City Commission Conference Meeting on 2026-10-20 1:00 PM - Oct 20, 2026

Okay. Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the City Commission Conference meeting this October 20th, 2026. I want to thank you all for being here. I know we have a lot to talk about today and certainly this evening, so eager to get on with today's conference agenda items. As we begin the agenda, as many of you know, we begin with our City Commission reports. So I'd like to be able to start today with asking Commissioner Herbst from District 1 if you have a commission report. So to end four years on a good note, I actually do. Okay. Keep it very simple. So as you may recall, we talked about a street naming for Mary Cotton. Her husband asked if we could say Mary Cotton Way as opposed to Mary Cotton Drive. Don't ask me why, but I just wanted to bring that up. So I don't know if it's possible to change the street naming at this point in time. Mary Cotton, where was that again? It's up in Coral Ridge Isles. Coral Ridge Isles. Coral Ridge Isles. Milos, what are your thoughts on that? Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioner. Milos, my story is an transportation mobility department director. So there was a recent resolution or action from the City Commission to adopt the street name. I believe, and the City Attorney's Office might be able to help, we might have to bring item back to City Commission to rescind that old resolution or most recent one and adopt a new one. I believe we would. I believe that's possible, that we would have to do that. I think that would be the step. Milos, I would love to accommodate her husband if we could. So again, I don't know the difference between way and drive, but far be it from me to second guess. Is it one north-south, another east-west? The ways, the ways. I know courts and drives and things all have different, the nomenclature does make a difference, and that's why I wanted to ask if this is feasible from that perspective. I know the ways are north-south. Yeah, I believe it is feasible. It's just that we would have to, in order to properly memorialize it, we'll have to bring the item back to City Commission, and we can do so for the next meeting if that's not too late. That's fine. Okay. Thank you. Okay. My pleasure. And the next item, so had a request from the nice folks down at Broward General to address a flooding issue that they had, and if I could ask Dr. Sturman to come up and speak to this. Hello, Warren. I need you to push the button at the bottom of the speaker. I need you to push the button at the bottom of the speaker. Great. And just hand it over to David Solomon. You remember how this is done, right? Are you here on behalf of Broward General? Well, I have authority to talk, yes. Yes, you do. Right. So this is what it looks like from this side over here. I think this is the last meeting before Halloween, and I guess I didn't want to show up in a costume. The last costume, Steve, remember there were three ladies in leather and all, and so I figured I don't want to get into a costume. Just want to bring up, I'm about a minute and a half to read this and then open the discussion. I wanted to share an issue I started working on when I was commissioner up there with you guys. I met last week with Chris as well as the CEO of Broward General Manny, and I've also discussed this with John Herb, St. John, and I wanted to open this up to the rest of the commission before John left. Broward General is a safety net hospital for the northern half of the county, including all of the city of Fort Lauderdale. In times of emergency and disaster, it's critical to keep the medical center up and running to provide services to the community's vital medical needs. During heavy rains, 14th Street and the entrance to the parking garage routinely floods. During storms, this flooding makes the entrance to the parking garage impassable. And during disasters such as the April floods as well as hurricanes, the street and garage stay flooded for extended periods of time. The problem is that vital medical staff who arrive pre-storm are unable to leave the garage. Incoming staff cannot enter the garage, and this adversely impacts the staffing of critical medical services. As an NPO member and member of the commission, we discussed several flooding solutions. Stormwater drainage, pumping, retention area swales. Unfortunately, this very small area, 14th Street, is so low that these measures are not adequate. A couple years ago, we also discussed raising the roads, and there were two issues that came up. Number one, cost is exorbitant, and we talked about from Broward Boulevard from 95 to Federal, and that cost of that is exorbitant. And number two, it would be appropriate only for a vital transportation segment. Something that little tiny piece fits both of those requirements. It's very small, and it's vital. I'm not saying what we're going to do today, but I just want, as a conference, just to open the door so that the conversation between Broward General and Fort Lauderdale could proceed to solve this issue. I've already spoken to our county commissioner, NPO, and they're all on board with the project to solve this. Guys, I want to thank you all very much, and thank you for what you've done throughout the year. John, thanks again. Thank you, Warren. So, Chris, do you have anything to add to this, please? Yeah, so, Commissioner, if the commission's interested in moving this forward, that's something that we as staff would work on with our partners. So, we would look at the MPO and Broward Health in terms of how we could fund it primarily, but also what improvements are needed to maintain that as a critical facility. I think there probably are opportunities for grants and other sources of funding, given its status as our hospital of choice, a critical community facility that's part of our trauma system, as well as emergency response. So, I think there's avenues to pursue if we were to look to make those improvements. I think that's great. So, you know, one of the things about that facility is, and not a lot of people realize this, but, you know, we could have our fire department pick somebody up in the Holy Cross parking lot, and they're going to transport them down to Broward General. They're not going to bring them in there because there's not a trauma center. So, it is the main recipient of all of those cases throughout the entire city. So, I think it's imperative, as Dr. Sherman pointed out, it is our critical care center for the entire city. So, it's imperative that we have the ability to access that, and we know that we have, unfortunately, a lot of flooding down in the southern part of our city. So, it's very important, I think, that we address that. I know, talking with the MPO, that there is potential for funding, and I think if we work together in a coordinated fashion, you know, they've always been a collaborative partner for the city, and I think it would behoove us to move forward and try and get this done. So, thank you. And on that, I will turn it over to the rest of the commission. Thank you very much. All right. Thank you, guys. Thank you. Okay. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman. Okay. Thank you for this opportunity. I just want to share a couple things that I had the pleasure of participating in over the couple days that's passed. Thank you to Parks and Recs for another great opportunity for Carter Park Jams, a beautiful event once again. Also, I had the pleasure on Sunday, October 17th, to be a part of attending an inaugural service and ribbon-cutting for a new ministry in District 3. That is Heartway Church. Heartway Church moved into our city. They came over from the town of Davie, and they were able to assume the sanctuary that's been known for decades as Grace Alone Ministries. That's over at 1900 Southwest 35th Avenue, over in the community at Sunset. Beautiful opportunity. Congratulations to Pastors Danny and Nicole and the entire Heartway family. Looking forward to additional fellowship and interaction with the congregation. They are really excited to be in a new neighborhood, a community that is full with life and families, and it is their intention to reach out and interact with the neighbors. So congratulations to Heartway Ministries. The other item that I would like to bring up is to have a conversation in regards to the presentation we had at our last meeting regarding the e-bytes. I wanted to have an additional conversation. Since that meeting and the presentation, I have been in conversations with neighbors, other individuals who have some concerns about the direction that is being presented. And the number one conversation that has been brought before me is that we didn't consider the fact that a large amount of those e-bikes and some of the other devices are the main transportation for individuals who are traveling to work. And we have talked about some, I'm going to call them sanctions, but items that we are looking at as far as fines and IDs and registering of the vehicles. I think we need to step back a little bit and let's look at this, talk about it a little bit more, to see how we can make this both a safety opportunity, but also an opportunity where we are not inconveniencing those who are doing what is right and it's not going to become an issue where we are eliminating an easy path or an economical path for individuals who are traveling back and forth to work. So I'm asking for comment if we can have a conversation now about that because the TAM is going over the information that we shared and I would like to see it to include some additional opportunities. Well, what exactly, I think when we were just having this conversation regarding the regulation of the e-bikes, part of the conversation was whether or not to allow them in the parks in our city and to have them have anyone who's traveling to a park leave their vehicle at the entrance or at least in a designated parking area so that they're not rampaging through the parks and on sidewalks and interfering with pedestrians. I think the whole idea was to protect pedestrians who might otherwise be inconvenienced because they're walking on sidewalks, they're not allowed to walk on the streets, whereas e-bikes do have that option to be on bike paths or on the street. So what specifically are you referring to when you say that we should be a little bit more understanding of the e-bike owners? What is it that, what restrictions were they, were your constituents speaking about so we could address them in more detail? Okay, I'm going back to the presentation. Okay. Well, first of all, we need to be able to also identify exactly what devices, what motorbikes we're talking about. E-bikes has a large component of different items that we need to make sure we're defining correctly. That will be one thing. The other thing, when we start talking about giving out enforcement, if we're going to do enforcement, we're talking about starting off with $250, then we're talking about moving on to $500. And some of these regulations that we're putting in place, they're really higher than anyone else in the state. And when we were talking about it at the last meeting, I even suggested that we look to see what the colleges are also doing, the colleges and the universities, because we can have a better comparison. So when we look over the city program comparisons that was shared with us, Miami Beach, their first violation actually is $129, according to this. And then also, there's a tier program where there's also where they're educating the riders so they can understand what is the new regulation or the new ordinance that we're putting in place. There's also the conversation about required photo ID. That's the situation. Bicyclists don't have to have an ID to ride a bicycle. The state does not require an ID to be on an e-bike. So there are some things that we're putting in that I believe is very stringent, and I think we should look at it a little closer. Okay, but other than that, are there any other restrictions that you feel are inconveniencing e-bike owners that we should be looking at? Yes, we could talk about the park situation. I want to hear a little bit more about the parks. I know we've heard some reports of parks that are being damaged by those who are riding into the parks with the e-bikes, but that's not the majority of the individuals. We need to figure out a place where we're being consistent and also being considerate to all who ride the bikes. Well, it's always the bad actors that make the rules. No. And unfortunately, that's why we have speed limits on the road for cars. That's why we have all kinds of rules and regulations with regard to motor vehicles. It's not because I speed or you speed. It's because there are people who do speed, and that's why we have to have rules of the road. Otherwise, it would be chaos. Balance rules. Exactly, exactly. Balance rules. So when we're trying to balance between pedestrians and e-bike riders, those people who are using the sidewalks, who can't use the roads to walk, that's why I came up with the suggestion that because there have been a lot of bad actors, and I even see them on the roads today. I see them, you know, I live not too far from U.S. 1 on Saturdays and Sundays. I hear them zooming up and down, you know, Federal Highway. I hear them marauding around streets and intersections. They're still doing wheelies up and down our roads. I mean, we can't be ignorant of the fact that this stuff still goes on, and it terrorizes other people, and we have to have some restrictions on the roadways in order to disincentivize people from coming into our parks and coming onto our streets and coming into our city to thinking that this is a playground for them to use their e-bikes. And that goes back, Mayor, to identifying the device you're talking about because a standard scooter is not doing wheelies. They're not telling up the grass. I agree. Okay, so this is what I'm saying. We're making a coveted decision that's covering everything, and that's not fair. We need to put something in place that's going to be balanced, and that's my discussion, and I'm hoping I can get some feedback. I know that Ben had a concern about the age, so I don't believe I'm out here on this path by myself. Just waiting my opportunity, that's all. I was being respectful so you can finish answering your questions, dear. I'll have a few things to say, too. Don't worry. Okay, so Commissioner Herbs. So there's a couple of thoughts there. And I recognize, Mayor, the challenges and the problems that we're trying to address with this. There are, as you've pointed out, there are groups of individuals who have been, let's say, less than neighborly in how they're operating. There are underage riders who should not be riding e-bikes that are going 30 miles an hour up and down the street. That are the equivalent of mopeds. I agree with you on that. There are some impracticalities, I think, in what we're looking at, though. So the idea, for example, if somebody comes into a park and they're going to leave their e-bike at the outskirts of the park, these things are $1,500, $2,000, $2,500. I'm not leaving mine. I can tell you that because it's not there when I get back. There are people who are stealing motorcycles. They're certainly going to be stealing e-bikes. So it's an invitation to theft. And I just think it's not practicable to expect people to do that. So I think if we want compliance, to Commissioner Beasley Pittman's point, we have to have rules that are enforceable. I don't know who's going to be chasing folks down. If they're moving along at 30 miles an hour, we've already instructed our police officers not to pursue motorcycles and scooters and four-wheelers. I don't know who's going to be chasing down the e-bikes. Is it going to be our park rangers? Is it going to be police officers? You know, there have been instances, thankfully not yet in our city, where underage folks riding around on dirt bikes have gotten killed because they've been chased and pursued. So I think there are questions here that we need to resolve. I think the issues that you've identified are real. I think they are hazardous on sidewalks. I think they're terrorizing some of our more elderly residents who are being chased off a sidewalk. And I don't think that's what we want to see. I think this is very similar to the issues that we addressed with the scooters out at the beach when we geofenced them because of the tightness of the sidewalks. So I think there are real issues here that we need to address. I don't want to minimize or dismiss any of those. But I think we need to have more conversations about how we move this forward because I think we may be overly broad in our application at this point. I think more dialogue and consideration of the things that Commissioner Beasley Pittman has brought up is necessary to come up with something that is enforceable, is, again, practical for the users out there. I know a lot of people that have e-bikes that are in the, I will say, over 50 community that find it more difficult to ride a bike. And so they tend to gravitate towards e-bikes. So I think there are different constituencies out there that operate in different ways. And I just think more dialogue and more study is probably necessary at this point. Okay, thank you. Commissioner Glassman. Yes, thank you, Mayor. Good afternoon, everybody. Here's my main concern. And I hear what everyone's saying. And I'm fine with making sure that our definitions are a little bit more specific. But, you know, we were all expecting the state to take action with regards to e-bikes, and we thought that that would alleviate some of our issues. But that did not happen. So my fear is that if we don't take action and if we don't make it as strict as possible, and if we do nothing, at some point in time, if the state does come in and preempt us on this issue, that's going to be a problem for us. I think we have a window now, an opportunity to just do exactly what we want to do with regards to the e-bikes, because we right now have no direction from the state. Again, I'm fearful of any kind of preemption if we don't take any kind of action, and I could see that actually happening. So, again, that's basically what I think about that. And I'm fine with, again, it's more specific definitions, but I'm tending to think that it's better to be at least a little bit more restrictive than not restrictive. Thanks. Okay. Vice Mayor, did you have any thoughts on this? Thanks, Mayor. Yeah, and thanks for the feedback. So, I was at Holiday Park last night coaching a 9- and 10-year-old girls' soccer team. I was at Holiday Park Sunday night coaching, and there were e-bikes, e-scooters tearing around Holiday Park. They were tearing around on the paths. They were tearing around on the fields. It is unacceptable. It's a danger to our children. It's a danger to the parents. It's a danger to those participating and watching. It is not acceptable, and we need, as a community, to set clear and fair guidelines as to the appropriate use. E-bikes and e-scooters, and maybe it's a question of us, as a city, providing more bike rails where you can lock these up as you enter the park. These are a significant danger, and it's not everyone who rides them, but many who ride them do so inappropriately at parks. Not only is it a danger, but they actually, and I'm sure Carl could speak to this, but they actually tear up our fields. So, they actually cause damage to our playing fields, which thus provide increased likelihood of injury to our players that are on those fields. So, I think we've got, with parks, I think we have to be very clear and not allow them in parks. I think the idea, Commissioner Beasley-Pittman raises, about people going to work, possibly going to school, those are appropriate uses that I didn't hear us limiting or restricting in any way. But I think parks, I think sidewalks, where we have high pedestrian traffic, and if memory serves me right, we talked about Las Olas sidewalks. I think we talked about the beach. We talked about Riverwalk as some possibilities to explore. So, I think we're heading in the right direction. I think that, you know, the point, Commissioner Beasley-Pittman, you bring up about government-issued identification, I think that's a fair point, and that could possibly use more work, because I think as a 16-year-old might not have that, depending on the person. But I think those, the restrictions in parks, restrictions on high-traffic sidewalks and pedestrian areas like that, I think makes a lot of sense, Mayor. