UNIFIED DIRECT PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY (UDPA) MEETING
Joint Government Center Campus Design Criteria Package Accepted
The Joint Government Center Campus (JGCC) is moving forward. The City Commission met with the Broward County Commission to review the design criteria package developed by Zyscovich, Inc. for the proposed campus at the site of the Broward County Central Bus Terminal, located at 101 NW 1 Avenue. The project would include City and County offices and Commission chambers, as well as the City’s emergency operations center, a shared parking garage, a transportation administration office, and a new terminal for Broward County Transit. Next steps include amending the City/County interlocal agreement, developing the solicitation, and determining the procurement method. For details, visit bit.ly/3jdWFdb.
CITY COMMISSION CONFERENCE MEETING
Water Quality Assessment in Tarpon River and George English Lake
The City Commission discussed the findings of the water quality assessments for the Tarpon River and George English Lake that were performed by E-Sciences, Inc. and Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Inc., respectively, following sewage discharges between December 2019 and February 2020. Remediation work is expected to begin once the assessment reports have been reviewed and accepted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For details, visit bit.ly/3mbh84a.
COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CRA) BOARD MEETING
CRA Board Approves Amendments to the Fort Lauderdale Emergency Business Investment Program
The City Commission, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Board of Commissioners, passed a resolution amending the Fort Lauderdale Emergency Business Investment Program that was established to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The five amendments apply to businesses in the Northwest-Progresso-Flagler Heights and Central City areas and include eliminating, clarifying, or adding exceptions to program requirements to help increase the number of businesses that qualify for funding and possible increases in the amount of funding. These amendments are exactly what I proposed when this program was initiated. For details, visit bit.ly/3m5mhec.
CITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING
City Receives United Way Grant for Supervised E-Learning Program
The United Way of Broward County awarded the City of Fort Lauderdale a $57,600 Learning Pod Grant to support the Parks & Recreation Department’s supervised E-learning program. The funding will support the four learning pods the City is operating at Croissant Park, Osswald Park, Carter Park, and Warfield Park community centers. The E-learning program was developed to provide assistance to low-income families and students attending Title I schools within City limits to ensure that no child is left behind during this pandemic. For details, visit bit.ly/37u5DRA.
City Selects Stiles Corporation for Riverwalk Center Improvements
The City Commission adopted a resolution selecting Stiles Corporation as the successful bidder to lease, develop, and improve the City-owned property located at 100 SE 1 Street and 155 SE 2 Street commonly known as the Riverwalk Center. The vision for the Riverwalk District Plan strives to bring life and activity to the Riverwalk Center by improving the physical appearance and amenities of the property, activating Riverwalk Center with new design and programming concepts, and providing a lively, safe, and comfortable public space to increase activity by the New River. For details, visitbit.ly/3kwdS3j.
City Commission Approves As-Needed Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Purchases
The City Commission approved the purchase of replacement parts, repairs, and services on an as-needed basis for water distribution, wastewater collection, stormwater system infrastructure, and treatment facilities, not to exceed total of $6.4 million for fiscal year 2021. This approval enables the Public Works Department to meet service demands and respond promptly to issues that may arise related to equipment, materials, and supplies. For details, visit bit.ly/2IRaths.
City Receives Additional Funding from Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)
The City received an additional $436,500 in funding from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) for eligible and allowable housing activities as a subrecipient of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). To expeditiously serve eligible Fort Lauderdale residents, the City will continue to utilize the services of a third party to administer the rental and mortgage assistance program. For details, visit bit.ly/2HsuGtm.
City Commission Adopts Resolution on the Acquisition of Property for the New Police and Public Safety Facilities
The City Commission adopted a resolution determining a public purpose and necessity for the acquisition of certain lots of privately-owned property located at 1201-1205 SW 1 Street to construct new police and public safety facilities, including the new police and public safety headquarters and parking garage. The resolution authorizes the use of eminent domain for the acquisition of the property, which the City has been attempting to acquire through reasonable negotiations with the property owner. For details, visitbit.ly/2IVfO7z.
City Commission Amends Ordinance on Building and Construction Fees and Landscaping and Tree Removal Permit Fees
The City Commission approved an ordinance on first reading amending the Code of Ordinances Chapter 9, Building and Construction Fees, and the Landscaping and Tree Removal Permit Fees. The change to building permit fees aims to simplify the approach for calculating the fees and reduce the amount of fees collected to keep the building fund in line with State of Florida statutory requirements. Staff recommends new landscaping fees and tree removal rates, which are similar to fees charged by local municipalities, based upon the result of a third-party fee review. For details, visit bit.ly/3m6hqtg.
City Commission Adopts Ordinance Amending City of Fort Lauderdale Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR)
The City Commission approved an ordinance on first reading codifying key quantitative design standards of the Downtown Master Plan and amending several sections of the City’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR) relating to the Downtown Regional Activity Center, including permitted use, open space regulations, and landscape and tree requirements as recommended by City staff after significant public input over the course of several years. The amendments also include adjustments to the boundaries of the Downtown Character Areas and Transition Zones to ensure that buildings are appropriate to respect the character of nearby lower-density neighborhoods. Four additional amendments recently brought up for consideration by the City’s Planning and Zoning Board will be reviewed at a future meeting of the City Commission. Up until now, the Downtown Master Plan had no teeth as it was simply a guideline. As promised, this Commission is now tightening that up. For details, visit bit.ly/34h2zWG.
Next City Commission Meetings on November 5
The next City Commission meetings are scheduled for Thursday, November 5. The public can listen to and view the meetings on FLTV, YouTube, Zoom, Comcast Channel 78, and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. To learn more about virtual City Commission meetings, including how to view agendas and sign up to speak, visit fortlauderdale.gov/vcmeetings.
For More Information
The City of Fort Lauderdale offers numerous ways for neighbors to receive important information and updates:
