[Roll call]
>> Good afternoon.
This meeting has been noticed as in-person and virtual.
The public may join by calling or entering the code.
Procedure for public comment will be explained in a moment.
Information for each item on the agenda is available online .
Anyone interested is also invited to call 954 --
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and what you are here to speak about.
I ask that everyone on the call please mute your phones
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If you experience technical difficulties,
our staff is available to assist you.
Open discussion.
Is there anyone here in the audience or By phone that --
>> I wanted to address specifically traffic,
because I read the staff report.
I think that's on there number six,
and it was given somewhat short shrift.
Essentially, it was saying that the development as was being
proposed by that site projects 20% reduction of traffic,
give or take.
And it doesn't really go into where the assumption is from.
Of course, it spoke to additional things
that may be happening relative to the change
and some other traffic, maybe engineering things.
And I was a little disappointed because it says --
Because of the additional traffic coming
we don't have to do any effect to local streets and so on.
It boggles my mind that we could build the square feet on that
side in addition to 1400, and that's the commercial slash --
>> Are you talking about Westerra or the arena?
>> This is Westerra.
>> So we are doing both at the same time?
>> We are doing Westerra, and then we are going to recess
the LPA because there will be a broader discussion as you are
pointing out.
We will reopen that at that time.
So Westerra is right now.
So if you have a comment on the garage.
>> The garage issue and the way it's written talks about
building the garage cannot be more height off the --
it could be read to read that we are trying to limit
the development of the garage.
That could be one way of reading it,
or the other way of reading it could be you can build a garage
of any size without going past the maximum of 15ft.
That could go to address whether it's
a limit to the size of the garage
or if it's sort of a window that you can build it,
because I know we have a site plan also.
Consider comment and that may tell us --
>> Thank you comment Mr. Douglas.
Mr. Lebowski.
>> So the item we are talking about is the development
agreement and the site plan.
The development agreement covers in essence
the whole project of the site and talks
about generality in terms of standards
throughout the project.
The specifics related to the site plan
aren't handled in the site plan, which is later on.
But the question for Mr. Douglas related to
is a general state mandate, essentially what
he said is you don't have a garage that's
larger than the building that it's
next to from an aesthetic standpoint.
>> In terms of the development agreement,
it makes it clear that it can't be higher.
Any further comments or questions from the audience
on that?
Any comments from my colleagues?
Commissioner Scuotto.
Joseph Scuotto: I think the comments from residents --
to make sure it is not going to affect any of the properties
and totally encapsulated (Indistinct) --
kind of like this.
We also work with the garages to make them look esthetically
pleasing for those driving by.
It looked like the headquarter hotel and business that we
wouldn't have --
I want to commend Shannon and my staff (Indistinct) --
you really watched this .
This is going to be a huge site.
This is the first part of the site. (Indistinct) Westerra,
totally different.
This is going go into the other lots, possibly the second
or third or fifth.
Going forward, everything else has to follow.
Looking at residential, whether your office or --
so I think we are going in the right direction.
You were up here with me when we did the --
I'm sure you'll agree with us that staff has made sure
(Indistinct), and I'm saying, you know that anything that
wasn't aesthetically pleasing --
>> Commissioner Scuotto, can you make sure your mic is on?
They can't hear you online.
Commissioner Scuotto: I just want
to make sure that we hear your comments and all of us know
and staff knows that this development can
be the start of what's coming in that area,
and we're gonna make sure that it's
gonna start off the right way, because eventually
the property that's next to it could also be redeveloped
which would be double the size of what they are starting with.
So I'm excited as being up here for a long period of time to see
this really to start moving, and I think setting this tone
and setting this place and making sure
that staff and Shannon and her people are on this, seven story.
It's got a nice mix.
It looks good.
We are not approving some slop residential to start off.
It's going to be to me very high end in that area,
starting with what we had with Nexus and Emily and portico,
and now this is going to be the next new version.
So I thank staff.
I hear you.
I promise that we will be all over this like flies on --
to make sure it's going to be on this.
That's what I meant.
Blueberry pie.
Thank you for bringing that up.
Mayor Ryan: Any further comments?
All right.
Call the question.
[Counting votes]
Mayor Ryan: Item passes 5 to 0.
In concern with the applicant, what
I suggest to my colleagues is we will recess LP A
and open five A and 12 C after we
deal with some other issues, that may garner some discussion.
Any comment on that?
Motion to recess the LP a by Commissioner Scuotto.
All those in favor, say aye.
>> Aye.
Mayor Ryan: We will reopen that.
All thanks to the applicant in that regard.
Let us know when you are ready.
>> I'm ready, sir.
[Roll call]
Mayor Ryan: Good afternoon.
This meeting has been noticed in person and virtual.
The public may call to participate.
Procedures for public participation
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Information for each item on the agenda
is available at City Hall and online 24 hours a day.
Anyone interested is also invited
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When you become a please give your name
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Everyone mute your phones before you wish to speak
and anyone experiencing technical difficulties
can call at any time.
Our staff is available to assist you.
As we do before each meeting, it's
an opportunity for us as a community and individually
to stand at a moment of silence before the pledge.
We always take the opportunity for us
to maybe reflect on our own lives
some of the things we are going through,
maybe things that folks in our lives around us
and the shoes we walk in sometimes
are going through as well.
We also know that it's an opportunity for us to reflect,
and I ask Commissioner Kerch to go ahead and raise
the issue of one of our employees
who's going through a very difficult time right now.
Needs the support, love, empathy and compassion.
Commissioner Kerch: I happen to run into a long employees
wife informed mthat one of our one of our longtime employees
is going through several types of cancer.
If you are a friend or know Carl.
Reach out to his family.
Mayor Ryan: Just a friendly touch
and to connect, whether you are staff
or just happen to know them.
It's also an opportunity for us to reflect
that since we were together last,
some members of our sunrise family have passed on.
This past break has been pretty painful for the sunrise family.
We lost Andy Alsina, our evidence technician.
Andy had battled cancer.
He was in the midst of fighting back.
In fact, he was ready to come back to work,
and he passed unexpectedly.
Began his career with the city of sunrise
in 2013 as a public service aide,
and with his dedication, his commitment to excellence,
and his commitment to the mission of the police
department, he was promoted to evidence technician in 2022.
He had over 13 years of service.
He was recognized by his colleagues and the leadership
and professionalism, his wide dedication,
his steadfast commitment to serving our community.
Outside of work, Andy was a devoted father
to his three children, his loving fiance, his cherished
son.
He was a cherished son, brother, and friend.
His coworkers, it's been particularly painful,
because they know his kindness, his strength, his courage
through his battle, and his unwavering commitment to those,
even up to the end who gave an impression for those
who knew him.
This last week, we lost Frank Varady
who passed suddenly and completely unexpectedly.
Those who know Frank, he was in better shape than most of us
despite having worked 32 years in the city of sunrise.
He began his career in 1994 as a utility mechanic.
Throughout his distinguished career,
he ultimately passed through five different positions,
serving as field section operations chief.
Really a reflection on his leadership and the trust
he earned when he demonstrated to his colleagues
and his exceptional contributions
that he made to the utility department
and to our community at large so that we could take for granted
all the utilities does.
He was an outstanding leader.
He was respected, a mentor, respected colleague
and genuine friend.
He was humble.
He always had a willingness to help.
His loss is really devastating the utilities department
because he helped to shape our current utilities
department in every way and inspired the next generation
of employees.
Our condolences go out to Frank's wife, siblings family
and friends come at the family that
worked with him for so long and to the entire utilities
Department.
