[10:02] All right. Welcome, everyone. Welcome to City Hall here in
[10:04] the City of Hollywood. Today is Wednesday, August 26th, 2026.
[10:08] And we are here for a City commission meeting. Of course,
[10:11] every meeting of the City Commission has important items
[10:14] on the agenda and important recognition, and today will be
[10:18] no different. And in fact, today will be really
[10:20] exceptional in what we're recognizing today. But before
[10:24] we get on with the agenda, we do always start the meeting
[10:27] with a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of
[10:30] Allegiance. And at times when a member of the City Commission
[10:33] wishes to ask for a moment of privilege to remember someone
[10:36] in the community or in their personal life that was lost
[10:40] during since we last met as a city commission, then we, of
[10:43] course, extend that opportunity for the community to think of
[10:46] someone as we rise for the moment of silence. So at this
[10:49] time, I'd like to recognize Commissioner Quintana, who
[10:52] would like to extend her remembrance of a friend. Go
[10:57] ahead, Commissioner Quintana. Thank you very much, mayor.
[11:01] Today I'd like to take a moment for us to remember Steve
[11:05] Werthmann. Steve's enduring legacy is in South Florida,
[11:10] where he was a beloved community activist, a devoted
[11:15] husband, son and friend. He was a Broward County resident from
[11:19] the age of two, where Steve witnessed tremendous change
[11:24] over his lifetime and helped bring about some of the best of
[11:27] it. For more than four decades, he served as Broward County,
[11:31] Broward County through his work in environmental conservation,
[11:35] affordable housing, mental health, and homeless services.
[11:40] While some people measure their lives by personal success,
[11:43] Steve measured his by the difference he made in the lives
[11:46] of others. In the late 70s, Steve co-founded Environmental
[11:50] Coalition of Broward County. In 1982, he became the first
[11:54] executive director of the Florida League of Conservation
[11:57] Voters. He later served as site supervisor for specialized
[12:01] Urban Ministries Urban Garden Program in Broward County, and
[12:05] in the late 80s, he became Broward County's first outreach
[12:10] case manager for people experiencing homelessness and
[12:13] mental illness at Henderson Mental Health Center. He went
[12:17] on to manage the county's first transitional shelter for
[12:21] homeless families operated by Salvation Army, and later he
[12:25] opened the Miami Rescue Mission Broward Outreach Center, right
[12:28] here in Hollywood. He ended his formal career as chief
[12:33] operating officer for Hope South Florida. Above all, Steve
[12:39] cherished the life he shared with his beloved wife, Kathy.
[12:42] They met in 1991 when both worked for the
[12:50] And they married at Trinity College Chapel in Hartford,
[12:53] Connecticut. Together, they enjoyed a life centered on love,
[12:58] friendship, music, faith, family, and community. Their
[13:04] partnership reflected the same compassion and generosity that
[13:07] defined Steve's life. I'll remember Steve always for his
[13:10] passion for being barefoot everywhere he went, so I. Every
[13:14] time I'll. Barefoot, I'll remember Steve. Thank you.
[13:19] Thank you, Commissioner Quintana as well. You all might
[13:22] have heard that the community lost a a member. His name was
[13:27] Larry Davis. Larry was an attorney that lived here in the
[13:31] city of Hollywood. Practiced here on Harrison Street at his
[13:34] law office for decades, served a lot of people again as an
[13:38] attorney. Began his career, as I later learned, in social work
[13:42] and in behavioral health, when that was first really starting
[13:46] to bud here in Broward County, back in the 1980s and 90s was
[13:48] very close with Bob Butterworth, the former attorney general who
[13:51] still lives in Hollywood and has a lot of close friends that
[13:55] will miss him dearly, a lot of colleagues in the professional
[13:58] legal world that will miss him. He was someone who was very
[14:01] well known in in the Broward County courthouse, by every
[14:06] bailiff, by every clerk, and was a real, real great person.
[14:10] We're all going to miss him. And it really is a great loss.
[14:13] So think of Steve and think of Larry. Mayor. Yes. Go ahead
[14:19] Commissioner. Just also, if we would just remember all of the
[14:22] lives lost in the earthquake in Venezuela and the lives lost in
[14:28] Colombia. Yeah, indeed. Well, thank you all. Let's be
[14:32] thankful for our for our blessings and for the moments
[14:34] we've had with people that we care about. Please rise for
[14:37] that moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of
[14:39] Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United
[14:57] States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.
[15:02] One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[15:06] justice for all. Thank you so much. We also take an important
[15:12] moment to recognize our veterans, active service
[15:14] personnel and their families. So if you are a veteran of the
[15:17] US Armed Forces, family member thereof, active duty, please
[15:19] rise. We'd like to recognize you. Thank you. All right,
[15:31] let's go for roll call. Pat. Commissioner Quintana. Yeah,
[15:37] here. Commissioner Shuhan here. Commissioner Hernandez here.
[15:42] Commissioner Kalari here. Sorry. Vice mayor Kalari. Commissioner
[15:47] Gruber here. Commissioner Biederman here, mayor Levy here.
[15:52] All right, before we get started with our agenda, there
[15:54] is also a special recognition that I certainly feel
[15:57] responsible and happy to extend. Commissioner Shuhan from
[16:01] district one in Hollywood was just elected to be our new
[16:04] district six South Broward County Commissioner. She'll be
[16:13] with us until she's sworn in as county commissioner. I believe
[16:16] it's November 17th. So congratulations, Commissioner
[16:18] Shuhan. All right. On to the consent agenda today. These are
[16:22] items five through 22. These are items that don't usually
[16:25] require individual discussion. However, if a member of the
[16:27] body or the public submits a comment card, we are happy to
[16:30] remove it for discussion later in the agenda. Pat, are there
[16:33] any speaker cards on consent item 13, item 13. Okay, let me
[16:42] put that into the regular agenda. Any any requests from
[16:47] the dais for 16, please? 16 anything else? Otherwise I'll
[16:54] accept a motion to move items. Five through 22, -13 and 16.
[17:00] Second. We have a second from Commissioner Quintana, motion
[17:03] from Vice Mayor Kolody. All those in favor say aye. Aye.
[17:06] Any opposed? Hearing none. Those items carry unanimously.
[17:11] All right. 1 p.m. presentations, proclamations and awards. I
[17:15] would like to begin and extend an opportunity to invite our
[17:19] fire chief, Jeff Levy, up. He would love to recognize the
[17:23] recipients of the Meritorious Service Award for the fire and
[17:29] beach safety, and, of course, the life saving Award chief
[17:32] mayor, Vice mayor, commissioners, city manager and
[17:34] staff. Thank you, Jeff Levy, Fire Chief, we're going to be
[17:37] presenting a few awards today, and every one of these awards
[17:40] were presenting are all life saving heroes from a doctor and
[17:43] a physician who are doctors and physicians at Memorial, but
[17:47] also oversee the Hollywood Heroes program, who teach CPR
[17:50] to our residents and business owners. We're also going to be
[17:53] recognizing two of our fire rescue and ocean rescue
[17:56] personnel, one for his deployment to Venezuela for the
[18:00] earthquake as part of the Urban Search and Rescue team. And
[18:03] then another one, our hero Ocean Rescue lifeguard. That
[18:08] was you'll hear the story in a minute. That saved his family
[18:11] while on vacation in Aruba. So Chief Moser is going to read
[18:15] the, the, the the, the descriptions and recognize
[18:21] these wonderful individuals. Thank you, thank you. Thank you
[18:26] chief. Good afternoon, mayor, Vice Mayor and commissioners
[18:28] and city staff. Today, we're honoring several different
[18:32] employees. As Chief Levy mentioned. I'd like to first
[18:34] ask Doctor Bassan and Nurse Caitlin Iles to come up. So as
[18:46] they come up today, we're honored to recognize Doctor
[18:48] Eric Bassan and registered nurse Caitlin Iles for their
[18:51] dedication to improving cardiac arrest survival throughout the
[18:54] community. Together, through their leadership of Memorial
[18:58] Health Care Systems and Hollywood's Heroes program,
[19:00] they have helped provide hands only CPR and AED training to
[19:03] more than 700 citizens and City of Hollywood employees. Their
[19:08] work has strengthened the chain of survival by preparing
[19:10] bystanders to act during critical moments before EMS
[19:13] arrives. Doctor Bassan is also advanced hospital based
[19:17] resuscitation care. By creating the Memorial Regional Hospital
[19:21] Resuscitation Committee and helped establish Florida's
[19:23] first comprehensive resuscitation center. Caitlin,
[19:27] as co-director of the Heroes program, has been instrumental
[19:30] in coordinating and expanding its lifesaving education
[19:33] through Hollywood. Their partnership with Hollywood Fire
[19:36] Rescue has helped connect community education, emergency
[19:39] response, and advanced hospital care into a seamless continuum.
[19:43] These efforts have contributed to survival rates with good
[19:47] neurological outcomes that exceed state and national
[19:50] benchmarks. Doctor Bassan and Caitlin exemplify leadership,
[19:54] collaboration and service. We are proud to recognize them
[19:58] with the Citizen Award of Merit and sincerely thank them for
[20:01] their commitment to protecting the lives of those in our
[20:04] community. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you.
[20:19] At this time, I'd like to call Lieutenant Chris Garcia to join
[20:23] me at the podium. We are honored to recognize Lieutenant
[20:31] Chris Garcia with the Meritorious Service Award for
[20:35] his extraordinary courage, selfless service, and
[20:38] unwavering commitment to preserving human life.
[20:40] Lieutenant Garcia deployed to Venezuela as a member of
[20:44] Florida Task Force two following the catastrophic
[20:46] earthquake. During this international urban search and
[20:49] rescue deployment, Lieutenant Garcia spent eight consecutive
[20:52] days conducting search and rescue operations in unstable
[20:55] and collapsed structures, assisting victims who were
[20:58] trapped beneath earthquake debris. Throughout the
[21:02] deployment, he willingly operated in an environment of
[21:05] extreme personal danger. He faced compromised buildings,
[21:09] shifting rubble and hazardous conditions. Despite these risks,
[21:13] Lieutenant Garcia repeatedly placed himselfn harm's way to
[21:16] locate reach and rescue survivors. His actions
[21:20] demonstrated exceptional bravery, professionalism and
[21:22] dedication to the mission of this fire service. Working
[21:26] under physically demanding and emotionally taxing conditions,
[21:30] Lieutenant Garcia remained focused on saving lives. Every
[21:33] rescue required calculated risk, exceptional skill, and
[21:37] extraordinary courage. His willingness to perform
[21:40] dangerous rescue operations in the aftermath of a devastating
[21:43] earthquake exemplifies conduct that is clearly above and
[21:47] beyond the ordinary. Call of duty. Lieutenant Garcia's
[21:50] courage and unwavering devotion to protecting human life
[21:53] embodies the highest traditions of the fire service for his
[21:56] extraordinary courage, selfless service, and dedication to
[21:59] saving lives. Lieutenant Chris Garcia is receiving this
[22:04] Meritorious Service award. Lieutenant Garcia, on behalf of
[22:07] Hollywood Fire Rescue and the City of Hollywood, we thank you
[22:10] for your courage, your service, and your unwavering commitment
[22:13] to helping others in their greatest time of need.
[22:16] Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much. I would next
[22:30] like to call Ocean Rescue lifeguard Marcelo Lorenzo. For
[22:41] this award. I want to receive. I want to read the email that
[22:44] we got from his grandparents, which obviously led us to to
[22:47] recognizing him today. On August 11th, 2026, members of
[22:50] our family were on vacation in Aruba and decided to take a
[22:54] speedboat towed tubing excursion. Three members of our
[22:57] family daughter, son and granddaughter were on one two,
[23:00] while Marcelo and other family members were on a second tube
[23:03] alongside. The boat. Pilot unfortunately took a wide turn
[23:07] and caused the tube with our daughter, son and granddaughter
[23:09] to collide at high speed with an anchored, ocean going
[23:13] catamaran. The entire incident was captured on video. The
[23:17] impact was at high speed and extremely violent, and
[23:20] catapulted all three riders onto the catamaran. Others
[23:24] excuse me. Other than Marcelo Lorenzo, there were no other
[23:27] first responders in the area. Marcelo saw our granddaughter
[23:32] face down and unconscious in the water. He also realized
[23:35] that his severely injured father was underneath the
[23:39] catamaran, holding on to the netting without hesitation and
[23:43] putting himself at risk. Dove into the water, rescued our
[23:47] granddaughter, started CPR to evacuate water in her stomach
[23:50] and lungs. Within minutes, he was back in the water and
[23:53] pulled his father to safety. Marcelo continued life support
[23:57] until relieved by local first responders. As a result of this
[24:00] catastrophic incident. Our granddaughter has spinal
[24:03] injuries and severe head trauma and must be medevaced out by
[24:06] air ambulance. Marcelo's father has two broken ribs and a
[24:11] bruised and punctured lung. Our daughter's arm was broken in
[24:14] three places and needs immediate surgery. As severe as
[24:18] these injuries are, they would have been far worse if Marcelo
[24:21] was not on the scene. His actions speak volumes and
[24:24] reflect positively on your agency, which provided him with
[24:27] the necessary training and professionalism to demonstrate
[24:31] command, presence and take the necessary actions in the face
[24:34] of extreme danger and mental duress. Lifeguard Marcelo
[24:38] Lorenzo acted with remarkable courage, quick thinking and
[24:42] selflessness. His decisive actions not only safeguarded
[24:46] lives but also prevented further harm to members of his
[24:49] family. Learning of such dedication was both humbling
[24:52] and inspiring, and it serves as a powerful reminder of the
[24:56] extraordinary commitment that your agency upholds every day
[25:00] in the training of your personnel. Congratulations!
[25:47] I'd like to extend a moment of
[25:49] privilege for Vice Mayor Callery, who would like to make
[25:52] a comment. Well, first of all, that is amazing. God bless you.
[25:55] And I'm sure your family is just so pleased to have you
[25:58] representing them. And we're so pleased that you're
[26:00] representing the city of Hollywood with your amazingness.
[26:02] So congratulations again. Thank you. I would also, I'd be
[26:06] remiss if I didn't point a point of privilege for a moment
[26:10] of silence for Battalion Chief Michael O'Donnell, who passed
[26:13] away during our summer break. And so if you can keep his
[26:17] family and the entire fire department in their in your
[26:19] prayers as well, that's all I have. And it's great to see
[26:23] everyone here. The Chiefs for Fire and Beach Safety and
[26:26] Rescue, and to recognize Lieutenant Garcia and lifeguard
[26:31] Lorenzo for both, you know, exercising their training and
[26:36] their instinct and for the courage that you've displayed,
[26:39] both in the earthquake aftermath, which I'm sure
[26:41] wasn't easy of seeing what you saw. And then for, of course,
[26:44] the, the, you know, instant trauma and the instant, you
[26:48] know, occurrence that happened. Lifeguard Lorenzo, with your
[26:53] family, that must have been, you know, a terrifying moment.
[26:57] But your instinct was, was I'm a lifeguard and that's special.
[27:01] So congratulations. Appreciate it. And thank you to the doctor
[27:04] and Katie Lyons for both. I worked with you guys alongside
[27:07] of CPR training. You guys got to continue doing it because
[27:11] that one person you make a difference in can save a life.
[27:14] It's the most I don't know if you trained, you know,
[27:17] lifeguard Lorenzo, but whoever did did a good job. So if you'd
[27:20] like to say a few words, we're happy to hear from either of
[27:23] you. Maybe tell us, you know, Venezuela, we saw a lot of
[27:28] heartbreak and a lot of significant damage there on TV
[27:31] screens. But you saw it in person. Yes. Just like. Chief
[27:37] Moser described. Everything was was true. The emotional. Damage
[27:46] that out to me was probably the hardest part. I'm bilingual,
[27:51] speak Spanish as well, fluently. So I was a translator for most
[27:56] of our team and dealing with that, talking to those families
[28:04] that were just holding on to the little bit of hope that
[28:09] their family member was still alive. That made all the
[28:15] difference. I am proud to say that FEMA Task Force Team two
[28:22] did make a remarkable rescue of a gentleman, a security guard,
[28:29] Hernan. He was wedged three floors below the street level
[28:36] in a parking booth when the earthquake happened, and it
[28:43] took us 53 hours of nonstop around the clock work,
[28:48] tunneling through debris, as well as putting ourselves in
[28:53] danger. Because every single structure there that I saw was
[28:58] unstable, it could have collapsed on us it almost a
[29:02] couple times. Thankfully, we we were able to stabilize it and
[29:07] shore it up and work together as a team. There were over 40
[29:13] other teams from around the world in Venezuela. We were all
[29:18] working side by side with each other, but it was a great
[29:22] experience. It had its highs and its lows. But overall, I am
[29:27] forever grateful for the opportunity that you guys were
[29:31] able to provide and allowing me to go and support Hollywood,
[29:37] the city departments, the people, everybody. Thank you,
[29:43] thank you, thank you. Hello. I just want to say thank you for
[29:52] having me here. I'm very appreciative for this award.
[29:54] It's an honor. And I just want to give a huge shout out to the
[29:58] Fire Rescue and Ocean Department for giving me the
[30:00] best training and allowing me to help my family. Thank you,
[30:03] thank you, thank you. Well, we wish a quick recovery to the
[30:08] members of the Lorenzo family. Wishing the best for your
[30:11] family members to recover safely. And thank you,
[30:14] Lieutenant Garcia, for representing Hollywood in the
[30:16] best way possible. We're proud of you guys. Proud to have you.
[30:19] Thank you, thank you. Yeah. But before you before you go, I've
[30:24] got commissioners Truman Biederman. Go ahead
[30:26] Commissioner, I well, to all three I mean, thank you all so
[30:31] much for the incredible work and for, you know, having
[30:35] Hollywood be reflected throughout the world in such an
[30:38] incredible way. My question, Lorenzo, it sounds like your
[30:42] family, in addition to the, you know, horrible incident and
[30:47] injuries, it sounds like there's probably significant
[30:50] costs that have been incurred via medevac and things like
[30:53] that. And I just wanted to know if there's a place that people
[30:56] who are listening might be able to assist your family in any
[30:59] way. No, everything. Yeah. All good. Okay. Thank you.
[31:07] Appreciate it. Thank you. Great. Commissioner Biederman, just
[31:12] wanted to make a shout out to our fire rescue and our two.
[31:18] Team members here and the training that they got. And I
[31:21] mean, this just shows why why Hollywood is a class one
[31:25] department. And the training that we give. And I think this
[31:28] just demonstrates what we do here in Hollywood. And I
[31:32] commend you both for what you did. And as far as the hero
[31:37] program, I don't know if anybody else got to witness
[31:40] what they do, but Boulevard Heights had them, and it was
[31:43] well embraced by all the attendees and what they do and
[31:49] commend them too, for helping to teach others on how to save
[31:54] lives. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you. Well, I feel like we
[32:03] can adjourn the meeting now because that was so special.
[32:06] But from one case to another. Thank you all so much. Thank
[32:10] you all for everyone from Hollywood Fire Rescue. Who's
[32:12] here? Hollywood Police Department, if you're here to
[32:15] support these award recipients, thank you so much. You. You
[32:19] would. Happy for you to stay until 5:00 if you like, but
[32:22] otherwise family as well. You're free to go. Good job.
[32:29] Appreciate you. Thank you. All right. Thank you, thank you.
[32:46] Yeah, sure. Sure. Is that one of our classes? I know Tracy,
[32:50] know CPR, but do you guys know? I should think I should take
[32:55] your class. Thank you. These are my daughters. I don't know
[32:57] if I know CPR, but I got a certificate that says I do.
[33:01] Thank you. Hello? Hello. Thanks, doctor. No, I was at the
[33:07] Boulevard Heights thing. Oh. You were? Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
[33:09] Yes. Thank you. Yes, I've seen you twice. Bye, guys. Thank you.
[33:15] Bye, Beverly. Come on. Everybody, that was beautiful.
[33:23] Great. Senator Sharif. Yes. I know, I didn't realize. I had
[33:38] no idea until now. Yeah, I probably saw it on social media.
[33:45] Actually. I saw it on the news. Yeah. All right. Well, thank
[33:48] you all so much. Now on to more ordinary business. But nothing
[33:53] is ever ordinary, right. Senator Sharif, Senator Barbara
[33:56] Sharif is here with us. She would like to and we've invited
[33:59] her to speak to us regarding the 2026 legislative session.
[34:04] And so we're happy to have her and thank her, of course, for
[34:07] representing us so well in Tallahassee. And here we go
[34:10] again with another session coming up. Senator, I know it
[34:13] seems like it just it starts and it ends and then it starts
[34:17] again. But it is always a privilege to be here in the
[34:20] great city of Hollywood, one of my favorite cities that I
[34:24] represent. You know, one of the most rewarding parts about
[34:29] representing district 35 in the Florida Senate is listening to
[34:33] the needs of this community. And you guys do that so well by
[34:36] advocating in Tallahassee. And I want to say thank you for
[34:39] always coming up, thanking you for keeping me informed about
[34:42] your issues. And congratulations, Commissioner
[34:46] Shoham, I know you're going to do a great job. I'm especially
[34:51] proud to be here today to present the 170 zero zero $0
[34:55] state funding for the Boulevard Heights Community Center senior
[34:59] program expansion. Right. As you know, you know, no
[35:09] appropriation is possible without a partner on the other
[35:12] side. And we've got a great partner. And Representative
[35:15] Hilary Cassell, who's here with me as well today. So our
[35:21] seniors have spent decades building our neighborhoods,
[35:24] supporting our families, and contributing to the communities
[35:26] we call home. They deserve opportunities to remain active,
[35:31] connected and engaged and supported. I was proud to
[35:34] advocate for this funding during the state budget process,
[35:36] and I look forward to seeing the impact it would have right
[35:39] here in the city of Hollywood. This investment was also part
[35:42] of a broader effort this year to bring state resources home
[35:45] to district 35. Altogether, these successful appropriations
[35:49] represent more than 5.3 million in investments in public safety
[35:52] and infrastructure education, senior services, veterans,
[35:55] families and community programs. But my work in Tallahassee went
[35:59] beyond the state budget this year. I was proud to say that I
[36:03] received I well, I put forth five bills and I had five bills
[36:07] signed into law, SB 42, which addressed specific medical
[36:13] diagnosis and child protective investigation, and its
[36:16] companion, HB 47, passed the legislature and became law.
[36:22] This revamped portion of the DCF program, where children who
[36:26] are removed from their parents care as a result of medical
[36:30] diagnoses that mimic child abuse, now have a way to get
[36:33] their kids back through a legislative process that
[36:36] improves their ability to defend themselves. This is
[36:40] great to keep families unified and to also fix an issue that
[36:44] has been plaguing us for many, many years. I also carried
[36:48] legislation strengthening Florida's Veterans dental care
[36:50] program. As you know, veterans who do not have injuries to
[36:54] their oral area as a result of combat do not get dental
[36:58] coverage. Therefore, veterans are going without dental care.
[37:01] And so this program created a well added to and made a $1.5
[37:07] million per year veterans dental grant program that will
[37:11] keep veterans healthy. We had a uterine fibroid database. We
[37:18] did the. In the Department of Health, they address issues
[37:22] that affect the community's health. Uterine fibroids is
[37:26] something. And women's health in general is something that we
[37:28] don't really address most of the time. And there's always a
[37:31] deficit where it concerns women's health, women's health.
[37:34] And so our uterine fibroid, uterine fibroid research and
[37:38] database bill will allow for us to collect data and also
[37:41] educate women on the side effects and the possible issues
[37:44] that they could face with if they have uterine fibroids. We
[37:49] also have this year, we're planning to continue to work on
[37:51] women's health issues, the impact of perimenopause and
[37:55] menopause on our female community. Many people are
[37:59] experiencing these issues, and they don't understand that the
[38:04] anxiety, the palpitations, the memory fog and all the other
[38:07] things that they're experiencing as a woman have
[38:12] absolutely nothing to do with anything. For a long time. We
[38:16] in the medical profession, yes, men, listen up. We in the
[38:21] medical profession have been taught through our training
[38:24] that prescribing bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for
[38:27] women was not a good idea, because there were side effects.
[38:31] About a year and a half ago, the FDA released a study and
[38:34] said, listen, we've been wrong on this all this time. And so
[38:36] there's a retraining effort going on with all professionals.
[38:40] I'm 34 years in practice, and there's many others of us out
[38:43] there that have been out there and were told out of school,
[38:47] listen, we don't prescribe these therapies for women
[38:49] because they can be at risk for high blood pressure, clots and
[38:53] strokes. Well, that's just not true. And so I have a bill that
[38:56] I'm working with the Department of Health on that will address
[38:59] that and to help to get some help to the women. And also it
[39:03] will help the men because, you know, we're pretty ornery when
[39:06] we're going through menopause. Just saying, I got mad. I mean,
[39:10] I have road rage now. Oh, was I supposed to say I'm sorry, I
[39:15] don't have road rage to keep that air conditioning on, right?
[39:19] Yeah, yeah. Oh, my thermostat's possessed, you know, I have
[39:25] personal summers. Again. You know, one of the other things
[39:31] that we addressed this year was the property taxes. I know
[39:34] during the special session, the legislature advanced an
[39:38] amendment three, which you'll see in November. And we're
[39:41] doing our very, very best job to really inform people on what
[39:45] that means for them and what that means for cities and
[39:48] counties. And so we will, throughout this district and
[39:52] throughout this, the rest of the year leading up to November,
[39:54] we will have educational seminars within the community
[39:57] so that we can give everybody as much information as possible
[40:01] so that they can vote in an informed manner. If approved by
[40:06] voters, the proposal would increase the homestead
[40:08] exemption for taxes other than school district taxes levied up
[40:12] to $150,000 for the year of 2027, and then $250,000 for
[40:19] 2028. It also would lower the annual cap on increases in
[40:23] assessed value for non homesteaded property from 10%
[40:27] to 5% beginning in 2027. We recognize that there's
[40:33] challenges with this proposal, and I wanted to let you all
[40:36] know that after the vote, if it does pass, we will go back for
[40:41] an implementation session. And that implementation session
[40:45] would involve the House and the Senate and the governor's
[40:49] office working on ways to minimize the impact to local
[40:53] governments. That will mean, at some point in time, that some
[40:57] cities or counties that only fund through property taxes may
[41:02] end up being annexed into others around them so that they
[41:07] can continue to function and that those those governments
[41:12] will be continue to, you know, be in place. Let's see. So on
[41:22] November the 3rd, they'll it'll be a required to pass by a 60%
[41:25] approval. Additionally, the other thing that we're going to
[41:29] handle this year, we had a two year pushback on property
[41:34] insurance. So as you know, the governor and the Office of
[41:38] Insurance Regulation allowed for admission of about 21
[41:42] additional insurance carriers to come into the Florida market
[41:46] to write insurance. What they were hoping to gain is that
[41:52] property insurance premiums would decrease by somewhere
[41:56] between 30 and 40% for the residents that are paying them.
[41:59] What we've seen is that that has not occurred. And part of
[42:04] what the plan was, is that brokers would have
[42:07] opportunities to reprice through three quotes through
[42:11] all of these new carriers and decrease the rates for property
[42:14] insurance. So some people are doing it, some people are not.
[42:17] That's what we've seen. And then the other thing that we've
[42:20] seen is that the the rates have not dropped substantially like
[42:23] they thought by flooding the market with more carriers. So
[42:26] this is our two year end to the wait. And I believe that this
[42:30] session we're going back again. And so we'll be dealing with
[42:33] property insurance and property tax. And I'm answering that
[42:37] because every time we go to one of these homeowners meetings,
[42:39] people ask, when are you going to do something about property
[42:42] insurance? And then the last thing is that. We are going to.
[42:53] Okay, so we're going to give a check. Yes. So we're done.
[42:57] Thank you so much, doctor. Thank you. All right. Why don't
[43:07] we join Doctor Sharif down below for photo.
[43:31] Of her bank account. Clearly the Senate
[43:34] gets a little bit more money than the House. And you see can
[43:36] you see my check. And I'm a lefty. She has much nicer
[43:40] handwriting than I have. The only thing you'll get with this
[43:44] check is that it'll never balance. I've never bounced a
[43:46] check, but I wouldn't. This one directly. This one. This one.
[43:54] You can't go to bed. Because he's in a little bit. There you
[44:02] go. That's great. Yes. I'm going to take one now. That.
[44:51] Doctor Sharif. Thank you so much. I can tell you that the
[44:54] Boulevard Heights Senior program is so well attended and
[44:56] serves so many seniors week after week. It's really a
[45:00] special program. And so thank you so much for helping to keep
[45:03] it going. A lot of seniors just rely on it. And so thank you so
[45:07] much for fighting for us up there and as well,
[45:09] Representative Castelli, thank you. Thank you. All right. At
[45:18] this time, we have a presentation by Representative
[45:20] Hillary Kissel regarding the 2026 Florida legislative
[45:24] session. On the House side, of course, Senator Sharif is in
[45:27] the Florida Senate. And representing us so ably is
[45:31] Representative Cosell. Please. Thank you, mayor. And you
[45:34] brought a check with you as well. I did also bring a check,
[45:38] yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor,
[45:42] commissioners, obviously, it's always such a pleasure to be
[45:44] able to present in front of you a little bit of a summary of
[45:47] what occurred during the 2026 legislative session. The House
[45:50] and Senate are two very different chambers. So I like
[45:54] to always start off my presentation is with really
[45:57] talking about the work that we get to do together as a chamber
[46:00] in the House. I don't think we hear about it often enough. So
[46:04] one of the things I always like to focus on, what work did we
[46:07] do together? And overall, 1896 bills were filed in both
[46:14] chambers. 237 of them passed. This was not a year where there
[46:19] was a lot of policy that actually passed, but 237 bills
[46:23] did get passed. 83% of those bills were passed with
[46:27] bipartisan support, meaning 83% of the time your legislator,
[46:31] Republican and Democrat, are working together in the best
[46:34] interest of Floridians to make sure that we are tackling the
[46:38] problems that Floridians are facing. I have the honor and
[46:41] privilege of serving on several committees in the legislature.
[46:44] I serve on the Judiciary Committee. I serve as vice
[46:46] chair of insurance and banking. As you all know, my favorite
[46:49] place to be. I serve on the health care, budget, housing,
[46:52] AG and Tourism subcommittee in the Health Care Facilities
[46:56] Subcommittee and the Information Technology budget,
[47:00] and I had the opportunity to serve on the Select Committee
[47:03] with Property Taxes, which is actually a committee that we
[47:06] served on for over a year in the House. Working on tackling
[47:11] this issue. I had the chance to meet with all five cities that
[47:14] I represent. I spent a significant amount of time with
[47:17] your staff. As we were talking about the conversation, knowing
[47:22] that at some point we would see some type of property tax
[47:26] reform. I think when it originally started, we were all
[47:28] thinking that reform was going to look like a complete
[47:31] elimination of property taxes. I will say, over the course of
[47:34] that year, working in the House chamber with our speaker and
[47:37] then with our Senate partners, we were very adamant that an
[47:41] elimination of complete a complete elimination of
[47:43] property taxes was never going to be sustainable. And ensuring
[47:46] that we protected our public schools was a high priority for
[47:50] both the House and the Senate. And I think that's why you see
[47:53] the proposal that voters will have an opportunity to pass or
[47:56] fail in November. But at the end of the day, we have given
[47:59] them that choice. I passed several pieces of legislation.
[48:04] I was actually the only legislator to pass anything AI
[48:07] related. Unfortunately, it did not make it to the governor's
[48:10] desk. But as everybody knows here, I'm a big insurance
[48:13] advocate, a big consumer advocate. And we know that when
[48:17] it comes to AI and denials that insurance companies have a high
[48:22] error rate when utilizing AI in either denying underpaying
[48:26] claims, and that's across all types of claims, whether it be
[48:28] health insurance, property insurance, etc. So we were
[48:33] successful in passing that off the House floor, but it got us
[48:36] it got the conversation started about AI and consumer
[48:40] protections. And I look forward to bringing that in the next
[48:43] legislative session. I also pass legislation that was
[48:45] actually brought to me by constituents of district 101,
[48:49] which dealt with expanding access to schools. So we
[48:52] focused on expanding access to micro schools, schools that can
[48:56] provide facilities for children that need additional assistance,
[49:01] whether they have disabilities, or to provide additional
[49:04] support for our religious schools. So schools that serve
[49:07] 150 students or less have the ability to operate in mixed use
[49:11] spaces, which we know since Covid have really been vacant.
[49:15] As businesses return to working at home and leaving sort of
[49:19] that retail space open, we're going to have the ability to
[49:23] utilize those spaces for schools of 150 students or less,
[49:27] but ensuring that cities have the ability to utilize their
[49:31] traffic concerns and making sure that they work with those
[49:34] schools on those issues. So we don't have we don't run into
[49:38] traffic issues. And then my other project that I love to
[49:42] support are issues related to mental health. Two years ago,
[49:46] we successfully successfully passed legislation that was
[49:48] signed into law that dealt with collecting data on our school
[49:53] resources when it comes to mental health. Since the
[49:56] tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, we've
[49:59] spent almost $1 billion on providing resources to our
[50:03] students all across the state. But nobody's actually
[50:06] collecting any data to determine whether or not our
[50:10] students are getting any better. Our is the dollars that we're
[50:13] spending even reaching these children, and are they getting
[50:16] the help that they need? So we pass legislation two years ago
[50:20] that is starting to collect that data, so we can make a
[50:23] determination as the legislature, to actually make
[50:25] sure that our dollars are being used in the right space, and
[50:28] most importantly, that our children are getting help. But
[50:31] we also, when we looked into that, realized that that's also
[50:34] happening in our vulnerable population, in our community
[50:37] court system. So our mental health court, our veterans
[50:40] court, our drug court, same scenario. We're funding these
[50:44] programs in an effort to get these people the help that they
[50:47] need, so they can not continue to go in and out of the system
[50:50] and get back to being and serving their communities and,
[50:54] and, and being, you know, back to being healthy. That's our
[50:58] goal. But nobody's tracking that data. So this, this
[51:02] legislative session, I successfully passed that
[51:04] legislation as well. So we'll begin to really take a good
[51:07] look at our overall mental health system here in the state
[51:09] of Florida, and make sure that the dollars that we're spending
[51:13] are actually getting the people the help that they need when it
[51:17] comes to the legislative budget, we, once again, for the fourth
[51:21] year in a row, reduce the state of Florida's budget. The budget
[51:25] that passed this year was $117 billion. I was successful in
[51:30] securing $41 million, 21 million of that specifically
[51:35] serves districts 101, which is anywhere between Hollywood,
[51:39] Hallandale, Dania, Davie and from $7 million to helping our
[51:45] veterans health clinic at NSU to dollars. Going to build a
[51:49] nursing program, help build the nursing program at Broward
[51:53] College to. Obviously, my work with Senator Sharif and
[51:58] Commissioner Gruber, I know a project that you and I have had
[52:01] the pleasure of working on for the last two years is
[52:04] specifically funding this incredible project that you
[52:06] brought to me in honor of your father, to provide our seniors
[52:12] with who are suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia,
[52:15] access to a center where they are going to be able to provide,
[52:19] get the care that they need and give their loved ones respite.
[52:22] My grandmother had dementia and moved in with my parents and I
[52:27] when I was in high school, and I witnessed firsthand the toll
[52:30] that that can take on those caretakers and how it can truly
[52:36] impact a family and the respite that caretakers need, and a
[52:39] safe space that you can send your loved ones to be able to
[52:43] get out and get some arts and crafts or, you know, to
[52:47] socialize or to get some exercise and to have a safe
[52:50] place here in the community of City of Hollywood to use one of
[52:54] our facilities specifically for that purpose is a project that
[52:57] is near and dear to my heart. So thank you for trusting me
[53:00] with that the last two years. It's an honor to present to you.
[53:03] I don't know where Connie went. Again. The Senate must get all
[53:08] all of the dollars to make these nice checks, but. So we
[53:12] secured another $250,000 this year. So thank you. For a total
[53:21] of $500,000 over the course of the last two years. And I know
[53:25] it's my understanding that come November, we are looking at a
[53:28] grand opening, and I'm sure you might address that when we when
[53:31] I close my remarks. But the last thing I wanted to comment
[53:34] is similar to what Senator Sharif said. It's truly a
[53:36] pleasure to represent this city I have called Hollywood,
[53:40] whether it be my actual home or where my business home is
[53:44] located for over 20 years, and it's truly an honor. You guys
[53:47] are such incredible advocates for the people that live here
[53:51] and the type of lifestyle that we want people to be able to
[53:54] enjoy. And I enjoy spending time with you in Tallahassee
[53:57] and getting your phone calls and hearing what your concerns
[54:00] are. And I hopefully answer. Answer that call to the best of
[54:04] my abilities as well. So thank you for allowing me to work
[54:07] with you and serving this great city. Commissioner Gruber. Yes.
[54:19] Representative Cassel, I, I from the bottom of my heart, I
[54:22] can't thank you enough for getting behind this initiative.
[54:25] You know, it's it's going to provide a much needed service
[54:30] for respite care and for quality of life for people that
[54:34] suffer with dementia and Alzheimer's. And the goal here,
[54:38] and I can't John Strader, who brought this to me from the
[54:41] National Alzheimer's Association, worked tirelessly
[54:43] for this cause, is to really have this be the first of many
[54:48] throughout Florida, throughout Hollywood, throughout the
[54:50] country, where we can use underutilized community centers
[54:54] that aren't being activated Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 and
[54:57] bring these centers. So the business pencils out that
[55:01] operators are able to do it, and we can provide this service
[55:03] for respite care. And I just can't thank you enough for
[55:07] getting behind it. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
[55:12] Thank you, Representative Cassel. We're certainly
[55:14] grateful for all the work that you do up in Tallahassee. We we
[55:17] we are we have great confidence when we know you're there
[55:20] advocating because you do like us, know the needs of the
[55:23] community and especially your work on property insurance is
[55:26] coming back to being very, of course, important because after
[55:29] the discussion, property tax. There was, of course, this
[55:32] other large bill that we, you know, we all recognize maybe it
[55:35] doesn't need to be as large, never used to be as large, and
[55:38] that hopefully the legislature can help, you know, rein in the
[55:41] market. I know you have some proposals that you've set forth
[55:44] before the legislature years ago that they're just now
[55:46] talking about saying, hey, this might be a good idea. And so go
[55:50] ahead. Both both candidates running for governor. Talk
[55:53] about two of my proposed pieces of legislation. So. All right.
[55:56] Well, it's finally making its way. It takes some time for
[56:00] people to start to listen, especially when you talk about
[56:02] overhauling very large systems that have been in place for a
[56:05] very long time. But both of them see the need to reform
[56:09] both our catastrophic fund, which will have a huge 30 to
[56:12] 40% decrease in premiums, as well as moving citizens back to
[56:16] a wind only policy, which is what it was always meant to be.
[56:20] So exciting times. Well, let's hope for good things in this
[56:22] upcoming legislative session in that regard. Thank you. Let's
[56:25] do that photo. Thank you. All the time. Connie. Oh. Okay. A
[56:57] little darker for the check to be seen. Thank you everyone.
[57:03] Okay, just a moment. Oh thank you. Okay. Can we recycle and
[57:16] reuse. So we're going to keep this one.
