Good evening and welcome. The February 11th, 2026 City of Plantation City Council meeting is now called to order at 6.01 p.m. Ms. Beggerel, please call the roll. Council Member Anderson. Council Member Andreu. Here. Council Member Fajan. Here. Council Member Horland. Here. Council Member Reinstein. Here. Mayor Sortel. Here. City Attorney Ezra. Here. Thank you. Thank you very much. And I have the privilege of providing tonight's opening remarks. And if you had any doubt, I'm wearing red. It is Heart Month and we'll be presenting a proclamation shortly. So I was thinking about this a little bit. The spark of life, fount of emotion, house of the soul. The heart lies at the center of every facet of our existence. It is so bound up in our deepest feelings that it can physically change shape when we experience emotional trauma. If a heart bestows life and death, it also instigates metaphor. It has become a vessel filled with meaning over the centuries. Today, we know that emotions do reside in, don't reside in the heart per se, but we nevertheless continue to subscribe to the heart's symbolic connotations. Heart metaphors abound in everyday life and language. To take heart is to have coverage, courage. To speak from the heart conveys sincerity. If your heart goes out to someone, you sympathize with his or her problems. Reconciliation or repentance requires a change of heart. Like the biological heart, the metaphorical heart has both size and shape. A big-hearted person is generous. A small-hearted person is selfish. The metaphorical heart also possesses the characteristic of geography. The center of a place is its heart. To get to the heart of something is to find out what's truly important. And just as the statue or monument at the heart of a city often has something to do with love, bravery, or courage, so too is it with the human heart. So may you love and be loved. May you be brave. May you be courageous. And may you treat your heart, both the biological and the metaphysical, with care. And now will you join me in standing for the pledge? I pledge. All right. We're going to get right into that heart proclamation I told you about. Drew, could you and your team join me, please? As cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death worldwide, and each year more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the United States, with approximately 10% of people surviving. And whereas about 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur at home, meaning that people nearby, often family members, are the first and the most critical link in the chain of survival. Whereas immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation, CPR, can double or even triple a person's chance of survival. Yet only about 41% of people who experience cardiac arrest receive immediate CPR from someone nearby. And fewer than 12% receive aid from an automatic external defibrillator, AED, before advanced help arrives. And whereas for adults and teens, hands-only CPR, calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest, can double or triple the chance of survival. While infants and children require CPR with rescue breaths to restore oxygen and circulation. And whereas each year more than 23,000 children experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital, with almost 40% related to sports and nearly 20% occurring among infants. Cardiac arrest accounts for 10 to 15% of sudden unexpected infant deaths. And whereas studies show that women are less likely than men to receive CPR before advanced help arrives due to fear of causing harm, perceived legal risk, or discomfort about physical contact. Factors that must be addressed through education and awareness. And whereas the American Heart Association has set a bold goal to double survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030 through its Nation of Life Savers initiative, empowering people everywhere to confidently perform CPR and use AEDs. And whereas straightforward community-based solutions such as CPR and AED education, public access to defibrillators, cardiac emergency response plans, CERPs, in schools, workplaces, and public spaces, can save lives and strengthen community readiness. And whereas this year, the CEO of HCA Westside Hospital and Plantation, Drew Tyra, is serving as chairperson of the 2026 Broward Heart Walk. And whereas the City of Plantation will join Drew and a community of his lifesavers by participating in the Broward Heart Walk at Nova Southeastern University on March 8, 2026. And whereas, we encourage the community to join us at the walk and by participating in the Move More challenge of getting 150 minutes of movement each week to keep our hearts healthy. And now, therefore, Nick Sortel, Mayor, and the City Council of Plantation, Florida, do hereby proclaim February 2026 as American Heart Month in the City of Plantation, and encourage all residents to learn CPR, promote awareness of cardiac arrest and emergency response, and join the effort to build a nation of lifesavers, ensuring that every person everywhere is prepared to act in a cardiac emergency. And now I'd like to introduce Drew and let Drew introduce everyone that's here with us this evening. Drew? Great. Councilmember, thank you so much. I appreciate all the support. Drew Tyrer. I have the privilege of serving as CEO at HCA Florida Westside Hospital here in Plantation. And also, as you mentioned, humbled to be our chair of the Broward Heart Walk this year, where we anticipate thousands of people being there on Sunday, March 8, early in the morning at Nova. And my message is simple. Come walk. Everyone here tonight, come walk. Come walk and celebrate with so many survivors that will be there who've dedicated resources and their time to doing so much for the community and for us to just pour as many resources in to our Lifesaver campaign with American Heart. So with me tonight, we have Cleo Bedway, our Director of Communications and Community Engagement. We've got Sabine from American Heart, as well as David. So thank you all for being here tonight, and thank you for all the support. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thanks for being here tonight. Okay. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. And I have a proclamation for Owen Duke, who was very engaged in our city. And before I start, I want to remind everybody there is a celebration of life at 10 a.m. Saturday for Mr. Duke at the 1270 South Pine Island Road outside? 1270 South Pine Island. Okay, I was close. You were in. Yeah. So whereas Owen Duke, a longtime resident of Plantation, passed away on October 17th, leaving a lasting legacy of leadership, service, creativity, and dedication to the community. Whereas Mr. Duke was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, whose love for his family and commitment to others defined his life and character. And whereas Mr. Duke enjoyed a distinguished professional career spanning more than six decades in real estate development, brokerage, and finance, during which he demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial vision, integrity, and leadership. And whereas Mr. Duke made significant contributions to the built environment and economic growth of numerous communities around the U.S., including projects in Denver, Phoenix, San Antonio, Princeton, Tampa, and Plantation, and devoted more than 20 years to the development and enrichment of the Cornerstone Corporate Park. And whereas Mr. Duke remained professionally active throughout his life, continuing to work on select projects through Eddington Duke. And whereas Mr. Duke demonstrated outstanding civic leadership and community involvement through his service on numerous boards and organizations, including Greater Plantation Chamber of Commerce, HCA Westside Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, City of Plantation Midtown Development Advisory Board, and South Florida Office Brokers Association, and South Florida Board of Realtors. And whereas Mr. Duke was also a lifelong champion of the arts, a gifted visual artist, writer, and mentor, whose dedication to creativity, education, and storytelling enriched the cultural life of the communities. And whereas the City of Plantation wishes to formally recognize and honor the life, service, enduring legacy of Owen E. Duke. Now therefore, I, Nick Sortel Mayor, and the City Council of Plantation do hereby honor and commemorate the life and legacy of Owen E. Duke. Hello, everybody. