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Mayor’s Message

t’s been a whirlwind start since the new City Commission was sworn into office
March 20. As a new day has dawned at City Hall, my colleagues and I have been
Iworking hard to follow through on election promises and take other steps to improve
the quality of life in our community.
Residents from throughout the city have spoken up that the Wave streetcar project
downtown should be scuttled in its current form. The problems are clear – a price tag
that has spiraled out of control, outdated technology based on overhead wires and in-
ground tracks, and a route that encompasses few of the city’s significant destinations.

While we are hamstrung by the fact that the former commission recommitted the city
to the Wave weeks before the election despite the strong public opposition, a
majority of the new commission is on the record for changing course.
To that end, we’ve asked our auditor to review all Wave expenses. We’ve directed
our lawyers to research our legal options. And, we set a special workshop for April
30 to discuss our next move after the Florida Department of Transportation receives
Dean Trantalis its final round of bids.
Mayor Everyone agrees Fort Lauderdale needs a viable mass transit system that services the
downtown. Our goal is not to kill the Wave and do nothing. Rather, we want to
invest in the technology and the approach that are best suited for our community.
We appreciate members of Congress fighting hard over many years to obtain
financing needed for the Wave. I’m confident that we can re-purpose that money to
a better mass transit system.
The City Commission is adopting new, responsible regulations on sober homes,
residences where people stay while recovering from substance abuse.
Residents across the city have complained that poorly operated facilities have
overwhelmed their neighborhoods and negatively affected their quality of life. Until
recently, there was little that cities could do because of federal fair housing laws
regarding people with disabilities.

Thanks to the help of U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, there are new guidelines from federal
agencies. Our ordinance follows this guidance as well as a carefully crafted law
written in Delray Beach.

We are requiring that these residences be licensed by the state. This means
operators must meet certain minimum standards with a prohibition on drug and
alcohol use, firm intake procedures, a good neighbor policy and programs that
support recovery. Importantly, there is a 1,000-foot separation requirement between
sober homes so they cannot cluster together.
Current sober homes would be allowed to operate for six months, but then would
have to come into compliance. With good enforcement, we hope to protect our
neighborhoods better while also ensuring those in need of help have access to well-
run facilities.
The horrific events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland have
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE driven home the need for change both locally and nationally.

10 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com