[57:42] So far we've had a lot of good news with all these
[57:45] presentations. And we're going to continue that trend because
[57:47] there are also good things happening right here on the
[57:49] ground in Hollywood and that. So I'm proud to ask Shannon
[57:53] Hunter, who's the mother of Marquis Brown and the chairman
[57:57] of the Hollywood Brown Foundation. I see Commissioner
[58:00] Linda Anderson here as well, to thank them for and recognize
[58:04] them for the. They like to recognize the city support for
[58:07] the Marquis Brown football training camp. So welcome,
[58:10] Commissioner Anderson. Good to see you. And thank you, miss
[58:13] Hunter. Hi, I'm Shannon James. I am Marquis Brown's mom. Good
[58:19] afternoon. Mayor, vice mayor, members of the city commission,
[58:24] city staff and everyone here today on behalf of Marquise
[58:27] Hollywood Brown, his family, and the entire Hollywood Brown
[58:31] Foundation. We want to thank. Take a moment to thank you on
[58:35] behalf of Marquis Hollywood. Brown day is incredibly special
[58:40] to us because Hollywood is home no matter where Markie's
[58:46] journey has taken him from. Growing up right here in the
[58:50] community to college football and now playing in the NFL. And
[58:54] now he's with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has remained
[59:00] committed to to coming back home and give giving back to
[59:04] the community that helped shaped him. And for the for
[59:07] that reason, it means so much to us. The year after year
[59:13] after year, the mayor, the vice mayor, the city Commissioner
[59:19] and the city of Hollywood continue to stand beside
[59:22] Hollywood Brown Foundation and support our vision for
[59:26] Hollywood Brown Day. This year. We were blessed to celebrate
[59:32] five years our fifth annual Hollywood Brown Day, once again
[59:37] bringing the community together and creating a day centered
[59:40] around youth and families. Through this event, we've been
[59:43] able to provide book packs. Hollywood. I'm sorry. School
[59:48] supplies, groceries to families, youth activities, football
[59:53] programing, food, entertainment, and most importantly, a
[59:57] positive environment where our community can come together.
[1:00:01] But one of the things we're especially proud of is that the
[1:00:06] impact. Hollywood Brown Day. Doesn't stop when the event
[1:00:12] ends. For this past three years, we have also had the
[1:00:17] opportunity to award a college scholarship to a graduating
[1:00:20] high school student, helping them take the next step toward
[1:00:24] higher education and their future. That has become one of
[1:00:29] the most meaningful parts of the Hollywood Brown Day for us.
[1:00:33] Because giving back isn't only about what we can provide today,
[1:00:37] it's also about investing in what our young people can
[1:00:42] become tomorrow. And none of this happens without
[1:00:47] partnership. Mayor, vice mayor, and commissioners, we sincerely
[1:00:53] thank you for your continued support, not only this year,
[1:00:57] but every year that you have welcomed us back and helped us
[1:01:01] continue to grow this event. Thank you for believing in what
[1:01:06] we're doing. Thank you for helping us create opportunities
[1:01:10] for our young people. Thank you for helping us support families
[1:01:13] throughout the community. And thank you for allowing Marquise
[1:01:17] the opportunity to continue coming home and showing our
[1:01:21] young people that success doesn't mean forgetting where
[1:01:24] you came from. It means remembering where you came from
[1:01:28] and reaching back to help someone else move forward. We
[1:01:32] also want to recognize Hollywood Pal city staff, our
[1:01:37] sponsors, community partners, volunteers, and everyone behind
[1:01:40] the scenes who continues to help make Hollywood Brown Day
[1:01:44] possible every year. So many people give their time,
[1:01:48] resources and energy to make this day special, and we truly
[1:01:52] are grateful for each and every one of you. As the Hollywood
[1:01:55] Brown Foundation continues to grow, we hope this hope that
[1:02:00] Hollywood Brown Day continues to grow with with it allowing
[1:02:04] us to provide even more resources, awards, and more
[1:02:07] scholarships, create more opportunities for our youth,
[1:02:10] and make an even greater impact right here in the city of
[1:02:15] Hollywood. And also, I would like to thank our very own
[1:02:18] former commissioner, Miss Linda Anderson, because I first came
[1:02:23] to her with this idea about giving back, because I once was
[1:02:27] a young mother that did it by myself, and my kid wanted to
[1:02:32] play ball and I didn't have the funds. And someone came and
[1:02:36] supported me. And so I wanted to move forward. My son had
[1:02:40] this opportunity being a mother, a single mother of two that
[1:02:44] suffered kidney failure at the time, was on dialysis for five
[1:02:47] years and was able to stand beside my kids. And I talked to
[1:02:52] Miss Anderson and she said, sure, I'll help you with
[1:02:55] whatever you have to do. And so I just want to just thank each
[1:02:58] and every one of you for the opportunity. Now, with the
[1:03:02] awards, we had a little mishap inside. We on the day, we had
[1:03:07] all the awards for all of you. Commissioner, you received your
[1:03:13] you received yours. But for some kind of way, somebody
[1:03:17] disappeared. But I'm going to tell you, we will have your
[1:03:20] plaques here in hand. Okay. So our award is your success, and
[1:03:24] the success that Marquis and the Foundation are bestowing
[1:03:26] upon the kids. That's that's the award. So thank you so much.
[1:03:30] Yeah. Thank you. And I truly appreciate each and every one
[1:03:34] of you. Thank you, thank you. Commissioner Anderson, you are
[1:03:40] in green because of the Philadelphia Eagles or just
[1:03:42] because it's a nice color. Hey, money. I just like to say thank
[1:03:49] you all for your support. And remember, always remember that
[1:03:53] the Marquis day is always the 2nd July, second Saturday in
[1:04:00] July. And after you all leave and change up, I still want you
[1:04:05] all to support him. That's why I don't live here anymore. But
[1:04:08] I still come back and support. And I still love Hollywood.
[1:04:12] Okay. Thank you, thank you, thank you Commissioner. Thank
[1:04:19] you all. Well, we have one final presentation. It's item
[1:04:23] 28. It's a celebration. A celebration, is it Andrea
[1:04:29] Winget? She's the director of development services along with
[1:04:31] Russell Long. He's of course, the chief building official
[1:04:33] here in Hollywood about the successful launch of phase two
[1:04:36] of the Acela permitting software, a large undertaking.
[1:04:40] Andrea and Russell, congratulations on on this
[1:04:42] launch. Thank you. So good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor,
[1:04:45] city commissioners. Andrea Winget, director of development
[1:04:48] services. We have several staff members in the audience. You're
[1:04:51] welcome to please come up. Come on up building here,
[1:04:54] development services. You know, as the mayor said, this is a
[1:04:58] celebration, not just a Cela. And, you know, we're we're
[1:05:02] really here today to celebrate a huge milestone, not just for
[1:05:07] the Department of Development Services, but for the city, for
[1:05:10] the residents, and for all of the other departments who
[1:05:14] helped make this happen. For us, this has been a multiyear
[1:05:19] project that incorporated two phases that has taken a
[1:05:23] significant amount of staff time from a variety of
[1:05:27] departments and resources within the city. And, you know,
[1:05:32] we have gone live with Acela, which is our new building
[1:05:35] permit process management for from a variety of not just
[1:05:40] permits, but from items that public utilities takes in,
[1:05:44] zoning takes in and everybody and we're here today to
[1:05:48] celebrate that. We're here to expand our digital services and
[1:05:53] look at how we manage paperwork between departments and between
[1:05:58] our customers. And. You know, what this represents is truly a
[1:06:07] true digital platform for, you know, we have been taking
[1:06:11] things in via email, but we have not had a portal where
[1:06:16] customers can be directly responsible for their papers
[1:06:21] and their permits and their processes that they need to
[1:06:24] come through the city in a regulatory manner for. And this
[1:06:28] really is a true digital service that the city is
[1:06:32] launching holistically across multiple departments. It
[1:06:36] increases our ability to communicate across departments,
[1:06:39] to be able to see the same thing real time by everybody,
[1:06:42] whether you're in the field or you're in the office, and just
[1:06:47] creates better workflows and process improvement for
[1:06:50] everyone. And so now our building official, Russell Long,
[1:06:52] is going to take us through a couple other portions of this,
[1:06:56] and then I'll wrap it up at the end. Thank you. Andrea, you
[1:07:04] already went on this one. How to create and access your
[1:07:09] account. A simple, straightforward process. In the
[1:07:12] Acela platform, you can create your username, your password,
[1:07:16] your email. The benefits of having an account in Acela is
[1:07:19] that you can monitor your permits, your properties,
[1:07:23] schedule inspections, upload documents. You can control the
[1:07:26] activity that you are directly involved with. Customers with
[1:07:32] or without an account. Can search permits, can look up
[1:07:36] properties records using address folio numbers or
[1:07:42] contractor or owner's name. These simple tools create a
[1:07:44] more convenient, transparent and accessible experience while
[1:07:50] reducing the need to contact staff for basic information.
[1:07:56] This is an address based search that displays the information
[1:07:59] associated with the property entered in the search bar. The
[1:08:03] search results include. Certificate use BSIP which is
[1:08:08] your building safety inspection program. History code violation
[1:08:12] history permitting history for the property. That's that's in
[1:08:15] the search. We also know that Acela is also streamlining the
[1:08:22] process, the certificate use and the zoning verification
[1:08:25] letter process clearly demonstrates the operational
[1:08:28] value of phase two automation with a seller. Both are high
[1:08:33] volume processes that previously required significant
[1:08:36] manual intake, additional time spent for research, routing and
[1:08:41] tracking, and processing by staff. Phase two automates
[1:08:45] these key steps, including application intake, Review
[1:08:49] routing and reducing staff touch points and administrative
[1:08:53] delays. Overall, the automated workflow provides a greater
[1:08:57] efficiency, consistency and visibility throughout the
[1:09:01] review process. Before processes that took weeks now
[1:09:04] takes minutes. Automation is also tied to the GIS system
[1:09:08] that verifies whether an application complies with the
[1:09:12] city zoning ordinances. In a cellar. We also have a GIS
[1:09:19] mapping. If you go to the city's website under permits at
[1:09:24] the bottom of the screen, you'll see where the red arrow
[1:09:27] showing you to find the GIS mapping for a cellar. This is a
[1:09:35] GIS map where you can view permits related to the
[1:09:39] information by location. As you can see, the City Hall is
[1:09:42] selected here. If you click on any of the blue dots, it will
[1:09:45] tell you the information under that property. I do have a
[1:09:56] speech I want to write. Before I do that, I'd like to make a
[1:09:59] statement to the mayor, commissioners, city Manager's
[1:10:02] office. I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your
[1:10:07] support, your continued support, and your vision during the
[1:10:11] implementation of the city of the permitting software system.
[1:10:16] But today, I want to recognize sincerely thank City of
[1:10:22] Hollywood staff that have worked tirelessly, tirelessly
[1:10:26] for the past two and a half years to test, develop, and
[1:10:30] implement our newest permitting software system. Two and a half
[1:10:34] years. That's just since we started with the seller. We
[1:10:38] actually started this three years ago and it's been a
[1:10:42] process. This has been a tremendous team effort
[1:10:45] involving departments across the city, including building,
[1:10:49] planning and zoning, engineering, public utilities,
[1:10:53] fire code, compliance, treasury information, Information
[1:10:59] Technology, CMD and the city's clerk's office. Over the past
[1:11:04] two and a half years, our staff spent countless hours testing
[1:11:07] the system, identifying problems, working through the
[1:11:11] challenges, retesting and helping ensure that the system
[1:11:15] works for our residents, the businesses, contractors and the
[1:11:19] employees and staff did this while continuing to perform
[1:11:23] their regular responsibilities. Many of many of the staff
[1:11:30] stayed late. They worked many hours beyond what was expected
[1:11:33] of them. They went above and beyond because they. They
[1:11:37] understood how important the project is to the city and to
[1:11:41] the people we serve. This accomplishment is not the work
[1:11:45] of one department or one individual. It is the result of
[1:11:49] teamwork, dedication, patience for perseverance and shared
[1:11:55] commitment to improve the service to our community. So to
[1:11:59] every employee who contributed to these to these over the past
[1:12:03] two and a half years, I want to say thank you for your hard
[1:12:07] work, your professionalism and dedication to the city of
[1:12:10] Hollywood. Your commitment has made a difference and it
[1:12:12] deserves recognition and appreciation. So on behalf of
[1:12:15] the City of Hollywood, I want to thank you. Building. I want
[1:12:19] to thank you. Planning and zoning. I want to thank you
[1:12:22] engineering. I want to thank you, Public Utilities. I want
[1:12:25] to thank you. Fire. I want to thank you. Code compliance. I
[1:12:29] want to thank you, Treasury. I want to thank you. ITI want to
[1:12:33] thank you seemed and I want to thank you. City clerk's office.
[1:12:37] And most importantly, I want to thank each and every employee,
[1:12:41] manager, supervisor, project team member in the department
[1:12:45] representative who contributed to this effort. The success of
[1:12:49] this project is a reflection of your professionalism, your
[1:12:53] teamwork, and your dedication to the City of Hollywood. Two
[1:12:58] and a half years of testing, preparation, problem solving,
[1:13:01] and implementation is a remarkable commitment. The
[1:13:05] hours you invested, especially the hours your normal
[1:13:09] responsibilities, demonstrate something that cannot be
[1:13:13] purchased or programed into into a computer. A genuine
[1:13:17] commitment to public service. I hope each of you understand how
[1:13:22] much your work is appreciated. Today we are recognizing more
[1:13:29] than just the implementation of a new software system. We are
[1:13:33] recognizing the people behind it, the people who gave their
[1:13:35] time, their knowledge, their energy, and their dedication to
[1:13:39] move the city forward. Thank you for your work of the extra
[1:13:43] hours. Thank you for going above and beyond. Thank you for
[1:13:46] your patience and perseverance. And most importantly, thank you
[1:13:51] for for caring about the city of Hollywood and the people we
[1:13:55] serve. This accomplishment accomplishment belongs to all
[1:13:58] of you. Congratulations and thank you for extraordinary job.
[1:14:01] Well done. Good job. So everything that Russell talked
[1:14:21] about really, you know, couldn't, you know, couldn't
[1:14:25] happen without the team who's here today. And it was really
[1:14:29] about when we kind of look back over time and we look to where
[1:14:32] we've come from to where we've gone, it's really about the
[1:14:35] impact and the innovation, the process improvement, our
[1:14:39] customer service and the technology that we're bringing
[1:14:44] to to the residents. Is that why? So, you know, there was
[1:14:51] countless trainings that were done internally and externally.
[1:14:55] There have not only been trainings on how to use this
[1:14:58] software, but customer service training and learning how to
[1:15:03] adapt to change. We specifically had targeted
[1:15:06] trainings within all of the users for the departments that
[1:15:09] are using this. And with that mayor, vice mayor, and city
[1:15:16] commissioners, it's I ask that you please come together, if
[1:15:20] you can, on the dais. For me, it's time to celebrate. And so
[1:15:25] if we can accelerate, accelerate excella for our new
[1:15:30] permitting software system. So if we can all gather together
[1:15:34] for that. And and you're, you know, this represents us
[1:15:40] turning the system on and moving us forward at the city
[1:15:43] into a new digital era for all of us. So if you can all lean
[1:15:47] in and mayor, we're going to ask you to please, with your
[1:15:52] colleagues, turn the button on. I'm going to count down. Are
[1:15:55] you counting down, mayor? Yep. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
[1:16:14] Okay. Wow. That's amazing. Thank you. Okay. Good enough.
[1:16:29] And so the video that's playing represents the amount of papers
[1:16:32] in our prior processes. That is now going away as we flip the
[1:16:37] switch and we accelerate into our future together. Okay.
[1:17:00] Congratulations. Well, on behalf of the City Commission
[1:17:05] and the residents and business owners, Russell and Team Andrea,
[1:17:10] Jim, everybody, thank you so much. We know when we charged
[1:17:14] the city manager, city managers ago as well to help expedite
[1:17:19] the permitting process, we knew a lot of it would require new
[1:17:23] software, simultaneous review from the various disciplines,
[1:17:27] and just overall process improvement. And through those
[1:17:31] years, we've not only invested in Acela first phase, second
[1:17:35] phase, but also built the brand new development services
[1:17:39] department and divisions up over the library and on the
[1:17:42] second floor. And we also added a lot of new team members to
[1:17:47] the building division to help get things processed. So all
[1:17:50] that together, it really is a new moment in time, a new,
[1:17:53] modern moment for the city of Hollywood. And we know we have
[1:17:56] aspirations to even continue to migrate additional customer
[1:17:59] touch points to Acela to both give the staff and of course,
[1:18:03] the residents and businesses first and foremost, an easier
[1:18:07] time transacting with the city and, you know, getting their
[1:18:10] building permits processed and their approvals and their
[1:18:12] business licenses process as quick as possible. We all know
[1:18:16] all the hopes and dreams that we have for the city. I always
[1:18:19] say, even those that we talk about with our own capital
[1:18:22] improvement projects that we talked about this morning
[1:18:24] during the workshop, all need to flow through the building
[1:18:27] division and building permit review and approval. And so
[1:18:30] your accelerated momentum now and your your new processes
[1:18:34] will help serve both what we do internally and of course, every
[1:18:37] other hope and dream for Hollywood business owners and
[1:18:40] residents here in the city of Hollywood as they look to
[1:18:42] improve their property and in the end, grow our tax base and
[1:18:45] make us more self-sufficient through our own internal growth
[1:18:49] that we help support out there in the community. So thank you
[1:18:52] all so much. Really proud moment, and we look forward to
[1:18:56] continuing to help you and give you the tools needed to be the
[1:19:00] best building division and best development services that we
[1:19:02] can be in the state of Florida. So thank you so much. All right.
[1:19:11] Now, I really feel we can adjourn the meeting, but no,
[1:19:15] thank you all to everybody from Development Services.
[1:19:18] Appreciate it. Congratulations. Congratulations, Russell. I
[1:19:23] hope you have some fresh fruit for them or something. Some
[1:19:25] kind of celebration. The celebration must continue. All
[1:19:30] right. All right. It is a little bit past 130. So let's
[1:19:41] head head through our agenda in order of the the agenda here
[1:19:44] 130 time certain items. This is an ordinance on second reading
[1:19:48] advertised in conformance with state statutes and city codes
[1:19:51] as a public hearing. No changes since the first reading from
[1:19:54] the Department of Utilities. Item 29, An ordinance of the
[1:19:56] City Hollywood amending chapter 51 of the Code of Ordinances,
[1:19:58] entitled water to update the current regulations relating to
[1:20:01] accounts and procedures providing for severability
[1:20:03] clause, Repealer provision, codification and effective date.
[1:20:06] Of course, you all remember before the break we had a long
[1:20:11] first reading that where utilities had gone through, you
[1:20:15] know, all the details of this new ordinance that provides a
[1:20:18] lot of opportunity to streamline, even in the case of,
[1:20:22] of, of utilities. The process is for our residents and for
[1:20:27] our customers. And so are there any speaker cards on item 29?
[1:20:33] And Ralston, please come on up. Just. Okay. There you go. This
[1:20:50] was from the meeting before for the. And they were actually 29
[1:20:54] and 30 on the last agenda, I think, or 29 and 30, 31 I think
[1:20:59] could be exact. That was what was printed, what I printed for
[1:21:02] the meeting right before break. This is what is the backup for
[1:21:08] today's on second reading. I don't know why they're
[1:21:11] different. This is the update. The rates don't make sense to
[1:21:15] me. From what I remember on these. These rates were going
[1:21:22] up 25% each year for three years on water and sewer. That
[1:21:29] was back then. This was from a report done in 25, which is the
[1:21:34] backup now. It shows us. As number four in the highest in
[1:21:41] water sewer rates. I am now paying instead of $93.72
[1:21:46] because I don't use enough. That's my base rate whether I
[1:21:49] use it or not. So I don't I don't conserve well, I try to
[1:21:54] conserve, but I pay for non use is now $100. So we're still at
[1:22:00] fourth. But when you approve these you are going to really
[1:22:05] hurt residents water and sewer bills. And I don't care how you
[1:22:10] want to spin it. I'm sorry but the well gets dry on fixed
[1:22:15] incomes, especially when you talk about senior citizens and
[1:22:19] taking care of people. This is your you're feeding us to death.
[1:22:25] So please be very careful when you do this. Thank you. So this
[1:22:32] item is the the ordinance update with regards to the
[1:22:37] regulations and the accounts and procedures. And so I'd like
[1:22:40] to entertain a close the public hearing that was open and close
[1:22:43] the public hearing. I'd like to accept a motion on the item. We
[1:22:48] have a motion for Commissioner Biederman and a second from
[1:22:51] Vice Mayor Clary to approve item 29. City attorney, please
[1:22:55] read the ordinance and let's read the get the call, the roll
[1:22:59] call vote on an ordinance of the City of Hollywood, Florida,
[1:23:03] amending chapter 51 of the Code of Ordinances entitled water to
[1:23:07] update the current regulations relating to accounts and
[1:23:11] procedures providing for severability clause and
[1:23:14] Repealer provision, codification and an effective
[1:23:17] date. Commissioner Quintana yes. Commissioner Shuhan. Yes.
[1:23:23] Commissioner Hernandez yes. Vice mayor. Kolody. Yes.
[1:23:27] Commissioner Gruber. Yes. Commissioner. Biederman. Yes.
[1:23:31] Mayor. Levy. Yes. All right. Let's show the ordinance
[1:23:34] passing unanimously on second reading. And I know Phyllis is
[1:23:37] here, and she would be prepared to provide a quick update. But
[1:23:41] this particular ordinance change really helps to relax a
[1:23:44] lot of the leak reviews and the extends opportunities for
[1:23:49] residents to have better recourse with the city and very
[1:23:53] many across many different areas. And so it's a it's a
[1:23:56] helpful provision. I'm sorry. Right. Yeah. The next item is
[1:24:01] the rates. Item 30 is an ordinance of the City of
[1:24:05] Hollywood amending section 52.5, three of the Code of Ordinances,
[1:24:08] entitled Rates and Charges for the use of the system, updating
[1:24:11] the current regulations relating to accounts and
[1:24:13] procedures and providing for severability codification
[1:24:15] effective date. This is also an ordinance on second reading
[1:24:18] advertising conformance with state statutes and city codes
[1:24:20] as a public hearing without any changes since the first reading
[1:24:24] from DP, you. I'll go ahead and open the public hearing. Are
[1:24:27] there any speaker cards on 30. And Ralston, please come on up.
[1:24:38] We'll just skip out on him. It's the same. It's basically
[1:24:46] the same thing. I said, there's no need to repeat myself, but
[1:24:50] just be careful sometimes what you wish for. Also, I do
[1:24:54] believe that this is a sneaky little way for the residents on
[1:25:00] sewer to pay for separate septic to sewer. So we're going
[1:25:04] to keep an eye out. Public hearing is now closed just for
[1:25:09] the public record. I just want to clarify for those watching,
[1:25:11] of course, the city is responsible and we have the the
[1:25:16] the role and the responsibility to provide clean drinking water
[1:25:19] and treat wastewater in the city of Hollywood. We have
[1:25:22] regional plants in the wastewater plant. We have, of
[1:25:26] course, the water treatment plant. And those plants are
[1:25:30] aging and are 70 plus years old and need a lot of work. And so
[1:25:35] our staff brought forward to us a plan where across the board,
[1:25:39] both the water plant and the wastewater plant will be
[1:25:43] improved and modernized and practically rebuilt and brought
[1:25:47] to the modern era, like the Acela did for the building
[1:25:50] division. And unfortunately, that costs hundreds of millions
[1:25:53] of dollars. And so these rate increases. None of us enjoy
[1:25:58] having to increase anything in the city, but we do have to pay
[1:26:02] for the plants in order for them to continue to provide the
[1:26:05] service, to treat wastewater and to provide clean drinking
[1:26:08] water. It's an obligation of ours. There's we're going to
[1:26:12] look for every efficient way to undertake those hundreds of
[1:26:15] million dollars of projects. And so part of that, of course,
[1:26:18] is going to be born on the on the ratepayers. And so we did
[1:26:23] come up with a plan that was smooth to be as as as efficient
[1:26:28] as possible. Even from an affordability standpoint,
[1:26:30] though, I do not disagree, these are significant rate
[1:26:33] increases for the next 3 or 4 years. And then they're going
[1:26:37] to it's going to continue to be high. And so that's just the
[1:26:40] reality of, of repairing and updating very old water
[1:26:45] treatment and, and water plants. City. City manager. Yeah. Mayor,
[1:26:49] I just want to make sure, you know, you're absolutely right.
[1:26:53] We have had extensive presentations regarding the
[1:26:57] needs at our water and sewer treatment plants and within the
[1:27:02] overall transmission system for water and the collection system
[1:27:06] for our wastewater plant. And we've presented those rates,
[1:27:11] you know, and adopted them back in July. And I know that that
[1:27:14] was very challenging for the commission. This particular
[1:27:18] these particular two items are actually designed to update our
[1:27:22] code of ordinances as to how sewer credits and water credits
[1:27:27] are applied when there are a leak, and when we have a
[1:27:32] situation where we need to look back where maybe a meter has
[1:27:35] not been functioning properly previously, we would be able to
[1:27:40] look back 36 months, and that was a really long time, maybe
[1:27:44] actually even longer. Five years. Sorry, five years. Like
[1:27:47] that's not the right number. And now we're really, we've
[1:27:51] limited that to a 12 month look back. So it actually, these are
[1:27:56] customer service enhancements that you're voting on today.
[1:27:59] Absolutely lutely. We have needed to look at significant
[1:28:04] rate increases. And those were attached to this agenda item.
[1:28:07] So people are aware of that. But really as it specifically
[1:28:12] relates to these two ordinances that are before you today, the
[1:28:17] concept is really just to make it more customer friendly. When
[1:28:21] you do have a leak and you need to apply for a credit, or when
[1:28:25] you do get that estimated bill or you have a meter problem,
[1:28:29] how that gets resolved more quickly. So that's just wanted
[1:28:33] to clarify that. Thank you. This at this time, no, this
[1:28:37] time I'll invite members of the body to make a motion or for
[1:28:40] any comment. Commissioner Hernandez thank you. Mayor, the
[1:28:45] question that I have is I wanted to make sure that what
[1:28:48] we talked about, where we can have to fix the meters within
[1:28:51] the three months, is this part of this ordinance or is that
[1:28:54] something that it's. No, it's not part of this ordinance, but
[1:28:57] it you know, that is our commitment that we are working
[1:29:00] to be able to fix those right away. Do not believe. And the
[1:29:04] reason why was because there was support from the commission
[1:29:06] in order for that to be established, how does how is
[1:29:09] that going to be established if it's not going to be part of
[1:29:12] the ordinance? And don't we can we can absolutely look at that.
[1:29:15] And if we need to further, if the desire of the Commission is
[1:29:19] to further codify that, we are obviously. We had a budget
[1:29:22] workshop this morning, and a big part of that was, how do we
[1:29:25] create the staffing that we need to make sure that when we
[1:29:28] have those meter transmission unit issues, that we address
[1:29:32] them. This is looking at if we have a situation where we are
[1:29:38] needing to where we've estimated a bill and we're
[1:29:41] doing a lookback, it limits the time frame. I understand what
[1:29:44] this is and I think it helps the residents, period. But my
[1:29:47] point is, and some of my friends kind of joke with me.
[1:29:51] Yeah, trust, but verify because I ask a lot of questions when
[1:29:54] it comes to this. And I do not distrust the staff, but the
[1:29:59] support from the commission and the commitment was that you
[1:30:02] would only go back three months. Now, this is 12 months. And if
[1:30:05] there's a broken meter, I'm getting calls on a regular
[1:30:09] basis. And some of the staff have said, well, you're not
[1:30:11] getting 40,000 calls. I may not, but we haven't gone through all
[1:30:15] of the meters yet. I just want not only the commitment, but I
[1:30:18] want to see it, whether it's a resolution or whether it's part
[1:30:21] of this ordinance that within 90 days, the meter issue will
[1:30:25] be addressed. I don't want customers to continue to get,
[1:30:28] oh, we're going to estimate back 12 months. And that's just
[1:30:31] not fair to our residents. And if if we're looking to put
[1:30:36] another 57 individuals to be able to work with us for the
[1:30:40] City of Hollywood and the underground utility department,
[1:30:42] we ought to be able to give that commitment to our
[1:30:45] residents. That's all I'm saying. Yes, we we absolutely
[1:30:48] we it is an operational process, and we are working on that
[1:30:53] three month time frame. We as soon as we detect that there is
[1:30:57] a problem, that is what we are doing. Can we have it as a
[1:31:00] resolution? Was that not what we talked about? We could. Okay,
[1:31:03] I would prefer to have a resolution. I'm okay passing
[1:31:05] this and comments Peter, and we'll. Well, it's already has
[1:31:08] support so. Okay. Good. Thank you. Okay. All right. Motion to
[1:31:14] approve. All right. We do have a motion and a second from
[1:31:19] Commissioner Biederman, second from Vice Mayor calorie on on
[1:31:25] on the ordinance item 30. Let's go ahead and read the ordinance
[1:31:28] and call the roll call vote. An ordinance of the City of
[1:31:31] Hollywood, Florida, amending section 52.53 of the Code of
[1:31:36] Ordinances entitled Rates and Charges for Use of System to
[1:31:40] update the current regulations relating to accounts and
[1:31:43] procedures providing for repeal, severability codification and
[1:31:46] an effective date. Commissioner Quintana. Yes, Commissioner.
[1:31:52] Yes. Commissioner. Hernandez. Yes. Vice mayor. Kolody. Yes.
[1:31:57] Commissioner. Gruber. Yes. Commissioner. Biederman. Yes.
[1:32:01] Mayor. Levy. Yes. All right. Let's show the ordinance
[1:32:04] passing unanimously on second reading. All right. On to item
[1:32:09] 31. This is a resolution of the City Commission. City of
[1:32:12] Hollywood accepting the Washington Park Industrial Area
[1:32:15] Redevelopment Program recommendations, providing a
[1:32:16] policy direction regarding phased implementation of the
[1:32:19] recommendations, providing for certain limitations and
[1:32:22] providing for an effective date. This is advertised as a public
[1:32:25] hearing. This is a resolution before we open the item. I just
[1:32:29] do want to put something on the record. There's been question
[1:32:31] as to whether or not I would need to abstain from this item,
[1:32:35] because I have family that owns property within Washington Park
[1:32:37] Industrial Park. And so as required and as proper protocol,
[1:32:41] I asked the city attorney the question. She researched the
[1:32:44] matter and found that I have an obligation to participate on
[1:32:47] the item. And because there is not a conflict of interest as
[1:32:50] defined by Florida law. And so, city attorney, if you could
[1:32:53] just summarize for the public record in regards to this
[1:32:56] specific item in the vote today as a threshold consideration in
[1:33:00] the analysis, we looked at what the item actually sought to do.
[1:33:03] This item is a nonbinding policy guidance and therefore
[1:33:08] confers no specific benefit to any property in the area, and
[1:33:12] any benefit that is conferred is remote and speculative.
[1:33:17] Further, the mayor has no personal ownership interest,
[1:33:19] though his brothers do own land in the area. However, there is
[1:33:23] no special economic, private gain or loss to the mayor or
[1:33:27] any relative. The mayor is not required to abstain from
[1:33:31] today's vote, as he mentioned, but this analysis does not
[1:33:34] extend past today's vote. All right, so that resolves that.
[1:33:38] Thank you. All right. Andrea, please go ahead. Good afternoon,
[1:33:40] mayor, vice mayor, City Commissioners Andrea Winget,
[1:33:43] director of development Services. And while we're
[1:33:46] bringing up the presentation, we're we're here today to talk
[1:33:50] about the comprehensive redevelopment program for
[1:33:54] Washington Park. This has been a long time coming. And before
[1:33:59] we get started, I would like to also thank. I know today is a
[1:34:02] lot about a. Celebrations and things, but I really do want to
[1:34:06] take a minute to thank the other departments who also
[1:34:10] contributed to creating this vision for this area of the
[1:34:14] city, and that extends far beyond development, services,
[1:34:19] planning, engineering, building. It extends to the fire
[1:34:24] department to code, compliance, parking, communications,
[1:34:29] marketing and economic development. Because we could
[1:34:32] never do anything independently or alone. It always takes a
[1:34:36] team, especially when we're creating visions and master
[1:34:39] planning certain areas of the city. And of course, I would
[1:34:42] also like to thank the residents and those community
[1:34:45] members and the commission for participating in your
[1:34:49] contribution to this as well. So we started we started this
[1:34:53] project in 2025. And at that time, the commission directed
[1:34:59] city staff to come up with a comprehensive redevelopment
[1:35:06] program for approximately 160 acres of the city, which we
[1:35:10] generally know as Washington Park. The program looks
[1:35:14] holistically at the future land use, zoning, urban design,
[1:35:19] infrastructure, environmental economic development, and
[1:35:23] opportunities for reinvestment in the area and the physical
[1:35:27] improvements. It's not a document or just a collection
[1:35:31] of recommendations. This is actually a vision and a
[1:35:36] framework for the future of this area. It's a living
[1:35:39] document. It's iterative. It will probably change over time
[1:35:43] as we start to bring forward and implement portions of this
[1:35:48] map, this vision or this master plan for this area, there's
[1:35:52] individual initiatives that will require further commission
[1:35:55] action and consideration by all stakeholders. What this
[1:35:59] document is not is it does not change the zoning in this area.
[1:36:04] It does not approve anything site specific for this area. It
[1:36:08] does not change the land use. It is going to be a shared
[1:36:12] unified vision so that staff can start to program different,
[1:36:18] different items to move this area forward. And those items
[1:36:22] are identified through the challenges, the risks and the
[1:36:26] potentials of this area. This is a this has been, as I
[1:36:37] already mentioned, this has been a comprehensive exercise
[1:36:40] that was undertaken. It. It's a. It serves as an important model
[1:36:46] to allow for intentional planning and reinvestment and
[1:36:50] visioning of this area. It's been a long time since the city,
[1:36:53] since our planning Division has brought forward any type of
[1:36:56] visioning. So I know it can be, you know, it's a little
[1:37:00] different from some of the things that we've recently
[1:37:03] brought forward. But this is a common item that we used to do
[1:37:06] quite often in various parts of the city. And it's a, it's a
[1:37:10] normal planning exercise when we're looking to have a shared,
[1:37:12] unified vision for how we can move parts of the city forward
[1:37:16] with challenges that we're experiencing today. And with
[1:37:19] that, I would like to turn it over to Juan Mueller, who's
[1:37:23] going to walk us through the the program. Thank you. Thank
[1:37:32] you very much. And good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor,
[1:37:36] commissioners, it's a pleasure to be here. It's been a year.
[1:37:39] You probably don't remember me anymore. I was the one that was
[1:37:42] stuck in traffic on 95 a year ago, and I am I was still stuck
[1:37:46] in traffic today, so some things don't change. But the
[1:37:49] beauty of of the work that I do is that things eventually
[1:37:53] change. And this is one of the reasons why we're here, to
[1:37:56] envision how things may change. The I think this was your slide.
[1:38:03] It's been a year since we put a team together,
[1:38:07] multidisciplinary team to tackle some challenging work.
[1:38:13] Washington Park presented some challenges that were unique to
[1:38:16] the area. So we work together, our firm, plus Serbia, we are
[1:38:21] specialists in visioning with business flair who does market
[1:38:26] studies and, and and economic studies, as well as expe
[1:38:31] experienced and engineers and mobility experts. We've done
[1:38:36] this before. And coincidentally, I was at a public hearing
[1:38:41] yesterday in in the city of Miami, where we were talking
[1:38:45] about Little Havana. Little Havana started over ten years
[1:38:48] ago, where when we established a vision, and this is exactly
[1:38:51] what we're doing here today, presenting to you a vision that
[1:38:55] will take a long time to get implemented. So as, as it was
[1:38:59] just said, this is not something that changes tomorrow.
[1:39:02] This is looking to the to the long term future and seeing
[1:39:06] what actions you guys can do today to start that, that
[1:39:11] evolution and how things may change in the future. So I
[1:39:13] commend you for that vision because as again, it's not just
[1:39:16] Hollywood that doesn't do it. Most municipalities are working
[1:39:20] with zoning and direct policies without really understanding
[1:39:23] what the long term vision may be. And this is what this
[1:39:26] project establishes, something that can help you see things
[1:39:30] through and ensure that you have north right up there and
[1:39:35] you understand where you're going in the long term. So the
[1:39:39] project goals, other than creating a long term vision,
[1:39:42] we're very simple. It was to to see what exists there today, to
[1:39:47] listen to the community. And I thank you for coming to the
[1:39:51] workshops that we had some months ago. It feels like
[1:39:54] forever ago. And listen to the community, understand what
[1:39:58] their needs and wants were and are, and maybe in the future,
[1:40:02] and then establish a cohesive and holistic document that
[1:40:07] again, can guide you and also help your residents understand
[1:40:11] where the city is going. And hopefully in and through this
[1:40:16] document, mitigate some of the anxiety that people have,
[1:40:19] because change creates anxiety. Again, this vision plan does
[1:40:23] that, and it creates that guiding document that can help
[1:40:27] you now and in the future. So why Washington Park? Very
[1:40:32] simple. It's it's a it's a challenging neighborhood. It's
[1:40:35] a challenging community, a district. It's at the southern
[1:40:38] edge of your of your city. And it creates a gateway. One of
[1:40:43] the reasons why it is challenging is because it is a
[1:40:47] very interesting land use area or area based on land use,
[1:40:54] because it's not just the residents that live there, but
[1:40:57] the people that work there. It's a great engine for your
[1:41:00] business community, not just for Hollywood, but also for the
[1:41:03] county itself. So respecting and understanding how to evolve
[1:41:07] the community over time and ensuring that we not just
[1:41:10] protect the neighbors, but also the businesses that are there
[1:41:12] and that we continue to provide an area where people can
[1:41:17] service their cars and service and provide services for the
[1:41:21] rest of the community, not just now, but in the future. So
[1:41:24] those things were challenging. And then I'll introduce Maria
[1:41:28] Maria, if you want to come up again. It's been more than a
[1:41:31] year. I think it was said that it was just shy of a year. It
[1:41:35] was more than a year. And, and it's been a pleasure working
[1:41:38] with you, working with the community. And hopefully this
[1:41:40] project, this, this, this document guides and helps you
[1:41:43] understand how to evolve the community for, for its future
[1:41:47] success. Maria. Thank you. Good afternoon, mayor, vice mayor
[1:41:52] and commissioners. My name is Maria Benfield. I'm project
[1:41:56] manager for Serbia Design. So as Juan mentioned, we've been
[1:42:03] working over a year on this project. During that time, we
[1:42:08] conducted an extensive community outreach through
[1:42:12] surveys, workshops, open houses, walking, audit, and we listen
[1:42:16] to the community. We refined the vision, we confirmed the
[1:42:21] priorities and shaped the final plan. The project website was
[1:42:24] the central hub for announcements, surveys, updates
[1:42:27] to the community, feedback and all the summaries. All the
[1:42:31] documents reports are posted on the website as well. So what?
[1:42:35] What did we hear? So we gathered more than a thousand
[1:42:40] comments from the community outreach process, and five
[1:42:43] priorities emerged, preserving the industrial character,
[1:42:48] improving the district appearance, addressing parking
[1:42:51] and mobility challenges, investing in infrastructure,
[1:42:55] neighborhood serving uses and green spaces. Also investing in
[1:43:00] infrastructure and plan for the future redevelopment of the
[1:43:04] area and protect the residential neighborhoods. You
[1:43:07] can see a complete community outreach and background
[1:43:10] analysis reports on the project website as well. So what is
[1:43:14] this document? I think Andrea already summarized it, but I
[1:43:17] want to reiterate. So this is a framework for of
[1:43:22] recommendations based on technical analysis and the
[1:43:25] community input. It's a vision. It's a roadmap. It's a tool to
[1:43:29] help a plan, future improvements. It sets a shared
[1:43:34] vision and recommends next steps. It's not a final design
[1:43:39] or a fixed schedule, or a promise to build everything all
[1:43:42] at once, or required spending plan. This action plan serves
[1:43:49] as a roadmap for turning recommendations into actions.
