which is where we pump the
[2:52:37] water down to get the water.
[2:52:39] That's where our pumps
[2:52:40] automatically shut off. Then
[2:52:41] with coordination with South
[2:52:43] Florida, if they give us the
[2:52:44] green light in order to create
[2:52:46] additional storage capacity, we
[2:52:47] will discharge a couple days if
[2:52:49] we can, and get the levels
[2:52:50] down 6 inches below, 8 inches
[2:52:52] below. Whatever we're allowed
[2:52:54] to do to get the levels down to
[2:52:56] create that additional storage
[2:52:58] capacity throughout the overall
[2:52:59] basin. We talked about 7,500
[2:53:01] acres
[2:53:03] of lakes. I dropped a little
[2:53:04] bit of water in
[2:53:06] at our pump station,
[2:53:08] but it's not just. It's got to
[2:53:10] go all the way the overall
[2:53:11] area. So it's a large area you
[2:53:13] got to cover in order
[2:53:14] to move the water. So our
[2:53:15] facilities, South Florida
[2:53:17] Water Management District, we
[2:53:18] coordinate with them and
[2:53:19] continuous monitoring the
[2:53:20] storm. And also we communicate
[2:53:22] with the city of Pembroke
[2:53:23] Pines. Post storm is very
[2:53:25] similar. Monitoring the
[2:53:26] facilities,
[2:53:28] inspecting the canals to make
[2:53:30] sure that there's no blockages
[2:53:33] in the canals, tree debris,
[2:53:36] what have you. We have
[2:53:37] contracts post storm contracts
[2:53:39] in place
[2:53:43] with vendors already secured
[2:53:45] for debris removal and
[2:53:46] cleaning. So if there is a
[2:53:48] named storm,
[2:53:50] we can communicate
[2:53:52] with them and get them
[2:53:54] on call and ready to go. So if
[2:53:57] something comes in,
[2:53:59] if we can't handle it,
[2:54:01] we can get a contractor
[2:54:03] to take care of it. We respond
[2:54:04] to resident concerns,
[2:54:06] and then we do our post storm
[2:54:07] drawdowns, get everything back
[2:54:08] down to control. That being
[2:54:09] said, I can answer all your
[2:54:10] questions.
[2:54:12] >> I want to thank you
[2:54:13] for a great presentation. I
[2:54:15] want to thank you both for
[2:54:16] everything that you and your
[2:54:18] team does
[2:54:19] to keep us high and dry. One of
[2:54:20] the things that I have seen is
[2:54:22] shopping center parking lot
[2:54:23] flooding. It's a huge problem
[2:54:25] in western Pembroke Pines,
[2:54:26] but I've seen it in eastern
[2:54:27] Pembroke Pines as well.
[2:54:28] What are we doing to keep
[2:54:29] those drains clear? I'll give
[2:54:31] you an example. The public's
[2:54:32] on 184th after any even, you
[2:54:35] know, not a name
[2:54:36] storm, but after a
[2:54:38] hard rain that puddles up
[2:54:43] for days. What are we
[2:54:48] doing to get these shopping
[2:54:51] center owners
[2:54:52] to clear that out? Because you
[2:54:53] got senior citizens,
[2:54:55] you got other folks,
[2:54:56] you lose the parking,
[2:54:58] it becomes a problem going
[2:54:59] through the area. What are we
[2:55:02] doing to get that fixed?
[2:55:05] >> Those areas obviously are
[2:55:06] the property owner's
[2:55:07] responsibility right now. That
[2:55:08] being Said the Publix that
[2:55:09] you're referring to,
[2:55:11] we have met with the property
[2:55:12] manager and they've done some
[2:55:14] improvements to their system.
[2:55:15] Behind the Publix, there's a
[2:55:17] large retention area goes
[2:55:18] across the whole width
[2:55:19] of the parking lot from 184 all
[2:55:21] the way to like,
[2:55:23] 1-80-ballpark. So all that area
[2:55:25] is flat area, barely pitched.
[2:55:27] And they let the grass grow.
[2:55:28] They don't maintain it. You
[2:55:30] know, you get tree clippings
[2:55:32] after tree clippings or grass
[2:55:34] mowing clippings, trash. It all
[2:55:36] builds up. They've done some
[2:55:37] modifications, I want to say
[2:55:39] about four or five years ago,
[2:55:41] and actually brought a
[2:55:43] contractor out and cleaned
[2:55:45] out the swale at our request
[2:55:46] in order to help improve that.
[2:55:48] But it's a continual cycle.
[2:55:50] They need
[2:55:52] to do.
[2:55:56] >> I gotta tell you, do you
[2:55:58] have, like, inspectors that go
[2:55:59] out and look at these? I don't
[2:56:01] know. I'm asking, like,
[2:56:03] after a hard rain, to see where
[2:56:05] the huge puddling is, because
[2:56:06] it happens there constantly.
[2:56:12] >> We have staff that goes
[2:56:14] out to. There are certain
[2:56:16] shopping centers that we know
[2:56:18] are prone for flooding. West
[2:56:20] Fork is one. There's one
[2:56:22] Monday. We had three and a half
[2:56:24] inches of rain over at Silver
[2:56:25] Lakes, Floodgate Pines
[2:56:26] Boulevard and 178th area.
[2:56:29] Across from that is the Pollo
[2:56:31] Tropical, the Jiffy Lube, the
[2:56:33] Chevron. That whole shopping
[2:56:35] center was flooded. There was
[2:56:37] 18 inches of water
[2:56:39] across the parking lot. Staff
[2:56:41] went back in there. There's a
[2:56:43] retention area in the back
[2:56:44] where basically all the water
[2:56:46] flows out
[2:56:48] into this large holding pond.
[2:56:51] Right. So it holds all this
[2:56:53] water, and once the water gets
[2:56:54] a certain elevation,
[2:56:56] it meets its water quality,
[2:56:58] it's allowed
[2:57:00] to discharge and go out. But
[2:57:01] what happens is they're not
[2:57:03] maintaining their system. So
[2:57:05] they've got oak trees lined
[2:57:06] on both sides.
[2:57:07] >> So is that something you
[2:57:08] have jurisdiction over? Is that
[2:57:10] a code system? Does any code
[2:57:11] matter? What is that? Who gets
[2:57:12] them to fix this problem?
[2:57:14] >> Well, it can be a joint
[2:57:16] thing. I mean, it's really the
[2:57:18] property manager. Right. So
[2:57:19] what we're going to do,
[2:57:20] I had staffed in 2ft
[2:57:22] of water removing leaves off of
[2:57:23] this grate so that the parking
[2:57:24] lot would drain. We're meeting
[2:57:26] with the property manager
[2:57:27] to have a conversation
[2:57:28] with them. Now, the problem is
[2:57:30] property managers change every
[2:57:31] six months. So if they're not
[2:57:32] meeting with the people doing
[2:57:34] their landscaping, they're just
[2:57:35] blowing the leaves and the
[2:57:36] clippings into these areas and
[2:57:37] not bagging it continually,
[2:57:39] it's going to continue.
[2:57:40] >> I'm wondering if you would
[2:57:41] be willing to meet
[2:57:43] with the representatives with
[2:57:45] code and see what it is that
[2:57:48] they can do together. I'm
[2:57:50] constantly getting complaints
[2:57:51] from all parts of Pembroke
[2:57:52] Pines that
[2:57:54] after strong rains, there are
[2:57:55] parking lots that are flooded
[2:57:56] for days, for days. And there
[2:57:58] are drains there. So
[2:58:00] something's not.
[2:58:02] >> To interrupt,
[2:58:09] but if there's flooding,
[2:58:11] if there's flooding going on,
[2:58:12] we'd like to know about it
[2:58:14] because we're very familiar
[2:58:15] with the drainage system.
[2:58:17] >> So, see,
[2:58:18] that's why we have plans
[2:58:19] to meet with the code
[2:58:20] enforcement officer.
[2:58:21] >> Maybe what we need is a
[2:58:23] survey after a hard rain and so
[2:58:25] that you can see it.
[2:58:26] But if you get even an inch
[2:58:28] of rain, which happens here
[2:58:29] frequently,
[2:58:31] you'll see it's all
[2:58:33] over the city. So, Mr. Dodge,
[2:58:34] could you make a
[2:58:36] note to do that? Thank you
[2:58:37] very, very much. And I want
[2:58:39] to thank you all
[2:58:41] for what you do.
[2:58:43] Commissioners.
[2:58:45] >> Thank you, ma'am. Mr.
[2:58:46] Ochoa, thank you. 30 years
[2:58:49] already, huh?
[2:58:50] >> Yes, sir.
[2:58:52] >> So that means you were here
[2:58:53] for the no name Storm in
[2:58:56] 2000.
[2:58:57] >> Yes, sir.
[2:58:59] >> That was the last time that
[2:59:01] University Canal breached.
[2:59:04] Remember, cover the entire
[2:59:06] road. As a result of that, the
[2:59:07] drainage district started
[2:59:09] digging deeper. FDOT was just
[2:59:13] here
[2:59:15] at the last meeting talking
[2:59:18] about the improvements,
[2:59:20] and they've committed
[2:59:21] themselves to working with you
[2:59:23] to ensure that water shedding
[2:59:25] isn't going to be an issue.
[2:59:26] It's a shame the mayor's not
[2:59:28] here to hear this, but North
[2:59:29] Perry Airport is a huge
[2:59:30] collection of water. And if it
[2:59:31] wasn't for that airport,
[2:59:33] Pines Village and the
[2:59:34] surrounding area would have a
[2:59:35] foot or more
[2:59:36] in their driveway. The issues
[2:59:38] out west, 20 inches of rain.
[2:59:39] You're not a magician,
[2:59:40] certainly not a miracle worker.
[2:59:41] And I was a little disappointed
[2:59:42] years ago when the drainage
[2:59:43] district was being blamed
[2:59:45] for that historic event.
[2:59:47] Because when you have
[2:59:49] hydrostatic pressure coming
[2:59:51] from the lake,
[2:59:52] when you have wind coming out
[2:59:54] of the southeast,
[2:59:56] the water is not going
[2:59:57] to drain out to Miami. The wind
[2:59:58] has to stop. So our senior
[3:00:00] chief meteorologist John
[3:00:01] Morales at NBC 6 has made
[3:00:02] national news. Not sure if you
[3:00:06] saw the story or not, but he
[3:00:11] said yesterday that because
[3:00:15] of the gutting of the
[3:00:18] National Weather Service, that
[3:00:20] we will not be able
[3:00:22] to predict where storm is going
[3:00:24] to turn like Dorian. He said
[3:00:27] specifically, if we had Dorian
[3:00:30] today, based
[3:00:33] on the staffing level,
[3:00:36] which is between 18
[3:00:40] to 40% reduction
[3:00:42] in workforce,
[3:00:45] we won't know if Dorian is
[3:00:46] hitting South Florida. He also
[3:00:48] said that 17%
[3:00:50] of the weather balloons,
[3:00:52] the ones that drop all the
[3:00:53] data, will not be available.
[3:00:55] He also said that the hurricane
[3:00:57] hunters won't be going
[3:00:59] out as often. So quite frankly,
[3:01:01] gentlemen,
[3:01:03] I don't know how you're going
[3:01:04] to do your job,
[3:01:05] because it's based on
[3:01:07] prediction. I don't know how
[3:01:08] the meteorologists that you
[3:01:10] have on staff in Palm beach is
[3:01:12] going to be able
[3:01:13] to do their job, unless you're
[3:01:15] a magician or a psychic.
[3:01:17] Because there's one thing that
[3:01:19] can't change, okay? And that's
[3:01:21] the Everglades. That watershed
[3:01:22] flow is only going
[3:01:24] to go so fast, historically.
[3:01:26] I know that Griffin Road
[3:01:27] Pumping Station can do what?
[3:01:31] 40 million gallons in
[3:01:33] an hour? Is it in an hour.
