I appreciate everybody finding a seat. Chaplain, it's good to be here for the happy times, right? Come for the good things, right? Pam, you keep that up. They're going to hire you to the Broward Center. If you get your white shirt, you can work with them. Hey, everybody. Good morning. I am Plantation Mayor Nick Sortel, and welcome to our swearing-in event. First off, if you've got one of these, you might want to put it on silent. And second off, I would like to invite the parents of those being sworn in to come lead us in the pledge. So, we'll all stand for the pledge. Put your hand over your heart. You know, parents mean a lot to people, and they will always be your kids, right? No matter how old you are, they're your kids. So, it's important for me to realize that your kids made it. So, all right, here we go. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the reed for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, and justice. Many of you probably know we have a police band. They're called the Fuzz. If they played in here, they'd probably blow us out of the room. So, we have the acoustic dual version. Officer Jeff Beaulgard and Marcus Hurt from IT, they're going to come give us a song. So, appreciate you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, employees for clapping for Marcus. You know if you didn't, your spam folder would just get pounded with stuff. Officer Jeff, I don't know, on the voice, I would turn my chair for you, sir. Definitely, definitely. Jennifer Andreu is time to be sworn in. So, come on down. Yes. Okay. You ready? I, Jennifer Andreu, so solemnly swear. I, Jennifer Andreu, do solemnly swear. And after that, I am a citizen of the United States and a resident. I am a citizen of the United States and a resident of. The state of Florida and the city of Plantation. The state of Florida and the city of Plantation. That I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and government of the United States. The state of Florida and the charter and the commens of the city of Plantation, Florida. The state of Florida and the charter and ordinances of the city of Plantation, Florida. I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state of Florida and laws of Florida. The state of Florida and the charter and the charter of the city of Plantation, Florida, upon which I am now about enter to air me, God. And the charter of Plantation, and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of council member for the city of Plantation, Florida, upon which I am now about to enter. So help me, God. Good morning, everyone. Today, I stand before you with immense gratitude and humility as I take the oath of office for the second term as your city of Plantation council member. This moment is not just a personal milestone, it is a reflection of the trust and confidence that the residents of Plantation have in me to serve our community once again. I don't take this lightly, and I promise to serve with transparency and integrity. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your support, encouragement, and faith in our shared vision to make our city safer, more inclusive, and sustainable for generations to come. It is an honor to represent you and to work along such dedicated individuals like Mayor Sordal, Councilmember Horland, Councilmember Fadgin, Councilmember Anderson, and Councilmember Weinstein. And of course, our CAO, Jason Muenemaker, and our amazing directors, and the entire city of Plantation staff. As I look back on the past four years, I am incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished together. From the pilot of the police body cameras, to the gun buyback program, to the recognition of Juneteenth as a national holiday in the city, the remaining with Kinsley Park, and so much more that we do over the course of the year in our city. As I embark on this new term, I am reminded of the responsibilities that come with this office, and I promise to continue to listen to your voices, to advocate for your needs, and to work tirelessly to ensure that our community thrives. Together, we will tackle the challenges that lie ahead, be it making sure that all our schools and plantation are A schools, providing affordable housing, and spurring economic development in our city. And I will do that with the same passion and determination that has brought us here thus far. As I take this oath today, I'm reminded of the privileges and responsibilities of serving all of you. I strive to be a servant leader, not a politician, who not only speaks, but listens, who takes action, but also reflects on the impact of those actions. To my family and friends, I'm going to try not to get emotional. The song was so fitting today. Thank you for that. I thank you for your unwavering support. I love you all so much, and I could not do any of this without your support and encouragement all along the way. I get my strong work ethic from my father that you just witnessed. He is 90 years young and still working. Five days a week. He is out there still working. And so when people say, where do you get the energy, how do you do this, and your day job, it's from Dennis Tucker. And I know my mom is in heaven looking down, and she's very proud of her daughters today and every day. In closing, I am going to roll up my sleeves and continue to fight with hope and determination. And I'm asking all of you to do the same. This is a shared commitment to building a better plantation where the grass is greener, and we can all be proud to call home. Thank you all. Before Council