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Commissioner’s Message
Ben Sorensen
District IV Commissioner
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE
14
Update on The Wave Streetcar – The City Commission asked the City Auditor to
review and tabulate all Wave expenses and also directed the City Attorney’s Office
to research all legal options available to the City Commission. At this time, the Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT) has not received its final round of bids which
should happen by the end of April.
District 4 Volunteer Action Team – We have so much to do as a city, and I am
forming a District 4 Volunteer Action Team open to all neighbors citywide. As an
Action Team we will be communicating with neighbors about issues they have
brought forward, ensuring those issues have been resolved, and working on
shaping/planning priorities. If you are interested, join us for lunch on Tuesday, May
29 at 12 PM in the 8th Floor Conference Room at City Hall. Please RSVP to MJ
(contact info below).
Neighbor Survey – City consultant ETC Institute has published the results from our Fall
2017 Special Survey, which had 925 respondents. The full survey can be reviewed at
http://fortlauderdale.gov/home/showdocument?id=27498. The goal was to gather
information in three areas that have traditionally received lower levels of satisfaction
on the annual neighbor survey: traffic flow, homelessness, and public education.
Major concerns about homelessness in the City were panhandling/begging and
making neighbors feel uncomfortable in public places. On the issue of “How Often
Homelessness is Observed in Fort Lauderdale,” 81% of our neighbors indicated they
have observed homeless people in Downtown Fort Lauderdale almost daily. Eighty
percent were “very supportive” or “supportive” of the City increasing enforcement of
existing ordinances to prohibit panhandling. Neighbors support the City addressing
homelessness by (1) providing grants to non-profit organizations, which provide
services to the homeless, (2) developing new (and/or expanding existing) homeless
shelters in the City, and (3) using an existing facility as a day center or transitional
facility with homeless support services.
I am a founding member of Mission United of the United Way of Broward County,
which has focused on reducing veteran homelessness in our city and helping military
veterans and their families. As a member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army
of Broward County and the County’s Continuum of Care Board, I am collaborating at
all levels to leverage resources to provide permanent housing with support services to
ensure the cycle of homelessness is broken.
Regarding traffic congestion, poorly timed traffic signals and new development were
considered the biggest contributors to this problem. Through the SE 17th Street
Mobility Study, standing up a City Traffic Light Synchronization Task Force and
working with the State and County, we are developing traffic congestion solutions.
On public schools, only 36% of neighbors indicated the ratings of elementary schools
in Fort Lauderdale (grades K-5) were “excellent” or “good,” 19% thought the quality
of middle schools (grades 6-8) was “excellent” or “good,” and 21% thought our
public high schools (grades 9-12) were “excellent” or “good.” Across all grade levels,
neighbors felt that public schools should have high quality teachers and that children
should be kept safe from bullying. I am touring the schools in District 4 and meeting
rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com