[1:43:54] Each recommendation of the plan identifies responsibilities,
[1:43:58] suggested timelines, potential funding sources, and measures
[1:44:01] of success. The recommendation action steps are are sorry.
[1:44:08] They're. Divided in short, mid and long term. The short term
[1:44:15] recommendations focus on organization, safety,
[1:44:19] appearance, and branding. The mid-term recommendations focus
[1:44:24] on infrastructure, mobility improvements and redevelopment
[1:44:28] tools, and the long term recommendations. Focus on major
[1:44:32] investments and corridor build out. So what can change? First,
[1:44:38] the short term recommendations focus on visible improvements
[1:44:41] that can be implemented relatively quickly and can have
[1:44:44] a big impact. One of the ways to incentivize visible changes
[1:44:50] fast is the creation of a facade improvement program,
[1:44:54] specifically for Washington Park. It's a simple step that
[1:44:57] can have a big impact, and the city already has successful
[1:45:01] matching grants, programs that encourage private investment
[1:45:05] and improve properties and neighborhoods. Little River is
[1:45:08] another example in the city of Miami that has been very
[1:45:11] successful. The goal is to create a cleaner, safer, and
[1:45:15] more attractive district while maintaining its authentic
[1:45:18] industrial character. The recommendations include simple
[1:45:23] design criteria to help guide improvements. There are
[1:45:28] examples that are provided that can help the city staff and the
[1:45:33] applicant with clear examples that can help them understand
[1:45:37] the design expectations of the improvements. The
[1:45:42] recommendations also suggest establishing a strong district
[1:45:46] identity through branding, wayfinding, gateway features
[1:45:50] and business promotion initiatives. These can help
[1:45:53] improve the appearance of the district without disrupting the
[1:45:56] existing businesses and operations. Through our
[1:46:01] workshops and further refinement, we define the role
[1:46:04] of each street in the industrial area to create a
[1:46:10] clear framework for future improvements. Recognizing that
[1:46:14] each street serves a different function within the district.
[1:46:18] So an example is like some street might prioritize
[1:46:21] business frontages and pedestrians, while other
[1:46:24] streets focus on the industrial, industrial access and local
[1:46:27] traffic. Loading. The result is a framework that helps guide
[1:46:32] future improvements related to mobility, safety, parking,
[1:46:38] streetscape investment and future development. So parking
[1:46:43] was one of the biggest concerns raised by all stakeholders
[1:46:47] during the community outreach phase. So some recommendations
[1:46:51] include improving parking enforcement compliance,
[1:46:56] education about parking rules, clearly defining parking areas
[1:47:00] to improve organization and traffic flow, better management
[1:47:04] of existing parking, exploring standards for temporary gravel
[1:47:08] lots and shared parking specifically for the primary
[1:47:10] study area, with the goal to make parking work better for
[1:47:15] businesses, employees, customers and nearby residents.
[1:47:19] And this is an example of the short term recommendations that
[1:47:24] suggest installing clear pavement markings to define the
[1:47:29] parking areas, the pedestrian crossings, the areas where
[1:47:32] parking is not allowed, all within the public right of way.
[1:47:37] These are conceptual ideas that will require refinement with
[1:47:41] staff and the community. These suggestions can help create a
[1:47:46] safer and more organized conditions for all users. Like
[1:47:49] I mentioned before, and while continuing to support the
[1:47:53] industrial operations, a key priority through the
[1:47:57] development of this plan was to protect and respect the
[1:48:00] residential neighborhoods, and short term recommendations
[1:48:05] suggest reducing truck and commercial vehicle traffic on
[1:48:08] residential streets through a traffic study to evaluate the
[1:48:12] feasibility for doing that, managing parking, spillover,
[1:48:17] temporary gravel lots like I mentioned before, and
[1:48:20] implementing traffic calming strategies like speed pumps to
[1:48:24] reduce speeds on residential streets, for example. So what
[1:48:29] can change next? In the midterm midterm recommendations focus
[1:48:33] on infrastructure, mobility improvements and redevelopment
[1:48:36] tools. This example shows South 56th Avenue, which was
[1:48:42] designated as an eighth Street that prioritizes business
[1:48:47] frontages and pedestrian comfort. This is an example of
[1:48:51] how improvements can be tailored to each street's role.
[1:48:55] This shows improvements that can include traffic calming
[1:49:00] measures, parking management, swale restoration to improve
[1:49:03] water permeability, enhance pedestrian crossings and
[1:49:08] sidewalks, improved transit and bicycle access, and and even
[1:49:13] district branding and street streetscape upgrades. As you
[1:49:17] can see on the right hand side. Another suggested strategy was
[1:49:22] to help create better transitions between the
[1:49:26] industrial core, the major corridors and nearby
[1:49:29] residential areas by encouraging neighborhood
[1:49:33] serving businesses such as cafes, small restaurants, food
[1:49:37] trucks and everyday services in strategic locations. Using the
[1:49:42] street hierarchy to guide investment to the streets.
[1:49:44] Where these uses make the most sense, and supporting flexible
[1:49:48] building types that can accommodate small businesses.
[1:49:52] Live work units, flex spaces, workshops, etc. In the mid-term.
[1:49:59] The plan also recommends guiding redevelopment
[1:50:02] opportunities to the key corridors. The identified a
[1:50:05] street such as 441 and adopting guidelines for consistent
[1:50:10] building frontages. So what can the long term future look like?
[1:50:18] Long term recommendations focus on resilience, economic
[1:50:22] competitiveness and a larger capital improvement projects.
[1:50:28] So the long term recommendations suggest
[1:50:31] evaluating the feasibility for converting some streets into
[1:50:34] one way. Using the street hierarchy framework. The goal
[1:50:38] is to balance movement, enhance safety, increase parking
[1:50:42] opportunities and ground permeability, and support
[1:50:45] business operations, and ensure that emergency access and
[1:50:49] neighborhood connectivity are maintained in the long term.
[1:50:54] The plan encourages redevelopment to be focused
[1:50:56] along major corridors and opportunity sites, where new
[1:51:00] investment can deliver the greatest public benefit. As I
[1:51:04] mentioned before, an essential principle throughout the
[1:51:08] development of the plan was to protect the residential
[1:51:10] neighborhoods, and this means preparing for future
[1:51:15] redevelopment and encouraging transitions between land uses
[1:51:18] and avoiding drastic scale shifts. And the plan suggests
[1:51:22] strategies to direct growth to appropriate corridor locations
[1:51:26] while gradually transitioning to established residential
[1:51:29] neighborhoods and still respecting the existing
[1:51:33] development rates. So the result is a balanced balance
[1:51:36] between growth and neighborhood protection. And in the long
[1:51:41] term, the plan suggests policies and incentives for
[1:51:44] future projects that could also contribute through a public
[1:51:50] benefit program. For example, to get a more improved or more
[1:51:55] or improved open spaces connectivity, streetscape
[1:52:00] enhancements, gateway features and community amenities such as
[1:52:05] new fire station that was mentioned throughout the
[1:52:11] community outreach and meeting with the different departments.
[1:52:14] So this shows the matrix of all the short term recommendations
[1:52:21] that are available at the end of the vision plan. You can see
[1:52:26] here 2023 suggested short term recommendations that staff can
[1:52:31] take, study, and bring forward to you when feasible. And I
[1:52:35] think Cameron can take this slide over to further discuss.
[1:52:41] Thank you. Good afternoon, mayor Commission Cameron Palmer,
[1:52:45] assistant director, development services, assistant director,
[1:52:49] development services. I want to take a moment to, as we bring
[1:52:53] the presentation home, to talk about next steps. You know, the
[1:52:56] document outlines, as Murray says, a collection of
[1:52:58] recommendations and a sequence roadmap. And as Andrew said
[1:53:00] earlier, it's intended to be a living framework. And what that
[1:53:03] means is as we go through, we organize, we test, we calibrate,
[1:53:08] we prioritize, and we invest. And understanding that the city
[1:53:12] has already made investments in Washington Park and site
[1:53:15] specific or content specific investments. Through this
[1:53:18] process, we've evaluated and realized that Washington Park's
[1:53:21] challenges and opportunities need to be viewed holistically
[1:53:24] as a district, meaning that we can leverage the opportunities
[1:53:27] to overcome the challenges using the roadmap that's been
[1:53:29] presented to us. So the question then becomes, what can
[1:53:32] we do today? What small wins can we achieve to have big
[1:53:37] impacts? So what staff has done on the screen, you'll see the
[1:53:40] tangible next steps outlined in four recommendations. And these
[1:53:43] are what staff have distilled from the short term
[1:53:46] recommendations that the applicant the consultant has
[1:53:48] put forward. The first being coordination. It's really
[1:53:51] important that staff is able to coordinate among the internal
[1:53:54] divisions and departments, along with our partners, to
[1:53:57] create a working group for Washington Park. This working
[1:53:59] group will be responsible and the project manager to enact
[1:54:02] this action plan and to see through the different time
[1:54:05] horizons. But more importantly, it allows departments and the
[1:54:08] city to align budgets, resources, staffing, existing
[1:54:12] plans and future plans to ensure that we are now
[1:54:15] calibrated with the action plan. Once we are all aligned
[1:54:18] internally, we can start tackling some of the more
[1:54:21] operational and obvious issues that face the district include
[1:54:23] number two, which is organized parking and curb management
[1:54:27] mapping, existing parking locations, future parking
[1:54:30] locations, striping where feasible, and also establishing
[1:54:33] standards that we as a city can create to enable interim or
[1:54:36] temporary parking solutions are really tangible elements or
[1:54:40] things that the city can do to impact make functional changes
[1:54:44] to Washington Park. That leads us to number three, which is
[1:54:47] advancing safety and traffic circulation. This includes low
[1:54:51] cost elements such as signage, crosswalk markings, and more in
[1:54:56] more in depth looks at traffic movements, such as where
[1:54:59] traffic is moving in and out of the site, where goods are
[1:55:02] moving, where people are moving and where pedestrians are
[1:55:05] moving. Lastly, recommendation number four, again, within the
[1:55:08] short term scope is advancing the facade gateway and code
[1:55:14] improvement tools intended to create the. This was the. The
[1:55:17] facade improvement. The painting. The numbering that
[1:55:20] was discussed by Maria. This allows the district to be more
[1:55:24] attractive, cleaner, more recognizable. Creates a brand
[1:55:29] that that can easily access and easily implemented through the
[1:55:32] renovation, which is a natural course of business development.
[1:55:35] But most importantly, it becomes more inviting for
[1:55:38] investment. The important takeaway today is that this is
[1:55:40] not just a collection of recommendations that are
[1:55:43] aspirational. They're specific, they're tailored, and they're
[1:55:45] sequenced on purpose. They're intended to build on one
[1:55:48] another and are not intended to come all at one fiscal year, or
[1:55:51] all at one time. One time. If we organize, we test, we
[1:55:55] calibrate, and we invest. Then each of these small actions can,
[1:55:58] can, and will ultimately lead to the Washington Park that we
[1:56:02] are looking to achieve with that staff. Myself, the
[1:56:06] consultant, Nicole, the project manager for this project, is
[1:56:09] here to answer questions. Thank you Cameron. Thank you to the
[1:56:12] consultants. Pat, are there any speaker cards on this item?
[1:56:23] Thank you. And Ralston, followed by Michael Seltzer.
[1:56:35] Mike, I don't know why they turn them off. It was stated
[1:56:42] that it's going to be a unified, unified vision for the area. To
[1:56:49] me, a unified would be all the citizens kind of agree 50 plus
[1:56:55] one agree to this. I heard that there was a thousand comments,
[1:57:02] but it didn't say whether they're for or against. I know
[1:57:06] the beach community doesn't want 1301, but gee, it's
[1:57:10] getting unified in our in our faces. The lakes didn't want
[1:57:15] them. Plenty came out to speak again. It's. But gee, that's a
[1:57:20] unified vision for. I guess the area. Regardless of what the
[1:57:25] residents think. So because when I read the report, I only
[1:57:30] saw Nadine McRae's name on there. Everything else was.
[1:57:34] Thank you to someone else, not the citizens that participated
[1:57:38] in this quote study. I'd also like to know what did this
[1:57:43] study study cost us? If it's just something visionary. So
[1:57:51] pretty pictures everything. It doesn't mean anything. And you
[1:57:55] can't change the character of a neighborhood unless they want
[1:57:58] that change. So I don't know if if the residents want it, but I
[1:58:04] don't see anyone here from them. I don't know if they, like most
[1:58:09] people, work, so maybe they can't be here. Maybe they've
[1:58:13] written in, I don't know. But here's another problem with
[1:58:17] this infrastructure. And just like the sewer plant that you
[1:58:20] wanted to tell me how this is for infrastructure that's been
[1:58:24] ignored, that is very true. The an infrastructure throughout
[1:58:29] the city has been ignored for years. And until there is a
[1:58:33] crisis and it costs the citizens twice as much or more
[1:58:38] to fix it, there is not a regular maintenance program
[1:58:42] that finally, I think maybe a year ago, started to get
[1:58:46] implemented in the budget and that's for landscaping,
[1:58:50] anything. So you can make pretty pictures and you can put
[1:58:53] trees and stuff. But if they're not willing or the city cannot
[1:58:56] afford to maintain it, it's not fair to put it upon the
[1:59:00] resident. To maintain that, we have to trim those trees that
[1:59:03] the city wants to plant. We have to do the sidewalks.
[1:59:07] Although now I think you're doing sidewalks. I'm going to
[1:59:09] run out of time, but please make sure when you want to
[1:59:13] change a neighborhood this drastically. And the last thing
[1:59:15] I'm going to say, I am sorry, but the look of impropriety on
[1:59:20] your family's business owning a lot, whether technically it's
[1:59:24] not illegal to do. I think the look of impropriety makes us
[1:59:28] not trust whatever you do. Josh. Thank you. Michael Seltzer,
[1:59:35] your turn. I have to follow that. So here we go. I think
[1:59:48] it's a wonderful opportunity for the city of Hollywood.
[1:59:52] Somebody called me a few weeks ago and told me I should go
[1:59:57] take a drive there. I had no idea where it was, told me the
[2:00:01] mayor was involved and something with the connection
[2:00:03] to the sewer and all this nonsense garbage. This is a
[2:00:09] wonderful opportunity for this city. And if you guys don't
[2:00:13] figure it out, shame on all of you. I sold 220 acres in West
[2:00:19] Melbourne right off of I 95. I brought the developer, paid
[2:00:25] 100,000 an acre, a ten acre offer from the leading health
[2:00:30] department health hospital in the community. They wanted to
[2:00:35] build doctors offices and an emergency room, and he wanted
[2:00:41] $1 million. What he paid yesterday for 100,000. And they
[2:00:45] took a walk for five years. It sat vacant because the guy
[2:00:52] didn't have a catalyst to start the whole thing, because that
[2:00:55] would have brought other doctors offices, a Publix or
[2:00:59] this or that and the whole thing. And we should not make
[2:01:03] that mistake. All that being said, we should go after a
[2:01:10] hospital campus. We should go after an industrial campus, an
[2:01:15] office campus, or we should go. I can't read my writing. A
[2:01:20] university, God knows there's enough people moving to Florida
[2:01:24] today that we should take a step back and we should hire
[2:01:28] somebody. And I'm too old to get hired, and we should send
[2:01:32] them out to these places or these companies and see if we
[2:01:35] can find somebody that's interested in coming here and
[2:01:40] eat up 50, 40, 30 acres and move an entire operation here
[2:01:48] that creates jobs, creates taxes, and creates a business
[2:01:54] and something we can be proud of. The idiot mayor in Saint
[2:01:58] Pete who is going to lose the election because the guy's an
[2:02:02] idiot. I brought him 50 acres, 26 sellers. My time's almost
[2:02:07] running out. And the developer said we should make this a
[2:02:12] museum center. Well, that's all I had to say. I was on a plane
[2:02:17] to Naples. I met Murano glass. They wanted to come. I went to
[2:02:21] New York. I met the Hermitage people for the Hermitage Museum
[2:02:25] in Saint Petersburg, Russia. They wanted to come, but it
[2:02:29] wasn't good enough for this guy. I don't know what he was
[2:02:32] looking at. Now he's going to get kicked out in his. So the
[2:02:37] bottom line is there's 160 great acres there. Before we
[2:02:42] decide what we're going to do with it, we should explore a
[2:02:46] university, a hospital campus, and a company. Thank you
[2:02:50] Michael. Good luck. Thank you. All right. Let's hear from
[2:02:54] commissioners about the presentation, beginning with,
[2:02:57] of course, Commissioner Quintana. Thank you, mayor. I,
[2:03:03] I, I just want to first of all, just be grateful for the fact
[2:03:06] that we're having this conversation. I've got a long
[2:03:11] history with the neighborhood that is Washington Park. I've
[2:03:15] been participating in their homeowners association meetings
[2:03:19] for the past 12 years, and I live about five minutes away.
[2:03:25] So that was long before I was a city commissioner. And
[2:03:28] certainly since becoming one. I hear from residents and users
[2:03:33] of the industrial park on a regular basis. This actually
[2:03:36] this conversation is happening because when George Keller was
[2:03:43] about to become our city manager, I asked him to drive
[2:03:48] out there with me to see what was going on in the industrial
[2:03:52] area and to better understand how it is that the conditions
[2:03:57] there were what they were for, as long as they were without
[2:04:01] anybody ever saying anything about it. And so I'm not going
[2:04:06] to talk long. I'm just grateful to be able to hear what my
[2:04:10] colleagues think about this. And then I'll just say that my
[2:04:14] focus, there's so much information that this study has
[2:04:18] put out on the website that it can be really overwhelming. I
[2:04:20] mean, I've been chipping away at it for months now, and
[2:04:23] there's still parts of it that I haven't gotten to, but my
[2:04:27] comments are going to focus on the implementation matrix. And
[2:04:32] just a couple of thoughts I have about the sequence of
[2:04:34] things. But beyond that, I'll just be quiet and listen to
[2:04:37] what others think. Thank you, Commissioner Hernandez. Thank
[2:04:44] you mayor. I may not be so kind. And with all due respect to
[2:04:49] everyone here today, who where can somebody point out to me
[2:04:52] with this intersection is on that neighborhood, the
[2:04:57] hypothetical situation in that. And that's the problem that we
[2:05:00] have hypothetical. It's not reality. And like I said, I'm
[2:05:05] not going to be so kind because we're trying to fix a problem.
[2:05:08] And all I have is ideas. And the idea doesn't say, you need
[2:05:12] to do this there, you need to do this there. These are all
[2:05:15] hypothetical and with let me finish before you, before you
[2:05:18] say anything. This is beautiful. So anyone that looks at this
[2:05:22] that says, oh wow, they're going to fix this problem. And
[2:05:25] then you look at the reality of what's there on the ground.
[2:05:28] There is no room. There is no intersection like this in that
[2:05:31] neighborhood. So that's the that's what I see as a problem.
[2:05:36] Is everything you're saying in your report is correct? Where
[2:05:41] is the ability to fit that with the constraint that the area
[2:05:46] has that's missing? Unless you can correct me if I'm wrong,
[2:05:50] which I would love to be able to do that because that would
[2:05:53] fix the problem. But the constraints that we have in
[2:05:56] that neighborhood, we have businesses that are overrun
[2:06:00] because of the vehicles that they have, because of the trade
[2:06:02] that they have. It doesn't address that one way. Yes, it
[2:06:07] would solve some of the problem. It doesn't address how we're
[2:06:09] going to get parking. I look at this easily in that picture.
[2:06:13] It's a five foot six foot sidewalk. I see green space,
[2:06:16] and then I see parking on the other side. I see parking on
[2:06:19] the other side and a sidewalk. We don't have enough right of
[2:06:23] way to do anything like that. So please, please enlighten me
[2:06:26] if you don't mind. And the reason that I like to be able
[2:06:29] to be enlightened is because I have another area just north of
[2:06:32] Johnston Street, on the east side of 21st Avenue that would
[2:06:36] be able to be helped by something like this if we have
[2:06:39] an innovative way of doing it. But right now, just even this
[2:06:43] picture right here, tell me where this is in order to be
[2:06:46] able to get something like that done, I would love to hear
[2:06:49] these two reflect the existing right of way. And what we did
[2:06:53] is that we took existing conditions and we, instead of
[2:06:57] being specific on a particular intersection, we took
[2:07:01] conditions, existing conditions for multiple ones. So if you
[2:07:04] see, for example, there. And then we have another example,
[2:07:07] okay, no, go back, go back to that one because yes, I know
[2:07:10] you. I'll wait till you get there. That one. That's the
[2:07:15] long term vision. The vision. Where is that intersection that
[2:07:19] well, that like I said, this is a compilation we did respect.
[2:07:23] We did show the existing right of way of all, most of the east
[2:07:27] west streets are 50 foot right of way. So that does reflect
[2:07:31] the 50 foot right of way. And it does show existing
[2:07:36] conditions that we saw in different locations, with
[2:07:39] suggested implementations and improvements that can be done
[2:07:43] at, at, at different places. Our study does suggest to
[2:07:46] conduct a proper study specifically for each street,
[2:07:52] determining what the street and what priorities they need, and
[2:07:55] what improvements can be done in the ground. Right now, our
[2:07:58] study suggests some ideas for improvements, but it's not
[2:08:02] specific to a specific intersection or location. It
[2:08:05] just suggests specific recommendations for
[2:08:09] improvements. I understand that, and I can tell you that before
[2:08:12] we had the study and before we actually went and got the
[2:08:15] comments from everybody in the area and the residents and
[2:08:18] people at large, we knew that. We knew that those issues need
[2:08:21] to be addressed. What we were looking for, at least from from
[2:08:25] my perspective, is how can and and by the way, this is not an
[2:08:30] attack on on you or the company we need. We needed this. But
[2:08:33] what we're looking for is clear light of what needs to be done,
[2:08:38] where, how to achieve that. It would be up to us, but we don't
[2:08:42] have that information because please take. Good. Let's go
[2:08:45] back to the other one. Yes. Sorry, but let's go back to the
[2:08:49] other one. We we have a specific examples on page 48 of
[2:08:55] the full report that do show each one of the, you know,
[2:09:00] identified street types that we defined. And we do have
[2:09:05] examples of each one of them. It's like, I, like I said, it's
[2:09:09] not specific to like a specific intersection, but it does guide
[2:09:14] you to improvements to blood streets, which are, sorry, to
[2:09:23] blood streets, the short term, mid-term and long term, how
[2:09:26] they can build up. It has examples of you rehashing the
[2:09:31] presentation. I got it, I saw it, and I agree with your
[2:09:34] presentation. I'm just saying I you're correct, Commissioner.
[2:09:38] And all we're asking is for something how to resolve the
[2:09:41] problems that we currently have. The presentation addresses the
[2:09:44] issues, addresses what can be done, but where can we do it?
[2:09:47] And the the intent of the master plan study was not to.
[2:09:52] And I used the word site specific. It's probably the not
[2:09:55] exact right term, but it's not to give specific details on how
[2:10:01] to solve each of the items identified in the matrix, It's
[2:10:08] to pull together a holistic matrix of everything that has
[2:10:12] to be done, and then staff will move forward with each of those
[2:10:16] items. It's an intent of the master plan. Wasn't to say this
[2:10:20] should be 50ft, two feet, five feet. It was identifying all of
[2:10:24] the collective risks, visions and way to move them forward
[2:10:30] holistically for the area at once. Because we know that
[2:10:33] we've tried some individual items out there to address some
[2:10:38] of the concerns, and independently, those items have
[2:10:42] not worked. And you and I understand that, and I get it.
[2:10:45] And I'm not trying. Like I said, I'm not bashing the information
[2:10:48] you're bringing forth because it's forth. But I'm going to
[2:10:51] give you a an example of what I would be looking for. If you
[2:10:58] give an engineer a space and you need, I need to be able to
[2:11:02] put this here. They drove up and they engineer a way to be
[2:11:07] able to put whatever it is that you need in that space, which
[2:11:10] is, I thought that what we were looking to do, we have a
[2:11:14] constraint in an area because of the business and the quality
[2:11:18] of business or the type of business that are there. And
[2:11:22] yes, you have brought up a study that says, these are all
[2:11:26] the problems that are wrong. These are the problems how to
[2:11:29] fix it, but it doesn't tell us how to fix it. That's correct.
[2:11:32] And so my my point is, I thought that the study would be
[2:11:36] to be able to tell us how to fix you. We have very smart
[2:11:39] individuals who work for the city. They know that that area
[2:11:42] was a problem. The whole elected body knew that the area
[2:11:44] was a problem. We all knew what we would like to see. This is
[2:11:48] what we got here. How do we see that? That's what's missing
[2:11:51] here. So we spend all kinds of money for something that we
[2:11:54] already know. That's how I see it. And so again, we need to be
[2:12:00] able to be site specific as to what we can do in certain areas.
[2:12:05] It talked about gravel lots. Yes. I understand that gravel
[2:12:09] lots currently are illegal. We don't allow them. We can maybe
[2:12:13] we can do asphalt millings. We can. Where can we identify one?
[2:12:17] Because one of the things that we would like to do from the
[2:12:20] commission, and I'm speaking from the Commission and please
[2:12:23] correct me if I'm wrong here, is to be able to identify areas
[2:12:26] where we can improve that particular district. And that
[2:12:29] means if there's a particular corner that it's empty or a lot
[2:12:32] that it's empty somewhere, it could be identified and maybe
[2:12:36] on a private setting, this lot may need to be purchased for
[2:12:40] the city, for parking, for the people that work in that area
[2:12:43] so that everybody can park there. And this way, maybe the
[2:12:46] parking department can go purchase that and charge those
[2:12:49] individuals to work there to be able to park in that lot. Those
[2:12:52] are the ideas that I thought that this study was going to be
[2:12:56] able to bring back to us, not something that we already
[2:12:59] recognize. And like I said, no disrespect, you guys were given
[2:13:01] a task and you brought up a task. And I get it. And it may
[2:13:05] be more cumbersome than, than what you guys have been paid.
[2:13:08] Because this is tedious in nature. You're going to have to
[2:13:11] go block by block, business by block, and identify what needs
[2:13:14] to be done. And that may be our job to do with staff. Overall,
[2:13:18] I love what I saw. What is disappointing is the fact that
[2:13:22] you have pictures of some of the residents are looking at,
[2:13:25] oh, that's what it's going to look like, and there's no way
[2:13:28] to get that picture because we don't have the space in the
[2:13:31] roadway. Even though we may have 50ft, we may have 50ft of
[2:13:34] right of way, which is ten feet of swale. On each side you have
[2:13:38] the road that is 12.5ft or something like that. So you may
[2:13:41] have the the space, but you don't have the space to draw to
[2:13:45] do what it's actually there. Overall, I love the
[2:13:48] presentation. I think the ideas are great, but how do we get
[2:13:51] there is the part that I would like to hear. And, and that was
[2:13:54] the on the end where Cameron summarized our our action items
[2:13:59] staff will be putting together those action items collectively
[2:14:02] and bringing those individual tasks forward. And what and
[2:14:05] what I'd like to see more of is maybe working with engineering
[2:14:09] as well to identify which roads, which streets, the street
[2:14:13] hierarchy you would like to see to be one way. Because in order
[2:14:17] to alleviate some of the issues that we have, there is going to
[2:14:21] be the design of the road to have where they're going, and
[2:14:25] also working with code enforcement to do the
[2:14:28] enforcement that it's needed because some of the residents,
[2:14:31] they are there, they have to traverse through there are
[2:14:34] going insane because they can't do it because some of the
[2:14:38] operators don't care. They're parked in the middle of the
[2:14:40] road. And then there's some business owners that are
[2:14:42] related with tow truck companies. They tell you right
[2:14:45] on the wall, no parking here. And if you park on there as
[2:14:49] well, which is public property, and they're not paying for it
[2:14:52] within three minutes, you have a tow truck there trying to tow
[2:14:55] your car. No. Lift it, I seen it. So these are the things
[2:15:00] that we love to be able to fix. And like I said, this is the
[2:15:03] area that was picked first. But there's an area just north of
[2:15:07] Johnson Street, east of 21st Avenue in my district that has
[2:15:11] very similar problems. So whatever we learn here, we
[2:15:15] would try to implement there. And the business sector, I'm
[2:15:18] trying to do something similar on the south side of Jackson
[2:15:23] Street in downtown Parkside, and you guys are helping me
[2:15:26] with that, and I'm grateful for it. In order to try to one way
[2:15:29] and generate more parking, we all learning on this thing, but
[2:15:32] I see beautiful pictures and I say, well, how do we get there?
[2:15:35] And I just can't, I can't see that. And that, and that is one
[2:15:39] of our short term items that we'll be working on. So we
[2:15:42] could program it, fund it, and prioritize and program the
[2:15:44] projects within the staff workloads and tasks. And by the
[2:15:47] way, for the comment with the mayor's family owns property
[2:15:50] there or not, I don't think that unless they own 90% or
[2:15:55] more than 50% of the property there, it's relevant. I think
[2:15:59] that we have a problem in a business district that needs to
[2:16:04] be addressed. So whatever it takes to address it, I'm in
[2:16:08] support of do that. And that may be why I'm coming off a
[2:16:11] little harsh and critical, because I want to make sure
[2:16:13] that that area survives and thrives, because I see the
[2:16:18] commercial areas in the city of Hollywood has been minimized
[2:16:21] and minimized, making way for residential. And the business
[2:16:25] people in the city of Hollywood don't have a place to go, and
[2:16:28] they need to have a place to go, and they need to have a place
[2:16:32] to operate. And the better we can do it, the better business
[2:16:35] that they will have. And in the long term, the better tax base
[2:16:38] that the city of Hollywood has to approve. Motion to approve.
[2:16:42] Second. This is just a presentation, but I don't know
[2:16:45] if you know, we're asking for a motion to approve so that staff
[2:16:48] will work forward with the short term, medium and long
[2:16:50] range items like the ones you've discussed. I'll move to
[2:16:53] approve. And that way we can work with Mr. Hernandez budget
[2:16:56] and departments, who has also cued in to speak next
[2:16:59] Commissioner. Second, it for the record. Okay. Vice Mayor
[2:17:02] Cleary. Sorry, not that I wouldn't, but I just don't want
[2:17:06] to take credit for something I didn't do. So I agree with part
[2:17:11] of what Commissioner Hernandez had brought up. I didn't see
[2:17:17] some of the things that I was expecting to see in this report.
[2:17:21] Maybe I just missed it, maybe I was, but I thought we were
[2:17:29] going to. Improve this industrial area through change
[2:17:38] in zoning and abandonment of uses, but I didn't see ideas on
[2:17:46] different zoning changes and stuff like that. In the
[2:17:52] presentation. AM I was I expecting something we didn't
[2:17:55] have that one of the one of the long term items is to evaluate
[2:18:00] the land use and zoning for some of those areas, but it we
[2:18:04] have to start somewhere. And right now we were looking to
[2:18:08] start on the short term, immediate wins that we've
[2:18:12] identified in the task list, which is starting to get
[2:18:15] excitement around the area, visioning, bringing the the
[2:18:20] businesses together more so that they're. We're bringing
[2:18:25] placemaking and identification to the area and also looking at
[2:18:29] the, the street hierarchy, working within the existing
[2:18:32] pavement boundaries to identify if there could be one way if
[2:18:36] additional on street parking can be captured long term,
[2:18:39] would be. Do we need to look at the land, use the zoning. Do we
[2:18:43] need to look at those other items and work outside of the
[2:18:47] existing pays paved asphalt. But. So the specific
[2:18:53] recommendations on rezone from this to that that is not in
[2:18:58] there. And that was not what the intent of this was. So I'm
[2:19:01] not an urban planner, but I thought that we should be
[2:19:08] adjusting the uses before we start to come up with one way
[2:19:15] streets or how much more parking we need, because long
[2:19:21] term, as you put it for zoning changes, requires long term. It
[2:19:27] requires abandonment of uses. And so the sooner we do that,
[2:19:32] the sooner we get the change in uses. And then we can work on
[2:19:37] the one weighing of streets and additional green spaces or
[2:19:42] additional parking. Because unless we because people could
[2:19:46] speculate and start buying properties, as has been alluded
[2:19:49] to, based on the current zoning and current land uses. And if.
[2:19:57] And then we are faced with Bert Harris. If we are improving a
[2:20:03] neighborhood, stimulating interest in the area and
[2:20:09] speculators, and then we change zoning and we're stuck with the
[2:20:13] zoning that we have now instead of zoning that we want. So
[2:20:18] while I don't have a problem with approving this today, I
[2:20:20] think we need to bring back a zoning and land use changes as
[2:20:26] soon as possible before we start losing the opportunity to
[2:20:30] get those zoning and land use changes. I mean, unless you
[2:20:33] could explain to me why I'm wrong, which I'm perfectly
[2:20:37] acceptable. Commissioner. Thank you. And and yes, it is pretty
[2:20:43] rare that we don't touch a zoning. The reason why you
[2:20:46] don't see it specifically there is because you already had a
[2:20:50] very well written economic study previous to this, and
[2:20:56] with the help of our economist, we also saw how important this
[2:20:58] area is for as an economic engine for both the city and
[2:21:02] the county. So what we did is we established a long term
[2:21:07] vision that would allow for the study of the land use evolution.
[2:21:12] But building on on the success that you currently have and
[2:21:15] seeing how things trickle over time, because changing land use
[2:21:19] right now would had potentially, as you alluded to, a negative
[2:21:24] effect on both the, the land values and potentially having,
[2:21:31] having businesses go out of business. And I'll tell you, I
[2:21:36] promised that I wouldn't bring it up, but I worked on the
[2:21:39] master plan for Wynnewood. And I can tell you there's a lot of
[2:21:42] successes there, but there's a lot of things that happen very
[2:21:46] rapidly that we could not foresee. One of the things that
[2:21:50] we wanted to make sure with this project is that we would
[2:21:53] protect through land use and through through a long term
[2:21:57] evolution of land use and implementation of
[2:22:00] infrastructure. Over time, the protection of your businesses
[2:22:03] and the evolution of of the businesses themselves. But
[2:22:06] building on what they are today and seeing how they can evolve,
[2:22:10] you know, slowly and in a, in a, in a healthy way. Does that
[2:22:15] answer your question? Because I don't want to I don't want to
[2:22:18] tell you, I don't want to, I don't want to mislead you,
[2:22:21] first of all. And number two, I believe working with your with
[2:22:25] your staff that the what the report does, it establishes
[2:22:30] something in a very careful and very well thought manner for
[2:22:34] that evolution of your uses. Okay. And and I'll go, I'll,
[2:22:40] I'll do one more. Yes, we could have been more specific with
[2:22:46] the rights of way and the areas and the distances. Yes. We
[2:22:50] could have proposed zoning changes. I love your your
[2:22:54] comment on on well, if you ask an engineer how to do something,
[2:22:58] they'll give you this very specifics. I'm an engineer. No,
[2:23:02] no. Well, and you're absolutely right. They might have. The
[2:23:06] thing is, when you ask an engineer to find a recipient
[2:23:12] for water, they'll give you the most efficient thing. And it'll
[2:23:16] probably be something cylindrical. What this project
[2:23:20] does is it begins to try to understand why are you what are
[2:23:25] you using the water for? What options do you have? How does
[2:23:30] that recipient fit within the context of Hollywood? So yes,
[2:23:34] you could have gone over the first step of understanding why.
[2:23:38] And yes, you could have gotten all those answers. And yes, you
[2:23:41] could have gotten all the zoning changes that we could
[2:23:44] potentially propose because trust me, I could propose a
[2:23:46] bunch of those. But first you needed to understand, and first,
[2:23:49] we needed to establish what was needed and give you a path
[2:23:53] forward that then your staff can take little by little,
[2:23:57] carefully and understanding what the. Both context and
[2:24:00] reality of the time are. And again, I, we have a lot of
[2:24:06] ideas on how to change those roads. And yes, I can imagine
[2:24:09] here, you know, many other things. But I think that what
[2:24:12] we've put forward for you is a menu of options and a path
[2:24:16] forward that you can work with your staff, not with us
[2:24:20] necessarily, but with your staff, and take it apart and
[2:24:24] ensure that whatever steps you take are very meaningful. And
[2:24:28] they, they, they approach the problem that you have in front
[2:24:31] of you, not necessarily an overhaul of the whole thing. I
[2:24:35] hope that that I am not an engineer. I am not an engineer,
[2:24:41] but my daughter is a mechanical and an aerospace engineer. And
[2:24:44] some of the questions that you talked about, an engineer may
[2:24:47] give you where the space goes. They actually look at first
[2:24:51] what that space is going to do, and what they're installing in
[2:24:55] there is going to help to make that happen. So they are very
[2:24:58] thorough when it comes to that. So I try not to argue with my
[2:25:01] daughter because of just that. So but yes, I have nothing
[2:25:05] against them. Takes it out on us. It's nothing against
[2:25:09] engineers. It's just that we came at this with the guidance
[2:25:12] and help of your staff from from from 30,000ft. Right. And
[2:25:17] I think that's the right approach. You look at it from
[2:25:19] the big picture and try to be holistic, and then help you
[2:25:22] begin to narrow things down to the solution that you need,
[2:25:25] that that was the purpose of the of the project. So I'm
[2:25:29] going to, I'm going to finish with just a couple more points.
[2:25:32] Anybody can answer if you're available. But I love the idea
[2:25:38] of one weighing and creating some diagonal parking along
[2:25:41] these streets, because that will cure some of the parking
[2:25:44] issue. It doesn't cure the flooding issue. So and what I'm
[2:25:53] going to propose is going to be expensive, but can we do
[2:25:56] somewhat like the downtown area on these streets if we one way
[2:26:01] them and do paver parking so that you have that permeable
[2:26:05] area and then we pay for it through creating a C, D, D. Or
[2:26:11] turf block. But you know, I don't, I don't I'm going to
[2:26:15] reiterate, I don't agree with gravel parking anywhere. I
[2:26:20] think it's just it's going to not improve the esthetics of a
[2:26:24] neighborhood by allowing gravel parking. But can we do what the
[2:26:30] city attorney can we create a C, D, D or do we need voting by
[2:26:33] the property owners or. I mean, we didn't do it for we did a
[2:26:39] voluntary vote for the North North Emerald Hills Improvement
[2:26:45] safety Improvement District. Like we we did the voting just
[2:26:50] so that we can get shade for making the decision. But don't
[2:26:54] we have the ability to create a C, D, D, or some kind of
[2:26:58] improvement district for Washington Park industrial area?
[2:27:00] We're very happy to look into that and let you know what
[2:27:03] we're able to find. We're I'm happy to to have my office look
[2:27:08] into that. You don't need support. We'll look into it.
[2:27:11] Okay. Thank you. And that's it. Thank you. So, Damaris, the way
[2:27:22] in which the discussion is going on with the City
[2:27:25] Commission, and they're talking about concepts and they've gone
[2:27:28] beyond the envelope of this particular master plan
[2:27:31] presentation, even though I'm not required to abstain from
[2:27:33] voting on this. I think I just want to avoid even the
[2:27:36] appearance of a conflict of interest. And I'm going to just
[2:27:39] step down. I'll pass it to step pass it to Vice mayor to
[2:27:42] complete the item. And this way they can have their discussion
[2:27:45] because they're going beyond just the vision plan. And so
[2:27:47] I'd feel more comfortable just erring on the side of, of.