Member Fajan comes up, I want to introduce, we have some electeds and some dignitaries. First off, representing State Representative Lisa Dunkley. They're her reps. Lisa's being, every other swearing-in ceremony is today, so a lot of people didn't come. Judge Lauren Alperstein. Former Council Members Pete Tingem and Lee Hillier. Existing Council Members Eric Anderson and Denise Horlund. Clap for each other. Let's go. Did I miss anybody? Okay, good. In my heart, Alan Ehrlich is a dignitarian, and so is Alice Culpepper, but we're not going to bring that part up. Who's that? Bobby DuBois. Oh, Bobby, I'm sorry. I missed you. I'm sorry. All right. Council Member Fajan. How are you going to swear? I don't know. We've only done this several times. Bring down. Raise your hand. I, Timothy Fajan, do solemnly swear or affirm that I am a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state of Florida and the city of Plantation. That I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States. That I will support, and defend, and protect the Constitution and Government of the United States. The state of Florida. The state of Florida. And the charter and ordinances of the city of Plantation, Florida. And the charter and ordinances of the city of Plantation, Florida. That I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state of Florida. That I am duly qualified to hold office under the Constitution of the state of Florida. laws of Florida and charter of the city of plantation laws of Florida and charter of the city of plantation that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of council member and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of council member for the city of plantation Florida upon which I'm now about to enter. So help me God for the city of plantation for the I'm cheating for the city of plantation Florida upon which I'm now about to enter. So help me, God. Council Member Corlin, I'm feeling verbose. No, but I'm going to try to be brief. Good morning. This is so wonderful that you're all here to share this with Jennifer Lewis and I. In 2020, when Jennifer, Mayor Sortel, Council Member Sortel at the time, and I got sworn in, we're under COVID rules, the chamber was closed, and we are limited to guests. This is what I remember growing up with, with my father, sharing it with friends, the people that helped, who want us here. So thank you for coming. It means a lot to us that you're here. I want to thank my mom for our support. Every time she thinks she's out, we pull her back in. She's getting really good at these oaths. She's done quite a few of them. I said this in 2020, that I feel my dad's presence in the room with us, and I look at his picture on the wall regularly during council meetings and always consider how he'd want me to behave, respond, and make him proud. I feel his presence, and I feel he's smiling. So this is special. I want to thank my office, Chris, Nelson, Leanne, and Orris. I've prioritized the city over the last four years. I think I've developed a reputation that people seem to think that I'm everywhere. I'm not, but I go to enough places where they think I am. But I'm only able to do that because they're able to keep my office running because the council is a part-time job. But if I get a phone call from a resident or someone from the city, I'm there. And I wouldn't be able to do that without their help, so I wanted to recognize them. I want to thank all the residents and the constituents of the city and the stakeholders. I can't tell you how grateful I am for this opportunity that you've given me, the trust that you've instilled in me to represent your concerns, your issues. I regularly think about who I'm representing, how many people I'm representing, and it's not lost on me. And I'm so grateful that I've been given this opportunity, and I hope that I'm making you proud. Finally, I want to recognize the people that make us look good. Jason Neunamaker, Bill Gale, April Beggaro, Samira Shallan, Anna Otaniano, Fire Chief Todd, John Feeney, Monica Knapp, Denise Edsall, John Montefusco, Trish O'Toole, Danny Holmes, Police Chief Harrison, Charles Spencer, Matt Thompson, Danny Polo. When a resident brings a concern to us or a problem, or they're not sure how to accomplish something, these are the people we're calling. And these are the people that are leading in their departments the 1,000 employees that make Plantation what we love and why I never left once I got here in 1980. So I'm so grateful to you. You're so responsive. And the great thing is is like when we call about something, you already know about it, and there's action already being taken. So that makes it so much easier. Very rarely we'll call, and they're not aware of something that where the action's not, or the solution's not in progress. So thank you. Please relate to your employees in your departments how grateful I am that I get to serve with them. And I think that you guys are the reason why Plantation is the place that we all love. And I guess that's it. I'm ready to get back to work. So thank you. And next up, Lewis Reinstein. Repeat after me. Hold on one sec. I'll put my cheat sheet here too, just in case. I, Lewis Reinstein. I, Lewis Reinstein. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That I am a citizen of the United States. That I am a citizen of the United States. And a resident of the state of Florida and city of Plantation. And a resident of the state of Florida and the city of Plantation. That I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution. That I will support, protect, and defend the Constitution. And government of the United States. And government of the United States. The state of Florida. The state of Florida. And the city of Plantation. And the city of Plantation. And the charter and ordinances. And the charter and ordinances. Of the city of Plantation. Of the city of Plantation. That I am duly qualified to hold office. That I am duly qualified to hold office. Under the Constitution of the state of Florida. Under the Constitution of the state of Florida. Laws of Florida Laws of Florida And Charter of the City of Plantation And Charter of the City of Plantation And that I will well and faithfully And that I will well and faithfully Perform the duties of Councilmember Perform the duties of Councilmember For the City of Plantation, Florida For the City of Plantation, Florida Upon which I am now about to enter Upon which I am now about to enter So help me God So help me God So first, thank you to Judge Alperstein, my mom, Adi, Daniel, and Jonathan for swearing me in today. My speech is going to be a little bit different, I think, than everybody else's that came before me As some of you may be aware, I was the only one that had a contested election So I do have some remarks to make that will be focused on that Mayor, my fellow Councilmembers and other elected officials My mom and my family and to all of our residents Thank you everyone who is in attendance today First, for those who received the mail piece from a very well-meaning group My name is spelled L-O-U-I-S Just needed to get that out If you know what I'm talking about, then you got the mailer While there is no way that I can name everyone who volunteered during our campaign And name all the groups that endorsed And it would take a long time to name everyone who donated We are very fortunate to have a lot of endorsements Volunteers and donors who believe that our city is on the right track Believe that we should keep this Council together And put their time and energy and support into this re-election You all know who you are And again, thank you Thank you also to all of the directors And all of the staff And everybody that I've worked with in the past two years I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you There are, however, a few individuals and groups that I must name I'm going to start with my family My wife, Adi, and our two boys, Daniel and Jonathan Adi, thank you We did it together And we will continue to do so Thank you for being my partner in this I could not have done this again without your support and understanding And that of our boys There was nothing that made me prouder than all of the many people Who I had actually never met before But who came up to me during the election To compliment Daniel and Jonathan For the way they acted and spoke every day they were out there Boys, you never yelled You never said anything that was untrue And I am proud of both of you Thank you Thank you to my mom who was here But also to my stepfather and my dad And my sister Mindy Who all came out to campaign Thank you also to Bob Who I walked more doors with than anybody else Everyone who volunteered became a part of the team They all put a lot of time and energy in Even when they were verbally attacked by people at early voting And on election day They kept their composure They knew the rule Which was to not let the haters distract Distract us or antagonize us That was our campaign It was about sharing what we have done Telling the truth And always treating the campaign Like we treat serving on council With the highest level of integrity and respect Never did we speak ill about our opponent And even when we heard whispers about us Or yelling about us Or saying things that were untrue We kept on meeting with residents And talking about this great city We had support from the east to the west And everything in between I want to especially recognize Sandy and her family And Donna, Lizette, Mike, Jen, and Kathleen Thank you for your amazing ground effort And the time you put into volunteering Donna, your spreadsheet skills are bar none Every person played a special and important role on this team Thank you We also had some great public servants from outside our city Property appraiser Marty Kerr Pembroke Pines Commissioner Maria Rodriguez School board members Wholeness and Leonardi And former school board member Good All came out to volunteer their time One group that came out to canvas And came out during early voting and election day Was the men and women of our fire rescue Local 3080 Also known as Metro Broward Professional Firefighters They also did not get scared by those trying to cause them grief Many of them walked and talked And came out to volunteer multiple times I do want to give special thanks To the sign crew Roger, Mark, Norm, and John, and Scott too Thank you to the residents of our city That have given me the opportunity To continue serving our city For those that did not meet me And did not vote for me As I've said many times When you call We don't ask your party affiliation And we don't ask who you voted for We just help That is why we are here And that is what we do Over the past two years We kept our promise to be present Accessible and responsive to you Our residents We will continue to do so Over the next four years Lastly I need to thank my colleagues All of them Including Councilmember Fadgen Who came out to our campaign kickoff event And the mayor will offer lots of words of support But to Councilmembers Horland, Anderson, Andreu Thank you