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County Commissioner’s Message

Dear Broward County Residents,

am honored to serve as your County Commissioner, representing our coastal
communities from Deerfield Beach to Fort Lauderdale and all of the amazing
Icities, towns and villages in between. Here are some recent highlights from
around Broward County:

Legislative Session 2018
The 2018 State Legislative Session is upon us and Broward County is working full
force to make sure our priorities are being heard in Tallahassee. Due to the
Gubernatorial Elections later this year, the Florida Legislature is meeting early - from
January 9th through March 9th. The Board of County Commissioners approved the
2018 State Legislative Program which contains the County’s policies, proposed
appropriation requests, and legislative proposals. The Board also approved the
2018 State Fundamental Principles which guide the lobbying efforts of County
Commissioners, staff, and the County's contract lobbyists to reflect the Board’s
continuing visions and goals. The program and fundamental principles reflect the
Chip LaMarca
County Commissioner County’s dedication to the community with commitments to economic development,
Districy IV a robust transportation network, growth management, human services and
environmental stewardship.
As your County Commissioner, I will also be heading to Tallahassee this legislative
session, as I have done for the past seven years. There are several policies that I
believe are a top priority for the residents of Broward County, and specifically for
the communities in District 4. Due to the 2017 hurricane season that we faced,
there are several issues that we can work on to be better prepared for what the
future may hold. Specifically, I will advocate for a viable, fully integrated and
coordinated local, state and federal disaster response structure, while also
supporting appropriate and increased funding for upgrading our emergency
operations centers so they function proficiently during a natural disaster or crisis.
Another crucial issue that must be taken seriously, as we witnessed last hurricane
season, is the regulations that guide our assisted living facilities. Broward County
supports placing nursing homes and elderly/disabled care facilities as Tier One
Critical Infrastructure under Florida Power and Light disaster operations, as is being
proposed in SB284. The Board also supports priority checks on the welfare of
nursing home residents in the aftermath of a natural disaster, providing energy,
water and food for at least 96 hours after power loss, as proposed in
HB655/SB896.

Our community saw the direct impact that these storms can have on our beaches.
We also saw the direct benefits that our recent shore protection projects provided,
especially where dune structures were built. Therefore, I will continue to advocate
for the State Beach Management Program by supporting SB174 and HB131 which
update the project review criteria to include consideration of a project’s economic
and environmental importance, creates a three-year work plan to maximize
matching contributions at the federal, state, and local level, and sets a dedicated
state funding source of $50 million through the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. I will
also advocate and support the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change
Compact State Energy and Climate Legislative Principles as they guide our
communities to a more resilient infrastructure through adaptation.
14 The Landings & Bay Colony