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman? Yes, again, my reason for bringing this up, I do want us to look at an approach that is balanced, that would not cause a hardship to individuals who are using e-bikes and micro-mobility devices to travel to work. But this is real. In my district, this is the number one, well, it's a high usage of transportation. And we cannot put in place something that's going to now hinder someone where they may not have an opportunity to get back and forth to work without creating something that's going to cause them. And just so I'm clear, what that's been proposed could limit them to get to work? Commissioner Beasley-Pittman- It may be the, because you have some that, like you said, take the devices to and from the school, traveling back and forth to work. We need to, when I say with the opportunity of education, we need to make sure we have that, because if they are allowed to ride on the sidewalks, we need to educate everyone. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman- The pedestrian and the one who's on the device. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman- I agree. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman- So that's a large part. So we want to make sure we're covering every opportunity where it's fair for everyone. We just can't say, oh, we're doing this and there's no education piece to it. Okay. And the other part of it, if those with the parks, parks are different. Okay. I agree they should not be having these type of activities. Mayor said bad actors. We don't want that. But we do have individuals who are coming, being productive, and enjoying a park. And why should you park your device, your e-bike, two miles from, or a mile from where the entrance is? Well, it's not a mile. Come on. We don't have parks that are that big. We're talking about, you come to the entrance of Holiday Park, there's a parking lot right there at the entrance of War Memorial. It was set up an area that's specifically designed for e-bikes. They can be locked like any bike lock, no fear of being stolen. It's a supervised area. And then they can walk to whatever. They're going to play tennis, pickleball, whatever they're going to do. Now, what you said, the entrance, if you come in off of Federal War Memorial is Parker Playhouse, how far is that from the football field? It's not a mile, but it's not where I can still see my e-bike. If you can play football, you can walk the distance to the football field. Well, my suggestion would be, for that specific example, you just take the road going eastbound, you hit the ice plex, the stop sign, you take a left going southbound, and you just keep riding on that road or sidewalk there until you get to the tennis center. And then there's a parking lot right there at the tennis center. And you could have a bike locking station right there where you're walking then right onto the two big turf fields. So I think we could get them in close proximity to the park recreational areas without inhibiting, like, making them have to walk a long period of time. It might even be a smart idea to have two locations because you could have people enter the park from Sunrise Northside by Holman Automotive there. So we might even look at that area, which even gets you closer. And by the way, I do hear from folks all the time. Holiday Park is in District 2. I hear from folks all the time that really want us to control what's happening with the bikes in the park. Thanks. What, City Manager, question on the ID, if we did not have, just to better understand this, if we did not have that identification requirement, how does that play out in terms of enforcement or what? So I think the challenge with that, and Brad Weissman may be able to articulate this, but I think the challenge is being able to cite somebody without an ID is probably not possible or not something we could do. I think that's one of the challenges that arises. Then, yeah, and I guess then my question would be for that, is the underage driving, as it were, of an e-device a warning for that person as an educational opportunity more than a sighting? It could be an educational opportunity. It could be a situation where parents are called and contacted and made to come out and retrieve their child in the bike. It could be a number of things that are lesser than a citation. I think that's where we might have to have some flexibility. Mayor, your commissioner. And also, I just, I'm looking back over the presentation that was given my last commission meeting. It also lists that proposed to all devices being registered in the city displaying a registration decal at all times. Who's going to do this registration? Who's going to, and then this, again, this is another, in a sense, tax onto someone who has a device that they're using to go back and forth to work. Good afternoon. Again, Miller, Mr. O'Reilly's Transportation Overlating Department Director. And I'm sorry, I'm going to piggyback onto that. Does that preclude somebody from riding down from Wilton Manors into the city? Very real challenges, and the main challenge that we have, again, is the lack of statewide regulation. So, each one of the municipalities is trying to put the best foot forward in order to regulate the operation of these devices. To answer questions related to registration, our working group, which comprised from members of the city attorney's office, police department, parks, transportation, and mobility, worked for a number of months, and we realized and concluded that without having an ID and without having these devices registered, our efforts on the back and in terms of the enforcement would not be very productive. So, many municipalities have come up with local laws. On the front end, they have a local law, and on the back end, it's really hard to enforce unless we can connect device to a registered owner. These devices would have to be registered by someone who is 18 or plus years old, and ultimately, a photo ID would also be required, and we realized that school-issued ID would not be very productive. Registration would be done through Transportation and Mobility Department. Using a similar system that we use for parking, it can be done virtually, and we would be issuing permits to those owners. We do not know what the volume of that would be at this point of time. There would be registration fee also that we are proposing, and it would be just nominal fee in order for us to recover our cost. So, it would require additional resources on our end in order to process everything so that we have a good process on the front end and the back end as well. Milos, was there once a time, and I don't know if it's still the case, where people have to register their bikes with the city? There was. There was. I think that it might still be around, but it was more for purposes, and, yeah, it was more for a purpose of in case those devices are... I can't wait. Say it again. It was more for a purpose of making sure that in case those devices are stolen, someone can come across and connect it to a registered owner. So, is there still a rule in the city of Florida that you should register your bike? I don't think it's a rule. It was more of a nice than must. So, it's voluntary. That's right. I see. Okay. It's an ordinance? Okay. Go ahead. If I may. Who's talking? Me. Oh. This is Brad Weissman from my office. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Commissioner is Bradley Weissman, an assistant city attorney, assigned to the police department as their legal advisor. There is an ordinance for bike registrations. I mean, this was correct about what the legislative purpose of the ordinance was. It was essentially to assist law enforcement in recovery of stolen bicycles. We also had a program at the time where the police department had bicycles that they would come into possession of that were unclaimed. And we were able to... We had an agreement with a bike shop who would refurbish those bicycles. And an advantage of the registration, if you had a bicycle registered and it was reported stolen and unrecovered, we would be able to give you a replacement bicycle. So, there was a process in place. That ordinance is still in effect. However, there were... The registration process has been suspended for a period of time for some operational reasons. Okay. All right. Thank you, Brent. Thank you. Commissioner Weasley-Pittman, the floor is still yours. It's still mine. Thank you very much. With that, I'm hoping from the conversation that we've had, we'll be able to come to a more balanced type of proposal coming back. If something could come back that's more balanced, that's meeting the points that were cited today that we could reassess. But where we are right now, I do not feel comfortable moving in that direction. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner Glassman. Yes. Thank you, Mayor. Again, good afternoon, everyone. Busy couple of weeks, as they always are. I wanted to congratulate the Red Cross on their event on October 7th. Also, wanted to congratulate Chief Golan, who was... He was actually auctioned off, and he did much better than I thought he would. I know he's not feeling well today, and I don't know if that has anything to do with it. But I did want to just say thank you for him for stepping up to the plate. And for everyone that was involved in that event. You know, it's funny. Someone actually wrote on one of my Facebook posts the other day, how many ribbon cuttings do you go to? And I said, well, you know, it's an amazing city. And I really just try to be as supportive as possible, as we all do. We all attend a lot of events. We attend a lot of ribbon cuttings. We do that because we're so proud of all of the work that goes on in the city almost on a daily basis. So congratulations to the Red Cross for that. October 8th, had an interesting tour in Progresso Village. You know, Progresso Village is... I love the name Progresso because it is making a lot of progress. Things are happening there. Unbelievable pace. And I toured a little area that's going to be called Citizens Park. It's going to be a really cool little area of food trucks and entertainment and stages. And I'm just looking forward to seeing that develop. So anything we can do, City Manager, to move those permits along and get that going, I really want to make sure we're able to clean up that area by the railroad tracks and Flagler Drive as quickly as possible because so many other things are happening in that neighborhood. That evening, I also had the pleasure of speaking at the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, and I want to congratulate staff for always putting together those great programs. The folks, the residents that sign up for that, they hear from us. As elected officials, questions are always good. The dialogue is always excellent. I also, that evening, went over to Batch in Flagler Village and want to congratulate them on their new approach to, I would say, making the food perhaps a little bit healthier. It's a little bit lighter. Not so heavy on the southern and the fried food, but also they've lightened it up for some local appeal and also for the neighborhood. So congratulations to them. They have a new chef there, right? Yeah, and they have a great team over there. Great, great, great team of servers and owners, and it's always a pleasure to stop by and say hello to them. I will tell you that this past year has not been an easy year for our businesses. It has not been an easy year for the restaurants. So anything that we can all do to help and support, I'm sure, is very greatly appreciated. October 9th, the South Florida Business Journal, in conjunction with Marine Industries, had a great program, basically for the boat show coming up on the 28th. I had the pleasure of speaking to the folks that were gathered that day about the importance of our waterways, the importance of that boat show to our economy. And the South Florida Business Journal has done a great job promoting everything about that economic impact of that event for us. So, again, congratulations to Marine Industries and also to the Business Journal for that event. October 13th, Mayor, you and I were in Himishi. I know we're going to be discussing Himishi a lot this afternoon and this evening. Excellent press conference. Thank you for that. Thank you to the chief, both chiefs, for that work, and we'll have a lot of conversation about that. But I will tell you that I've heard a lot from not just that neighborhood, but also everyone in and around that area of the downtown. So I look forward to that discussion later. That evening, we had the ribbon cutting for Sweetwaters in Huizinga Park. If any of you have not been to Huizinga Park yet, you must get over there. I can't even believe how much the landscaping has filled in and how really lush it looks now compared to when that park was opened and actually when we even broke ground and began all that work. Congratulations to the DDA. It's such a beautiful sight in the middle of what's happening in our downtown. And, again, the restaurant is very handsome. I think people will really enjoy it. It really sits very beautifully in that park with the outdoor patios on both sides. It's a really nice way to relax and enjoy, and I'm very pleased to see the success of that park. October 14th, we had the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance Dinner at the Convention Center. Again, it was very positive in the way that not only did we get such a good report of what's happening, but we were also able to say thank you to Bob Swindell, who's announced his retirement from the Alliance sometime in 2027. It was great as the District 2 Commissioner to hear all of the excitement over the fact that we are going to have GXO Logistics Incorporated, which is a New York Stock Exchange Company, a Fortune 500 company, locating in Fat Village, in Flagler Village, the first tenant to be signed in the T3 office building. So we're very excited about that in the district. I'm hearing positive things all the time from folks in Flagler Village. It was just a mere seven years ago, and it's hard to believe if any of you have driven by that project, the artwork and everything that's coming into focus now in that project. It's very, very exciting. And it's amazing to me how the years fly by. I remember very distinctly when Alan Hooper and Tim Petrillo came into my office when we used to have City Hall and talked about this concept of what they wanted to do there and bringing our city this high-tech office space, something we didn't really have, and it's really coming into focus. So congratulations to everyone what's happened there. October 15th, we were all at the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center ribbon cutting. That is a monumental event. That is a historic event in our city for what that is happening and what it's doing for people. It's funny how many people reach out to me and tell me, oh, my God, my water's clear. And I'm hearing that, like, almost on a daily basis, and it's nice, and it's positive. Such an important infrastructure project for our city. Congratulations to us for doing that. Again, a really monumental accomplishment. That evening, I had the pleasure of joining the Lake Ridge Civic Association at ArtServe and addressing their concerns and talking about what's happening not just in the city but specifically in that neighborhood and everything that's in our budget for 2027 for that Lake Ridge community. October 19th, which I guess was just yesterday, we were at the War Memorial Auditorium for the Charity Guide Leadership Lunch. I will tell you, and I know that many people are aware of this, but many people are not, it's really incredible what goes on in our city on a day-to-day basis in terms of community, in terms of philanthropic work, in terms of people giving a hand to those that are less fortunate. And yesterday was proof of that with a packed War Memorial Auditorium with folks, civic leaders, philanthropic leaders, community leaders, people that gathered to really, really say what happens in our city. Gary Sinise and his foundation folks were the attraction for that event. And that is also a very inspirational man. Many of you know him from his acting and Forrest Gump and other films. But again, yesterday's event really hit home what our city is all about in terms of that sense of community. So I wanted to thank the foundation. I also wanted to thank Las Olas Boulevard and Isles Magazine, Tracy Roloff, and also the collaboration that put that event together, the entire committee's work. Coming up, we have, I think the 21st, we have the annual community forum that the police does. And it's always a great event. This year we'll be at the Tower Club. On the 22nd, we have the MPO State of the Region Awards. At the Western Hotel on the beach, we also have Naya opening on Las Olas. I know a lot of folks are looking forward to that. We'll do that ribbon cutting on the 22nd. And then from the 24th, 25th, we have the Winterfest launch party at the Marriott. We have Diwali at Las Olas Oceanside Park. Again, another great event. And then the week of the 28th, of course, is our boat show with the ribbon cuttings, the global lunches, the mayor's soiree. It goes on and on and on. We're really heading into a really interesting time in our city. It's busy, it's hectic, but it's exciting. And I know that folks really like it. Just a couple of issues, Mayor, that I wanted to bring up. Number one, I am, we were speaking of Holiday Park. I'm also getting a lot of complaints about dogs at the soccer fields in Holiday Park, creating a nuisance, unleashed, just running around. A city manager, if we can get on top of that somehow, that is becoming a problem. And we're hearing more about that in our office in terms of just not having a good handle on that. And people are a little bit afraid of that. And if we can just maybe have the park rangers step up or hire more park rangers or assign more park rangers. But are we looking at that issue? We are. So both through Parks and Rec as well as our police department who oversees the park ranger team. Okay, excellent. Thank you. I'll get back to the folks on that. And I also wanted to bring something up to my colleagues today. I've received letters from the Hendricks Isle and Venice Civic Association. They've been trying to deal with an issue in terms of the liveaboards on Hendricks and Venice for a while now. They've had a lot of issues, everything from vandalism to fires. Hendricks and Venice are the only Las Olas Isles where liveaboards are permitted. Correct me if I'm wrong. But the rest of the Isles, that's not permitted. And Venice and Hendricks are asking to be treated the same way. They've written a letter asking us to basically have the city attorney's office look at drafting something that would help them with this issue. They've outlined and we can... What's the issue? Well, the issue is that it's creating a nuisance. What's creating a nuisance? The liveaboards. So do you want us to eliminate the ordinance allowing liveaboards there? Yes. I want Hendricks and Venice to have the same treatment as the rest of the Isles where liveaboards are not permitted. Okay. So we'll be able to share with you. We'll get that letter out to all of you that we received from that. But again, they're talking about the residential character. They're concerned about if I water quality issues and dumping of waste from the liveaboards. They're concerned with navigational safety. Also, there are derelict boats that are just there. There was a fire not too long ago. And they're very concerned about code compliance and their property values. They are putting together more information. They're going to be doing more surveying of all of the residents to make sure that they feel confident in knowing that they are moving forward in the right direction. But I would like it if we could ask our city attorney to look into that kind of an ordinance where we would treat these two isles the same as the rest of the Los Angeles Isles. So these isles have neighborhood associations, right? Have they come together and are they now petitioning the city commission to revoke the availability of liveaboards on their specific islands? Is that what is that what's being represented? Yes, in fact, and we'll share that letter with you that comes from the Hendricks Venice Isles Neighborhood Association. And they've laid out their case very clearly. And I agree with them. So we'll get you all of that information. But if we could just get going, I know that that would deal with some issues because it is RMM25. So we would have to carve out something for them on that. But I think it's really time. They've been complaining about it now for a couple of years. And it's not getting any better. And I would love it if we could just start that work. And that's it for me, Mayor. Thank you. Vice Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. So City Manager, following up on the e-bike discussion, do you have direction for what's next for that process? So we do. I think, you know, we're not surprised that you've heard more from your constituents and neighbors since the last meeting where we brought this topic up. So the feedback today was good for us to hear. I think the additional information that you shared about parks and where those parking spots may be within the parks was also helpful. Okay. So that does give us some good direction on moving that forward. Okay, great. And so when will that come back to us? Ask