[3:01:35] I've seen that discharge 60
[3:01:37] million gallons a minute. A
[3:01:39] minute. 40 million a minute, 1
[3:01:40] million. Let alone what's
[3:01:42] happening
[3:01:43] with the gravity fed stuff. So
[3:01:45] historically, if you lived
[3:01:46] in florida in the 1920s,
[3:01:48] if you were east of US 1, you
[3:01:49] were above ground. Everything
[3:01:52] else is a swamp,
[3:01:54] ladies and gentlemen. So what
[3:01:56] this agency does on a daily
[3:01:59] basis is nothing short
[3:02:01] of a miracle,
[3:02:02] considering how many McDonald
[3:02:05] cups get thrown out the window
[3:02:06] and how many drains get stuck.
[3:02:08] It's so bad with the change
[3:02:09] in environment. We have
[3:02:12] manatees now in Pembroke
[3:02:13] Pines. We know this. They're
[3:02:15] actually breaching our canals.
[3:02:17] And they're living
[3:02:18] in our canals because
[3:02:20] of sea level rise and the
[3:02:22] change
[3:02:25] in the overall environment. So
[3:02:27] I applaud what you are doing. I
[3:02:29] am praying that this 40%
[3:02:32] number, we don't see it this
[3:02:33] year because the federal
[3:02:35] government has absolutely put
[3:02:37] us in danger. And I don't see
[3:02:39] any changes happening. When the
[3:02:41] head of FEMA doesn't know that
[3:02:42] there's a thing called
[3:02:45] hurricane season, I don't know
[3:02:48] how that's even possible. So I
[3:02:50] appreciate what you're doing as
[3:02:53] far as. And I also want
[3:02:56] to shout out to
[3:02:59] Representative Robin
[3:03:01] Bartleman. When she first got
[3:03:02] elected, I asked her to get
[3:03:04] with Ronnie Bergeron and learn
[3:03:07] about the water network and how
[3:03:09] it worked. And so we were able
[3:03:12] to get these temporaries.
[3:03:14] But you're right,
[3:03:17] they're limited. If it's
[3:03:18] underwater, you can't do it.
[3:03:20] We are in a region. So unless
[3:03:23] everything works correctly,
[3:03:24] there will be areas, God
[3:03:27] forbid, Coral Springs, if they
[3:03:28] lose power, they're
[3:03:30] like a salad bowl. They're just
[3:03:32] going to fill up. But
[3:03:34] at least here in Pembroke
[3:03:36] Pines, we have an
[3:03:37] administration, Carl Kennedy
[3:03:39] and staff who vacuums drains
[3:03:41] constantly. I want to thank
[3:03:43] Carl Kennedy for that. And
[3:03:46] here's the thing, colleagues.
[3:03:48] We just heard from the Board
[3:03:50] of Adjustment tonight. The
[3:03:52] biggest thing that's impacting
[3:03:55] our city is the Paving
[3:03:56] of driveways. It's the uneven,
[3:03:58] the non permitted work causing
[3:04:02] hills and valleys holding this
[3:04:05] water. And we've already heard
[3:04:07] the testimony of Mr. Ochoa that
[3:04:10] commercial property owners
[3:04:12] aren't doing their part
[3:04:15] to maintain property. So yes,
[3:04:17] we have a responsibility to
[3:04:19] ensure that our streets are
[3:04:21] passable,
[3:04:23] that our houses are livable
[3:04:25] in the shortest amount
[3:04:27] of time, allowable
[3:04:29] under science. But you can't
[3:04:31] make the water go any faster if
[3:04:32] you're pumping it out off of
[3:04:34] Griffin Road. That's head
[3:04:36] pressure that's going
[3:04:38] to keep our lakes up. So you
[3:04:39] can only do so much. You can
[3:04:41] displace it, but it has
[3:04:42] to be moved to the south. And
[3:04:44] until they get Tamiami fixed,
[3:04:45] we have a major issue in the
[3:04:47] Everglades right now. The water
[3:04:48] is just backing up. If we have
[3:04:50] another Etta, God forbid we had
[3:04:52] an Etta for a longer period
[3:04:54] of time,
[3:04:56] that water can't get out. It's
[3:04:58] going to back up against
[3:05:00] Tamiami and you're going
[3:05:02] to find overflow
[3:05:04] in all the industrial areas
[3:05:06] along U.S. 27. So we have a
[3:05:08] crisis right now when it comes
[3:05:10] to understanding how this is
[3:05:11] going to work. And I,
[3:05:13] and I'm asking the governor to
[3:05:15] ensure that y' all have the
[3:05:17] resources necessary that
[3:05:19] there's enough advance notice
[3:05:20] for a declaration of emergency
[3:05:22] so you can do your job, because
[3:05:23] I don't know how else we're
[3:05:26] going to be able to do it. We
[3:05:28] can't rely on the federal
[3:05:30] government this hurricane
[3:05:32] season. Thank you.
[3:05:34] >> Thank you, Commissioner. I
[3:05:35] appreciate those comments and
[3:05:37] like to remind people that when
[3:05:38] we occasionally go
[3:05:40] to use the men's room, we can
[3:05:42] hear every word that's said
[3:05:44] because there are speakers back
[3:05:45] there. So I didn't miss a word.
[3:05:47] And I think part
[3:05:49] of the discussion that's,
[3:05:51] that's happening here is that
[3:05:53] we rely on them
[3:05:55] to keep us dry. That's their
[3:05:58] job. It's their only job. And
[3:06:00] so what we need
[3:06:02] to do is we need to figure
[3:06:04] out how we can team together.
[3:06:06] Not to say, oh, shucks,
[3:06:09] there's nothing we can do
[3:06:11] but how to come up
[3:06:12] with a plan.
[3:06:14] If they need land
[3:06:15] to store water, then that has
[3:06:17] to be confronted. If they need
[3:06:18] more equipment
[3:06:20] to improve conveyance,
[3:06:21] then that's what needs
[3:06:23] to be done. But it can't just
[3:06:24] be that we don't meet and
[3:06:26] organize. And so we know that
[3:06:29] there are pockets
[3:06:30] of flooding all through the
[3:06:32] city. I think we need to
[3:06:34] inventory them because what I'm
[3:06:35] hearing is that sometimes we're
[3:06:37] not aware of what those are.
[3:06:38] Let's identify what those are,
[3:06:40] and let's start chipping away
[3:06:42] at how we can improve that
[3:06:43] situation. And that's what this
[3:06:45] discussion is about.
[3:06:47] Commissioner Rodriguez, you had
[3:06:51] your hand up.
[3:06:53] >> No, I didn't. Okay, well,
[3:06:55] I was going to say something,
[3:06:56] but it was along the lines
[3:06:57] of what Commissioner Short
[3:06:58] said.
[3:07:00] >> Okay, Commissioner Good.
[3:07:02] >> Yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I
[3:07:03] gotta say...
[3:07:09] >> I see your hand. Go ahead,
[3:07:13] Commissioner Good.
[3:07:15] >> I didn't know if I had my
[3:07:17] hand.
[3:07:18] >> No, go ahead.
[3:07:19] >> I want to say to both
[3:07:20] of you, great presentation.
[3:07:22] Lewis. In particular, very
[3:07:23] impressive you presenting the
[3:07:25] South Broward Drainage
[3:07:26] District. I know that the,
[3:07:28] the South Florida Water
[3:07:30] Management District is working
[3:07:31] with the Army Corps of
[3:07:33] Engineer. And I do also know
[3:07:35] that even Broward county has
[3:07:36] even chipped
[3:07:38] in a couple million dollars
[3:07:39] to accelerate some
[3:07:41] of these programs that deal
[3:07:42] with the, you know,
[3:07:44] your pumps that are discharging
[3:07:46] at certain points
[3:07:47] to move the water
[3:07:49] within your canal system. So
[3:07:50] kudos to that. And I know that,
[3:07:53] you know, South Broward Drains
[3:07:57] District, and I say this
[3:07:58] with confident knowledge, is
[3:08:00] probably the best drainage
[3:08:02] district in all of Broward
[3:08:04] County. The way that you were
[3:08:06] designed, the way that you
[3:08:08] operate, very, very the best.
[3:08:10] It is the best in class in all
[3:08:13] of Broward County. So thank you
[3:08:14] for that. You know, act of God
[3:08:15] is an act of God. But Mayor, I
[3:08:17] gotta say one thing. I'm very
[3:08:18] impressed
[3:08:20] with your deductive approach to
[3:08:22] this because I do believe that
[3:08:24] we can help
[3:08:26] in regards when you
[3:08:27] start moving more towards the
[3:08:29] code support. One
[3:08:31] of the things that was spoken
[3:08:34] to and kind of went over,
[3:08:36] but it's real, it's called that
[3:08:37] five year operating permit,
[3:08:39] you know, whenever the
[3:08:41] district, you know,
[3:08:43] accepts design and the
[3:08:46] construction,
[3:08:49] you know, every five years,
[3:08:51] these owners
[3:08:53] of the systems are supposed to
[3:08:56] come and get a recertification.
[3:08:57] And Mr. Ochoa went ahead and
[3:09:01] expressed how some of that is.
[3:09:03] But sometimes there's not
[3:09:04] compliance, you know,
[3:09:06] and you could chase
[3:09:08] after these people for years
[3:09:09] and years and years and years.
[3:09:11] I don't know specifically what
[3:09:13] the Sopper Hour Drainage
[3:09:16] District's enforcement arm is,
[3:09:17] but I don't know that you have
[3:09:19] a code enforcement magistrate
[3:09:21] situation sort of
[3:09:22] like what the city does. And if
[3:09:24] there's a way for code
[3:09:25] to connect with that where
[3:09:26] there's clearly a failed
[3:09:28] operation,
[3:09:30] the city might be able
[3:09:32] to help that compliance
[3:09:34] by bringing it into the city's
[3:09:35] code enforcement process
[3:09:38] in order to be able
[3:09:39] to get that owner
[3:09:41] to get that shopping plaza
[3:09:42] to be more responsible to what
[3:09:44] the drainage district has given
[3:09:46] them an operating permit for.
[3:09:48] So I mean, I hope that that
[3:09:49] dialogue works well
[3:09:51] into the advantage
[3:09:53] of being able to allow
[3:09:55] as Sapphire Drainage
[3:09:58] District partners with South
[3:10:00] Florida Water Management
[3:10:01] District. I would love to see
[3:10:02] the south us actually us as a
[3:10:04] city partner with the south
[3:10:06] by our drainage district
[3:10:08] to assist
[3:10:11] in that compliance element.
[3:10:12] Because I think that is, Mr.
[3:10:13] Mayor, what you picked up on
[3:10:18] and you did that intuitively
[3:10:21] and that was really excellent.
[3:10:25] And I will support anything
[3:10:28] like that that comes
[3:10:29] before this commission.
[3:10:31] >> Thank you, Commissioner.
[3:10:33] Vice Mayor, anything?
[3:10:35] I want to thank you
[3:10:37] for your presentation. There is
[3:10:38] a one resident who wants
[3:10:40] to speak on this item. And then
[3:10:41] we're going to move to
[3:10:43] Commissioner to. I have one
[3:10:44] item for request to speak. And
[3:10:46] then that's three minutes. And
[3:10:48] then we're going to move on
[3:10:49] to Vice Mayor's item for which
[3:10:51] there are people here. And I
[3:10:52] want to thank you all
[3:10:54] for being patient.
[3:10:56] >> Hi, my name is Gil Lerner.
[3:10:57] My address is 19. I'm actually
[3:10:58] going
[3:11:00] to use my commercial prop 6900
[3:11:01] Pembroke Road. And the reason
[3:11:02] I'm using a commercial property
[3:11:03] is because Commissioner
[3:11:05] Schwartz was sort of co-
[3:11:07] mingling the responsibilities
[3:11:09] of the federal government as
[3:11:13] well as the private property
[3:11:15] owners. Now, as a private
[3:11:18] property owner and an
[3:11:21] engineering contractor that
[3:11:22] does install those catch basins
[3:11:24] and drain lines,
[3:11:26] there's a very easy solution to
[3:11:28] it because I've got a car wash
[3:11:30] at one of my gas stations and
[3:11:31] it requires a catch basin.
[3:11:33] Now, every month they. I'm
[3:11:35] sorry,
[3:11:38] every quarter I am required
[3:11:39] to report to Broward County.
[3:11:42] I'm sure you may be familiar
[3:11:43] with it that the catch basin
[3:11:46] has been pumped out,
[3:11:47] cleaned and is
[3:11:49] in good working order. Now that
[3:11:51] can simply be applied
[3:11:52] to the standard catch basins
[3:11:54] to each property. Now, I don't
[3:11:56] know that the Broward county
[3:11:57] has the capacity
[3:11:59] to do those inspections,
[3:12:02] but I do believe the city does.
