September 2020 Newsletter - SpringbrookGardens

Who We Are

Springbrook Gardens was a private residence condominium building in the Central Beach district of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Our Association

Established in 1979, the Springbrook Gardens Condominium Association (Springbrook Gardens, Inc.) is held in a trust by a Termination Trustee as per Section 718.117(10)(a), Florida Statutes.

Redevelopment Opportunity

Springbrook Gardens is available for redevelopment. This premier property offers a blank canvas in a highly sought-after location. It is ideal for visionary developers aiming to create a landmark project. Springbrook Gardens represents a rare chance to reshape local community infrastructure. The site perfectly suits a modern, sustainable development that meets the evolving demands of the local market. Click here for more information.

Where We Are

The property is located in the Central Beach District of Fort Lauderdale Beach at the corner of North Birch Rd and Sebastian St, directly on the Intracoastal waterway and only one block from the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway and the Atlantic Ocean.

See the full map.

Our History

The Legacy, Challenges, and Ultra-Luxury Transformation of Fort Lauderdale's Iconic Waterfront Parcel

Learn more.

Mid-Century Modern Design

Erected during Fort Lauderdale's mid-century coastal development wave, the structure served as a foundational luxury fixture two blocks from the beach line. Click here to learn about the design style.

Details: Last Updated: 19 September 2020

Wishing all of our Jewish friends and neighbors

a very sweet, healthy, and Happy New Year for 5781. May your fast on Yom Kippor be easy. L'Shana Tova!

Dear Neighbor,

Approved FY2021 Budget

Last week, the Commission passed our FY2021 budget that goes into effect on October 1, 2020. The FY2021 total budget of $847,858,597 maintained the current millage rate of 4.1193 and annual Fire Assessment rate of $311 per single family residential unit. This budget completely eliminated the Return on Investment transfers from the Water and Sewer fund to General Operating, fulfilling our promise to discontinue raiding the water and fund for other purposes. This represents a reduction of $20.4 million (or 100% since the FY2018 Adopted Budget) in revenue to the General Fund. The budget is structurally balanced with ongoing revenues equal to ongoing expenses and does not utilize Fund Balance dollars or one-time budget balancing techniques. The budget reflects funding to move our top priorities forward including: Homelessness and Housing Opportunities; Infrastructure; Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Master Plan Implementation; Water and Waterway Quality; Transportation and Traffic; and Resiliency. For details, visit bit.ly/3iuHHAc.

In addition, the City Commission approved a resolution adopting the FY2021 Non-Ad Valorem Stormwater Assessment to fund the construction, reconstruction, repair, improvement, and extension of stormwater management systems within the City of Fort Lauderdale including the District 2 priority neighborhoods of Progresso Village and Victoria Park. The assessment methodology is based on equitably recovering costs in proportion to the benefit that each property receives from the stormwater system. The stormwater utility rate structure considers total square footage, trips generated by various property types, and the benefit that free, passable roads bring to each property. This hybrid rate methodology was presented to the Infrastructure Task Force and the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations, both of which were in support of the program. Beginning October 1, 2020, the stormwater rate will be billed annually on the property tax bill instead of monthly on the utility bill. The stormwater management fee will appear as a stormwater assessment in the Non-Ad Valorem Taxes section of the property tax bill. For details, visit bit.ly/3iwqjLp.

The budget also included the Five-Year Community Investment Plan (CIP), a planning document that sets forth the City’s capital improvement objectives to ensure that municipal facilities and infrastructure improvements are appropriate and adequate to serve the needs of our neighbors. The Five-Year CIP will appropriate more than $190 million in Fiscal Year 2021 for a variety of capital improvement projects including infrastructure improvements to water, sewer, and stormwater systems; replacing seawalls and bridges; electrical and lighting upgrades; street and roadway enhancements; and facility upgrades. For details, visit bit.ly/2DYSNOH.

While we are full speed-ahead with many infrastructure improvements like our sewer mains and stormwater system, there are still other substantial infrastructure improvements to tackle. The 1954 Fiveash Water Treatment Plant is falling apart and over a third of our watermains are over 60 years old. At our last Commission Meeting, consultants provided a presentation with a range of financing options available for rebuilding the Fiveash Plant. The presentation reviewed various types of Public/Private Partnerships including Public Ownership, Public Ownership/Private Management, Concession Lease, and Private Ownership (Sale), along with the advantages and challenges presented by each option. Public participation meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks and you can view the presentation and discussion. For details, visit bit.ly/35FpAni.