Milos for the date that we've got that projected. I think we can come and present the proposal to City Commission in December. In December? In December, yes. Okay. I think what we normally do with a new ordinance is there's an education period. In other words, when we adopt an ordinance, there's a grace period for whether it's three months, four months, where there's education, learning, and so forth. So we would do the same thing here. Is that right? That is exactly what we're proposing, yes. Exactly. Okay, great. And you have enough you need to go on to craft for December? We do. So I'm just wondering whether it would be beneficial for a City Commission for us to come back in advance of the first reading of the ordinance, if it would be beneficial for us to bring back our proposal, what we were proposing on 10-6, direction that we were given, and also discussion of today so that we can choose some of the options. I think that would be helpful. I think it would be helpful, City Manager, if we could maybe come back in November for another discussion. I agree. For further before we move to finalize. Yeah, we'll shoot for November 17th. November 17th. Okay, that would be great. Okay, thank you. Great, thank you, Nadeesh. I think we all got a letter from the Governor's office that really looked at our financial health as a city and gave us actually a lot of, you know, there was a lot of support. This is in response to the Doge investigation. Yes, exactly. This was their analysis of our ability to maintain our financial health, and so I'm happy that you're bringing this up. Yeah. Well, thanks. I'll just touch on one thing and you maybe go more in depth. No, I think the City Manager was going to bring it up at a conference item at a future meeting. Since we just got the letter, I think it deserves a broader discussion. Great. I'm glad you're bringing it up anyway because it was very positive. Yeah, it was very positive. And, yeah, I completely agree. And so I'd love to have that as a further discussion. And one of the themes from the Governor's letter basically said the City of Fort Lauderdale in many ways is doing a very good job being the fiduciary of taxpayer dollars. And there's one particular thing that it talked about at City Hall that I just want to emphasize. It said, here's from the letter, it says, quote, quote, And the annual obligation from $24 million to $15 million. Over the 30-year obligation horizon, the revisions reduced the nominal cumulative cost by approximately $250 million. If a new City Hall project can be completed on these revised terms, this represents a substantive procurement win for Fort Lauderdale taxpayers relative to the baseline of the 8th. April, 2026 proposal. End of quote. So I just want to highlight that, I think. Well, actually, Vice Mayor, the letter really doesn't speak to the entire issue because if you recall, when we were first discussing a new City Hall as a joint government center with the county, the price point was even double higher. Yeah. Right? Completely agree. So we were looking, the county was looking to stick us with a bill for almost half a billion dollars, okay, instead of the 200 and something million. And so if we look at the continued progression that our City staff has been able to reduce the ultimate cost, I think that, and the fact that when Doge usually goes into a municipality, they never come out with the municipality smelling sweet. This is the first example I've ever seen where a municipality is actually commended for the ability to be able to shore up its expenses and obligations and to be able to commend us for being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar. Yep, I completely agree. And I think it's just another piece of evidence of why being good fiscal stewards and financially conservative as a city is a way to go to take care of our taxpayers and ensure long-term fiscal health. So great, great win there collectively and for all who have advocated for more fiscal responsibility. Next topic is waterway quality dashboards. So the city manager is something you and I have been talking about, working on, and the idea is this kind of publicly accessible dashboard that would help the public being able to quickly identify what are challenges in our waterway, where pollution, runoff, part of that would increase the 24-7 waterway monitoring with SOAMs and other devices. And so I know our chief waterway officer has been working on that. We want to get a sense, Chris, as to when we think that might go live. Thank you. Yeah, I'll get that, Dave, for you. As you said, our chief waterway officer, Stefan Paratino, has been working on that effort. He's been refining and fine-tuning that. In addition to the sensors that you mentioned, we're also implementing our rain sensors that was brought to the commission several months ago that are being installed now. So we'll communicate that to the commission when we expect that dashboard to go live. Okay, great. And then lastly, this is happening in many of my neighborhoods. After we're completing our sanitary sewer completion work, the timeline for restoration, repaving, construction, debris, cleanup is, I feel like we're kind of not moving as quickly as we need to, city manager. So if we can up that efficiency and the awareness for neighborhoods of when the mitigation will be complete would be helpful. Yeah, no, we can. I think there's some things you mentioned that we should be dealing with as we go. Some things like that final repaving do take place once the system's fully installed, but we can make sure that's communicated to those associations and neighbors. Great. So if we can just up that, that'd be great. Last point, I think, is Prospect Lake Clean Water Center has been mentioned. Brad Kane, your team, want to thank you all for your fantastic work. City manager, city attorney, I mean, this was an entirety. Who else, Chris, do we need to? Albert Carvin. Albert, get in there. Albert, he's face down doing work. But thank you all. Previous city manager, Raquel Williams, very helpful in moving this forward as well. So thank you all. It's a great, great win for our city. And for the other cities that we provide water to. We provide water to multiple municipalities. No better water quality than we have now. So, Mayor, thank you. Going to make great bagels now. Great bagels. The best. Better than Brooklyn. Water bagels. All right. Thank you so much, Vice Mayor. So I'll just generalize. We've had a lot of business openings the last week. And, in fact, this week we'll be having more, especially with regard to food and beverage. This Thursday there's another opening, Naya, on Las Solas Boulevard. And what does that say? That speaks to the vitality of the entertainment business that we have been fostering in the city for a number of years. And it goes to show you the faith and the optimism that investors have in seeing Fort Lauderdale as a place to invest. I spoke to the owners of Sweetwaters last week when we were having the ribbon-cutting. And I asked them, I said, well, how many people are you employing? 150 new people are now being employed at that restaurant alone. And it speaks well to a community that continues to provide high-quality food and beverage. The chef there, in particular, award-winning caviar club, the same thing. You know, as each new business continues to find its way here in Fort Lauderdale, we're so proud to be able to create the ecosystem of availability of great talent, the driving force of tourism and locals who continue to come to Fort Lauderdale knowing that the quality of life here has improved year after year. Mayor, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I also want to just add one quick point. I also learned that night that in the first several weeks since they opened, they have over 4,000 dinner reservations. That's incredible. Which one are you talking about? Sweetwaters. Sweetwaters. Just to piggyback on your point about it's not even just the folks that they're employing, the 150 jobs, but it's what's happening with regards to their reception from the community and how that also has an incredible economic impact. 4,000 reservations in less than a month is incredible. It is. Also, this past weekend, I attended the Imperial Point Fall Festival once again, and this time we finally had to say goodbye to the leadership of Betty Shelley, who now officially retired from her involvement with the Homeowners Association. We presented a proclamation honoring her and thanking her for all of her years of service here in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Excuse me. And she just recently celebrated her 97th birthday. So, go Libras. So, it's just a very heartwarming moment. She was there. Two of her children were there. And we have so much to thank, Betty, and everyone who works on the board at the Imperial Point Civic Association for their continued leadership in that regard. Let me just skim over a few of these things. All right. So, the boat show. The boat show begins next week. And we have the opening night at the Super Yacht Center. This is sometimes called the Mayor's Annual Boat Show Soiree. It's basically the opening night inaugurating this year's boat show and begins the series of events that take place between that Wednesday and the Sunday, which brings in over a billion dollars' worth of business into the region, employs thousands of people, and continues to drive Fort Lauderdale as being the yachting capital of the world. So, we're so pleased to be able to host that. This year, we're going to be hosting several delegations from other countries. Folks from Kobe, Japan, are coming to Fort Lauderdale. We'll be hosting a dinner for them that Friday evening, as well as other opportunities that we're going to take advantage of. The mayor of Bioregio, Italy, is coming. Also, a first-timer, wanting to see what the boat show is about. So, we're very pleased to be able to host these events. And we want to thank the county, who also participates. We want to thank the hotelier community, as well as the yachting and boat industry folks who make this such a success year in and year out. And finally, I want to thank the community at large. If it wasn't for the patience of the community and the participation, these events could never be as successful as they are. We know the roads are overrun with traffic, and we know that the sidewalks contain a lot of tourists who come here. But these are the people that drive the businesses to Fort Lauderdale as the shipyards continue to expand, as more and more industry continues to invest in our city. And we're very thankful that Fort Lauderdale is the hub of that kind of industry. So, again, to the community, to the neighbors, to everybody in and around the Bahia Mar Basin, we're very thankful for your willingness to participate and to make this such a success. Also, before our next meeting, we're going to also have Election Day. The polls are now open for early voting. I encourage all of you, please, please go out and vote. And we appreciate everyone voting yes in favor of all the charter amendments that the city of Fort Lauderdale has proposed. Each one of them is going to be very important to our community. It will be an opportunity for us. I see there are some T-shirt wearers here today who are supporting 7 and 8. That relates to public lands as well as to parks. The commission is in favor of those two amendments as well, as well as all the rest of them. So please read them thoroughly, but please keep in mind that the city commission is encouraging you to vote yes on all ten amendments. On October 26th, Bermuda Air is having a luncheon at the Tower Club. They are inaugurating their inaugural flight lunch. Members of the commission are invited to attend, and you can get details from the city staff as to our participation there. Let's see. I guess that's pretty much it. As many of you know, this also begins the Winterfest season. This Saturday night is the white-hot launch party for the boat parade. It's at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Harbor Beach Hotel. I'm planning to attend. Is anyone else planning to attend? I think you are, Steve. If anyone else wishes to attend, please get in touch with city staff to be able to put your name at the door. It's an invitation-only event, mainly for sponsors of the boat parade, and this begins the Winterfest season. Again, another signature event for the city of Fort Lauderdale, the boat parade. It draws tens of thousands of people, and it's a free event, and it's really fun. Ever since I moved to Fort Lauderdale in the early 80s, it's been an iconic feature of our city, and it's really grown in such a great way that it's one of the best, most proudful moments, I think, in our year-long history of events. 1980s? I moved here in 82. Okay. Thank you. So I guess that's it for me. If I could say something before you move on, Mayor. In regards to the amendment items that are on the agenda, you said collectively there are some things I don't want to be in the collective part of the statement. All of us are free will. We may support, may not support, and that generous statement gives a whole statement that I don't want to be included in. Okay. The majority. All right. The majority, yes. The majority. The majority of the commission are in agreement. Yes. Okay. Thank you. I don't want to. Okay. All right. Anything else, Commission? There being nothing further. Okay. City Manager. Yeah, Mayor. I just want to touch on the Doge letter that was received yesterday. I did share that with you, and it was mentioned today. As was also said, I will bring back some information at a future meeting and an LTC on our review of that letter and those findings from the state. I also want to bring up that this weekend, Saturday, October 24th, our Parks and Recreation Department will be producing their Lauderboo event at Snyder Park. It's from 1 to 4 o'clock. There will be a lot of activities, trick-or-treat stations, and a lot of fun. So we encourage people to come off of that. Sneaker bars? I'm sure there will be. Yeah, absolutely. And then Sunday we have our Diwali event at the beach at La Sola's Oceanside Park, and we have a title sponsor this year, and that's Merrimack Ventures. Oh, speaking of which, I forgot to mention – wait a minute. We're raising that. I forgot to mention that this Saturday – excuse me, this Sunday, 6 p.m., we're celebrating Diwali. Did you mention it? I mentioned it. Oh, I didn't hear you. I'm sorry. That's okay. I was – okay. Thank you for mentioning that. It's worth repeating. Yeah, okay. It's worth repeating. It's at 6 p.m. at the Oceanside Park. Very good. All right. Does that complete your report, Mr. City Manager? It does. Then, City Attorney, do you have anything you'd like to add? I do not, Mayor. You do not. Okay. All right. Let's move on to the business agenda, business one presentation regarding the Sunrise Middle School phase two turf field and the field size options. Who wants to – who from staff is going to present that? Quentin? Two or more members of the Education Advisory Board may be present and participate in the discussion of this item at this meeting. Are there any members of the Education Advisory Board here? Just the one, yeah. Mayor, before we get into this, I had a conversation with Dr. Alan Zeman from the school board today as well as their facilities director, and they advised me that they've never been consulted on this at all, and they would like us to pause this at this point. Who did you have that conversation? Dr. Alan Zeman and the facilities director. So nobody has talked to the school. We talked to the principal who has absolutely no authority to make any decisions as it relates to a signed contract. So that would be like talking to one of our staff members about a contract that we've approved and signed off on. So we've got work underway. We've got concrete being poured. And the facilities director, I can tell you, is actually rather pissed off at us for even entertaining this at this point. Has the district school board member been consulted? Do you know? Again, I just related this to Dr. Zeman this morning. We happened to be talking about something else because he and I were involved. We had ongoing regular meetings during the entire construction phase of this project. And so I happened to mention to him that we were having this discussion today, and it caught him completely unawares. And he said, let me reach out to my facilities director and find out what's going on. And when he did, he called me immediately after that and said, we're not prepared to move forward with this at all. So, Quentin, I know you had one meeting where he attended. But so let's just talk about that in general. But I want to make sure that whatever we're doing, we're doing this in coordination with our partners from the school district. Because right now, it doesn't seem like that's the case. Absolutely. Thank you, Commissioner. Quentin Pugh, assistant city manager. So around 12 o'clock today, we received a phone call from regional superintendent, Ted Toomer, who stated that he didn't really give a specific reason during our phone call, although I did try to get it out of him. But he stated that they needed to have some internal discussions regarding this particular item. Over the past month and a half, staff has had conversations with, as the commissioner stated, Sunrise Middle School principal, Austin. We've also had conversations with the executive director for capital improvements for the school board, Sonia Conley. And we also had a conversation with Dr. Elizabeth, I'm sorry, Dr. Valerie Rosetta, who I believe is the school advisory council member for Sunrise Middle. There's been several different emails with school members. Some of the ones that have been stated already, they may not have a commentant. How about Sarah Leonardi? Is she not the school board representative for that district? She's a district representative, yeah. Yes. I haven't had a conversation with her directly. However, there have been several or multiple emails regarding this matter. Some members have elected not to say anything on those emails. But I believe everyone was mostly aware of what we were doing or what we were trying to accomplish. We have received confirmation in writing. And again, it is from the school principal and the executive director of capital projects. But it was our understanding that this was the direction that they wanted to go with. In addition to the school board, we've had conversations with the Ponciata Heights Civic Association president, as well as, you know, through our staff to the education advisory board on what was happening with Sunrise Middle. So there's been lengthy dialogue across the board. But to the commissioner's point, Dr. Zeman. Well, and also I talked to the superintendent. So I talked to the superintendent, the head of facilities, and the school board member this morning. So three of the key people, decision makers, are not involved in this discussion. So I think whatever discussions we've been having with the neighborhood association, with the school principal, and amongst ourselves is great. It's, you know, good to have these conversations. But we can't leave our partners who actually can make decisions and drive policy out of this discussion. This is not a fault. I'm not faulting you for this. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm simply saying that I think we need to pause on this before we move forward until we actually have the right people at the table to move forward. I don't want to suggest that we're going, it's not our property, right? So it's the school, it's the school district's property. I don't want to move forward saying we're doing something different on somebody else's. If somebody came to me and said we're going to do something different at a city park, I would expect them to include the decision makers at the table before they told me what they were doing in my park. So out of a matter of, I think, respect for the school district, we need to be including them in this conversation. All right. So, Mayor, if I could, I mean, I've had multiple communications with multiple school board members about this topic. Many school board members. We've been talking about it for weeks and weeks. I've been on multiple emails, including with school board members and community members about this topic. We've had robust dialogue across the board with multiple school board members. May I ask which ones? Because I want to know why there's a disconnect. Dr. Zeman and I. I talked to Dr. Zeman before I got here. On the drive over, he said, absolutely not, never heard of this. That he's never heard about changing the field? That nobody has approached him about changing this, that this project is under construction right now? I've talked to Alan weeks ago about this. Yeah, yeah. So, different communication. Let's get past this. I think that I appreciate it. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman, you and I are the only commission districts that haven't been involved. All right, we stop it. So, just to say, by the way, I'm not opposed to this. I want to be very clear about this. I'm not opposed to looking at doing what has been asked to do us. So, I make my position abundantly clear. I'm not opposed to doing anything. I'm supportive of what's been asked of us. What I'm suggesting is that the feedback that I'm getting from the superintendent and from the board member and from the facilities director is that they have not been consulted. So, all right. Well, this is just a discussion anyway. So, let's just move on. There's some people who come here to also comment on this. So, let's give them the opportunity to do so. Thank you, Quentin. All right. Well, is there going to be a staff presentation on this or not? So, we do have a staff presentation and we're prepared to give it if that's what the commission wants us to move forward with that. Yeah. And that will be given by Colette Satchell, our director of capital projects. I think we all recall that the commission had agreed to participate in this effort with the school board. Here's the project history on page three. I believe Commissioner, the vice mayor, agreed to donate from his park money a million dollars. Which is why you got involved with it. And so, I mean, there's a whole list of decisions that were made consistently. And then all of a sudden, we discovered that the school board removed some things from the property that would possibly allow for an expansion of the play fields. And that's kind of where we are today. And, Mayor, if I can just add, here's a communication we got on September 22nd from school board chair, Leonardi. And, again, with all these robust conversations we've been having with the neighbors, thank you so much for reaching out and for your advocacy. The district has provided all the necessary information to the city if they decide to change course. If the city needs any more information from us, I know the district will be happy to assist. It's my understanding that it is now up to the city to make any desired suggested changes to the plan moving forward with gratitude. Gratitude, Sarah Leonardi. So, that's from the district board. That's from the chair of the school board. From the chair of the school board. Chair of the school board, Sarah Leonardi, who's been great in these communications. So, thank you. When was that dated? September 22nd. Of this year? Yes. Okay. All right. Good afternoon, Mayor, Commission. Colette Satchel, Capital Projects Director. Robust discussion on this topic. As mentioned before, today we want to do a quick recap of the history, talk about some of the options that we reviewed, and look at some of the recommendations and talk about the feedback that we have received. Between 2023 and 2024, we had numerous stakeholder meetings on this project here at Sunrise Middle School. You know, we had input. We initially started with an 80 by 40 field, and through input, we realized that we could only fit 65 by 25 yard field. Between March of 24 and January of 2026, we completed a design, got it permitted, and we issued bids to start construction. Construction started in August of this year. These aerials are really key because it talks about the progress of the design and what our limitations were during that phase. The one on the left is March of 2025, where three portables were in place, and these limited the space that we had available to build the playing field. The most recent one on the right, March of 2026, shows that sometime in this year, February of 2026, is when all of the trailers were eventually removed, and this created the space that now makes a larger field possible. This is the bid that we have from the contractor to do the work that is actually ongoing, right? So we're paying them $690,000 to install a 65 by 25 artificial turf field. Work is currently about 20% complete. Wanted to look at who can play and how we, the things that we factored in our recommendation. The current field, the 65 by 25, which we thought could fit, only allows for practice. It does not allow for any competition. So the concerns that we were hearing through all of these emails and general input is that that doesn't allow them to have competitions on site. They're going to have to leave and go somewhere else. They can only practice. Through numerous meetings, we looked at the 85 by 40 option, and then later the 100 by 50 yard. We also got input based on whether to use grass or turf. So the options that you... Yes, sir. Before you move on, just out of my ignorance, what is a regulation size soccer field? Do you know? It's the 100 by 50. For this age group. For this age group. For this age group. Okay. Yes. Just want to clarify that. Yes. So you'll see that for 11 by 11, it is approved for competition. Okay. Thank you. At this age group. All right. So the option that we've landed on kind of being the best based on the input that we've had is a 50 by 50 grass field with no subsurface drainage. This option includes grading the site, clearing, and of course, some irrigation modifications to make sure that the field can be maintained in the future. This is currently estimated, a backup napkin type estimate from our contractor, somewhere around $885,000. But that's without drainage. Correct, sir. It would have to be graded to drain similar to how it drains currently. This area is a little bit lower than the rest of the site, and it does handle much of the drainage for the site. So you're saying it would act as a natural swale? It would drain itself? As it currently does, sir. Yes. Okay. Yes. So that cost of the $885,000 is basically the construction cost. It is the least, as you'll see on the right, it is the least expensive of the options. But what I think everyone liked is it gave flexibility. You know, the field can be striped for different sports, and it maximizes the use of that space. When you say it could be striped for different sports, can a turf field be striped for different sports also? Yes, it could. Okay. Yes, it could. All right. So there's no difference in terms of striking? Correct. Okay. Yes. Okay. And with the portables gone, we have the space for 100 by 50. Is that correct? 150 in terms of the grass, we are 100% sure that it could fit. Excellent. The 100 by 50 in terms of turf, we have to confirm that we do have enough runoff space between the edge of the turf and the track to the left and to the buildings on the right-hand side. But if we did real grass, we'd have, whether we did subsurface drainage or not, we would have sufficient space. Am I saying that right? Correct. Great. Thank you. Could I ask a question about that? Yes. Because I was told it would impact the baseball fields. Who's that from? I don't think the baseball fields, I think the baseball fields are removed. Okay. All right. Somebody just mentioned that to me earlier today. That's why I wanted to confirm it. Okay. I believe it's removed. All right. Wait. I can't. We can't take. Please proceed. All right. So the baseball fields were removed. Okay. Thank you. All right. All right. So for the 100 by 50 grass, no subsurface drainage option, we're looking at $885,000 for the construction costs. Plan revisions will be required for whichever options that we select. So the least expensive option would then be somewhere around $960,000 to $985,000. The project would be delayed, as you've seen on the bottom. Currently, we're scheduled to complete construction in February of next year, modifying the drawings, securing the materials, and getting them installed. If it's the grass field, we're estimating it should occur somewhere in summer of 2027. And if we have to do turf, it would be extended into the fall, the latter part of the fall of next year. So we looked at how we could possibly fund these changes if directed by the commission. So Capital Projects is in the process of closing out a number of projects that have been completed. And we're looking at how we can reallocate those monies within the existing district. So within District 1, we have Twin Lakes North Park, Imperial Point, Entrance Way, and Lakes Estate Linear Park, which totals $382,000 that we can recoup from those projects that have been completed. District 1 also has some specific park impact fees, which could be used for this project, a total of $333,000 that you're seeing here. Whatever balance is left, once we negotiate a credit with the contractor for the work that has not been performed, could be funded from our FY 2027 CIP fund. We have a fund that, thank you very much, we were granted to help grant funding, to fill funding gaps that exist on existing parks bond projects. So the worst case we're anticipating would be somewhere around $269,000, but we're hoping to be able to negotiate that down with credits from the contractor. Mayor, did I hear you say that the vice mayor had offered a million dollars from District 4, George's Park? No, I actually... I thought I heard the mayor say that. He just committed you. Yeah. I'm glad he asked. I paid a million dollars from District 4 for this. No, we funded this out of District 1's Park allocation. No, you actually... No, you didn't. No, actually, years and years and years ago, when we did have the first conversation about joint-use parks... No, actually, I remember that, because the money was actually stripped away from District 1 and put back in. But I appreciate you bringing it back, though. Thank you. No, that's not correct, either. District 4 did contribute this. Right. I remember that conversation. I do. Pointe out of Heights was furious about our money being taken away from it. Thank you. You remember that, too, right? All right. Okay, so we have included Pointe out of Heights in our discussions, and we do have support for the larger field with the sod. We've also had support from Sunrise Middle School for the size and, as well, the use of the sod. And so, based on that, we were recommending to definitely go along with the 100 by 50-yard grass fields, no subsurface drainage. It would require, as I said before, some grading, some irrigation so that we can maintain the field. It will delay the project until at least the summer of 2027. And then, of course, there's additional price tag that we have to cover. Our goal today, we're here today, is to get direction and to gather feedback. If you do direct us to proceed with making these changes, we will have to come back to you with a change order and to get final approval to move forward. Thank you very much. Okay, very good. Thank you so much. Thank you for your presentation. We do have a number of people who have signed up to speak. So, before the commission engages in a further discussion regarding it, I'd like to be able to ask the community to come up. There are about seven or eight people that have signed up. I'll call your names three at a time, if you can be prepared to speak. Dr. Valerie Rosetti, followed by, okay, followed by Colbyer Sanghera, followed by Trish Halliday. Come on up. Good afternoon, Mayor Trin-Talas, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioners and staff. I do have a student-led petition I would like to submit as evidence. What does it say? It is our field, our school, our voice students that would like the city to, you know, remeasure the field for 11 by 11 plays. I'd like to submit that. So, the petition is to increase it to 100 by 50? Correct. And to make it a turf field and make it a natural grass? Make it just big enough that they can play on. I'm sorry? Make it large enough for them to play on, whether it be turf or grass. I think it's a size issue, not the quality of the field. All right, great. Give it to our clerk, if you don't mind. Thank you for being here today. Okay. Well, first, thank you for having this discussion today. It's nice to see so many familiar faces in the room. My name is Dr. Valerie Rosetti. Some of you probably recognize my name by the many, many emails that I have sent regarding the Sunrise Middle School Field Project. I am a parent of two seventh-grade daughters who attend the Sunrise Middle School's GEM Honors Magnet Program. Both are student athletes and currently play on the girls' soccer team. I'm also a local business owner. I own Florida Hearing Matters, an audiology private practice near Holy Cross. I reside in District 1. I have an investment property in District 2. So, I am very invested in this community. Back in August of 2025, I stood alongside other parents and students before the school board, asking them to support the city's investment in the Parks and Pond Project. And they did. We understand now that it wasn't necessarily a dollar-to-dollar match, but it was a match made in good faith with a shared commitment to improving our schools and creating a true sports academy. Last year, my daughters and I attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Sunrise Middle School. Many of you were there as well. It was a beautiful day and everyone was excited. But here's where I take some responsibility. I didn't look closely enough at the plans. I think many parents didn't either. Somewhere along the way, a field designed only for five-on-five play was approved, even though the school needs a field that can accommodate full team sports. And that was a shock to many of us. Before this project, Sunrise had a field. Was it beautiful? Absolutely not. Did it have problems? Of course. But you know what? The kids could play on it. They could practice after school, their team sports. They could host home games. They could have their friends, teachers, and families come out to support them. And those home games are important financially. Ticket and concession sales help fund uniforms, equipment, and future developments of athletic programs. So when we replace a field that could accommodate those activities with one that cannot, we're actually taking something away from the students we're trying to help. I didn't fully realize the size issue until the Poinsettia Heights Civic Association meeting this past August when the city presented the plans. I remember thinking, wait a minute, this is not going to work. With the removal of portable classrooms, it appears there may be additional space, which wasn't fully considered in the original design. That's why I'm so appreciative that the city is now looking at the possibility of expanding the field. I understand there are challenges, drainage, budgets, engineering, and timelines, but if we're going to make this investment, shouldn't we make sure we're building something that actually meets the needs of the students? If that means reconsidering artificial turf and using natural grass to create a larger plain surface, I think that's an option worth exploring. There's another benefit to the city. With new pavilion being constructed under the Parks and Bond Project, the opportunity to rent the space and a properly side field to local youth sports organizations outside the school hours could be beneficial. Can you please conclude your remarks? Can you please conclude your remarks? Yes. I think we should have a larger field. I appreciate your time. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. I love how succinct you are. Ms. Sangara, she left. Okay. Trish Halliday, followed by Erin Gale, followed by Vanessa Apotheker. Hello. Good afternoon. Is it afternoon yet? Yes, it is. I'll be brief. It's been a while. I had two children that went to Sunrise Middle. One was in the portables, which you've removed. And I really am very, very pleased with the plans that the staff has come up with. They've done a wonderful job. The addition of the bigger natural grass is wonderful. And I like the natural grass. Go figure. So I really, really do hope that you will go with that. And thank you for having and letting me speak. And I hope that you will listen to these wonderful moms that are there right now. And thank you. That's all I wanted to say. Okay, great. Thank you so much. Thanks for being here. Good afternoon. My name is Erin Gale, and I am president of the Sunrise Middle School PTSA and a very proud member of the EAB. My very first EAB vote that I cast was on this project. And we spent hours painstakingly going through every bench that it was going to fund and every trail, making sure that we were going to get the best use of this money for our community. This program is something I am extraordinarily proud of, to be both an EAB member and a Fort Lauderdale City resident. I have spoken before the school board about how it is a model for partnerships with other municipalities. And the Sunrise Field is a chance to show what this partnership can do, serving our students during the day and our neighbors long after the school day ends. The school community, the Civic Association, and the Education Advisory Board all agree on the best path forward. We should create a field that kids can play on, that neighbors can show up and have a pickup game on. It is rare for this many groups to be completely aligned, and I hope this unity shows how much this investment matters. The field, as we heard in the presentation, really is not usable. I know in the presentation it said it could be usable for practice. My understanding is it really can't even be safely used for practice for the full team, right? Five-on-five is not what we see. We need fields that can accommodate more kids than that safely. Home games are where students build school spirit and teamwork, and where classmates stay after school to cheer on each other instead of traveling to off-campus fields. We've seen right now, as our kids are having to use other fields, they're late for games. Buses don't show up. Parents have to take off from work to come get them. Instead of being a community-building experience, it's actually creating a lot of disruption. As we've heard, conditions have changed. What we know, we know different things now than we knew five and six years ago about what is good for kids and safe. And so I am asking that we do better. This investment is too big to spend on a field that is not usable. I can tell you we've been patient. I will have three kids go through Sunrise from the start of this until after, and I don't think any of them will be able to use the field as a Sunrise student. I'm okay with that. Let's get this right, because if we do, this will serve our community for years to come. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Vanessa, followed by Brett Haber, followed by Susie Bailey. Hi. Good afternoon, Mayor. Before you begin, before you begin, is there some reason why the camera is not showing the speakers on the screen? Okay. How about the speakers? Perfect. Thank you. Good timing. All right. Sorry to interrupt you. No, it's important, because it shouldn't be a blank screen. Go ahead, Vanessa. Hi. Good afternoon, Mayor, Commissioners. Vanessa Apotheker. I'm the president of Tarpon River Civic Association. And I'm here because a lot of my neighbors and friends have brought this to my attention, that they don't have the soccer field, the full size for the students to play. And as for my support, and I'm here to support that. I think it makes sense, and the presentation looked good. So thank you. Okay. Thank you. I mean, I don't want there to be a misunderstanding. The commission, when they originally voted on the size that we now have, is because there were portable classrooms there. We were restricted with the amount of real estate that we had to create these playing fields. So I'm happy that the school board did remove those classrooms. I guess they didn't need them anymore. And so this has given us the opportunity. So I think there's basically a consensus on the commission to move forward with the larger field. So I just want the community to understand the history of this. I would have liked even a bigger field, but we just didn't have the real estate. So, and I'm glad that the school board is participating in this because it is their property, as Commissioner Herbst points out. You know, it's the city's investing in school board property because they themselves don't have the funds alone to be able to create this play field. So, anyway, I just wanted to mention that. I don't want anyone to think, like, somehow we were shortchanging the neighborhood and having second thoughts about it. It was because we didn't have the opportunity to create the larger field to begin with. Mayor, if I could also say something. Yes. I want us all, commissioned neighbors, to keep your eyes and your ears open, stay in touch with the school board. I have concerns that they had need to remove three portables, three classrooms. What is that? What is the metrics to that? Is that meaning that there's less students? This is the metrics that they're using to close schools. So we need to be very aware of what's going on. So we're getting this. We're going in this direction, but we don't know what's going down the road. So I'm saying this to everyone, stay aware of what the school board and what they're doing and how they're operating in regards to closing schools. Or the word is repurposing schools. So, City Manager, to your knowledge and to my knowledge, Sunrise Middle School has never been on a list of schools to be repurposed or closed. I think that the portable classrooms were intended to accommodate an overflow, that there was an excess capacity need that has now been reduced to the point where now the basic structure can accommodate the demand for the student population. But we haven't received any notice in any way. I don't recall being told or even reading in the newspaper or wherever through any communication that this is on the chopping block. No, I'm not aware of that either. So, you know, we can ask about the portables. It could be reduction in the need in the student population. It could just be they might not have been serviceable anymore. So we can find out. Okay. All right. And, you know, point and another point to add to this because, again, we should not be closed ear and eye to what's going on. We're not giving advanced notice of what schools are being considered. We're not being given advanced notice of what schools, how long they're looking at this because it's my understanding we have X amount this year. And they're also already considering what they're going to do for 2028. So it's just for us to be aware. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor, could I ask Quentin a question just for the record? Yeah, go ahead. Thank you. So, again, just for the record and for everyone's education. So we're looking at we'll spend about a million dollars of city funds for Sunrise Middle. What is the exact financial skin that the school board has in the game of this project? That was one of the many questions that we had asked during our meetings. And at this current moment, they have no skin in the game regarding assisting with subsidizing or contributing towards this improvement. What they are currently doing and what they will remain doing, to our understanding, is the maintenance and the upkeep of the facility. So the mowing, the landscaping, and things that are required to maintain that field, should we do it, they're on the hook or committed to doing that, as well as the irrigation and everything else involved in that. So there'll be a specific, whether it's an MOU or some sort of agreement, where that's all spelled out, when we deliver the project, what their responsibilities are in terms of that kind of maintenance and upkeep, and all of those will be delineated? So it's my understanding that we currently do have a joint use agreement with our schools, and I believe that that's already outlined or delineated within those agreements. But if not, should that be needed, that is something we could bring forth, just to memorialize that effort. Okay, thanks. Appreciate that. Can you explain the Sports Academy program out there? So when we asked that question, there was, I'll be honest with you, it seemed to be a little hesitancy or reluctance talking about the Sports Academy with the members that we were in consultation with. But it is our understanding that there is a desire or a continued path to having a Sports Academy at that particular school. We haven't heard anything different. Mary, I'm going to ask you to come up and explain Sports Academy to everybody. Wait, she's going to come up and speak anyway. Well, no, I want to answer this question. This is a very important question because we're talking about the investment that the school board is making at Sunrise Middle, and they have skin in the game. So I think it's important to address this. Well, is Mary Fertig an expert? Is she representing the school board? Well, I'll just tell you that I started working on Sunrise, I went to Sunrise Middle, my husband went to Sunrise Middle, my six children went. I began working on the school campus in 1987. Thank you, Dean. Please wait a minute, okay? I want water in this process. I don't want just people showing up and talking and thinking that they're experts. Wait a minute, Mary, I'm speaking. Stop. Yes. You've been asked to come up to speak on a subject that we have not addressed yet. We're talking specifically about the improvement of this site. We're asking only whether or not the people have an interest in commenting on whether this is the appropriate use of city funds. Exactly. I'm happy to have you talk about something else at some point, but to come up here and interrupt the conversation is not what we're going to do right now. I want you, if you don't mind, just when I call you up, you're welcome to come up and comment on whatever you want to say in your three minutes, but the subject matters regarding the improvement of the site. Okay? And I only came up because it was requested. Because she was requested by a commissioner. I could answer these questions, but I will wait. The commissioner doesn't run the meetings. The chair runs the meetings. Dean, I can answer them, but I'll sit down and wait. I don't care. Yeah, please. But I will tell you there's a lot of misinformation here. Thank you. Okay. Mayor, I'm trying to get an answer to a specific question from somebody who has the information that I think addresses that. All right. When we get to that point, we can do it. But in the meantime, I want to get through this discussion regarding this one on-point topic. This was an on-point question about does the school have skin in the game? And the answer was no, and that's factually incorrect. And I think it's important that we correct that on the record. Yes, they have an investment in the program up there. If you don't want to know what that investment is, we can skip it. No. At some point, it will be important to know the answer to that. Don't you think we should address it contemporaneously with when the question was asked and answered? It would be best that it is. If we're looking to see whether or not the school board has skin in the game, so to speak, I would think that with all due respect to the school board, we should ask them to tell us whether or not they are investing, not a neighbor who may have anecdotal information regarding what the school board does or doesn't have with regard to this project. So in all fairness to the school board and the superintendent and all the folks that run our school system, it only makes sense for them to be able to respond to your question, not a neighbor who happens to have an interest in the subject. So, yes, Quentin. And just to be clear, regarding the skin in the game, the conversations that we had was whether or not they were going to contribute towards the enlargement of the large field. At that time, the answer was no. It's something that they can look into, but we didn't get a commitment. That's what I meant regarding the skin in the game. You said that. Just to be clear. There was no doubt as to that. All right. Brett Haber, followed by Susie Bailey, followed by Mary Fertig, and then Jim Labrie. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioners. I appreciate your time. My name is Brett Haber, and I'm a resident of Hallandale Beach. And I'm here only to speak on one element of this, which is I'm hoping that you're going to go forward with grass, whatever the choice is. And I wanted to share with why I feel that way. So I have had the good fortune of being a five-time state champion in athletics and love the idea that artificial turf sometimes gives people the opportunity to be on a field for longer. But what we've come to see over many years is that artificial turf often increases certain types of injuries. And you may have paid attention to this in the World Cup. Our Hard Rock Stadium in Miami was one of the few that didn't have to redo their turf for the athletes. So when I think of all the young people who are going to be on these fields, I'm hopeful that we'll preserve their well-being long-term, their physical well-being. So on the other topic of physical well-being, in my free time, one of the things I do and spend my time engaged with is some of the social costs of some of the decisions we make now. It's much separate from some of my finance training. But one of the social costs we're beginning to see with some artificial turf is that much of it contains a chemical called 6-PPD-Q, which studies out of the western portion of our country and Canada have now shown that this is one of many chemicals that washes into the waterways and then damages our marine life. So happy to share additional information if you'd like, but it's something that I also understand will be in our waterways long after the turf is removed. Lastly, I understand how serious these decisions are, but wanted to shed a little bit of fun light, which is if any of you ever sit on artificial turf, if your knees are still able to get down there, your butt's going to land and it's going to be really hard because the soil underneath is extremely compacted and won't absorb the water that is drained through any permeable artificial turf at the same rate as the other water. And you guys have worked so hard in our stormwater management across the whole county that I thought this would be a fun way to remind us. So this is my beleaguered kitchen sponge from this morning. You know, if I drain the water out of it, oops, sorry, most of it landed in here. This sponge, like the soil under our turf, can absorb water at a very fast speed. So if I were to put it back in here, it's going to absorb it right away. Almost nothing left. It's like a bounty picker. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But if I take... All right, what is the point of this? No, to show you what's happening with the soil under the turf and why all of our stormwater efforts are impacted by whether or not we go with grass or stormwater. So this is the same sponge, just still compacted. I haven't absorbed it. And if I put it in here, it's really not able to absorb the water, right? I don't want to dump it all out, but you can probably see there's a lot of water. So thank you very much. I hope you go with the grass options. All right, great. Thank you. Susie Bailey, followed by Mary Fertig, followed by Jim Labrie. So while we wait for Susie Bailey to come up, Mayor, so the school board matched our 1.7 with 1.7. So just for the record. Okay. Which is another great example of great partnership between the school board and the city, as we've been doing for multiple parks. And it's fantastic. They're going to improve the weight room at sunrise, the wall. They're going to improve the, what else? There's another piece they're improving. The gym floor, I think. All about partnership and collaboration. Yeah. So it's a great partnership, and we're working on the field. So it's a great win-win. Right. And that's why I don't want to insult them by saying they have no skin in the game. They have 1.7 million in the game. Absolutely. I think we're partners. We're partners. Partners in doing good things. Susie. Thanks, Mayor. Hi, again. Good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioner. As you know, I'm Susie Bailey. Speaking on behalf this time of Residents for Resilience, not the Sustainability Advisory Board, I'd like to say thank you to the staff for taking a fresh look at all the different options you have for Sunrise Middle School Field. R4R at this time recommends the 100-by-50-yard natural grass field, and here's why. First, it works for the kids. Sunrise fields are used for soccer in the fall, flag football in the winter, and track in the spring. The small turf field under construction now is only used for practice, as they said, where the full-size field allows them to host games at every level, which is needed for a sports academy. Second, it's safer in our heat. These games are played during the day down here in South Florida. As I stated the last time I was up here, you know, I referenced what happened last month in Nashville, where the air temperature was 95, and the turf temperature was about 157 degrees, and as you even said, they were hosing down the cleats that were melting. That wasn't the only time there was a problem with this. The NFL Players Association says 95% of its players want grass. The Bills quarterback, Josh Allen, says turf burns on his leg actually keep him up at night. And right here at home in Florida, guess what Miami Dolphins use? Natural grass, because they're in South Florida. If the professionals want natural grass, the least we can do is give it to our young middle school athletes. You may hear that newer turf uses more natural organic fill, but the blades are still plastic, and the research is clear. Synthetic turf runs hotter than natural grass, no matter what infill is used. Even turf products designed to stay cooler are still far hotter than real grass. The bottom line is, you just can't make plastic grass real grass. And thirdly, it protects our water. As Brett was saying, natural grass lets rain soak into the ground instead of running off into our streets, canals, and waterways. Plastic turf sheds microplastics, and every rain event brings it more towards our waterways. And we're a city that floods, so every permeable square yard really counts. And finally, it's the best value. Some say turf is cheaper in the long run because it needs less maintenance, but turf doesn't last forever. It has to be ripped out and replaced every about 8 to 10 years at some point. And it's at hundreds of thousands of dollars each time. And all that plastic carpet has to be sort of rolled up, and the infill has to be hauled away to, guess what, a landfill, where it sits for centuries. Grass is the better deal today and 10 years from now. That grass just keeps on growing. So let's just, I just want to, again, thank the staff. I know my time's up. Please just remember, if you're deciding, please decide for natural grass. Thank you. Great. Thank you so much. Mary Fertig, followed by Jim Labrie. Does anyone else wish to speak on this subject that has not yet signed up? Okay, great. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Mary Fertig. I was a Sunrise Middle School graduate, as was my husband and my six children. I began working to ensure, thank you for your point, about how we have to always make sure that our schools are relevant and vital and continue on for our community. And I began that work at Sunrise Middle and other schools in Fort Lauderdale in 1987. And, yes, we did get a new Sunrise Middle. And, yes, we did get a pool for the neighborhood. And I will be glad to bring you the newspaper articles, which will show you the wonderful group of people in Fort Lauderdale that banded together to make this happen for East Broward. Okay, so I also, in 1996-ish, 7-ish, Ellen Bogdan and I came up with an idea that they laughed at, a Montessori Middle School, which has been tremendously successful and replicated throughout the district and in many other places. Now, I could go on, but I'm just going to fast forward to where we began to see those dangers. And the late 2019, 2020, Heather and Brickworth and I were having lunch, I won't mention with whom, and we came up with the idea of a sports academy. We were particularly worried about Bennett Elementary, which is under-enrolled at the time, but we saw it as an innovation zone project. So it was when adopted last year, which finally in 2025, it was adopted by the school board for Bennett Elementary, Sunrise Middle School, and Fort Lauderdale High School. And yes, thank you, Commissioner Herbst. We then went, and all of us, and James was there, and we all went to the school board to speak and not just ask for the program, but ask for the matching funds. And the school board was happy to do that. They're excited about this program. Other communities are already starting to ask for it. So why do you need to move ahead and get this done? Because we want this to be successful so our schools are stable and growing, and so we provide what our students need in this community. We know this is a need. We know this is something that parents are vitally interested in. To make it work, we need those facilities. In 2022, I was in the audience when you did this, and actually, we're nudging each other going, hey, this is great. This is going to help our sports academy program because we're going to have the fields we need at these schools. At that time, the Parks and Rec Board recommended against the turf simply because of cost. And then at that meeting, I don't know, Steve, Ben, I don't know, you came up with extra money for it. But the Education Advisory Board at that time was concerned that by doing the extra projects, you were going to cut funds that would impact 11 other schools. So you resolved that issue. You came to this point. We've learned a lot about artificial turf in the interim. And so kind of you have an option to get the field there, make it natural grass, spend less money, make it usable. Because imagine if you build a field that no one can use, well, it will not be like build it and they will come. So I encourage you, Dean, Commissioner Beasley-Pittman, Vice Mayor Sorensen, Commissioner Glassman, Commissioner Herbst, please get this done for our kids. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Jim Labrie. Jim, you're here on behalf of the association. Sorry? You're here on behalf of the association. Mayor Trantalis, Vice Mayor Sorensen, Commissioners Beasley-Pittman, Glassman, and Herbst, and other officials at the dais. My name is James Labrie. I've been a Fort Lauderdale resident for 24 years, and I currently serve as president of the Poinsettia Heights Civic Association, which I am representing today. As Poinsettia Heights is considered a park desert, the Civic Association has been a strong and vocal advocate for the Joint Use Parks Program, particularly the project at Sunrise Middle School, which is located in our neighborhood. I am here to continue that advocacy. I would first like to add several significant dates to the timeline that's been presented today. The parks bond was approved by voters in March 2019. Three years later, in May 2022, the City Commission approved funding for Sunrise Middle School Joint Use Park, and those funds were appropriated in September of 2022. It was another full year in 2023 before the first stakeholder meeting was held, as indicated in today's presentation. I would characterize this as a very slow start, particularly when we all recognize that time is money. The regional concept for the Joint Use Park included an artificial turf playing field. Early in the design process, we learned there was insufficient space because of the three portable classroom buildings and the construction requirements for artificial turf. Consequently, the proposed field was reduced to 40 by 60 yards. Later, we learned that only two of the three portable classroom buildings would be removed, requiring another reduction in field size to 25 by 65 yards. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in November of 2025, with construction scheduled for completion in August of 2026. However, in the spring of 2026, to our surprise, the last of the three portable classroom buildings was removed. This created an opportunity to return to the larger 40 by 60 playing field. Unfortunately, that did not happen. It is not clear to me why, when the physical constraints that forced us to reduce the field size was eliminated, the City did not take the opportunity to review and restore the plan for a larger playing field. After learning that the smaller 25 by 65-yard field remained the proposed design, the Poinsettia Heights Civic Association Board of Directors met in late September and unanimously voted to support a new option, returning to natural grass, multi-purpose playing field. This option was presented on October 2nd at a joint meeting involving the City, the Sunrise Middle School principal, representatives from the Bower County School System, and the Civic Association. Subsequent follow-up by the City's Capital Projects team, Colette Spoke, confirmed that this option was feasible as reflected in the estimated construction costs presented today for a 50 by 100-yard natural grass field. It is my understanding that this, well, we've heard from the Sunrise Middle School Parent-Teacher Student Association, City's Education Advisory Board, and Poinsettia Heights Civic Association are all in agreement for the natural grass option as the preferred approach. And we also heard from Sarah Leonardi, who is the chair of the Board of Commissioners for the school system. Regarding funding, I would ask the City Commission to review the $785,000 previously budgeted for the North Fork Elementary joint-use park. That school is closing, and as I understand it, the property may be sold or leased to a private entity. I believe it is reasonable to determine whether any of those previously allocated bond funds could be rejected to the Sunrise Middle School project. In closing, I want to remind the Commission that Sunrise Middle School serves students from multiple city commercial districts, Lakeridge, Middle River Terrace, South Middle River, Lauderdale Manors. Furthermore, as a city park located in a recognized park desert, this project will directly benefit not only Poinsettia Heights, but also the neighboring Lakeridge community located in District 2. I respectfully ask the Commission to support the 50 by 100 yard natural grass field option and to identify the funding necessary to move this long-awaited project forward without further delay. Thank you. Great. Thank you so much. All right, members of the Commission, any comments? I mean, the commission, excuse me, the staff report is to recommend the 100 by 50 yard grass field with no subsurface drainage according to page 10 of 12. Yeah. Is that where we're headed? Mayor, just a question. So are we okay with no subsurface drainage, city manager? Yes, I think what we heard from Quentin and Colette was that because it's a grass field, this will act as a, similar to a swale where it's not compacted and it can accommodate the water. Okay. But let me just say this about that. You know, I drive by there every day and during the heavy rainy seasons, the field becomes a lake, okay? And it takes, it can take several days for it to drain. Would that be eliminated if we had a drainage system in place? I mean, it literally is, it's a, you know, you notice there's cypress trees there. When cypress trees are there, what does that usually signal? It's a low-lying, wet area. So educate us a little bit about what we can expect going forward. So our initial analysis indicates that this area is actually draining the entire site. So we have limitations to our left where we have the track. We have limitations to the right north where they have the courts. And we have to be careful about anything that we do that's going to raise the site because we may end up having to design a drainage system for the entire school site. So the track is really what I'm thinking of. The inside of the track is where it kind of becomes a lake. Yes. The rest of it, you're saying, would not be impacted. Well, if we raise this area where the football field is, the soccer field is going to go, sorry, we can impact the drainage on the entire site. So we have to make sure that we're thorough in our analysis. When we looked at all of the options, we wanted to make sure that we were not buying the responsibility of drainage for the entire site, which then makes permitting difficult. And, of course, the costs go up. And so, you know, there's a number of issues if we start raising the site to install the drainage. So you're saying that the design is contemplated, this is to answer the vice mayor's question, the design is contemplated, will sufficiently accommodate any drainage needs, except for extraordinary situations, but will sufficiently accommodate normal drainage needs going forward? And it is anticipated that the ponding that you'll see should dissipate within 24 to 48 hours. Okay. Great. So thank you. That sounds good. So then, city manager, what would be the next step if this is the consensus? Yeah. So as was indicated around, I think, December 15th is the second December meeting, we would bring back a change order for the commission's consideration. Given what we heard today about communication from now until then, we would make sure that we're fully aligned with the school, the school board, the capital projects person for the school board and superintendent before we bring that back to you on the 15th. But based on the direction today, if you give us direction to go with the larger field, that's what we would work towards for the 15th. Great. And so the gap in funding from the planned field as it stands today to the 100 by 50 real grass field would be covered by the city. That's correct. So a combination of some savings and some projects that we'll be closing out, as well as, again, we set aside about $5 million this year for shortfalls and parks bonds project. We may need to pull from that as well. A lot of that will be dependent on what credits we can get from some of the materials that we've gotten for the existing project. Great. So then can you communicate directly with the superintendent and I'd suggest the chair of the school board to just share our perspective, what we're willing to do, what we've heard from the community. It's a collaboration to Commissioner Herb's point, which I think is a good point to work together, and that this is the direction we'd like to go. We will fund it. And if the school board's supportive, that's the way we'd like to go. Yes, and if anything changes between now and the date we bring the change order back, we'll make sure you all are well aware. Great. Thank you. Mayor, thank you. Okay, any other comments or questions? So my other question has to do with I understand that we've got concrete's already been poured in several parts of the facility already. So we've got concrete walkways that have been poured. I understand that concrete has been poured where the portables were. Yeah, because we're working on, also part of this project is a pavilion. So we're working on that component. But yes, there has been some site work that has been done. The drainage for the turf has been delivered. So that will have to be, has it been installed yet? It has not been installed. So it doesn't have to be removed. Okay. Right. Right. So that's roughly worth about $50,000 or so. If you recall that the turf line item itself is about $450,000. So that's one potential credit we won't be, won't be available for. But we'll be trying to get credits on the remaining parts of the project. Okay. Okay. Great. And the potential impact with the track. Because I know the track was a significant area of interest for everybody. So that was mentioned before very briefly. What can you tell us about that? Yeah, if we go the direction of the natural grass, there won't be any potential impact to the existing track. So I think we're good on that front. If we were going towards the turf field, we would want to make sure there was, you know, somewhere between 8 to 12 feet off that track for safety runoff. But again, since the direction sounds to be natural grass, we should be fine. Okay. With respect to natural grass versus turf as far as the district is concerned. So they don't use natural grass in any other facility that they have in all of Broward County. So do we know if that's acceptable to them? So we'll see what they say now at other schools. They've got turf at every school is what I've been told talking to the facilities manager today. That's not our understanding. Okay. Again, it may be a communication issue. I'm just, my conversation on the drive up today is that they have turf at every other one of their facilities. So I don't know if that's a standard that they have. And again, they may have turf at some of their facilities, but the joint use projects that the city has with them, one example is Crowsane Park. It's natural grass. It's my understanding that there's actually three joint use athletic field sites that the school owns that we have, you know, agreements with. They're all natural grass. Are these ones that we've upgraded recently or are these existing natural grass facilities? I don't believe we, I'm looking over at our parks director, Crowsane Park. The three schools that we have joint use agreements with that have natural grass, did we make those improvements is the commissioner's question. Did they, have they always had natural grass or did we, did we do something up there with natural grass? I just want to understand the willingness of the district to accept natural grass as opposed to turf. So good afternoon, Mayor and Commissioners, Carl Williams, Parks and Recreation Director. So as it pertains to grass or turf from that perspective, I'm not quite certain if there is a desire one way or another from that angle. I do recognize some of what we've kind of discussed here today of the concerns with turf or not turf. I mean, you and I have sat through how many meetings over there? Many. I lost track. Many, many, very many. Yeah. So we have not, to my knowledge, upgraded the actual turf to those specific fields that I can recollect to. Okay. That's what I thought. I thought those were older fields that are in a preexisting condition that we haven't changed. All right. And I just want to make sure I wasn't sure. I don't know if these are new fields that we put in or if these are preexisting fields that we just haven't touched. Okay. So the only thing I would say again, I'm supportive of the idea of doing a larger field. I think the better and bigger the field can possibly be for the most active uses we can have is in the best interest of the students. And whatever works for the students is really what I want to see up there. When it comes to whether we use turf or whether we have natural grass, I know there's disputes about turf. I get it. I'm not in the same ballpark as folks that think turf is horrible. I have turf. I sit on it. Guess what? I've never burnt myself on the turf. In the middle of the summer, I sit on the turf. I have never once burnt myself on turf. People I know spend lots of money to put in turf, but I understand that there are objections to it. So it's a philosophical conversation. I'm not going to get into it. If we can only afford grass, then so be it. We get grass. And that will make you happy from that perspective. That's not a fight I'm willing to entertain. But I want to make sure that whatever we're doing is acceptable to the district. So please, please reach out to the facilities director who is going to be the one that coordinates this. You remember, we were having meetings every month with their facilities department when we got that money from the school board. It was Dr. Zeman. Every Friday we were talking about this, it seemed, for an ongoing period of time. And so we have apparently lost that continuity of the conversation of the parties of the people responsible for the actual construction. So let's get that back on track again so that we can move this project along in a timely manner with everybody that's involved and has a stake in it, please. That's my goal. So we were hoping to have everything done. If you remember, our goal was to have everything done by August. Well, August came and went, clearly. So whatever we are going to do, please, let's do it in a coordinated fashion. Understood. Thank you. Okay. Very good. Thank you so much. Moving on to Business 2, this is the discussion regarding the 2027 State Legislative Program. City Manager. Yes, Mayor. So Daphne Sainville will give a presentation on the draft program for your feedback. We also have some of our contracted teams here to assist in any sorts of questions you may have about the upcoming legislative session in our program. Right. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioners. Daphne Sainville, Intergovernmental Affairs Manager. Each year, departments submit information requests for state funding, and our office reviews each one to decide whether or not it is ready to go to the legislature. A request needs a defined scope and budget, a confirmed local match, a project far and along to spend the money within the state's fiscal year, and the support documentation the legislature expects, including letters of support. Today, I will walk you through the draft 2027 State Legislative Program and how it compares to the 2026 program this commission approved last year. I will keep this at high level as the full draft is in your backup and staff can go into detail on any of them. I would also like to welcome our contract lobbying teams who are joining us this afternoon and thank them for their work on behalf of the city, and they'll be carrying the program for us in Tallahassee during the 2027 session. So if you can please stand. Thank you. Did Jared leave? Yes. So we lost Jared with Capital City and Ruben Turnbull, Sharonda Placide. They had conflicting obligations with the time, but they do express that they're here to answer any questions moving forward. Okay, great. Thank you. So we have Candace Eriks with Eriks Consultants, LJ Lauren Jackson with Eriks Consultants, and Ronna Brown with Ron Book PA. Please proceed. Thank you. The program follows the same format as last year, and most of the positions you approved in 2026 carry forward. That includes our support for home rule, our opposition to unfunded mandates, our position on sovereign immunity, and our support for the Florida League of Cities and the Broward County Public Schools priorities, and my remarks will follow with what's changed. On page three, we have rewritten the general statement that opens the policy section. The 2026 version was framed around what the city opposes. The 2027 version states what the city supports, which is legislation that improves the quality of life, safety, and well-being of all Floridians, and it recognizes our partnership with the governor and the legislature. On page four, the homelessness and housing sections are now combined into one section on homelessness, housing, and community services. It adds support for mental health services for children dealing with trauma or instability, and on housing, the city continues to support expanding the housing supply, and the draft responds to what we have seen under the Live Local Act. Where a large development sits next to low-rise neighborhood, we are asking that building heights step down and that local design measures apply. We are asking that affordable units be comparable to market rate units in size, quality, bedroom mix, and access to amenities. You'll also see that the draft has a statement in which we supported the flexibility for religious institutions. However, after speaking with the commissioner, we are going to remove that from the draft, as it's not far long enough in development to remain. We also ask that cities... Okay, so, sorry, Daphne. Hold on. I want to talk about Live Local. So, this is not enough, city manager. We're, we need to go much harder, much stronger against Live Local. We need to seek a significant amendment or repeal of Live Local. So, number one. Number two, the affordable units tied to local area median income, the Live Local right now, it's at 120% of area median income. That is not workforce and affordable housing. That, Mayor, I know we've talked about this a little bit before, but 120% is right around $105,000, $110,000 annual income. That is not affordable and workforce housing, okay? When you talk to housing experts, workforce housing, affordable housing experts, we need to be at 60% or 70% of AMI. So, that's number two. We need to coordinate and we need to direct our city manager, our lobbying team. They need to be engaging with all cities, Miami Beach, Sarasota, Hillsborough County, I know it's doing work on this, of how we can better coordinate to challenge Live Local. The impact on our infrastructure, roads, sewage, water are massive and this is being forced down our throat. So, this needs to be all hands on deck and it's not minor adjustments to Live Local. This is a substantive challenge of Live Local that we as a city to represent our residents need to take seriously and need to do much more than we're so far articulating. So, if I could just piggyback on that because it's interesting. I had that exact conversation with city staff yesterday in our pre-agenda meetings. And then, now I don't see your name on this, Daphne, but you need to get a hold of, because everything the vice mayor just said and everything I had a conversation about with the city manager and staff, I think it's really nicely encapsulated in the Council of Fort Loyal Civic Association's email that we got yesterday. I don't see your name on the distribution list, so we have to make sure you get this. But it was sent yesterday at 3.54 p.m. I received it. The city manager had forwarded it to me. Oh, you did get it? Yes. Great. So, I think there's a lot of excellent points there. And just to piggyback on what the vice mayor was saying, that really does a good job of encapsulating all of those points. So, yes, I concur with that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Daphne. Vice mayor, in response, just very briefly off script, we will talk offline on strategy and what we're doing with our teams across the board since Live Local has been discussed, it's been passed, it's been modified throughout the years of its inception. All of our teams work all hands on deck to ensure that whatever detriments the bill has or any proposal has is fully discussed. We also coordinate in depth with the Florida League of Cities and the Broward League of Cities. So, this past, I would say two weeks ago, the Florida League of Cities had their first policy meeting in which Live Local is one of the top priorities moving into session. However, we can't really go in depth currently until we see what happens after the November elections and what is the policy priority for the incoming legislature and the administration. Not to say that we're not going to make this a stronger statement. We'll work with you, your office, and the entire commission in ensuring that we encapsulate everything that you've just said today. Okay. Thanks. Yeah. I mean, I think regardless of what happens in the election, we need, we should not be, and I'm directing this to city manager, because I know you're, you're in agreement in the way we're heading, but this is not a reactive approach that we're taking, hoping that our legislature will, you know, be understanding. We need to be proactive. We need to put forward amendments in coordination with the Florida League of Cities, municipalities that are supportive of this. Miami's doing a tremendous job. So, we need to, the time is now. We start coordinating, working with the best live local experts around the state to draft and push and start advocating for our, for a significant adjustment to live local. This is something that we have been unsuccessful the past. I think there have been three live local votes, and we have failed tremendously as a city to somehow clearly convince folks of what the needs are for our representatives to understand how deleterious this is to our community. I've been to Tallahassee. I've, I've talked live local, and the representatives and senators there have been wholly unresponsive to it. And thank you. Yes, he agrees. Thank you. Yes. So, it's, it's tripling our efforts towards us. And I know we've talked about this, and I know we'll keep driving forward. If I can just say something, I agree with what you're saying, but I don't think we have failed as a city. We've been approaching this. We've been going hard with this. There's room to increase, but the way you just put it, it seems like we've been ignoring this, and we haven't. We've been going hard with this. It's what's happening in Tallahassee, where we're getting to shut down with the door. So, for you to say that, I don't think it's fair to the teams that are working, the ones that we have on commission that are working. But your point is, we need to go harder, but I need you to retract that statement that we're not trying. Thank you. I won't retract it, because the votes have been unanimous in our delegation for Live Local. So, the reflection of failure is not on the team here or city staff. I've been to Tallahassee. I've been fighting for this. You have, too. Fantastic. My point is, somehow, we are not communicating or advocating in a way that is changing votes of our elected representatives in Tallahassee, that they continue to vote against our best interests, our neighborhood interests as a city, against neighbors that want to have some say in what development happens in their neighborhood. Of the density, of the infrastructure, of the incredible traffic impact, Live Local eliminates largely our ability to shape that. And so, that's where I think we need to collectively better advocate to get better results. So, that's my point of opportunity. Okay. Very good. Vice Mayor, can I back you up on some of that? Please. So, I think one of the issues that I think is problematic is the 120% for AMI with a county like Broward that has a fairly high AMI. So, we wind up with rents that are actually at or above, in many cases, some market rate rents in the county. I do think 120% works in a lot of other counties that aren't quite as affluent as Broward County is. So, I think if we're going to look at this, I wouldn't suggest we tell the legislature that 120% doesn't work. What I think we should do is perhaps use a tiered approach because there are a lot of other counties that aren't as fortunate as Broward or Miami might be on an income scale. But I think if you're talking, you know, Clay, Baker, Nassau, Bradford, and a lot of these other counties throughout the rest of the state, you're not going to find that same skewed rent in excess of market rent. So, that's just one thought. Yep. You also brought up density. I'm curious, what are your thoughts on density? So, one of the things that I think has been recognized in many areas, whether it's California or Illinois, New York, and now Florida, is that the only way to address a housing crisis is density. So, if we're not going to become more dense, how do we deal with what I understand is we're short a million units nationwide of affordable housing. So, how