And it's with deep sadness that those who don't know,
we announce and acknowledge the death of one of our Sunrise
Police officers, Sandra McWilliams.
She passed yesterday.
She was a dedicated member of the Sunrise Police Department,
a commitment to serving others in community left an enduring
legacy, not just on those who she served with,
but on those who she served for.
She joined the department in 2019 as a police recruit
and served our residents for seven years,
working as a police officer and road patrol
and most recently school resource officer in Bear.
Her outstanding service was recognized with numerous awards,
including the chief's Achievement Award,
the Life Saving Award, the Community Service Award,
the Good Conduct Award, and in 2024,
the Sunrise Hero Award from the Sunrise Chamber of Commerce.
She will be remembered not only as an exemplary police officer,
but for her radiant smile and compassionate
spirit and her unwavering willingness
to help others while on shift and while off shift.
We extend our condolences to her mother who is bravely
battling advanced cancer and could not
be here to travel with the rest of the family, siblings who
are in town and family and friends and the Sunrise Police
Department family.
We also grieve with officer McWilliams
family and loved ones and colleagues and community
who have been affected.
We honor her life and service a profound loss for all those
who knew her and had the blessing to be in her orbit.
Tonight, we have to acknowledge that officer McWilliams died
by suicide.
This is difficult to speak about,
and it may be painfully triggering for some of you here.
If you need to step out or take a moment to care for yourself
or separate, please do.
Someone here is here to talk to you.
As I struggle against the momentum to brush over this,
I've learned that silence is explained
by the families of those who have grieved
in the aftermath and counselors who work with families and help
people.
That silence can unintentionally cause suicide or make suicide
a source of shame, even for those left behind in grief.
It is a devastating loss.
It's a reminder to all of us that pain
can be hidden, even in people who
are strong and respected and loved and deeply
committed to serving others.
If you are struggling or you are concerned about somebody else,
please reach out.
Speak with someone you trust, a friend, family member, a faith
leader, a peer support or crisis service.
Asking for help is not weakness.
It's an act of courage.
And know that there are those who love you and want
to be there for you.
You can call or text 988 for confidential 24 hour crisis
support.
Here in Broward County, you can call 9211.
If it's an immediate emergency, whether you
are the one struggling or you know someone who is, call 911.
No one needs to carry this alone.
Officer McWilliams legacy of dedication and community
will always be cherished.
Her death does not erase the good that she was all about
and still is in our hearts, the compassion, the empathy,
the love she brought to children, families, victims,
coworkers, and our community lives on
and so many of our sunrise family,
and we will always be grateful for her and the time
that she was in our lives.
If you would please stand for a moment of Silence
before the pledge.
Please join the Commission for the Pledge of Allegiance.
>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
of America, and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
Mayor Ryan: We have some amazing presentations tonight.
Please don't let the introduction
to this meeting detract from what
is incredibly exciting and important of what we
are going to do tonight.
There's a lot of people here to make
a difference in our community, to celebrate and continue
to be part of our sunrise family and making us
a better community.
Deputy Mayor, if you could read the first one.
Deputy Mayor Guzman: Yes.
Thank you.
Proclamation declaring July 2026 --
>> So we first have fibroid awareness month.
Represented by Lisa Dunkley.
Come on up.
Let's give her a round of applause.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: All right.
We have our state representative from sunrise
here with us tonight.
Come on up.
Let's give her another round of applause.
She's up there doing tough work in Tallahassee
[Applause] And we are greatly appreciative of the sacrifice
that you give, and I want to make sure
you all understand that she's also a veteran.
She's also someone who served on our Veterans Advisory board.
So she's basically homegrown for sunrise.
She's up there doing her work.
I really appreciate that you are here tonight.
I'll hand it over to you to talk about why
this is important for us today.
>> Thank you, mayor, and the rest of the commission
and our assistant Deputy Mayor to help make sure that this is
heard.
So this staff legislative session,
just to put a little bit of a picture,
a few years ago, one of our former legislators
brought forth the fibroid awareness month
because so many women struggle with fibroid and one
of the things our commission Deputy Mayor Guzman
expressed later in which I was carrying that bill,
I figured out that I had fibroids as well.
So it's like a silent killer in our community.
I call it a killer because it inhibits so many
of the lives of the women around us.
We look healthy and strong.
However, this is a very big issue for us.
So we carried the bill on behalf of fibroids for three years.
So the legislature which directed the Department
of Health to be able to fund research for fibroids awareness,
they didn't do that.
In my ten year, I started following where the money was,
only to find out that they never did
what they were supposed to do.
So in this year in the legislature after three years,
we are able to get funding back to the tune of $994,000 to be
able to fund research for fibroids in the state of Florida
and to have billboards presented.
[Applause] I am honored to continue the legacy of women
before me who carried that fibroid bill so we
are able to recognize Fibroid Awareness Month, which is
July in the state of Florida.
Mayor Ryan: One more big round of applause.
[Applause] So much of the work you do in Tallahassee
can feel very difficult, and it's
hard to see the results in something like this.
You know at some point it will save a life.
That's why it's important to fight for,
and I am glad you are here to accept this.
It is so rich that you are able to do this.
We have to do work with the rest of the community
to make sure others are recognizing this.
I thank my colleagues for being for this.
It is my honor to declare it uterine Sunrise Awareness Month.
They are the most common medical conditions affecting
women of reproductive age.
Whereas research indicates that by the age of 50 up to 80%
of women will develop at least one uterine fibroid comment
with black women disproportionately affected
having higher rates and symptoms at an earlier age.
Whereas fibroids can cause severe symptoms including
menstrual bleeding, frequent pain common
back pain, anemia, and reproductive dysfunction
which significantly impacts the quality of life.
Due to a lack of open dialog and widespread misinformation,
a lot of women suffer in silence, normalize their pain
or choose surgical options like hysterectomy
by providers who are not aware that non-surgical options exist.
Whereas increasing education and advocacy can empower individuals
to seek timely medical attention and improve health outcomes
for those affected by uterine fibroids, whereas in 2026,
the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1515,
sponsored by Lisa Dunkley that was signed into law
by the governor ensuring that personal identifying information
and medical records are exempt from medical record disclosure
requirements, thereby -- allowing greater participation.
She has helped to enhance database collection
and improve health outcomes.
Me and my colleagues on the commission
declare it uterine fibroids awareness month
in the city of sunrise and I encourage you all
to learn about the treatment options and symptoms of fibroids
to help foster open and informed conversations to promote
women's health and well-being.
Thank you once again.
Let's give her a big round of applause.
[Applause] All right.
All right.
One more time.
Big round of applause.
Thank you.
Deputy Mayor Guzman: Proclamation declaring it
a sunrise day, Commissioner Neal C Kerch
and Commissioner Scuotto.
Mayor Ryan: Give some applause.
You're about to --
[Applause] You're about to meet someone
you're gonna want to get autographs from.
Holy cow.
Hi.
How are you?
Nice to see you.
You already got the sense because you
could hear the clinking of real gold medals by the way.
Chief, just make sure she gets out of here safe.
A really special star, and someone
is going to make you feel like you should get up off your seat
and do more because what she has accomplished already
is incredibly special.
I'm gonna hand it over to Kevin to introduce,
but we are honored that you are here tonight.
>> Thank you, mayor.
Kevin, Director of Leisure Services.
Over my career here, I've introduced many, many youth
athletes.
This one is really special.
The mayor has a great proclamation
that he's gonna read, and you are
going to hear about all of her accomplishments
so you are aware of the level of talent we are talking about.