Click here to watch the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant discussion during the Commission Conference Meeting on 9/15

Commission Meeting Actions

I am pleased to report on the following approved District II Commission Actions from this past Tuesday:

Streetscape Improvements for Downtown Mobility Hub

The City Commission approved an amendment to the Revocable License Agreement with Broward County for the installation of streetscape improvements as part of the Downtown Mobility Hub. The Downtown Mobility Hub Streetscape Improvement Project provides infrastructure improvements within a multi-block area that will improve mobility and connect people to various transportation choices such as Brightline, Broward County Transit bus service, shuttle service to the Tri-Rail station, and the Sun Trolley Community Bus Service. The agreement will allow sidewalks and curb improvements to be installed on property owned by Broward County. The project is slated for completion at the end of the year. For details, visit bit.ly/3iMZgvz.

Landscape Improvements on A1A

The City Commission approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to construct landscape improvements on State Road A1A from Seabreeze Boulevard to Alhambra Street as the next phase of the City of Fort Lauderdale Beach Streetscape Improvement Project. For details, visit bit.ly/2RskrqD.

New Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule

The City Commission adopted a new Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule with the exception of several fees associated with historic preservation. The fee schedule was developed after an in-depth study was completed by the City’s Department of Sustainable Development with assistance from consulting firm PMG Associates, Inc. to analyze and update the current fees with the goal of recovering the City's full cost for providing services. I have asked staff to review the fees that impact the Sailboat Bend neighborhood and requested that they be reduced to zero as I feel strongly that owners should not have to pay a fee when mandated to appear before the HPB either in-person or administratively. My goal is provide incentives and relief for owners of historically designated properties. For details, visit bit.ly/33urQew.

Rezoning Request for 3000 Alhambra Development

As a result of more than two years of dialogue between the developer and the Central Beach Alliance, the City Commission approved a request to rezone 2.27 acres of land in Fort Lauderdale’s central beach area (located east of the Intracoastal Waterway between Alhambra Street and Sebastian Street) from A-1-A Beachfront Area District (ABA) to Planned Development District (PDD). The City Commission also approved the associated site plan submitted by KT Seabreeze Atlantic, LP. The applicant is proposing to construct two 26-story towers with 215 residential units, 5,150 square-feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space, and 120 public parking spaces at 3000 Alhambra Street. For details, visit bit.ly/2FKskos.

King Tides and High Tides in our Community

With seven miles of shoreline, 300 miles of canal coastline, a flat topography, and shallow, porous aquifer, Fort Lauderdale is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Flooding in low-lying areas is more likely when the close proximity of the moon, higher than average tides called King Tides, rising sea levels, and inclement weather conditions combine to exacerbate flooding risks. Rainfall and wind strength and direction can have a significant impact on the height of the tides causing them to come in higher or lower than predicted. Also note that high water tables (groundwater level) due to rain events can raise the probability of localized flooding.

Anticipated King Tides in 2020

September 16 - 22
October 14 - 21
November 13 - 18
December 13 - 15

What the City is Doing to Prepare

The City is actively planning for High Tides and King Tides in the short term; and sea level rise in the long term. The following lists provide an overview of steps the City will take, depending on existing conditions, to mitigate localized flooding. Visit our Green Your Routine portal for more information on the proactive measures Fort Lauderdale is taking to strengthen community resilience. Review the Commission Conference presentation to see how our investments are succeeding in creating a safer and stronger community.

Click here for more information about King Tides

Voting Information

Deadline to Register

The registration deadline to vote in the General Election is October 5.

Vote-by-Mail Ballot 'Send' Deadline

For absent stateside and overseas uniformed service member and overseas civilian voters (also known as UOCAVA voters), Supervisors of Elections send the ballots no later than 45 days before an election. The send period for the 2020 General Election is September 19.

For domestic voters, Supervisors of Elections send the ballots during a 7-day window between 40 and 33 days before an election. The send period for the 2020 General Election is September 24 - October 1.

The last day to request a mail-in ballot is October 24.

Early Voting Dates & Times

October 19 Through November 1

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

You can drop off your mail-in ballot from October 19 - November 1 at any early voting location.