[2:27:51] Absolutely. The appearance of, of any conflict allows you to
[2:27:54] abstain. Thank you. Thank you. Of course. Tracy. Who's up next?
[2:28:02] Okay. Go ahead, Commissioner Shuhan. Oh, Lord have mercy. He
[2:28:08] exited the meeting. Yeah. Thank you, I got it. I don't need you
[2:28:18] much of what I was going to say. Commissioner Hernandez said. I,
[2:28:23] I agree very much that I think it looks good. I think it
[2:28:29] provides direction. I guess my wish or my disappointment is
[2:28:34] that we don't have something today to say yes for the next
[2:28:38] step. I mean, we have we're going to approve this, it
[2:28:41] sounds like. But is there money that you need? Is there more
[2:28:47] direction that you need? I feel like these surrounding
[2:28:51] residents have been living with unacceptable conditions for
[2:28:55] decades, and we should be doing more faster. And so this is the
[2:29:01] exact this is the kind of the the uncomfortable part here is
[2:29:06] we haven't done master planning, you know, in a little while.
[2:29:09] And so the intent of this is to identify the items that we need
[2:29:14] to work together to program within the departments, whether
[2:29:18] it's funding, staffing or just within our workload to bring
[2:29:23] them forward. So what we have on the screen now is our four
[2:29:26] next steps, where we're going to start to move the short term
[2:29:29] recommendations forward, and then evaluating some of the
[2:29:32] medium and long range. The intent of this isn't there's
[2:29:35] not going to be change overnight, but the intent is
[2:29:39] how do we have change over time so that we start to see
[2:29:42] tangible results? And what are the quickest, fastest items we
[2:29:45] could do. And that is what has been identified and laid out in
[2:29:49] the implementation matrix. Okay, so we will be coming back to
[2:29:54] you with funding and prioritizing and putting those
[2:29:57] together. Okay. And I understand that your department
[2:30:00] has been extraordinarily busy. So a concern is and you know, I
[2:30:05] don't want this to sound disrespectful for any master
[2:30:11] plan that's ever come through. But we have a lot of plans. We
[2:30:13] have a lot of plans that don't get implemented. And this one,
[2:30:17] I think it sounds like and we'll see how the vote goes,
[2:30:20] but it sounds like we're all in favor of this as a good thing.
[2:30:24] But it it has to start happening. And then my only
[2:30:28] other comment is, is code. And I think that much of the
[2:30:33] predicament that this community and this area finds itself in
[2:30:37] is over a very long number of years, there has been lax code
[2:30:43] enforcement. And so things that are not allowed, have been
[2:30:46] allowed to the point that we're afraid to not allow them
[2:30:49] anymore. I'm not an expert in the neighborhood, but that's
[2:30:51] what it feels like. Like people just abuse the situation
[2:30:54] because it's never been forcefully enforced. And so I
[2:30:58] think that one, the one thing that we can do today is not put
[2:31:03] these businesses out of business with enforcement, but
[2:31:07] come to some agreement with the business owners that we're
[2:31:10] going to enforce things. I mean, I only hear about residents
[2:31:14] that can't get through these streets, and they're concerned
[2:31:18] that emergency vehicles can't get through these streets. I
[2:31:20] mean, these are real worries, right? If somebody's trying to
[2:31:23] get their kid to school or get their kid to the doctor and the
[2:31:27] streets are blocked. I mean, we're not doing our job as a
[2:31:30] city. So I think I appreciate what Andrea's saying about
[2:31:33] starting on this. But in the meantime, we have to come up
[2:31:36] with some enforcement that allows the businesses to
[2:31:40] operate and allows the residents to live peacefully
[2:31:44] and successfully to be able to get where they need to go
[2:31:47] without the concern. So like I said, I'm not an expert in the
[2:31:51] area, but the one thing I hear about are these block streets
[2:31:54] business owners not giving up any care to the residents that
[2:31:58] surround it, feeling like they have the priority over these
[2:32:02] streets versus the residents when really, you know, the
[2:32:05] residents are are very, very important and their concerns
[2:32:09] have to be addressed. So that's my request, I guess, Giovanna,
[2:32:12] is to maybe have some sort of meeting with these businesses
[2:32:15] and say, this is what we're doing and we're going to really
[2:32:18] enforce this. Now, in between when our planning department
[2:32:23] keeps us moving through these next steps. And until then, the
[2:32:26] burden is really on on code to keep the residents safe in this
[2:32:31] in this area. So that's it for me. Thank you. Next in the
[2:32:37] queue is Commissioner Quintana. Do it. Okay. Okay. Yeah, I, I
[2:32:44] was actually sticking to what was in the plan. So thank you
[2:32:47] for all of those of you who have come up with ideas about
[2:32:50] how to fund the future. And I was really focusing much more
[2:32:55] on the short term and mid-term actions that are in the
[2:33:01] implementation matrix. So, I mean, that said to the
[2:33:08] conversation about code, believe me, Roger and I speak
[2:33:15] every day. I don't know how else I can say how much was
[2:33:19] spent on the sidewalks that are on the linear park on State
[2:33:24] Road seven on fDOT that is currently being used by the car
[2:33:30] dealerships to to drive their cars over the landscaping and
[2:33:38] onto the sidewalks, and then taking pictures from State Road
[2:33:42] seven to sell their cars. And so I want our small businesses
[2:33:48] to continue to operate the community. The surrounding
[2:33:54] community does not want to lose its identity as a working class
[2:34:01] community. They want to continue to have blue collar
[2:34:05] workers be able to be in the Washington Park community. They
[2:34:09] don't want that to change, nor do I. What I was seeking was
[2:34:15] coexistence, mutual respect between the heavy auto uses
[2:34:22] that are going on in the industrial park and the other
[2:34:27] business types that are in there. I'm talking about
[2:34:30] business to business, mutual respect that does not currently
[2:34:35] exist. And then certainly the big trucks that come through
[2:34:41] delivering the vehicles from the dealerships that drive
[2:34:45] through the residential neighborhoods, that no sooner
[2:34:48] does Joseph Kroll's department catch up a road that within two
[2:34:53] months, big holes are there again, because you've got these
[2:34:56] huge trucks that are using them daily for delivery of vehicles.
[2:35:02] I was just looking for a way that we could have mutual
[2:35:06] respect happen within that industrial area. And I also
[2:35:13] want to then point back to what in The matrix, it seems to me
[2:35:17] like the most intractable parts of this challenge. So this area
[2:35:21] was unincorporated Broward until 1963, when Hollywood then
[2:35:26] took on the area. What was there before was a trailer park
[2:35:31] and it became it took away housing, but it then became
[2:35:36] industrial and commercial use. This has been this way for an
[2:35:43] awfully long time, since 1963. And if this was an easy to
[2:35:49] solve problem, I would think by now somebody would have solved
[2:35:53] it. It's an intractable problem. The parts that are most
[2:35:56] difficult are in that those three center blocks that if you
[2:36:01] could bring the map back up, guys, that has the hierarchy of
[2:36:06] streets, that interior part, it seems to me like the most
[2:36:12] challenging part. So the thing about painting the the thing
[2:36:19] about painting the facades, not all the stuff that's in the
[2:36:23] short term, under vision and identity, none of it would cost
[2:36:26] anything. In addition, and I know that that's part of what
[2:36:29] staff took into consideration is what can we do without money
[2:36:33] to get it going? And I think that's all fine and dandy. I
[2:36:37] kind of get the sense that unless the property owners
[2:36:40] there take an interest in improving their facades and
[2:36:44] having a cleaner environment, it isn't going to happen. Right.
[2:36:48] And so I'm kind of deemphasizing all that part
[2:36:51] because obviously they haven't done it yet. And it's not like
[2:36:55] they're not making money that they could clean up their
[2:36:58] properties as it stands, but they haven't done it yet. I'm
[2:37:02] deemphasizing all of that. Of your vision and identity
[2:37:06] recommendations, the one that I think we should follow through
[2:37:09] on is managed change at the edges, not the core. So there's
[2:37:14] an easy win if you focus on 56th Avenue, on Washington
[2:37:21] Street, on State Road seven and Pembroke Road. As a first step,
[2:37:26] what can we do about improving that outside core, how that
[2:37:29] looks? That's where I think we could get some quick wins. It's
[2:37:35] still going to be ugly in the middle unless we get property
[2:37:38] owners in there to care, but at least the outside core won't
[2:37:43] look so bad. I would like to suggest in the section that
[2:37:47] says Street Design, Mobility and Infrastructure, I would
[2:37:51] like to see us focus on. You already said it. Adopting the
[2:37:59] street hierarchy framework and considering initiating a
[2:38:05] traffic study to assess limiting truck and commercial
[2:38:09] vehicle traffic on residential roads. I'd like to move from
[2:38:14] mid-term to short term, where it says develop a comprehensive
[2:38:21] street condition and needs assessment so that you can
[2:38:25] prioritize the repair and repaving of residential streets.
[2:38:29] Again, I mean, Joseph is patching them, but we're not
[2:38:33] actually repaving them. And I guess we'll see how long they
[2:38:38] last with the big trucks driving over them if we spend
[2:38:42] the money on that. But I'd like to move that into short term,
[2:38:45] because those roads are in terrible condition where it
[2:38:48] says, prioritize sidewalk improvements and repair.
[2:38:53] Referencing the proposed street hierarchy. So we'd be putting
[2:38:57] sidewalks in repair, emphasizing it on the four
[2:39:00] green areas in the map. I don't know that it's worth trying to
[2:39:05] fix sidewalks in the interior core right now. When all the
[2:39:08] cars are parked over the sidewalks and anything and
[2:39:11] everything else they can park over. So again, I'm not even
[2:39:17] touching the long term. I was just focusing on the short term
[2:39:20] and mid-term so that you guys could know where to get started,
[2:39:25] where under street design and mobility infrastructure, again,
[2:39:29] please move to short term developing and adopting
[2:39:34] strategies to increase water permeability in the public
[2:39:38] right of way. So this is a prone to flooding area. When
[2:39:48] public Utilities did the. Sewer and new water lines, there was
[2:39:58] not really a vision to improve the drainage. And because of
[2:40:02] all of the hoopla that that was raised, they somehow managed to
[2:40:07] improve some areas of drainage in there. But it's still really
[2:40:11] bad. I go through there at least three times a week, and
[2:40:16] the flooding is I mean, I have video, I'm not going to show it,
[2:40:19] but it's like waves in a place with heavy auto uses where
[2:40:26] there are auto chemicals. Okay, so I think that proper drainage
[2:40:33] should be a priority. So whatever we can do in the
[2:40:36] places where we know the water puddles, I think that should be
[2:40:40] a priority. And then I guess I'll stop with that because
[2:40:45] wait, is there another one? Yeah, I made reference to it
[2:40:49] this morning as the last thing I'll say. I made reference to
[2:40:52] it this morning. If we can somehow encourage in these
[2:40:57] outer core the things like maker where people are
[2:41:05] manufacturing, making something, it can be in a small setting,
[2:41:09] but some some place where people can. I know of places
[2:41:16] where they have something that's called repair clinics,
[2:41:20] DIY repair clinics, so that people could come to a
[2:41:23] storefront and learn how to repair lamp, learn how to
[2:41:26] repair a sewing machine, learn what they can do to change
[2:41:32] their own oil. Perhaps even so, things that would encourage
[2:41:37] that, that identity as a blue collar, hands on kind of
[2:41:42] environment. But we could create businesses that are
[2:41:45] consistent with that in the outer core. So I'll stop. I
[2:41:49] don't want to monopolize the conversation, but I again, I
[2:41:51] want to say I'm grateful that we're even thinking about this
[2:41:56] because what I was told when I first brought this up, this
[2:42:01] will never change. It's been like this for decades. Nobody's
[2:42:06] figured out a way to do it. It's going to take a long time,
[2:42:10] I said, but if we never start, we never will. And if you just
[2:42:14] say it's never going to change and throw up your hands and say,
[2:42:18] forget it, that's how we got to where we are now. So I'm not
[2:42:21] expecting it to be overnight. I don't want to throw any
[2:42:24] business owners into a panic. I don't want to throw the the
[2:42:27] neighborhood around it into a panic that they're getting
[2:42:30] gentrified and kicked out of their neighborhood. I don't
[2:42:32] want that to happen, but I do want us to know that it doesn't
[2:42:37] have to be this way. There are other ways that we can do this,
[2:42:42] and we should not give up on the opportunity. I'll stop.
[2:42:46] Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Quintana. It's
[2:42:50] your district, so you should speak up about it so no one is
[2:42:53] monopolizing your time. If you have more to say, go for it.
[2:42:56] Thank you. I'm good for now. So I was in the queue, but I'm
[2:43:00] going to go ahead and take the privilege. I know that
[2:43:03] Commissioner Hernandez is up to speak after, but I think a lot
[2:43:06] of know Kevin done. He's done. Yeah. So I think that we have
[2:43:15] talked about in a micro vision years about this area primarily,
[2:43:22] as Commissioner Shoham said, code, code, code, because that
[2:43:25] seems to be the biggest issue. And we got nowhere for a long
[2:43:28] time. It was an unsafe area. It was a police haven, if I'm not
[2:43:33] mistaken, to go in there because there were a lot of not
[2:43:38] so friendly usages going on in that area as well. So it was
[2:43:43] almost like a micro type of addressing and starting just
[2:43:47] with code. But this to me is a macro because it shows a vision.
[2:43:54] It shows a way that we can get where we need to be. My only
[2:43:59] critique, I guess, would be and not disrespectfully, but we
[2:44:02] have so much advancement with AI and technology that if you
[2:44:07] go back to the slides that you showed the streets and it
[2:44:11] reminds me of, I'm kind of going backwards, but you bring
[2:44:14] it forward, right? You have this what it is now you have an
[2:44:18] overlay to show what the future will look like. So, you know,
[2:44:21] it's like the, the process. So you see where it is now, like a
[2:44:25] current time photo and then what it could be with an
[2:44:29] overlay showing the underneath and then vibrant appearance of
[2:44:33] how that would be because it's very hard if you're not a
[2:44:36] picture, like I need to see it to believe it. And right now,
[2:44:40] this is wonderful ideas, but it's not reality for me, that
[2:44:46] would be my only suggestion. And, and it's great for the
[2:44:49] public to see what the future could bring. I don't think we
[2:44:52] want to push out the small businesses in that area either.
[2:44:55] It's very important that we actually have the pips and the
[2:44:59] hips and the ships and all the type of projects that we have
[2:45:03] to help generate these businesses to give them an
[2:45:06] opportunity to enhance their businesses, make them more
[2:45:11] appealing. Curbside appeal. I think that that's an
[2:45:14] opportunity that we can seek. Don't we have that right now
[2:45:17] available? And maybe we have to do some outreach and and really
[2:45:22] get them involved to make sure that the improvements are made
[2:45:25] as well. But I think that there is light at the end of the
[2:45:28] tunnel. I think that this is a really great start, and I think
[2:45:32] that this is something we've needed for a while. So thank
[2:45:34] you, Commissioner Quintana, for being the squeaky wheel, which
[2:45:37] we always say is so important. But now we have to put the
[2:45:40] rubber to the road and make sure that we move it forward.
[2:45:43] And so I know that there's a motion on the floor. I'm going
[2:45:46] to go ahead and allow Commissioner Hernandez and then
[2:45:48] Commissioner Gruber, and I guess we'll go ahead and take a
[2:45:51] vote. Commissioner Hernandez. She's not on yet. She's here.
[2:46:01] There. One more. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Mayor.
[2:46:04] Actually, it the door has been open for us to look at the
[2:46:07] outer versus the inner. As a business owner and someone who
[2:46:13] don't have any property in this particular area, I can tell you
[2:46:17] that my idea is completely contradicting to yours, rather
[2:46:21] than to eliminate the business and have the residential thrive,
[2:46:26] give the people from the residential the ability to make
[2:46:29] money out of their property and make that a business district
[2:46:33] so that you don't have both. You don't have we? Well, you
[2:46:37] said that you would rather focus on the main street and
[2:46:40] the outer cause as a start. As a start, I understand my, my,
[2:46:43] you, it won't work that way because, for example, Pembroke
[2:46:47] Road, I've been after the department for years to do
[2:46:51] something to change the zoning of Pembroke Road. Pembroke Road
[2:46:54] has mostly 25 foot lots, and then you have to amass so many
[2:46:57] of them. Then you don't have the depth to be able to have
[2:47:01] any business that can sustain, because it doesn't have the
[2:47:03] ability to create the parking necessary for the business that
[2:47:06] you have there. So you have a conflict no matter what you do.
[2:47:10] Now, if you take a block behind that, some of the residential
[2:47:14] block and you create a buffer, then you can have a larger
[2:47:18] business doing on Pembroke Road, similar to what Pembroke West
[2:47:22] Park has done. They've actually rezoned two blocks south of
[2:47:29] Pembroke Road to be commercial in nature in order for them to
[2:47:32] be able to allow larger development to take place. It's
[2:47:36] not anywhere near where they want to go, but they've taken
[2:47:39] the step zoning wise to be able to do it this way. There's a
[2:47:42] buffer before it gets into the residential. In this particular
[2:47:46] district, you have a great deal of commercial that has taken
[2:47:51] over some of the residential. And I can tell you the by
[2:47:55] firsthand experience, what happened with the regional
[2:47:57] activity center with Iraq that took place on east of 21st
[2:48:02] Avenue, west of Federal Highway, where you had a mixture of both.
[2:48:07] When we rezone every all of that to a regional activity
[2:48:10] center. If you had a commercial use that you were using and you
[2:48:14] sold it and you stopped using it for that for more than three
[2:48:16] months, you lose your ability to do that similar to 24th
[2:48:20] Avenue. And it created a stagnation of some of those
[2:48:22] lots because people didn't pay the money that they paid for
[2:48:26] commercial, supposedly, and then find out that it was
[2:48:29] residential. We have worked through some of those kinks,
[2:48:32] but working on a 1 to 1 basis is time consuming, painful for
[2:48:38] both for the property owner and the staff in order to be able
[2:48:41] to achieve something. So if we're looking to see what the
[2:48:44] long term vision is of that particular area with the
[2:48:48] density that you have on commercial uses, I would say I
[2:48:52] would rather have, since the shrinking, the commercial
[2:48:56] properties in the city of Hollywood's have shrunk,
[2:48:58] particularly with the regional activity center. I would
[2:49:01] venture to say I would rather see this as a commercial
[2:49:04] district. And the properties that are residential in nature
[2:49:07] right now, and the people have the ability to sell cash in on
[2:49:10] a higher value. Those properties. Let's draw up what
[2:49:15] we really want to see with the proper parking, with the proper
[2:49:19] drainage and the proper business model. So then them
[2:49:22] can actually thrive. And then we can work backwards on this
[2:49:25] one that we have, which is smaller property. And they're
[2:49:28] actually abusing their, their, their stay, if you would,
[2:49:33] because they're parking in the middle of the road. And if
[2:49:35] you've been there, as I have, when a flatbed tow truck is
[2:49:38] unloading two cars, because they got one on top and one on
[2:49:41] the back, and you tell them, hey, I got to get around you, I
[2:49:45] whatever, no, whatever you would want to hear from a
[2:49:49] sailor, you would hear from this. I have and and so have I.
[2:49:52] So my point is. And then you you have to test your patience.
[2:49:56] So we need to address that and code and police because I
[2:50:00] wouldn't suggest just to send a code officer out there without
[2:50:03] having the police nearby, because those people get nasty.
[2:50:07] And yes, the truck driver may have the ability for 15 minutes
[2:50:10] to do this, but sometimes they're really smart. They park
[2:50:14] right next to the other guy who is on the other side of the
[2:50:17] street, and they block the road. And when they're unloading cars
[2:50:20] and they're blocking the road, God forbid that any emergency
[2:50:23] vehicle has to go through there. It ain't happening without them
[2:50:27] having to move that. And that's time that it takes away from
[2:50:31] somebody's potential life threatening situation. So we
[2:50:34] need to address this. But I think that the larger picture
[2:50:36] is I love what they presented, but we as a commission need to
[2:50:40] address this. What do we really want to have a residential area
[2:50:44] in the middle of a commercial district that will be in
[2:50:48] conflict for years and years to come, or do we want to change
[2:50:51] this to a commercial district? And that's more than the
[2:50:54] presentation that it's here. But that's the long term vision
[2:50:57] as to what we want to do. And if you want Pembroke Road along
[2:51:01] that area to thrive, we need to be able to change the zoning
[2:51:04] because I've been here since 1974 and even since back then,
[2:51:10] the city of Hollywood had a growth management department.
[2:51:13] That's what it was called. Because we're landlocked, we
[2:51:15] can't grow anymore, and nobody was willing to take that on. At
[2:51:20] some point, we have to, if we want the city with that
[2:51:23] particular area to prosper. Otherwise, you're encouraging
[2:51:26] the same thing to happen. And no matter what we do with the
[2:51:29] street, no matter what we do with code, no matter what we do
[2:51:32] with those businesses, they will still live in conflict
[2:51:34] with those residential area. That's how I see it. And I and
[2:51:38] I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I think we need to
[2:51:41] maybe look at it from a different perspective, allow
[2:51:44] this to take place, and then bring it back to us and see
[2:51:46] what we really want to do with the whole district, with the
[2:51:49] whole area. Because basically from 56th Avenue, that's 56th
[2:51:54] Avenue and Washington Street for 41 Pembroke Road. That box
[2:51:59] right there, that area right there is what we're talking
[2:52:02] about. And if you look at it and you count, there's a heck
[2:52:05] of a lot more businesses in business zoned areas and
[2:52:09] properties than there are residential just food for
[2:52:12] thought, something to talk about. So that was my question
[2:52:15] to Andre is how many residential properties are
[2:52:17] within that area? I asked her that, but I'm not sure. I'm not
[2:52:21] sure I understood the answer because it didn't I didn't
[2:52:24] think it was very much. But we're going to let's come.
[2:52:27] Let's go ahead and stay in the queue and give Commissioner
[2:52:30] sorry. And then we can come back to you. Okay. That's fine.
[2:52:33] You're absolutely right. Thank you. Okay, Commissioner Gruber,
[2:52:35] go ahead. Thank you. I was under the understanding like so
[2:52:40] I went to one of the one of the outreach meetings. I think,
[2:52:43] Commissioner Quintana, you were there with me and it got really
[2:52:46] heated. I mean, the residents, you know, they're dealing with
[2:52:49] what they're dealing with with the the impact of the
[2:52:52] businesses, especially a lot of the automotive ones that are
[2:52:54] that are, you know, taking up the streets and whatnot. And
[2:52:57] then but some, you know, the business owners were there too
[2:53:00] passionate about their family owned business with their kids.
[2:53:03] And, you know, at, at the meeting. So, you know, it's,
[2:53:08] it's one of those unique situations where you have a
[2:53:11] residential neighborhood kind of embedded in this industrial
[2:53:15] commercial area. And I guess the challenge is to figure out
[2:53:19] a way for it to be a cohesive, you know, kind of marriage over
[2:53:26] there. I was under the understanding that code has
[2:53:28] cracked down pretty hard. I know personally, I've gotten
[2:53:32] calls from business owners there that they said, you know,
[2:53:37] they've been parking in the Swale for years. They have
[2:53:39] automotive and all of a sudden they're getting towed, they're
[2:53:42] getting violations and what's going on. So I thought we were
[2:53:45] kind of already we've already on step one of doing that has
[2:53:48] that has that improved the situation there? I don't know
[2:53:51] which who on staff would be able to answer that, answer
[2:53:54] that question. So for the last 3 or 4 years now, we have been
[2:53:58] cracking down on the Washington Park area between code parking
[2:54:01] and the police department, basically. So, you know, we
[2:54:04] have made a tremendous progress in our opinion. You know,
[2:54:07] everybody every comment that the Commission has made is
[2:54:09] accurate. Where there is every use is within that area. And my
[2:54:12] apologies, I also forgot Hollywood Fire also has gone
[2:54:15] out there with us. Also, in the last six months, we have taken
[2:54:20] a different approach where we did put down some some lines to
[2:54:24] kind of encourage folks to park within the lines, had them keep
[2:54:27] outside the lines. And in addition to we recognize that
[2:54:30] some of the, the tenants there are, are the ones that are
[2:54:34] causing some of the issues basically, you know, so we try
[2:54:37] to find a different way to, to give those or encourage those
[2:54:40] tenants to, to behave appropriately. And in addition
[2:54:43] to working with HPD, I believe that we're, we're changing some
[2:54:46] habits out there. But again, you know, there are a few of
[2:54:49] them that are not, you know, compliant so well, and we have
[2:54:52] to change our tactics. So I believe with this study, it is
[2:54:55] a combination of efforts and approach that we kind of have
[2:54:58] to do out there in that area. It is a systematic area that's
[2:55:01] been there for decades. And, you know, I believe the team
[2:55:04] that's here now at the city are the right team to be able to
[2:55:07] tackle this, this, this systematic issue that's been
[2:55:09] there, you know, so I believe the study does identify some
[2:55:12] short term short term plans, some long term plans. And, you
[2:55:15] know, with the team that's all behind me. I think we're all
[2:55:18] trying to work towards that short term plan. While the long
[2:55:21] term plan vision is being worked out right. I, I'd like
[2:55:24] to hear that that, you know, you can do you can enforce so
[2:55:27] much, but there's also to educate and then to meet with
[2:55:30] business owners like this specific business owner, he's
[2:55:33] 30, 40 years he's been in business. He's always parked a
[2:55:35] few cars on the swale, not in the road. And then to all of a
[2:55:39] sudden out of the blue, you know, have it where you can't
[2:55:42] park there. And I get it. You were never supposed to. But
[2:55:45] these business, these businesses had their businesses
[2:55:47] succeeding that way. And that's not to say parking in the
[2:55:51] middle of the road. So I like the fact that we're engaging
[2:55:54] with them. It seems to be moving in the right direction.
[2:55:56] So I would hate to give there's, did we say 458 businesses there
[2:56:00] and almost 2000 employees. So a lot of them are small
[2:56:04] businesses. I wouldn't want to change use. I would, you know,
[2:56:07] I wouldn't want to give anyone the impression that we're going
[2:56:10] to put them out of business. These are the small business,
[2:56:13] the backbone of our city. We want we want these these small
[2:56:16] businesses to succeed. I also would like to try to be able to
[2:56:19] keep the residents there. So I think on a long term, I like
[2:56:23] the vision and a short term, it sounds like we're moving in the
[2:56:26] right direction from what you just said. Yvonne. So I'm in
[2:56:30] favor of this. It is a work in progress. It's a work in
[2:56:34] progress. It takes a long. You got to change some really old
[2:56:37] habits and business models that that rely on those habits. So,
[2:56:39] you know, we got to be creative to figure out how how we can
[2:56:43] help them succeed. Yes. So thank you. You know, I'm just
[2:56:46] kind of hearing the, the discussion amongst the, the
[2:56:51] commission and as you said, you know, this area didn't develop
[2:56:55] to this point overnight. It took a long time to get here,
[2:56:59] and it's going to take a little while to reestablish the vision
[2:57:03] and move it forward. I think what I'm hearing is there is
[2:57:07] support for about six of the items to be reprioritized, so
[2:57:11] that staff now knows what we need to focus on. And then the
[2:57:15] last item was correct, correct? Yes. Because the motion was
[2:57:20] made, there was some discussion, but it sounds like, you know,
[2:57:24] the focus on. The priorities back up. The focus was to the
[2:57:31] the to manage the edges, to focus on that area in terms and
[2:57:37] de-emphasize a little bit of the vision and the identity,
[2:57:39] and to look at the edges in terms of the zoning and what
[2:57:43] could be done there. It was to look at the street design and
[2:57:46] move that up in terms of looking at the water
[2:57:50] permeability, and it was to prioritize some of the sidewalk
[2:57:53] on the four green areas on the outer edges, look at the street
[2:57:58] conditions and needs assessment, the framework, the traffic
[2:58:01] study for the mobility. And I think that will give staff the
[2:58:05] ability to look at programing, look at funding and see what
[2:58:08] things we can also do without that to start to move some of
[2:58:12] these initiatives forward. The. This is not a. I understand
[2:58:14] it's not an easy conversation, you know, for this, but we
[2:58:20] understand the direction that it sounds like where we're
[2:58:23] going for this. And that's exactly what we needed here
[2:58:27] today. Commissioner Shuhan. It's okay. I'll take it, since
[2:58:36] that way I'm doing it. Sorry. Two things I want to. So that
[2:58:41] was my exact question. So there was a motion Commissioner
[2:58:45] Quintana had there was a motion and a second to approve it as
[2:58:48] is. And then it sounds like, you know, if you want to tweak
[2:58:52] to some of the things I've talked about, we will
[2:58:54] incorporate that into it so that we know where we're
[2:58:57] focusing and where we should be focusing our resources on. So
[2:59:00] procedurally, what do we need to do to put those tweaks into
[2:59:03] the motion? A motion to amend the original motion would need
[2:59:07] to be done, but it would have to be agreed upon by the person
[2:59:11] who made the original motion. I'm going to interrupt for one
[2:59:14] second, and there was a late if it's okay, since the mayor had
[2:59:17] to step out because of the process, I did watch some
[2:59:22] movement and there is a speaker card that is pertaining to this
[2:59:25] item. If you guys are okay that we'll listen to that because it
[2:59:28] may add some light onto whatever we're discussing. And
[2:59:30] that way we don't have to. Okay, Yaron, you. Again, my name is
[2:59:41] Yaron. I'm actually a I own around, I'm sorry. I own around
[2:59:46] 30 properties in that exact same location. Yeah.
[2:59:51] Pinpointing location a these surveys or inquiries with the
[2:59:56] residents and business owners. I have not got any notice of
[3:00:01] anything. And I'm there literally every day. And all my
[3:00:04] tenants have not got any communication with any
[3:00:07] companies to ask them any opinions. Again, I'm not to
[3:00:10] judge any companies that are doing this, but I, we we as
[3:00:14] business owners and the property owners have a little
[3:00:16] say of opinion of what's going on. And the main here, the main
[3:00:20] issue here is not only the parking. It's the biggest issue,
[3:00:24] the drainage and the flooding. Basically, if there's any
[3:00:27] customers coming to that area, they have nowhere to park.
[3:00:30] Usually it rains, I don't know, an hour during the day and they
[3:00:34] park everywhere because they're not going to get into a two
[3:00:37] foot puddles. It's a disaster starting from the flooding of
[3:00:42] that area, then going into, again, people coming from out
[3:00:45] of the out of the city, coming into that little area. And what
[3:00:49] happens is they don't know the rules, the regulations, if
[3:00:52] there's any enforcement in in violations or fines to the
[3:00:55] specific people coming not to the business owners or to the
[3:00:59] property owners, because the property owners basically, at
[3:01:02] the end of the day, have to work with the city people to
[3:01:05] basically comply and put everyone in order. But we as
[3:01:10] owners get hindered, get violations, and instead of
[3:01:14] working with us hand to hand to solve the problem. And the
[3:01:17] problem is the drainage, the parking, and these third
[3:01:21] parties that are coming in, maybe huge signs for these
[3:01:23] truckers not to not no trucks going coming through or huge
[3:01:28] violations to third parties, because everything at the end
[3:01:30] of the day falls on the property owner. And it's not
[3:01:33] fair because we're trying to work with the, with it. And
[3:01:36] again, no, no questions have been done to any property
[3:01:38] owners. And I know a lot of them, maybe around 60% of all
[3:01:41] the owners in the area, and they're all on my side, and
[3:01:44] none of them have been approached for any inquiries of
[3:01:47] what can we do to, to make things better in the area? I
[3:01:51] have a question. Since you're here, you're saying that the
[3:01:54] parking is mainly the parking issue that's in that area is
[3:01:57] mainly because of the flooding. It it's mostly about the
[3:02:01] flooding. There's no designated. I mean, the again, the
[3:02:06] businesses comply because at the end of the day, the the
[3:02:10] property owners tell them these are the regulations. And if
[3:02:13] it's a business that is out of norm and they're creating a
[3:02:16] havoc. Me as a property owner, they're not my tenants anymore.
[3:02:19] But we're not responsible for third parties. And that's part
[3:02:23] of the city's reinforcement, you know, to protect us because
[3:02:26] at the end of the day, it falls back on us. Now, the city
[3:02:30] should work more closely with the property owners on how to
[3:02:34] repair the issues, our opinions, because we're on a daily basis.
[3:02:38] They're they're not there. We are the ones that, you know,
[3:02:40] see it every day. So I guess our opinions matter on priority
[3:02:45] because if there's any way to solve it, you know, we can, we
[3:02:50] can give opinion to. So I okay, so I don't know why you haven't
[3:02:53] been notified. I think we have a list of who, what companies
[3:02:57] and we've had outreach. So I don't know where the missing
[3:03:00] link is at, but I'm glad that you're here today. I think I'm
[3:03:04] sorry to interrupt. I own seven properties. And within the
[3:03:07] seven it's 47 companies within those seven companies, 40
[3:03:11] properties in that exact same area. Perfect. Not even one
[3:03:13] letter did I get. Because we have people here that are not
[3:03:16] even one letter, not even one phone call. Zero. Yeah. I'm
[3:03:19] going to have you meet with code and, and the businesses, I
[3:03:23] mean, the, the code enforcement knows me very well because I'm
[3:03:26] there and proactive to solve issues. But there it isn't in a
[3:03:31] point where they're working directly with us to find a
[3:03:34] solution. It's there to hinder us because at the end of the
[3:03:37] day, we have deep pockets. We're going to pay the fines.
[3:03:40] That's not working out, you know. Okay. Thank you. Okay.
[3:03:44] I'm going to I know he may call you up, but I have to say thank
[3:03:47] you and end the time. Okay. Commissioner Hernandez, mayor
[3:03:51] Levy, you're in big trouble. Oh. Thank you. Could could you
[3:03:55] please come back up because. After this, vice mayor, could I
[3:04:01] just speak for a moment? I wanted to clarify my the
[3:04:05] question on procedural. Yes. You own seven properties and
[3:04:10] you have 40 tenants. Did I hear you correctly? Yes, exactly.
[3:04:13] Okay. And you and you said that nobody from code enforcement or
[3:04:17] the planning department has reached out to you as to what's
[3:04:19] going on in the area. No, they reach out when they give me
[3:04:24] violations. I'm sorry. They reach out when they give me
[3:04:26] violations. It's not. Come. Listen, how can we solve. What
[3:04:29] can we do? They're not again, I don't I get that just just for
[3:04:35] brevity, just answer yes or no and what have you. But so you
[3:04:38] said that planning department has not reached out to you to
[3:04:41] see how we could fix any of the problems. No, no. And the
[3:04:45] individuals that are doing the presentation did not reach out
[3:04:49] to you, sir. And actually, one more thing. You have 2 or 3
[3:04:52] diagrams there. And I identify exactly what where they took
[3:04:56] those pictures and they eliminated chunks of buildings
[3:05:00] for for little parks. What's going to happen to the owners,
[3:05:03] you know, when they have these spots that they took out? I'm
[3:05:06] just saying the diagrams don't reflect reality. So I have an
[3:05:10] issue with some of the drawings either. But here's a question
[3:05:13] that something that I don't agree with you with. Okay. You
[3:05:15] said that the issue that the parking is because of the
[3:05:18] flooding, right? No, as well, on top of that as well. No, no,
[3:05:22] no, no, no, if I understood you correctly and the vice mayor
[3:05:25] ask you a question. Not only that, I'm sorry. No, no, let me
[3:05:28] refrain. Not only that, that you said that the reason the
[3:05:31] parking is a problem is because of flooding. And I'm going to
[3:05:34] quote you, people don't want to go through two feet of water in
[3:05:37] a puddle to get to their right. So this is South Florida and it
[3:05:41] rains a lot. But you know what? There's a lot of sunny days and
[3:05:44] I go by there 2 or 3 times a week. So I don't own property
[3:05:48] there. I don't live there. I don't have a business, but I'm
[3:05:51] very familiar with it. And even on those sunny days, they still
[3:05:54] park there. Parking is a huge issue. So you 40 tenants, I'm
[3:05:59] I'm not going to pick on you or your tenants. I don't know
[3:06:03] where they parked their vehicles. But the problems that
[3:06:06] I see there is that the car operating businesses that are
[3:06:11] there use their designated parking spaces as storage.
[3:06:17] That's incorrect. That's no, no, I'm not incorrect. You're right,
[3:06:21] 100%. We're just going to say no, no, that's that's, that's
[3:06:24] also a main issue and 100% correct. No, no, I'm just
[3:06:27] telling you what I see. Yes you could if you tell me otherwise.
[3:06:30] You are right. I believe my lying eyes. I believe 100%
[3:06:35] correct, 100% correct. If the problem is that those
[3:06:39] individuals using the designated parking for storage,
[3:06:44] quite frankly, if you have a customer, what do they expect
[3:06:50] that customer to park so they don't foresee the forest for
[3:06:53] the trees. So some of the issues is maybe maybe is the
[3:06:58] tenants own generated problem, right. And we're trying to fix
[3:07:03] that. And when I have solutions. No, no. Well, when it rises to
[3:07:08] this level, sometimes we just impose things, right. Because
[3:07:13] they're abusing that. They're not they're not leaving any
[3:07:16] spaces for their own customers to park. Correct. So their
[3:07:19] customers have to park on the street or the guy down the
[3:07:22] street. I go by there and I see something that I can't believe
[3:07:25] the code allows, and that is I see property owners that keep
[3:07:29] their swell very nice, but they have railroad ties blocking for
[3:07:34] nobody to park on their right. And that's not allowed. But you
[3:07:37] know what? They got fed up with fighting with everybody else
[3:07:40] and some of the fights that take place on that thing.
[3:07:43] People take baseball bats, people take weapons out. People
[3:07:47] take anything out to protect their little turf. So when it
[3:07:51] rises to this level, we may have a disagreement up here as
[3:07:55] to how to fix it. But we all Agree here that it needs to be
[3:08:00] fixed. And so if the staff has not reached out to you, shame
[3:08:05] on us. But while you're here, they're going to talk to you
[3:08:08] and they're going to take your information and they're going
[3:08:10] to want to sit with you. And do not be surprised. Thank you.
[3:08:14] And do not be surprised if we ask you, your properties and
[3:08:17] some of your and see how we can bring those tenants into
[3:08:20] compliance. So we can use that as an example. And I appreciate
[3:08:23] you being here. Yes, sir. Yes, but but the key is you come
[3:08:26] here to communicate. We want to fix the problem. We want your
[3:08:29] business to be successful. You want your properties to
[3:08:32] continue to grow. But we also need to do it in a way that the
[3:08:36] guy down the street can do business as well. You're
[3:08:39] correct. So I just want to say thank you so much. Thank you.
