February UPDATE

By State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky

February 14, the day of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, will always be a day that profoundly impacts our community. We will never forget the 17 whose lives were taken that day – Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Biegel, Martin Duque, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang. Each one of these people left behind grieving family members and friends. For those who lost loved ones, every day is difficult, and February 14th will be especially so.

In addition to those who were taken, we also acknowledge and remember the 17 people who were physically injured on February 14 and all those in our community and beyond who were traumatized by the tragedy. Everyone in our community on that day was somehow affected, and many of the emotions we felt on that day may resurface as we near the five-year mark. Support continues to be available to all in the community at Eagles’ Haven Wellness Center, located at 5655 Coral Ridge Drive in Coral Springs. You can contact them at 954-618-0350 or through their website at www. eagleshaven.org.

February is Black History Month and a time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of African Americans and to recognize their important role in US History. History was made this past year when a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune was added in the US Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Bethune was the daughter of former slaves, an influential Black educator, and a civil and women’s rights leader. She also opened a boarding school for Black children in 1904, which later became Bethune-Cookman University. This month is also a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Broward’s history and to get to know more of Broward’s prominent historic Black leaders such as Dr. James F. Sistrunk, who was an early African American physician in Broward County and founded Provident Hospital with Dr. Von Delaney Mizell. You can find information on Black History Month events throughout Broward County Libraries at Broward.org/ Library.

Our legislative session continues this month in Tallahassee, with committee weeks February 6–10, 13–17, and 20–24. You can follow all the committee meetings and bills I and others have filed by visiting myfloridahouse.gov.

▸ As always, please feel free to reach out to our office at 954-9565600 with any questions you may have. I will also be providing updates on Facebook at @RepChristineHunschofsky and on Twitter at @rephunschofsky. If you wish to receive email updates, please contact Linda Beauport Linda.Beauport@myfloridahouse. gov to be added to the list. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Coral Springs Commission February Message

This month marks five years since the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In the years since the tragedy, we have turned our pain into action, taking substantial steps to improve our emergency response and to support community initiatives. We have upgraded our 911 dispatch system, purchased state-of-theart public safety equipment, and supported the families in their mission for safer schools. Now, we are proud to fully support the Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation, which was established to plan and build a public memorial to honor the 17 lives taken too soon. To learn more about the memorial or to make a contribution, visit parkland17.org.

An inter-faith memorial ceremony in honor of the victims will be held on Tuesday, February 14 both in-person at Pine Trails Park at 5:30 p.m. and live-streamed on The City of Parkland’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Our 60th Anniversary commemoration continues with the Community Concert and Celebration on Saturday, February 11. Residents can enjoy food trucks, live music, dancing, lawn games, and more as we gather as a community to create lasting memories. More information can be found at CoralSprings.gov/60.

A little bit of New Orleans will make its way to Coral Springs! Mardi Gras Mambo will take place on Saturday, February 25 at 6 p.m. at the Panthers IceDen (3299 Sportsplex Drive.) This family-friendly event will feature free ice skating, party favors, music, and, of course, beads. A full list of this month’s events can be found at CoralSprings.gov/events.

Coral Springs businesses who have exceled at contributing to the economic vitality of the city are invited to apply for the Business Excellence Awards. The deadline to apply is Monday, February 6. The application can be found at CoralSprings.gov/BEA.

Finally, February is Black History Month. This time serves as a reminder that Black history is American history; Black culture is American culture, and Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America. Follow along on social media as we highlight Black-owned businesses and influential Black figures in our community.

This month’s Commission Meetings will take place on Wednesday, February 1, and Wednesday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m. As always, the public is invited to attend or view Commission meetings. The meetings are aired on CityTV, Blue Stream Channels 25, 25.7, 725 and on AT&T U-Verse channel 99. Meetings are also live-streamed at CoralSprings.gov/CityTV.

To schedule an appointment with any of the City Officials, please call 954-344-5911. Make sure to follow Coral Springs on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Mayor Scott Brook @ CSCommissioner1, Vice Mayor Shawn Cerra @CSCommissioner2, Commissioner Nancy Metayer Bowen @CSCommissioner3, Commissioner Joshua Simmons @CSCommissioner4, and Commissioner Joy Carter @CSCommissioner5.