Miss Aaliyah is, in all honesty, one of our country's rising
track stars.
Her times are at the top of eight
you girls 100 meter and 200 meter.
So sometimes we joke around and say
we know you are going to be a superstar.
You've already got a superstar here in sunrise,
and the pictures that you all are taking,
I think that those pictures will probably be something serious
for everybody in a few years.
You can hear the metal.
She's a three time AAU gold medalist.
Excuse me, National gold medalist, 11 time AAU
All-American.
I'll be honest, usually we are recognizing our sunrise kids,
and then they become big.
We are a little late on this one.
Aaliyah has already been on the Jennifer Hudson Show.
Google it.
You'll see a really cool video of Aaliyah
getting into her race in front of Olympic champion.
This one is special for me personally
because a few years ago I got to be
Aaliyah's instructional soccer coach when
she was four years old.
Now she is all grown up, right?
But as a four year old, it was amazing for me to see --
we all know what four year old youth athletes do.
They come to the soccer field.
They worry about digging holes and a snack after they gained.
That was not Aaliyah.
Aaliyah came to the field ready to go, always ready to play.
What's really impressive, and parents deserve all the credit
here.
She is the most respectful young woman you have ever met.
Again, with four and five year Olds,
it's wrangling cats sometimes.
Our best player was there ready, yes sir, yes coach.
Always the most respectful young woman.
Kudos to both of you guys.
[Applause] And then one more thing
I'll add that's just really cool for me to experience as a coach.
Normally, with our younger athletes,
how many goals did I score?
How many did I win?
They are so hyper focused on themselves.
Although Aaliyah was incredibly talented,
the smile and excitement when her teammates
scored a goal comment it was really special for me to see.
I'm going to let you read the proclamation which
really highlights her incredible accomplishments.
Aaliyah, congratulations.
You should be really proud of yourself.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: You've got some bling on today, too.
Those shoes are just fantastic.
I bet you could beat me in a race wearing those.
You are pretty certain of that.
Let me just ask you this.
You can whisper if you don't want to say it out loud.
Is Coach Picard the reason you run so fast?
[Laughter]
>> She left softball to go to track.
Mayor Ryan: There's a bunch of soccer coaches here
who would love to have you leave track and join
their national team.
I can tell you what's going to happen
is all these people taking pictures
and video will be able to one day to say I saw her at sunrise.
They will say, no you didn't.
They say yeah, watch, and put it up on the big screen
and show you.
The most important thing is that you are really inspiring to us.
We feel really lazy looking at you right now.
But we know it's important and.
Your commitment not only to run track,
which is not an individual sport altogether,
right cue monkey of teammates that you support.
That's what Coach Picard was saying is so important
and that was what makes you so special
is your connection to people.
She's an incredibly beautiful young woman,
and we need to give her a big round of applause
for her accomplishments.
And to parents, it's not easy, right?
Sometimes it's easier to tie your kid's shoelaces together
and that way you don't have to do travel soccer and all
those other things.
>> (Indistinct)
Mayor Ryan: Don't talk to her.
I'm her agent.
You talk to me, and I'll let her talk to you at some point.
But that's the thing is it's a lot of work for you
all, not only just getting there,
but the practices and the commitment
and when you start working at this national level,
pulling together the resources and the time,
it's a true family commitment.
And everything that happens we see it all the time.
Mom, you're going to be thanked.
Every time we watch, it's thank you, mom.
It's a whole family commitment.
Do you think dad, two?
Good, good.
We really want to say thank you for your commitment
and how much work it takes, because it inspires us
as well to realize it's sometimes
giving that work can give a difference
and change the trajectory.
Really, let's give the family a big round of applause for that.
[Applause] It's worth it, right?
Yep.
There you go.
She said yes, sir.
She said I'll beat you on a race right now.
It's my honor and I'll let my colleagues come down.
We all want to say we knew you when,
and and we are going to sneak some autographs
and see if you will sign some shirts.
See if you'll let me wear that gold, I don't know.
Is it real, by the way?
All right.
So --
Commissioner Scuotto: I thought these flowers were for me.
Mayor Ryan: Some of my other colleagues that want to say hi.
All right.
It's my honor on behalf of my colleagues and the Commission
to declare today Aaliyah Armbruster day
in the city of Sunrise.
[Applause] Whereas Aaliyah has distinguished herself
as one of the nation's most talented track and field
athletes earning widespread recognition
through her dedication and determination
and obvious athletic excellence, whereas at a remarkable young
age, she's already ranked as the fastest eight
U girl in the United States in both the 100 meter and 200 meter
events, demonstrating her extraordinary talent
and discipline in her commitment,
whereas she is a three time AAU national gold medalist
and an 11 time AAU All-American, and she's
got a great little purse there too.
Her accomplishments reflect her outstanding performance
and competitiveness at the national stage,
whereas through her track and field journey,
Aaliyah has earned more than 50 gold medals.
Exactly.
You have to have a whole room for everything you've got.
You probably have a walk in closet.
A lot of piles?
And you have a walk in closet?
Because you have some of the greatest clothes as well, right?
Wow.
You out dressed us all tonight.
And she has inspired others through her relentless pursuit
of excellence and her passion for sport,
whereas her achievements have garnered national attention
including being featured on the General Hudson Show
where she had the honor of meeting Olympic champions,
for highlighting her impact as a young athlete on the rise.
Whereas beyond her accomplishments on the track,
she has cultivated positive online community
of nearly 1 million followers across social media platforms,
using her influence to encourage children and families to embrace
healthy lifestyles, participate in sports,
and believe, most importantly, in their dreams, right?
Whereas in addition to her accomplishments in track
and field, she proudly played soccer for the City of Sunrise
Recreation, where she was named --
and this is probably her most important award, right?
She was named the Most Valuable Player last season,
averaged an impressive 2 to 6 goals per game,
demonstrating, again, exceptional athleticism,
teamwork, and a love of sports.
Whereas through her example of hard work and discipline
and perseverance and humility and sportsmanship enjoy,
she serves as an example as an outstanding role model
for all of us, proving that excellence in athletics
can be balanced with the happiness and the wonder
of childhood.
Therefore be it resolved that I the Mayor of Sunrise
and my colleagues on the Commission proclaim August 11th
2026 forever Aaliyah Armbruster Day in this city of sunrise,
and we are proud to recognize and honor her for her remarkable
athletic achievements, positive influence,
her dedication to inspiring the next generation of athletes
and making us all feel good to be in her presence.
Let's give her a big round of applause.
[Applause] Do you want to say anything?
>> Thank you.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: You think you can inspire them to get up
off the couch, do some work?
>> Yes, sir.
Get up and run.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: Well done.
I will hold that for you.
>> Look at all the paparazzi.
[Laughter]
Mayor Ryan: All right.
Where do we get this swag?
That's what I want to know.
[Applause] Come on, give her a big round of applause.
[Applause]
All right.
Following our theme, how many folks watched the World Cup?
Put your hands up.
Watch parties at the arena, people went to that.
We all watched it.
While we were watching that, we didn't know this,
but there were a group of women who
were proving to the men what repeat really
means in earning another national championship in U17
soccer, three of the last four years from the City of Sunrise.
And so tonight, we are gonna honor these incredible athletes,
the teamwork, and the commitment of an impressive group
of young women who have brought home yet
again a national championship to the city of Sunrise.
Bruce Conner's.
A sunrise soccer, youth 17.
If you could all come forward for us,
let's give them a big round of applause.