[3:12:03] And it's very easy to just go
[3:12:05] out annually just
[3:12:06] like the fire inspections.
[3:12:07] Make sure those drains have
[3:12:09] been cleaned out. And an
[3:12:10] inspector has signed, an
[3:12:12] engineering contractor has
[3:12:13] signed off that those drain
[3:12:15] catch basins and drain lines
[3:12:17] are not caked and operating
[3:12:18] accordingly. So there's nothing
[3:12:20] parking lot floods. And if
[3:12:22] there are violate the guy let
[3:12:24] make sure he fixes his drains.
[3:12:26] That's part
[3:12:28] of owning property. If I own a
[3:12:30] property, I gotta change my
[3:12:31] drainage and it cost me
[3:12:32] $200,000. That's the part
[3:12:34] of doing business. And I really
[3:12:35] think code enforcement could
[3:12:37] assist Broward county if they
[3:12:38] don't have the wherewithal
[3:12:40] to do those annual inspections,
[3:12:41] at least
[3:12:44] on a quarterly basis.
[3:12:46] >> Thank you very,
[3:12:47] very much.
[3:12:50] >> Yes, that's just my two
[3:12:52] pennies to the try
[3:12:54] to situation. Thank you.
[3:12:57] >> Thank you very much. And I
[3:12:58] want to thank you both
[3:12:59] for your your presentations.
[3:13:00] And we'll be coordinating
[3:13:01] together to see what else we
[3:13:03] can do and let's hope for a
[3:13:05] drier summer than than we had
[3:13:06] before. Now we're going
[3:13:07] to be moving on to requests
[3:13:10] from the public. Mr. Lerner,
[3:13:13] you are recognized. You put
[3:13:15] in a form.
[3:13:17] >> I just wanted to thank the
[3:13:19] chair, the dream of district
[3:13:20] for doing the great job that
[3:13:21] they do. Okay, thank you.
[3:13:22] >> You're
[3:13:25] on your name and address
[3:13:27] for the record.
[3:13:28] >> Again, my name is Gil
[3:13:29] Lerner. My address is 1958
[3:13:30] Northwest 74th Avenue,
[3:13:31] Pembroke Pines, FL 33024. I'm
[3:13:34] here tonight due to. It doesn't
[3:13:37] bring me joy to have to come up
[3:13:39] here and say what I've got to
[3:13:43] say tonight. I've had a
[3:13:45] violation on my property and
[3:13:48] it's been well over a year. I
[3:13:49] said it's creeping on,
[3:13:52] maybe even two years. And I'm
[3:13:54] trying to understand how code
[3:13:58] had arrived to my property.
[3:14:00] Since the laws have changed,
[3:14:02] it's got to come
[3:14:04] from a person. No more
[3:14:05] anonymous tits and asking the
[3:14:09] code. The head of code, Larry
[3:14:13] Diaco, I believe is his name. I
[3:14:15] sent him an email not too long
[3:14:17] ago after a lean certification
[3:14:20] hearing that we couldn't make
[3:14:21] due to my mother having an
[3:14:23] emergency surgery. And I was
[3:14:26] going to request a rehearing,
[3:14:30] but I don't know how to go
[3:14:32] about that. I was going
[3:14:35] to ask the clerk how
[3:14:37] to do that, but moving on,
[3:14:39] I asked him for transparency on
[3:14:41] the matter and he said he
[3:14:43] needed 10 more days. That put
[3:14:46] me in a position where I had
[3:14:47] to petition the courts
[3:14:48] to invoke my appellate rights
[3:14:50] to the lien certification. And
[3:14:52] with that being said, I believe
[3:14:54] that was strategically planned
[3:14:56] to ask for 10 more days
[3:14:58] to get an answer to me
[3:15:00] about transparency. Now I still
[3:15:01] haven't gotten the answer.
[3:15:03] Whether he's cooking one up or
[3:15:05] not, I don't know and I don't
[3:15:07] really care. But it's obvious
[3:15:09] to any average minded
[3:15:11] American
[3:15:15] that what is going
[3:15:19] on is not right. Now
[3:15:22] for two years to have or let's
[3:15:23] just call it a year and then
[3:15:25] to ask for 10 more days
[3:15:28] to come up with an answer for
[3:15:29] transparency. I don't think he
[3:15:32] himself, as the head of the
[3:15:33] code enforcement department
[3:15:34] knows how that anonymous tip
[3:15:36] came about and why
[3:15:39] administration opened it up.
[3:15:41] I'd love to have answers
[3:15:43] to it. And Mr. Carl Kennedy
[3:15:44] does a wonderful job.
[3:15:46] Although South Florida Water
[3:15:48] Management District was here
[3:15:50] and their inspector was out at
[3:15:51] my property and completely
[3:15:53] debunked the assessment that an
[3:15:57] issue I had on my property was
[3:15:59] in compliance. If you do a
[3:16:02] survey,
[3:16:04] the numbers don't lie. And it
[3:16:06] will. With all due respect.
[3:16:09] Sometimes people make mistakes.
[3:16:11] I don't know what it is,
[3:16:14] but I don't think the South
[3:16:17] Florida Water Management
[3:16:19] District makes mistakes. And I
[3:16:21] would love
[3:16:22] to present that email,
[3:16:26] but I haven't been able to.
[3:16:28] >> Thank you. The city
[3:16:29] attorney.
[3:16:30] >> Yes, Mayor, Just
[3:16:31] to give you a quick reference,
[3:16:32] the speaker before you this
[3:16:33] evening has chosen his
[3:16:34] destination. He has retained
[3:16:35] legal council.
[3:16:37] We are in the middle,
[3:16:38] that being.
[3:16:40] The city, with a litigation
[3:16:42] matter now with Mr. Lerner and
[3:16:44] his lawyer. The matter is
[3:16:45] currently pending in the
[3:16:46] Broward Circuit Court. I would
[3:16:47] caution the members
[3:16:49] of the commission
[3:16:50] into responding
[3:16:51] to any questions this evening
[3:16:52] at the advice of your council
[3:16:53] in connection
[3:16:54] with preparing for, and also
[3:16:55] in preparing the city for
[3:16:56] whatever actions it will take
[3:16:58] with regard to the matter
[3:16:59] currently pending and will be
[3:17:00] guided accordingly. If you
[3:17:01] wouldn't mind, Mr. Mayor,
[3:17:03] commission. Thank you.
[3:17:04] >> Thank you for your
[3:17:06] testimony. I have three
[3:17:08] additional
[3:17:10] members signed up
[3:17:13] to speak,
[3:17:14] but they're all signed up
[3:17:15] to speak on the FPNL matter.
[3:17:17] Those are Deborah Wilson,
[3:17:18] Etta, Yvonne Fernandez and
[3:17:19] Alberto Salvi. So if you don't
[3:17:23] mind, I'm going to call
[3:17:25] Commissioner Vice Mayor
[3:17:26] Hernandez's item up,
[3:17:27] and then you can testify as
[3:17:29] part of the item. Is that fair
[3:17:31] enough? Okay. So, Vice Mayor,
[3:17:32] you're recognized.
[3:17:37] >> Well, it's a discussion
[3:17:38] item. And possible action
[3:17:39] regarding FPL seeking a new
[3:17:40] rate increase. This is item
[3:17:42] number 15, Mayor.
[3:17:44] >> Yes.
[3:17:45] >> Okay. Briefly. And I want
[3:17:47] to thank you all
[3:17:48] for coming out, particularly
[3:17:49] because I made the mistake
[3:17:51] of telling you it'll be fast.
[3:17:52] You'll come at the beginning
[3:17:54] of the agenda. That's my bad. I
[3:17:55] didn't realize that the
[3:17:57] drainage district is here. I
[3:17:58] owe you all coffee. And I'm
[3:18:00] sorry. I'm very sorry. So I did
[3:18:03] want to mention. And I spoke
[3:18:07] with Yvonne and she'll be up
[3:18:08] here. But also I wanted
[3:18:10] to thank our city manager and
[3:18:12] City Attorney, Sam Gorn,
[3:18:13] for speaking with me
[3:18:15] on this. I have a very. I want
[3:18:17] to be very clear what I'm.
[3:18:19] What I'm trying
[3:18:21] to do here tonight. Number one,
[3:18:22] as a city commissioner, I have
[3:18:23] zero authority. I am not a
[3:18:25] member of the Public Service
[3:18:28] Commission. This is not an item
[3:18:29] before the City Commission.
[3:18:31] This is not an Item before
[3:18:32] Broward county, it's
[3:18:33] before the Public Service
[3:18:34] Commission. However, each
[3:18:37] of us up Here represents
[3:18:39] roughly 47,000 residents.
[3:18:41] 13 of mine are in
[3:18:43] Century Village. The mayor
[3:18:45] knows it well. He represented
[3:18:46] it for probably 20 years.
[3:18:48] 13,000 residents in 141
[3:18:50] buildings. Who actually Marty
[3:18:52] Kiara was here earlier and
[3:18:54] mentioned the challenges with
[3:18:55] Century Village properties
[3:18:57] because before the Surfside
[3:18:58] state laws changed in the wake
[3:19:00] of that tragedy, the average,
[3:19:07] and this is according
[3:19:09] to the president of the Master
[3:19:11] association for Century
[3:19:12] Village residents there were
[3:19:14] paying approximate numbers of
[3:19:16] about $350 per month in
[3:19:17] maintenance fees and insurance
[3:19:19] rates. That number is now north
[3:19:20] of 700, some a little bit
[3:19:21] higher, some on the lower end
[3:19:23] of 700. And then I have other
[3:19:25] residents who live in single
[3:19:26] family. I didn't forget you
[3:19:27] guys. I'm just focusing a lot
[3:19:29] on Century Village because
[3:19:31] they're the ones that I know
[3:19:32] are most impacted who live
[3:19:33] on fixed incomes. And I am not
[3:19:35] somebody that is here
[3:19:36] to be overly critical of FP and
[3:19:37] L. I know some
[3:19:40] of you read my op ed in the
[3:19:41] Sun Sentinel or heard me
[3:19:43] on radio this morning. My first
[3:19:45] job out of college was with
[3:19:46] FPL. I've had different stints
[3:19:49] where I've worked with FPL,
[3:19:50] not in house,
[3:19:52] but as a contractor, as a
[3:19:54] consultant, and during
[3:19:56] Hurricane Irma when I worked
[3:19:57] for former Miami Dade Mayor
[3:19:59] Carlos Jimenez. We were
[3:20:00] inseparable in that emergency
[3:20:02] operations center. I want
[3:20:03] to be very clear and stated
[3:20:05] here on the record record,
[3:20:06] just like I did in that opinion
[3:20:07] piece. I think FPL is an
[3:20:09] exceptional company that is
[3:20:10] committed
[3:20:11] to renewable and clean energy.
[3:20:12] And they have very, very,
[3:20:15] very talented folks that I know
[3:20:16] personally, many of them,
[3:20:17] whether they work in Juneau
[3:20:19] beach or South Florida. So I,
[3:20:20] I would ask. Obviously some
[3:20:21] of us are frustrated
[3:20:22] with the rate increase request,
[3:20:24] but I'm not here to bash
[3:20:25] Florida Power and Light. I
[3:20:27] respect them very,
[3:20:29] very much as a company.
[3:20:30] However, I do need
[3:20:32] to as a commissioner,
[3:20:34] give my residents voice
[3:20:36] and have this discussion item.
[3:20:38] I'll let the conversation
[3:20:39] flow because there's five
[3:20:41] of us up here. We obviously
[3:20:42] haven't been able
[3:20:44] to have a discussion
[3:20:45] about this before. My intent is
[3:20:47] for us to hear directly
[3:20:49] from them. And Yvonne will
[3:20:51] speak. She's with AARP who
[3:20:52] opposes the increase. But also
[3:20:54] a possible action which it's
[3:20:55] here. Whether it's a letter,
[3:20:57] whether it's a resolution, I
[3:20:58] don't know. I can't say that
[3:21:00] it's up to the five of us. But
[3:21:02] I did want even though again,
[3:21:04] it's got nothing to do
[3:21:05] with the City of Pembroke
[3:21:07] Pines in the sense we cannot
[3:21:08] approve or reject it or amend
[3:21:09] it. I heard from enough
[3:21:11] residents that I wanted them
[3:21:12] to have this opportunity
[3:21:14] to speak and for us to consider
[3:21:16] whether or not there is some,
[3:21:18] even if it's largely symbolic
[3:21:20] action that we take as a city
[3:21:22] commission, Mr. Mayor.