Election Day - November 3

7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Completed mail-in ballots can be dropped off at early voting sites. They cannot be dropped off at your precinct on Election Day unless you mean to dispose of the ballot and vote in person.

If you plan to mail your ballot, please do so no later than the second week of October to ensure timely delivery and check the status of your ballot atbrowardsoe.org.

Please note that, according to the Broward Supervisor of Elections office, 3,302 ballots were rejected in the August 18 Primary. 2,923 of those ballots arrived after 7 p.m. on Election Day. Another 288 mail in ballots had no signatures on the envelopes, 76 signatures were signed by someone other than the voter, and 15 did not match the same voter's signature on file.

Click here to locate an Early Voting Location

Click here to request your mail-in ballot for the Nov. 3 General Election

24 vote-by-mail drop-off locations will be available in Broward County ahead of Election Day

Census Ends September 30! Take Action Now And Please Share This With All of Your Contacts!

Attention Neighbors! The U.S. Census Bureau is ending all counting efforts for the 2020 census on September 30, a month earlier than previously announced. That means we all need to work together to take action today! Please help the City of Fort Lauderdale be accurately counted in the 2020 Census.

Currently, Fort Lauderdale’s response rate is 53.3%, which is more than 10 percentage points behind the current national response rate of 63.8%, and more than 7 percentage points under the current state of Florida response rate of 60.6%.

Counting every neighbor in our City gives us an opportunity to receive our fair share of more than $1.5 trillion in federal funding for infrastructure, schools, housing, roads, healthcare, and public service programs. An accurate census count also provides critical funding for hospitals, disaster recovery, and emergency readiness for pandemics like COVID-19.

Please respond to the 2020 Census today! Fill out and mail back the questionnaire sent to your home; complete the census form online www.my2020census.gov; or take the census over the phone by calling 1-844-330-2020

Click below to watch Vice Mayor Glassman's Census Video!

Have you been to the Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery? Was there for the Grand Experience and what a unique venue in D2! Outside seating and socially distanced inside with high ceilings and reservations taken for crowd control.Congrats to Steven Dapuzzo and staff. Check it out!

https://sistrunkmarketplace.com/

Kudos to the U.S. Postal Service for its mail piece across the nation. Great info and advice for anyone voting by mail. In Broward, ballots will be mailed out on September 24. Lots of options to get your mail ballot returned securely - do not delay. Go to www.browardsoe.org for details.

In May, I served on an Artist Selection Panel for the Andrews Avenue Bridge Lighting Project. We narrowed a terrifically talented group of artists to three and we interviewed this amazing trio- Cliff Garten, Susan Narduli, and Vicki Scuri- to recommend an artist for this $490,000 project. Thank you to theBroward County Cultural Division and partners. So looking forward to the installation!

As a former public school teacher and County arts education specialist, I have a strong passion for education and for ensuring that our City's children have the best schools possible. I joined our City's Education Advisory Board for a very engaging meeting where I was particularly interested in talking about the need for a new Bennett Elementary School - not a band-aid approach to repairs which will only cost more in the long run than a new building. This discussion will continue- our children deserve nothing less. Thank you to ChairAllen Zeman, Education Officer Zoie Saunders, Principal Smith, School Board member Heather Pomper Brinkworth and all of the dedicated board members for your dedicated service.

We could not all gather, as in years past, at the historic Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum to remember the innocent lives lost on that horrific day 19 years ago. But we did have a small group cutting the ribbon on an inspirational new monument on Riverwalk. Congrats to Genia Ellis, Patrick Harris and the entire team for bringing this piece of the WTC rail line to our City and for creating such a beautiful piece of art for our reflection.

Click here to learn more about the Riverwalk 9/11 Monument

News Articles

Broward’s COVID-19 meetings will be recorded, county mayor says

Florida reports 3,255 new COVID-19 cases; another 147 people dead

Federal unemployment aid gives final payments to eligible Floridians this week

King tide season brings risk of flooding to South Florida’s coastal neighborhoods

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

& Informational Links

Broward School Coronavirus Updates

Broward Food Resources

Search COVID-19 In Your Area By Zip Code

The greatness of our community starts with passionate citizens like you.

Please do not hesitate to contact our District 2 Outreach Coordinator, Celia Gisleson, with any questions, comments or thoughtful suggestions cgisleson@fortlauderdale.gov or 954-828-5923.