[Applause] All this gold in here tonight.
Congratulations.
Come on come on make some noise.
[Applause] You watching this, Aaliyah?
You watching them?
Because they're watching you.
So this is an incredibly impressive group
of young women who have been together for the most
part since 2018 playing in the ACF soccer program here
and sunrise, and they have been incredibly loyal to this team
and to this program, and they have been led by the city
coaches Bruce Connors and double dashes Melanie here?
Okay.
Perfect.
Who have led these young women from 2018.
Often in this level, in this atmosphere of play,
players bounce from club to club.
Parents are always looking.
For the most part, this group stayed together.
This team has had amazing success
and won three national titles in the last four years.
Many of the players have already committed to college.
Five of the players already play on national teams
around the world.
You are in some rare opportunity here.
Give them a big round of applause.
[Applause] Their journey, like all journeys to National
Championship, are challenging.
They won the Florida Division of Ecnl Regional League
with a perfect record.
They then advanced to the Southeast Regionals
in Greensboro North Carolina, and they
went five zero in the Southeast Regionals
and beat two teams from North Carolina,
two teams from Georgia, and another team from Florida
to advance to the national championship
the national championship was played in Seattle,
and I have no idea why that was not on Fox or on ESPN.
It had the final eight teams.
They won the first game over Dallas.
They were down 0 to 1.
They came back to win 3 to 1.
So they know how to overcome adversity, and those
who follow this program and those that understand sport,
you know, it's easy to celebrate at the national championship,
there's a lot of games where there's someone in pain
or can't play or having to take part of a season
off to come back and be part of this.
It's not just about winning through divisions.
It's about overcoming your own self-doubts, your pain,
the things that make you doubt whether you can keep going.
They then won their second game against the Pennsylvania team.
The game ended.
You all know for soccer levels, that means PKS, penalty kicks.
They miss their second PK.
They were down one, two, but their keeper --
(Laughs) made two amazing saves, and we've all watched this,
right?
[Applause] She made two amazing saves,
and they ultimately won four three on that game,
in the national championship was against the team
from Austin, Texas, where they won an exciting match 3 to 2
to win the national championship.
Give them a huge round of applause.
[Applause] Bruce, if you would come I
would like you to talk about the program.
Melanie, please --
>> First of all, I want to thank the city of sunrise.
I want to thank the mayor, the commissioners, Kevin,
the amazing parks and Recreation Department.
Without the city of sunrise, none of this
happens, without the support we got from everybody here.
Some of you know, I've been doing this for 25 years
now at sunrise.
We've had lots of amazing success,
and it's all due to the people up here.
So thank you very much.
[Applause] Thank you also to the parents, of course, the players.
This team started when they were the same age
as Aaliyah, okay, same age.
We started, we weren't good.
We had not close to the talent that she has.
We started, we entered a bunch of three three tournaments over
the summer to get ready , and we entered --
we split up into two teams, three tournaments.
It was eight games per tournament.
After three weeks, our record -- and this is the truth --
was zero and 24.
We lost our first 24 games, but then something happened.
We went to Fort Myers, the Gulf Coast, a tournament there,
and amazingly, we won.
From that moment on, this team became
one of the greatest teams in the country.
It didn't happen overnight.
We had to work our our way to become statewide.
This team was magic.
Nobody played beautiful soccer like this team did.
If you see how Spain plays, they kind of copied us.
[Laughter]
[Applause] And I'm serious.
This team would complete in some games like 4 or 700 passes.
We concentrated on skills.
Melanie joined, and we've coached this team together.
Melanie took over for me a few years ago.
I'm just the assistant now.
But we turned this team and these players
into just amazing people and amazing players.
And I'm not going to go through our whole history here,
but I will say more important than all the victories is
the journey and the lessons you learn in the journey.
So I wrote down a few of the things
that I think make this team special
and why we've been successful.
I don't want to forget any.
Most importantly, it's about playing for each other.
It's about supporting each other.
It's about loving each other.
It's about fighting for each other.
Like, these girls know that.
They know that we have drilled that into them since they've
been little girls.
They don't fight with each other.
They do whatever is necessary to get the job done.
And to me, that is the difference
between winning at the highest level and maybe just losing.
They believe, they know that effort is better than talent,
and effort comprises not only playing hard during the game,
but practicing, preparing, Outthinking your opponents.
Those are the things that we do as a team, as players,
as a coaching staff.
Learning to understand, can you focus on what's in front of you
schmuck can you execute what the plan is schmuck friendship.
Like I said, these girls literally love each other.
They hang out together.
The importance of being kind to each other
and supporting each other.
Believing in the impossible.
We've done so many things that people said we could never do,
but we always believed we could do it.
Overcoming setbacks.
I mean, maybe that's the biggest thing, both individually
and as a team.
You know, life is full of setbacks,
but I think these girls have learned to overcome setbacks.
And next player up, mayor Ryan alluded to it.
We won the national championship despite missing
three amazing players who got injured in the last few months.
Like, three amazing players and they are up here.
It didn't matter.
We just kept playing.
No one said, o, we are missing so-and-so.
We just continued playing.
And then finally, it's never easy.
Life is not easy.
Sports is not easy, but you just gotta keep on fighting.
So those are the lessons that this team has learned,
and those are the lessons that will carry these players through
and future players that go through our program.
We've put thousands of kids through the program.
We've put hundreds of kids in college, and they are all --
we have my original team.
They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs,
investment bankers.
Melanie was on the original team.
She's a marketing executive now but also came back to coach.
They are changing the world, and I
know these girls are going to do the same.
So thank you very much.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: So we have representatives of the Panthers
here tonight, the leadership.
That was a pretty good locker room speech, don't you think?
You can clap for that one.
They were taking notes.
[Applause] And this is amazing, and it's
hard in the spotlight of it to really redirect any attention.
But Bruce has said this over and over and over every time
he's been here.
The measure of success is not in the trophies.
It's not in the bling that they have.
The measure of success is the opportunities
these young women have in life, and it's because of the lessons
they've learned on the pitch and off the pitch.
It's because they've been given opportunities
now to choose their trajectory.
So many have gone on to Division one,
but many others go on to division 3 or 4
because they could have played, but they
wanted a lifestyle choice.
The point was they were able to define their future because
of the work that they did together
as a team, what they did individually,
and the lessons they've learned, as Bruce pointed out.
When we see this comet and we are really celebrating three out
of four, and we are expecting the Panthers to do
the same thing you guys did.
They are taking notes right now.
They don't want to be the only one in town that
don't get three out of four.
We are celebrating it.
But most importantly, we are celebrating
your trajectory in life and what we are doing,
and we all want to be part of it.
When it comes time -- not that you're going to need our help,
but when it comes time for recommendations for colleges
and things come up we are here to sign on and make it clear
that this city commission and the mayor and commissioners
whoever is here is behind you and want to be part
of your journey.
In this community has to be inspired
tonight from what you saw.
How many of you feel really lazy right now?
I know I do.
Except for Aaliyah.
She doesn't feel lazy.
And Bruce has been eyeballing you the whole time.
So watch out.
[Laughter] So one more time.
We have a certificate of appreciation for each of you,
and the words won't be able to sum up
what we really feel and the love that we feel for what you've
done and the lessons you've learned
and what you've teached us.
We just want you to have whatever options in life
you choose, and we want to be part of that journey.
Let's give them a huge round of applause.
Give them a standing ovation for this incredible, incredible
accomplishment.