[3:21:25] >> Commissioners, anyone wants
[3:21:27] to speak on this?
[3:21:29] We'll do one round,
[3:21:30] and then we'll listen
[3:21:32] to the public. And then,
[3:21:33] if you wish,
[3:21:34] we can have another round.
[3:21:35] Commissioner Good.
[3:21:37] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So I
[3:21:39] believe that the path that the
[3:21:40] vice mayor is on
[3:21:43] a good path
[3:21:46] to consider. The only one
[3:21:48] of the questions I have
[3:21:49] on this is,
[3:21:50] when is the FPL going
[3:21:53] before the PSC
[3:21:55] for the rate increase?
[3:21:57] >> If from what I received,
[3:21:58] the information I received from
[3:22:00] the company and I have been
[3:22:02] speaking with them is in
[3:22:03] August. However, obviously,
[3:22:04] there are public hearings that
[3:22:06] take place and motions back and
[3:22:08] forth because it is a judicial
[3:22:09] body that they're in front of
[3:22:11] with the PSC. But as
[3:22:14] of right now, I believe it's
[3:22:17] in August and that's the
[3:22:18] introduction
[3:22:19] of the rate increase.
[3:22:24] >> Well, they've already filed
[3:22:25] the request for the increase.
[3:22:26] Those would be the hearings
[3:22:27] which can last as long FPS see
[3:22:28] the five commissioners
[3:22:30] determine.
[3:22:33] >> So August is like the first
[3:22:35] public hearing to say?
[3:22:36] >> If I'm not mistaken.
[3:22:38] Well, public hearing is public
[3:22:40] but the first hearing at the
[3:22:41] Florida Public Service
[3:22:43] Commission, my understanding,
[3:22:45] is in August.
[3:22:47] >> Yes.
[3:22:51] >> Mr. Mayor,
[3:22:52] to the city manager, one,
[3:22:56] what meetings do we have in
[3:22:59] July and August?
[3:23:02] >> We have our regular meetings
[3:23:04] in August. July is
[3:23:05] traditionally our summer break.
[3:23:07] >> So the first Wednesday in
[3:23:10] August would be a regular
[3:23:12] meeting for us, right?
[3:23:15] >> Yes.
[3:23:17] >> Vice Mayor, I think that
[3:23:18] maybe we can do this as a two
[3:23:21] prong approach. You know, you
[3:23:24] mentioned a letter and a
[3:23:26] resolution. You know, I don't
[3:23:28] know if you would consider
[3:23:30] maybe doing a letter with a
[3:23:32] time limit response response.
[3:23:34] And in August, the first
[3:23:36] meeting in August, we take up a
[3:23:42] resolution.
[3:23:46] >> That's why I brought it
[3:23:48] to you guys. So I'm fine
[3:23:50] with that. I'd love to hear
[3:23:51] from Jay, Maria, Commissioner
[3:23:53] Schwartz, and Rodriguez as
[3:23:56] well, but I was looking more
[3:23:58] for direction. I don't know
[3:23:59] when they can speak,
[3:24:01] though. I did.
[3:24:02] >> Yeah. I want to hear what
[3:24:05] they're gonna have. We're gonna
[3:24:07] have one round, and then. And
[3:24:10] then we'll go to the public.
[3:24:12] Commissioner Schwartz.
[3:24:15] >> Thank you, Mayor. Vice
[3:24:17] Mayor, I say this because you
[3:24:20] work the industry just
[3:24:23] for the public to understand.
[3:24:25] This comes up every four years,
[3:24:29] that it's not just FPL, it's
[3:24:30] teco, it's Duke. All the
[3:24:33] utilities have a round,
[3:24:35] and they happen to come up all
[3:24:40] at the same time. Generally
[3:24:42] speaking,
[3:24:43] the governor has no authority
[3:24:45] over the outcome. Can't
[3:24:47] override, can't veto. But the
[3:24:50] governor does have the
[3:24:51] appointment process for the
[3:24:53] Public Service Commission. And
[3:24:55] over the years, whether it's
[3:24:57] Governor DeSantis, Scott,
[3:24:59] Charlie Criss, and so forth and
[3:25:02] so on, members of the Public
[3:25:03] Service Commission have changed
[3:25:05] over time. So
[3:25:07] Governor DeSantis vetoed a bill
[3:25:11] last year that would not have
[3:25:14] protected homeowners
[3:25:15] for solar power. And so
[3:25:19] through the governor's office,
[3:25:22] the governor is letting the
[3:25:24] Public Service Commission know
[3:25:26] the feelings of the governor.
[3:25:34] Now, whether or not they,
[3:25:36] they follow that path,
[3:25:39] they're an independent agency
[3:25:41] and they can do what they want.
[3:25:43] With respect to FPL, yes, they
[3:25:44] filed and they're the last one
[3:25:46] because they're the largest.
[3:25:48] They have more utility
[3:25:50] customers than the other two
[3:25:52] combined. But the other two
[3:25:56] have already received their
[3:25:58] increases. It's just that their
[3:26:00] increases that they've received
[3:26:02] has a sunset. I believe one
[3:26:04] of them is 18 months, the other
[3:26:06] one might be as short as 12.
[3:26:08] And it was
[3:26:10] for hurricane recovery only.
[3:26:12] That being said,
[3:26:13] the percentage based on my own
[3:26:15] independent research and
[3:26:17] forgive me, Vice Mayor, there
[3:26:21] wasn't anything in the backup
[3:26:22] for me to go through,
[3:26:24] so I kind of just kind
[3:26:25] of hit the books and looked
[3:26:27] on my own. But the percentage
[3:26:31] that FPL is requesting is very
[3:26:34] similar to what Tico and Duke
[3:26:39] have received,
[3:26:43] except the FPL is looking at a
[3:26:45] four year extension and it's
[3:26:47] not a storm related recovery.
[3:26:49] It's an infrastructure based
[3:26:51] upon factors such as the
[3:26:52] exploding population
[3:26:53] of the region in which they're
[3:26:54] currently servicing. So the
[3:26:56] Public Service Commission has
[3:26:57] received no less than 30
[3:26:58] organizations opposing a four
[3:27:00] year billion dollar increase.
[3:27:01] >> Nine billion.
[3:27:03] >> I apologize. Nine billion
[3:27:05] over this four year period.
[3:27:07] Now what's interesting is
[3:27:08] historically, I mean,
[3:27:10] I've been here for 13, the
[3:27:15] mayor's been here for 20.
[3:27:18] We've never had a Public
[3:27:22] Service Commission utility
[3:27:24] discussion in the past,
[3:27:27] nor has there ever been a $9
[3:27:29] billion request because it's
[3:27:31] the largest in U.S. history.
[3:27:33] Those are the facts. Okay, So I
[3:27:38] believe it would be,
[3:27:43] I think it would be
[3:27:44] in our best interest. Letters
[3:27:47] and resolutions aren't
[3:27:49] necessarily paperweight, but
[3:27:52] public input is certainly
[3:27:55] easier to say. Look, we had
[3:27:58] this city commission held a
[3:28:00] local event where local folks
[3:28:04] can come
[3:28:06] out because they're not going
[3:28:08] to Tallahassee. They are
[3:28:10] certainly not going
[3:28:11] to travel. They're not going
[3:28:13] to get on buses and go
[3:28:15] through that expense.
[3:28:16] But if we can provide a forum
[3:28:18] for them, I think we've done,
[3:28:20] I think we've.
[3:28:21] >> I did want to say that they
[3:28:23] did have a local foreman.
[3:28:24] Well, I'll let her speak
[3:28:25] to it. But I know it was
[3:28:27] in the city of Hollywood. So
[3:28:28] they have had that opportunity.
[3:28:30] >> Yeah, allow me. Okay.
[3:28:31] Well, Hollywood may have had
[3:28:34] that. Pembroke Pines hasn't.
[3:28:37] So if we have like
[3:28:39] Commissioner Good says we have
[3:28:40] generally till August, we can
[3:28:43] certainly open up chambers and
[3:28:45] have the ability
[3:28:46] for the public
[3:28:47] to speak because
[3:28:49] it does require us
[3:28:51] to alert people
[3:28:52] of what's happening. Okay. Now
[3:28:55] everything's out in the open.
[3:28:56] There's been a lot
[3:28:58] of coverage thus far,
[3:29:00] but sometimes, you know,
[3:29:01] if you missed a three day news
[3:29:02] cycle, you may not know what
[3:29:04] happened. So I think there's an
[3:29:05] opportunity for us maybe
[3:29:06] to have a, let's call it a
[3:29:08] workshop format where we can
[3:29:10] invite the public Mayor,
[3:29:13] first meeting of August, let
[3:29:15] them speak. And then we package
[3:29:16] that up and, and send it off
[3:29:18] to the Public Service
[3:29:20] Commission with their
[3:29:21] testimony. I don't know if
[3:29:23] a resolution or a letter
[3:29:25] drafted by the city attorney or
[3:29:27] the city manager embraces the
[3:29:28] folks
[3:29:29] in which we're basically trying
[3:29:31] to provide them an opportunity
[3:29:33] to get more information out on
[3:29:35] the table.
[3:29:39] >> I appreciate those thoughts.
[3:29:41] I understand what you're
[3:29:42] saying. Here's the couple of
[3:29:43] reasons why I've brought it
[3:29:45] forward. Number one, you're
[3:29:46] absolutely right. I did my own
[3:29:48] research and the city of
[3:29:50] Pembroke Pines has not had this
[3:29:51] discussion before.
[3:29:53] But we also haven't had what is
[3:29:55] to be the largest rate increase
[3:29:56] not in the history of
[3:29:57] Florida, in the history
[3:29:58] of the United States. That's
[3:29:59] number one. Number two, I don't
[3:30:01] think it's very challenging.
[3:30:02] If you go through the PSC
[3:30:05] docket and others, bottom line
[3:30:11] is four years ago they had a
[3:30:13] rate increase. There was a
[3:30:14] settlement, that settlement.
[3:30:16] Yvonne knows better than I do
[3:30:17] the, the exact numbers. What I
[3:30:20] am saying is I don't think my
[3:30:22] residents, at least in
[3:30:23] Century Village, Commissioner
[3:30:24] Good, Hollybrook, wherever else
[3:30:26] they see the numbers,
[3:30:27] the same electrical usage and
[3:30:29] this, these numbers come from
[3:30:31] Lisa Chong and City Manager
[3:30:32] Charlie Dodge. The average
[3:30:33] Pembroke Pines resident. I'm
[3:30:35] not talking about a business
[3:30:36] because businesses are
[3:30:38] in a different category. Is
[3:30:39] facing up to $240 more per year
[3:30:41] in electrical fees. If this is
[3:30:42] approved within four years of
[3:30:44] 2029. You're right, it is a
[3:30:45] four year phased in. I could go
[3:30:46] on. I did this in 2005
[3:30:47] for the company. I sat
[3:30:50] in PSC meetings. So I'm well
[3:30:53] aware of the process. And
[3:30:55] by the way, that process back
[3:30:57] then was very different
[3:30:59] from what it is today. What I
[3:31:01] am basically saying is,
[3:31:03] and you could say no. What I am
[3:31:05] hoping to get consensus
[3:31:07] on here is number one,
[3:31:09] that the City Commission speak
[3:31:11] with one voice. Whether it's a
[3:31:12] letter or not. We have no.