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, City Council members. Thank you to the City of Plantation. This proclamation means more than I can truly express. It represents what Owen lived and worked for for the last 20 years. City of Plantation gave Owen purpose. It gave him a community, and it gave him something to wake up for every single day. I want to sincerely thank each department, City of Plantation, Office of the Mayor, Council Members, Administration, Building Department, City Clerk, Engineering Department, Environmental Services, Landscape Division, Financial Services, the Fire Department, Parks and Rec, Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development, Police Department, Procurement, Public Works, and Utilities, and yes, even, of course, Code Enforcement. You're all very meaningful parts of Owen's life, and I've said this before, and I truly believe it. Owen lived as long as he did because of your involvement, because of the respect and kindness that you all showed to him. I want to thank you all for being part of Owen Duke's story. We do have a celebration of life. As the Mayor said, it's going to be held this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Cornerstone Corporate Park at 1270 South Pine Island Road, just north of 595 and just south of Peters Road. That will be on this Saturday at 10 a.m. Please accept this as a personal invitation. All are welcome. Thank you for presenting this proclamation in honor of Owen Duke. I truly, truly appreciate it, and hope to see you all on Saturday. Thank you. Continuing with items submitted by the Mayor, Mayor, waiver of conflict for Mr. Mike Hooley. I waive my conflict. All right. Thank you very much, Mayor. Just to put a little more on the record, so this is being presented publicly for transparency reasons, right? So, Mr. Hooley is the Mayor's appointment to Plantation Gateway. The CRA is going to be voting on a grant funding agreement, which is going to be coming up as part of the next meeting. In an abundance of caution to make sure there's no conflict for Mr. Hooley doing business with Plantation, with the CRA, the Mayor is on the record waiving any potential conflict under the Sections 112.313, subparagraph 3 and 7 of Florida Statutes. Thank you, Mr. Oswald, for that detailed explanation for the record. Thank you very much. Next up, Parks and Recreation update. Director O'Toole. Good evening, Council. A couple of upcoming events in our Parks and Recreation Department. This weekend, February 13th through 16th, we'll be hosting the Westin Cup Soccer Tournament at Sunset Park and PAL Park. Monday, February 16th, we've got a Kids' Day Off program at Volunteer Park from 7.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, February 20th, we've got movies in the park, Lilo and Stitch at Jim Ward Community Center. The gates open at 5.30. The movie starts at dusk. In our tennis division, Thursday and Friday. This weekend, we've got the Clay Court Classic at Veltree Tennis Center. In our aquatics division, starting tomorrow through Sunday, the Southern Zone Classic Swim Meet. The pool will be closed to the public beginning at 12 noon tomorrow. We'll reopen on Monday. And at the equestrian center, Saturday, February 21st, Plantation Acres Saddle Club horse show. It starts at 9 a.m. In our athletics division, we're registering for adult athletics, basketball, flag football, kickball, and softball. And a quick side note, some of you, I'm sure you all remember, you approved the installation of a new gym floor several months ago. Happy to report the gym's been painted. It was painted over the holidays. Floor was installed. PAL, in anticipation of their new basketball season, organized a little all-star game with the kids that played last season and are signed up. We're going to do a little event for them tomorrow at 7 p.m. to kind of unveil the new floor. So if any of you are free, I'd be happy to have you. It's at 7 o'clock tomorrow in the gym. So thanks for approving that so swiftly for us. And we got it done. So it looks great in there. So stop by if you can. Thank you, Mr. Toole. All right. And it is now 6-16. We are going to recess the City Council meeting and call the CRA meeting to order. Ms. Beggarro, please call the roll. Commissioner Anderson. Here. Commissioner Andreu. Here. Commissioner Fajan. Here. Commissioner Horland. Here. Commissioner Reinstein. Here. Commissioner Sortel. Here. Mr. Attorney Ezra. Here. Thank you, Ms. Beggarro. The CRA consent agenda consists of items 1 through 3 and may be approved with one motion. Does any member of the commission wish to pull an item? Yes. Number 1, please. Okay. Anybody else? Any member of the public? All right. Do I have a motion on items 2 and 3? Motion for items 2 and 3. Okay. Second? I'll second. Ms. Beggarro, please call the roll. Commissioner Anderson. Yes. Commissioner Andreu. Yes. Commissioner Fajan. Yes. Commissioner Horland. Yes. Commissioner Reinstein. Yes. Commissioner Sortel. Yes. All right. Item number 1 is a resolution in support of the City of Plantation's build grant application. Council Member Reinstein. Yes. Thank you. So, this item is for a grant in support of the construction of two EV chargers at Plantation Ford in the amount of $75,000. The reason why I pulled this is that I'm 100% in support of whatever we can do to support our CRA and the redevelopment of the 441 corridor and the businesses that are located there. I, prior to our meeting, I had a conversation with Glendon Hall, who is the individual that runs the CRA for us and has the best insight and knowledge into the businesses that are located there. And I wanted to just voice publicly what my concern was, and that is that there are, at least there appear to be, just from driving on 441, a lot of businesses that could utilize a grant of $75,000. I don't think that that can really be in question. And this particular grant is going to Plantation Ford for EV chargers that are totaling, in the total package for the project, totaling $577,928. And the concern that I had raised is that, frankly, whether or not Plantation Ford needed the $75,000 grant in order to make this project happen. And what I wanted was to really just put it out there in the public and have Mr. Glendon Hall really confirm what he affirmed to me, and that is that in his work for us and for the city and for the CRA that assisting Plantation Ford with this project is in the best interest of the entire community and that in looking at all of the businesses that they have come forward or have expressed interest in working with the CRA, bettering the CRA, this was a project that was on the table and it seemed like a good use of those funds. And I really just wanted to say that and ask Mr. Hall, if you can come forward, if there's anything else to add or to explain in terms of the decision for the grant to go towards this project at this time. Glenn Hall, CRA Director. Good evening. So I wanted to add to that also is that this installment of