[Applause]
>> I just want to say to Bruce, you said 25 years,
and I've been up here since day one with you ladies,
I just want to say to you: He came to us probably ten,
15 years ago and wanted us to change Nob Hill's soccer park
that was always wet.
It was always flooded, and came to us and said,
could the city help us and invest money into our boys
and girls -- into Astroturf?
So to me, I'm old school.
I was like, I don't know if I want to spend $10 million
for Astroturf.
So really, when we came up here to give awards to the boys
and girls one year, I swear, I went to every person,
and I told them, turf or grass?
Turf or grass?
I literally did that.
But I just want to say for your 25 years of dedication
to this program, you don't really see that.
For the amount of time that you've put into it
and worked with all of us, commissioners before me,
staff, to make sure that you got what
you thought that your kids needed,
and then it was the residents who actually footed the bill.
So I hope to God that you guys love
that Astroturf now because we invested a lot of money
into that.
[Laughter] But Bruce, your girls have done an unbelievable job,
but to have somebody behind you so dedicated,
I want to really commend you all, Bruce.
Thank you.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: And at his point, when we looked at the soccer
fields, when we looked at how many days
a year it was closed out of 365 days, it was to 120 days
because every time it doubled I mean, if it rained on Wednesday,
games were canceled on Saturday.
It's given the opportunity to fully utilize that space,
utilize the fields, be able to complete.
Your legacy, as commissioner Scuotto, said,
is looking at part of that.
Ladies, we would love to see how you raise
a national championship trophy.
I've seen it a few times on TV, but I've never been that close.
I was wondering if you might be able to replicate what that
looks like for everybody here.
[Laughter]
>> We're doing it together, right?
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: All right.
I think one more time.
Put your phone away so you don't drop it.
Come in here.
These people want to feel it.
Come here.
Outdo the men from Spain.
You cannot do them.
[Applause] Ladies, if you can come forward and get a picture.
My colleagues want to get a picture with the national team
as well.
Alaia, do you want to meet these girls?
Come on up.
Hurry up.
These national championship girls
are saying get a picture with her, get a picture with her.
All right.
One more time.
Big round of applause.
[Applause] Come on.
Give them a big round of applause on the way out.
[Applause]
>> Presentation of the youth Athlete of the month Award
for August 2026 to Violetta Pisarek and Paul Bower from
the Sunrise Tenor program Kevin Picard director of leisure
service, Gabe Neronha.
Mayor Ryan: All right.
Gabe, come on up.
Oh, look at that.
[Applause] Okay.
On our theme of just amazing young athletes, -- all right.
So probably 15, 16 years ago, the city
started recognizing each month amazing youth athletes,
not measured by what they do on the pitch like we saw
or on the diamond or on a court or what they do individually,
but measured by who they are as people.
Oftentimes comment you find out about how these amazing athletes
accomplish so many other things through their charitable heart
or their academic excellence, and you
realize how inspirational they really are.
And the coaches throughout all of our leagues
submit recommendations for this award, and then
our members of the Leisure Services Board, one of whom
is here.
Everyone give a big round of applause?
Have to sit through combat and it's a really difficult task
because there are so many great young people who are inspiring
combat but we do this each month not just to comment again,
recognize athletic excellence.
You guys got to move up.
What you're going to hear about tonight are just really --
follow this theme of inspiration you've heard already about why
it's important to have robust sports come a great coaching,
and athletes who are committed to the broader principles,
not just the W, not just the metrics,
but what it means to be great people.
So I'll turn it over to Kevin to >> Thank you, mayor.
Okay.
I get the honor of introducing you to another outstanding youth
athlete in reading some comments submitted by coaches,
and I will pass a mic to you guys.
Violetta Pizarro is a 14 year old student in the Empowerment
Academy and participant in the Sunrise Tennis program.
A few comments from her coach.
Violetta is a talented and dedicated athlete.
We celebrate her not just for her achievement,
but for her resilience, character, and determination.
Violetta suffered a severe wrist injury last year.
Through relentless hard work and commitment,
she made a remarkable return come startling the tennis
community by reaching the finals of an 18
and under level four tournament in her first event back.
Violetta continued to excel across multiple age divisions,
finishing as a finalist in several tournaments
and earning fourth place in Minneapolis.
Her momentum culminated at the USDA National Championships
where her outstanding performance propelled her
to a career high national rankings.
Violetta's journey is a testament to perseverance,
courage, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence.
Her comeback reminds us that setbacks
can be the foundation for even greater success.
Please join me in recognizing Violetta,
a true competitor whose best is still ahead of her.
Congratulations.
[Applause]
>> Parents, come on up.
>> I'll say a few words quickly.
Good evening, everybody.
We are really grateful for being here at this moment.
We have been sharing the whole room with incredible athletes
of all ages .
It's really important, just everything
we've been doing in the city of sunrise of just the talent
that we have and not just the talent, the effort, everybody,
parents, coaches, and everybody around here that show up
to these kids in places.
So we are really grateful.
[Applause] Just quickly, I've known Violetta and her family
for the past four years, five years,
so since she was very tiny.
So I've seen her grow.
I've seen her play since she was ten years old, 12 years old,
and now that she's 14, so I've been there
for the bigs and the lows.
The most important thing is that everybody, their family, her
and herself and coaches, is if there is a situation that is not
positive or injuries come, that we still stay strong
with rehab, with staying determined, staying fit
in the gym, and don't quit, you know, for everybody.
She -- after the injury, she continued competing.
Trainings were super hard?
That's why she's racked up 50 in the nation,
so that's really a great accomplishment for her.
[Applause] And there's just a lot of room to improve,
and we are going to improve following in her steps,
and we thank you, and also thank you Violetta
for letting me be part of it.
[Applause]
>> This is coach Luis.
He heads up high performance.
This is coach Keith.
He's the director of tennis.
[Applause]
>> We also have one more player.
His name is Paul Bower.
He's right now playing in one of the biggest tournaments
in the country in Kalamazoo.
If you know a little bit about tennis, whoever wins
this tournament gets a lot to the US open.
It's a really big tournament.
That's why right now he's not here.
He's competing right now.
Mayor Ryan: He had the opportunity to get this award
and he wanted to do that?
Whatever.
That's really special.
First of all, congratulations.
That's fantastic.
We begin with parents.
Obviously, tennis is in the family.
Full ride scholarship for tennis.
It's a full commitment, we talked about it
earlier for parents.
It's just all in all the time.
But it really begins and ends with you.
You have to have the motivation.
You have to be able to fight through all the things.
So when we talk about injuries -- if I get a wrist injury,
it just slowed it down the number of emails I sent
to staff.
[Laughter] It has no real impact my life beyond whining
I will do the torture.
For you, it's beyond the physical.
You've worked so hard.
If you are not strong physically,
the doubts will leak in.
Can I come back?
Can I be what I was?
The great athletes who have stood here and always
find mental toughness to that this is just bump in the
and it's going to make me stronger for next time.
That's probably the biggest lesson for next time,
of all the setbacks come up when you are fighting for something
you believe in so much and you've given so much
and you dream about and think about
and then you have that moment.
So credit to you.
Beyond everything else you've accomplished
is the lesson you taught us.
For leisure services staff and for the board,
you guys should really be proud of what you have been able to do
and to the coaches, you guys really care about what you do,
and it comes out.
Year after year, we hear about from Gabe
the great athletes who come from these programs.
Again, it's not just about the bling.
It's not just about the trophies.
It's about your ability to make choices in life that you want
to make because you worked hard, and that's
what inspires these coaches to work hard.
Congratulations.
