From David Volz
Fort Lauderdale will soon have more firefighters working to keep the city safe.
During a recent meeting, the city Commission authorized the acceptance of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant for $11.4 million to hire 28 additional firefighters. The SAFER program was authorized by Congress and implemented by FEMA’s Department of Homeland Security with the goal of strengthening national preparedness and resilience. The funding will support the hiring of more Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue firefighters, increasing staffing on six additional Fire Rescue trucks and ensuring that each of these units are staffed with a three-person team. When rescue trucks are staffed by three crew members as opposed to two, survivability increases by about 17%. Acceptance of the SAFER grant will require approximately $585,000 in matching expenses from the City. Part of the funding will be used for the promotion of current firefighters to lieutenants, uniforms, and equipment for the new firefighters.
“This grant goes a long way in assisting the city with increased public safety. In the last few yeas we have now added 60 plus firefighter positions. It is important to note that when this grant expires, the city will be responsible for the cost associated with 28 additional firefighters in excess of $6 million a year,” said Vice Mayor Steve Glassman.
The Commission approved a first amendment to an agreement for the Breakers Avenue Streetscape and Infrastructure Improvements project to include additional time and funding. The City envisions Breakers Avenue as a showcase project that will create an iconic corridor that provides for multi-modal transportation, safety, sustainability, and accessibility serving all residents and visitors.
The agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. outlines actions to prepare final engineering plans for the construction of the project. In July 2024, the State of Florida awarded the City $3 million dollars for this project to complete the design and pursue construction for one phase. The amendment allows the project engineer to develop 100% of the plans, and any associated revisions of the existing plans required to account for FPL’s hardening project on Breakers Avenue.
The Commission approved an agreement for approximately $2.5 million for design consulting services for the eastern portion of the Las Olas Corridor Mobility Project. In 2021, the Commission accepted the Las Olas Boulevard Vision Plan, which was separated into eastern and western corridors. The vision plans identified improvements along Las Olas Boulevard, and the character area segments were defined to have the eastern corridor span from SE 17th Avenue to State Road A1A, which includes Las Olas Isles and the Beach, while the western corridor spans from SE 17th Avenue to Andrews Avenue, which includes Colee Hammock, Retail Shops, and Downtown. The approved agreement advances design development of the cross sections identified in the accepted version of the 2021 Las Olas Mobility Vision Plan up to and including 60% design
The Commission adopted a new subsection of the City’s Code of Ordinances to comply with Florida House Bill 1365, which compels local governments to prohibit unauthorized overnight camping or sleeping on public property. City Ordinance 16-32 defines terms related to camping or sleeping, temporary shelter, and public property, and provides for an enforcement procedure for law enforcement to take when encountering a violation. The ordinance prohibits public camping and sleeping on public property at all times of the day or night on any street, alley, sidewalk, pedestrian pathway, bicycle lane, or any other area encompassed within the public right-of-way, recreation facility, or any other grounds, buildings, or other facilities owned by the City or any other governmental entity.
The Commission approved an amendment to a section of the City’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR) regarding landscape and tree preservation requirements. Among the changes is new language that aims to minimize the removal or loss of trees and palms and to ensure that they are maintained in healthy and non-hazardous conditions, encouraging the planting of landscape species that are sustainable and appropriate for existing site conditions.
