Roundtable: Community leaders Jane Bolin, Mayor, City of Oakland Park Donald Decker, City Manager, City of Weston Rex Hardin, Mayor, City of Pompano Beach

®oundtable:

Community leaders

Leaders from across the region look back at the pandemic and discuss the takeaways, lessons learned and the impact on priorities and development.

Jane Bolin

Mayor City of Oakland Park

What were Oakland Park’s primary takeaways from the pandemic? There is a real opportunity to strengthen partnerships throughout all levels of government. The reality is that cities are taking the lead from the federal government, the state government and the county and that coordination is critical. We need to be flexible and nimble so we can respond when and how our communities need us.

We also need to work with our neighboring cities and counties to share our collective resources and knowledge. Those tools will enable us to look ahead to anticipate future emergencies so we can plan for them as they arise. One of the challenges we faced throughout the pandemic was the need to protect public safety while supporting our local economy. Di erent approaches at various levels of government caused frustration and confusion over quarantine, curfews, and business restrictions. That uncertainty continued as we turned our focus to determine how we would reopen and when it would be safe to do so. Over the past year, it has been crucial to maintain ongoing dialogues with local governments as well as our community so we could address our challenges together.

What are your near-term expectations? One of the things I hope we can address are eviction and foreclosure rates. In my experience as a real estate attorney, I see the challenges that can arise from lifting moratoriums and trying to balance the needs of our landlords and property owners. We will have to work together to find the best solution for our community.

Donald Decker

City Manager City of Weston

How did the pandemic a ect your priorities in your first few months as city manager? I’ve been with the city of Weston for 20 years. When I became city manager in October 2019, I had a “to do” list that got overlooked. As the year wore on and we shifted toward our response to the pandemic, we realized we were well prepared to handle it. Our previous city manager was so concerned about our ability to operate after a natural disaster that we already had the ability to do teleconferencing and telecommuting and to continue with all of our business operations, whether we had an o ce or not. Everyone has adapted very well and that’s because our services have been able to continue virtually.

What are some of the challenges the city is facing now? What was on my radar when I began as city manager and is beginning to come back as we emerge from the pandemic is development. We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary, and in the first 20 years Weston was all about rapid development. The city experienced nonstop construction. Now, we are entering a redevelopment phase. Some of our infrastructure and our commercial sectors are beginning to age. The Bonaventure golf course, for example, closed one of its two famed courses to make way for a high-end residential neighborhood.

There is a stressor between people who are conscious of the need for redevelopment and residents who want to make sure the city doesn’t become something they didn’t sign up for. Some residents do not want to see higher density that may bring more impact to our schools or our roadways. We need to redevelop but we need to do so in a way that’s sensitive to the city’s past as it looks to its future.

Rex Hardin

Mayor City of Pompano Beach

How has Pompano Beach delivered on development during the pandemic? The development community continues to invest in our city. We’ve been moving forward as if nothing has changed. We have $180 million worth of General Obligation (GO) Bond projects that we’re working on in the city of Pompano Beach, which will support numerous improvements across the city. Everything from streetscapes, new community centers, recreational fields and public infrastructure improvements will result. There are numerous studies showing that for every dollar invested from the public side there are five dollars that get invested from the private side.

What makes Pompano Beach a desirable location? After a $15 million redevelopment e ort, we now have the best beach in South Florida, including an iconic parking garage with sails and a new state-of-the-art fishing pier anchoring a Fishing Village with retail and restaurants. This is a boon to both residents, businesses and tourists. We also have a tremendous public art program and a lot of good cultural amenities. It’s about attracting people, and we’re positioning ourselves to continue our growth and attraction while maintaining our charming character.

Migration to Pompano Beach could have slowed due to the pandemic but it has continued. Despite what’s been going on, we’ve kept our eye on the ball and have been successful in making sure that Pompano Beach moves forward and remains a desirable location to live and invest in. We have a great reputation in the South Florida region and that has shone through with the level of public and private investment we still have going on. What were the major takeaways from providing financial relief to small businesses? Before we started sending small businesses to a portal to complete an application to go through the PPP and EIDL processes, we knew we needed to provide technical assistance up front. We knew they needed to be comfortable before they ever went through a portal. We also knew there was a part within phase two of the PPPs and EIDLs for which we needed to find lenders and nonprofit organizations o ering technical assistance because many of those small businesses still needing funds in the second round of stimulus did not have their paperwork in order. Groups such as the National Development Corporation and our Broward County Urban League, among other local business organizations, decided they would provide the required technical assistance. In parallel, some of the smaller banks and credit unions stepped up not only on the lending side but on the technical assistance front as well, accepting applications from small businesses that were not bank partners.

What are your near-term goals and priorities? It will still boil down to stabilization. Broward is a destination location. Tourism is a critical part of our local businesses. Revenue collections from taxes this previous year are down considerably. We’re looking to alleviate some of that impact with the pipeline of projects that have secure funding. Our concept of stabilization revolves around re-introducing businesses to their respective markets, creating opportunities for new consumers and welcoming back previous ones.

Sandy-Michael McDonald

Director Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development