The Landings & Bay Colony

8

Commissioner’s Message

Bruce G. Roberts

District 1 Commissioner

FORT LAUDERDALE NAMED 2015 DIGITAL CITY:The City achieved a top-ten ranking
in the 2015 Digital Cities Survey, a program of the Center of Digital Government.
Every city, town, village and consolidated city/county government in the U.S. is
invited to participate in this annual survey, which examines an organization’s
comprehensive use of technology programs. Ft. Lauderdale ranked eighth overall
among communities throughout the nation with a population between 125,000 and
250,000. The City was recognized for its innovative uses of data and technology
to promote civic engagement, support citywide policy, and operate efficiently. Cited
initiatives that enhance open government and facilitate community collaboration
include the Granicus Legistar System and the e-comments tool, citywide telephone
town hall meetings, Property Reporter, EthicsTrac, financial transparency portal and
the Lauderserv customer service application. The information Technology Security
Division’s recent organization-wide employee training initiative demonstrated
proactive efforts to maintain a secure network infrastructure. Also, through our
comprehensive Strategic Management System and diligent performance
measurement in Clearpoint, we were recognized as a proven results-oriented
organization that monitors progress on the collective goals through the City’s Vision
and Strategic Plans. Kudos to our full team of Community Builders for their efforts in
using technology to drive innovation and enhance services!

RANKED IN THE 100 BEST FLEETS IN THE AMERICAS:The City was recently ranked
in the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas as the #36th Best Fleet in 2015. The award
was announced at the 2015 National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA)
Institute & Expo that took place in April at the Orange County Convention Center.
With more than 38,000 public fleets in North America, this is a significant
accomplishment. The program identifies peak performing fleet operations reviewing
12 areas of competency including accountability, use of technology, collaboration,
efficient turnaround and resources stewardship to name a few. As our next step in
continual improvement for the fleet operations, Public Works Sustainability Division
Flee Services plans to apply for NAFA Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program.
This new program is designed to recognize fleet operations working towards
improving air quality in reducing emissions, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing
fuel use. The program will give us access to benchmarking data that will help us
identify areas for improvement, and measure progress in comparison to other
similar fleets.

WINTERFEST BOAT PARADE:We are pleased to announce the Winterfest Boat
Parade made the list for the 10Best and USA TODAY's Readers' Choice contest for
Best Holiday Festival.

FORT LAUDERDALE AMONG TOP CITIES FOR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT IN Q4:
Grand Rapids, Mich., topped the Best Markets Top 10 List, with Orlando second.
Texas cities remain strong, with San Antonio #3, Dallas #4 and Austin #5 rounding
out the top five. "In the last year, prices in all of the top 10 housing markets have
increased by at least 6 percent,” said HomeVestors co-President David Hicks. 
The fourth-quarter 2015 Best Markets Top 10 list for real estate investing includes
(in order from 1-10): Grand Rapids, MI; Orlando; San Antonio, TX; Dallas, TX;
Austin, TX; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Charlotte, N.C.; Salt Lake City, UT; and 
Fort Lauderdale.