From David Volz
The Fort Lauderdale Commission approved contracts to improve the city.
The Commission approved an agreement with Solares Electrical Services, Inc., for approximately $3.7 million for the George T. Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant Generators Phase 1 Project. The City previously purchased four generators that are currently in production. The new project is for phase I of the installation of the four new standby generators that will provide power to run the effluent pumps during a power outage.
The Commission moved an ordinance forward to address and ensure compliance with Florida House Bill 1365. The ordinance prohibits unauthorized public camping and sleeping on public property at all times of the day or night unless specifically authorized by the appropriate governing authority. Public property includes 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.
City parks are excluded from the proposed ordinance because they are governed by existing rules that only allow the public to be present during operating hours. Fort Lauderdale Beach is subject to the park rules. The ordinance will be brought back to the Commission on October 1 for adoption and, if approved, will become effective at that time.
The Commission adopted separate ordinances creating a code of conduct for the Commission and a code of conduct for City boards and committees. While there are state and county ethics laws that are broadly applicable, there are currently no unique codes of conducts for either the Commission, which is applicable to the Mayor and Commissioners, or boards and committees. At a previous meeting, the Commission discussed the need and benefit of establishing such codes of conduct to set standards for decorum and behavior of the Commission and its appointees.
The Commission authorized the acceptance of 500 nasal Narcan devices and 350 pre-filled syringes with a single dose of Narcan from the Florida Department of Health. The donation to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue from HEROS (Helping Emergency Responders Obtain Support), a state program that provides free naloxone (Narcan) to emergency response, is valued at $14,277. Naloxone is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. Fire Rescue received more than 900 opioid-related calls in fiscal year 2023 and is on track for more than 1,000 this year. The donation will help the department save lives related to opioid overdoses.
The Commission adopted a resolution authorizing agreements for the installation of the bulb outs and pavers, stamped asphalt crosswalk, and pedestrian turtle-compliant lighting associated with a new signalized crosswalk on State Road A1A south of NE 14th Court. In 2021, the City received a request from residents seeking an additional crosswalk in that location to allow pedestrians to safely cross A1A, which is under the jurisdiction of FDOT. FDOT agreed a crosswalk should be added, and construction is anticipated to commence in summer 2025. The project will include decorative elements to match the existing conditions in this area consistent with the treatments installed in the past. While FDOT will include the design of decorative elements in the plans, the City will be responsible for cost of installation of those decorative elements