[3:08:42] Coming up, I watched the little interaction. Annie. Thank you
[3:08:45] for thank you for allowing him to speak. And I think that this
[3:08:49] was a good a good segue to creating a cohesive working
[3:08:54] environment and to succeed this area, Commissioner Quintana and
[3:08:58] all of us have strived to do for so long. So God bless you
[3:09:01] for being up here. Thank you, thank you. And I'm and I'm
[3:09:04] going to address and don't leave without getting with the
[3:09:07] people. Of course, I'm here and I'm going to get with the
[3:09:10] mayors and whatever amendment you may want to do regarding
[3:09:12] this. I'm in agreeing with trying to change some of those
[3:09:15] things. But the key is one of those things in particular,
[3:09:18] which is the changing zoning. It's going to hold everything
[3:09:20] else up. So that's a concern that I have because, well, no,
[3:09:24] you said to work on the outer rims, the outer perimeters. And
[3:09:29] if you well know, if you're going to do anything about
[3:09:31] Pembroke Road, it's going to require changing the zoning
[3:09:35] because what's currently out there now, it's not fixable. So
[3:09:39] I want to ask you before I accept the the amendment here
[3:09:44] is are you looking to change the zoning to expand the
[3:09:48] commercial footprint or you want to keep Pembroke Road the
[3:09:51] way it is? If you look at Pembroke Road, half of the
[3:09:54] block is commercial and the other half behind it is
[3:09:57] residential. That doesn't work. If you don't want to address
[3:10:00] that, then I'm not going to support the amendment. If you
[3:10:03] want to address that, then I will support the amendment. I
[3:10:05] just want to talk to you before the amendment comes forward,
[3:10:08] because I don't want to get into get staff to be into a
[3:10:13] quagmire where what do they mean, what did not? I want to
[3:10:16] make sure that we do that. And look, sometimes if you want to
[3:10:19] make an omelet, you got to break an egg. And my point is,
[3:10:22] hang on a second, vice mayor. And my point is I want to I
[3:10:26] want to, I want to support what you're looking to do because I
[3:10:29] think it's the right thing. But in order to for me to support
[3:10:32] it, you need to give a little bit and say, okay, you know,
[3:10:36] from Pembroke Road to the next block over, let's consider a
[3:10:38] zoning change. And yes, you may affect some of those residents,
[3:10:41] but you know what? Otherwise you're going to continue to
[3:10:44] have what you have and you outer perimeter is not going to
[3:10:47] change. I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but this is I just
[3:10:50] want to say something, if I can, before you do that, because of
[3:10:53] past experiences. It's going to be challenging. And I think you
[3:10:59] need before we make a decision on that, maybe we have to do
[3:11:02] community outreach. Well, no, no, the zoning goes with the
[3:11:06] community outreach. We're not voting for any of that right
[3:11:09] now. But my point is, would you consider that in order for that
[3:11:12] to take place? Because right now we're hypothetical here.
[3:11:16] And I think that's the reason why the mayor left, is because
[3:11:18] we're going outside of the scope of the presentation. I
[3:11:21] think it's a good idea. And so my point is if if you consider
[3:11:25] something like that to talk to those individuals whenever
[3:11:28] they're ready for it, I don't want if you don't do the zoning
[3:11:32] change on that particular block, I'm not interested because it's
[3:11:35] not going to change anything. Pembroke Road will continue to
[3:11:37] be the same thing for the next 40 years. Commissioner, could I
[3:11:41] ask that if I understand that you're trying to figure out
[3:11:45] what the amendment might look like, and I think that might be
[3:11:49] helpful to to stay on the record, how you would frame the
[3:11:53] motion. And that way everybody knows exactly what it is they
[3:11:57] would be voting upon, because sometimes we go back to the
[3:11:59] record afterwards, and I just want staff to know exactly what
[3:12:02] it is that I'm more than happy to do that after she answers me.
[3:12:06] Go ahead. Okay. I'm on, I'm on. Okay. Yeah. I am thinking about
[3:12:12] the individuals that I know personally who live on the
[3:12:15] backside of Pembroke Road, and that I would not want to make a
[3:12:19] decision like that without speaking to them first. So, I
[3:12:24] mean, do we need to amend it? Go ahead. Andrea, please help
[3:12:27] me out. So so the the item that we're talking about with
[3:12:31] regards to the zoning along Pembroke Road is actually one
[3:12:33] of the midterm items to look at. It sounds like in general, the
[3:12:37] commission has a consensus to move that up, to be looked at a
[3:12:40] little bit sooner than midterm. I think the parameters of
[3:12:44] exactly where the line falls for what that is needs to be
[3:12:48] evaluated as part of that request. I don't the intent for
[3:12:51] today isn't to be drawing those lines. It's just to say, hey,
[3:12:55] we all agree. We want to look at the zoning along Pembroke
[3:12:59] Road and move that up a little bit further in the process. So
[3:13:03] bright. And that's basically the solution. We hear you. Yes.
[3:13:06] You bring that towards the forefront. I'm okay with that
[3:13:09] because then we would deal with that. No, no I'm serious. No.
[3:13:12] Then we would deal with that in sooner rather shorter term than
[3:13:16] midterm. Yes. Yes. We okay. Okay. So just to make sure that
[3:13:19] I'm I'm going to go ahead and refresh my motion. And my
[3:13:23] motion is to adopt the conditions or the suggestions
[3:13:27] that Commissioner Quintana has made for that district, as it
[3:13:31] was stated. And, Andrea, since I know you were taking copious
[3:13:35] notes over there, can you tell us what that is, including the
[3:13:39] rezoning of the Pembroke Road to be moved from the midterm to
[3:13:43] the short term? So it sounds like the commission. Andrea.
[3:13:47] Just one second, though. Maybe you want to consult with them
[3:13:50] behind you, because there seems to be some friction going on
[3:13:53] first before we we. Commissioner. It's also it
[3:13:56] sounds like a possible solution here may be to keep the current.
[3:14:01] Oh no. If you keep the current motion. But if the Commission
[3:14:04] wanted to give direction as to the priorities within. Like how
[3:14:08] they would like staff to approach it, that's also
[3:14:10] another way to do it. I want to see what they have, the notes
[3:14:14] they made, and if that's part of it, it should be, yes. Are
[3:14:18] you are you popped in? Yeah. Okay. Go ahead. Okay. It sounds
[3:14:21] like we have a motion and a second on the floor. So
[3:14:24] anything happens. Now we have to have a either a motion to
[3:14:27] amend or we have to erase what's on the floor, which it's
[3:14:30] already on the floor. It belongs to the floor. Yes. So
[3:14:33] there has to be a motion to amend. Yeah. Just for
[3:14:38] clarification. My two my $0.02 is in addition to accepting the
[3:14:42] presentation today. I think that the motion would be
[3:14:48] whatever the terminology would be for zoning and progress now.
[3:14:53] Or is that two or is that too severe? Can we just back up for
[3:14:57] one second here just because I think that we're getting a
[3:15:00] little bit, you know, ahead and it's very great because that
[3:15:04] shows that there's general enthusiasm for looking at the
[3:15:08] recommendations of this study and and trying to move things
[3:15:12] along. So that is, you know, obviously the purpose of a
[3:15:15] study is to then take action on it. So what we have before you
[3:15:20] is a study that you all are considering adopting this study,
[3:15:26] this, these, this redevelopment program, what Commissioner
[3:15:31] Quintana has suggested is that there are several items that
[3:15:34] are in the midterm category of recommendations that she feels
[3:15:40] should be moved up to the near term, the short term
[3:15:44] recommendations, am I correct? Correct. And so then there is a
[3:15:47] little discussion of of the specifics of one of those items
[3:15:52] that relates to the rezoning of Pembroke Road. Absolutely. What
[3:15:57] Andrea said, we are not rezoning Pembroke Road. We are
[3:16:00] not proposing any rezoning of Pembroke Road right now. What
[3:16:03] you would be doing is just taking some recommendations.
[3:16:07] The the amended motion. If you all decide you would like to
[3:16:11] amend the motion, would be that you would be adopting the
[3:16:16] redevelopment program with an amending it to move some of the
[3:16:23] midterm recommendations to near term recommendations, and then
[3:16:28] specifying which ones you think are appropriate to do that. So
[3:16:32] if I could, I think we should just vote on the motion that's
[3:16:35] on the floor without amendment, because I think it muddies the
[3:16:39] waters. And then at the direction of the commission to
[3:16:42] look into priority priorities. So we're going to go ahead and
[3:16:45] just take the vote. Now, if that's okay with everyone. Can
[3:16:48] we just restate the motion? Yes. The motion was to adopt to
[3:16:52] approve the way it was, the way it is. I seconded the motion.
[3:16:55] And then once we take that vote, then we can redirect the
[3:16:59] conversation as direction for the staff to look into, and
[3:17:01] they can come back with us, which is the best fit needs
[3:17:04] based on our priorities. Sound good? Okay. And that's and
[3:17:07] that's what the city attorney thinks we should do. Yes, that
[3:17:10] we shouldn't. Okay. So we're going to give direction after
[3:17:12] this. Yes, yes. Yeah. As far as everything else. Okay. I think
[3:17:15] that's the cleanest way to do it with the vice mayor
[3:17:18] suggested. There we go. So do I do all in favor? Do you have
[3:17:23] the roll call? So all in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? No.
[3:17:29] And I want to vote on the amended version. Well, now now
[3:17:33] now now we're going to give direction to vote no. And then
[3:17:36] we're going to come back now and give direction. Okay. And
[3:17:39] that's not going to be amendment. It's going to be
[3:17:41] direction of priorities like you stated earlier. But that's
[3:17:44] not going going to be in the motion to adopt this. Okay. Yes,
[3:17:48] yes. Okay. So motion passes six zero. And now we can buzz in to
[3:17:55] add your priorities. Now you can give the directions and we
[3:17:58] can support it. There you go. Okay. Do I have to go back and
[3:18:04] read again the which one. Absolutely. And maybe the first
[3:18:10] one is we want to continue to work with code compliance and
[3:18:14] educate the the businesses and everyone in the area. I think
[3:18:17] that sounds like an overarching first priority to continue to
[3:18:22] look at. And then the second one, yes, okay. One would be
[3:18:28] the outer perimeters. I think you had mentioned Commissioner
[3:18:31] Quintana, recommendation 1.6 manage change at edges. Perfect.
[3:18:37] Thank you. Recommendation 2.1 in street design and mobility,
[3:18:46] it states consider adopting a street hierarchy framework to
[3:18:50] improve street function. Yes. I would like to change the let's
[3:18:59] see. Recommendation 2.5 A traffic study to assess
[3:19:04] limiting truck and commercial vehicle traffic. I would like
[3:19:11] to move. Recommendation 2.7 from mid-term to short term. It
[3:19:19] states develop a comprehensive street condition and needs
[3:19:24] assessment to prioritize the repair and repaving of
[3:19:28] residential streets. I would like to move recommendation 2.8
[3:19:34] from mid-term to short term. Consider prioritizing sidewalk
[3:19:39] improvements and repair, referencing the proposed street
[3:19:43] hierarchy framework. And I'd like to move recommendation
[3:19:56] 2.13 from mid-term to short term, it states consider
[3:20:01] developing, adopting, and adopting strategies to increase
[3:20:06] water permeability in the public right of way. That's
[3:20:09] number. That should be number one. And I believe that was all
[3:20:13] of the changes that I was hoping for. I'm already turned
[3:20:17] on, so I don't have to buzz in so I can see the queue because,
[3:20:21] well, if I buzz in, you gotta get turned off. And this way
[3:20:24] everybody else is already on Commissioner Hernandez. Go
[3:20:26] ahead. Thank you. One of the the one of the ones you
[3:20:29] mentioned was 2.7. If I correctly, if we could put the
[3:20:32] items here so we could see which one we're talking about.
[3:20:34] If you have the clicker, you can put those on. Yeah. So that
[3:20:38] we can all see it at the same time. What was it. Oh you
[3:20:42] passed it really small. Yeah. It's tiny. No we have we have
[3:20:45] them at the end. So a little bit larger in case we needed to
[3:20:49] go there. Well we we're there. Okay. Sorry. If you want to
[3:20:54] just give us one minute. Yes. I'm okay with most of those.
[3:20:59] There's one that I'm not quite sure of. Because if we decide
[3:21:03] to go a different route than that, it would be a waste of
[3:21:06] time for the staff to be looking into that. Is it 2.7?
[3:21:09] That's one, I believe. So 2.7 says consider developing a
[3:21:11] comprehensive street condition and needs assessment to
[3:21:14] prioritize the repair and repaving of residential streets.
[3:21:18] Correct. Because that doesn't that only goes to the
[3:21:20] residential street when we just we need them all. Okay, so
[3:21:24] change it from residential to all. Okay. Which is, which is
[3:21:28] fine. I just want to be able to do something like that. And
[3:21:31] that shouldn't be a big deal. The implementation is expensive,
[3:21:35] but to have the information should not be a big deal, right?
[3:21:38] If you drive by, you can see where the potholes are. I just
[3:21:41] wanted to see that it wasn't just 2.7 change to all and well,
[3:21:44] correct. Got it. So what was it mentioned though was the
[3:21:47] rezoning the the questioning about the rezoning, the
[3:21:50] questioning about the rezoning. I believe that was 2.8. 2.8.
[3:21:56] Consider prioritizing sidewalk improvements and repair,
[3:22:00] referring to the proposed street hierarchy framework, if
[3:22:05] I may. I don't want to make this any longer. I just want to
[3:22:08] make a recommendation. Having been through this several times
[3:22:10] with several municipalities, I would highly recommend that you
[3:22:12] let your planning department take a look at it all and come
[3:22:15] to you with some recommendations of what may
[3:22:17] change. The reason why I'm saying that is because some of
[3:22:20] these, the way that they are planned, they're kind of
[3:22:22] sequential and they have trickle effects. And so it
[3:22:25] would be beneficial, from what I've seen, to just let them
[3:22:30] propose something to you and then have a workshop with you.
[3:22:34] And I'm okay with that. But some of what Commissioner
[3:22:38] Quintana has mentioned, which is the prioritization of the
[3:22:41] Pembroke Road, I think that should be I shouldn't be waited
[3:22:45] on level of hierarchy, should be something that the community
[3:22:48] needs to be start talking about and giving her feedback as to
[3:22:51] what they would like to see. Some of these other stuff. The
[3:22:55] sidewalk. This is all staff is going to be recommending, and
[3:22:58] I'm sure that the workshop will come to us and discuss it. At
[3:23:02] the end of the day, I don't have a problem with all of that,
[3:23:06] except just to change the 2.7 to count all of them. That's
[3:23:09] all because the same truck that it's tearing up the residential
[3:23:13] street is tearing up the commercial street. And the one
[3:23:17] thing that you don't want to have is a truck that needs to
[3:23:20] go someplace, that gets a citation because he's going
[3:23:24] someplace and somebody doesn't believe that he's going there.
[3:23:26] So in the truck, this is the reason why if you minimize the
[3:23:32] residential to commercial, then the residents are able to cash
[3:23:36] in on their property and some may not want to sell. And I'm
[3:23:39] okay with that. But if you make it residential, then you are
[3:23:43] starting to infringe in the little commercial space that
[3:23:46] the city of Hollywood have. And City Hollywood needs to have
[3:23:49] some commercial places for the small business. Small business.
[3:23:53] Thank you. Hold on. Okay. I support what you were doing. I
[3:23:58] think you need one more in order for the staff to be able
[3:24:01] to. I support to the only the only thing I just want to add
[3:24:05] to that little bit of of terminology is like the RAC,
[3:24:07] they don't have to sell. But then they're the little, the
[3:24:10] little house amongst the big sea of. But they don't have to.
[3:24:14] It just creates some chaos that we've seen already with the RAC
[3:24:18] adjustment. So you have three to support. You have direction.
[3:24:21] I think we can call it a day. The mayor can come back and I'm
[3:24:25] out of the hot seat. Thank you. Thank you. Is he somewhere in
[3:24:32] the building? Somewhere close. Hey, let's refresh the long
[3:24:39] discussion. All right. All right. Let's take up. We have a
[3:24:49] 2 p.m. time, certain item, item 32. It is just after 2 p.m.
[3:24:55] Let's go ahead with item 32, its resolution of the City
[3:24:57] Commission, the City of Hollywood approving a loan
[3:25:00] commitment in the amount not to exceed 1.8 million and change
[3:25:03] consisting of 1.2 million and change in Neighborhood
[3:25:06] Stabilization Program funds 135,000 in home program funds,
[3:25:10] half a million home program income funds for the
[3:25:12] redevelopment of the Hollywood Village. Affordable housing
[3:25:15] development into Hollywood Vista. Affordable housing.
[3:25:18] Housing development. This is from the Office of Housing and
[3:25:21] Community Development. Welcome. Ryan Kohut, the director.
[3:25:24] Definitely an exciting opportunity for a long time
[3:25:26] derelict site. So go ahead, Ryan. Thank you mayor, vice
[3:25:31] mayor, commissioners, city manager, city attorney. We have
[3:25:33] an opportunity today to take a development right now that is
[3:25:37] currently abandoned, an affordable housing development,
[3:25:39] and turn to something that's going to be bring tremendous
[3:25:42] value to the city. We are asking right now for the city
[3:25:45] to reinvest one point, approximately 1.8 million in
[3:25:50] federal NSP neighborhood stabilization dollars and home
[3:25:53] dollars into the redevelopment of the Hollywood village into
[3:25:57] Hollywood Vista. Currently, the building is abandoned because
[3:26:03] it's unsafe. It was abandoned. It was vacated by the Housing
[3:26:06] Authority and our city building department. The initial loan
[3:26:09] that was given to the Housing Authority back in 2010 included
[3:26:13] a $2.5 million loan, which is 1 million in NSP dollars, 870,000
[3:26:18] NSP and 135 000 in home dollars for the acquisition of the
[3:26:22] property back in 2010. For approximately 12 years, it
[3:26:27] fulfilled its commitment to the loan by providing affordable
[3:26:30] housing for residents that were 50% and below of area median
[3:26:34] income. Unfortunately, because these dollars come with rent
[3:26:38] restrictions, the rents are really low. It's an older
[3:26:41] building that was built in 1967. The cost of maintenance repairs
[3:26:45] with the low rents led to the building falling into disrepair,
[3:26:48] and over a period of time, the building deteriorated, became
[3:26:51] deteriorated, deteriorated over a period of time. The housing
[3:26:54] authority took several steps to do assessments to determine
[3:26:58] what it will cost to redevelop this property. In 2001, they
[3:27:03] hired a company that conducted a thorough assessment to
[3:27:06] determine what the cost of rehabilitation was at the time,
[3:27:09] it was deemed unfeasible to rehabilitate this building
[3:27:12] because of the cost it would take. At that time. They went
[3:27:16] through several steps, several different iterations, and what
[3:27:18] happened was they hired a company that relocated the
[3:27:22] residents that were there within HUD guidelines into
[3:27:24] other areas, and the building was subsequently closed in 2023.
[3:27:29] Once the building was officially vacated. What we're
[3:27:34] asking the proposed development brings new life to a structure
[3:27:38] right now that is currently underutilized because it's not
[3:27:41] being utilized for its intended services. So technically
[3:27:43] speaking, we are technically out of compliance because of
[3:27:46] HUD regulations. We are still within the 20 year covenant for
[3:27:50] those HUD dollars that are invested in the property, and
[3:27:53] it's not being used for its intended purpose. So right now,
[3:27:56] we need to make a decision to move forward by reinvesting
[3:27:59] those dollars that are already tied to the project and adding
[3:28:01] more money so they can achieve this. The proposed development
[3:28:04] will include eight stories of 118 affordable units, 89 more
[3:28:11] than we had before, while maintaining the 29 units that
[3:28:14] are at 50% in the development, you're going to have units at
[3:28:18] 30%, 60%, and 80% of Ami. They're going to be partnering
[3:28:23] with Htg to make this happen. HTC has already received a sale
[3:28:28] loan. They've been approved for sale loan to move this project
[3:28:31] forward. And what it's going to provide us with now is a longer
[3:28:35] affordability period, an additional 30 years. These are
[3:28:37] all good things for the city. The federal investment and the
[3:28:43] public benefit will allow us to potentially resolve compliance
[3:28:50] issues with the federal dollars that are tied to the project
[3:28:53] right now, it's not going to be an easy lift, but we have been
[3:28:56] working closely with Htg in the housing Authority to develop a
[3:29:00] pathway to really make sure that we fall back into
[3:29:02] compliance with these dollars. Hctz also work closely with the
[3:29:06] housing Authority, where they will also reinvest in funds
[3:29:09] into the development of this project. And on top of that,
[3:29:12] they need another $500,000 from the city, which would be home
[3:29:16] program income. To move this project forward. It's important
[3:29:19] to note that we're using program income, the money
[3:29:21] that's already tied to the project right now, because the
[3:29:24] housing authority did pay down their loan. All they owe right
[3:29:27] now back to the city is about $1.3 million, approximately
[3:29:31] $1.3 million. We're going to add another 5 million on top of
[3:29:34] that to help them get there. We're using program income so
[3:29:36] they can avoid certain federal regulations that could cost
[3:29:39] this project to go to, to, to that could potentially increase
[3:29:42] the cost of the project. So the program income aspect of it is
[3:29:45] important. So reinvesting these dollars and using home program
[3:29:48] income. On top of that, they've worked closely to work closely
[3:29:51] with the housing authority for them to also have some skin in
[3:29:54] the game, to invest some dollars to, to move this
[3:29:56] project forward. So as we stand here right now, we have an
[3:29:59] opportunity to turn something right now that's abandoned, not
[3:30:02] being used for its intended purpose. That's really out of
[3:30:04] compliance for the city and turned into something that can
[3:30:07] move the city forward and provide much needed affordable
[3:30:09] housing. Thank you. Thank you. Ryan. I'll take public speaker
[3:30:17] cards. And Ralston. Withdraws. Okay. Thank you. Members of the
[3:30:25] board, Commissioner Biederman. So, Ryan, just to clarify, is
[3:30:32] the housing authority giving the property to HCG or are they
[3:30:36] selling it or are they retaining ownership in some way?
[3:30:39] No, they're selling the property to HCG. Correct. And
[3:30:42] what are they doing with the proceeds from it. So they are
[3:30:44] going to reinvest $2 million of those proceeds back into the
[3:30:47] project. The team is here from HCG and the Housing Authority.
[3:30:50] They can give you some more information about that deal,
[3:30:52] but from their purchase sale agreement, they are reinvesting
[3:30:55] some of those dollars back into the project as a loan. As a
[3:30:58] loan? Yes, sir. Okay. As a loan. Ours is a loan too, so our
[3:31:02] money will always be alone because of the federal mandates.
[3:31:05] But they're reinvesting back as alone as well. Okay. Yeah.
[3:31:07] Rodrigo, can you clarify? Hello. Good afternoon. Thanks for for
[3:31:11] considering this item. I just wanted to explain. Yes. The
[3:31:14] housing authority, the Rodrigo Housing Trust groups, or so the
[3:31:20] housing authority's land price was $2 million, and they're
[3:31:25] putting that $2 million back as a loan. So they're not really
[3:31:27] making money right now, but they're partners of the
[3:31:30] development. So they're going to get some income during the
[3:31:35] the development, like the the proforma, the 30 year proforma,
[3:31:38] they get some income out of that. And we are also investing
[3:31:42] in money. And the state is investing money and the county
[3:31:46] is investing money. And the federal government is kind of
[3:31:49] university like everybody's investing money. It took a
[3:31:53] village to do this as well. And, you know, we're glad to be able
[3:31:57] to get everybody out of the problem of noncompliance and
[3:32:03] provide more housing at affordable, provide much more
[3:32:05] housing. Okay. Thank you. Elderly. No, it's family. It's
[3:32:10] family. Youth out of foster care as part of the special
[3:32:15] needs. Yeah. Just add to Rodriguez point on the. Sorry,
[3:32:22] just to add to Rodrigo's point on the $2 million purchase
[3:32:24] price, we're also helping to take on a portion of the
[3:32:27] outstanding loan balance per our purchase and sale agreement
[3:32:31] to pay that down. So just an added benefit. And what about
[3:32:34] the dispute with the city and the housing authority on some
[3:32:37] of the past due dollars? Sorry, what was that? No. To my staff.
[3:32:44] Can you repeat the question? And in the past I was made
[3:32:48] aware that there are there was a dispute between dollars owed
[3:32:51] to the city with the previous loan and the housing authority
[3:32:54] as part of this going to be an action where that either gets
[3:32:57] repaid or it's being waived. Just to clarify, part of this
[3:33:00] is the actual the actual. Yes, you're right, there was a
[3:33:04] dispute a while back about what was really owed. After some
[3:33:08] extensive digging and research, we've identified the actual
[3:33:10] amount that was loaned to the housing authority, what they
[3:33:13] paid off, what the city actually owed them to in
[3:33:16] maintenance fees. We deducted that. We deducted what they
[3:33:18] paid off. And the actual amount owed to the city is the one
[3:33:22] point, approximately 1.3 million. That's the actual
[3:33:26] amount. Yeah. Motion to approve. Yeah. Commissioner Shuhan, just
[3:33:32] a quick question, Ryan, on the original 29 units and the
[3:33:38] amount of time that they had to stay at 50%, is that now being
[3:33:46] extended? The original agreements were for 20 years
[3:33:49] each. Those that funding required them to maintain
[3:33:52] housing for 50% or below for 20 years, right? When the building
[3:33:57] became abandoned, the time clock on that stops. And how
[3:34:00] many years were we into it at that point? You were into it.
[3:34:03] We were into it for approximately 12 years. Okay.
[3:34:06] Right. So we still technically, as per HUD, have eight years
[3:34:09] left to go on that. Correct. We're going to have to do here
[3:34:13] to move this forward. And this is where this is a very
[3:34:16] complicated deal. This is not going to be something easy,
[3:34:18] because we're going to have to make sure we cross our T's and
[3:34:21] dot our eyes to make sure we meet every federal mandate.
[3:34:24] We're going to have to remove the existing Laura, put on the
[3:34:27] new Laura once they go to construction, closing to add
[3:34:30] the additional 30 years. So we're stopping it at this point.
[3:34:32] And then we're going to add another 30 years, not
[3:34:35] compounding this 30 more years. So you're based on 42 years? No,
[3:34:39] only 30. Only 30. Yes. So at the end of the only 30 will the
[3:34:44] rest of the building will still be within their 30. So you're
[3:34:47] going to have a situation where the 50% complete their 30, 12
[3:34:51] or so years earlier, then what happens? No, because we're
[3:34:55] removing the existing. That's a good question. But because
[3:34:57] we're removing the existing restrictions and guidelines
[3:34:59] that are governing the current dollars right now and the
[3:35:02] actions you make today, reinvest those dollars back as
[3:35:05] program income. They come with a new set of guidelines and a
[3:35:10] new law for 30 years, starting from the day it opens up. I
[3:35:13] think so, yeah. Okay. That's and that's, that's the dance.
[3:35:16] That's what we have to be very careful because you can do what
[3:35:19] we've been using. We've been relying on our consultants who
[3:35:22] are very good. By the way, our HUD technical consultants
[3:35:25] advise us through this deal because it is a very
[3:35:27] complicated process. The federal side of this is what
[3:35:29] makes this deal so tricky, because those dollars are NSP
[3:35:31] dollars and they only have a certain there's certain things
[3:35:34] you can only do with them the home dollars we could work with
[3:35:37] because you're allowed to do certain things, but the NSP
[3:35:40] dollars make it complicated. So we have to make sure that in
[3:35:43] order for them to close that Laura has to be removed. We
[3:35:46] have to remove the law. But once you remove the Laura, all
[3:35:49] those restrictions go away. HUD may frown on that, but. So they
[3:35:52] have to see what we're going to do after the law is removed to
[3:35:55] put back in some kind of restriction that protects those
[3:35:58] federal dollars. And what they're doing actually protects
[3:36:00] those federal dollars for 30 years. Okay. It looks like HTC
[3:36:02] wants to add to that, just to clarify. And Ryan, he's not so
[3:36:06] involved in the Fefc portion of this, but during our
[3:36:08] application to Fefc for the sale funds, we actually
[3:36:11] committed to affordability and perpetuity, which means 99
[3:36:14] years. So all of the units will be restricted, affordable at
[3:36:18] their different Ami levels for 99 years at the current that
[3:36:21] what we're seeing now, that 50% Ami level. So we have units, we
[3:36:26] have a mix, right? So 29 at the at the 50% for 99 years. For 99
[3:36:31] years. Yeah. Right. All of all of the units, all of the 118
[3:36:34] units restricted to their, to their levels of affordability
[3:36:38] for 99 years. Okay, let's vote. And this includes 30%. This
[3:36:42] includes the private parcel on, on federal highway. Yeah, yeah,
[3:36:45] yeah, we bought that parcel to make feasible this development,
[3:36:49] which already owned by us. And it's just great. We have
[3:36:51] different lures. One lure is going to be with with you guys
[3:36:54] for the 30 years. But then with Florida housing is for 99 years.
[3:36:58] And then we have other lures with us with Broward County.
[3:37:02] Bottom line, it is going to be 99 years with different levels,
[3:37:05] which is ideal, right? You don't want to be everybody at
[3:37:07] the same level. You're going to have the 30% Amis, the 50%, 60%,
[3:37:13] 70%. Okay. So you have a first and a second, a motion and a
[3:37:16] second. Alright. Do we have a motion in a second? You have a
[3:37:19] recorded. All right. We do. All those in favor, say aye aye aye.
[3:37:23] Any opposed. Hearing none. Item carries unanimously. Thank you
[3:37:25] all. Thank you all so much sir. Yeah yeah. All right. Well that
[3:37:30] helps resolve a derelict building and introduce a new
[3:37:35] affordable development. So that's great. Hey, Ryan, if I
[3:37:40] could. What's what's the outlook on where this goes? Now,
[3:37:45] obviously they have to go through site plan approval,
[3:37:47] right. Well the Or has that already been done just so
[3:37:50] they've already been through site plan approval with
[3:37:53] planning. They've already gone through the actual esthetics
[3:37:56] portion of it, the art design with with the planning team.
[3:37:58] And I think they've already went through DRC, if I'm not
[3:38:01] mistaken. Correct. Yeah. Utilities. Yeah. Yeah. And then
[3:38:04] you're going to planning Development Board for a site
[3:38:06] plan approval. Yeah. So they're moving along fairly quickly
[3:38:08] because they have to, because they do have that sale loan. So
[3:38:11] there's a timeline that they have to meet. This is why it's
[3:38:14] important. So it's go go go. What about demolition of the
[3:38:17] existing building? We should be closing on construction
[3:38:19] financing for all the sources by February March. So you know
[3:38:25] as is until then. Yeah, we have to we don't we really don't
[3:38:29] want to make an alteration to the building until it's
[3:38:32] actually approved by HUD. I gotcha okay. All good, all good.
[3:38:36] We are going through we are getting our demolition permit
[3:38:39] now in anticipation of that because. Okay, I got you. All
[3:38:42] right. Thank you everyone. We had two items onto our regular
[3:38:46] agenda today. There's only one item. Before we get to that,
[3:38:49] let's just go ahead and take care of items 13 and 16 which
[3:38:52] were pulled from consent. Let's go ahead with item 13. It's a
[3:38:56] resolution of the City Commission authorizing payment
[3:38:58] of attorney's fees to Greenspoon Marder, and an
[3:39:01] additional amount up to 175 K for the fiscal year 26,
[3:39:03] bringing the total amount for that year to 275 000. Who was
[3:39:09] the requesting party speaker card? And Ralston and Siobhan
[3:39:15] McLaughlin. Thank you. I understand this is paying the
[3:39:27] lawyer meal for 1301 representation on us in
[3:39:32] appealing to the county as many of the residents who have
[3:39:37] spoken quite against this. What's it called? Proposal to
[3:39:46] give away. Public land to a private developer? For what? I
[3:39:53] will get zero benefit from that. My tax dollars are going to be
[3:39:56] paying. Not only is that it's insulting that I'm paying a
[3:40:00] lawyer against the wishes of most of the citizens that have
[3:40:04] spoken, that my tax dollars, along with other fees, I
[3:40:08] realize it's only 35% tax dollars pay your salaries, but
[3:40:12] it's still part of it that we are literally. I don't want to
[3:40:20] pay for this. I don't want to pay to give away public land.
[3:40:25] And this is what you're doing. And it's being rushed all the
[3:40:28] way through. Don't know why, but it all keeps coming back.
[3:40:33] So we're up 93000 to date, according to the attorney. I
[3:40:38] don't know when it's going to end now that there's another
[3:40:41] lawsuit going on with it. I'm sorry, but, you know, beating a
[3:40:46] dead horse, the horse is not going to get up. Mr. Von. Still
[3:40:50] here. There she is. By the way, Siobhan, is it Siobhan
[3:40:55] Mcglocklin or McLaughlin? I known you for many years, but
[3:40:58] if you're from Brooklyn. But. McLaughlin. All right, so I
[3:41:01] said it, right. I didn't want to like, you know, some of the
[3:41:04] Boston people say it kind of funny. Siobhan McLaughlin, 1409
[3:41:06] Rodman Street. I don't mean to disparage or attack Mr. Meli's
[3:41:12] very, very accomplished legal talent, but if I'm not mistaken,
[3:41:17] and he has been very, very kind, he is such a good lawyer. We
[3:41:21] have actually asked him on a couple of residential things,
[3:41:24] and he has always been generous and with his time. But if I'm
[3:41:27] not mistaken, the former city attorney had said that any
[3:41:31] litigation money fees would be paid by related. So I'm not
[3:41:36] really sure why the city is on the hook for Mr. Meli and his
[3:41:41] law firm's attorney's fees and costs. It seems to me that
[3:41:46] again, he is very accomplished, but he should probably be
[3:41:48] billing the Perez group related at all and not the city. And so
[3:41:52] I think you can understand why residents are not happy about
[3:41:56] paying a law firm or an accomplished attorney as Mr.
[3:42:00] Meli, but against the interest of many, many citizens. And
[3:42:06] that we were told when this debacle started that related
[3:42:10] would be paying the legal cost if something came up. So I hope
[3:42:14] you will consider that and suggest to Mr. Meli and his law
[3:42:18] firm that they go to related first. Thank you. Thank you,
[3:42:23] Commissioner Shuhan. Thank you. Mayor. So as I understand it
[3:42:29] and I'm going to ask Damaris to the city attorney to explain
[3:42:34] this to us, I think there's at least four buckets of
[3:42:38] attorney's fees that have been or will be spent on this
[3:42:41] project. The first we had, Mr. Zelkowitz, early in the project
[3:42:47] helping with the contract negotiations, and then I'm sure
[3:42:50] there's something I'm missing in between. But then we had the
[3:42:53] issue that I think this is part of, which was the Lupa and the
[3:42:57] appeal to the county. And then based on our conversation
[3:43:01] Monday, we have the. Coordination between the
[3:43:08] existing GU zoning versus the new live local act. So that's
[3:43:13] three. And then of course, we're engaged in litigation
[3:43:17] with an outside private entity. So. That my concern is that all
[3:43:26] really adds up. And we're just seeing this one piece of it. So
[3:43:30] roughly, do we know what the total expenses have been for
[3:43:36] outside counsel to date on this parcel? So just so that it is
[3:43:41] clear the initial contract negotiations were handled by Ed
[3:43:46] Dion at Nabors. Giblin so that is the first. And also Steve
[3:43:51] Zelkowitz assisted with that. There has been, as you note,
[3:43:55] the Bcpc appeal that Mr. Mealy and his firm are handling. And
[3:44:01] we have asked for assistance in coordinating how we are going
[3:44:05] to do the hybridization for the process to bring forward to the
[3:44:10] Commission the site plan and design and these things which
[3:44:14] have not been done before. So we have sought counsel from Mr.
[3:44:19] Miley's group, all of that, and the litigation that you
[3:44:25] mentioned that has been brought most recently is actually being
[3:44:27] covered by our insurance carrier. So that is not out of
[3:44:31] pocket funds from the city. So all of that, as currently we
[3:44:37] can determine, is approximately 160,000, $65,000. It certainly
[3:44:45] has not exceeded 200. But now we're you're seeking 275,000
[3:44:52] additional. I am seeking authorization for that amount.
[3:44:56] We are still in. Currently, in the process of appealing the
[3:45:01] Bcpc situation, and so I do not know how much that will take.
[3:45:07] And so I am asking for authority to have that money in
[3:45:12] case it does take that much to complete the appeal. Okay, so
[3:45:16] to date, you're saying you've spent 160 000 roughly and that
[3:45:21] the process we were looking ahead, you want to have the
[3:45:25] authority to go up to that. 275 yes. Okay. And I also recall
[3:45:31] very specifically the related group saying that they would
[3:45:34] bear legal fees. It doesn't really make me feel better that
[3:45:37] our insurance company is paying that. When there was a
[3:45:41] commitment on the part of the related group for me, I don't
[3:45:45] know about all the other stuff, but certainly any litigation,
[3:45:48] if I remember correctly, that was exactly what they were
[3:45:50] saying because part of it was based on the the deed
[3:45:55] restriction. And he stood here and said, if there's any
[3:45:58] challenge to the deed restriction, we've got you. And
[3:46:00] so what's going to happen with that? Why should our insurance
[3:46:03] company pay that? I am very happy to commit my office to
[3:46:08] looking into that, to seeing if there is a way to recoup any of
[3:46:11] the monies there. As of right now, that term is not in the
[3:46:16] contract, though. As you note, that was something that was
[3:46:18] stated here at the Commission, so we will look into seeing if
[3:46:22] there's any way to recoup any of these monies. Excellent.
[3:46:25] Thank you. So for me personally, obviously, I did not support
[3:46:29] the idea of making this project a live local act, and I don't
[3:46:34] support spending even more attorneys fees to figure out
[3:46:36] how to make it a live local act. But I will agree with the
[3:46:41] comments of miss McLaughlin that I think Dennis Malley is
[3:46:45] an excellent lawyer, and so it's nothing personal, but it's
[3:46:47] not something that I would support. So thank you. I also,
[3:46:53] when this first came up and the city elected to select its and
[3:46:59] refer this to the carrier, maybe it's obligated to because
[3:47:02] of certain insurance policies. I also expected the the partner
[3:47:07] to cover the legal fees, but the city said once the
[3:47:11] insurance company, you know, is advised of a of a claim, then
[3:47:16] they have to or they choose to assign counsel. This way they
[3:47:20] can, you know, ensure that there's adequate representation,
[3:47:25] you know, looking out for their own interests. So that's what I
[3:47:28] was told when I, when I inquired myself. And so I left
[3:47:31] it at that, because that's what apparently was represented in
[3:47:34] terms of what the insurance policies would expect from an
[3:47:38] insurer to, to refer. But nonetheless, we still have to,
[3:47:41] in my opinion, you know, move forward with the item because
[3:47:46] that's what we've decided to do. And there's a lot of, you know,
[3:47:50] terms like give away and all that. There's so much hyperbole
[3:47:53] in there. They use a Joe Biden term that's, you know, so
[3:47:56] loaded and wrong. And to sit here and rebut every, every,
[3:48:00] you know, inaccuracy is not something I'm going to do. But
[3:48:03] certainly this is going to generate for the city
[3:48:06] significant dollars like nothing else. And today we
[3:48:08] talked about how the city needs a significant dollars. It takes
[3:48:11] a few dollars to get to that point. And in this case,
[3:48:15] there's going to be potentially additional attorney's fees that
[3:48:18] need to be invested into the ultimate result, which will
[3:48:23] yield, you know, a significant revenue stream for the city not
[3:48:27] to repeat every, every, every line item in that. So, so I'll
[3:48:33] leave it to any others to make a motion litigation. And that
[3:48:38] is I would like to go back to that video because if there's
[3:48:43] an opportunity for our insurance company to subrogate
[3:48:47] that that should happen. I mean, we all know if your insurance
[3:48:50] company goes out of pocket, it affects your premium. And then
[3:48:53] to your other point, I mean, we heard this morning from the
[3:48:56] city manager that, you know, this is and we are not in
[3:49:00] financial urgency. These are not dire times. So I take
[3:49:03] exception to the need for this project. I just want to put
[3:49:06] that on the record. Thank you. All right. Vice Mayor Kolody so
[3:49:13] so just help me better understand if we have the
[3:49:17] insurance, it's really no cost to the city. So why are we
[3:49:19] increasing the amount? Is it because our premiums are going
[3:49:22] to go up in anticipation? That's a that's a different
[3:49:26] situation. Greenspoon which is the subject of this particular
[3:49:29] Reso. And my request for an increase is specifically for
[3:49:32] the appeal to the county on those issues that came before
[3:49:37] the Broward County Planning Council. And the litigation was
[3:49:41] the litigation filed by Keep Public Lands Public. I believe
[3:49:46] they're called LLC, and a resident of the city, and that
[3:49:52] is a separate matter. Greenspoon is not is not
[3:49:56] advising as to that. And they have no part of that litigation.