do we get there without density? Yeah. And I'm curious. Sure. This is a genuine curiosity. So, what would we be recommending to the legislature? I don't think he's against density. No, no. He's just against density. No, he just mentioned density. That's why I'm asking. Yes, but he's, and we all concur. He's, the vice mayor is talking about density in the wrong places. Correct. Cordova Road. Correct. The proposal to put almost three buildings on a road that goes one lane in each direction could not possibly accommodate the increased amount of population that that would generate. That's the kind of talk. That's the kind of talk. So, what do we look for, though? I guess I'm asking, so, what are we proposing when we're suggesting that density is a problem? How do we want to craft that? In other words, if we're going to give a recommendation to the legislature, there needs some specificity, right? Sure. So, we can't just say we're against density. Density is the answer to a housing shortage. So, we're not against density. What is it that we want to see that has to be there? So, we have a fantastic master plan for our city. We have, over years, updated and providing very strong, clear zoning districts within the city. Different zoning land use allows for different density. Our RAC CC is largely where the greatest density is allowed, right? And so, it's sticking with our master plan, sticking with the existing land use plan, sticking with existing zoning to say the neighbors and the city commission for years and years have developed zoning and where they believe density belongs and that we ask that the legislature respect local authority, neighborhood input and guidance as to where they think density is best and allow us to grow in those areas where it's most appropriate, which we have decided. So, that would be my solution, which has served us as a city, I think, very well. Traditionally, when you look at the city, you see density downtown. You see more density coming up north as well, along some of our main corridors. And so, it's respecting the decisions of the commission. And the community. And the community, yeah. So, Commissioner, if I could, and Vice Mayor. So, with density, I mean, this is a statewide piece of legislation. So, you look at a lot of jurisdictions throughout the state. Your maximum density may be 60, 70 units per acre because they don't have a development scheme like we do in Fort Lauderdale. You mentioned our racks, which have an unlimited density, and that's the basis for our live local projects. So, a lot of South Florida jurisdictions have similar schemes, but statewide it's not necessarily a common occurrence. So, you know, you're not getting those high-density developments. I think it's one thing to try to affect change on a new law when a lot of what you're trying to affect is based on what could happen and a perception of what may be. We're three or four years into live local now. I think for us and a lot of other jurisdictions, you're actually seeing what is and what the reality of that legislation is. So, I think from a timing perspective, I think we, Miami Beach, Hillsborough, some of those places you mentioned that are taking a stronger position on live local, we're able to base that on real-world examples, both things that have been built and approved and what we've seen in our communities as the result of live local. So, when we look at how we message that, you know, in Tallahassee and to our delegation and others, it's based on, again, what we've seen, the development projects that have come in, you know, the concentration on 17th as an issue, the high densities as an issue. I think we're in a better position now. Again, Commissioner Beasley-Pibben, you're right, we have messaged this in Tallahassee. I've done it, you know, myself. I know you all have done it on your trips, but we have real examples of how this legislation has actually impacted or potentially could impact our community based on approved projects. So, this is a good time to say, you know, we know what the legislation was for, what the idea behind it was, but here's some things that we think either need to be done to make it better, to be more right-sized for our community, not just the statewide type of legislation, and share that with our delegation to try to make that change. Exactly, and just 17th Street as an example, 17th Street is an F-rated road, right? Okay, there are five live-local projects proposed in proximity to 17th Street. It is already a traffic nightmare, and yet we are, we have the opportunity to challenge this and help folks understand what the impact of this would be for public safety, emergency response time, sewage, water, all of these things that make our city work. So, thank you. And I think the broader message is, you know, we support affordable housing here in Fort Lauderdale. We've created policies and programs to encourage the creation of affordable housing. We're just for better policies and programs to continue to do so. Absolutely, make it real affordable housing, not 120% of AMI. And also, as we all know, and this commission has done a fantastic job on supporting affordable and workforce housing through the multiple programs we have, including our housing trust and so forth. Thank you. That's a good question, though, because, Mayor, you brought up the, or maybe Commissioner Glassman did, the letter we got from the Council of Civic Associations. And I actually responded back and had some conversation with them. Because, yes, we've been pretty good about building some affordable housing. A lot of what we've done, we've been able to do through the low-income housing tax credit programs, which I've got a lot of background and experience working with. But almost everything we've done, we've done through the CRA. The only project that we've done outside of the CRA is the one TIF-specific project that's been done on 17th Street, the Aero Project, if I remember correctly. I don't know if we've done another one outside of that. We've done others. Yeah, there's the Aero on South Andrews, which is almost done. And then there's the, I can't remember the name, I think it's the Cove, which was the link hotel on federal. Well, the Cove is a live local project. It was a live local, but we also did our tax credit. We did some tax credit, but it's a live local project, too. So it's a little bit of both. Point Siena Crossing. Yeah, the city property. It's another housing authority. That was, yeah, housing authority project where we donated the land. Exactly. So the question is, though, as we look at the reduction in funding that's going to be available through the CRA, which is really where we've done, I would say, 98% of our projects have all been done through the CRA. How are we going to continue to do affordable, not workforce, but affordable housing going forward? Because there are developers that will do the workforce housing because it still pencils out in many instances. But, you know, how are we going to continue to provide funding to do true affordable housing? If we're going to do 30% to 50% to 80% of AMI and we're cutting our funds that are available through the CRA, how are we going to do these projects? What do you see the future of this? Well, I think it's a very good question, but why don't we stick to what we're getting? Well, no, because the question was brought up that this is what the Council of Civic Associations, in their letter to us last night that we just addressed, recommended, is we do it through the existing programs that we have. Mayor, it's part of what we've just discussed. I want to know what those existing programs are. No, but I'm saying, how does that relate to the legislative program? That's the subject right now. What message, what recommendations do we want to give to our legislative delegation going forward in the next session? That's a very important topic to discuss, but it's not really what we're here for today. Well, I'm not going to be here for the next one, so I'd like to know today. We all make choices. Please proceed. Thank you. Moving on to pages 6 and 7, under transportation, there are two new positions. The city supports uniform statewide rules for electric bicycles and other micro-mobility devices on sidewalks and shared-use paths, while keeping our ability to regulate them on city sidewalks. We also support keeping vehicle-for-hire permits valid across jurisdictions, with local governments still able to verify those permits and enforce safety rules. The draft notes that we are monitoring legislation on the substances used for utility markings on sidewalks and roadways, and last year's position on anchoring and live-aboard vessels has been resolved, therefore resulting in being removed within the draft. On pages 7 and 8, under home rule, we've added a paragraph asking the state to leave the current vacation rental framework in place. We are not asking for new authority. We are asking the state to not further limit what cities can do on registration, inspections, life safety, and enforcement. The firearms position, which was its own section last year, now sits under home rule with the same language. On page 8, public safety has three additions. The first asks the legislature to create a recurring funding partnership that reimburses fire rescue for responding to incidents on state highways. The draft also supports the use of automated license plate readers with safeguards. Use would be limited to legitimate law enforcement purposes and to trained personnel. Access would be recorded in audit logs, and the technology would never be used to track lawful activity or protected speech. On school zone speed cameras, the city supports keeping the 2023 law and opposes any effort to repeal it. The city has a school safety zone program, which was launched this year, and so we're asking the legislature to define clearly when the cameras operate and which speed limits apply, and to confirm the device approval and evidence standards that are now being challenged in court so citations can hold up. On page 9, finally, under taxes and fees, we have added language protecting the city's authority to levy the local business tax under Chapter 205 Florida statutes, and bills to cap or eliminate that tax have come up in recent sessions, and losing it would cut into revenue that supports city services. Now we get to the fun part on drafts. Before you do that, can I back you up to the firearms position moved under home rule? Could you explain that, please? So the firearms position in past years has been on its own, and since it deals with home rule and how governments can regulate firearms going into their own buildings, it made sense just to move it under the home rule heading versus having it as a standalone issue. Would that change in any way the state's preemption of our ability to regulate firearms in our buildings? We hope. Then I oppose it. That's why the statement has remained exactly how it was in past years. Exactly, because the state's a free state of Florida, and we believe in the Second Amendment. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Understood. So moving on to page 10, all the way through 13, we have the show me your money, show me the money pages, the appropriation requests. So turning to the funding request, in 2026, the program carried 10 projects, totaling about $13.7 million. This 2027 draft carries nine projects, totaling $16.3 million. On page 13, most of the request is for water and wastewater, where a new utilities category includes... Excuse me, you want to move the slide? Yep. Is that advancing? Of course. I've got to multitask today. Keep going. All right, so most of the request is for water and wastewater, as you can see on the slide. A new utilities category includes three requests at $3 million each. The first is a new downtown sewer pump station called Pump Station A5 to add capacity for growth in the urban core. The second is our infiltration and inflow program, our INI program, which finds and repairs the places where groundwater and stormwater leak into the sewer system. And the third is a high-service pump station and storage tank at New Prospect Lake Clean Water Center, which will move treated water into the distribution system. On page 11 in public safety, we are requesting $1.6 million for the Police Tactical Command Center. The center brings the department's technology into one place, supports the drone as first responders program, and gets real-time information to officers while they are... No, it's there. Oh. While they're on their way to a call. In transportation, the Law Solace request increases from $1 million to $2 million, and now focuses on the shop segment between Southeast 6th and Southeast 12th Avenues. Sunrise Lane continues at a reduced request of $713,536. Two transportation projects are new, so we are requesting $1.19 million for the traffic calming and pedestrian safety on Riverside Park. Based on the plan, the neighborhood completed with the city in January. And we are also requesting $1.26 million to build roughly three miles of sidewalk in South Middle River, Lauderdale Manors, and historic Dorsey River Bend, drawn from the city's first sidewalk master plan. Finally, our homelessness request grows from $250,000 to $500,000 for Behavioral Health Housing Stability Program, and it builds on the mental health and substance use program that the city started with the state funding in 2025. So, in short, this 2027 draft keeps the city's core positions, adds new positions on housing, public safety, transportation, and local revenue, and moves the funding request towards water and wastewater infrastructure. And that concludes my overall overview, overall overview. And I'm happy to answer any questions, as the team is here, is happy to answer any questions as well, and we welcome the commission's direction before the program is finalized in November. Great. Thank you so much, Jeff. I've been told there's no money, so why are we asking for $16 million? Have you heard something different from what I've heard? Of course. We're always hearing something different. They tell you that there's money out there? What are we hearing? You want to take that wrong? Candace? I'll have the team come up. Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. Good afternoon, Mayor. And Candace Eriks with Eriks Consultants, and we're here to answer any of your questions, but we can always find money. I just say that because we have a new administration coming in, obviously. We're not quite sure how they're going to do it until we have these conversations and they get in and have the budget expectations for each of those silos, and depending on who those chairs are and everything else. So I think as we can go in with those requests, and then we're going to have to probably modify them if we see it something different. But I think that will be a communication through the team and through Daphne and through the city manager and the city attorney as well. So the messaging that I've been getting is this is not a year to come and ask for much in the way of funding. So I just want to know is what I'm hearing consistent with the messaging that you're getting on a larger scale, not on a specific project. But the overall message that I'm getting is if you've got policy questions, bring those forward. If you're coming with a quantitative financial ask, probably not. So I just want to know if the messaging is consistent. Just to add to that, I think Ronna Brown with Ronald O'Book PA, I think that that's an overly cautious way of looking at approaching the legislative process. I would suggest that if we don't ask, we won't get anything anyway. I think that with a realistic approach of knowing that if we ask for 16, it's not necessarily guaranteed that we'll get 16. But I think that if you have a city, a premier city like Fort Lauderdale, coming to Tallahassee with a nominal amount of requests, I think they're reasonable. I think the projects are good. And I think we should definitely give it our best try. I just want to say that every year we're told there's no money. Correct. And I have to tell you, you folks have done an amazing job at getting money to the city of Fort Lauderdale, better than any other city or municipality in the area. We've gotten more than half, in fact, close to 90% of our requests. And I attribute all that to you folks because you've been working hard, pounding the pavement, going to the legislators, and working with the administration to make sure that the governor approves it. So my hat's off to you folks. You do an amazing job. And while Commissioner Herbst may be hearing the same things that I'm hearing, they always say, you know, there's no money, so go away. But in reality, you know, you've been – the projects are meritorious, and they're all quality of life issues, and they're all part of keeping Fort Lauderdale growing and embracing the growth. And I think that, you know, we can certainly look forward to some measure of allocation from the state legislature. Yeah, Mayor, $1.17 billion budget. I'm confident this team can find dollars. So thank you for your work. I agree. Great work. Keep it up. Thank you. Okay, we have one person to sign up to speak. Thank you, folks. Barbara Stern, is the mic on? Yes. Good afternoon, Mayor, Commission. And Daphne, I just want to say I'm glad to hear there's still some home rule power issues out there because it seems like it's been chipped away and chipped away and chipped away, and we really have nothing left. But I'm just here to touch on a few points, particularly on Live Local. Mayor, you held a great forum, I think it was last year, October time, and we were trying to address concerns over Gallery Amal and the Live Local project there. And our state representative who had that district didn't come to that meeting, didn't want to, you know, face the music from the angry crowd. But, Ben, to your credit, I think it's really important to get a grip on this. Miami and Miami Beach are taking a very strong active role in it, looking at litigation. This is not going to be just a Broward County issue. If we're going to look at a coalition, I think we need to look at a coalition of the tri-county area to get up there, strengthen numbers. And perhaps we invite the people from smaller cities or the western part of Broward to come over and see what we're dealing with. Because if the regulations are three stories or your tallest building, if your tallest building is eight stories, that's one thing. If your tallest building is 47 stories or 50 stories, it's a completely different ballgame. One side does not fit all for Live Local. You don't want to take a good intention law and throw it out, it's like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it needs to be addressed. And this is not something we're going to do just on a local level. We need a consortium of people to get involved and to do something. Because we are going to hurt most, the coastal communities are the ones who are going to be dealing with it the worst, because we have the tallest buildings. So I think if we're looking at this, it can't just be our delegation. And please invite all of them to come walk around and see what we're dealing with. Because Sunrise doesn't have the problems we're having. Weston doesn't have the problems we're having. Sunrise Ranch doesn't have the problems we're having. And some of our neighbors to the north of us and some to the south of us don't have these problems. So as we look at this, please come with not just problems, but problems and solutions. And maybe that is gearing it and changing it. Because the AMI, Area Median Income, pre-COVID, was about $67,000. Well, during COVID, we know what happened, right? Everybody moved to Florida because we were free Florida and it was greater. And our home values went up, which is wonderful. But our Area Median Income this year is about $102,000. What do we think it's going to be three years down the road from now when these projects are built? Probably $120,000, $130,000. It's not going to just level out at $102,000. We're building luxury condos and apartments left and right in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Who can afford to live there? People making higher salaries. It's going to be driving the AMI up. So if we look at this, maybe the cap is $60,000 to $80,000. I mean, the law says up to 120%, right? But if we have programs saying we're going to make it available for people making $100,000 to $120,000, we're not serving workforce. And 60% of that may not be still affordable three years from now. So I think we need to look at it as to what actual income levels are, not necessarily a percentage of AMI. And please work with the tri-county area to get something done. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak on this item? There being none. Did the commissioner have any other comments regarding the legislative agenda? There being none. Thank you so much. Thank you, Daphne. Thank you, Daphne. Daphne, are you going to be here through the end of the meeting? Because I needed to talk with you about something. Okay. Thank you. A second. Hello, Trish. Hello. Hemershee Tactical Urbanism. Ooh, it sounds fighting words. And Streetscape. Oh, now we're softening it. And Streetscape's beautification plan presentation. That's right. Well, good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Commissioners. Today, I'll be presenting on the Hemershee Area Tactical Urbanism and Streetscape Beautification Plan Project. This initiative focuses on exploring opportunities to enhance the Hemershee area through quick installations that are temporary and inexpensive. Our overall goal for this project is to create a more inviting and pedestrian-friendly space. And throughout the presentation, I will walk through the steps that we've taken so far as part of this initiative that include our public outreach, proposed installations, and then our next steps. So, rewinding just a couple years back to 2023, we did do an initiative to do some public outreach and get public feedback on what we would like to see in this area, similar to a vision planning process. So, we took a look at the Hemershee area. It included Southwest 2nd Street and a portion of Southwest 3rd Avenue, but generally, the overall section of that neighborhood was looked at, focusing heavily on the historic district that is Hemershee Village. And then, once that initiative was completed in 2024, it really highlighted some of the issues in the area that needed to be focused on. Related to this initiative are really safety concerns, walkability, and then placemaking. Some of the things that we're heavily focused on as part of that initiative were really to activate the area during daytime, make more inviting public spaces, and utilize the sidewalks as public space. For this initiative in particular, we've done a few initial steps to get started on this. We did receive $50,000 initially in funding in last year's fiscal year budget, or this year's, like last year's, fiscal year 26. So far, we have done some outreach to the community. I'll get into what that's entailed in just a moment. We've developed some initial ideas for what the tactical urbanism installation will be, and kind of created a plan for how that installation could function. Following any installation, we would do some oversight of what that looks like, measure what the successes or any obstacles that we're facing as part of that installation, and then ultimately develop a streetscape beautification plan that would then ultimately be shared with the community and yourselves. So just before I get into the details, I want to take a moment to talk about what tactical urbanism is. It is a temporary installation, usually relatively low cost. It can take many shapes and forms. It can be temporary street furniture. It can be landscaping. In the past, we've used paint. It can be objects that can kind of delineate areas, lighting. So we've used a combination of these things in our proposal. As far as our public outreach and kind of collection of that initial data, we did a walking audit of the area. So that gave us a really good idea of what the challenges and opportunities are in that area. We went out with a lot of different division and department representatives to help us kind of identify what those challenges and opportunities could be. And then we also did a lot of preliminary meetings with area nonprofits, business owners, property owners, just to get feedback on what opportunities they saw as well as the challenges. So opportunities are activating the area, particularly in the daytime. We've seen kind of a pullback of daytime use in that area. So having some more elements on the street that draw people in during the daytime can help to activate the area. Any lighting in the area, additional lighting, can help really highlight intersections and make that more a pronounced part of the area that you identify with the overall sense of place. And it can also open up some additional grant opportunities by testing some of these elements where we can say this was working or not working. As far as challenges, we were kind of directed to a particular area of the Hemershey Street to focus on. The section between the railroad tracks and Southwest 3rd Avenue is very active at nighttime. So there was a lot of comment about not putting some of these temporary installations specifically within that section of the roadway just to avoid any conflicts at night and overcrowding. There were some challenges as far as some of the safety concerns of traffic going along the roadway. And then issues with conflict points of people getting dropped off or picked up by ride share services. We also did an open house on June 11th. And we had a lot of boards that were available for people to give their ideas as far as activation or programming ideas and contribute to the long-term vision. We also asked at that point, what are potential opportunities, but also what are potential challenges. So going into what the actual proposal is at this time, we really did focus on the intersection of Southwest 2nd Street and Southwest 3rd Avenue and the moving westward. So there are four primary elements to the installation. The first is a parklet. And I'll go into a little bit more detail in the later slides about each of these. But that would be an on-street installation of temporary elements in front of the Fat Cats business. And then the second element is lighting. The third is the use of temporary delineators to daylight the different intersections. And then having a timed loading zone right in front of chemistry as well. So then you start to get a little bit more formation of this can be an area specific to where trucks can be located so it eliminates some of the conflict points. So going into a little bit more detail about the parklet system, the parklet that's proposed, it uses some complementary materials and colors that kind of feed off of the design of the historic building that it would be placed in front of. There would be seating up for 18 people, but it could be flexible where elements can be moved around. And then there's visibility into the space by using wire railings. Just breaking out the pieces a little bit apart, you can see the elements and how they come together in a modular system and how they can be broken down once it's time to deconstruct this parklet. Again, this is something we really focused on as part of some of our conversations. We've had follow-up conversations with many of the departments and division representatives to just get feedback on opportunities and challenges that are faced within this type of programming on the street. Of course, this activates the street during the daytime and there's eyes on the street and makes it more vibrant. We plan to have maintenance included in any proposal going forward, but the challenges still are concerns with some of the traffic, how cars and trucks and vehicles get through the space if it's further narrowed along that pathway, and just where materials are stored, how we actually functionally do this installation. The second aspect is the vertical delineators. Those would be placed at the intersection of Southwest 3rd Avenue and Southwest 2nd Street. Those start to give you an idea and a feel for if you were to expand the curbing, what it would look like, what it would feel like. That expanded curbing helps with visibility for pedestrians when they're crossing the street. It also could be an area where you could have seating or outdoor dining located in the future if you were to move forward with that type of installation. We're proposing several freestanding planters. These serve multiple purposes. They're nice to look at. They provide greenery, but they can also provide kind of a crash element for safety to prevent any cars from going into the people-oriented area. And then we're also proposing some lighting at the intersection. Like I said before, this is something that can start to provide more of a sense of place. It's a low-cost installation that can be quick to put in but also take out and can provide more visibility for pedestrians in the evening and nighttime. So to give an idea of the next steps, we do need to do a code amendment as part of this proposal. So we are working with the city attorney's office to come up with an amendment to allow for a pilot project that's a city-led initiative for the parklet specifically. So that would be coming forward to you in the coming months. We need to do some coordination with TAM and with permitting as part of the parklet installation and the installation of the materials. We would be planning to do the procurement of materials in the springtime with installation in early April 2027. And it would be installed for a period of approximately 90 days. During that time, we would collect feedback from users of the installation, and then that information would be put into a beautification plan. And that concludes my presentation. I appreciate your attention. Let me ask you something. Your attention. Let me ask you. First of all, thank you for presenting this. So, you know, you talk about trying to activate the use during the daytime and creating an ambiance where it becomes more inviting with some of these parklets and benches and lighting and trees. I don't know if lighting is important during the daytime, but I think you mean them as monument features to make it look like a sense of place. So, what comes first, the change of the retail or creating this environment to encourage a change of retail? Because most of the retail here is all nighttime stuff, right, for the most part. For the most part. Yeah. It's dead. It's a ghost town in the daytime, right? Yeah. Which wasn't always the case, right? But it just – and we'll be talking about that more tonight, as you know. So, the question is, is this premature for us to consider funding and implementing before the retail changes, or would this encourage the retail to diversify if, in fact, we made this investment? I think sometimes when you do a temporary installation, it can create a synergy to encourage people to make improvements to their own properties, but also, you know, bring people in and say, well, that is an interesting concept, and that's working there. And I'm enjoying my time during the day and seeing the potential for this location. But if you don't do that and experiment with those temporary installations, then you aren't creating that vision. Okay. Anyone have any questions? There are a couple people who signed up to speak. You want to wait until they speak, and then we'll have city commission comments. Is Jenny Moore on here? Did she leave? Oh, okay. Followed by Barbara Stern. Anyone else wish to speak besides those two individuals? There will be none. Thank you so much, Jenny, for being here. Good afternoon. First and foremost, Jenny from the DDA. I just wanted to thank Trish, Ella, Anthony, and the team, because I know that this is a very well-intended effort, and it really started, as you mentioned, with the overall revitalization plan, which has several components. And fortunately, some of the zoning code changes have been implemented by you all to encourage redevelopment. Again, tonight we'll discuss policy changes. Public realm improvements are certainly important. And it was really, what, about six years ago, DDA invested about a million dollars in Second Avenue, just parallel to the railroad tracks, with the intention of almost a similar approach, that you catalyze what's to come from private investment as well. The timeframe may align perfectly with some policy change that's being discussed, and I think of probably all the businesses down there, Ian and the daytime use, having a restaurant, it is the preferred location. But even at this small dollar amount, it would be the belief of the DDA that a broader strategic public realm investment needs to be implemented, and that this short-term fix, in light of today's present conditions of the area, with virtually no daytime activity, but significant crowds through the evening, is potentially not the best use of city efforts. But nonetheless, we stand ready, like we did when the DDA, wasn't me, in the early 2000s, improved Second Street from 7th Avenue all the way to Federal Highway. And as part of maybe a bigger effort with additional support and funding, we'd be more than happy to participate in that at the right time. All right, great. Thank you so much. Barbara Stern. Good afternoon, Mayor, Commission. Barbara Stern, I'm here today just in my individual capacity. I know on Friday you guys received a letter from the DDA, a combined letter from the DDA and PACA, which I was listed as a signer. Many people were listed as a signer. I personally never saw the letter before it came out, and while I agree with probably 95% of what was in that letter, I don't agree with all of it. I know you're going to speak about that more tonight. When we talk about what Second Street was and what it is today, let's keep in mind, because I've been in downtown since forever, but I've worked downtown since the 2000s. When we had restaurants over there, we didn't also have restaurants downstairs from every building like we do now. We didn't have as many options. So the crowd did go to Second Street for lunch. The crowd did go to Second Street for happy hour. But we didn't have the vibrant downtown that we have now. So now our Second Street is what it was intended to be some time ago, an area for young people to come out to at night. And that's what's happening. We may not like that it's a ghost town during the day, but we have so many more options now than we had 20 years ago, so many more options than we had 15 years ago. I believe that there should be a permit in a process for people to continue. We have businesses that have invested in there. I understand the DDA and other people have invested their private money for development, but we have local businesses who have invested their money and their resources to be there. And there needs to be some balance. We built up a downtown for young people to have a place to live, work, play. And Second Street is just part of that avenue of where they come and play. Whether we like it or not, that's what's happening. We have so many young people living downtown that we never had before. We've got society, which is basically like dorm rooms. Those people come down, they use that area, and they're there. People don't come to Second Street anymore for lunch because you could come out your door on Las Olas and go anywhere. You could come out your door on Third and go anywhere. It's just we've evolved and we've changed. But 15 years ago, the arguments were don't change the whole city, don't change Second Street, because we're building a life for young people to be downtown, and that's what it is now. Does it need to be cleaned up? Absolutely. When Gretzis was here as city manager, I think they went around scraping up the gum off the streets, and perhaps we need to be doing more of that. And pressure cleaning. I was just down at Las Olas and A1A, and the sidewalk there is disgusting. You have buildings with broken windows. And I know that there is redevelopment that's going on there, too, but we've allowed that area to look like a mess. So if we're doing this, do it holistically, but also keep in mind what we have downtown. It's very different than what we had 15 years ago when people were coming there for lunch. People still want to go to a place for a nightlife, and that's a lot of what we have downtown. And I know that there's plans in the future. I know two years ago we did a bid where we granted a developer rights to build a luxury apartment right across from Masplanade Park. If part of this is redevelopment to help those kind of issues, the apartments, all the luxury stuff that's starting to come to Second Street, then let's be honest to the community and say, we're getting ready for luxury development on Second Street, and it's going to change, and your nightlife is going away. Because that's the way I and a lot of other people view what these plans are. Thank you. Okay, thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak on this item? You need to sign up so you can speak, but sign up after you do that, okay? Please identify yourself. How are you doing today, guys? My name is Ian Lowe. I'm one of the owners at Original Fat Cats. I do know that it's slower on Second Street during the day, but I'm open from 1130 in the morning till 4 a.m. every day, and where the parklet is being proposed is right in front of my business, and my lunch crowd is pretty strong. Can it attract more people and more businesses? I do believe so. I just want to hope you guys keep that into consideration as you do so. I know there's less businesses open, but myself, Pizza Craft, Emily's Garden, that side of that Second Street is open every day. So I just wanted to keep that in mind. Okay. Thank you. Ian, if you may, how do you feel about this proposal for the tactical urban, this temporary installation? How do you feel? I've been working with Tricia and everybody for the past few months and trying to work out the details. My main concern is one of the ones spoken is as far as safety in vehicles and having like a cement planters and that kind of setup to make sure it stays safe. In fact, we're 100% for it. We're excited if it does happen, and I think that it will be used in the right way that you guys are hoping that it is used for. Thanks. Yes, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you for your time. All right. Very good. Any comments or questions? Are we looking forward to – should we have staff continue to pursue this? Is that what we're – it's your district issue. It is my district. Thank you. Yes, I actually want to see us move forward. This is a temporary installation. It's not an overly large or significant amount of money, but I think what I like about it is that it does show people that we are serious about making some changes, whether they're aesthetic or policy-wise or whatever, and I think it also gives us a good indication of what might work going down the road when we're looking towards something more permanent. Again, it's a temporary installation. I like anything that is going to basically help the aesthetics of the corridor, so I think it is worthwhile just moving forward with this, seeing where it takes us. And then if we are able to implement this, we're then going to get a good read about how it's working, what it looks like, what maybe can happen in addition to that. I just think it's a good start. I'm in favor of it. All right. Any other comments or questions? Okay. There being none. City Manager, do you have any further business to the Commission? Nothing further. Okay. Folks, let me just say something. You know, the Commission wanted to move the beginning of this meeting back to 1 o'clock instead of 1.30. I would like to see if the Commission would agree to move it to 1.30 again. Here we have a gap of two hours now between the time we're ending this meeting and the beginning of the evening meeting, and that has been consistent for the last several months. It allows me to meet with representatives of clients who somehow at the last minute need to meet with me before a meeting. Probably the same with you folks, too. Is there any appetite to just moving it back to 1.30? Are we okay with that? Any objection to that? I'm fine with moving it back to 1.30. I agree. We've been having these rather long gaps, and I think it makes sense to me. It's a better use of time sometimes to be able to meet with people right before the Commission meeting. Are we okay with that? I'm okay with 1.30. I also want to add, you know, every opportunity I get to say this, I think we should also move the reports back to the end because we have our neighbors here, those individuals who have come to give their comments to the agenda items, and they're sitting, they have to sit through our, ringing our bell and say what we've done for the last 15 days. And when you see the faces, you know, they're not exactly all excited about it, but, you know, that's the suggestion that I have. They don't want to hear about your ribbon cuttings? Exactly. I'm not even excited about it. Because it gives them opportunity, and a lot of them, their times are restricted. They're here. We could do that. Yeah, I agree with that. Move. I think the comments should be after. I still like starting earlier because there are times where we have very full city conference meeting agendas, and it's important to have plenty of time to do that. But, you know. We should switch it back for now and see what happens. I think the city manager, the last few meetings, the conference agenda has allowed us to conclude by 4 or 4.30 every time. And I just think that why don't we just try it now and see how it goes. And if you want to move the commission reports to the end, that's fine also. And that way we don't have to allow the public to endure our comments. That sounds good. I like it. Okay. Very good. All right. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned. Meeting adjourned.