these chargers, it's public use, and we want to make sure that we're investing into the infrastructure of the CRA, and this is part of that infrastructure. The CRA has no EV chargers, and when we adjusted the previous program as defined in the memo, the previous program was essentially not used. It was very basic brick paint. It was probably only used three times, and two times I've encouraged people to do it, so it wasn't really effective. So the feedback was to expand that so it could be more useful. And as a result of that, as you've seen, there's been tremendous reinvestment into the gateway. We have the large catalytic investments as for the publics, inviting, doing incentives for the new HCA emergency room, et cetera. All the other developments are going through. So when we expanded this grant offering, there was already discussions from not only Plantation Ford, but from Dutchies to actually have an EV charger to actually enhance the experience of the visitors. And actually, it's public, and so it attracts people to the district because it provides the folks with EVs of service. I have an EV myself, and there's nothing of that sort in the infrastructure of the gateway. So this is something that will attract visitors to the gateway and promote the gateway businesses. And as I mentioned to you, the grant program now, we're really trying to get it more into the group going out and really, really advertising it and promoting it. And as I mentioned, it wasn't like we had about 30 people applying, and we had to pick the large one versus the smaller one. These projects are coming to us, and we're ranking them. And also, as I mentioned, the discussion of having an EV charging station in the district was already being discussed by Plantation Ford and with Dutchies, another one. And I think Dutchies is going to be trying to do that also. So it's basically investment in the infrastructure of the gateway to attract the reinvestment into the gateway, and it's working. Councilor President, may I? And I just want to make one further point on that, though, and this is something that you and I discussed, is that my concern was that in deciding to use the grant funds at this time for this project, is that this project would have likely gone forward without the grant funds. We're already taught it was over, it's at $577,000, and so this grant didn't likely just push it over to allow it to happen. And the insight that you provided was that even if that is the case, this is a business that was seeking the assistance and seeking the grant funds and that will still benefit for it and the public will benefit for it. That's why you brought it forward and you believe that it is a good investment for the CRA. Yes, because if, for example, it was being used to expand their showroom, that wouldn't be acceptable. This is a public access use. It's an infrastructure that benefits everybody in the gateway, not just the customers of Plantation Ford. Very good. Thank you very much. Councilmember Anderson? All right, just to add to it, I rolled all that around in my head judging. We're doing it as well. Obviously, all the businesses along the CRA contribute according to their millage rate, so Plantation Ford contributes a lot of money into that, correct? Yes. Right, and they're putting $570,000 of their own money into it, and this is $75,000 as a catalyst, just like we did for Publix and others, to do exactly what its mission is. Yeah, this is a reimbursement. Well, all of the grants, these funding are reimbursement based. Right. They have to put their money up first and get CO. Right, so I weighed all that, and ultimately, I'm going to vote yes on this as well, but it made me think of something. When we approved the Publix project at Broward and 441, are there just EV capable, or were they wired for EV? There's no EV there. They didn't put EV in? Because as in the memo… They didn't have some spaces that they were going to, or were they going to make them… Well, the state preempts us now. We can't require it. Yeah, I… Yeah. There are reasons why we were encouraging it for private businesses, because we were preempted by the state to require it. We can't require it for anybody there. So what we're trying to do is incentivize private businesses to do it, and we'll assist them on their behalf. So that's what helps. So Publix didn't voluntarily put… No. I thought they put… Maybe the infrastructure, but they have no… Okay, that's what it was. It's not there. They ran the feeds, but didn't put the chargers in or something like that. Okay. I also want to point out, too, the majority of the cost is infrastructure. It's almost like 60%. So a lot of the cost is really requirements from the state and the city. So that's another point of reference, also, to consider. Well, thank you. Thank you, council members. Thank you, Mr. Hall. Anybody from the public wish to comment on this item? All right. Do we have a motion, council members? Motion to approve. Second. All right. Ms. Bigaro, please call the roll. Commissioner Anderson? Yes. Commissioner Andreu? Yes. Commissioner Fajan? Yes. Commissioner Horland? Yes. Commissioner Reinstein? Yes. Commissioner Sortle? Yes. All right. Thank you. Moving on to public requests of the commissioners regarding the CRA. Mr. Conklin? Dennis Conklin, 4581 Northwest Sixth Court. Heavenly hosts protect you and all of your families. I'm just here to request that we give kudos to Mr. Glendon Hall because, as I say, we're in warp speed now after almost 30 years, sadly, of, I don't want to say neglect, but of weak muscles in the gateway and CRA. Publix is going, I mean, gangbusters, and as I mentioned, my wife shops at Ross, and now she won't have to cross State Road 84, so this is terrific. We were upstate visiting Grand Babies. I got to see some of the HCA emergency rooms, so establishments, and it looks like what we're going to have here in the gateway, so just totally amazing. And the car washers just about ready to kick off, too. I mean, they've been pouring concrete, and they're like crazy, so I yield back my time. Thank you very much, Mr. Conklin. All right. Any other public requests of the CRA? None? All right. It is 628, and we will reconvene the City Council meeting. CRA meeting is adjourned at 628. All right. We will begin with public requests of the Council regarding municipal affairs. Mr. Conklin, you probably should have stayed up here. You're up first. As Mr. Conklin is coming up, to those who wish to speak, we request that you complete a speaker form. If you have not done so already, please do so. When you are called, please approach the podium and make sure the green light is on the microphone. You will have three minutes to make your request to Council. Please state your name and address, and please address your remarks to the Council President, not the Mayor, nor individual members of the Council. Please keep your remarks to the allotted three minutes. Thank you. Please use your time efficiently. If extra time will be needed to conclude your remarks, please ask for it as your time is expiring and not prior to the beginning remarks. Mr. Conklin. Dennis Conklin, 4581 Northwest 6th Court. If I may approach, I have a package for each. I'm going to deal basically with the top sheet. Ronald Reagan's birthday was the 6th of February, and he was born in 1911. This is my 16th year of requesting that the city co-designate. That's a new word I learned because it worked up in northern Broward County. We're co-designating Northwest 65th Avenue and Northwest 5th Street roadways, which have access to the United States Post Office, the City Hall, the Plantation Police Headquarters, the Plantation Fire Department Headquarters, and to co-designate that as Ronald