[3:49:59] So Greenspoon is is advising to the county's rebuttal, or
[3:50:06] they're advising the city as to the appeal of BC PCs initial
[3:50:12] determination, which is now going before the County
[3:50:15] Commission. And also we have asked them to advise us in
[3:50:20] crafting the item that will, in the future come before this
[3:50:25] Commission regarding site plan and design approval and the the
[3:50:31] concurrence between the Live Local Act and that property
[3:50:34] being a Goo zoning. So I definitely, I definitely think
[3:50:38] that we need to revert back to the video and the comments that
[3:50:42] were made because any type of litigation costs funding, I
[3:50:47] will tell you, I'm in favor of the development. I was the one
[3:50:50] who pushed it through. And with any type of legality that has
[3:50:54] created from that, it needs to be settled. So I just want to
[3:51:00] make sure that related and their representative
[3:51:06] representatives hold true to what they said as well, because
[3:51:11] we shouldn't be spending another penny. This is
[3:51:13] something that's going to benefit the city in the long
[3:51:15] run, and it's delay tactics that continue, and it's costing
[3:51:19] money left, right and center, and we should not be
[3:51:22] responsible for that because we have done our due diligence and
[3:51:25] moved it forward. So if we can just please re revisit it, look
[3:51:28] into it and clarify that before any further movement is made. I
[3:51:33] I'm not willing to approve the funding today. Okay. Until I
[3:51:37] have that that solidified as far as who's going to be
[3:51:42] responsible for the costs. Okay. Thank you, Commissioner
[3:51:46] Quintana, I was wondering if the in order for me to vote yes,
[3:51:52] can we find some kind of way to amend the motion so that we can
[3:51:56] include the contingency of of potentially reimbursing the
[3:51:59] city for the additional expense? So that I could vote? Yes. Is
[3:52:07] there a motion or no motion currently? No. But go ahead and
[3:52:11] answer the question. So can we incorporate in in the motion
[3:52:15] the language that would seek to find reimbursement from the
[3:52:22] partner? Yes, you may do that. I don't know how to word it. So
[3:52:26] you make a motion to approve on conditions of reimbursement
[3:52:29] from the provider. I make a motion on conditions seeking
[3:52:34] reimbursement. I'll second your okay, so I'll make a motion on
[3:52:38] on stipulation that the. Provider, as said at a
[3:52:45] commission meeting, will cover the cost if it's so, duly
[3:52:49] represents it. Otherwise we're not I'm not going to approve
[3:52:52] this today. In other words, come back. In other words,
[3:52:55] you're approving the item subject to the city seeking
[3:53:00] reimbursement by the P three partner. Correct. Which was
[3:53:03] stated. Now if it wasn't stated then it'll have to come back to
[3:53:06] us and we'll have to think about it that way. But it was
[3:53:10] stated any legalities. All right. So that's a motion. It's
[3:53:12] understandable. I'll second that. Okay. There's a motion
[3:53:14] and a second. Let's continue down the queue with
[3:53:17] Commissioners Biederman and Hernandez, Commissioner
[3:53:18] Biederman. So while I understand the importance of
[3:53:26] getting reimbursed because there was a promise made, I
[3:53:31] think ultimately the financial burden should be on the county
[3:53:36] because they're the ones road blocking. They are the ones
[3:53:38] that are arbitrarily changing maps. So do we in this whole
[3:53:46] process. I know that with the lawsuit, the plaintiff will
[3:53:52] ultimately be responsible for our legal fees. If we are
[3:53:57] successful, because that's the way the law works in Florida.
[3:54:02] But I think the same thing should be true here. What if we
[3:54:07] were to be successful in this whole process with the county?
[3:54:11] The county should be responsible for our legal fees
[3:54:13] because they're the ones that arbitrarily changed language in
[3:54:17] the maps. This is currently an administrative process, and
[3:54:22] attorney's fees for success would not be available in that
[3:54:26] case. Okay, so basically our attorney's fees would be an
[3:54:28] investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars that we're
[3:54:31] going to get to help our neighborhoods. Theoretically.
[3:54:36] Okay. All right, Commissioner Hernandez, thank you, mayor.
[3:54:41] And I hate to be technical, but the mayor, as you just answer
[3:54:45] the question just to answer all those people that don't want to
[3:54:48] vote because this is an expense. And somebody said, if we get
[3:54:52] sued, we got you. Well, we haven't been sued by the county.
[3:54:56] They just made an administrative decision. And
[3:54:58] based on that administrative decision that actually replaces
[3:55:04] a legislative body decision that we're challenging. So
[3:55:10] therefore, nobody has sued us. So if you're going by what you
[3:55:15] claim or you said that it was there, I wasn't here at the
[3:55:17] time that the person said, if you get sued, we got you. We
[3:55:21] haven't been sued. The one time we're being sued. They're
[3:55:25] representing themselves in that process, if I understand it
[3:55:28] correctly. So there is nothing for us to be reimbursed when it
[3:55:32] comes to this particular litigation, if I understand it
[3:55:35] correctly. Can you correct me if I'm wrong or am I down the
[3:55:38] right? Thank you. This is not a litigation. This is currently
[3:55:41] an administrative process that Mr. Mealy is representing us
[3:55:44] for. Okay. So basically, we're just defending ourselves based
[3:55:47] on the decision that we didn't think was proper, correct. And
[3:55:50] I am happy to go back and ask, no, no, no, look, I'm just if
[3:55:54] anything else, I'm okay, but I'm okay with us defending
[3:55:56] ourselves when it comes to our turf and the decision that
[3:55:59] somebody made administratively, that it was supposed to be done
[3:56:03] legislatively, that's what you call the workaround. You make
[3:56:06] an administrative decision, then you punt it to the
[3:56:09] legislative body, and the legislative body says, oh, they
[3:56:12] made the right decision. Now we're going to table it. And
[3:56:15] therefore, when you table it with at a time certain, it
[3:56:17] basically like killing the item. So now we got to go back and
[3:56:21] ask them, oh, by the way, oh, we want to be heard when it
[3:56:25] comes to this item because the legislative body needs to make
[3:56:28] a decision rather than to uphold by paralysis the
[3:56:35] administrative body decision. But at the end of the day, if
[3:56:37] somebody said, if you get sued, we got you, we'll pay for
[3:56:41] litigation. We haven't been sued. We're just defending an
[3:56:43] administrative process. I just want to make that clear. So I'm
[3:56:46] okay with voting for this because it's we're defending
[3:56:50] our our process. That's number one. And if there is a there is
[3:56:54] a lawsuit, which I know that there is by an individual who
[3:56:57] feels wholeheartedly because what they think that they're
[3:56:59] doing is correct. God bless them. I'm okay with it. But
[3:57:01] that's between them too. I don't believe that we're in the
[3:57:04] midst of that, even though we're the one who's being sued
[3:57:07] is being handled by the other side. Is that not correct? We
[3:57:10] do have our own counsel in that case. We are being represented
[3:57:15] by Dan Abbott from Weiss Sirota. However, the codefendant in
[3:57:19] this case is related group, and they are taking the lead on
[3:57:24] most of the motion drafting and those things. And we are
[3:57:27] reviewing that and agreeing where it makes sense. Okay. And
[3:57:31] at the end of the day, if we do not prevail and there's a cost
[3:57:35] to that, then we can go through what we're going through right
[3:57:38] now and saying, you said if we were sued, you take care of it.
[3:57:41] So we would expect for them to take care of it at that time.
[3:57:45] I'll withdraw my motion. Withdraw. Okay. All right. So
[3:57:49] was there a second? Yeah. All right. Okay. So I'll make a
[3:57:56] motion that we actually pay to give you this up to $275,000 in
[3:58:01] order for you to have the amount of money needed in order
[3:58:05] to defend ourselves when it comes to the administrative
[3:58:08] process. Thank you. All right. We have a motion. And second to
[3:58:11] approve the item, as is Commissioner vice mayor, can
[3:58:14] you give us an update of where this is at? Because last I
[3:58:17] heard was supposed to be heard at third last Thursday's county
[3:58:23] meeting, and it was deferred again. Correct. And so where
[3:58:28] are we at now? It was brought back on the August 20th meeting,
[3:58:33] County meeting, as you as you state at that time, it was kind
[3:58:38] of tabled indefinitely. I know that our city manager has been
[3:58:44] in contact with some of the county people at the county to
[3:58:49] see about perhaps putting this back for getting this heard at
[3:58:54] a time certain. And having spoken with our counsel, that
[3:58:58] is that is the recommendation at this time that we work
[3:59:02] through those channels to get this item back onto a county
[3:59:05] agenda. And the reason why it's going back on the county agenda
[3:59:08] is because, because at this point in the administrative
[3:59:12] process, the appellate body that hears our our issue is the
[3:59:17] county Commission. And by the way, just to answer your
[3:59:20] question, Robert's rule of orders procedurally, if you
[3:59:24] table an item indefinitely, that means you kill the item.
[3:59:27] The item is dead. It's like it never happened. So that's what
[3:59:31] I mean by the workaround by the county where they actually an
[3:59:34] individual from the county said, I want to do it on indefinitely.
[3:59:38] And they did that on purpose for the item to die, which
[3:59:41] means that it would automatically uphold the
[3:59:46] Broward County Council's decision to change the zoning
[3:59:49] that they did administratively. So that's why it's imperative
[3:59:52] that us ask the county commission to actually hear the
[3:59:57] item and make a decision. Good, bad or indifferent. It can't.
[4:00:01] It cannot just be thrown out without giving us a due process.
[4:00:05] Right now, what they've done is eliminated our due process to
[4:00:09] be able to defend ourselves. And so therefore, that's why I
[4:00:12] feel that we need to ask and give direction to the city
[4:00:15] manager and the city attorney to continue with the process
[4:00:18] for the item to be heard in front of the county commission
[4:00:21] and let them make the commission their their
[4:00:23] administrative body, their the legislative body. So two
[4:00:27] questions then. One being that it is now being considered live
[4:00:32] local. Does it even have to go to the county? My understanding
[4:00:35] is that's the state law. So does it have to go through the
[4:00:38] county? There are certain there are certain reasons that we
[4:00:42] feel between staff conversations and legally, that
[4:00:45] it would be best to to seek the the approval of the maps, which
[4:00:51] is what our initial ask is here. Request before the BCC, PC was.
[4:00:59] So we believe that it is in the best interest of the city to
[4:01:02] continue this matter. There. No. You are correct, though, that a
[4:01:06] live local action does not necessarily require that this.
[4:01:11] Go before the County. However, to leave the most options open
[4:01:14] for the city and put the city in the best position to further
[4:01:19] negotiate and further determine what is going to happen with
[4:01:22] that site and on the beach. We believe that it is best that
[4:01:26] this go back for determination before the County Commission.
[4:01:31] And who makes that decision? You guys make that decision
[4:01:35] through the Comprehensive Development Agreement. That
[4:01:39] decision is on appeals and things like that have been
[4:01:43] delegated to the city manager through that agreement. Because
[4:01:49] this is the first time I'm hearing of it. That's why I'm
[4:01:52] questioning it. I knew that it was tabled, but now I'm hearing
[4:01:56] additional information. So I'm just kind of taken back for a
[4:02:00] second that now we're going back to ask for another date
[4:02:03] for them to hear it to. So I just want to make sure I'm
[4:02:07] hearing what you're saying. So we're asking after it was
[4:02:10] indefinitely tabled, which I believe is a violation of some
[4:02:13] sort, because it kills it. Now we're going back to the county
[4:02:16] and we're going to ask them to hear it in some certain time
[4:02:21] frame. And it's all to protect the city because of why?
[4:02:28] Because this leaves the most options open for the city to
[4:02:31] move in regards to the site and what we ultimately decide to do
[4:02:37] there. I mean, we made a decision, though I don't
[4:02:40] understand that though. We've made the decision, we agreed
[4:02:42] upon it. We we took a lot of heat, but we felt it was the
[4:02:46] best decision for the city. So I'm just a little taken back as
[4:02:49] to how we're back at the county again after it was tabled
[4:02:55] indefinitely. Like this is just we didn't table it indefinitely.
[4:02:58] They did. That's what I'm saying. So what's to prevent
[4:03:01] them from tabling it more what they're doing in what I support
[4:03:04] and them doing. So I mean, I have nothing to say when it
[4:03:07] comes to this, but we have to defend ourselves. They just
[4:03:11] said down the road for you, and I don't think that's proper. So
[4:03:15] all we're doing is defending our position in front of the
[4:03:18] county. That's all. And the insurance company is paying for
[4:03:21] it. Do we have a date of when this will be heard? We do. We
[4:03:25] do not. We're we would be requesting that it be put on as
[4:03:31] an item, because it was continued indefinitely. And we
[4:03:36] have the right to have the item heard. It is my understanding
[4:03:40] from legal counsel, outside counsel, that if we don't
[4:03:46] finalize this, it's it's sort of in no man's land, it's just
[4:03:51] out there. And if at some point we felt that there was a need
[4:03:55] to appeal this, we would we would then have nothing to
[4:03:59] appeal because it hadn't actually been decided. So there
[4:04:03] is a need for some finality, true finality, meaning a
[4:04:07] decision rendered one way or the other to preserve our right
[4:04:11] to then appeal. And as you know, there are a lot of different
[4:04:15] things at play. And when we talk about 111 residential
[4:04:19] units that were on the land use map, we believe that those 111
[4:04:24] units are an important piece in the overall conversation. So
[4:04:28] we'd like to have a decision on that. If the decision goes
[4:04:32] against the city, then it is a decision and that there is some
[4:04:36] legal value to having that decision. So, you know, that is
[4:04:40] the finality of it. And that's we did try to you know, I have
[4:04:45] tried to reach out to some of you and have this conversation.
[4:04:48] I think I well, it wasn't in clarification. So here's here's,
[4:04:52] I guess, you know, for the, the, the opposite side, I guess we
[4:04:58] should say. So here's where a definitive line comes in, where,
[4:05:03] where there's a question of the amount of money that the
[4:05:06] developer was supposed to pay this city. And we've made
[4:05:12] changes or exceptions or not even exceptions. I guess we're
[4:05:16] following state rule and law that because of the hurricane
[4:05:20] impacts that they are deferred the name for it. But I have had
[4:05:25] several individuals comment or make a statement that out of
[4:05:29] the goodwill of the of the developer, they should be
[4:05:32] paying because they believe in the project and the money
[4:05:35] should come in. But but then here, now on the opposite side,
[4:05:39] it's not the city that's causing the problem that we
[4:05:41] should receive the money. It's the county that's causing now
[4:05:44] the delay and the lawsuits and everything that's involved in
[4:05:46] it. So I just want to put that on the record. However you guys
[4:05:50] go, listen, I did what I was supposed to do. I feel
[4:05:54] comfortable in my decision. I felt it was the right thing for
[4:05:57] the city. It's going to be at the hands of the. This is
[4:06:00] playing politics at its fullest capacity right now. I'm very,
[4:06:05] very, very disappointed. So as much as the opposite side is
[4:06:10] very disappointed on the project, we have to find that
[4:06:14] common ground and all we're doing is two separate sides are
[4:06:18] battling against each other and we are delaying the process.
[4:06:22] And so I do not feel that the developer should have to pay a
[4:06:25] penny even by this. A lot of goodwill, especially with these
[4:06:29] type of tactics, regardless of what they are, good, bad or
[4:06:32] indifferent. Let the county come up with a date. Good luck
[4:06:36] to everybody. Hopefully it will get built and it will be a
[4:06:40] benefit to the entire city, the community center, the, the, the
[4:06:44] entire thing. And if it doesn't, so be it. But you have to
[4:06:47] believe in what you do. And I, and I really hope that at the
[4:06:51] end of the day, all of this just gets settled and we stop
[4:06:55] with the, the 2000. They should be paying a month and all of
[4:06:58] this rhetoric because it's all parties involved that are
[4:07:01] creating such chaos. So hopefully it gets approved. We
[4:07:05] move forward and just let me know the date that the county
[4:07:08] will be there, because I will be there. Thank you. All right.
[4:07:11] We have a motion and a second to approve the item. Last word,
[4:07:14] Commissioner Quintana. I just wanted some clarification about
[4:07:18] is it still an administrative bodies decision? When the
[4:07:22] Planning Council voted to uphold the administrative
[4:07:28] department's Decision. So by administrative process, I refer
[4:07:32] to any process that is at the municipal or county level. It
[4:07:38] is not judicial. This has not been this is there's no suit in
[4:07:42] state or federal court. This is purely the administrative
[4:07:46] process. Though these planning staff at the county made the
[4:07:50] initial determination. Then it went to BC, PC and they made
[4:07:55] their determination. This is all still part of the
[4:07:58] administrative process. Now. Our appeal of the BC PC
[4:08:01] decision is at the county commission level, so that
[4:08:05] remains administrative. I see. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner
[4:08:09] Hernandez. Thank you mayor. And this is maybe a rhetorical
[4:08:13] question. Should a county employee and a county
[4:08:17] commissioner elect be voting on this particular item? Since
[4:08:21] we're talking about furthering the legal issues with the
[4:08:27] county, and I don't mean to put you on the spot. And if the
[4:08:31] answer is I don't know, let everybody. It's just a question
[4:08:34] that somebody asked me earlier on today. So far, as a county
[4:08:39] employee goes, there's no specific financial gain to that
[4:08:43] county employee in voting here. It is my determination that
[4:08:46] there's before you say that it is the employee of the city
[4:08:52] commissioner who has asked the county Commission to table this
[4:08:57] indefinitely, which practically nullifies the item. So it is
[4:09:04] their direct employee. And I don't know this to be true or
[4:09:07] not, and I've asked that person and they haven't answered me.
[4:09:10] They are an at will employee of that particular commissioner.
[4:09:14] So it is not landscaping Joe Blow from down the street. It
[4:09:19] is somebody in a position of of such and I don't care which way
[4:09:23] it happens. I'm just wanted to put it on the record. Okay.
[4:09:26] That's all. All right. We have a motion, a second to approve
[4:09:31] the item. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[4:09:35] Opposed. Motion carries. Four, three calorie shoe. And
[4:09:40] Quintana opposed. All right. Thank you so much. Let's go
[4:09:43] ahead to citizens comments. It's 510. I'll take the cards.
[4:09:47] Pat. If you're here for citizens comments that's Pat.
[4:09:50] She's going to stand up and you can give her your speaker card.
[4:09:53] You're welcome to speak on any city business. And Ralston,
[4:10:00] followed by Michael Seltzer. Some really happy good news. I
[4:10:13] have to thank. Yes. Fall out, but I don't sue. Thank you to
[4:10:21] every single employee in this city, to staff, to the
[4:10:25] commission, to top ranking. We actually had parking during
[4:10:32] early voting. I drove up here ready to battle, trying to find
[4:10:38] a place to park and by God, there was parking everywhere.
[4:10:41] It was heaven. So I want to thank. I want to well know it
[4:10:45] made it much easier for the voters, which it should be. For
[4:10:50] years I have said, please, why don't you promote the city of
[4:10:53] Hollywood with upcoming events? They actually did. When you
[4:10:57] walked into the voting area, there was a thing on the Holly
[4:11:01] trolley. So it's a start. I'm very grateful that it's a start,
[4:11:06] but you should be promoting city events, upcoming things
[4:11:10] well and there and have a table of water. Be proactive. We want
[4:11:16] participation in voting. So that was wonderful and I
[4:11:19] appreciate it. The second thing is I couldn't be happier that
[4:11:22] miss. You are now officially my county commissioner, which I'm
[4:11:27] quite happy about. So thank you very much. Now let's get to the
[4:11:32] ugly stuff with the Planning and Zoning department debacle
[4:11:38] on now overloading the September 8th planning and
[4:11:43] zoning with, I'm going to say 5 or 6 issues, especially all
[4:11:47] controversial, mainly 1301 that you've just been discussing.
[4:11:51] Whether it's tabled or not doesn't matter. The we're going
[4:11:55] to have a vote in November to see what happens. So I'm I'm
[4:12:02] sorry, but everything seems to be just getting shoved down our
[4:12:05] throats whether we want it or not. It's not misinformation.
[4:12:09] People just don't like the project. I'm sorry. People
[4:12:12] don't like the project on public land. Okay. The grand
[4:12:16] old lady. And here's part of the problem with this overlay
[4:12:19] district for history. Everything I've read. Now, when
[4:12:23] you do the mitzvah house, the grand old lady, all of a sudden,
[4:12:27] well, it wasn't deemed historical, so therefore we can
[4:12:31] do what we want with it. Why then do the rest of us? 840
[4:12:36] Hollywood Boulevard. 1345 Hollywood Boulevard. They had
[4:12:40] to jump through hoops to for those properties because they
[4:12:44] were in an overlay district. They were not declared historic,
[4:12:48] but their historical properties. That is unfair and not correct.
[4:12:53] So if we're not going to follow the rules or or all of a sudden
[4:12:57] claim, well, it's not historic. And so we can now tear it down
[4:13:03] because they let it go to hell in a hand basket, which is what
[4:13:07] they did with the grand old lady. I'm sorry. Then get rid
[4:13:10] of the historic district. I have no problem with that.
[4:13:18] Michael Seltzer. We got to have. I got to give you a second. I
[4:13:25] gave you a I got to give you a middle name like Michael
[4:13:28] Seltzer or Canada Dry Seltzer, or. Come on up, Michael. This
[4:13:33] doesn't count for my three minutes. But years ago, when I
[4:13:36] was home sick, I got a call from a man. He said, it's
[4:13:42] Bromo-seltzer. And I said, you must be kidding. He says, no,
[4:13:46] I'm your uncle from Cuba. I just got here from Cuba. I said,
[4:13:51] what? No. And he was actually my grandfather's brother that
[4:13:58] escaped from Cuba. Wow. Bromo-seltzer. Anyways, wow.
[4:14:03] This is for Pat. You have to start his time again. Yeah,
[4:14:07] that was a family moment. A family moment first, thank you
[4:14:12] for the Acela. It's one more thing that I won't be able to
[4:14:15] figure out. When I first came to the city, I came to the city
[4:14:20] hall to change utility stuff and other things, and I walked
[4:14:23] into the office after I couldn't find it, and I said,
[4:14:27] what a mess. And then I was here at a presentation, and you
[4:14:32] had some real estate company with some plans to do a new
[4:14:36] city hall. And then I said to myself, we need a new city hall,
[4:14:44] a new city hall, and we need to redevelop this. So I brought
[4:14:50] you who I felt was the best candidate or client to develop
[4:14:56] this property. And I brought them not only because of their
[4:15:01] worldwide talent, but something more important. They have the
[4:15:08] money. And a grand old guy from Montreal, my friend I bloom,
[4:15:13] who's a mortgage broker of the of the nth degree, always told
[4:15:18] me money's important. Then I saw the grand old dam that had
[4:15:23] to be redeveloped, and I heard that you wanted a five star
[4:15:28] resort and a five star hotel. And trust me, I know all the
[4:15:34] developers in South Florida and most of them in New York. In
[4:15:38] fact, I sold some of them properties, and I reached out
[4:15:41] to a chap who I thought, and I still think is going to be the
[4:15:48] man capable of developing that five star property, the hotel
[4:15:53] and the condo. And then I read, or I tried to read a 500 page,
[4:16:00] whatever you want to call it, and I stopped at page 30 or 35
[4:16:05] because I had better things to do with my life, like play with
[4:16:09] my grandchildren. But there's lots of things there that
[4:16:12] really disturb me, and I'm meeting with staff in the next
[4:16:16] few days to get some clarification. So I wrote this
[4:16:20] to you, and I gave you a few extra copies to give to the
[4:16:24] staff, so they should be somewhat prepared because what
[4:16:29] I read really disturbed me and what disturbed me the most of
[4:16:34] all had to do with a chap named Gary Jaffe in the parking
[4:16:38] garage. And if you take the time to read it and understand
[4:16:44] it, at least the way I was told was pretty disgusting in my
[4:16:50] opinion, and I have no stake in the game with Gary Jaffe, and I
[4:16:56] might not have a stake with my client, but I brought you two
[4:17:01] people that are more than qualified. And Michael Seltzer
[4:17:05] will never do anything to hurt the city, because I always want
[4:17:08] its best, because this is the place where I think I'm going
[4:17:12] to die. Well, we all go, right? Have a great night. All right.
[4:17:23] Started out inspirational with Uncle Rommel, but how quickly
[4:17:28] we digress. All right. Mr. Is it Yaron Gabay? Yaron, who
[4:17:36] lives on Dewey Street? Okay. All right. Is that the business
[4:17:41] owner? Yeah. All right. Okay. Siobhan McLaughlin. McLaughlin.
[4:17:50] Do you have a story about Rome? Tell us about it. You're from
[4:17:53] Brooklyn. You can go. Siobhan, I first want to echo Miss
[4:17:58] Ralston's comments. And congratulations to Commissioner
[4:18:01] elect to him. It's really a wonderful, wonderful job that
[4:18:04] you've done. And to say thank you and congratulations. I'd
[4:18:08] also like to mention that today the 19th amendment was ratified.
[4:18:12] So it is Women's Equality Day. And I haven't heard a mention
[4:18:15] of it today yet, but I've been in and out. So we'll
[4:18:18] celebrating the Women's Equality Day. I am also here to
[4:18:22] ask that you direct, ask, suggest whichever word you
[4:18:26] would like to use that the September 8th planning and
[4:18:30] development item that will deal with the beach overlay be moved
[4:18:34] to a different date. It is a very controversial. A lot of
[4:18:40] time was placed by staff, I know, but people are concerned
[4:18:44] about it and it is not right. Correct. Fair optics, whatever
[4:18:49] words you want to use, it should be to a separate date
[4:18:52] with a discreet agenda to discuss that item. You saw what
[4:18:57] happened at the last planning and development meeting. It was
[4:18:59] a disgrace. And people stayed after to talk about it. And I
[4:19:04] think adding 1301, which I think is number six on the
[4:19:07] packed agenda. So I am urging you to please direct staff to
[4:19:12] change it. Ask. You were also given, I believe, the
[4:19:16] instruction that Robert's rules, the maker of a of a motion
[4:19:21] needs to approve an amendment, and I do not believe that is
[4:19:25] true. Once a motion is made and seconded, it belongs to the
[4:19:29] floor and does not need the maker's approval to change it.
[4:19:33] What you do, then, if I am not mistaken, is you vote down the
[4:19:37] amendment or you do not second it. So just just a process
[4:19:41] question. And then finally, some of Commissioner
[4:19:44] Hernandez's comments seem to want to socialize the loss and
[4:19:48] privatize the gain. It does not seem fair that the residents
[4:19:51] are not able to use every tool that is available to them to
[4:19:56] protest the 1301 project or other projects that they don't
[4:20:00] like. It seems to me that the administrative process,
[4:20:03] according or suggested by Commissioner Hernandez, should
[4:20:06] only be available because it would help the city as opposed
[4:20:11] to the residents. So this is going to be a fair process. The
[4:20:15] city can play dirty, talk to the people they want to, and
[4:20:18] you don't have to like it if we're the residents. But on the
[4:20:22] other hand, if the residents want to appeal to the county
[4:20:26] commission, they want to outreach to the planning board,
[4:20:29] then they should be able to do so and see where it gets you. A
[4:20:33] lot of this could have been avoided if, as a commission and
[4:20:36] a body, you had put this to a vote of the residents. So thank
[4:20:39] you. And again, congratulations, Commissioner Shuhan. Thank you,
[4:20:44] Rebecca King. And the last speaker is Sylvia Spencer. Good
[4:21:01] evening. So as you mentioned, my name is Rebecca King and I
[4:21:05] am a resident of South 24th Avenue between Funston Street
[4:21:10] and Pembroke Road. I'm here tonight to respectfully ask for
[4:21:14] continued action regarding speeding, traffic and
[4:21:17] pedestrian safety along this corridor. First, I want to
[4:21:21] sincerely thank Commissioner Hernandez for listening to my
[4:21:24] concerns and bringing the issue forward during today's
[4:21:27] commission meeting. I also appreciate Sergeant Jonathan
[4:21:31] Fiala of the Hollywood Police Department Traffic Unit for
[4:21:34] following up with me and explaining that increased
[4:21:37] enforcement is taking place and that traffic engineering is
[4:21:41] conducting studies along the corridor. Over the past year,
[4:21:45] my family and I have witnessed three major accidents within
[4:21:48] approximately a two block area. These accidents caused
[4:21:53] significant property damage and resulted in injuries. One
[4:21:57] incident was especially concerning. A child and parent
[4:22:00] had just entered their home when a vehicle crashed into the
[4:22:03] front of their property. The child had been outside moments
[4:22:07] earlier. Thankfully, they were inside when it happened, but
[4:22:10] the outcome could have been tragic. I also have a father
[4:22:15] who is a senior citizen who likes to take walks, and I
[4:22:19] regularly see other older residents walking along South
[4:22:22] 24th Avenue. I'm always concerned about their safety as
[4:22:26] well as the safety of the children, pedestrians and
[4:22:29] everyone who lives along this road. I understand that
[4:22:33] accidents happen and that the city needs traffic, data and
[4:22:36] engineering studies before determining whether measures
[4:22:38] such as speed humps or other traffic calming solutions are
[4:22:42] appropriate. I'm not asking for a particular solution without
[4:22:46] proper evaluation. I am just asking for follow through. I
[4:22:51] respectfully ask the city to complete the traffic studies.
[4:22:54] Consider the entire stretch from Funston Street to Pembroke
[4:22:57] Road. Communicate the results to residents and if the data
[4:23:01] supports it, move forward with permanent traffic calming
[4:23:04] measures. Increased enforcement is appreciated, but I believe
[4:23:08] we should also address the underlying safety concerns
[4:23:11] before another serious accident occurs or, God forbid, someone
[4:23:15] is seriously injured. Thank you to Commissioner Hernandez.
[4:23:19] Sergeant Fiala, the traffic unit, traffic engineering and
[4:23:23] city staff for listening and taking these concerns seriously.
[4:23:26] I look forward to hearing about the next steps and when
[4:23:29] residents can expect them. Thank you. Thank you, Miss King.
[4:23:35] Miss Spencer. Good evening. My name is Sylvia Spencer and I
[4:23:45] live in 1540 or 50 sixth Avenue. And I'm here because I'm very
[4:23:49] disappointed with the water bill from last month to this
[4:23:52] month. You know, it was increasing with $30, with not
[4:23:55] even any knowledge. I came to the water department and, you
[4:24:00] know, they have they said they just estimated, well, my income
[4:24:06] is not estimated. It is what it is. So everything counts. So
[4:24:12] it's better to be fair. And you know, they just I found them. I
[4:24:15] want to do, you know, whatever I have to do. And they came
[4:24:18] home and unexpectedly two times in a matter in weeks I found
[4:24:21] them on my property, changing the meter, working there and
[4:24:25] blame one another said I said they just changed like a 2 or 3
[4:24:28] weeks ago. Oh, but did you know what? He doesn't know what to
[4:24:32] do. When I came to complain to the water department, they said,
[4:24:35] oh, in computer is just one time. That's not my problem.
[4:24:38] But I don't like to have that surprise every month, you know,
[4:24:41] to be increasing, increasing, increasing and their discretion
[4:24:45] because they estimate it. Another thing is I, my
[4:24:49] neighbors, they did a fence and I have to do, you know, like to
[4:24:53] protect and you know, the some improvement with the fence. And
[4:24:57] when I came to speak with someone like the code
[4:25:00] enforcement used to come in our area, used to be able to talk
[4:25:04] with someone, ma'am, go online, not even let you to go in to
[4:25:10] talk with someone so totally disrespectful online cannot
[4:25:14] come to your property. You need a life person to be there to
[4:25:18] see exactly what it is. So I know you need a blueprint, you
[4:25:22] know, whatever. But I'm saying somebody to know exactly you
[4:25:25] are doing the right things according to the code. I have
[4:25:29] that house from 92 and always I follow the rules. So how come
[4:25:33] now it's no. No help from nowhere. Also, you know, like,
[4:25:38] and I'm talking about in the behalf of all my neighbors
[4:25:41] because everybody is so disappointed with what's going
[4:25:44] on. And they said we are very neglected. Now, another thing
[4:25:48] is they used to be meetings in our area time by time, no more.
[4:25:55] How come you're in Hollywood Hills? No, no, 1540 North 56th
[4:26:01] Avenue. Yes. Is that excuse me, is it Playland Estates? No. 15?
[4:26:08] No. Hollywood Hills? Yeah, it's Hollywood Hills, yeah, yeah,
[4:26:12] yeah. Hi. You you used to go to, you know, do the whole fliers.
[4:26:17] I know, but now it's not anymore. I don't want to. I
[4:26:22] know, so that's what I'm saying. And that will be helpful
[4:26:25] because you don't have to come just here. You know, we can
[4:26:28] make, like, a small time, but I'm on the west side of 56.
[4:26:32] Okay. Yep, yep. There are civic likely. Are you done with your
[4:26:38] questions? Well, I'd just like to make it short because I'm
[4:26:41] saying, you know, like, I'm so disappointed to everything, you
[4:26:45] know, read the bill. Just increase it and their
[4:26:48] discretion. No, you have to be the correct one. We have we
[4:26:53] have proper individuals here that can speak with you about
[4:26:56] that. But also as far as civic associations, I don't know
[4:26:59] about the district if they have it, but you can also attend
[4:27:02] Hollywood Hills Civic Association that meets on the
[4:27:04] third Wednesday of the month at David Park and then
[4:27:07] Commissioner Gruber's, which is down the street in Lakeland
[4:27:11] Estates. And they. When do you guys meet? It's not it's not
[4:27:15] Playland. It's it's south of Taft Street, south of Taft on
[4:27:19] the west. And he could attend, of course, but I'd like to know
[4:27:22] when and what. So I'll tell you, Hollywood Hills is probably
[4:27:25] your closest. And they're the third Wednesday of every month
[4:27:28] at David Park at 7 p.m. we have code, we have police. We always
[4:27:33] have guest speakers. We used to. One thing that they used to do.
[4:27:36] So come to Hollywood Hills. Well, she was the best, but
[4:27:39] she's not anymore. I know, like, you know. So come to Hollywood
[4:27:42] Hills and we can we can take you in. We don't have closed
[4:27:46] doors. And you can express your concerns and talk with
[4:27:48] individuals and get updates. And we would love for you to
[4:27:51] join because like my neighbor, you know, usually they work,
[4:27:53] they come from work late, they go early in the morning and
[4:27:56] they come and they have little children at 7 p.m. they can
[4:27:59] bring the kids. We have donuts. We have no, no, I understand,
[4:28:02] but I'm saying, you know, that we are just talking because we
[4:28:05] are like family. So then, you know, I speak on behalf of
[4:28:08] everybody because. And also with a family like, so who is
[4:28:12] in charge of that? Because just them city have nothing to do
[4:28:16] because they give you like it's no light street month really,
[4:28:22] really one month. Okay. So we can maybe right now, another
[4:28:27] thing with the voting card, what you have to go with a
[4:28:30] voting card because they do a lot of, excuse me, the
[4:28:33] expression stupid things with the voting card. That's the
[4:28:35] supervisor of elections. I called them and there's no
[4:28:39] solution. So I have to go for the Hollywood Hills and we'll
[4:28:41] try to help you. Did you know what they did? They put the
[4:28:45] name, the address and the birthday and everything is open.
[4:28:48] It's not even sealed. Envelope. Put your Social Security there.
[4:28:51] I said, here is what else we have to be a little bit like,
[4:28:58] Commissioner, I'm going to give you my cell phone. You're in my
[4:29:01] district and we I can spend I spoke with you a while ago.
[4:29:05] Yeah, I know, that's okay. So yeah, I will be more than happy
[4:29:09] to have your cell phone. Yeah. Here. You can. Come on. Call me
[4:29:15] because I need more than three minutes. That's it. Yeah, yeah.
[4:29:18] Okay. Okay. Give you way more. Thank you. Yeah. All right.
[4:29:23] Thank you so much, all of you. Apologies for for your
[4:29:28] disappointing experience with the different city departments.
[4:29:31] Commissioner Gruber is going to help you. Yes, but you should
[4:29:33] have received better care than you're describing what to do.
[4:29:36] Every month we expect increasing. So $30 is like a
[4:29:41] significant. Unfortunately, I hate to tell you that we have
[4:29:43] hundreds of millions of dollars that need to be invested in the
[4:29:46] city's wastewater and water plants, and there's going to be
[4:29:49] a 25% increase in the water bill. I know from November, I
[4:29:52] get that the civic is happy to hear that, because the income
[4:29:57] is increasing like 2.8 and inflation was 4.5. How about
[4:30:01] this year will be zero, will be under the Playland State Civic
[4:30:06] Association is tomorrow night at Oak Lake Park at 6 p.m. and
[4:30:12] I'll be there. That and definitely swing by. It's the
[4:30:15] neighbor Oak Lake Park. It's between Sheridan and Sterling
[4:30:19] on the west side of 56th Avenue. Okay. Yeah, there's a little
[4:30:22] community center there, right? Definitely come by. And that is,
[4:30:26] I don't remember which Thursday of each month it might be
[4:30:29] different this time because we're getting back from summer,
[4:30:31] but it's tomorrow night at 6:00 because in the community, you
[4:30:34] know, like it's a lot of problems sometimes, you know,
[4:30:37] they don't care about that property. You know, it's a lot
[4:30:40] of garbage. Nobody cares about it. Or it's different kinds of
[4:30:44] pops up. Definitely come out there tomorrow night because we
[4:30:48] always have somebody from code, from police, from fire and a
[4:30:52] different rep from the from the cities. And you can ask all
[4:30:55] kinds of questions and you'll get more time. And I'll, and
[4:30:58] I'll, and I'll be there. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr.
[4:31:01] Spencer. Okay. All right, ladies and gentlemen, item 16.
[4:31:03] That concludes citizen comments. Item 16 is resolution of the
[4:31:06] City Commission authorizing the appropriate city officials to
[4:31:08] accept and if awarded, the fiscal year 2627, Broward
[4:31:12] Cultural, Cultural Division, Arts and Cultural Festival and
[4:31:15] Special Events sponsorship program. Grant. Oh, that's a
[4:31:18] mouthful for the Hollywood Jazz Festival at Arts Park at Young
[4:31:21] Circle event, and the amount of $50,000 authorizing 1 to 1
[4:31:25] matching funds to be paid by the Department of Parks and Rec.
[4:31:28] Pat, is there a speaker card? Was this pulled from the dais?
[4:31:31] I pulled it, so go ahead, Commissioner. I just have a
[4:31:34] question on the entire thing. As far as the costs for the
[4:31:37] event. We've already proved that we've sent it through, but
[4:31:40] I want to know the additional costs for police security and
[4:31:43] stuff like that. How is that going to be handled and who's
[4:31:46] taking the responsibility? Because I don't think that that
[4:31:48] was added in the total figure. I know we discussed it, but I
[4:31:56] just want to make sure. Good. Good evening. At this point,
[4:32:01] mayor, vice mayor, commissioners, city manager,
[4:32:03] city Attorney Rick Engle, parks and recreation director,
[4:32:06] cultural Arts. It will be covered under the $150,000 the
[4:32:13] police costs, so there won't be any additional fees for
[4:32:16] coverage. If there's any additional staff costs, there
[4:32:19] would be Parks and Rec staff, which was would be part of our
[4:32:21] budget. It wouldn't be any additional expenses. Thank you.