for lending your name And time and energy I've always said That we don't all vote the same But we all respect each other And respect this council And see this as a great honor And privilege to serve So as Councilmember Horland has said Thank you for keeping the band together Thank you And finally One of my favorite people Is going to give some closing thoughts Police chaplain Rick Braswell He'll tell you the topic And we've got a room full of people And I love the way he speaks And all of his messages So we're going to go for it Thank you Hope that worked Good work Okay I promise I have orders from Chief Harrison That I'm not preaching I'm supposed to speak So that's important And it also cuts you back About an hour and a half Of being here So Mayor, thank you very much Just so you know I appreciate you You've brought this community together You've brought our council together What we hear today from you The people who've been elected And been chosen by this community Tells us everything we need to know about you And how you respect for your dad And your love for him And your mom looking down from heaven We know that's for sure And dad, you are great for 50 I thought you were 50 When you stood up here So we're glad you're here And to each of you It means a lot for me to be here I think that I didn't know this was going to happen this way And I offered to sing with the group And they told me They had a song for me That I could sing In the garden alone So I'm not sure what that meant But I want to go Mayor, thank you again But I want to Council members, congratulations We are grateful for you And what you do And what you mean to this city I see it I hear it There are a couple things I think that the song Marcus and This was a great song Because each one has spoken About leaning on someone else Leaning on your family Leaning on your dad Leaning on each other Noticing your father's picture We all lean on someone We lean on someone All the time Whether we're lonely Whether we're happy Whether we're afraid Whether we have issues We lean on somebody We lean on our spouses We lean on our family So that's what this city has done And Mayor, we lean on you Because you have got it And I'm grateful for how this is put together It's not just Just another meeting So let me tell you how I know this to be true What you mean to us on Veterans Day I sat back on the back row Or Memorial Day When we sat back there When you council members come in You have time to speak to everyone I watch you I listen to you I see your smiles The way you shake their hands The way you look at them And let them talk to you Without looking beyond them To see who else you can talk to I respect that I appreciate that about you And what that means to us For you to really care about someone You to be interested in what they have to say For you to listen For you to hear For you to take time to do that It's not always what they say Is what you want to hear Sometimes they may not say something That agrees with you But you take time to do that And it reminded me of a passage And I'll close pretty quick here It reminded me of a passage of Scripture In James 1 verse 19 I'll paraphrase it just a little bit The way you've treated our people That we And you've all mentioned it You've all mentioned it That we need to be quick to hear And part of hearing is listening And you said that today Listen to what a person has to say You don't have to agree with them You don't have to like it But you can listen Take time Show respect and appreciation for them And then slow to speak Let them finish Don't interrupt Let them take time to talk to you Even if it's something You don't really need to hear And you all do They'll watch you And the smiles on your faces When you take time for someone It's a long day for you sometimes It's a long service for you sometimes But you always have time Then the last part of that I think as a couple of you Have mentioned it today You mentioned it a little bit earlier Be soft To answer And make sure that you answer out of respect And don't be angry And there's a passage that says Slow to wrath Don't let your answers be slow to wrath Don't respond in a negative way So it's great being here It's a great community The fire service And the chief And the police And all of you That bring this city together It's a big difference So we love you We appreciate you God bless you for who you are God bless you for what you do And I'm going to pray for you How about that Does that work Today we come to you We thank you for this city We thank you for this mayor We thank you for the council We thank you for all the servants That are here To care for others And for this community For those who have special needs For those who can't speak for themselves For those who have heartaches and pain For those who have lost loved ones For those who have needs That only you can meet And maybe even meet that through us Be with them now Be with their families Surround them Protect them Keep them safe And may we always move forward Father Realizing that each and every day Our lives count for someone Who's leaning on us This is our prayer Amen You told me you were going to pass The offering plate That's okay So that's it for today Council members I'm sure you're going to want to Come up and do pictures I appreciate you all coming And like Tim said Let's get to work right Alright thank you Thank you So You're welcome Let's get to work An einfach My Wheel Let's close You I'm definitely I guess Clay I'm fine I guess I'm fine I guess You could love to This came