With that, I'm going to go ahead and go straight to the state of the county address. We'll do that, and then we'll go to electing a new mayor. Okay. All right. Again, I want to welcome everybody. Today is an exciting day for our commission. It is our annual reorganizational meeting, and we get to change our seats. Hopefully, you know. This is last year when I was sitting. This is where everybody will be sitting. And with it, a different vantage point and point of view. Literally, yes, but in spirit, too. And, of course, we also get to elect a new mayor and vice mayor. Before we get there, however, I get one last chance to get a word in before I hand this over to the next mayor. My last chance. First off, I want to thank you all for your trust in me to carry out this role as mayor. It's been an honor, and it's been fun. I got to hear myself in the airport. That's the one perk we get. And even better, my brother got stuck at the airport for hours and had to hear me over and over and over again. That was where they actually called me and said, make it stop. So even though they say the mayor role is purely ceremonial, the truth is that this position does come with some extra responsibilities. Those responsibilities come with no extra pay, and that's okay. That's all right. But the role does come with another unexpected benefit that might be better than any payment. You actually find your heart gets a little bigger. We're elected to our own district from the cities within which we live and live around. And as one would expect, there is a natural tendency and responsibility to focus in on those in our district to whom we have a privilege to represent. But being mayor has allowed me to feel pride even more than I already did in all the work that you all do as commissioners all over the county. Whether it's Commissioner Fisher fighting for us for tri-rail and commuter rail and the Third Amendment on the surtax, making sure we can all get around. Or Commissioner Bogan encouraging people to get life-saving scans. Or Commissioner McKenzie building houses and walls and neighborhoods. Or Senator Gellar trying to keep us from drowning and buying ARCs. Or Commissioner Davis trying to keep planes from falling out of the sky. Or Commissioner Rogers helping small businesses get off the ground. Or Commissioner Udean trying to bring big business and innovators to relocate to Broward. Or Senator Rich in trying to make sure everyone has a home and our children grow up strong. The work that we do separately is greater than the sum of its parts. And collectively our works overlap and build upon one another. And for that, it has been a source of pride to enjoy your successes throughout the year. Thank you for trusting me with that privilege. And it isn't just our commission. I've been able to watch our county administration go above and beyond to find resources in a very challenging time. And find a way for those worthy initiatives and a few crazy ideas come to pass. I've also been fortunate enough to work with a fantastic team of county attorneys to protect the rule of law. And a county auditor that makes sure we are doing everything responsibly. Thank you all. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my own team. Delma, Clay, and Frank, you guys rock. Definitely the best. As well as Kim Moreau and the Office of Public Communications who all work so hard to keep things running. And most importantly, we have thousands of Broward County staff members doing everything they can to do big things. While at the same time keeping everything running day to day. Stuff you guys don't see behind the curtains. Clean water, wastewater, roads, traffic lights, garbage. All the parks, libraries, animal and mosquito control. And all the people at our family success centers and human services. Trying to find people food and shelter and homes for those that are down on their luck. Trying to help them find something they can get a handle on. So they can lift themselves up. Thank you to all the Broward County employees who make things happen every single day. I get to see government at work. And I get to see it at its best. Because I get to see it in Broward County. We have a good story to tell. And I don't get tired of telling it over and over again. And this year... Get out of here. And this year, I've had good reasons to tell it over and over again. Because this year has been one long test. You're going to need a bunch of things. Okay. Almost from the moment I became mayor last year, many of this nation's institutions and norms that we have come to take for granted have been challenged. Poked and prodded. Kneecapped. And questioned as to their worthiness. While civility and compassion, empathy, and education seem to have been relegated to the margins, to the seats in the back. And we have witnessed government by decree and petulance rather than discussion and persuasion. On the federal level, we have been mean to our friends and kind to our enemies. We have ignored science and research and encouraged conspiracies and unfounded ideas. We have thumbed our noses at the rule of law and unleashed troops in our cities and our counties. All of that comes at a cost. And it has eroded trust in our government, created resentment between neighbors, and shaken the fundamental foundations of our American democracy. It has impacted our standing in the world and damaged the ability of all levels of government to attend to the needs of its citizens. In Broward County, the cost has been quite literal. To a region like ours dependent on tourism, the diminishment of the U.S. brand has resulted not only in the loss of global influence, but tourism revenue as well. It has resulted in a decline in international visitors and a drop in foreign trust and favorability toward U.S. companies and products. It has affected how we compete in the global market. We have seen some of those effects locally, from our occupancy rate to the number of Canadian and Mexican tourists visiting South Florida. But despite this immense challenge, we should take heart in our response. Our response as a county and as a commission has been to open the best new convention center anywhere in the country. With a view every city in this country will be jealous over, and within a few weeks, a hotel right next to it. Our response has been to break a new record every day with the amount of cruise passengers coming through our port with no end in sight. Our response has been, as recently as last Friday, to hold an industry day, inviting the best of the best businesses to our airport to join us in