[3:31:14] Whether we hold a forum or not,
[3:31:15] the city of Pembroke Pines has
[3:31:16] zero weight in the decision
[3:31:17] of the Public Service
[3:31:18] Commission or if there's
[3:31:20] there's been settlements
[3:31:22] in the past between parties or
[3:31:25] if there's a setup,
[3:31:27] we have no weight. But I do
[3:31:28] think it's incumbent upon the
[3:31:29] five
[3:31:30] of us as elected officials,
[3:31:31] each one of us
[3:31:32] from a district and the mayor
[3:31:34] at large throughout the city,
[3:31:35] to at least say, based on the
[3:31:36] information that we have seen,
[3:31:37] which Al Salvi, who's here
[3:31:39] from by district,
[3:31:40] attended that meeting. Based
[3:31:41] on what I've read,
[3:31:43] when you actually read the
[3:31:44] docket, based on what has been
[3:31:46] reported and it's not just been
[3:31:47] in a three day news cycle,
[3:31:49] this was filed in the middle
[3:31:50] of February. I find it. And if
[3:31:52] no one supports me, I'll do it
[3:31:54] on my own. I find it incumbent
[3:31:55] upon me to say my residence
[3:31:57] in Century Village and others,
[3:31:59] they can't pay 240, 250 more
[3:32:00] dollars per year.
[3:32:02] >> Mayor and Vice Mayor, I'm
[3:32:04] certainly not debating you.
[3:32:05] First of all, I oppose the
[3:32:07] increases personally as an
[3:32:09] individual and certainly I have
[3:32:11] no issues advocating my
[3:32:13] position on social media. The
[3:32:15] Public Service Commission needs
[3:32:19] to review the rod
[3:32:20] of FPL and I think they're
[3:32:22] going
[3:32:23] to come. I think they're going
[3:32:25] to wind up with a settlement. I
[3:32:26] don't believe there's going
[3:32:28] to be a rate increase.
[3:32:30] However, it is incumbent upon
[3:32:31] us to provide an education
[3:32:33] component. Whether it was filed
[3:32:35] in February or it was in the
[3:32:37] Sun Sentinel yesterday,
[3:32:39] there are thousands of people
[3:32:40] in this city who have no idea
[3:32:42] that there is going to be a
[3:32:44] potential rate increase. So if,
[3:32:46] if a letter written
[3:32:49] by the city attorney and
[3:32:51] by the city manager,
[3:32:55] if you believe based upon your,
[3:32:57] your consulting experience
[3:33:01] from, from 2005 is going
[3:33:04] to make a positive difference
[3:33:08] in changing their mind,
[3:33:10] I fully support that. I'm also,
[3:33:12] I'm also, I'm also.
[3:33:14] >> This is just first round.
[3:33:15] >> I understand. So I'm not
[3:33:17] making the motion, Mayor. I'm
[3:33:18] not but the Vice Mayor is
[3:33:20] asking my opinion.
[3:33:21] >> There's other information
[3:33:22] that's coming forward. So
[3:33:24] before let's just issue our
[3:33:26] first impressions and then I
[3:33:27] believe because again,
[3:33:28] there's no backup. Okay.
[3:33:29] There's no backup here. I
[3:33:31] received a letter
[3:33:33] from the AARP. I'm sure most
[3:33:35] of us have okay with,
[3:33:37] with their position. I agree
[3:33:38] with their position,
[3:33:40] but I believe that there is.
[3:33:41] If we can have 17 town halls
[3:33:43] on a bond referendum,
[3:33:44] we can certainly do something
[3:33:48] over the summer to advise our
[3:33:50] residents that they need to pay
[3:33:54] attention and the process
[3:33:55] in which they
[3:33:58] can submit their information
[3:34:01] directly to the Public
[3:34:03] Service Commission through the
[3:34:04] regular channels. I think as
[3:34:05] an, I would think fully support
[3:34:08] education about how you go
[3:34:12] about doing that process,
[3:34:15] whether you're a resident or a
[3:34:18] business. Because at the end
[3:34:19] of the day, we're all paying
[3:34:21] for it one way or the other.
[3:34:22] So those are my comments and
[3:34:24] I'll wait
[3:34:25] for round two.
[3:34:26] >> I'd like to hear from
[3:34:27] Commissioner Rodriguez.
[3:34:28] Again, I want
[3:34:30] to be very clear. 2005 was my
[3:34:31] first experience. I've had
[3:34:32] experience with this company
[3:34:34] for 21 years. Again, I think
[3:34:35] they're a wonderful company.
[3:34:36] However, why I've brought this
[3:34:37] up is each one of us is going
[3:34:38] to have impact
[3:34:39] in their district. And I think
[3:34:40] it's important if we have that
[3:34:41] opportunity. Whether it's a
[3:34:43] letter, again, this is a
[3:34:44] Public Service Commission item.
[3:34:45] It has nothing to do with
[3:34:47] Broward County, Pembroke Pines
[3:34:48] or any of the 430
[3:34:49] municipalities we have in the
[3:34:50] state. I'm asking if there
[3:34:52] would be support
[3:34:53] to sign a letter, each
[3:34:55] of us or as a city body.
[3:34:57] However, Sam, you tell me how
[3:34:58] that would be or
[3:35:00] at a later point to
[3:35:01] Commissioner Goods Point, as
[3:35:03] we're getting into August,
[3:35:05] to basically put on record that
[3:35:06] the second most populous city
[3:35:07] in Broward county with 171,000
[3:35:09] residents, has concerns and
[3:35:11] would hope that there would be
[3:35:13] either a modification, a
[3:35:14] rescinding or an outright
[3:35:16] rejecting of any kind of rate
[3:35:17] increase that would negatively
[3:35:18] impact our families
[3:35:20] at this time. To your point
[3:35:22] on the bond, why it failed,
[3:35:23] I put it in my article. More
[3:35:24] than likely is folks didn't
[3:35:26] want to pay more because they
[3:35:27] could not pay more when folks
[3:35:28] are getting kicked
[3:35:30] off their homeowners insurance,
[3:35:32] when folks are having issues
[3:35:34] in Century Village or anywhere
[3:35:35] else with insurance rates. And
[3:35:37] this is where as much as I want
[3:35:39] to invest in a company like
[3:35:41] Florida Power and Light and
[3:35:42] they deserve to be able
[3:35:43] to present their case,
[3:35:45] which they have at public
[3:35:46] meetings where these folks have
[3:35:47] been plus in emails,
[3:35:49] plus right now, as a matter
[3:35:53] of fact, to your point,
[3:35:55] what you could say
[3:35:57] to the psc, any one
[3:35:58] of the folks
[3:36:00] in here that is a Florida
[3:36:03] resident can email the Public
[3:36:05] Service Commission or call them
[3:36:07] today. And not just
[3:36:08] about the rate increase. If I
[3:36:10] feel that I'm not getting
[3:36:11] proper service
[3:36:14] of any utility, not FPL, any
[3:36:16] utility, I can call the
[3:36:17] Public Service Commission
[3:36:20] tonight as a resident
[3:36:23] of the state of Florida. So I
[3:36:24] wanted to clarify that.
[3:36:25] >> Commissioner Rodriguez.
[3:36:26] >> I think we can find a
[3:36:27] balance between parts
[3:36:28] of that each of you bring
[3:36:30] forward. I think a letter is
[3:36:31] necessary and something that we
[3:36:32] can do a little bit faster,
[3:36:33] but probably based on some of
[3:36:34] the information that we
[3:36:36] received from residents here.
[3:36:37] So a letter from all of us,
[3:36:38] as you said on,
[3:36:39] highlighting most importantly,
[3:36:41] not the fact that the
[3:36:42] investments may or may not be
[3:36:44] necessary because we. I
[3:36:46] personally, I'm not aware of
[3:36:47] exactly the investments being
[3:36:49] posted
[3:36:51] for this rate increase,
[3:36:53] but mostly because
[3:36:55] of the impact that it would
[3:36:56] have on our residents. I think
[3:36:58] we're going to hear from the.
[3:37:00] The people here and we can put
[3:37:02] a part of that in our letter.
[3:37:04] If then during the summ,
[3:37:06] we get the opportunity
[3:37:07] to hold some kind
[3:37:08] of town hall, some kind
[3:37:09] of informational meeting,
[3:37:11] that would be great. We do have
[3:37:12] to do that, I believe,
[3:37:13] alongside FPL, because while
[3:37:15] they have the information and
[3:37:16] we need to hear their side,
[3:37:18] whether it's that or having or
[3:37:19] mobilizing our residents to
[3:37:23] attend what is already being
[3:37:24] set up in these town hall in
[3:37:26] these public hearings. I'm not
[3:37:27] sure of any future dates,
[3:37:28] if there is one,
[3:37:29] maybe that can be the way.
[3:37:30] Instead of us taking
[3:37:31] on the charge of,
[3:37:32] of doing that, what is the next
[3:37:33] public hearing? Can we mobilize
[3:37:34] our residents to attend,
[3:37:36] to hear
[3:37:37] from that side and explain some
[3:37:38] of their grievances
[3:37:39] against the rate increase? And
[3:37:41] so that communication,
[3:37:42] we can also post about it on
[3:37:43] our social media personally and
[3:37:45] both from the city, because
[3:37:46] people,
[3:37:47] our channels are also a way
[3:37:49] for people
[3:37:50] to know what's going on
[3:37:52] in other levels of government.
[3:37:53] In my opinion, we did the same
[3:37:55] when the state legislation was
[3:37:56] looking at decreasing funds
[3:37:58] for AP classes,
[3:38:00] because our students really,
[3:38:01] really like those AP classes
[3:38:04] their parents did. And so we
[3:38:05] mobilized our parents to reach
[3:38:07] out to the governmental agency
[3:38:09] that was focusing
[3:38:10] on that.
[3:38:11] >> There may be solution
[3:38:13] on that too, I read.
[3:38:14] >> Yes, but looking forward,
[3:38:15] I think merging those ideas,
[3:38:17] I think we don't have to do
[3:38:18] more work than is already being
[3:38:19] done by FPL
[3:38:21] in their public hearings. We
[3:38:22] need to just make sure that
[3:38:23] people are getting
[3:38:25] to those public hearings.
[3:38:26] Because that's the point.
[3:38:28] People don't know that there's
[3:38:29] a public hearing. And it's our
[3:38:31] job to. To vocalize that and
[3:38:32] communicate that
[3:38:33] to our residents, then that is
[3:38:35] what I think moves the needle
[3:38:36] forward. Just
[3:38:38] to summarize,
[3:38:39] I think a letter would be
[3:38:41] great, including some
[3:38:42] of the commentary from the
[3:38:43] public here today as our Pines
[3:38:45] residents, if we need
[3:38:46] to a resolution
[3:38:47] down the line, because that is
[3:38:48] obviously a more formal way
[3:38:49] of going
[3:38:51] about voicing our opinions. But
[3:38:52] I think informing the residents
[3:38:53] on a larger scale is first and
[3:38:54] foremost, because if there is
[3:38:56] another public hearing,
[3:38:57] they can attend or maybe part
[3:38:59] of the letter be requesting one
[3:39:00] that could be in Pembroke
[3:39:02] Pines, something along those
[3:39:04] lines that we can work
[3:39:06] in partnership rather than kind
[3:39:07] of taking on the burden
[3:39:08] of doing that ourselves.
[3:39:10] Because we are simply advocates
[3:39:11] for our residents rather than
[3:39:13] the people obviously voting
[3:39:15] on this.
[3:39:16] >> Thank you.
[3:39:20] >> I appreciate you. Thank you.
[3:39:22] >> I want to hear
[3:39:24] from the public, however,
[3:39:25] I have to say this, Vice
[3:39:27] Mayor, I'm very proud of you.
[3:39:29] You are giving voice to people
[3:39:30] in the city that have. That
[3:39:32] have a concern. And I have tons
[3:39:34] and tons of respect for that.
[3:39:35] If it's this commission's wish
[3:39:37] to ask me on your behalf
[3:39:38] to write to the president
[3:39:40] of FP&L and invite the company
[3:39:43] to come to Pembroke Pines
[3:39:45] for a very respectful,
[3:39:46] informative town hall where
[3:39:48] they explain why this 9 billion
[3:39:52] is necessary. Because we have
[3:39:54] such regard for our residents
[3:39:57] and because we have a healthy
[3:40:02] amount of respect
[3:40:08] for the company that keeps us,
[3:40:12] quite frankly, from entering
[3:40:14] into the dark ages again. I'm
[3:40:16] happy to do that. I'm happy
[3:40:18] to write to the president of
[3:40:20] the company and say all the
[3:40:25] things that
[3:40:27] on your behalf that the Vice
[3:40:29] Mayor has said in his op ed.