Reagan Way. As you know, it's two goofy sort of truncated streets. I live on one of the non-co-designated streets, Park East. You see there's no 46th Avenue or everything else like that. When I go to Mass every day, I go by five co-designated streets. You've got, after that, at the same corner, you have Country Club Circle, and that is co-designated. And then you have Fig Tree Lane, which is 59th Avenue, co-designated. And then I turn into St. Gregory's by way of Cassidy Boulevard, which isn't co-designated. And when I come out of St. Gregory's, I come out on University and I turn at 5th Street. And this is one of the places that I would like to have designated as Ronald Reagan Way. It's a light box. I'll get into that. At 70th Avenue, it's really cheap. The signs would be really cheap. And at Plantation Road, which is a co-designated stop, it's another cheap location. And then 65th Avenue, which is a light box situation. And each year that I brought this up, and I said I would offer up to $2,000, just like the Women's Club, to provide making it and installing these signs. As you can see, the whole bloody world has recognized Ronald Reagan in some way or other, plazas, statues, you name it. It's in the proclamation. And I've always said, you can write it the way you want it. I'm just, this is my 16th year. I live on the corner of the non-designated street. And when my kids were going to the park, Six Court Park, 15 seconds. Wrap it up, please. We had to cross our kids every day on that very busy cut through street. And I asked, because in Lauderhill, all their streets were 25 mile an hour, to just make that cut through street 25 miles an hour. I asked for about 12 years. My kids were in college. But they did change it to 25 mile an hour. So they say three's a charm. I think 16 ought to be a charm for the redesignation. Thank you very much, Mr. Conklin. Great. Next up, Dr. Karen Scott. Dr. Scott, nice to see you again in Council Chamber. Can you approach? Yes, please. Thank you very much. Okay. So here I am again. Thank you for having me. I wanted to come back to you and thank you for your support with the Parent Power Up program. I did the first session last month, and it was a huge success. Since then, I wanted to just give you an update on where I am with that. I recognized and I heard in the meeting last month something that I'm very familiar with, the fact that students are doing a mass exodus away from our public schools. I think a lot of it is because our parents simply need to be more informed. And that relationship between our parents and our schools need to be extended, grown, nurtured. And that's something I'm very much committed to doing in the area. Since the workshop, I have started doing weekly parent tips. I started Saturday at the end of the week. I do Saturday power tips for parents and educators. That got a lot of hits and a lot of views. And you can scan the QR code on the flyer that I gave you and you can see those. I'm doing videos every month on issues that parents seem to need more knowledge and information about. And I will continue doing that. I'm looking at putting the Parent Power Up trainings every month online and doing them virtually so that I don't have to put a cap on the number of individuals who are interested. So I ask that you continue to support what I'm doing to help educate parents and let them know that the schools and the educational system, that's their friend. You know, we're not on different sides. We're all working together because when parents are empowered, children are empowered and everybody wins. So thank you. You'll continue to see me and I'll continue to give you updates on what I'm doing with the parents. And I do want to work collaborative with you and with the school district so that together we can help all of our parents and our children to see success and be successful. Thank you so much. Thank you, Dr. Scott. Great. Are there any other members of the public that would like to address the council? I'm not seeing anybody. Public requests of the council regarding municipal affairs are now closed. We'll move on to the consent agenda, which consists of items 1 through 15 and may be approved with one motion. Does any member of the council wish to pull an item? Yes. Item 10, please. Anybody else? No? Does any member of the public, Mr. Nguyen, I have number 9 for you. Okay. Any other member of the public wish to pull an item? All right. Councilmembers, may I have motion to approve items 1 through 15, minus 9 and 10? Thank you. Councilmember Andreu, do I have a second? Second. Thank you. Ms. Beggro, please call the roll. Councilmember Reinstein? Yes. Councilmember Anderson? Yes. Councilmember Andreu? Yes. Councilmember Fajan? Yes. Councilmember Horland? Yes. Thank you. Item number 10, agreement number 065-25, Independence Day Fireworks Term Agreement. Well, it's yours. Yes. Thank you very much. So, we have before us a proposed agreement for the next two years for fireworks. And I know that myself and maybe others from the council had raised some questions as to how the cost of these fireworks displays that I've been attending my whole life in the city and they are a lot of fun. I've attended them in other cities as well and it is definitely part of, I'm going to say the fabric of our country is celebrating 4th of July with amazing firework displays. Now comes the however, right? The however, is that in recent years I think that there has been a true recognition that for some the fireworks are not all fun and games. And whether we're talking about veterans suffering from PTSD, whether we're talking about fur babies, we're talking about animals, we're talking about those that have some concerns or I'm going to say negative effects or response. And in recent years we've also seen that a lot of cities have had some truly amazing and fantastic drone shows. And we had one in our own city for the recent 70th celebration and it was incredible. And so I know that I had asked and I think maybe others had asked for the Parks and Rec Department and procurement to provide some comparison as to what the cost would be for a drone show. And I think what we were provided was a either or, either fireworks or drones. Although I think that there may be some opportunity for a drone show with some fireworks if that was what people were leaning towards if they weren't interested in one or the other. My concern right now is that I know that I just received an email today with some backup. I don't know what my colleagues think about it or how much time they have had to review it. I know that obviously the comparison has not been provided to the public. And so I'm a little concerned with voting on it right now without the information that I just received on the drones having more time to consider it and that being put before the public. But, um, Mr. Spencer, I see you're already up here. Is there anything to add, um, that or, or Ms. O'Toole, Director O'Toole, is there anything to add in regards to, um, the timing for the contract? Um, I see you shaking your head. I was, I was thinking that that may be where you would go. Correct. I'm Charles Spencer, procurement director. Um, there is a timing issue with getting a slot in with the contractor. If we miss a window, then, um, it gets absorbed by some other agency or some other private agency. Um, and we may not have the opportunity to have the show when we want to have the show. Um, and, and that makes sense. Um, and I, I, I do believe that we did start this discussion last year. Um, I think we had some discussion about, uh, opportunities for, for a drone show. Um, we didn't continue it. And we maybe should have before it came back on the agenda. Um, but I, I didn't put it on or