reimagining what is possible at FLL. Our response has been to lean into our strengths as a diverse, multicultural home that loves and welcomes everybody under the sun, despite what is being portrayed on the world stage. And I can say with confidence that we are positioned well for the future. And the challenges didn't only come from the national environment. On the state level, we were faced with getting this letter from DOGE, the State Department of Government Efficiency, that they would like to examine our books and look into how we are spending our money on transportation, on the Green New Deal, their words, DEI, and a few other things. Just one more poke at home rule. The two weeks following are burned into my brain and always will be, besides having to interrupt a canoe trip down the Wethlacoochee River. It was a whirlwind of compilation of documents and data, right while we were in the middle of our budget season. Our response was to be totally transparent. Invite them in. Show them our financial situation, because it is worth bragging about. Our response was to show all the good work we are doing on transportation, on resiliency, on procurements, on solid waste, and let them know that we celebrate and consider our diversity a strength. We haven't heard much back from them, but I'm sure we will. And where we can do better, we will. But I think that they will have found that this county has its act together and that we will know the values, that we know the values and the priorities of our taxpayers better than they do. Instead of trying to make an example out of us, I hope they use us as an example of how to run a responsible and effective local government. Broward County isn't going to be cowed or backed down from leadership. Right now, as we speak, in Bilem, Brazil, COP30 is taking place, where over 200 nations are convening to deal with the challenges our planet is facing. The United States is not there. But many American cities and counties have contributed their ideas, plans, and experiences because that is where the momentum is. Despite what is happening on the state and national level, the real innovation is happening locally. And Broward County can be proud to be one of the leaders that the municipalities and counties around the world look to for ideas. That's just one example of how Broward County has stood up to the difficulties of the present and become an international leader for our future. This year, despite our challenges on numerous levels, we also had some amazing successes. Yesterday, down at the beach, after 30 years of trying, we have a crew building the sand bypass that will provide sand of the southern part of this county in a sustainable way for the foreseeable future. Our contribution last year to the South Florida Water Management District resulted in a completed Central and South Florida study that will allow us to request funding to build pumps, to keep our heads above water for the future. And Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward County, after a decade of trying, agreed to an interoperability deal where you can travel among all three of our counties and our transportation systems, and your ticket will be accepted everywhere. And we finally have a master plan for solid waste. Still has to be passed by 80% of the population of the county, but we have jumped over a lot of hurdles. And years after being asked to take out the trash for the county commission, it's finally getting ready to be picked up. Don't just take these accomplishments as a subjective exercise. You can see results in our metrics. Take a look at our unemployment rate, our bond rate, our reserves, building permits, wage growth, income migration, venture capital money, our growth rate. We look good. We look good on all those levels. We have leaned into our strengths, invested in ourselves, and positioned ourselves well for the future. At the port, the airport, and throughout all the public amenities, we have made some good choices as a county and provided quality service and real opportunity at a time when those things are not necessarily in abundance throughout the United States. But we all know that no matter what metrics or accomplishments are listed, there's still more work to do. For those individuals that have tough choices ahead of them, who aren't thinking about economic development or land use or coral reefs or climate change, but instead are thinking about working a couple of jobs just to pay the rent, who are looking for bargains without the luxury of looking at the political landscape or the big picture like we can. There is more we can do. We have an affordability problem. We know that too many young people are finding it hard to make ends meet in this county. And I think this commission has rightly looked at the problem with a multi-pronged approach of trying to both increase the supply of housing with options for funding into the future, along with recognizing the need to bring good jobs that pay well that can help close that affordability gap. And I know this county tries its best to make sure that our safety net is strong and doesn't have any holes in it. But still, sometimes people do fall through the cracks. And we always must take a look to see where we can improve. Those moments are where the big-hearted nature and the spirit of collaboration tend to show through in Broward County. And as so many people come together to help where we can and lift others up, when people need help, they are met by wonderful organizations. In addition to the county resources, like United Way, the Community Foundation, CareerSource Broward, and a host of other groups, I don't see organizations protecting their turf. Everyone's all in to get the services necessary to those that need it right now. And the children in this county are incredibly fortunate to have a Children's Services Council and an Early Learning Coalition that are models for forward-thinking advocacy. This is where Broward is at its best. We're in some ways an oasis. I can't tell you how many times this year someone has come up to me and told me how glad that they live in Broward County. Some of it has to do with the weather, but a lot of it has to do with politics. So when I think of our county and the state of it, I say it's good, because I do think we try to be good to each other. And that's the kind of place I don't like. That is the kind of place I want to live and the kind of place I want to call home. And hopefully we can provide a model for other places around the country. So I want to thank you guys for your... Mmm, damn.