Again, it was just an opportunity for us
to say we know you.
I'm gonna get still shots of this,
and I'm gonna put it on the wall so when I see you on ESPN,
I'm gonna say I know her.
Whatever.
But it's really an opportunity for the community
as well to say congratulations and we want
to be part of your journey.
So one more time , big round of applause.
[Applause] And while they are getting ready, let me
just explain that while they are getting
ready for a picture comment let me just explain this guy.
Gabe is incredibly well known in the tennis world.
Not just sunrise tennis.
Throughout the world of tennis.
When I go out to coffee with him, and he rolls out names,
it's top ten names that he spent or had breakfast with.
From all of that, he doesn't say it as a name drop.
He says it as what he believes is possible from the players
here in sunrise.
His personal commitment to make this program work
at great personal cost is why we have great players like this,
which is why our coaches want to be part of this playing program,
and opportunities for full scholarships and everything
else, but it starts with somebody
who really believes it's important
for these young people.
So let's give Gabe a big round of applause.
[Applause]
>> I was gonna say, the sister was here just a couple of years
ago.
Mayor Ryan: All right.
One more time.
Big round of applause.
[Applause]
>> Thank you, Gabe.
Mayor Ryan: And if Paul decides he wants to show up,
let us know.
Keep us updated and let us know what happens in that tournament
so we can let everyone know.
>> Presentation for the Outstanding Service Award
for August 2026.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: Here comes Shannon.
All right.
So this is an opportunity for us to recognize
amazing employees who make a difference in our community.
I'll hand it over to Shannon?
Community of development.
>> Hi.
Shannon, director of community development.
Christy, where are you?
[Applause] And she got the memo for the green, too.
I love it.
She's coming.
Bring her up.
And I also have Megan scaffold, our deputy director
of Community Development.
Chris, if you want to join us too.
Do you want to join us?
He's our building official.
Christy, as we know her, she's been with the city
more than five years.
She's our co-coordinator in the building division.
She's a critical role in an anchor for the department.
She really is an anchor for the department.
Her exceptional detail, attention to detail
make sure that everything is done to precision.
What she is responsible for is the code side for building.
So if it doesn't meet the Florida Building
code or, we will get to in a minute,
the building Safety inspection program.
Her customer service skills are outstanding.
She definitely is an example of what
it is to have superior customer service skills.
She consistently turns a potentially stressful
regulatory interaction to positive experiences.
Her workload is very demanding and vital to the community.
In addition to efficiently managing cases, she takes --
unfortunately, there was a change in the law several years
ago when there was an unfortunate situation
at Surfside with the collapse of a condo building.
We usually have about maximum 50, maybe a hundred,
but we had almost 900 cases, and she
had to get out the notification for all
of these in a very short time frame,
but when we told her this, the whole time,
she always smiles, and she has that little laugh.
Never complains, never says she can't do it.
She does whatever it takes and always gets it done,
and she's a good cook, too, a good baker.
She has high stakes responsibilities.
Is very meticulous organization.
A lot of legal process.
She has clear communication, and that's shown because we get
a lot of accolades from customers .
Probably an employee with one of the most in the department,
to be frank.
Despite the volume of these cases,
she always maintains an upbeat and proactive mindset.
Her combination of strong work ethic and genuine care
for people makes her valuable in the department.
She's very good at bridging the technical accuracy,
and she continually evaluates the standard --
elevates the standards of community development.
She's a true asset to the entire department and her city
and her daily contributions make a lasting impact
to the team and the public.
Like I said, she always has a can do attitude.
She has been critical in cases where
people are trying to close, whether it's
a residential property or commercial property.
She gets last minute phone calls about holding property closings,
and the people are very frantic, and she's very good and able
to calm them down and provide them
what they need in a short time frame.
So I can't tell you how valuable and what
you've done to turn this role around
throughout a very short period of time.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: So first of all, there's enough in here
to just celebrate your technical expertise,
right, the idea of what it means to really
be protecting the community.
When someone comes in, whether it's a business or a resident,
if they could get away from the code, they would do it.
We see it all in the world where people are not
vigilant or focused on that.
Your ability to combine the expertise with the customer
service and to get kudos from customers
who are being told they have to do that is really the point
here that we are celebrating, that most people just
want to be heard, right?
And if you explain to them, this is why you have to do it,
and this is what it's going to mean for safety,
they understand that.
They just don't want to do something
that doesn't make any sense and isn't immediate.
And your ability to combine that technical expertise
with service, true customer service,
is why residents of business continue to recognize you,
why your colleagues recognize you,
why you've been able to transform and turn around.
And I'll just comment briefly on the post surf side issue.
When the legislation came out related to building inspections
and they expanded it, they expanded it
to four story buildings here and sunrise,
and we had a lot of them, and it was an enormous amount of stress
on staff because we had tight timetables to get information
out in a volume that we've never done before.
But then the next step is really where the hard work
is, where every one of these residential communities who
said, what three story buildings are falling down?
Why are we having to do this?
It's expensive?
In combination with their stress with other condo laws
that had come out.
There were a lot of people very frantic and upset.
We didn't hear complaints about our individuals.
We may have heard complaints about what the state did.
We may have heard complaints about what
the contractors are doing.
The ability to go out there and say,
this is why we are doing it, this is what we have to do,
we are here for you comment we understand,
and then when folks needed extensions,
we were there for them, being able to manage it
not just with a blank commitment, but a sense of what
the human dynamic was, and that is what we are really
most proud of is your commitment to our residents.
To our residents here, they should
be really happy to know that you are there, to hear them
if there's an issue, even if they are not really thrilled
about it.
So let's give her a big round of applause for inspiration.
[Applause] Thank you for coming here and carrying the swag.
Do you want to come up here with mom?
First we get horizon?
Yeah!
[Laughter]
>> Wait up, wait up.
Mayor Ryan: Come here.
Where have you been hiding?
It runs in the family, hiding in the back.
All right.
One more time.
Big round of applause.
[Applause]
>> Proclamation H, presentation for the quarterly award
for excellence for Ashley Rosetta from assistant director
of utilities, Rodriguez Castro, director of utilities.
Mayor Ryan: All right.
Get ready for some noise now.
[Applause] Yeah.
Here we go.
>> Good evening mayor and commissioners Rodrigo Castro,
I'm the director of utilities.
Commissioner Scuotto: Make sure your sign is not upside down.
>> Is that your swimming pool sign?
>> Once again, good evening mayor and commissioners
I'm Rodrigo Castro, director of utilities.
I know it has been a rough week for utilities,
but this is such a positive thing
to be here to recognize Ashley that
lift our spirits because Ashley is
one of the bright things in the department
because she always brings us and lifts us up.
That smile, it's always all the time.
As assistant director of Utilities in charge of public
Works --
I didn't even introduce myself.
I'm the director of utilities.
I'm the deputy director of Utilities here.
I know Ashley for about 15 years.
So from her time at Broward County,
and Ashley is one of the most respected engineers
throughout the county.
Everyone knows Ashley.
[Applause] So we go to conferences.
We go to meetings, and they come, O, that's Ashley.
Who are you?
She's well known around the county
as one of the best engineers.
So we are very fortunate to have her in sunrise.
So about ten years ago, I was in a meeting.
Sunrise is a great place to work for.
The city engineer position open.
She came on board at that time.
It's going to be ten years in 11 days.
So ten year anniversary is coming up,
and she came first in community development
come and replace me as a senior engineer.
Much better than the predecessor.
She did a great job.