request it on until seeing it now on the agenda. Um, in that regard is that this current contract that is before us or their current agreement is for the next two years. Um, could we only decide on next year as opposed to a, a two year term agreement? So the agreement in front of you does have a termination for convenience clause. So if we pursue, say you wanted to do the show this year and you all discussed not to want to do the show in 2027, then yes, we can opt out at that point because there is a termination for convenience clause, um, within the contract document. And despite, um, having, uh, my own law degree, um, in terms of, um, the definition of convenience in this regard, is that, um, what are the limitations on convenience here? In this particular case, there are no limitations, whatever at the sole discretion of the city, as long as we provide the vendor at least 30 days written notice. Um, I don't know if any of my colleagues have any other thoughts or, or concerns. Um, it may be only me, but, um, I would welcome any other thoughts from my colleagues. I'd like to weigh in and then I'll, uh, and thank you for bringing it up. Council member Einstein, then I'll turn it over to council member Fadgen. He's buzzed in. Um, I think it's a worthwhile discussion and I, it's something that I've wrestled with, um, over the years as we've had some residents complain to us about, as you mentioned, the PTSD, also children with autism, um, you know, with, with the fireworks. What I'm looking at right now and looking at the cost of it, um, my preference tonight would to be go ahead to prove the contract if we do have that opt out for the second year. Um, I will fill you in later on the call that I had with, uh, the Florida League of Cities when we're talking about property taxes. And we're talking about potential impacts to our budget. I would not be comfortable, uh, because of the fireworks, just so the, if the public hasn't looked at it would be a lot less expensive or less expensive than some of these drone shows. So my preference would be to go ahead with the, the, um, contract tonight and then have the further discussion. Uh, council member Fadgen. Thank you, council president. Um, I'm, I'm willing to like hear a conversation regarding it. Um, but the thought of not having fireworks on the 4th of July is just undesirable to me. Um, so I understand some of the concerns, you know, I would, I would describe the, the drone show for the 70th anniversary as interesting. It wasn't exciting. Um, I think we would have a huge drop in the very well attended 4th of July concert if they knew that there was not going to be, um, a fireworks show. Um, so I'm open to hearing a, a future discussion on this, but I am definitely for moving forward with the proposed two year contract. And if we choose to make a change in the near future, then we have that convenience clause to, uh, take action at that point. But I think we should be proceeding so we don't miss our window. And, and I, that backup came late and I think I, it, it was more expensive for the drones. And it seemed to me, I don't know how many drones we had for the 70th anniversary, but I would say it would be totally inadequate. If that was an equal show, um, it was like $80,000 compared to the $40,000. So tool, how many drones did we have for the good evening? 175 drones for the 70th anniversary. And it was about $32,000. And what was being proposed for this? Uh, um, at least 200, but. Yeah. Really should be more, probably 400 drones to make it worth. Probably needs to be a thousand to be honest with you. Probably, yes. I mean, but I know that we got problems coming our way. So, all right. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, council member Andrew. Thank you, president Horland. I too had a conversation regarding the topic with Mr. Noonamaker. Um, I feel comfortable moving forward today, so we don't lose our spot. Um, but moving forward, I, I enjoyed, um, the drone show that we had, I thought it was exciting. So I was a little, uh, shocked to hear those comments, council member Fadget. I thought the drone show was exciting and I felt like the audience was anticipating, you know, what would be next with each one. You didn't know, you know, what was coming next. Um, so that built also the excitement and anticipation. I wasn't sad, but, um, again, but the big factor for me was the price tag involved in knowing, um, you know, some of the challenges we might be facing in the next couple of months. Uh, so that was my determining factor moving forward. And as Mr. Spencer stated, if something changes, we do, um, we absolutely can change course for 2027. Thank you. Thank you, member. Uh, council member. Uh, mayor. Yeah, real quick. I, I agree. I, I like for now the fireworks and the contract as is, but on the other side, if we go to drones, we could do it at Pine Island Park. Right. So that you would get that venue. Yeah. Uh, thank you. And council member, uh, Reinstein, you buzzed in, but I just want to thank you again for bringing this folks. I think it's a worthwhile discussion and it's a discussion that I'd like to have further because I think there's a lot of aspects that we can explore. Go ahead. Yeah. And just to, to that last point and thank you to my colleagues for, for, uh, weighing in. Um, I, I, I too, um, feel that, uh, we have to go forward with the current term agreement based on the timing. And, um, I would find it difficult to attend, uh, a, um, a 4th of July celebration and not see fireworks as I'm so used to that. But, um, on the other hand, um, I do think that I would like to see that with enough time prior to, um, 2027 that this come back on an agenda with, um, some more information for the public to also view in regards to the cost for drones. Um, so that if we want to consider not going forward with a second year on this term agreement, that we can have this discussion, but also allow the residents to weigh in and comment, um, based on, on data, the facts as to what the, what the costs may be. Thank you very much. Do we have a motion? Motion approved. Second. Second. Ms. Beggro, please call the roll. Councilmember Reinstein. Yes. Councilmember Anderson. Yes. Councilmember Andrean. Yes. Councilmember Fadgen. Yes. Councilmember Horland. Yes. Thank you. Mr. Wynn, I apologize. I went out of order. Uh, item number nine. I can count. W, WB number 007-26, Central Park Aeration Fountain. I just wanted the anticipation of you coming up last. All right. Mr. Wynn, the floor is yours. Joe Wynn, 944 Northwest 92nd Terrace. Um, all right. Well, obviously, I mean, I support having a fountain that works in that lake. Uh, this, it does explain why I've noticed there hasn't been one for a while. Luckily, you know, we haven't seen, you know, we haven't had a lot of the big heat, so we haven't had the algal growth and whatnot. But obviously, it's really important just to keep the ecosystem of the lake nice and not icky. Also happy for the fish and all the things that live in there. Um, that means it doesn't get smelly and stuff as well. Um, but beyond that, uh, the existing one, I believe, has the rotating LEDs that should still be in there, um, to allow for different colors. But, and it may not be for this contract necessarily, but it just brought to mind that maybe we want to bring, as we're talking about things for the community that aren't fireworks that are still kind of exciting and have a longevity to them. That fountain could be a bit of a city spectacle spot, right? I mean, it can, we can think of it as a bit of a dancing fountain, uh, something that has either, you know, an hourly movement on it or an evening little show with a system that if you want, you can hook up audio to it and use