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Mayor Sortal's Plantation Update - July 27, 2023

Playground opens, Amazon Fresh halts, more food comes to Plantation Walk, Doing business with the City, County's Multimodal Mobility Plan and more.

Playground Opens

A long-awaited playground behind the Jim Ward Community Center drew a nice crowd Saturday. The event was coupled with the city’s annual back-to-school event, where we gave away more than 500 backpacks filled with school supplies.

The playground at 301 NW 46^th Ave. has a rubberized safety surface, three sets of swings, a sensory musical play area and a shade cover. I took the opportunity at the ribbon-cutting to tell why playgrounds matter. (Thanks for indulging me.)

“Playgrounds are not merely spaces for physical activity; they are also vibrant hubs for social interaction,” I said. “As children engage in imaginative play, they learn to navigate social dynamics, negotiate conflicts, and develop empathy. The playground becomes a microcosm of society, where children foster a sense of unity and understanding.” Special thanks to Councilmember Denise Horland, who rounded up hundreds of books and gave them away from a table near the backpacks, doing it all with a big smile on her face.

More food comes to Plantation Walk

Kobs Green Market, an organic grocery store, opened last week at Plantation Walk. It brings a redefined corner-store concept to this mixed-use development. Many of the items have a Whole Foods-like feel. Among the most popular items is an organic vegetarian pizza fresh in a box to be cooked at home. Meanwhile, the City Council on July 19 approved small sign changes for Crack’d Kitchen and Coffee. The breakfast specialty restaurant hopes to open in Plantation Walk by the end of August. They currently have three locations in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire.

Amazon Fresh halted

In 2022, the city approved an Amazon Fresh store in the space formerly occupied by H.H. Gregg, located at the southeast corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

But it won’t be opening anytime soon, if at all. Amazon Fresh is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the store’s landlord seeking unpaid rent.

Flamingo Plaza, which owns the property at 12300 W. Sunrise Blvd., says Amazon hasn’t been paying its rent. Amazon officials said they planned to “temporarily halt” expansions because of the business climate.

Sales Tax Holiday

Purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax between now and August 6, 2023.

Visit floridarevenue.com/backtoschool for more details.

Parks & Recreation Month

July was Parks and Recreation month and the theme this year was "Where Community Grows".  To celebrate, Parks & Recreation launched a digital campaign called "JoJo Wants To Know", where everyone can follow JoJo, the Special Events Recreation Manager, as he interviews community members who use Plantation's parks, facilities and classes. Thank you to all our staff who serve our community and help it grow!

"JoJo Wants To Know" videos can be viewed on the Parks & Recreation's webpage.

Max Millage Adopted

City Council approved the maximum millage, which my administration proposed to remain the same as it’s been since 2019.  At Council member request, we will be working on a comparative budget to show what we would have to remove if the rate reduction was entertained.

Addressing community expectations, in light of the rising cost of doing business, deferred maintenance, postponed capital projects, and the impact of the proposed millage rate on City homeowners are all part of discussion.

Broward Parent Leadership Training

Broward Parent Leadership Training Institute presented the City with a certificate of appreciation for a proclamation they received from Plantation. This leadership program aims to increase the civic skills of diverse parents, grandparents, guardians and caregivers to become leading advocates for their children and bring about community change.

Doing Business with the City

Listen into our Procurement Director, Charles Spencer, as he talks about our procurement process and the steps that small businesses can take to increase their chances of participating in it on the GovLia & Government Coins Podcast.

Broward County Focus Group

Broward County is hosting focus groups that will involve discussion of resident experiences using walking and biking paths and ideas for improvements. They're looking to engage a diverse group of participants.

The goal of the focus group is to learn more about people’s perceptions of the safety, comfort, and convenience of walking and bicycling paths in Broward County. Everyone is welcome to apply to participate.

Please follow the link below to apply or learn more: bit.ly/Broward_Bike_Ped_Plan

We were green before green was cool!

August is National Water Quality Month! It is dedicated to making the most of the comparatively small amount of fresh water we have, because having clean water is critical to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and environmental needs.

Here are 7 things you can do to protect our water sources:

1. Do not use antibacterial soap or cleaning products, when regular soap and water will do. Many antibacterial soaps contain a registered pesticide known to harm marine life.
2. Do not flush unwanted or expired medications down the toilet or the drains.
3. Do not put anything but water down storm drains because they carry water to local waterways.
4. Fix leaks from cars, vans, and trucks and put liners in driveways and garages to collect oil and other materials.
5. Avoid using pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which can run off the soil and contaminate the waterways that feed drinking water supplies.
6. Pick up after pets as stormwater could wash the animal waste into waterways and contaminate the water.
7. Use a car wash. Washing a car at home can flush chemicals down storm drains and into the soil that flow to lakes and streams.

Visit www.nationalwaterquality.org to learn more about National Water Quality Month and the changes you can implement to safeguard your water.

Important Dates

Events

August 1: The Plantation Police Department has organized its second National Night Out. This year the event will take place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Pine Island Park. Stop by and enjoy a Black Hawk helicopter display, motorcycles, demonstrations, dunk-a-cop, live music, giveaways and more.

August 11: The City's first Meteor Shower Viewing Party  will be from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Plantation Preserve Golf Course. The Perseid Meteor Shower is one of the brighter meteor showers of the year. Bring your blankets and come sit under the stars.

Meetings

August 3: Affordable Housing Committee meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.

August 3: The city is piecing together its comprehensive plan, the roadmap that we will refer to as we make decisions such as where and how to handle development, and how to address transportation, housing and infrastructure needs. An independent group has held roundtable discussions with most of our committees, and will do the same at 6:30 p.m. with the City Council and me at City Hall. Public comment is also encouraged.

August 7: Educational Advisory Board meeting at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.