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Mayor Sortal's Plantation Update - February 28, 2023

National Engineers Week Feb. 19 - 25

Restaurant Welcome

Maple and Cream Maple and Cream, a breakfast and lunch spot at the north end of Plantation Walk, quietly opened on Thursday. The location is at the old Rena’s Flowers of Merritt, 375 N. University Drive. Hours are 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Owner-operator is David Gonzalez (pictured above), a long time chef with decades of restaurant experience.  Their tagline is “Modern Dishes That Capture the Flavor of the Season.” I grabbed a menu and saw brown sugar pancakes, a ribeye skillet, and tempura fried grouper sandwich.

Multimodal Transportation Meeting

A meeting to gain resident input on multimodal transportation in Plantation is set for 6:00 pm Tuesday, Feb. 28th, at City Hall.

We know there is plenty of automotive traffic in our city. This meeting presents some options to make the city more traversable on foot or via bicycle. So it’s about sidewalks, crosswalks, bike paths, and roadways. The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (Broward MPO) will set up displays.

For more information, please visit BrowardMPO.org/city-of-plantation.

For more information on community meetings and other planned events, please visit www.plantation.org/meetings

ARPA Money for Body Cams

The City Council provided consensus on the utilization of the balance of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds at the Feb. 23 meeting. Plantation received just over $13M in ARPA funds.

Previous allocations include funding to assist residents struggling to pay their water bill ($1.4M) and to resume the capital projects that were deferred in FY 2021 ($1.6M). These federal funds were also dedicated toward the fire rescue apparatus ($1.2M), the Stormwater Master Plan ($1.3M), sewer mains and laterals lining ($2.4M), COVID-19 Mitigation ($150k), and ERP system ($750k).

Wednesday night, the City Council agreed to allocate $1M to help equip the Plantation Police Department with body-worn cameras and $3.3M to facilitate the implementation of ADA deficiency remediation as part of our ADA Transition and Multimodal Master Transportation plans.

We have worked collaboratively to ensure that the ARPA funds are used to move the City forward and have the broadest positive impact on our community.

Sign Ordinance Proposal

Changes to our Sign ordinance may be coming. Assistant Director of Planning Zoning and Economic Development Michael Alpert presented suggested revisions to the City’s Gateway Advisory Board on Feb. 22.

The suggestions include creating a formula that would allow larger buildings to have larger signs, better defining different signs, and allowing more signage types to enhance opportunities for business identification.

The goal is to create an environment that encourages attractive signs that are better integrated with the buildings and properties they identify.

The proposed revisions will be heard before the Planning and Zoning Board on March 7. The City Council will have two separate hearings about this ordinance in April/May.

Playground Safety Surfacing

The City Council approved $120,000 for the installation of the safety surfacing for the new playground at Jim Ward Park, 301 NW 46th Ave. We hope to have this project completed and the new playground open by summer.

No Change in Solid Waste Billing

In an effort to improve collection rates for residential solid waste and recycling costs, the City considered moving these charges to the annual property tax bill. As we looked into it further, we found additional costs would be involved. So you will continue to see these charges on your monthly utility bills.

City Annex Building - Broken Ground

What is GIS?

Our Allison Bruegger is part of a team that uses GIS (graphic information systems) to record even such minutia as the location of approximately 5,000 Stop signs in Plantation. Why? Click here to learn how GIS brings value to the City. Allison recently shared her expertise with the countywide group of her peers.

Proclamations

Plantation Wildcats The Plantation Wildcats 12-and-under tackle football team was lauded for winning a national tournament in Miami in December. Police officer Marvin Alexander is the head coach. The team won their division in the local American Youth Football League, and their ranking qualified them for the Youth National Championship. They defeated a team from Maryland for the title on Dec. 18.

Procurement Month The city’s Procurement Department and its professionals were recognized as part of “Procurement Month,” which is in March. Procurement plays a significant role in the efficiency and effectiveness of both government and business.

Peters Elementary Robotics Team The Peters Elementary Robotics team was lauded for winning the Robot Rumble held on Dec. 17 at South Plantation High. Using their knowledge of thermodynamics, kinetics, mechanics and force, the team worked together and encouraged each other to solve a number of challenges.

Scottish Heritage Day A “Scottish Heritage Day” proclamation was issued recognizing and celebrating the spirit and culture of Scotland in our community. The 39th annual Southeast Florida Scottish Festival and Highland Games are set for March 4th at Plantation Heritage Park, 1100 South Fig Tree Lane.

Important Dates

March 2th: The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meets at 4:30 pm at City Hall. One item to be discussed is expedited permitting for affordable housing projects. Pasco and Lee counties and the city of Orlando have already created such guidelines.

March 7th: 70th Anniversary exhibit opens at the Plantation Historical Museum. The exhibit opening reception will be held on March 11th, 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

April 15th: A day full of activities is set for the 70th Anniversary Celebration, starting with a party at the pool at the Aquatic Complex from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Afterwards join us at Plantation Central Park from 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm for an evening of fun and entertainment, including music, a children’s zone and various vendors. 

April 22nd: The Chamber of Commerce’s “Cheers to 70 Years: Mayor’s Gala” is at the Renaissance Hotel from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Visit PlantationChamber.org for more information.

April 29th: The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is from 3:00 pm -10:00 pm at Plantation Central Park. Please note that this year the event will be held on a Saturday.