that when you have something going on. So you're not disturbing the residents nearby with, you know, the same song every night that they get real tired of. Um, but essentially just thinking of it as something that can be a centerpiece to draw people in. And create a sense of connection and community. I mean, we think of, you know, the things that big theme parks have that, you know, Las Vegas has got and obviously not looking for a Bellagio fountain in the middle of Central Park. But if we could swing it, maybe a couple of years of no, uh, fireworks and we can, we can make that happen. But, uh, something, it's probably a lot more than that. If I ever win Powerball. Well, we each get one ticket and then we, we pull it in. But essentially, yeah, the, the idea of having something that's beyond just a, you know, straight up spray. We already have the lights in there. Some, just keep that in mind. I know right now we probably just have to get something that is gurgling the water a bit. But as we're developing, I think that that lake is a main place. And if we've got the ideas of, you know, redoing the park, that can be a bit of a centerpiece item. Right. And it's, it's one of those venues that it's almost an amphitheater because there's paths all around the lake that people could observe something from. And it, it doesn't have to be spectacular. It's just something that's like, oh, that's my town. My city has that cool thing there. And each of these little things adds a lot of value to residents and to our, you know, business community, all of that together. So I just wanted to keep that in mind. It came to mind when, you know, when I saw that item. And yes, I support it. Please make sure that we have some aeration in there. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wynn. And just to alleviate any concerns you have, I had had a conversation with Ms. O'Toole about this when we realized that the fountain was broken, that park staff was out there trying to do some annual aeration to make sure that we maintain the health of the lake. Fabulous. So, and Ms. O'Toole, you took note of all of Mr. Wynn's suggestions. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Wynn. Do I have a motion to approve item number nine? Motion to approve nine. Second. All right. Any further discussion? Hearing none, Ms. Bigaro, please call the roll. Councilmember Reinstein? Yes. Councilmember Anderson? Yes. Councilmember Andreu? Yes. Councilmember Fragin? Yes. Councilmember Horland? Yes. Thank you. Legislative items number 21, second reading, amendment of chapter five, buildings and building regulations, article four, swimming pool standards of the code of ordinance of the city of plantation. Mr. Ezra, did I say something? Yes. Thank you. This is a public hearing, second reading of an ordinance of the city of plantation, Florida, deleting in its entirety, section 5-39, entitled, performance bond of chapter 5, buildings and building regulations, article 4, swimming pool standards of the code of ordinances of the city of plantation, providing for severability, codification, conflicts, and an effective date. Thank you. And it was item number 16, not 21. That was two weeks ago. So thank you, Mr. Ezra. That's true. Does anybody need a presentation? Anyone have any comments on this item? Motion to approve. Second. All righty. Nothing from the public. Ms. Beggro, please call the roll. Councilmember Reinstein? Yes. Councilmember Anderson? Yes. Councilmember Andreu? Yes. Councilmember Fadgen? Yes. Councilmember Horland? Yes. Thank you very much. All right. Moving on to board and committee appointments. to advisory board seats. Mayor? Hank Van Balen to the fire pension board, replacing Amy Dentner, who is a city employee now. Oh, wonderful. All right. Anybody else? Anybody? Eric's nodding because you cut your teeth on fire, right? Yes, I did, but I was also just repeating all those today. What position did you do? P&Z planner. She replaced Anna in P&Z. Okay, great. This is a council appointment, so I'm assuming you need to vote on it. Consensus, yes. Right, right. We have to vote. That's what you told me. Right, but we need a motion and a, yeah. Okay. Mayor, would you like to tell everyone why you appointed Hank and maybe his background so we can get a consensus on that? Hank has a financial background. He does planning and stuff, and also he's a member of CERT. He's very active in CERT, so he has empathy as well for understanding, you know, people in fire and everything. He has today a new member of the Chamber of Commerce. And he's in the Chamber of Commerce. Okay, thank you. I'll make the motion to approve, Mayor. Thank you. Second. All right. Ms. Beggerel, please call the roll. Council Member Reinstein? Yes. Council Member Anderson? Yes. Council Member Andreu? Yes. Council Member Fajan? Yes. Council Member Horland? Yes. Now we move on to comments by council members. We get through this in record time tonight. I'm going to start to my left with Council Member Andreu. Mayor, I'm sorry. I skipped over you. I was being polite and I skipped over you. I was debating. We had a great event Monday. The Teacher of the Year is from Plantation. I did have one hiccup there, though, and that's that somebody of the staff said, oh, it looks like Plantation PD is participating in ICE stops. And I needed to correct him. So what I've been telling people all week, everywhere, red, blue, or purple, is that ICE has concurrent jurisdiction with us, meaning they do their own thing. They don't have to tell us what they're doing, and in most cases they don't, and that's fine. If PD is there, which they were on State Road 7 a couple times, is there to mitigate traffic and make sure nobody gets hurt and it doesn't escalate. I think it's important that all of us as leaders tell people this because we've seen in other cities where this stuff escalated. And we have some activists in our city, and to talk them down and have them understand what our role is as a city and to kind of protect our officers in a certain way. And I just think I'm doing that as a leader, and you can do it if you wish or not, but how do we tell people? And that's my line of thinking. Anything else, sir? No. Sorry, I skipped you. Mr. Osdall. Yes, thank you. I've been asked to request a couple of shade sessions or private litigation strategy meetings with you under Section 286.011 Florida Statutes. There are four cases, Michael, Chung, A. On versus the City of Plantation. These are all Circuit Court, Broward County cases, 25006940. Evelyn Jollicor versus City of Plantation. Case number 24013650. Teddy McCloud versus City of Plantation. Case number 25017266. And Jairo Gonzalez versus City of Plantation. Case number 24012962. The future scheduling of that will be coordinated with you. I believe it's currently tentatively scheduled for next meeting at 5 o'clock. Great. Thank you, Mr. Osdall. Thank you. All right. Councilmember Andreu. Thank you, President Horland. I want to wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day this Saturday. And of course, we always think about all of the students and staff members that we lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the other victims and survivors that experienced that tragedy. As you all know, Friday will be a day of love and action in all of our schools. And I appreciate all of the advocacy that so many in our city have done regarding gun control in our city, state and country. February 16th, President's Day and we honor all of those that have served with leadership and courage. And Ramadan is expected to begin February 18th. So for those that will be fasting, I hope you receive clarity and personal growth. The 21st, I am looking forward to celebrating with Mirror Lake