All the former staff that retired,
they are here just to show from leadership
what impact someone can have on a team,
and in 2021, she was promoted to the department
as assistant director of utilities
in charge of public Works, which includes everything
that you see out on the streets, all the trees, the drainage,
the sidewalks.
There's so much that goes into it.
The engineering fleet capital projects.
There's so many things that get touched by her,
and the team models after her.
They have that can do attitude.
There is no no.
It is like, we will get it done.
That's phenomenal.
I'm so blessed that I only work alongside people
who are smarter than me, and she is one of those people.
There's a bunch written here.
I didn't say anything about it.
One of the main reasons she was nominated
was the new Hyde Park, which was a true collaboration
against so many disciplines.
So Leisure Services was our client.
So her team, they did everything.
So capital projects, manage the project, the project delivered.
Engineer, they were the engineer of record.
They designed basically all departments,
and the public works team, they were the contractors.
So we finished the job with no changed orders.
That's phenomenal.
So that's a testament of her team.
So congratulations.
So proud of you.
[Applause]
Mayor Ryan: Congratulations.
There you are. (Laughs) this is for you.
This is swag.
I know you need some from sunrise.
So the county is here, and they are
shaking their heads saying, how did they let her go. (Laughs)
but applauding your accomplishment and commitment
throughout the county.
There's so much to talk about.
First of all, representing sunrise,
outside of sunrise on so many big, important issues
that we face.
I don't think people realize how much collaboration goes on
with the county and other municipalities
and having a great engineer to be there is absolutely terrific?
Trailhead Park.
I mean, it's just a perfect example.
All that were participating in that, the idea that you could
take a swath of land that seem unusable
and to commit to transformation and to do it in-house,
to design it in-house, to create the perfection of it,
to do it on time and budget and to do it with everything that
was expected takes great leadership comment
but most important, collaboration.
Your ability to transcend departmental lines to say we
can do this, we can listen and work together,
folks will drive by it, and they will appreciate it.
You see in that all of the people
who touched it and made a difference in your leadership.
And then the ability to lead such an important department.
We take for granted so much of what public works does.
When the streets are clean, when things are running well,
but it's only because you and your team
don't take that for granted, none of it.
To have former staff who are retirees
who have sat here so many times to come out here and be here
for you, I haven't seen that in any of these awards
where folks come out of retirement to come
say how important you are and how they are celebrating you.
That's an amazing accomplishment in itself.
Especially because they are off building --
what are you guys doing?
Lazy pools or something now?
Commissioner Scuotto: Easy there.
They just came to my house and gave me two of the posters
that said Scuotto's Waterpark.
It's okay.
I'll get you back.
Mayor Ryan: As a community, we are
so blessed that you are here.
We are not going to let you go in.
You can't read the small print, but it
says you're not allowed to go to any cities or counties
otherwise.
You accepted it.
It's on film.
To all of you who came out in support of her,
please come up for this picture.
The retirees who made such a difference in our community.
Come on, you can get up.
[Applause]
Commissioner Scuotto: I would have brought my free pizza
sign that they just brought me.
Yeah.
Come on in the back so I can slap you in the head.
Mayor Ryan: What are you hiding in the back for?
All right.
One more time.
Big round of applause.
[Applause]
Commissioner Scuotto: Presentation recommendation
of service time and recognition for an employee retiring
from city service to Ernesta or Guido,
police officer from the police department.
Mayor Ryan: We will recognize him when he is available.
He is already celebrating his retirement, right?
Okay.
Commissioner Scuotto: I still see him at Doris.
Mayor Ryan: All right.
We are gonna go to the consent agenda
once I get my colleagues back.
All right.
We have the consent agenda for A through S. Do I have a motion?
Deputy Mayor Guzman: Motion.
Commissioner Scuotto: Second.
Mayor Ryan: Any pulls from my colleagues?
>> F.
Mayor Ryan: Any member of the public
wish to have any items from the consent agenda removed?
If so comment please raise your hand or press five star
on your phone.
Seeing no hands raised -- can you confirm no hands are raised
-- >> I confirm no hands are raised.
[Members voting]
Mayor Ryan: Those items passed 5 to 0.
All right.
The consent agenda -- sorry, the quasi judicial consent agenda
for four A and five B. Do I have a second?
Are there any affected parties?
>> No affected parties, Mayor Ryan: Is the applicant here?
Do you waive for quasi judicial hearing on this?
>> (Indistinct)
Mayor Ryan: Thank you.
Any pulls from my colleagues?
Any questions that want to have this?
Hearing none come a call the question.
>> I don't know which one you're on.
I didn't hear the motion or second.
Mayor Ryan: Five a and five b.
Call the question.
[Members voting]
Mayor Ryan: Those items passed 5 to 0.
All right.
Let's move up on the motion for 12 D. 12 D
is related to Westerra.
All in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
Mayor Ryan: This is a public hearing.
Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter, please
come forward.
No hands are raised.
Close public discussion.
Anything you want to comment on before --
>> Just here to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
[Members voting]
Mayor Ryan: Item passes 5 to 0.
Thank you Mr. Kocher.
Commissioner Scuotto: Thank you, Mr. Kocher.
See you at the Panther game.
Mayor Ryan: What I would like to do at this point with the will
of my colleagues is to reopen the LPA is --
all in favor say aye.
>> Aye.
Mayor Ryan: So I'm going to recess the city commission
meeting and reopen the LPA of August 2026.
Go ahead and move to five a, amendment local planning agency
of the City of Sunrise Florida and the City of Sunrise
comprehensive plan for approximately 150 for Rose acres
consisting of Savannah platform code seven
and page three of the Broward County records
and a portion of parcel eight as recorded
as 157 and all the records of Broward County Florida
and generally located in southwest corner of sunrise
for industrial commercial low to the transit oriented
in the future lands of the City of Sunrise comprehensive plan
by adding the county property to the transit
oriented development.
Transmitted in certified copies of this and reviewing agencies
in the Broward County reviewing Council over the --
can I have a motion?
Commissioner Scuotto: Motion.
Commissioner Kerch: Second.
Mayor Ryan: We will have a presentation from the applicant
and then open it up.
Mr. Douglas is here to have some comments.
Mr. Lebowski comment if you would come
please go ahead and give introductions.
>> The item before us is a -- getting to this point has been
a result of planning and investment and I think
it's important to take a moment to reflect on the history that
has brought us here tonight.
For more than 30 years come to the City of sunrise
has been laying a foundation for Western Sunrise
to become a more urban mixed use area.
We plan for this transformation by investing in infrastructure,
establishing appropriate zoning and development recommendations
and ultimately creating the Western Sunrise business
and Entertainment District.
Today, Western Sunrise is home to one of the largest
corporate office parks in the state of Florida
comet one of the largest tourist attractions comet the Sawgrass
Mills, and of course home to the back
to back Stanley Cup champions come at the Florida Panthers.
We have seen the division for more urban Western sunrise take
shape for developments such as Tor, tower one and Tropical,
and tonight the phase one of Westerra.
Tonight's land use plan development takes a step forward
in the city's vision for sunrise as a place where people
can live, shop, or, and dine.
We've been working toward this vision
for more than three decades.
However, there is one significant piece
of the original planning that we needed to correct.
When the arena was constructed in 1998,
it was designed only to provide access to and from the South.
As a result, we never had a fully connected entrance
and exit into the district.
Correcting that deficiency is an important part of completing
the vision and for Western Sunrise
and providing the infrastructure necessary to support
the type of development we've been planning for over 30 years.
A partnership between fDOT and Broward County
and City of Sunrise and various stakeholders
has resulted in the upcoming construction
in the full intersection at Petulant Drive.
This will serve as an entrance to the district
and will reduce traffic on our local station
with the new interchange will create
an opportunity for a direct point of entry and exit
from the district whether for an event at the Bank arena
and visit the Sawgrass Mall or access to any other attractions
within district without impacting the local roadways.
The city is well positioned for this
and we viewed it for the city and the Florida Panthers.
>> Good evening, mayor, deputy mayor, assistant deputy mayor,
city commissioners, and the city manager.
I will say, your city manager really summed up where we are.
This has been a long time coming,
but it's not through a lot of hard work
through the city and county and Florida Panthers,
but we have a successful partnership.
This is just on to the next stage of that partnership,
and I think we've been planning for this,
working hard to get the infrastructure in place,
and in going to this next phase, there's going to be --
make sure the infrastructure continues to hold for what we do
for the next development year.
As this commission knows that the county and the Florida
Panthers last year entered a long term deal,
a nine year deal with two five year extensions.
So that's up to 19 years at the Stanley Cup Florida Panthers
will be staying in the city of Sunrise in Broward County.
A big part of that deal was the fact
that the Florida Panthers have the ability
to come to the county commission with a development plan,
and the land use plan amendment that the county is
the applicant for today is requesting approval
for, you know, sets the foundation
for that so the Panthers can go and come back with a plan that
optimizes that area.
That would be better for the entire community.
With that comment we have a short presentation
that's going to be presented by Darby D'ursel who
is our director of Housing and Planning.
>> Good evening, everyone.
Thank you, by the way.
Darby Darcel.
I know I've already been introduced.
So obviously all of you are very familiar with this site.
It's a total of 154 acres.
The arena itself takes up about ten acres of the property,
and the first image you are looking at here
would be the two maps that represent
on the left side the Broward County Land Use map.
On the right side is the sunrise one.
What you see with the site in red
is that's the commerce designation.
And then on the city map, you'll see the purple,
which is predominantly the industrial designation you
have on the side.
There is some commercial.
There is some residential, particularly
along the perimeters.
So the designation would -- when we make the application with
the county would go to an activity center,
which is just a generic category that the Broward land use uses
for all types of mixed use development districts
for the city in this particular application would also be
the transportation designation that you all use in your own
code.
With that being the various different types of land
uses that you currently have in that site,
and you would also match the land
use designations in these pockets that
are in the southwest portions of this particular site.
So the application itself, obviously it includes the arena,
which is a 2000 seat --
300 zero square feet of commercial, about 6000
of office and educational, of which
16% the county policy within the county land use plan.
Some of it will be voluntarily set aside by the county
and ultimately the Panthers as they
pursue potential development of the site.
It accommodates for hotel rooms and some meeting spaces.
Of course, we still have the roughly 19 acres
of the wetland and the preserve that the plan also contemplates.
So that leaves nine acres of plaza and open space.
One topic on this with regard to some of the functional
spaces of community and cultural,
when that space is used in its interchanged with the office,
and there was another request that
was made that was amended to this particular application
in advance of coming to this point
whereby that same rule would apply where there can
be some flexibility between the commercial and the office
square footage.
It would be a 1 to 1 square footage.
If you took a foot out of office to add to commercial,
it would just go to the other.
But at no time in that type of exchange
can you ever exceed the traffic counts
that were generated and supports this particular study.
Just want to clear that up.
So, obviously the land use plan amendment.
This is part of that.
One of the big things to note is that, you know,
the intent is to build with resilience,
and resiliency isn't just something
that we consider on the infrastructure portion.
It's on the land use plan, but it's
an ongoing process that goes through all levels of licensing
and permitting when you contemplate
any type of development.
And what we know through the practices
that the Panthers had with both the county and the city
that they have been good stewards to that desire.
We looked at the wastewater, solid waste.
All of these are well within the ranges of capacity
that we have in order to anticipate
what the future build up on this facility
would possibly generate.
And we also know with regard to water retention
that this site actually would be a net receiver of water.
It would actually have a lower density footprint
than the surrounding areas.
Of course, we know with the change
from what is predominantly the industrial to this mixed use
that we actually are lowering what the future trip count would
potentially be given the build out of either scenario.
So this was already previously mentioned
in the full interchange.
So this is what you have now and I kind of
want to share with you what it would look like in the future.
These were some of the concepts that
were considered in terms of moving forward
this particular project.
I won't go through all the various improvements
that are on this slide.
And then there are also scheduled on Florida Turnpike
site some improvements for the sunrise corridor, which
would also then take some of the demand in traffic off of that.
So I want to share these two slides with you.
The last part I want to share with you in terms
of some of the contemplation we are on in terms of trying
to develop this site together, as many of you know,
there is a transit hub that we have in the southwest
corner of this site.
That would be moving across the street to 36th Street where it
will continue to host the 95 express bus,
as well as potentially any future transit that we might
have, like light rail on that side.
So that's one of the other elements
that will be serving this site but will
no longer be on the site.
So with that, we did bring this to the planning or zoning
board a month or two ago.
They were support of this application.
The application itself is consistent
with the original 2016 Land Institute study,
and it's also consistent with economic outlook of the city's
adopted budget.
And with that, if you have any questions.
Mayor Ryan: Thank you.
First comment let me address a few things.
I'm going to open it up for public hearing.
Let me run through the commission questions.
First, by way of history, the county
has been an amazing partner in trying
to move forward on the pet Salerno full interchange.
To give some historic context, it was probably 2015 when we had
the opportunity --
Mr. Styles and Mr. Case got us the opportunity
to get in front of the governor to talk about the importance
of the pet Salerno interchange.
We envisioned what was going on with that arena
long before those discussions we knew
we could not unlock the potential of the arena
and would present with the opportunity
without that full interchange.
The stress on that tributary roadways
is too much to have any level of build up.
The current governor at that time and state staff,
they understood that.
The work from there really began because there was also
a commitment within the corridor of all
of the economic leaders, not just the Panthers, not
just the mall, not just the county,
but all those in the corridor who understood
how important this development would become
but that it would fail if we weren't able to move traffic
on and off the site without putting
the stressors on the infrastructure.
It would fail as a matter of counts,
but it would also fail just politically.
There's no way to add more to it.
As I've commented before, I live in that area.
When I make the mistake of trying
to get out of the property when there's a game going,
it's bad on me because I should know better.
I should know when every game is.
I should know when every concert is.
For some of the residents, that can be frustrating,
but it passes quickly because the Sunrise Police Department
working with staff can move pretty quickly
off the roadways that county has worked with us on some of that.
But the real turn of events was when the county ,
in negotiating this with the Turnpike Authority which
operates separately from Dot and the many,
many meetings we had with the state,
including our request to share in the toll revenue,
in order to offset these costs, the county did step forward
and understood that this was a regional asset and that this
needed to move forward and took on the bulk of the financial
commitment.
The city took on a portion of that
because we understood the importance of it,
but it had to begin before we had these discussions.
And as we look at these numbers and we look at what's happening,
it's not just the pet Salerno interchange.
It's what's going to happen in Oakland Park.
It's what's going to happen in sunrise and eighth Street.
Alleviating this traffic in the corridor
on these tributary roads that are largely residential.
Many would look at this and say how do you
develop these sites bookended with residential?
The reason you can, unlike a city that's very highly dense
is that we have the benefit of being right on the Sawgrass.
The work that's been done with the leadership of the Panthers
and the county and driving that and in collaboration