Page 16 - HB1224

Mayor’s Message continued

Homelessness As I said at my State of the City address in October, we
Speaking of public safety, the new commission will oversee can get it done. Federal funding is available. Members of
the implementation of our new homeless strategies. We will Congress will help. And there are potential private partners
be ready when a new state law takes full effect in January out there who know how to do it.
mandating that cities be more assertive.
City Hall
We will continue to help those who want help, but we will The new commission also must decide on how to replace the
not tolerate behavior that harms our community and threatens old City Hall, which was destroyed in the April 2023 flood.
neighbors and businesses. Along these lines, we have passed
new ordinances prohibiting aggressive panhandling and An outreach process to gather community input has
camping on public property. concluded. Now, we must choose a location and how to
proceed with design and construction so we can quickly have
Our Police Department and homeless assistance teams have a new permanent home for our operations.
stepped up their engagement with those living on the streets
– finding assistance or shelter for many and issuing warnings City administration
and court notices to others. We also continue our discussions We also are tasked with finding a new city manager and new
with the county and other government and non-profit entities city attorney. We are well underway in a national search for
about increasing shelter space. a city manager following Greg Chavarria’s resignation this
summer. Sadly, our attorney, Tom Ansbro, recently passed
Amenities away and now we need to find a replacement for him as well.
We have several new amenities that must be seen to
completion as well – adding to our ever-growing mix There are many other issues before us – addressing the
that already includes our partnership with the InterMiami high cost of housing, maintaining the city’s financial health,
professional soccer team, the construction of the Baptist ensuring that our streets and neighborhoods remain as safe as
Health IcePlex, the renovation of the aquatic center and possible and preserving our quality of life amid continued
the reopening of a completely overhauled War Memorial growth. I believe that together, this new commission can
Auditorium. address these matters and ensure our city continues to be a
great place to live, work and visit. HB
The construction of a new International Swimming Hall of
Fame is moving forward as is the re-imagination of Huizenga Yours,
Park. Soon, we will open a major new pickleball center in Dean Trantalis
an unused corner of Snyder Park – responding to the sport’s
growing popularity. Also, we have entered an agreement
with the Orange Bowl Committee to upgrade the Jimmy Evert
Tennis Center in Holiday Park.
Commuter rail
The new commission also takes over the responsibility of
addressing the dispute with Broward County over the future of
commuter rail service through our community.
The county is continuing to push for the construction of a bridge
over the New River despite our long-stated concerns about the
impact to the downtown’s renaissance and the city’s historic
district, the potential harm to the marine industry and the
creation of a permanent divide between parts of our community.

The city must stand resolute that the only viable option is the
construction of a tunnel. We have repeatedly shown that it is
technically feasible and does not carry the extreme cost that
the county claims.

14 HARBOR BEACH Magazine | www.harborbeach.org

11/26/24 3:24 PM
HB 1224.indd 14
HB 1224.indd 14 11/26/24 3:24 PM