Elementary, their annual fundraiser at Plantation Community Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Don't anyone outbid me this year? You're not looking at me, are you? You're on the record. And also Saturday, February 21st, after that event, there will be a Black History Month celebration, Boots on the Ground, at the Hazel Rogers Lauderdale Lakes Municipal Center at 4 p.m. So all are invited to attend that as well. Thank you, President Horland. Thank you, Councilmember Andrew and Councilmember Anderson. You've covered them all. Thank you. That's it for me. Councilmember Reinstein. Thank you very much. So almost right on cue is that I wanted to recognize the JROTC from Plantation High School. We have with us, who are often with us, but we have with us Commander Ethan Williams and Command Sergeant Noah Uribe. If you can wave your hand so everybody can see you. They today performed an inspection and a presentation, which is usually done maybe every three years or so, in order to comply with certain requirements. And I am looking forward to hearing from them as to the fantastic results that they accomplished today. And I look forward to hearing the JROTC putting out all that information so we can share it as well. We are very proud of Plantation High School's JROTC and all that you do. We have some true and amazing leaders that are being raised at Plantation High School through the JROTC. So I wanted to share that. In addition is that, since Councilmember Andreu hit a lot of things, but Paladin Playhouse, so South Plantation Paladin Playhouse is having a car wash fundraiser on February 15th. It's at the Taco Bell on 2250 University Drive from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. As you can imagine, that organization, like so many of the student groups, need our assistance. They can't do it without us. So if you can stop by, that would be wonderful. And I also wanted to once again bring, I brought them to a prior council meeting, is that our Chamber of Commerce is putting out these great stickers for our local businesses. Let's say Shop Local, Love Plantation, it's also in celebration of the 250 years One City, One Nation. And it's so important that we support our small businesses. They won't survive and thrive without us. And if you have trouble finding them, you're not sure where they are, well, here you go is the City of Plantation 2026 Business and Lifestyle Guide. And so this is also between the City and the Chamber. And here's a list of all of the wonderful businesses that you should be supporting. So thank you. Yes, the car wash is listed February 15th, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. I will say that sometimes these change at the last minute. So please make sure that you take a look on social media for the Paladin Playhouse car wash and don't just rely on this announcement. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Reinstein. Councilmember Fadgen. Thank you. Just yesterday would have been my dad's 80th birthday. So happy birthday, dad. And you're missed. And that's all. Thank you. Thank you very much. A couple of things. First, Councilmember Andrea, thank you for sitting in this chair when I was up in Tallahassee two weeks ago. Appreciate your leadership that night. I'm going to start with the good because I usually give you the bad with the Florida League of Cities. I was on an advocacy call. As you know, I'm the vice chair of the advocacy committee for Florida League of Cities. We had a call from 4 to 5 o'clock today. Things are running behind. No surprise that it looks like session may run long and there certainly will be a special session. So bills are changing, but the good news that I will start with is what we're hearing from senators and Senate staff is that we're getting through. So the stories that we're telling, the conversations we're having, the op-eds that we're writing. So you may have seen Lisa Malozzi from Cooper City wrote one, I believe, yesterday. I had mine in the paper. I think Rich Walker from Parkland had written one. And throughout the state, elected officials are writing op-eds and they're listening. So I don't know what's going to happen with property taxes, but I often am concerned, and you've heard me say this before, that it's a bit like a circus. And we're looking over here at the lady who has a lion and the head of the lion's mouth, and someone's on fire here. And I think the property taxes, we know that we may be facing something, but there's a couple of other bills that are highly concerning, including this local government spending bill that's being pushed by the CFO, Blazingolia. And what we talked about on the call today was, first of all, we all know we have the most transparent form of government. Our budget is online. We start the process in January. We have several hearings, so the public can be a part of that. And what this seems to be driven by, other than politics, because there's election in December, is it seems to be industry-driven. You've heard of NeoGov, there's GoGov, and everything they're requiring us to do on our website seems to be provided by that company. So, you know, we're trying, there was an amendment that concerned us coming out of the Senate today, where they're also trying to drag utilities into it. So, every year we face these utility bills where they don't want to allow you to transfer any funds, and that was tacked on today. So, where there would be no transfers, and the only thing that we transfer for are administrative costs. So, there's a lot of things at play at that. We're watching it. Sovereign immunity still, I think, is a bargaining chip right now. We're trying to get the Senate to hold tight on their language, which would only adjust to CPI. The House, that bill is already on the floor. And there are several utility bills, and I know Mr. Polio has been keeping us updated. The biosolids is of great concern. There's a couple of, they continue to hammer out our utilities, and we're hoping we're going to have some industry support with some of these bills. So, I just wanted to tell you there's a little good news. They're listening to us on the property taxes. I don't know what that will mean, but I will continue to keep you posted on that. I wanted to just announce that our composting pilot is live. So, I wanted to thank Ms. Morris for, you know, we're always talking about solid waste and our composting, and that's some good news, that it is live. There are only 50 spots. I did take one of them today and signed up to be part of that pilot program. So, I encourage everyone to go online and sign up for that. You heard when I presented the proclamation about the Heart Walk, which will be on March 8th at NSU. I encourage everyone, just come out and sign up and walk with us to get your heart healthy. I'll be hosting walks throughout the city this month. And Drew Tyre, the CEO of Westside, will be joining me as a guest walker on Saturday, February 21st at 7 a.m. at the Central Park Track. And I'll be hosting other walks, and maybe some celebrities on the dais will join me at those walks, so we all get our hearts moving during the Move More movement. Council, one last – well, actually, two things. I know that some of us saw the post and the mayor responded to the homeless individual that had been in Pine Island Park. I think you responded to that, and I know that you spoke to Ms. O'Toole, and I just had a brief conversation. I just want to remind everyone that if you see somebody and you're concerned about it, immediately call the PD. Whether that is a staff member or any member of the public, to just please call the police department and they will respond. Can I add to that? Mayor, do you want to say that number? Because I know you have it committed to heart. 