[4:32:24] Motion to approve. Commissioner Hernandez. Thank you. Mayor,
[4:32:29] this is one of the events that I I've spoken with staff about.
[4:32:35] By their own admission, I think it brought in 3000 people, and
[4:32:38] we're looking to spend up to $150,000. I just don't and.
[4:32:42] Well, yes, the grant is 50,000. We're putting 100,000 out of
[4:32:48] pocket for an event that brings 3000 people to downtown and
[4:32:51] don't come to eat in the downtown restaurants. I just
[4:32:54] don't think it's equitable. I'm going to vote against it. I'm
[4:32:56] not going to belabor this anymore, but I just don't think
[4:32:59] that when you add a dozen pencils, some of my colleagues
[4:33:02] would say, I just want to add that there was discussion with
[4:33:05] the downtown stakeholders on how to integrate the jazz
[4:33:08] festival with downtown after the the picnic basket idea was,
[4:33:13] was, you know, passed on. And so I don't know what the
[4:33:18] ultimate plan is through Rhythm Foundation and staff in terms
[4:33:22] of how they planned on executing and, and producing
[4:33:25] the event. I'm not looking for that detail now, but thank you,
[4:33:29] Mrs. King, for coming out. All right. So go ahead.
[4:33:32] Commissioner Gruber will tell us all about it. I understand
[4:33:34] happy, happy to hear. My understanding is that the event
[4:33:37] was kind of tweaked to have more activations downtown and
[4:33:43] incorporated downtown stage and entertainment downtown. So it's
[4:33:45] going on not just at Arts Park, that people are also immersed
[4:33:49] in the downtown area, street performers and whatnot. So, so
[4:33:52] that was the I remember the discussion. Yeah, yeah. So
[4:33:56] we're originally it was just going to be contained at Arts
[4:33:58] Park, right? Yeah. And is that still the direction? I want you
[4:34:03] to give us an update if you have one. That's where I know
[4:34:06] the discussions left off. So I just. So the the event will
[4:34:13] include the main acts being at Arts Park, but prior to the
[4:34:17] main acts and following the main acts, there will be a
[4:34:20] stage downtown. We're trying to incorporate like a wine tasting
[4:34:25] with some of the downtown businesses, and there will be
[4:34:27] street artists performing both on Hollywood Boulevard and
[4:34:31] Harrison Street to try to attract people to the
[4:34:34] businesses as well. Can you just refresh our recollection
[4:34:37] on the date? If you know it, it's November, Friday nights,
[4:34:42] the tree lighting, I believe it's November 20th and then
[4:34:45] Jazz Festival is November 20th, November 21st. So that's what
[4:34:48] about what, two, two months from now, roughly September,
[4:34:52] October about three months. Yeah. Let's start promoting
[4:34:56] Joanne Rhythm Foundation. Like send us the promotions. Yeah.
[4:35:01] Like right away. Yeah. We got to start building up the hype.
[4:35:04] Yeah. It's coming up quick. All right. Commissioner Hernandez,
[4:35:09] thank you. Based on the update, I'm willing to support it and
[4:35:12] see where it goes from there. And then I'd like to give
[4:35:15] people the benefit of the doubt and have the ability to prove
[4:35:18] me wrong. I have no all those in favor say aye. Aye. Any
[4:35:21] opposed? Hearing none. Item carries unanimously. All right,
[4:35:24] ladies and gentlemen. Life, liberty and the pursuit of
[4:35:28] happiness and full effect. Let's go to comments by the
[4:35:32] City Commission. City attorney, item 34. Oh, okay. Thank you,
[4:35:36] thank you, thank you. Item 33 is the last item resolution of
[4:35:43] the City Commission authorizing the city to execute a purchase
[4:35:46] and sale agreement, special warranty deed, and required
[4:35:48] closing documents and fund all related expenses for the
[4:35:52] purchase of property located at 1101 Diplomat Parkway in an
[4:35:56] amount not to exceed $2.575 million. Amending the fiscal
[4:35:59] year 2026 Capital Improvement Plan. Although we've received a
[4:36:04] briefing on on the value of the property for purposes of
[4:36:07] implementing the Stormwater Master Plan VIN, for the sake
[4:36:11] of the public's understanding, why don't you go ahead and
[4:36:14] explain and run through it, you know, as needed? Certainly
[4:36:19] there's. You yell at you if you don't do it. So, okay, so
[4:36:27] there's the presentation. I was just waiting for the
[4:36:29] presentation to come up. You're going to miss us. I mean,
[4:36:32] you're going to miss it. Go ahead. No she's not, because
[4:36:35] it's all going to follow you up there. It's okay. So this is
[4:36:40] the the purchase of this property is essential to the
[4:36:43] solution of the flooding at Moffett Street and 14th Street.
[4:36:46] We we need a an outfall to discharge the water. The
[4:36:50] stormwater from the location is highlighted there on the map
[4:36:54] slide. So the situation is this. This is the most heavily
[4:37:00] flooded neighborhood in the city. It was a priority
[4:37:05] identified project in the master plan. You can see there
[4:37:09] the. That's the a graphic of the model showing that the
[4:37:13] extent of the flooding. There are two stormwater stations
[4:37:16] that that are interconnected for that area. Stormwater eight.
[4:37:20] Stormwater seven. The solution is to provide additional
[4:37:27] outfall to deconflict the connection between the two pump
[4:37:31] stations, and that will greatly alleviate the flooding by first
[4:37:35] providing an additional outfall, and secondly, by allowing us to
[4:37:41] increase the size of the pump stations. I can hear my my own
[4:37:50] echo. So. So I don't need a microphone on my outside voice,
[4:37:57] I can shout from. At any rate, we've been actively looking for
[4:38:03] properties for the outfall since 2023. We've been denied
[4:38:09] by various owners. We found that other properties are being
[4:38:14] reserved for development use, so this is a unique property
[4:38:19] that is close to the pump stations and well suited for
[4:38:23] the solution. So this will this property will allow us to
[4:38:29] install an outfall and provide adequate capacity for
[4:38:32] stormwater pump station eight, which is located near Moffett
[4:38:36] and 14th Street, and for stormwater seven, which is on
[4:38:39] Wiley Street. This is a picture of the property here. It's a
[4:38:43] vacant lot, so it's not like there's an economic loss where
[4:38:47] we're buying a perfectly good home and destroying it. It's
[4:38:51] it's already been raised and ready for construction. The
[4:38:54] purchase price is 2.55 million. There are additional closing
[4:38:58] costs. I want to thank seemed real estate section for
[4:39:03] basically conducting the transaction and bringing it to
[4:39:05] this point. We have the stormwater funds available, and
[4:39:09] this is the first of several properties across the city that
[4:39:13] will be buying as part of our solution. Thank you. We do have
[4:39:17] a speaker card. Let's go with Ann Ralston. Maybe she's going
[4:39:22] to offer her house. Yeah, I offered my house. You could
[4:39:28] have bought that for 2.5 million and made a pump station.
[4:39:31] What the hell? Yeah. Let's go. And then I wouldn't be here.
[4:39:36] That that is. I mean, that would have benefit to you. Buy
[4:39:39] that one. Tear the damn thing down. There was a house on that.
[4:39:43] It was probably about a $2 million house that was taken
[4:39:46] off the tax roll. The vacant land is on the tax roll that
[4:39:50] now you're going to use lose and you're talking about you
[4:39:53] got to build build, build for all these tax dollars. You're
[4:39:56] taking vacant land that you could build a condo. No no no
[4:40:01] no no no no not on. Oh diplomat. You'll probably not approve
[4:40:05] that. You could build the little mini McMansions for
[4:40:10] about 1.5, 1.8. And then you'd have about a $2.5 million house
[4:40:14] that you would put on the tax roll. The assessment for this,
[4:40:18] quote, vacant land is $1.345 million. You're willing to pay
[4:40:25] 1.229 500 000 over that above price. I have absolutely no
[4:40:30] idea why why the house got torn down. I retired in 21, so I
[4:40:34] don't know. But it used to be my area. I still offered my
[4:40:38] house, but I'll give you the bargain price of 1.5 million
[4:40:42] and and it's only assessed at 6.59. So you can take your pick.
[4:40:50] Anyway, will that help? And by the way, Vince, it's 14th
[4:40:54] Avenue, not 14th Street. That's driving me crazy. It is going
[4:40:58] to help Moffitt, but will it help Van Buren, Jackson, Monroe
[4:41:05] where a regular rain. I can be stepping out my front door and
[4:41:10] I need hip boots up to my. You know what? So I don't know if
[4:41:15] it's going to help me. He hasn't explained that. I'm
[4:41:17] still waiting to find out where my stormwater drain is. I
[4:41:20] haven't seen it yet. Okay. All right, Commissioner Quintana,
[4:41:29] thank you. Mayor. I don't know. I, I. I think this is an
[4:41:37] unnecessary investment because so many people's properties and
[4:41:43] lives are being affected by all the flooding they're
[4:41:46] experiencing unnecessarily on an ongoing basis, including
[4:41:49] Annie. I know how much she's come and talked about the
[4:41:52] flooding at her house. And I think this is an effort to try
[4:41:55] and address that. It is a lot of money, but I think we all
[4:42:01] got to get ready for having to spend a whole lot of money to
[4:42:04] keep our low lying parts of our city afloat. You're going to
[4:42:08] see a lot more money spent for that purpose. So, you know, I
[4:42:13] am a Broward County employee, and I got from the Resilience
[4:42:19] Department, the 2025 Resilience Plan, which I hope that
[4:42:26] everybody here is considering, because that is going to give a
[4:42:30] guide to us where resources are to help pay for keeping our low
[4:42:35] lying areas afloat. And I hope that the resilience plan will
[4:42:40] help us make decisions about development where it can and
[4:42:44] can't go, and what kind of development. So I hope our
[4:42:46] development department is well familiar with what's in here,
[4:42:49] because this is where our money, this is where we can get help
[4:42:53] to get to pay and to make wise decisions about where we invest.
[4:42:57] So that's why I'm, you know, I brought a copy for everybody up
[4:43:00] here on the dais, and I have a copy for everyone in
[4:43:05] administration because it's got a lot of important information
[4:43:09] for us in there, because we are going to have to spend a lot of
[4:43:12] money to keep ourselves afloat. So that's it. Thank you. Thank
[4:43:16] you, Commissioner. Vice mayor. So I'm sad that Annie left. It
[4:43:23] must be happy hour. But I am concerned because the amount of
[4:43:30] money, the cost and that's just to purchase land. How much is
[4:43:33] the money to erect the pump station? The the total solution
[4:43:40] for the. I'm sorry. Can you hear me? The total solution for
[4:43:42] the. That storm water basin is probably in the $40 million
[4:43:46] range. Pump stations, pipes, infrastructure all together.
[4:43:51] One thing to consider is that you know what's unique in
[4:43:55] advantageous for about this particular parcel is it's close
[4:43:58] to the pump stations. And you have to consider for the size
[4:44:01] of infrastructure that we're putting in these pipes for
[4:44:04] every thousand feet of pipe that we would have to lay to
[4:44:07] get to a more distant lot would cost us 1 million to 1 million.
[4:44:13] Five just for just just to get to the more, you know, for
[4:44:16] every thousand feet. So when you have a property that's
[4:44:20] close to the pump stations, you have to factor that savings in
[4:44:24] to the cost of the property. And it seemed, you know, did
[4:44:27] you know what the appropriate process was for evaluating the
[4:44:31] cost and arriving at a an agreed sale price? Can you
[4:44:33] bring up the map for me then of where the location, the
[4:44:37] surrounding areas? There. So it's going to be right there on
[4:44:44] the canal. Yes. It needs to be on the water. It has to be on
[4:44:48] the water. Yeah. How many homes is this ultimately affecting
[4:44:55] that is going to that we hope to see improvement on? I guess
[4:44:58] I don't have a count on the number of properties. Is it
[4:45:02] just south of Washington or off hand? It would it would have to
[4:45:05] be from, I'd say, Washington Street down to. Atlantic Shores,
[4:45:11] drive down to Moffat Street because that whole basin. It's
[4:45:16] the low point of the entire area. Moffat Street, Moffat
[4:45:20] Street is, is that's where all the flooding is just north of
[4:45:23] it. I'm trying to see where that's. Oh, it's not on this.
[4:45:26] Let me see if I can. Yeah. Okay. So so if you go back to the
[4:45:31] other side, so it looks as if it's going to affect several
[4:45:36] homes, not just a certain allocated area of, of
[4:45:41] individuals. Correct. Oh, it'll be close to a hundred homes.
[4:45:45] Okay. So this is one of our hot spots. What I'd like to see, if
[4:45:49] possible, before my time is up is the other areas of interest
[4:45:55] for putting pump stations that we've talked about acquiring
[4:45:59] properties. You said there are a couple others that you're
[4:46:01] looking into. No, that what the slide was that we had looked at
[4:46:05] several, several properties that were unavailable. Mostly
[4:46:08] these were trying to put a pipe between an existing house,
[4:46:13] trying to, you know, if somebody has a house that's
[4:46:15] already on the waterfront and talking to them about it,
[4:46:18] putting a 72 inch diameter, a six foot diameter or 248 inch
[4:46:24] diameter pipes on the side of their house with a big outfall
[4:46:27] that would belch out storm water during a rain event. It's
[4:46:32] just an impossible sale or concept to sell. Okay. All
[4:46:37] right. I hope we continue to look at other hot spots that
[4:46:41] obviously are affected as much as this is, because granted,
[4:46:44] it's so much needed, but there are other areas. My concern
[4:46:48] mainly is the area that we're addressing. You found a
[4:46:53] property which I think is great. I'm going to advocate for my
[4:46:57] area and the hospital because people from this area need to
[4:46:59] get to the hospital, and the flooding is just as important
[4:47:02] and as as concerning. And if we can find an area on the roadway
[4:47:08] to the hospital for safety purposes, I think that that
[4:47:12] would be the next point of approval. This just happens to
[4:47:15] be the first property. There is a list of of property and
[4:47:19] they're not specific properties. I want to be clear, there are
[4:47:22] drainage basin areas and there are solutions that require
[4:47:26] outfalls or easements. This requires and this is just
[4:47:29] happens to be one. But that list is with seemed real estate.
[4:47:34] And we are diligently working through the list and, and
[4:47:37] identifying property owners doing appraisals. And we'll be
[4:47:41] coming back with more, more of this type. And just, just for
[4:47:47] lesson of burden on staff and commission, have we done a
[4:47:51] community outreach to the surrounding neighborhoods to
[4:47:53] make sure that there's not going to be any pushback with
[4:47:55] placing that there, or is it just something that we do
[4:47:58] choice consideration because of the need it it is such a finite
[4:48:02] solution. It's just something that has to be done. But I
[4:48:04] think community outreach would be just give them a heads up.
[4:48:07] Yeah. So, so just in terms of, of the sale price, I just want
[4:48:13] to comment that I took a look at the, you know, recent sales
[4:48:16] on the property Appraiser's website and comparable lots are
[4:48:20] selling for an equivalent or higher amount. So if we didn't
[4:48:24] have the good fortune of, from what I understand, this vacant
[4:48:28] land already been been made vacant and the property being
[4:48:32] listed for sale for 2.9, then I understand CNN negotiated a
[4:48:38] 2.52.5 and change. I just want to make the point that as the
[4:48:42] market value, there was no other way to purchase
[4:48:47] waterfront necessarily property, which is required here for the
[4:48:49] outfall to go for a any any lesser figure. And as Vince
[4:48:54] said, you know, if you look south, you know, there's even
[4:48:57] larger lots of the larger homes. And so there really weren't
[4:49:01] going to be a lot of options in an eminent domain of an
[4:49:03] existing home with people would have been way more. So I think
[4:49:06] there's, it's, it's an opportune, you know,
[4:49:09] happenstance that this lot became available and that the
[4:49:12] city noticed it and has the contract in front of us. So I
[4:49:16] certainly support this land is expensive here, but it's
[4:49:20] certainly critical for this basin. The Moffat Street area,
[4:49:24] we all know, is some of the worst hotspot. This is a little
[4:49:28] more north than I think ideal, right? Or is it or are you
[4:49:33] comfortable? Very comfortable with the location. Yeah. Okay.
[4:49:36] All right. So I'm certainly in favor of it. Let's go ahead and
[4:49:42] let's go to Commissioner Shuhan. Thank you mayor. Then it's it's
[4:49:47] a lot of money. But you know, it is it kind of is what it is.
[4:49:51] We have the two appraisals. There's no reason to think the
[4:49:55] appraisers are doing anything other than giving us a
[4:49:58] confirmation that the price is fair and reasonable. I think it
[4:50:02] is fortuitous that it's available. You know, these are
[4:50:07] residents that have really suffered some some of these
[4:50:11] families have lost four and five cars over the past few
[4:50:13] years. So it's so desperately needed. My question is, when
[4:50:18] you talk about the $40 million pump station that's not
[4:50:21] physically going on this quarter acre, is it? It's not a
[4:50:26] $40 million pump station. The the infrastructure for the
[4:50:29] entire basin pipes and pump stations together. What we're
[4:50:33] going to do next is there's quite a detailed math and model
[4:50:39] that needs to be done for the area. We have to figure out
[4:50:42] pipe alignments. That's just a fancy term for pipe routes down
[4:50:46] which streets, whether we're going to increase the capacity
[4:50:50] of the existing pump stations where they are. That represents
[4:50:55] certain problems, such as now you're raising the flow through
[4:50:59] old pipes. So that's a risk of fracturing those pipes. So then
[4:51:04] the alternate solution is to put a smaller pump station on
[4:51:07] the far end to draw the water. And but then that introduces
[4:51:12] the risks of hydraulic transients, which is pressure
[4:51:15] waves trapped inside the pipe. So all that needs to be studied
[4:51:18] and evaluated for the most cost effective blend of solutions.
[4:51:22] So there will be a pump station. I don't the cost 40 million.
[4:51:27] Okay, I understand, thank you. And then my only other comment
[4:51:30] which we talked about during our agenda review with the city
[4:51:35] manager and director of public safety, is, I mean, it's a
[4:51:38] gorgeous lot and a gorgeous location. So if there is any
[4:51:42] way when we're placing equipment there to make it
[4:51:46] serve a dual purpose, whether it's a public dock or a dock
[4:51:49] for police boat or something, I mean, just hate to see that,
[4:51:54] you know, not be used for another more recreational use.
[4:51:57] GPU has already communicated with DCM, and we're planning to
[4:52:02] leverage the maximum value out of the property as open space
[4:52:06] after we've put in our infrastructure. Fantastic.
[4:52:09] Thank you so much. Hey, I don't know. I don't know if it's who
[4:52:13] who the question would be, but this is a residential lot that
[4:52:17] we have to jump through any hoops with regards to using it
[4:52:20] for utility, or we just have our police powers that let us
[4:52:23] do what we need. But does this need a zoning change or I just
[4:52:27] don't know. I'll just leave it at that. Maybe if you guys,
[4:52:30] whatever, can look into that and give you the answer, but we
[4:52:33] don't believe so at this point. Okay, let's go to Commissioner
[4:52:36] Gruber. I think you kind of just answered my question.
[4:52:39] What's the what's the size of the lot quarter acre and what's
[4:52:43] the footprint of the equipment that's going there? We don't
[4:52:47] know the exact footprint because we have to do that.
[4:52:50] Modeling the math part of it, where we figure out the size of
[4:52:53] the pumps, if we're putting pumps there, and then that'll
[4:52:57] dictate the footprint of the station. But we could possibly
[4:52:59] have a little bit of green space there with maybe some
[4:53:02] park benches. Absolutely. Okay. So that'd be great. Okay. Yep.
[4:53:06] Thank you, Commissioner Biederman. While I understand
[4:53:16] and I hate taking stuff off the tax rolls. I know that these
[4:53:25] are necessary things and it's going to provide drainage and
[4:53:31] stuff like that for the surrounding areas. And just to
[4:53:35] clarify, this is different and separate from the pump that
[4:53:40] we're putting on 14th Avenue and the easement that we're
[4:53:45] already talking about. So this is a secondary pump system for
[4:53:48] the same area this. So that that pump station that's
[4:53:52] located at 14th Avenue and Moffat is what they're putting.
[4:53:56] There is a generator. That's what we'll be putting in place,
[4:53:59] not a, not a pump. That's an existing pump station. But to
[4:54:03] your point, the outfall that will be placed at this property
[4:54:07] will. That this pump station at 14th Avenue and Moffat will
[4:54:11] pump to. Right now it's interconnected with another
[4:54:14] pump station on Wylie Street, and that's causing a hydraulic
[4:54:18] transient. That's not. That's interfering with the dewatering
[4:54:22] of the basin. All right. And secondly, I appreciate this
[4:54:26] resiliency plan. But if we're going to believe part of the
[4:54:30] resiliency plan and we're going to believe part of what the
[4:54:34] Resiliency Office tells us, I think we need to believe all of
[4:54:37] what the Resiliency Office tells us, not just pick and
[4:54:41] choose what we want to believe. Anyway, nothing further. Thank
[4:54:45] you, Commissioner Hernandez, and then we'll take the vote.
[4:54:49] Thank you mayor. A couple of concerns that I just heard from
[4:54:53] my colleagues. And by the way, I spoke with the city manager
[4:54:56] and staff at length about this. And one of the things that I'm
[4:55:00] kind of not 100% happy with is the process is more important
[4:55:05] than the means. And in this case, you have X amount of
[4:55:09] money for buying purchases property because of the needs
[4:55:13] for the stormwater plan that we approved. I would wish that
[4:55:19] those properties would have been talked about and
[4:55:23] negotiated and brought up at the same time, in order for the
[4:55:27] people not to get smart and says, oh, I want this because
[4:55:30] you guys need it. That to me is, is something that I wish we
[4:55:33] would have done prior to this. But I got, I got a couple of
[4:55:37] questions because going back in time, my understanding is one
[4:55:41] of the issues that that area floods is because there's a lot
[4:55:45] of water that coming from Hallandale when it comes to
[4:55:48] that area and sheets of. Is that not correct? That is
[4:55:52] correct. Okay. So in, in my, in. So my other issue is, and I
[4:55:58] like to thank Commissioner Quintana for bringing in the
[4:56:01] resiliency. Is there any grant money available for Broward
[4:56:04] County? Because we're actually dewatering not only our area,
[4:56:08] but we help them with the storm water from a nearby city. So,
[4:56:13] you know, I'd like to be able to see if we can tap into
[4:56:16] something like that in order for us to be able to address
[4:56:19] that. That's number one, is they did announce $25 million
[4:56:23] of available dollars. Correct. So I'd like to see if we can
[4:56:26] tap into that, because we're helping drain Hallandale as
[4:56:29] well. And that is an area where they flood and we get flooded
[4:56:33] because of their their sheets of water coming into our area.
[4:56:38] I'm okay with this, but I got to tell you something. If I am
[4:56:41] the guy that lives next door on any one of those properties,
[4:56:46] I'll be hating life and you as well. Not you personally, but
[4:56:49] I'm just saying. Or if you're the person across the street,
[4:56:53] you know, and the island. So I want to make sure that if we do
[4:56:58] spend this money, we don't get pushback where we get stuck
[4:57:02] with a lot. I mean, I, I like for, for the commission to
[4:57:06] realize that this individuals are not somebody who's worried
[4:57:10] about a water bill going up. This individuals have the
[4:57:14] wherewithal to say, wait a minute, this was residential,
[4:57:18] not well. Yeah. Correct. So this is a need and I'm okay
[4:57:22] with this. I mean, I understand, I wish we would have had other
[4:57:26] properties or we would buy them all at the same time and go
[4:57:29] like this. But the commission needs to have the fortitude to
[4:57:32] be able to say, hey, this is a need and this is what we're
[4:57:35] going to do, period. If we're well, okay, good. If we're
[4:57:39] willing to do that, I'm going to know we have a choice. I
[4:57:43] understand that, but I would still ask the staff, look for
[4:57:46] some grant money when when it comes to the county, because
[4:57:50] that's a good point about the, the regional kind of or the
[4:57:54] dual impact here. This is a regional approach. And we're
[4:57:57] helping Hallandale drain because they're actually
[4:57:59] dumping into our area because we're lower. And so in that,
[4:58:02] that's the reason why we have such a flooding in that
[4:58:05] particular area. So having said all of this motion to approve,
[4:58:09] I think we already have one, right? No, I don't believe we
[4:58:12] do. No. All right. Motion from Commissioner Hernandez, second
[4:58:15] from Commissioner Shoham. All those in favor, say aye. Aye.
[4:58:19] Any opposed? Hearing none. Item carries unanimously.
[4:58:23] Congratulations, everyone, on completing the agenda. Aside
[4:58:26] from comments, does anybody want to take a five minute
[4:58:31] break. Five minute break. Recess. Who?
[5:09:17] Just a couple of things I want to. I think Public Works is the
[5:09:20] greatest department. We have to be honest. And I know I've said
[5:09:25] this before, but every time you send a request into public
[5:09:28] works, it's amazing how there's a response and the work gets
[5:09:33] done like it's true. Joseph, we love you. I mean, Joseph, you
[5:09:37] need to, you need to do our gateway signage. It would have
[5:09:41] been done. Sidewalks, lights, all kinds of things. I mean,
[5:09:46] I'm amazed that you put something in to Hollywood
[5:09:50] connect that there's a broken sidewalk somewhere. And in like
[5:09:53] ten days, two weeks later, they're tearing up that whole
[5:09:57] street, replacing all the sidewalks. So I my hat's off to
[5:10:02] you. It's amazing. Secondly, I'm very excited that state
[5:10:09] legislature, you know, approved funding. It didn't get vetoed
[5:10:11] by the governor for the enhancement of our senior
[5:10:16] services at Boulevard Heights. And I'm very appreciative of
[5:10:21] that. We've been working on that for a couple of years. And
[5:10:24] thank you very much to our state legislator, Marie Watson.
[5:10:28] Keep fighting for us. Thank you. Nothing further. Thank you, sir.
[5:10:34] Commissioner Quintana. Thank you. Mayor. So I just wanted to
[5:10:43] say thank you for everyone who participated in our last
[5:10:47] storytime in the park for the summer. We're going to take a
[5:10:50] little break. We'll start back up in after daylight savings
[5:10:55] time is over and we can be back outside. Special thanks to
[5:11:00] Officer Brian Rodriguez, who was there with us and fully
[5:11:05] participated with the families and their children. He didn't
[5:11:07] just sit in his car and watch us. He actually came out and
[5:11:11] was part of everything, helped, helped give away books and
[5:11:14] everything. So just thank you to him and wanted to make sure
[5:11:17] we recognize that. I want to thank our fire rescue and all
[5:11:21] of the work that they're doing to collect donations for
[5:11:27] Colombia and all of the fire stations. I don't know how much
[5:11:30] longer you'll be doing that, but thank you for doing that
[5:11:34] and working with our community partners to get those resources
[5:11:38] to where people need it. Thank you, Chief Levy. I want to ask
[5:11:44] for support from my colleagues. The, the there's a little park
[5:11:48] that came in to State Road seven on Johnson Street.
[5:11:52] Actually, it's on Glenn. It happened as part of the road
[5:11:56] widening. And it really parks Department just called it
[5:12:00] linear Park, but the entire length of the 441 Greenscape is
[5:12:06] the linear park. And so when people are wanting to join,
[5:12:09] come there or meet there and they look it up on the GPS, it
[5:12:14] doesn't it doesn't take them to where this park is. So I want
[5:12:18] to give it a name. And I'm learning about the naming
[5:12:22] process. So I'm asking for your support. If we call it seven
[5:12:27] Skies Park. So it's on the seven seven Skies Park. And if
[5:12:32] I have support from you, then hopefully staff can move it
[5:12:36] forward. I like it, I like it. Thank you so much everybody.
[5:12:41] And there's a lot of big open skies. So it's nice. Yeah. And
[5:12:44] it's got seven. So it goes with our on the seven branding. That
[5:12:47] was my thinking. And I got some, you know, got some feedback
[5:12:50] from people in the community and they were good with it. So
[5:12:54] you waive, waive the process, give support to waive the
[5:12:58] process. And as a commission initiated, I'm asking for
[5:13:01] support to waive the process as a commission, a commission
[5:13:05] initiated request. You got it. Thank you man. Thank you
[5:13:08] everybody. And then that's it. Thank you. You got it. I'm
[5:13:12] losing it. I'm already just starting to be funny. All right.
[5:13:17] I'm skipping that one. Commissioner Shuhan. Go for it.
[5:13:21] Thank you. Mayor, I just wanted to agree with Commissioner
[5:13:25] Biederman and give our accolades to Joseph. You know,
[5:13:29] it's nonstop in that department. And whether it's somebody that
[5:13:34] didn't get their garbage cans or whatever it is, it just
[5:13:37] seems like it's taken care of very promptly. So thank you,
[5:13:40] Joseph. I actually happen to agree with some of the comments
[5:13:45] we received from residents about the agenda on nine eight
[5:13:50] between the for the P and D board. It just seems like it's
[5:13:54] so much for those volunteers. The P and D board is a
[5:13:57] volunteer board. We've really loaded them up and on nine
[5:14:02] eight they have six items, one of which is the 1301, but the
[5:14:06] other is this beach overlay, which is huge. And I just, I, I
[5:14:12] guess I'm asking for support to, to follow up with, I don't
[5:14:16] remember who said it. Maybe Siobhan to give that its own
[5:14:19] night for the ND board itself. They were there the last time.
[5:14:24] It didn't work out, had its own night, and now we've put it as
[5:14:28] part of an agenda with six other significant items. So I'm
[5:14:32] looking for support to make the beach overlay review before the
[5:14:37] ND board its own independent night, so they can really dig
[5:14:41] into it. So I don't support that, principally because a P
[5:14:46] and D board sometimes have long agendas, but B more importantly,
[5:14:50] the board itself was asked to choose a date, and they
[5:14:53] discussed the fact that it would be on a big agenda. And
[5:14:56] they discussed that it would be September 8th, and some of them
[5:14:59] would be out of town. And they resolve together that that
[5:15:02] would be the date. And they made comments. 1301 on it at
[5:15:05] that point. Yeah. The agenda they knew they would be on. So
[5:15:08] I don't support changing it, but go ahead and that's it. But
[5:15:11] anyone else, I'll say vice mayor. So I, I actually, I
[5:15:14] don't know if I should say my comments and we could re I'll
[5:15:17] bring up a motion and you could appeal it, but I actually have
[5:15:21] Steve Welch's letter that I feel was written in such a, a
[5:15:24] very shocking but professional. I want to stay on this topic.
[5:15:29] So I don't support that motion. And I have reasons to as why I
[5:15:34] don't know if I should answer them or talk about it in my
[5:15:37] comments, because I just if there's no support, then we can
[5:15:40] wait. Okay. Yeah. And then and the only other thing is I just
[5:15:43] wanted to talk about the election a little bit.
[5:15:45] Obviously, I'm very excited and I want to just thank so many
[5:15:49] people who helped. It was a long race I filed two years ago.
[5:15:54] I had tons and tons of support, tons of volunteers in the
[5:15:57] community and tons of individual donors. Just it was
[5:16:01] an amazing experience and a very gratifying. So I also want
[5:16:06] to just congratulate other people who won the races. In
[5:16:09] particular, I want to single out Maura McCarthy Bowman, our
[5:16:12] school board rep. She's been a great school board member for
[5:16:15] these past two years. She only had half a term. So now she's
[5:16:18] been reelected for a full term. And I'm very grateful because
[5:16:23] immediately after the election, they started talking again
[5:16:25] about closing schools. And we have a fighter representing
[5:16:30] district one. So I'm gratified about that. For everybody who
[5:16:34] ran, win or lose. I just want to thank the candidates who ran
[5:16:38] positive campaigns and congratulate those who ran
[5:16:42] positive and honest campaigns, because it's just important to
[5:16:46] the community as a whole to have people running. And we had
[5:16:50] two candidates here earlier, but they're gone now. But
[5:16:53] people that are running for the right reasons, that respect the
[5:16:56] voters, that bring a positive message, you know, that bring
[5:17:00] different backgrounds and experiences and priorities to
[5:17:03] the voters. So anybody that ran that type of campaign, I just
[5:17:06] want to say thank you. I have spent the last really two years
[5:17:11] now just talking with so many residents throughout district
[5:17:15] six. And I'm very grateful that I did it because once sworn in
[5:17:20] as a county commissioner, I have so much insight now into
[5:17:23] the things that are important to the residents throughout
[5:17:26] district six. And that's County District six, which includes
[5:17:31] several other cities besides Hollywood. But I just want to
[5:17:34] say also that, you know, it's fabulous that the election is
[5:17:39] over. But the most important thing and about the whole
[5:17:44] experience was just meeting so many great people and just
[5:17:49] having the opportunity to interact and learn so much
[5:17:53] about our community. And I just really want to give a gigantic
[5:17:57] shout out to Commissioner Beimfohr. You know, he's still
[5:18:01] there. We have him until November, but he's made such
[5:18:04] amazing contributions to our community. First 12 years here
[5:18:08] as a city commissioner and now 12 years as a county
[5:18:12] commissioner. So it was a privilege for me to be able to
[5:18:16] run my race with him by his side. And I just want to
[5:18:19] acknowledge now, and I'm sure I'll do it again in November,
[5:18:23] all the amazing contributions he's made. And and finally, I
[5:18:27] just want to say, you know, it doesn't matter if you voted for
[5:18:32] me or you didn't vote for me. It didn't matter when I was
[5:18:36] elected as a Hollywood commissioner. And it does not
[5:18:38] matter as a county commissioner, I will always listen to every
[5:18:41] single resident, every business owner, everyone who has any
[5:18:47] sort of interest in Broward County. And I will just work
[5:18:51] really hard to meet the needs of my constituents. And I
[5:18:55] encourage anybody to reach out to me between now and November
[5:19:00] and thereafter. So really looking forward to starting.
[5:19:04] But yes, I will miss you. So thank you. Thank you
[5:19:08] Commissioner. All right, Commissioner Hernandez. Thank
[5:19:15] you. Mayor, one of the concerns that I have, I'd like to thank
[5:19:19] all of the departments, police department, the fire department,
[5:19:25] public Works, the utility department, the Parks
[5:19:28] Department seemed, even though we don't always agree. But I
[5:19:31] love the work that you guys do and the financial department.
[5:19:34] So. And you. City Manager, it's been an interesting few weeks
[5:19:39] off work more than I thought I would, but nonetheless. I was
[5:19:47] driving a dusk east on Fillmore Street, just past the railroad
[5:19:52] track east of the tracks. All of a sudden the lights turned
[5:19:54] on. So all the small poles that we put on, they've been on,
[5:19:59] they're on. We haven't seen them on before. On the opposite
[5:20:02] side, on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard, we still
[5:20:06] need help. Lighting is an issue. I know we're doing the
[5:20:08] initiative with the one where we're doing the concrete
[5:20:11] walkway, but lighting is still an issue. If we could help with
[5:20:14] something like that would be great. The small lot on 441 in
[5:20:21] the Boulevard Mayor that you brought up earlier that it
[5:20:24] sometimes it collects a lot of trash. It's not the property
[5:20:27] owner that's bringing the trash is the individuals that are
[5:20:29] actually dumping trash out their window and winds up there.
[5:20:33] And I know as I speak to some of the police officers, they
[5:20:37] hate that. They hate when any when they see anybody throwing
[5:20:39] trash out the window. Can we pick up enforcement when it
[5:20:43] comes to that so that people know not to throw trash out in
[5:20:46] the city of Hollywood? You know, I yeah, you know, it. I've seen
[5:20:51] people actually stopped at a traffic light and they just
[5:20:54] throw their McDonald's or Burger King or they throw
[5:20:57] everything out the window. I don't know if I need support
[5:21:00] for that. I think the PD would just ask him, please. You know,
[5:21:03] if somebody like that, just give them the, the the
[5:21:05] violation and let them go to court and fight it out. Because
[5:21:08] I got a feeling that the judges don't like to see something
[5:21:11] like that as well. And for the most time, you guys are busy
[5:21:15] doing something else. But this is a quality of life for the
[5:21:18] residents of the city of Hollywood. If you guys can't,
[5:21:20] please. Because if I was the owner of that lot, I would just
[5:21:23] put chain link fence around it so the garbage would stay on
[5:21:26] the, on the on the public side. And I wouldn't have an issue
[5:21:30] when it comes to that. But I do agree that that particular site
[5:21:33] serves a purpose for the city of Hollywood for something,
[5:21:35] whether it is our signage, whether it's something that we
[5:21:38] may want to do, whether it's to put the name of the park that
[5:21:41] we're looking to name on. 441. But that site is important for
[5:21:44] us. And unless the gentleman wants to put a hot dog cart, as
[5:21:48] it used to be years ago, we're selling that. I don't think
[5:21:52] it's useful for much of anything else. So I support
[5:21:55] whatever you guys want to do with that. But I would
[5:21:58] encourage the PD to start enforcing the people throwing
[5:22:00] trash out the window. And I'd like to thank my residents for
[5:22:04] coming out. Mrs. King reached out to us regarding 24th Avenue,
[5:22:08] and this is the reason that I'm fighting very hard on on the
[5:22:11] south side of Washington to Pembroke Road to be able to
[5:22:15] have some speed tables. We have had, in particular, an
[5:22:20] individual who was clocked doing 87 miles an hour and 22nd
[5:22:23] Avenue. The rest of the people may not be. But any. Anything
[5:22:26] like this, it would be almost impossible to do if you had
[5:22:29] speed tables. And they've been asking for years. I'm talking
[5:22:31] about seven, eight, ten years that they've been asking. So
[5:22:35] whatever you can do to prioritize that, please. And
[5:22:38] that's basically the last thing that I'd like to do is I'd like
[5:22:42] to remind everybody, because my wife will tell me you didn't do
[5:22:45] it on October 10th, the Hispanic Heritage Month is
[5:22:48] going to be having a celebration in the downtown.
[5:22:50] And if anybody would like to sponsor, I believe that the
[5:22:53] deadline is deadline for the logo is tomorrow. The money
[5:22:58] doesn't have to come in right away, but just reach out to the
[5:23:01] Hispanic Affairs Council to do something regarding that. Thank
[5:23:04] you so much, Peter. We had a lot of discussion today about
[5:23:09] speed tables, and I just want to take the pulse of the City
[5:23:12] Commission for the benefit of city management, the speed
[5:23:15] table designs that have been put in through the Go bond have
[5:23:17] been very, I guess you could say harsh when you drive over
[5:23:20] them. Really harsh. I think you all would agree that any future
[5:23:24] speed tables need to have a different, different product,
[5:23:27] different design, different element to them. They cannot be
[5:23:30] the same harsh, very large speed tables that we've had to
[5:23:33] date. Would you all agree? Who agrees is there? I mean, speed
[5:23:38] humps, the speed tables that have been put in. That is a
[5:23:41] very harsh like with your car. It's a approach and the angle
[5:23:45] is way bad if you drive some other speed tables in the city,
[5:23:48] like older ones that have been put in like on 28th Avenue
[5:23:51] between Sheridan and Taft, it's a much smoother rollover. These
[5:23:54] are super harsh, and they also cause the cars to have to slow
[5:23:57] down to like 15. So you're also congesting traffic because
[5:24:01] people have to slow down, like to like way below the speed
[5:24:04] limit to even get over them without a really harsh, you
[5:24:07] know, going over them. So on 28th Avenue, when we redid the
[5:24:12] water infrastructure, the first set of speed humps that they
[5:24:15] put were very aggressive. They were very. And then we asked
[5:24:18] the contractor if they could do it. And I believe that there is
[5:24:22] a format for them to follow for them to do it. So you may want
[5:24:27] to check if the ones they install actually meet that
[5:24:29] format. If not, maybe they can adjust that. And we've already
[5:24:32] had this contractor do that. But the design that I that is
[5:24:35] much better is a lot more rounded. And the car rolls over
[5:24:38] it as opposed to boom, boom, like really hard. And honestly,
[5:24:42] people with back issues, you know, or even our ambulances
[5:24:45] have an issue when it comes to stuff like that. But yeah, it
[5:24:48] just may be, it may have to make it a little wider rather
[5:24:51] than so short and high. But yeah, I don't know. The design
[5:24:54] is really bad. Commissioner Quintana, on this, I don't know,
[5:24:56] I just kind of feel like it's supposed to be uncomfortable.
