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Mayor’s Message

he onslaught of the COVID-19 virus has truly shaken up the world, and its
effects have squeezed the fibers of our being right here at home. But even as
Tour community and nation hunker down to stem the spread of this deadly
and contagious disease, the city presses forward in its mission to improve our
utility infrastructure.
Before I talk about those developments, though, I want to update everyone
regarding our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 13, I declared a
state of emergency and have since ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, gyms,
movie theaters and many other places where people congregate and could spread
the virus. That has even included our public beaches.
Our city leadership has tried to chart a prudent and reasonable response to this
new coronavirus. We have made our decisions based on the advice of healthcare
professionals and in consultation with Gov. DeSantis, his emergency team and
other metropolitan communities in our region. After we acted in concert with Miami
Beach to close the beaches, the governor thanked Fort Lauderdale for leading by
Dean Trantalis example in Florida.
Mayor,
City of Fort Lauderdale
The fact is that COVID-19 has been spreading at an incredible rate in our community.
We need to limit public gatherings and increase social distancing as much as
possible. No one likes the pain inflicted on our businesses and workforce. Nor do we
Dean J. Trantalis take lightly shutting down the annual Spring Break ritual that has for so long help fuel
Mayor
dtrantalis@fortlauderdale.gov our economy. However, we also cannot risk a repeat of the grim and horrible scenes
from Italy of an overwhelmed medical system and death after death occurring.
Scott Wyman
Chief of Staff to the Mayor City management and I are exploring what steps we can take to help those who have
954-828-5314 been economically impacted and what we can do to advocate for assistance from the
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov
federal and state government. I encourage businesses to explore the Small Business
City Hall, 8th Floor Administration’s Economic Injury Loan program, the state’s Small Business Emergency
100 N Andrews Ave Bridge Loan program and the Short Time Compensation program. Additional
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
assistance is on its way based on recently passed legislation by Congress.

I’m heartened to see governments acting together.
We’ve worked with the federal and state government to set up a field hospital
locally to handle any overflow of patients. And, testing is beginning to become
more available so we better know the extent of the outbreak locally. And equally
important, all 31 cities and the county have now established a dialogue to ensure
Office Contact that the actions we are taking are enforced throughout the region.
Scott Wyman
Assistant to the Mayor The restrictions that the city has imposed currently run through April 16. We assess
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov
954.828.5004 these on a daily basis and will revise them as circumstances warrant.
I urge everyone to remain calm but take all necessary steps to protect yourself from
catching the virus or spreading it. I also ask that you help our struggling restaurants
and utilize the takeout and delivery options that many are offering in order to stay
in business.
Now, about our infrastructure…

The City Commission last week voted to immediately end the practice begun under
a prior commission of raiding Fort Lauderdale’s utility reserves to cover the cost of
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE general operations. This commission agreed after taking office to phase out this

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