[3:40:31] We have great respect and
[3:40:33] regard and we've been partners
[3:40:35] with FP&L for decades.
[3:40:37] However, what's up with this?
[3:40:39] Nine million bucks. Nine
[3:40:40] billion bucks. And we'd
[3:40:42] like you to come here and talk
[3:40:43] to our residents and explain it
[3:40:45] to them. And then based
[3:40:46] on what we hear
[3:40:47] from the company and based
[3:40:49] on what we hear
[3:40:53] from the residents,
[3:40:57] we can follow Commissioner
[3:40:58] Good's recipe,
[3:41:00] which I think is the right one,
[3:41:02] and decide what, if any,
[3:41:04] next steps is appropriate
[3:41:06] for the city to take. That's
[3:41:09] where I think I am right now.
[3:41:11] But I want to hear
[3:41:13] from the residents. And so I
[3:41:14] know that you represent aarp.
[3:41:15] Is that it? If you could come
[3:41:18] forward and give your name and
[3:41:21] your affiliation. There's a
[3:41:27] button there that'll turn the
[3:41:28] mic. Your name and affiliation,
[3:41:30] please.
[3:41:36] >> Yes, my name is Yvonne
[3:41:37] Fernandez and I represent AARP
[3:41:38] Florida as the Senior
[3:41:39] Associate State Director for
[3:41:42] Advocacy.
[3:41:46] >> Welcome to Pembroke Pines.
[3:41:47] >> Thank you. I really
[3:41:48] appreciate, and I want
[3:41:49] to say that I concur with
[3:41:50] Mayor Castillo that the work
[3:41:52] of Vice Mayor Hernandez had
[3:41:53] been really a surprisingly good
[3:41:55] surprisely support for the work
[3:41:57] that AARP had been doing
[3:41:59] in regards to FPL. I'm going
[3:42:01] through my talking points
[3:42:02] because I don't want to let
[3:42:04] out any of the points that are
[3:42:05] very important
[3:42:07] for our organization.
[3:42:09] But then I would like
[3:42:10] to expand a little bit on the
[3:42:11] Commissioner's comments
[3:42:14] regarding the work that had
[3:42:15] been done on the field
[3:42:17] with our organization.
[3:42:19] I stand before you today not
[3:42:21] just as an individual,
[3:42:23] but as the voice
[3:42:25] of the millions of Florida
[3:42:28] residents facing the largest
[3:42:30] electric rate increase in
[3:42:32] United States history. And this
[3:42:36] is a very heavy lift because
[3:42:38] really we work
[3:42:40] with many other, as you said,
[3:42:41] many other utility companies
[3:42:43] across the United States. And
[3:42:45] we have a team dedicated just
[3:42:46] to work on these projections.
[3:42:49] And every single utility
[3:42:51] company is waiting
[3:42:52] to see how this play off.
[3:42:53] Florida Power and Light is
[3:42:54] proposing an unjustified rate
[3:42:55] hike that will
[3:42:57] disproportionately affect our
[3:42:59] seniors, low income families
[3:43:01] and those living
[3:43:03] on fixed incomes.
[3:43:05] Under this proposal,
[3:43:06] the minimum base bill for
[3:43:08] residential customers would
[3:43:10] jump from 25 to $30 monthly.
[3:43:12] That will be on the base. And
[3:43:15] this actually will be
[3:43:17] regardless of how much energy
[3:43:21] the customer is using. So
[3:43:23] everybody is going
[3:43:24] to feel the effect
[3:43:26] of this high. But even more
[3:43:27] concerning is that FPL is
[3:43:28] seeking an excessive 11.9%
[3:43:30] return on equity. That's the
[3:43:31] base of of the proposal. Far
[3:43:33] beyond the national average.
[3:43:41] That is 9.5%. That's the reason
[3:43:48] why all the utilities company
[3:43:52] in the nation is waiting
[3:43:58] to see this flagrant push for
[3:44:04] profit will make essential
[3:44:09] necessities like electricity,
[3:44:12] food, transportation, medicine,
[3:44:15] every single expense
[3:44:18] of already struggling families.
[3:44:20] And I want
[3:44:25] to point that the city of
[3:44:27] Penro Pines, as you say,
[3:44:28] the second most populated
[3:44:31] in the region,
[3:44:35] but also is home of 19,479 ARP
[3:44:37] households. And this is
[3:44:39] approximately 28%
[3:44:44] of the total household
[3:44:45] in your city. So it's a good
[3:44:47] reason, including me,
[3:44:49] including you,
[3:44:51] including my mother
[3:44:52] in law and many other
[3:44:54] of my family members. So really
[3:44:55] it is going to impact it. And
[3:44:57] ARP represent the third part
[3:44:58] of your household. And it is a
[3:45:00] good reason for us
[3:45:02] to be excited
[3:45:04] about what you could do. Many
[3:45:06] of these older adults that
[3:45:08] income restricted and they will
[3:45:09] be the most affected.
[3:45:11] Definitely all this rate are
[3:45:12] going to affect a person that
[3:45:13] don't get those incomes raising
[3:45:14] every year when you are
[3:45:16] retired, you probably won. We
[3:45:18] recognize and appreciate the
[3:45:19] leadership of city officials
[3:45:21] in standing up
[3:45:31] for their constituents.
[3:45:33] Especially those who would be
[3:45:34] hit hardest by this proposal.
[3:45:35] As public servant,
[3:45:37] you have the power
[3:45:39] to be a voice
[3:45:41] for your residents. That's why
[3:45:42] we know that the residents rely
[3:45:45] on strong leadership
[3:45:47] to protect them
[3:45:52] from corporate overreach.
[3:45:54] With all respect,
[3:45:57] FPL is not thinking
[3:46:01] about the impact
[3:46:03] of the person that is receiving
[3:46:04] $1,400 a month
[3:46:08] to leave when they are thinking
[3:46:09] to on the profit
[3:46:11] on the investors. I don't think
[3:46:13] with all respect that they are
[3:46:15] going to convince anyone
[3:46:17] different that it is the
[3:46:20] Fair. Way to go. We urge you
[3:46:22] to advocate on behalf
[3:46:25] of your community by signing a
[3:46:27] resolution that encouraged the
[3:46:28] Public Service Commission to
[3:46:29] consciously study FPL ray
[3:46:31] proposal and demand that the
[3:46:34] Public Service Commission reign
[3:46:39] in the excessive return
[3:46:41] on equity that's the base
[3:46:42] of the hike. That's why it's in
[3:46:44] our opinion so important that
[3:46:46] you as electors,
[3:46:47] leaders and leaders
[3:46:48] of a community like Pembroke
[3:46:49] Pines could send a note
[3:46:50] for the PSC. Floridians deserve
[3:46:51] fairness and accountability.
[3:46:53] No unchecked corporate grid.
[3:46:54] This is not simply an issue
[3:46:55] of balancing interest. It is a
[3:46:56] matter of justice. On behalf
[3:46:57] of AARP Florida, I ask you
[3:46:59] to take action, speak for those
[3:47:00] who cannot be here and stand
[3:47:01] with your residents. Thank you.
[3:47:26] >> Thank you so very,
[3:47:27] very much.
[3:47:29] >> Mayor, I would like
[3:47:30] to just expand this on the
[3:47:31] information. I understand your
[3:47:33] concern for the communication
[3:47:35] and education of the customers
[3:47:36] of APL. AARP had been working
[3:47:38] from the beginning, before even
[3:47:39] the proposal was filed. We have
[3:47:42] been working with our members
[3:47:43] and as you can tell, 30% of
[3:47:44] your household have been
[3:47:46] receiving information from AARP
[3:47:48] consistently explaining the
[3:47:51] effect and the reason how this
[3:47:53] proposal has been built up to
[3:47:55] pledge so people can sign and
[3:47:57] understand the process and
[3:47:59] understand what means this
[3:48:00] proposal. They send the
[3:48:02] comments and we are printing
[3:48:03] out every single pledge. Last
[3:48:05] year we did it when other
[3:48:07] proposals like this happened
[3:48:08] two years ago. I'm sorry. And
[3:48:11] we delivered to the meeting
[3:48:14] in August boxes and boxes of
[3:48:18] all the customers signing and
[3:48:20] asking how important is
[3:48:21] to keep low rates
[3:48:23] on the proposal. So education
[3:48:25] has been done,
[3:48:26] the hearing has been done for
[3:48:28] the public service collision.
[3:48:30] Now they need to hear
[3:48:31] from leaders. So that's why
[3:48:33] we're respectfully asking you
[3:48:36] and we literally, you are the
[3:48:41] first city that opened that
[3:48:48] opportunity. Thank you, Vice
[3:48:53] Mayor. We are really thrilled.
[3:48:56] As you could tell,
[3:48:58] all these volunteers on your
[3:48:59] residence had been kind enough
[3:49:01] to be for this long session.
[3:49:02] Very good. Hundred years, we
[3:49:04] don't celebrate every day that
[3:49:05] beautiful birthday,
[3:49:06] but had been kind enough to
[3:49:07] stay here because it matters.
[3:49:21] >> Thank you very,
[3:49:22] very much.
[3:49:23] >> Thank you.
[3:49:24] >> I want you to know I gave
[3:49:26] you additional time because
[3:49:27] you're wearing red and all
[3:49:28] of you are wearing red. So I
[3:49:29] have a feeling that many
[3:49:31] of you have the same point
[3:49:33] of view. Is that
[3:49:34] about right?
[3:49:36] >> Yes, sir.
[3:49:37] >> However, each
[3:49:38] of you has a chance to speak.
[3:49:39] And if there's something that
[3:49:40] you'd like to say that you
[3:49:42] didn't hear already,
[3:49:44] please let us know. The
[3:49:45] consensus that I'm hearing here
[3:49:47] is that we are going to engage
[3:49:48] in a correspondence
[3:49:50] with FP&L inviting them to
[3:49:51] Pembroke Pines
[3:49:53] to explain themselves
[3:49:55] on this issue. We're all going
[3:50:03] to listen very carefully,
[3:50:05] have an opportunity
[3:50:06] to ask questions, and then this
[3:50:08] commission will decide what
[3:50:10] next steps we will take
[3:50:11] on behalf of the residents.
[3:50:13] And I think that that's a very
[3:50:14] good approach at dealing
[3:50:15] with a problem like this over
[3:50:16] which we have no direct
[3:50:18] authority. So I want
[3:50:19] to thank you all
[3:50:20] for your advocacy. We are very,
[3:50:22] very persuaded by
[3:50:24] what you're saying. And we want
[3:50:25] to move this thing
[3:50:27] forward expeditiously. I'd love
[3:50:34] to see a,
[3:50:35] a public hearing held in
[3:50:36] Pembroke Pines of some kind,
[3:50:37] town hall meeting. However it
[3:50:38] is that we frame it sooner
[3:50:39] rather than later.
[3:50:40] >> Mayor, I did want to add,
[3:50:41] though.
[3:50:42] At the appropriate time,
[3:50:44] when I make the motion that,
[3:50:45] that letter that we're talking
[3:50:46] about, it's fine to send
[3:50:48] to the president of Florida
[3:50:50] Power and Life.
[3:50:51] >> However, my preference is,
[3:50:52] of course, that the decision
[3:50:53] making body is the public
[3:50:54] service.
[3:50:56] >> It's FBNL that's going
[3:50:57] to have to present. They're not
[3:50:59] going to come here.
[3:51:00] >> No.
[3:51:02] >> We can do all those things.
[3:51:03] >> Yes.
[3:51:04] >> Okay. Does anyone want to
[3:51:05] say something that we haven't
[3:51:06] heard already? Mr. Salvi,
[3:51:07] please. Madam Clerk, could you
[3:51:08] hand him a microphone,
[3:51:09] please? Thank you.
[3:51:10] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank
[3:51:12] you very much.
[3:51:15] >> Your name for the record,
[3:51:18] please.
[3:51:33] >> My name is Al Salvi. I'm a
[3:51:34] resident of Pembroke Pines,
[3:51:36] Silver Lakes. I'm going
[3:51:37] to say a couple
[3:51:39] of extra things, Mr. Mayor, and
[3:51:42] thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor and
[3:51:45] commissioners today
[3:51:47] for hearing me out. I'm here
[3:51:48] with my colleagues from aarp.