954-797-2100. Thank you. Put it in your phone. Go ahead, Mayor. So I had Trish and Chief talk to each other about it. We don't want to have park staff in the business of trying to remove people and everything. Correct. Their job is to keep the field clean, and everybody is clear. If there's something uncomfortable, call police, and staff is instructed to do so. There was something else positive to add, and I forgot. What was it? We told them something like that? I forget. Okay. That's all I got there. I wanted to adjust that some stuff that was out there. I appreciate you letting me do that. The only suggestion I had to miss O'Toole to make sure that, especially when the games are going on, and I've expressed previously my concern about, you know, the bathrooms and the playground and where they're located at that park, that park staff is visible and walking around that park at night. But it's a PD function if it escalates. Sure. But they could also pick up the phone and call the PD is my point. They certainly can. We don't want them. They're not mental health counselors. Agreed. Councilmember Reinstein, do you want to comment on that? Yeah. I want to make sure that the public is calling the right phone number for the police department. And while you've just provided it, is there, are there opportunities, are there locations, whether in our parks or maybe in some of the park benches that we occasionally use for advertisement to put the phone number? Good idea. Thank you. Councilmember Reinstein. Final thing, Councilmembers. I had received an email from the President of the HOA at Chatham Townhomes, Chatham Town at Jacaranda Condominium Association. And they have been going through, and I'm not going to go through the whole thing here, but an extended process with their 40-year inspection. They ran into some difficulties with the, which many HOAs have in getting qualified inspectors out. They have done everything by the letter, but they, because of the delays, have accrued fines with the magistrate. And I had a conversation with Mr. Nunnamaker, and what I'd like to do tonight, because it is quite detailed, what I'd like to do is ask for a consensus that we can bring this back as an agenda item so that you can have the backup and then we can have a full discussion about this and whether we have the ability to mitigate these fines. Councilmember Fajan first. I spoke to him on Friday, Mr. McAloon, and I asked Danny to look into some information regarding that, so I'm fully open to having that on the agenda. You know, we're learning, because all these buildings are starting to come up, that it's a very detailed project, and nothing seems to be going smoothly with them for them. So what I requested was what was our cost in it. He was mentioning that it would have been $7,000 for them to go on to the magistrate agenda because of the number of buildings in order to request the reduction. So I was hoping, with finding out the information, whether we have the authority just to reduce it to our administrative cost and save them that $7,000. And that's why I'd like to bring it as an agenda item because we would have that ability, and I had reached out to Ms. Herbert in the building department as well to get some additional information, so what I would like to do is have staff bring that information back to us so that we can all make an informed decision. I agree. Okay. Councilmember Weinstein? I wanted to concur that I do think it is a worthwhile conversation for that to be brought before us. And maybe in addition to speaking about this one particular matter, that we can get a little more clarity to what I think Councilmember Fadgen has raised, is that, you know, we may start seeing more of these. And it would be good to have a little further clarity and put it out there as to whether we want it out there or not, but to have the clarity as to what our oversight is. And, you know, we've talked about it before when we've gone through some of, I guess, the comprehensive plan and some other things, is that whether or not the Council retained essentially the appellate status at all times, right? Is that if there was some issue, then people can bring it before the Council so that, you know, I'd want the clarity so that not just for this one particular matter, but if future matters are dealing with the same thing and we wanted, they wanted to avoid the cost of the magistrate, the City wanted to avoid the cost of the magistrate, could it be something we could hear? And, you know, trying to determine how best to hear those matters may be another conversation as well. Okay. Thank you, Council Member Reinstein, Council Member Fadgen, and then Council Member Andrea. Just real quick. Finish up your thoughts. A key element to me is that they've been acting in good faith. Yes. Correct. Correct. And I think that's the most important part of this. Council Member Andrea. That's all. The same thing. I spoke to him as well. But when I did speak to Carmen, I was under the impression that they had to go back to the magistrate. So I welcome the conversation so that we're all on the same page and making sure that we communicate that same message consistently to members of the community. Thank you. Council Member Reinstein. Anderson. Yeah. I don't know if you were asking for all of our consensus, but everything I heard is the same thing. They were acting in good faith. They've done all that they can, and we want compliance. I want the smallest penalty possible to get compliance, and they want to comply. So I'm all for the conversation. Thank you. Thank you. Something that Council Member Reinstein brought up, though. He mentioned that you want to know that we retain appellate status. But can we also pre – I would want to have it answered – can we preempt magistrate and have it not even go to magistrate so it wouldn't even be appellate? We would literally be deciding. I'm not asking you. Before Council Member Reinstein – I wasn't asking Council Member Reinstein. Okay. But do you see the smile on the City Attorney's face? Question. Yeah. Mr. Ezra? I don't know if you need to answer now. It's just a question I would want to answer. I'm going to answer generally. Okay. You all have established a process in the City Code on lien reductions and how they are processed. There are three options. One is to go to a special magistrate. One is to go to administration through the mayor, who has limited authority to make the reduction. And – excuse me – thirdly, it can come before you. My understanding is that all of those options require an application fee to be paid. But that is a code-based requirement. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Ezra. So we have a consensus, Mr. Nenemig? Sure. If we could get – We'll certainly bring that back to you all. And I will tell you, administration views these items differently. We would strongly oppose bringing general code matters before you all because you will open the floodgates. Right. But the 40-year is different. I know you all – you're aware of the Chatham situation, but we could talk about townhomes of Jacaranda. Plantation co-condos. Even folks that – Plantation co-condos. The board might not be acting appropriately, but then all the residents pay for that mistake. Right. Or they deal with a contractor issue, an engineer issue. There's just such a variety of things that can go wrong. But we have no qualms about bringing 40 years forward. And the mayor was adamant that having heard all the different stories, it's an appropriate use of y'all's time, for sure. Thank you, Mr. Nunmaker. Appreciate it. Thank you, council and mayor. And with that, I have nothing else, and the meeting is adjourned at 7-12.