LOCAL MAYORS COME TOGETHER FOR BREAKFAST IN WILTON MANORS

John Hayden

Wilton Manors seems like a city more suited to brunch than an early breakfast, but running cities is a 24-7 proposition. So people got up early and packed The Pub to meet four influential mayors: Scott Newton of Wilton Manors, Dean Trantalis of Fort Lauderdale, Aisha Gordon of Oakland Park, and Broward County Mayor Lamar Fisher.

Far from being adversarial and territorial, all four have collegial working relationships with each other. From issues regarding increasing strain on infrastructure to overbearing, fascist laws coming from Tallahassee, they all stressed the need to work together.

The business-minded audience were especially keen to hear their opinions about a public ban on drag entertainment and calls by some groups to avoid Florida altogether. The general feeling was that boycotts do more harm than good.

“If you don’t come to Florida, that means you’re going to sap the resources the state needs in terms of people, voices, and activism,” Trantalis said.

On the drag ban, all eyes are on Newton. It’s his city that is preparing to host the Stonewall Street Festival, the state’s first major LGBT event since Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law. “I’m worried about businesses and what this law does to them.”

He notes that if a bar is found in violation, it could lose its liquor license for up to six months, essentially putting them out of business.

Wilton Manors Business Association (WMBA) hosted the event. “As an island city that relies on our neighbor cities it’s imperative that we work together to meet the needs of the business community as well as the community at-large,” WMBA President Gary Van Horn said.