[3:51:50] I'm an AARP member and I'm a
[3:51:52] volunteer. But I want
[3:51:53] to thank the city,
[3:51:55] the great city of Pines. I'm
[3:51:56] very proud to be a resident
[3:51:58] of Pines, being supported by
[3:51:59] such great leadership and our
[3:52:01] leaders. A special thank you
[3:52:03] to Mr. Mike Hernandez, our vice
[3:52:04] mayor, for bringing this as a
[3:52:06] forefront issue and
[3:52:07] spearheading it and
[3:52:09] for bringing attention
[3:52:11] to this very important issue.
[3:52:12] Now, I'm going to say a lot
[3:52:14] of things that may be a little
[3:52:16] bit different than my colleague
[3:52:17] Yvonne. Obviously, this will
[3:52:19] impact 5.8 million people which
[3:52:21] are FPL ratepayers. All right?
[3:52:23] But I am going to talk about a
[3:52:24] little different. I'm going
[3:52:26] to talk about me and how it
[3:52:28] impacts me as a person,
[3:52:30] as a simple person. Okay. I'm
[3:52:31] here
[3:52:32] by today and thanking my
[3:52:33] support of my colleagues. The
[3:52:34] back. We just Spent a couple
[3:52:36] hours here today, and I really,
[3:52:37] really am grateful
[3:52:39] for the support. So I want
[3:52:40] to thank them for doing that.
[3:52:41] But I am opposed to this rate
[3:52:43] increase that will be
[3:52:45] commencing on January 26th
[3:52:46] through 2029. As we talked
[3:52:48] about it, and Jay mentioned
[3:52:49] that it's going to be,
[3:52:50] or everyone mentioned about a
[3:52:58] $9 billion increase
[3:52:59] for the FPL,
[3:53:01] which is a base rate of 22%,
[3:53:02] from 25 to $30 a month. $20.
[3:53:03] 25 to $30 on the base rate,
[3:53:05] which is going
[3:53:06] to affect us no matter what.
[3:53:08] Okay. Which is going
[3:53:10] to accurately account to me
[3:53:11] for about another $360. Now I'm
[3:53:13] going to go
[3:53:15] into something personal,
[3:53:16] and I want everybody to
[3:53:18] understand where I'm coming
[3:53:19] from. Okay? My Social
[3:53:20] Security Cola increase in 2025
[3:53:21] was 2.5%. My COLA increase
[3:53:22] projected for 2026 will be
[3:53:24] 2.3%. That's what I'm hearing
[3:53:25] about. That's not substantially
[3:53:27] a lot of money for someone in
[3:53:28] Social Security. And I'm here
[3:53:30] also representing seniors in
[3:53:31] Century Village, which Mike and
[3:53:32] I know very well, that are
[3:53:34] hurting really big time. And
[3:53:35] I'm a senior,
[3:53:37] but also a disabled senior,
[3:53:38] and I'm really hurting
[3:53:40] by this. And right now, one
[3:53:42] of the things I want
[3:53:44] to talk about,
[3:53:45] and specifically I want
[3:53:47] to mention is about this
[3:53:49] demonstration that I have here.
[3:53:51] That medication right there,
[3:53:55] okay, on 2024, I paid $20
[3:53:57] for it. Right? Now, this
[3:53:58] medication that you see right
[3:54:00] there, which is 28 pills
[3:54:02] in that bottle, cost me $450
[3:54:04] in 2025. Why? Because Medicare
[3:54:06] has dropped it
[3:54:08] off the formulary. So I've gone
[3:54:09] from something critical
[3:54:11] in my life from $20 to $450 a
[3:54:12] month. Now I can't afford it.
[3:54:14] So the way I get these pills is
[3:54:16] through my doctor. He gives it
[3:54:18] to me as samples. You see,
[3:54:19] there's no prescription
[3:54:21] on it. These are samples that I
[3:54:23] have to ask my doctor.
[3:54:24] In order
[3:54:26] to get healthy or stay healthy,
[3:54:28] in order to survive, I have to
[3:54:30] get samples because I can't
[3:54:32] afford that. So how do you
[3:54:33] expect me to pay $360 more
[3:54:35] annually for FPL? And all they
[3:54:36] do is provide electricity.
[3:54:38] What this is going to do
[3:54:39] to me is I'm going to have
[3:54:40] to make choice. Either I
[3:54:41] survive on that or I pay my
[3:54:43] electric bill. Now, they're
[3:54:44] both needed and critical
[3:54:47] for someone like me. Same thing
[3:54:49] for seniors. Well, these are
[3:54:50] the choices that we all have
[3:54:54] to make as seniors. Now, some
[3:54:55] of us gonna have
[3:54:57] to determine are we gonna stay
[3:54:58] on that medication or we're
[3:55:01] gonna have to skip doses or
[3:55:03] we're gonna have
[3:55:04] to stop eating,
[3:55:06] or we're gonna have to pay
[3:55:07] electric bills that are higher,
[3:55:08] all because
[3:55:09] of corporate greed. And that's
[3:55:10] why I need your support as
[3:55:11] leadership. And you're all
[3:55:13] great people,
[3:55:14] and you're all great leaders.
[3:55:15] And I know you understand and
[3:55:16] you know I'm a simple man, and
[3:55:17] I'll support each and every one
[3:55:18] of you here. But I need your
[3:55:19] support as both myself as an
[3:55:21] individual for the seniors in
[3:55:22] Century Village and in
[3:55:24] Pembroke Pines, as great
[3:55:25] residents they are.
[3:55:27] But I also want
[3:55:28] to support my colleagues
[3:55:30] in aarp, which are supporting
[3:55:31] me as an organization because
[3:55:33] they know what's the right
[3:55:34] thing to do. So I asked this
[3:55:36] committee and this commission
[3:55:37] to consider a resolution or
[3:55:39] letter, a formal letter
[3:55:41] to the psc. Okay? Right. Now,
[3:55:42] I've attended several PSC
[3:55:44] hearings,
[3:55:46] and it's been a disgrace.
[3:55:47] Every single one of the people
[3:55:48] that have gone up there have
[3:55:52] been business owners all
[3:55:54] in favor of FPL. And the reason
[3:55:55] they're in favor is because
[3:55:57] they're going
[3:55:58] to pass those costs directly
[3:55:59] on to us. So we're going
[3:56:01] to get double hit. We're going
[3:56:02] to get it
[3:56:03] in the personal life,
[3:56:04] and we're going to get it from
[3:56:05] businesses because they're not
[3:56:06] going to absorb that. They're
[3:56:08] just going to put it
[3:56:09] on their cost and say, hey,
[3:56:10] you know what? We're getting an
[3:56:11] 11.9%. We're going
[3:56:13] to pass that right down
[3:56:15] to the customer. Let them pay
[3:56:17] for that 11.9. Just
[3:56:18] like corporate,
[3:56:20] everything else corporate. And
[3:56:23] I'm asking you right now, guys,
[3:56:25] we're going to get hit hard.
[3:56:29] It's the largest increase
[3:56:31] in US history, and people
[3:56:33] like me will not be able
[3:56:34] to get through it. I may have
[3:56:35] to move out of Pembroke Pines
[3:56:37] if this continues
[3:56:38] in this forum,
[3:56:39] because everyone knows the cost
[3:56:40] of living has gone up.
[3:56:42] But my cost
[3:56:43] of living adjustments for
[3:56:44] Social Security is at 2.3%.
[3:56:46] The numbers are not
[3:56:47] sustainable. Thank you very
[3:56:48] much.
[3:56:49] >> Thank you, Mr. Salvi. Very
[3:56:50] powerful. Thank you very much.
[3:56:51] And thank you for your love
[3:56:52] of community. Yes, ma' am. If
[3:56:53] you can come forward and that's
[3:56:54] all right. If you could just
[3:56:56] push that button. You give us
[3:56:57] your name and address
[3:56:58] for the record, please.
[3:56:59] >> Good afternoon. My name is
[3:57:00] Deborah Wilson. I live at
[3:57:01] 13001 Southwest 11th Court,
[3:57:02] which is in Century Village.
[3:57:03] So thank you, Mr. Hernandez,
[3:57:04] for being our representative.
[3:57:06] I'm here today to tell you guys
[3:57:07] there's no way now,
[3:57:09] probably me personally, I may
[3:57:11] be able
[3:57:12] to absorb the price hike and
[3:57:15] Just have to decide to do a
[3:57:17] little less than what I had
[3:57:19] planned on doing at this stage
[3:57:21] of my life. But however I know
[3:57:24] my neighbors that won't be able
[3:57:26] to. And so I stand here
[3:57:28] before you and I won't go
[3:57:30] through my whole speech that I
[3:57:31] have prepared. But I do want to
[3:57:34] tell you not only do I am I
[3:57:36] retired,
[3:57:38] I'm also a cancer survivor.
[3:57:40] Three times cancer survivor.
[3:57:46] >> God bless you.
[3:57:47] >> Blood cancer, cancer
[3:57:48] of the bladder,
[3:57:50] last one was cancer
[3:57:52] of the uterus. They had to do a
[3:57:53] complete hysterectomy. I stand
[3:57:55] before you a person that my
[3:57:57] medical bills and my medicine
[3:58:00] and all treatments that I have
[3:58:02] to have is the biggest impact
[3:58:03] on my pocket
[3:58:05] in the last five years. I've
[3:58:07] had to decide, no,
[3:58:09] I'm not going on vacation. I'm
[3:58:11] making sure that I can pay my
[3:58:13] bills. The last notification
[3:58:15] that I got from Cleveland
[3:58:18] Clinic says now that if I don't
[3:58:19] have the money that I have
[3:58:21] to pay in order
[3:58:23] to see the doctor, they will
[3:58:26] reschedule my appointment.
[3:58:28] They're not going to let me go
[3:58:29] see the doctor unless I pay the
[3:58:31] amount that needs to be paid
[3:58:33] to the doctor. This is their
[3:58:36] new thing. So I don't have a
[3:58:38] choice. I know that FPNL is a
[3:58:39] wonderful company, I agree.
[3:58:41] But it's a monopoly. We don't
[3:58:44] have a choice. When the egg
[3:58:46] price went up to $10, I told my
[3:58:48] son, guess what? We're going
[3:58:51] for cereal. We're not eating
[3:58:56] eggs every morning. We can make
[3:59:00] those kind of choices
[3:59:03] for the prices of groceries.
[3:59:05] We can't make that kind
[3:59:08] of choice for the price of 40
[3:59:09] pound life. We need the power.
[3:59:12] I don't know if anyone here
[3:59:14] in Florida that could live
[3:59:15] without ac. I know I can't. So
[3:59:17] I thank you. This is not, you
[3:59:18] know, a bashing. We're not
[3:59:20] trying to bash Florida Power
[3:59:22] Life. We're just asking them
[3:59:27] to be fair and to be just and
[3:59:30] that they look again
[3:59:32] at their increase. And just so
[3:59:34] that you know, I've been
[3:59:36] to three, two. I'm sorry, two
[3:59:39] of the commission,
[3:59:41] the public commission forum.
[3:59:42] There was one today online.
[3:59:44] There are two tomorrow online
[3:59:46] at 10am and at 2pm. There are
[3:59:48] also forms that the public can
[3:59:53] complete and send
[3:59:55] to them because just like Al
[3:59:56] said, there were people there
[3:59:59] that our fourth Florida Power
[4:00:01] light and they are saying it's
[4:00:02] okay for them
[4:00:04] to raise their rate.
[4:00:09] Of course they're not going
[4:00:13] to have to pay it. They're
[4:00:14] going to pass it down
[4:00:16] to the customers.
[4:00:17] But we who have to pay have
[4:00:19] to Let the commissioners know,
[4:00:20] hey, this is not okay
[4:00:21] with us. Unless we get
[4:00:23] multitude of people saying this
[4:00:25] is not okay, it's going
[4:00:27] to pass. And if it passes,
[4:00:28] we're going to have to pay. I
[4:00:30] thank you and have a good
[4:00:31] evening.