[5:25:00] Otherwise they're going to go fast. If we make it easy for
[5:25:02] them to go over it, they're going to speed. They don't want
[5:25:05] to slow down. And I mean, then we're going to get all kinds of
[5:25:08] complaints about people speeding. I mean, the design of
[5:25:11] the speed, unless you're the one writing in the ambulance
[5:25:13] and the ambulance actually goes to one of these and you go
[5:25:16] airborne. As you know, we ride on some of the rescue units.
[5:25:19] And that's one of the things that concerns them when it's
[5:25:22] just if we're going to put them in, I mean, if we're if we're
[5:25:25] not going to make them a deterrent to, to speeding, then
[5:25:29] let's not put them in. No. Well, you still have to slow down,
[5:25:31] but you don't have to slow down to like 15 and it's still an
[5:25:35] aggressive go up, go down. I don't know if you've driven
[5:25:38] them, but go ahead. I have a recommendation. I'm sorry. Oh
[5:25:40] you got to turn on you here. Press the button. See three go.
[5:25:44] It may go along with supporting but and I know that there's
[5:25:47] been a lot of talk back and forth, but there's the, the
[5:25:50] they're drilled in. And I don't know how Josef feels about this,
[5:25:53] but they're the plastic or the. No, those things don't really
[5:25:56] work. But you can relocate them if the area is not. Well, okay.
[5:26:01] I'm sure you you have your own feedback. I know that you've
[5:26:04] heard. So I don't know if you have an opinion on this or.
[5:26:07] Well, I think, you know, as, as we discussed briefly earlier,
[5:26:11] the, you know, we understand that a lot of times if people
[5:26:14] feel concerned about speeding in their neighborhood, their
[5:26:17] fallback right away is some type of speed table. But then
[5:26:22] we, you know, if we get to the point where we have speed
[5:26:24] tables on every single street, it really does become a little
[5:26:28] problematic for emergency response and, and other issues.
[5:26:33] So, you know, we, we believe this requires a little bit more
[5:26:37] of a holistic approach. And, you know, some, some maybe
[5:26:43] different parameters for where we're putting them. I to the
[5:26:47] mayor's point, I think this, you know, as we permitted the
[5:26:50] last round of speed tables, I know that there were specific
[5:26:55] things that are now required, you know, from a drainage
[5:26:58] standpoint that kind of make the tables a little more
[5:27:01] aggressive on the outer edges as well. Whereas that used to
[5:27:04] sort of taper down into the swale area. Now that area is,
[5:27:09] you know, harsher too. So if you hit it the wrong way, it
[5:27:12] can be a little different. It could be that over time, some
[5:27:15] of these sort of soften, you know, and get a little less,
[5:27:20] you know, harsh. Yes. And so, you know, I think, you know,
[5:27:26] these are this is good feedback and we can take it. The idea of
[5:27:30] a speed table, my understanding is you should be able to safely
[5:27:34] traverse it at the speed limit for a speed table. Now a speed
[5:27:39] hump or a speed bump rather. Excuse me. You do have to slow
[5:27:43] down for a speed bump to a lower than the posted speed
[5:27:47] limit in order to, you know, get over it without having
[5:27:51] wrecking your your cars. I support looking into it because
[5:27:55] even those little, you know, like if you go to Oakwood Plaza
[5:27:58] ripples the ripples, it makes you so aware of stop signs and
[5:28:03] speed. I think you make it an arrow. It's a little bit
[5:28:06] different than just the speed. So I support that. All right.
[5:28:09] Well look into it. And that's probably a more comprehensive
[5:28:12] conversation. Yeah, I support it. All right. Who's next.
[5:28:15] Commissioner Hernandez, you finished right? Yes, sir. All
[5:28:19] right. Vice Mayor Kolody please. Thank you. So a couple of
[5:28:25] things. I just want to confirm from earlier during our
[5:28:29] workshop that we all are in a in a agreeance to look at the
[5:28:35] Rotary Park improvements and see if there's any funding. I
[5:28:38] think we took the vote, but I just want to clarify it because
[5:28:41] it was so much going on as far as looking into allocating
[5:28:44] additional funds, if need be, to make that Rotary Park the
[5:28:47] best that it is. Yeah, I have support on that, explain. I
[5:28:51] think Jose had explained that it's going to take the existing
[5:28:54] project plus more, and everybody nodded that we
[5:28:57] understand that we need we need to do what we need to do. So I
[5:29:00] support are we on the same page? I just want to clarify because
[5:29:03] nodding and actually making it happen, we took away from that
[5:29:06] is it was a workshop you requested support to have us
[5:29:10] bring back the full cost of that project. Okay, perfect. So
[5:29:14] that you all could consider as part of the budget process and
[5:29:18] the capital improvement budget, whether you wanted to allocate
[5:29:21] those additional funds. Awesome. Thank you so much. Just wanted
[5:29:24] to clarify that and that'll be before my term ends. Correct?
[5:29:28] Yeah. Thank you. Parking at Stan Goldman. We're going to be
[5:29:32] having a meeting just for the residents, because I've been
[5:29:34] getting a lot of complaints, along with other colleagues of
[5:29:37] mine, regarding what was there and what is there now and the
[5:29:40] whole outreach. So we'll be talking about that soon. We
[5:29:44] have a meeting scheduled. Thank you, Yvonne and oh, Jose and
[5:29:49] Rick. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Today there was
[5:29:52] something mentioned and I don't want to go too elaborate, but
[5:29:55] just put your thinking caps on. It was mentioned about from
[5:29:58] from Senator Sharif regarding if the property tax does
[5:30:02] actually pass, there is going to be some cities that are
[5:30:06] going to suffer. So just think on your radar as far as
[5:30:09] annexation, that meant that word was mentioned today. Do a
[5:30:11] little bit of history and see what's surrounding us. I think
[5:30:14] that it would be very beneficial to the city of
[5:30:17] Hollywood and to those surrounding cities that might
[5:30:19] be impacted by the property tax if it passes. Correct. I'm
[5:30:32] going to skip that one. I'm going to skip that one. This
[5:30:36] the I wish Susan was still here, but maybe raelyn you can answer
[5:30:39] it. The area that is surrounding that, we had our
[5:30:43] signage supposed to go in on Sterling and a one a. That
[5:30:46] roundabout though is that City Hall, Hollywood owned grass
[5:30:50] area or is that fDOT? Well, the big Hollywood sign on the the
[5:30:56] Dania Beach Boulevard ramp. However, we had a big design
[5:30:59] there. We I don't I just want to know. I know we were looking
[5:31:04] at trying to get the right approvals for that signage and
[5:31:09] honestly, I don't know the answer right now, but we'll get
[5:31:12] back with you on that. To me, and the only reason why I was
[5:31:15] approached at a an event recently, and I think you also
[5:31:19] have been spoken to. And so it's all new, but I'm going to
[5:31:22] set up a meeting. I've been asked to set up a meeting with
[5:31:26] Nova Southeastern University regarding the Marine Biology
[5:31:28] Center that's in the park, and signage so that people know
[5:31:32] that it's there and also partnerships. So I think that
[5:31:35] that would be a really positive discussion and a way to help
[5:31:40] enhance and waive finding signs. Since we talked about them
[5:31:44] earlier, Lincoln Road, we talked about purchasing of
[5:31:48] homes. Lincoln Road is a huge issue that we have in 29th
[5:31:52] Avenue. I've talked about it many, many times, and this is
[5:31:56] an area that I think VIN, you should look into and and no
[5:32:02] deed goes undone. They built four houses in the end of
[5:32:06] Lincoln Road, right up against 95 many, many years ago before
[5:32:09] I was even Commissioner. Wrong place, wrong development, wrong
[5:32:13] everything. And since then, that really has been the
[5:32:16] culprit of a lot of the flooding in that area, because
[5:32:19] that used to be very as we talked about, Rotary Park being
[5:32:21] a runoff. So I think that's an area to investigate because it
[5:32:25] is a hot spot. It is a lot of flooding in that area. And most
[5:32:29] particular, we have one resident who lives there now
[5:32:32] who is trying to put a driveway that has been deteriorated from
[5:32:38] the flooding and also wants to do enhancements. And she's
[5:32:42] getting a lot of pushback. So I don't want them to invest the
[5:32:44] money. If there's an opportunity for us to maybe
[5:32:47] look into possible stormwater drainage. Yes, sir. Yes. Jose,
[5:32:52] if the address is f dot, we just checked it, it's F dot
[5:32:56] that the entire curve. So we couldn't even put a Hollywood
[5:32:59] Beach sign in there if we wanted to. They agreed. Well,
[5:33:02] we have we have some permits that are pending with fDOT and
[5:33:05] we are we do have infrastructure on fDOT property.
[5:33:09] I do believe that that was identified as a location for a
[5:33:12] sign. I'm just not sure if they agreed to it or not, because I
[5:33:15] know we were having some back and forth on that. Okay.
[5:33:19] Lincoln Street, Lincoln Street, sorry. And my last. Will you
[5:33:22] get the address to Vince so he can. Yes. Talk to the owner?
[5:33:25] Yes. And if and if the stormwater plan, you know,
[5:33:28] finds that that's a perfect, you know, property to to hold
[5:33:31] water then. Yeah. And so. I'm going to talk about common
[5:33:39] ground. And so I just, I agree, you know, I know Commissioner
[5:33:43] Scheuermann brought this up and the mayor had also brought it
[5:33:46] up. And and first, I believe, you know, you provide respect
[5:33:50] and, and gratitude where it's available. And over the last
[5:33:56] probably five years, we've received very negative toned,
[5:34:01] aggressive emails damning the commission, to be frank. And I
[5:34:07] actually was quite respectfully and pleasantly surprised by the
[5:34:13] most recent email that we received from Mr. Welsh. My
[5:34:18] last encounter with him was out in the lobby after the
[5:34:23] commission meeting, where the word poor doors was brought up,
[5:34:27] and the narrative became extremely uncomfortable for
[5:34:30] some. And it was a very terrible confrontation in the
[5:34:36] lobby. And I don't think anybody deserves I'm not a
[5:34:38] doormat, nor is anybody else here, nor is our residents. So
[5:34:41] mutual respect and balance is so important. So this email
[5:34:45] that we received, I thought, was really written in a very
[5:34:49] respectful way. I want to give accolades to Mr. Welsh for
[5:34:53] writing the letter, although I do understand the concerns that
[5:34:57] were brought up. The board did. The board did agree to have
[5:35:03] this put on the agenda, knowing that it was a full agenda? I
[5:35:07] don't believe that anything is being pushed through. And why
[5:35:10] do I say that? You know, a lot of the information was said
[5:35:17] about meetings not being publicly informed. I. Five last
[5:35:24] bit of information, please. And so I requested because I know
[5:35:29] that there's been a lot of dates. So I did request from
[5:35:32] city the dates that we have done public outreach. And this
[5:35:35] has been going on for a while. So this is nothing new being
[5:35:38] rushed. And I just want to put it on the record out of total
[5:35:42] respect and transparency. March 30th Chamber of Commerce
[5:35:47] presentation. April 1st. General Membership meeting
[5:35:50] presentation. April 29th. First public engagement in-person
[5:35:54] meeting April 30th. Second public Engagement in-person
[5:35:58] meeting April 30th after April 30th. Online community surveys
[5:36:05] and public engagement meetings. August 19th was the first
[5:36:09] in-person public open house. August 20th second in-person
[5:36:13] public open house. You can we can do so much outreach, but
[5:36:19] the fact that we are not being transparent and we are not
[5:36:22] involving our community narrative is completely wrong.
[5:36:25] We talk about it today, about reaching out to the residents,
[5:36:28] about all the topics that we made. We had residents come and
[5:36:31] speak about the 441 issue. You can do so much. It's like the
[5:36:36] saying you could lead a horse to water, but you can't make
[5:36:39] them drink. We can provide opportunities for engagement,
[5:36:42] but if the residents don't engage, we can't force them
[5:36:46] until all of a sudden a narrative goes out and then it
[5:36:49] becomes a bigger problem. This is something to protect the
[5:36:52] city. The overlay. We can agree to disagree, but because of
[5:36:57] pending lawsuits and because of decisions that have been made,
[5:37:01] this is an opportunity for us to put hard stops and protect,
[5:37:05] but also allow the city to grow. So I am not in favor of
[5:37:09] preventing it from coming to the board meeting, even though
[5:37:12] it is a packed agenda, because they did agree to have it on
[5:37:15] that date. Now, if they want to adjourn and move forward on
[5:37:21] certain topics after if it's too late, I'm assuming that
[5:37:25] they can do that. But there I know there's been there's been
[5:37:29] planning and development board meetings where they've been
[5:37:31] here until one, two, 3:00 this morning before. So that's part
[5:37:35] of volunteerism. And we've been here till one, two, three. So
[5:37:39] when you sign up for something like that and you know, these
[5:37:42] are topics that need to move the city forward, and actually
[5:37:45] it's going to be a benefit to the residents who say they
[5:37:48] can't make it because they're working at whatever time they
[5:37:51] can come, and they're going to be able to have their voices
[5:37:54] heard, and a decision will be made. And we can kind of, I
[5:37:57] think, already know it will come back to the commission.
[5:38:00] And I think more information will come out to support the
[5:38:04] reasons as to why, through the 500 page pages, the staff did
[5:38:08] an amazing job here in the lobby. We got the letter from
[5:38:15] Mr. Seltzer. I responded, I think that was a very negative
[5:38:19] tone and I expressed that to him as well. You're damned if
[5:38:22] you do and you're damned if you don't. But we got to find the
[5:38:25] common ground and we have to be able to balance that properly
[5:38:28] and do what's best for the entire city of Hollywood. Yet
[5:38:31] again, I'm saying this and I will not say stop saying it
[5:38:34] until my last day sitting up here. So my goal is to welcome
[5:38:38] Mr. Welsh for the positivity and to continue to move forward,
[5:38:42] because that's where you find common ground and I am willing
[5:38:45] to do the same. We have to formulate and masterfully
[5:38:49] create respect because right now we are all on opposite ends.
[5:38:54] So with that being said, that is all of my comments. Thank
[5:38:57] you very much and have a great day. Thank you. Thank you, Vice
[5:39:00] Mayor. Sure. Go ahead. I just want to clear up one point.
[5:39:05] When we had all of that public outreach, which I agree, staff
[5:39:08] did a good job. That was getting information to go into
[5:39:12] what's been being presented to the board. The the public has
[5:39:16] not had any presentations other than, I believe the night where
[5:39:20] the P and B more meeting was canceled. But the heights and
[5:39:25] things like that were not available in the August
[5:39:29] meetings. That was gathering information, as I understand it.
[5:39:32] So I'll tell you, since the meeting was continued from the
[5:39:36] special set, was it August or July, August, August 4th, or
[5:39:40] whatever it was? The staff had put together a number of
[5:39:44] sessions that a lot of those same folks attended. So there
[5:39:47] has there has been good utilization of the past 30 days
[5:39:50] or so already to have additional input. And so for
[5:39:54] all those folks who were already, you know, clamoring
[5:39:57] and advocating for the board even before the hearing to
[5:40:00] continue the item. No, no, we need more time. Well, because
[5:40:03] of the issue with the notice, they got the extra time staff,
[5:40:07] thankfully had, you know, taken advantage of that and actually
[5:40:10] reached out to the community more and presented the heights
[5:40:12] and everything else. So now by the time you get to September
[5:40:16] 8th and P and no one can really, you know, reasonably say, oh,
[5:40:18] we need more time because they've had, you know,
[5:40:21] practically 60 days at that point with the package. So and
[5:40:24] same with the Planning and Development board members. So,
[5:40:26] you know, they wanted more time and by, by mistake, they got
[5:40:29] more time. So good thing it's all good. Everybody can now be
[5:40:33] educated on it and speak on it. So yeah, go ahead. I didn't
[5:40:38] finish stating my I got distracted and I apologize, but
[5:40:41] the, the poor door statement that was made here at the
[5:40:44] commission meetings and the comments that were made. And I
[5:40:47] know it was a very challenging thing. I just want to put on
[5:40:50] the record. I do not and I will not. And we are as a body, have
[5:40:54] the opportunity to prevent poor doors from ever happening. And
[5:40:58] so I just want that to be on the record. I would never
[5:41:01] support that. And to be accused that I was in support of it is
[5:41:04] completely taken out of narrative, and I hope that all
[5:41:08] of us are cognizant of what we say, because it just festers
[5:41:11] and it becomes a bigger issue. And I think that that should
[5:41:14] come to a cease. Thank you. All right. Let's go for
[5:41:17] Commissioner Groover. You could wave if you like. No, no, I
[5:41:22] have a few things I want to just real quick, I want to
[5:41:26] thank staff for PD and fire also and FOP for donating the
[5:41:32] ice cream to the Ice Cream social. It was actually one of
[5:41:35] the most well attended things that I've been to with that
[5:41:39] type of thing that we did. We gave away 400 ice creams, 400
[5:41:43] ice creams. Yeah. And thank FOP for, for they had purchased
[5:41:47] that ice cream for the kids. Yeah. I think some of some
[5:41:49] parents might have got an ice cream or two, but it was
[5:41:52] amazing. We had a fire truck out there with, with the hose
[5:41:55] attached to the fire truck and kids were able to shoot at, you
[5:41:58] know, shoot the hose at a cone. And, and police were out there
[5:42:02] with K9 and Swat and really, really was a nice time. So
[5:42:05] thank you to everyone that was involved in that. Sorry to
[5:42:09] throw this out there because I didn't bring it up in my Monday
[5:42:12] meeting. I was just thinking about it last night. And I kind
[5:42:15] of want to think, see what my colleagues and staff think
[5:42:18] about this is there's a lot of chatter that I see on social
[5:42:21] media about paying for parking downtown and people thinking
[5:42:25] that that's why some people aren't going there. I don't
[5:42:28] necessarily agree with that, but I think it could be the
[5:42:30] right time of year. Are we doing dine out Hollywood?
[5:42:33] Joanne. We are September. October. Okay. But September is
[5:42:38] typically the slowest time of the year. What about my idea?
[5:42:42] Adam is going to hate me for this. Adam. Free parking in our
[5:42:47] garages from Monday to Thursday just to see if it does have an
[5:42:53] impact on businesses. We don't have to hire a consultant to
[5:42:55] figure out, you know, should we charge this? Should we not make
[5:42:58] a couple of weeks in September, maybe the full month of
[5:43:01] September? Start it September, Monday, September 1st on Monday
[5:43:05] it just listen. If if we're if we're going to pay $100,000 for
[5:43:09] a jazz festival, right. To bring boots on the ground.
[5:43:13] Right. So, you know, or, or we did, we had an event where we
[5:43:16] gave free parking where we knew it was going to be packed
[5:43:19] anyway. Why not take the slowest days of the week and
[5:43:22] the slowest weeks of the year and sample it and see, and we
[5:43:25] can talk to our businesses and say they can say, hey, you know
[5:43:29] what? There was no difference. Hey, we had, you know, much
[5:43:31] better sales. You know, I'm throwing it out there. I don't
[5:43:34] know the exact amount of income we bring in on a Monday. Maybe
[5:43:37] we can just do Mondays. But I like to test it just to, to see
[5:43:41] because we can quantify it. And I'm just, I don't know if I
[5:43:46] need support. I, I kind of want to Adam maybe, maybe you can,
[5:43:49] you know, I apologize for throwing that out here, not
[5:43:51] bringing it out Monday. I thought, what's that? So I
[5:43:54] would just say in Miami Beach right now, they have a, instead
[5:43:57] of like 5 or $6 an hour on their paid meter parking for I
[5:44:01] think it's August and September. They have it for like a dollar
[5:44:04] an hour. That's on the beach on Miami Beach. Yeah, yeah. City
[5:44:07] of Miami Beach. So just to give you an example, they, they also
[5:44:11] are trying to do something for the slow time of year. So we
[5:44:14] charge it, right? So no, so what I'm saying is for downtown,
[5:44:17] not on the street for our parking garages. And maybe they
[5:44:20] don't make too much money during that month. Monday
[5:44:22] through. Yeah. If the commission will allow me to
[5:44:24] interject a little bit. Yes. Sorry. Go ahead. Yeah. I think
[5:44:27] we should probably just do an analysis before we make that
[5:44:30] type of decision. Yeah. I'm bringing something back to the
[5:44:33] commission based on that recommendation. Okay. And
[5:44:36] because because our parking right now in the garages is a
[5:44:38] dollar an hour. It is it's not a big impact either. Yeah, it
[5:44:42] is. It's a massive impact. But, but, but it is, it is economic
[5:44:46] and affordable for, in my opinion, for those residents.
[5:44:49] But allow us the opportunity to I agree with you, and I don't
[5:44:52] know if it's going to make a difference, but there's a lot
[5:44:55] of chatter. I don't know if anyone else sees it on social
[5:44:58] media saying that the reason people aren't coming out, and I
[5:45:00] don't necessarily agree with that thought process, is that
[5:45:03] they have to pay for parking. So if the time to maybe, you
[5:45:06] know, try, it would be the Deadest. I bless you. So yeah,
[5:45:11] if you if you guys want to bring it back, but I don't want
[5:45:14] to do it in December, you know, if we're going to do it, I'd
[5:45:17] like to. So before I get before I get to Commissioner Hernandez
[5:45:20] to give his feedback publicly here, I just want to mention
[5:45:23] that if we want to thank that if we have a dine out Hollywood
[5:45:26] throughout the month of October, maybe that's the month to do it
[5:45:29] and really go all the way for Dine Out Hollywood and pair it
[5:45:33] with free garage parking. And then you're really getting the
[5:45:35] word out. Let's go to Commissioner Hernandez. Mayor,
[5:45:37] I gotta tell you, there is a concerted effort right now to
[5:45:40] attack the parking in the downtown, not because they're
[5:45:43] going to come. They're just going to say we don't go
[5:45:46] because we got to pay for parking. But now that you're
[5:45:48] going to tell them we get free parking, but it's got to be in
[5:45:51] the garage. Well, I don't want to go into the garage. So, so I,
[5:45:55] the, at the end of the day, if you guys. And I don't support
[5:45:59] it, by the way, but if you guys are willing to do something
[5:46:02] like that, I'm more than happy to do it in conjunction with an
[5:46:05] event or with a month that we're having to try to see
[5:46:08] something like that. But I really do not support the issue
[5:46:11] because this is just a concerted effort by a few
[5:46:14] people, and they're loud when they come to tell you this
[5:46:16] thing, just like I heard in you probably heard it from
[5:46:19] Commissioner Blattner, which is the person who's telling us,
[5:46:22] well, the people that come to Cinema Paradiso don't come
[5:46:26] because they don't want to pay for parking. I'm looking at it
[5:46:29] like, you know, no good deed goes unpunished. Here we are.
[5:46:33] We we're we're putting money out of the resident's pocket to
[5:46:36] have Cinema Paradiso actually be there. And then they also
[5:46:40] want you to give them free parking. Do you want free ice
[5:46:43] cream and a hamburger too? I mean, in popcorn. I mean, at
[5:46:46] the end of the day, I spoke about we had free ice cream. No,
[5:46:50] no. You know, and the you may. But at the end of the day,
[5:46:53] we're we're we're subsidizing Cinema Paradiso. Now, the
[5:46:56] people that want to go there want to have their parking
[5:46:58] subsidized. Everybody else has to pay. I don't believe that if
[5:47:01] if they have a problem paying a dollar an hour, really, I get
[5:47:06] it. I, I've gone to different places and I just got back from
[5:47:09] Seattle. You park, you pay in $7, $8 an hour to park on the
[5:47:14] street. And if you get a ticket because you park in the wrong
[5:47:17] day on the street, it's $225. So let's be real. So I don't
[5:47:23] support it. But if you guys want to do it, I will
[5:47:26] reluctantly go away, do it in a month that we're actually doing
[5:47:29] something so that we can quantify. But I would I would
[5:47:31] like to hear the analysis. I'd like to hear the analysis first,
[5:47:35] I guess, and then and I would do it during dine out. And for
[5:47:38] those people who continue with that narrative, we can then say,
[5:47:41] well, we tried it and the effect was hopefully X, Y, and
[5:47:44] z. I mean, hopefully it'll be a great month. But yeah,
[5:47:47] Commissioner Biederman, go ahead and then we'll be done.
[5:47:49] So I'm glad you brought this up because I was thinking about
[5:47:52] this the other day, and I just didn't like I've had a rough
[5:47:55] afternoon. Has anybody used the park mobile app here other than
[5:48:01] me? Yeah, I use it. All right. So when you use the park mobile
[5:48:05] app or pay by phone, it always pops up these stupid ads on
[5:48:10] sign up and you get $25 off. I spoke to Susan about this, and
[5:48:17] I told her to touch base with Lisa because the CRA, just for
[5:48:22] historical information. So the CRA, before all you guys time
[5:48:28] except for maybe Ray Lynn, used to give people these tokens for
[5:48:33] like $5 or whatever it is, and they would give them away like
[5:48:37] water just to spend money in the businesses in downtown.
[5:48:40] Right. And, and, and, and the city would redeem those tokens.
[5:48:46] So it's all about messaging to the businesses. It's a digital
[5:48:53] age. If people park in a parking garage and they're
[5:48:56] paying their 2 or $3 for parking, we could pop up a QR
[5:49:00] code or, or a barcode of some sort that is scannable at a
[5:49:05] business that they get $10 off of the business, and they could
[5:49:08] spend $2 in a garage, but they get $10 off in the business.
[5:49:11] But it gives us the ability to bring people into downtown with
[5:49:15] a 5 or 10 or whatever it is, dollar coupon. And who's going
[5:49:19] to pay the $10? The business? No, they could redeem them to
[5:49:22] us. Oh, okay. We're not paying $10. But I mean, we've done it
[5:49:25] before. Dinner subsidies? No, but we've done it before.
[5:49:30] Whatever it is, the idea is there that we could do some
[5:49:33] kind of digital thing and you could flip it on like a switch
[5:49:36] only for ice cream. All right. I think we've we've talked I
[5:49:40] think we've talked it out. We've you've heard some ideas.
[5:49:43] We're going to hear what the something next week with the
[5:49:46] financial impact would be. But Joanne was supportive of the
[5:49:51] dine out Hollywood, the dine out Hollywood alignment. Now
[5:49:55] Joanne, if you want to get up here and talk downtown, we're
[5:49:58] happy to invite you. But that's not on the agenda today. All
[5:50:02] right, Commissioner Gruber, thank you. You said, you know,
[5:50:06] you had an idea and look what happened. I know have another
[5:50:09] idea, but I think it's going to take too much time now. Yeah.
[5:50:12] So so actually, going back to Commissioner Shuhan, you
[5:50:14] brought up this morning about the golf balls. And I was
[5:50:17] speaking to a resident that lives on the golf course, and
[5:50:21] he was telling me it's his car gets hit, his house gets hit,
[5:50:24] which is what you expect if you live on a golf course. But he.
[5:50:28] What's that? Yes. No, which is what you expect. But he said
[5:50:31] that one of his neighbors went to put a pergola. I believe he
[5:50:34] said it was a pergola, and he had to get a variance and
[5:50:37] different things. What about looking into making it a little
[5:50:40] bit more seamless for people who live on a golf course to
[5:50:45] protect their property, like their cars, to be able to put
[5:50:48] some type of canopy that they don't have to get a variance, I
[5:50:51] think. Is it something we could look into? I mean, it seems
[5:50:54] reasonable. Yeah. It seems reasonable that, you know, they
[5:50:57] should. It shouldn't be some crazy path to pay for a
[5:51:01] variance and this and that. Maybe look into the options of
[5:51:04] what people can put in front of their homes when they're facing
[5:51:07] a golf course. And this could not this could be city wide, an
[5:51:10] ordinance. If you're living on a golf course and apply to
[5:51:13] those those homes, I don't know if I need support for staff
[5:51:16] text. Amendment to the zoning code for setbacks just sounds
[5:51:19] like for pergolas. Well, well, and also there's there's
[5:51:23] different things you could put to protect your, your property.
[5:51:27] And there you go. An interceptor, an interceptor, a
[5:51:32] laser interceptor, automatic weapons. Yeah. So smart city
[5:51:36] technology. Anyway, I think it could be something to look into.
[5:51:40] Right. Yeah. Do I need that one's a little reach, I don't
[5:51:43] know. Yeah. I just don't want the emails anymore. No. And you
[5:51:48] and you put it out to the people who live on the golf
[5:51:51] course. Is that your how about this staff feedback on the idea.
[5:51:54] Not a motion to bring back an ordinance, but correct support
[5:51:57] to bring back feedback, whether it's in the Tuesday memo or and
[5:52:00] what, what options could exist that that you'd recommend
[5:52:03] asking for support to look into possibly options for homeowners
[5:52:08] that live near a golf course for them where they wouldn't
[5:52:11] have to go through a variance and this and that and whatever,
[5:52:14] something seamless for those homeowners protecting Clusia
[5:52:17] plant, areca palms. What else? No. All right. Yeah, yeah.
[5:52:24] Sidewalks and in the road. So for my comments, ladies and
[5:52:27] gentlemen, I just want to express my excitement about
[5:52:30] tomorrow and the Hollywood Police headquarters ribbon
[5:52:34] cutting and opening to the public, excited for HPD and for
[5:52:37] the city at large, for this new headquarters to be open and for
[5:52:41] all that, it's going to serve the city. It's at 4 p.m.
[5:52:44] tomorrow at. Is it address North Park Road? But I don't
[5:52:48] know the number, 401 401 North Park Road. Parking is on
[5:52:53] Entrada. Enter through Entrada Drive for this particular event.
[5:52:57] All right. Thank you all so much. Excited about tomorrow.
[5:53:00] Good to be back and get into the weeds. Let's get to city
[5:53:04] Attorney. Welcome back everybody. Normally I wouldn't
[5:53:08] have any comments, but I did ask two of my new attorneys to
[5:53:11] stay. And I just wanted to introduce them to you. All
[5:53:14] right. Varosha is yeah, you can come up to the mic and tell us
[5:53:20] about you too. She's not here. You're an attorney. Come up to
[5:53:23] the mic. Right? She's not that new, but it has been a little
[5:53:26] busy and so I have not done it earlier. But Varosha, if you
[5:53:31] want to, you want me to. Okay. I thought you had a little bio
[5:53:34] prepared for me. Yeah, but I guess, I mean, no one knows
[5:53:37] more about you than myself. My name is Feroz Shah, and I came
[5:53:40] here from the city of Miami Beach, where I was a
[5:53:43] legislative attorney for the city commissioner for about
[5:53:45] eight years before starting my journey in Hollywood. I don't
[5:53:49] live in Hollywood, but I'm a very, very frequent visitor as
[5:53:52] my partner lives here. So I'm here pretty much every week for
[5:53:56] work and also every weekend for recreation. I really love the
[5:53:59] city. I'm very excited to be here. Originally, I was born in
[5:54:04] Turkmenistan. It is located in Central Asia, but I moved to
[5:54:09] America with my family when I was 12 years old, and we
[5:54:13] actually ended up in West Virginia. So it took me a bit
[5:54:16] to make my way to Florida, but I moved to Florida, I believe
[5:54:19] in 2014 for law school, and I fell in love with the state. I
[5:54:24] fell in love with South Florida, and I've stayed here ever since.
[5:54:27] Propecia works with our development services team, and
[5:54:31] she's really. That's the most important part. Yes, she'll be
[5:54:34] staying late on September 8th. Yes, yes. Yeah, we'll be
[5:54:40] watching. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you for Russia.
[5:54:42] Welcome. Also, Amy Dreaver is our newest attorney. Amy is
[5:54:47] working with our PD fire code and parking departments. And
[5:54:51] Amy, if you want to say a little bit about yourself. Good
[5:54:53] evening. Nice to meet you all. I, I most recently came from
[5:54:57] the Broward OIG where I worked for the last three years with
[5:55:02] Jody Breeze. Before that, I was a prosecutor in Miami Dade for
[5:55:06] nine years, kind of pretty much working the the full gamut
[5:55:10] there. Very excited to be here. Part of the team fire, police
[5:55:13] code and parking still very new and learning the ropes. But
[5:55:18] it's been exciting so far and seems like a great city to work
[5:55:21] for. Awesome. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you all so much.
[5:55:25] All right. That's on deck for all of us. Yeah. A lot of
[5:55:31] modernizing needed on those. All right. City Manager. Well I
[5:55:37] also want to just say welcome back. I hope all of you enjoyed
[5:55:41] a little downtime over the last several weeks, although I know
[5:55:45] it was still very busy for for most of you. Just a couple of
[5:55:52] things. I want to highlight a couple of items that were on
[5:55:55] the consent agenda that I think were noteworthy. Our law
[5:55:58] enforcement forfeiture funds. We dedicate a pretty
[5:56:01] significant portion of those each year to funding various
[5:56:05] nonprofit agencies that are working in our community.
[5:56:08] That's right around $140,000. That's going to help things
[5:56:12] like the Boys and Girls Club, our Police Athletic League,
[5:56:17] Hispanic Unity, you name it. So we have quite a it's just
[5:56:21] noteworthy and a great source of help to those nonprofits.
[5:56:25] Also, I would like to highlight that we had the Highland
[5:56:29] Gardens Sidewalk Project. This is one of the projects that our
[5:56:33] engineering team and DCM have been working on, and it is a
[5:56:37] grant funded project. All of those grant funded projects you
[5:56:40] have to get in the cycle early. It takes a long time, but it's
[5:56:44] finally, you know, coming to fruition. And that's a
[5:56:47] significant investment of about $720,000. So as you heard
[5:56:52] earlier today, Deputy City Manager Adam Reichbach is going
[5:56:56] to be doing behind the budget community meetings. Really,
[5:57:01] this is an opportunity for our residents. We're trying we've
[5:57:05] we've you know, we have budget hearings, and sometimes we
[5:57:08] don't have a tremendous amount of participation from our
[5:57:11] residents. But we do think it's very important that they
[5:57:14] understand the budget. And and so Adam is going to be doing
[5:57:20] three separate sessions for folks to attend, will be also
[5:57:25] touching on the impacts of amendment three. But I think
[5:57:30] this is really just hopefully what will become a standard
[5:57:33] process for us, where we will try to get out into the
[5:57:37] community to allow them to ask questions about the budget
[5:57:40] process. So September 1st at the Hollywood Beach Culture and
[5:57:43] Community Center at six, September 9th here at City Hall
[5:57:46] at 6 p.m. and that one will be recorded. And then September
[5:57:50] 10th at the Boulevard Heights Community Center, again at 6
[5:57:54] p.m. And then just if people do feel so inclined, after they've
[5:57:59] learned about the budget to actually come and participate
[5:58:01] in the hearings. Monday, September 14th, here at City
[5:58:05] Hall is the first budget hearing that's at 6 p.m. The
[5:58:09] second one is Wednesday, September 23rd at 6 p.m. and
[5:58:13] that will be followed immediately by the CRA budget
[5:58:17] hearing. As you heard earlier from Commissioner Quintana, the
[5:58:22] collection of supplies is still underway by our fire Department
[5:58:26] for the Columbia Earthquake Relief. Please go to the
[5:58:30] website www.hollywood.org. There is a list there of the
[5:58:36] priority needs. And really, you know, while we love all
[5:58:40] donations, it really is most helpful if people take a moment
[5:58:44] to look at that list and bring the things that are most needed.
[5:58:48] And then finally, I want to actually, I have two more
[5:58:52] things. Sorry, sorry, sorry. One is we heard earlier today
[5:58:55] and this one's been sitting for a little while, so I apologize.
[5:58:57] I got it right before the commission recess, and I just
[5:59:01] want to take a moment. We get a lot of complaints, and
[5:59:05] sometimes we don't really hear when we do things right. And so
[5:59:08] from time to time, I'm going to try to share how much we
[5:59:11] appreciate when we do get letters from folks saying that
[5:59:14] we did something right. This was a letter to VIN Morello in
[5:59:18] our utilities department. It was from a man who had reached
[5:59:22] out. He had a problem that his water service that required his
[5:59:26] water service to be cut off for a couple of hours. And he says
[5:59:30] after the service trucks had left, I turned on my hose
[5:59:33] spigot and found very dark water in the line that even
[5:59:36] after what I thought was a reasonable amount of time,
[5:59:39] still appeared cloudy. So I contacted your office. The
[5:59:42] utilities office spoke to a very nice person named Danny,
[5:59:45] who told me I would be contacted by a supervisor. Very
[5:59:49] shortly thereafter, Supervisor Lucas Kelly was at my home and
[5:59:53] explained to me how this condition is sometimes caused
[5:59:55] by a valve that had not been operated in a long time. He
[5:59:58] also offered to flush my line, and within a few minutes the
[6:00:01] water was flowing again, perfectly clean. Supervisor
[6:00:06] Kelly was so professional, professional, affable and such
[6:00:09] a great representative of the city's workforce that I wanted
[6:00:12] to share my experience with you. So we don't always hear when we
[6:00:16] do things right, but we do appreciate our staff when
[6:00:18] they're doing those things. And then finally, our CMD team has
[6:00:24] won four Telly awards, the Telly Awards honor excellence
[6:00:28] in video and television production across all screens
[6:00:32] across the city. And I think they're coming out with a
[6:00:35] couple of the tellys. So Nikki is our chief videographer, and
[6:00:46] Ray Macaluso also is a very capable videographer in our CMD
[6:00:52] team. The team won two silver trophies and two bronze
[6:00:57] trophies for our Aerospace economic development commercial.
[6:01:01] Our fire recruitment promotional video and the
[6:01:05] Centennial celebration. So we certainly want to congratulate
[6:01:09] them for some excellent work. Thank you. And that is all.
[6:01:19] Well, that is great. I was looking to see if I could find
[6:01:22] a great email from a resident who was appreciative of a crew
[6:01:25] from Public Works that came timely and quickly to remove a
[6:01:28] tree that had fallen into the roadway. It was a glowing email
[6:01:31] that I sent and shared with with with Joe Kroll and team.
[6:01:36] But certainly we hear a lot of good things too. So I know
[6:01:39] sometimes we all get the beat down and it's deflating and it
[6:01:42] should be uplifting, and sometimes it's deflating, but
[6:01:44] that's what we have to overcome. And also, you know, know that
[6:01:47] we do great things. And sometimes we do hear it from
[6:01:50] people who are so appreciative. And that helps motivate you to
[6:01:53] keep going forward. So thank you all so much. Let's keep
[6:01:55] rocking Hollywood. This meeting is