[4:00:33] >> Thank you very, very much
[4:00:34] for your important and
[4:00:36] penetrating comments. Vice
[4:00:39] Mayor, I would turn to you now
[4:00:42] for a motion,
[4:00:43] however it is that you'd like
[4:00:44] to make it.
[4:00:49] >> One point of clarification
[4:00:50] from Commissioner Good. Your
[4:00:51] recommendation was two tiered.
[4:00:52] I forgot because we spoke a
[4:00:55] little while ago.
[4:00:56] >> You spoke
[4:00:58] about a letter and then.
[4:00:59] >> Yes, I stated that the
[4:01:01] letter would be time certain
[4:01:03] response. And if you know,
[4:01:05] based on either the response or
[4:01:08] no response,
[4:01:10] then we would have a decision
[4:01:12] to make to...
[4:01:14] >> Make a resolution and the
[4:01:16] letter to whom? Because we've
[4:01:19] heard PSC, we've heard FPC,
[4:01:26] PSC.
[4:01:28] >> And to add to that, I think
[4:01:29] just like we would do when any
[4:01:31] petition, every one
[4:01:32] of us signs that letter.
[4:01:34] >> Okay, so I have
[4:01:35] to repeat this all back. So I
[4:01:43] may ask you for something. My
[4:01:45] motion is to prepare a letter
[4:01:47] on behalf of the City of
[4:01:49] Pembroke Pines Commission. Nod
[4:01:51] your head if I'm saying...
[4:01:53] Yes?
[4:01:56] >> Yeah, I would say not
[4:01:59] on behalf, but from the City
[4:02:03] of Pembroke Pines.
[4:02:04] >> My motion is a letter
[4:02:06] from the City of Pembroke
[4:02:07] Pines Commission to the
[4:02:09] Public Service Commission
[4:02:11] opposing a rate increase. The
[4:02:13] proposed rate increase date
[4:02:16] certain of July 31st.
[4:02:20] >> I thought the date certain
[4:02:23] was well for them to P and L.
[4:02:25] We're never going
[4:02:27] to get a response from the
[4:02:31] Public Service Commission.
[4:02:32] >> I would have to disagree
[4:02:34] with that. Public Service
[4:02:35] Commission regulates the
[4:02:37] utilities.
[4:02:38] >> Well, most likely they're
[4:02:41] going to say thank you
[4:02:44] for writing to the Public
[4:02:45] Service Commission. We have
[4:02:47] your letter and we wish you
[4:02:48] well. Yes, probably what we're
[4:02:49] going to get.
[4:02:51] >> But you're on record.
[4:02:52] >> But my understanding was,
[4:02:53] and then, and indeed we are.
[4:02:54] However, my understanding was
[4:02:56] that there was a desire
[4:02:57] for inviting Florida Par and
[4:02:58] Light to come to Pembroke
[4:02:59] Pines. Great.
[4:03:00] >> So we could do two letters.
[4:03:01] How about this? Here's my
[4:03:03] motion. My motion is,
[4:03:04] and you tell me if I'm wrong,
[4:03:05] Tom. A letter from the City
[4:03:06] of Pembroke Pines Commission
[4:03:07] to the Public Service
[4:03:08] Commission opposing the rate
[4:03:09] increase. And also a letter
[4:03:10] from the mayor of the City of
[4:03:11] Pembroke Pines on behalf
[4:03:13] of the City Commission
[4:03:14] to the president of Florida
[4:03:15] Power and Light inviting them
[4:03:17] to have a public forum
[4:03:18] within the City of Pembroke
[4:03:19] Pines explaining and justifying
[4:03:20] their rate increase prior
[4:03:21] to their hearings in August
[4:03:22] of 2025 in front of the
[4:03:23] Public Service Commission. I'm
[4:03:24] looking at Commissioner
[4:03:25] Rodriguez.
[4:03:26] >> Is there a second?
[4:03:27] >> Second.
[4:03:28] >> There's a motion and a
[4:03:29] second. Any discussion?
[4:03:30] >> I would simply ask, Vice
[4:03:31] Mayor, you being this close to
[4:03:33] the issue and having done this
[4:03:34] research,
[4:03:35] if you could together
[4:03:36] with the city attorney,
[4:03:37] craft this language
[4:03:38] for this letter
[4:03:39] on our behalf, are you willing
[4:03:40] to do that?
[4:03:41] >> Yes.
[4:03:42] >> Thank you very much. Any
[4:03:43] further discussion? Any
[4:03:44] from the public seeing? None.
[4:03:45] All those
[4:03:46] in favor say aye.
[4:03:47] >> Aye.
[4:03:48] >> Any opposed? Show passes
[4:03:49] unanimously. Thank you very
[4:03:50] much for your item. There's no
[4:03:55] commission audit report. There
[4:03:59] are no appeals of the Board
[4:04:00] of Adjustment. I will be
[4:04:01] appointing the following
[4:04:03] regular member and alternative
[4:04:05] member to the Economic
[4:04:06] Development Advisory Board,
[4:04:08] Scott Joiner, presently an
[4:04:10] alternate member,
[4:04:11] will be appointed to serve as
[4:04:13] the regular member. I want
[4:04:15] to thank Norm Taylor
[4:04:18] for his years of service
[4:04:19] to the city of Pembroke Pines
[4:04:22] on that board. He is unable to
[4:04:24] continue serving and we wish
[4:04:26] him all the very, very best.
[4:04:28] Additionally, I am appointing
[4:04:29] George McLean, who applied
[4:04:32] to serve as the alternate
[4:04:34] to the Economic Development
[4:04:37] Board. I want to thank both
[4:04:39] of them. The consent agenda
[4:04:42] today.
[4:04:46] >> Mr. Mayor?
[4:04:47] >> Yes, sir?
[4:04:48] >> I'm sorry.
[4:04:49] Before we do consent, because
[4:04:50] we're doing board appointments.
[4:04:51] Why don't we just do item 14?
[4:04:52] >> Yes, sir, 14.
[4:04:53] >> We have item 14 in front
[4:04:56] of us. Hold on. Commission
[4:05:01] appointment
[4:05:03] of one regular member to the
[4:05:05] economic development board
[4:05:07] for a two year term pursuant
[4:05:08] to chapter 32.123 (C) and the
[4:05:10] applicant is Tisha Harris
[4:05:11] Baker. Is there a motion?
[4:05:19] >> So moved, Mr. Mayor.
[4:05:21] >> Moved by Commissioner
[4:05:22] Good. Is there a second?
[4:05:23] >> I'll second.
[4:05:24] >> Seconded by Commissioner
[4:05:26] Rodriguez. Any discussion?
[4:05:27] >> Yes. A quick question.
[4:05:28] >> Yes.
[4:05:29] >> For the applicant.
[4:05:31] >> The applicant here?
[4:05:32] >> Yes.
[4:05:34] >> Can you come forward,
[4:05:36] please? Your name and address
[4:05:39] for the record, please. If you
[4:05:43] could just press the...
[4:05:48] There's a button there that...
[4:05:51] You're on.
[4:05:53] >> Tisha Harris Baker. 9956
[4:05:54] Southwest 16th Street.
[4:05:55] >> Commissioner Schwartz.
[4:05:57] >> Thank you so much
[4:05:59] for the application
[4:06:00] in the resume. Your employer?
[4:06:02] >> Right.
[4:06:05] >> Did you have to go
[4:06:10] through any process to serve
[4:06:11] on a city board? Is there any
[4:06:12] prior approval required?
[4:06:14] >> No.
[4:06:17] >> Okay. And you're aware
[4:06:19] of the time and day
[4:06:21] of the meetings?
[4:06:23] >> Yes.
[4:06:24] >> There won't be a conflict
[4:06:25] with your current employment,
[4:06:27] correct?
[4:06:29] >> No. Correct.
[4:06:31] >> I'm happy
[4:06:33] to support you.
[4:06:35] >> Thank you. Any further
[4:06:36] discussion? All those
[4:06:37] in favor say aye.
[4:06:38] >> Aye.
[4:06:39] >> Any opposed? It passes
[4:06:40] unanimously. I want to
[4:06:41] congratulate you and thank you
[4:06:42] for your service to the City
[4:06:43] of Pembroke Pines. And we'll
[4:06:44] all be talking soon.
[4:06:46] >> Thank you very much.
[4:06:47] >> Thank you.
[4:06:48] >> Congratulations. Good night.
[4:06:51] Thank you
[4:06:52] for staying and thank you
[4:06:53] for pointing that out, Vice
[4:06:55] Mayor. That was a very elegant
[4:06:56] way to get all
[4:06:58] of the appointments done. The
[4:07:00] consent agenda today, well,
[4:07:01] it consists of items 1
[4:07:03] through 13. What's your
[4:07:09] pleasure? Are there any pulls?
[4:07:13] >> Without objection.
[4:07:17] I motion to approve the
[4:07:19] consent agenda.
[4:07:20] >> Are there any pulls? A
[4:07:22] motion's been made
[4:07:23] to approve the consent agenda.
[4:07:24] Is there a second?
[4:07:25] >> Second.
[4:07:27] >> Seconded by Commissioner
[4:07:29] Rodriguez. Any discussion? Any
[4:07:30] from the public? Seeing none.
[4:07:32] All those
[4:07:33] in favor say aye.
[4:07:34] >> Aye.
[4:07:35] >> Any opposed? Show passes
[4:07:37] unanimously.
[4:07:38] >> City Manager's report?
[4:07:47] >> No items, Mayor.
[4:07:51] >> City attorney report?
[4:07:53] >> Not tonight, Mayor,
[4:07:55] but thank you.
[4:07:57] >> Thank you so very much.
[4:08:00] Reports
[4:08:02] of the league and MPO. Any
[4:08:04] reports?
[4:08:05] >> No specific reports. Just a
[4:08:06] reminder,
[4:08:08] from my understanding,
[4:08:10] there is a meeting, a
[4:08:11] director's luncheon tomorrow.
[4:08:12] >> Yeah. And that would be the
[4:08:13] Broward League?
[4:08:14] >> Yes, I will be attending.
[4:08:15] All y'all can can go. What I'd
[4:08:16] like to see going forward,
[4:08:17] Mayor, if possible, is that the
[4:08:18] league agenda be shared with
[4:08:20] the entire commission going
[4:08:23] forward. Right now,
[4:08:25] it's a link that we're getting,
[4:08:29] and unless the director can't
[4:08:31] make it, then the alternate.
[4:08:35] It's relatively easy for
[4:08:38] Cellie
[4:08:41] to go ahead and send that
[4:08:46] to us. And that would just be
[4:08:47] my general request. I'm also
[4:08:48] requesting that the city
[4:08:49] attorney, through the league,
[4:08:51] advised the most recent OIG
[4:08:52] scenario. There are cities that
[4:08:54] are currently unaware of the
[4:08:55] Form 9, and we certainly want
[4:08:56] to make sure that they're aware
[4:08:57] of that and that will be it.
[4:08:58] I'll report back
[4:09:03] in two weeks.
[4:09:18] >> Thanks. Commissioner
[4:09:19] Rodriguez, could you ask the
[4:09:22] league to copy all the city
[4:09:24] commissioners on the.
[4:09:26] >> Yeah, moving forward.
[4:09:28] I can do that.
[4:09:32] And then their annual
[4:09:34] appointment meeting. Sorry, I
[4:09:35] forgot the name of it,
[4:09:38] but it's Saturday.
[4:09:39] >> The State League.
[4:09:40] >> The swearing in for
[4:09:41] Broward.
[4:09:42] >> Oh, the swearing in for
[4:09:43] Broward. Right.
[4:09:44] >> That's going to be at
[4:09:45] Margaritaville this Saturday.
[4:09:46] >> Is everybody going? Are you
[4:09:48] going, Commissioner Good?
[4:09:49] >> I'm going. I'm just having a
[4:09:52] tough time
[4:09:54] with the dress code.
[4:09:55] >> Yeah.
[4:09:56] >> Description.
[4:09:57] >> What is the dress?
[4:09:59] >> It's Margaritaville.
[4:10:01] >> So it's suit and tie.
[4:10:03] >> Sandals.
[4:10:05] >> Yeah.
[4:10:08] >> Okay. Anything else?
[4:10:09] Anything
[4:10:11] from the MPO this time? Okay,
[4:10:17] this meeting's adjourned.
[4:10:18] Thank you.