View as a webpage  /  Share

Mayor Sortal's Plantation Update - October 24, 2023

Concerts Move to Pine Island Park, Hotel Approved, Advisory Boards, and more.

Concert series moves to Pine Island Park

There’s a change in venue this year for our popular Rock the Park concert series. We are now at Pine Island Park, just west of the Broward Mall.

The park has been refurbished and the main field is artificial turf. (That said please no gum or items to damage the field.) We think you’ll enjoy the setup.

The biggest reason is parking. There are ample spaces near the field and extra room at the Broward Mall. You may not have noticed, but parking often was overflowing at Plantation Central Park. That meant people ditched their cars on walkways and swales. During July 4, they even took over the middle islands on Cleary Boulevard. It was something that has long worried us in terms of safety, so moving the venue has been something we’ve been looking forward to.  The first show is at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3. The group is Private Stock, a rock star tribute band. The seven show schedule runs the first Friday of the month from November through May, except February and April are on Saturdays.

Seritage still stalling

What you read in this space on July 13 has not changed. Nationally, Seritage, is selling off all 250 of its properties. When we spoke to Seritage in April, while no official commitment was made, we all agreed the right play is to knock down the half-built facility that Seritage had started. (Any new buyer is going to start over again anyway.) That was about six months ago. I am beyond frustrated. Technically the permit for the site is still active. The Governor issued an executive order after Tropical Storm Nicole struck, extending the timeframe for existing development permits. He has repeatedly issued 90-day extensions to that order, most recently of which is still in place.

Home2 Suites Approved

The City Council approved a new hotel, Home2 Suites, at its Oct. 11 meeting. The hotel, which will need about two years before opening, is at 7676 Peters Road, on the south side of the Plantation Commons complex that includes First Watch and an Asian market.

The hotel is expected to cost about $115 to $130 per night and is often used for business people and families. It is part of the Hilton brand.

BeSMART - Gun Locks

We were pleased to present more than 100 gun locks to members of the BeSMART program, which educates the public on firearm storage. 

Councilmember Andreu and I took the stage with our BeSMART volunteers and the Plantation Police Community Engagement Unit at the Family Fall Festival Saturday at Volunteer Park. 

For more information on the five steps a person can take to BeSMART, go to besmartforkids.org

Toilet Rebate

Each drop counts and each dollar too! Wasting water is bad for the environment and your bank account.

You may be eligible for a rebate when you replace your toilet with an efficient WaterSense® model. Find out if you qualify and save those receipts.

Apply by visiting ConvervationPays.com

Credit Boot Camp

Join the City of Plantation Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Department and Consolidated Credit in a Credit Boot Camp Webinar Series!

Both sessions take place online via Zoom. You can register and secure your spot online by visiting Zoom.com.

Library on the Move

The Helen B. Hoffman Library has been housed at Deicke Auditorium for the past two years due to the original building needing roof and window repairs. Beginning Monday, November 5, the library will be closed to the public at Deicke Auditorium as they begin making their move back to their building. 

While closed to the public, the following services will still be available

• Materials may be returned in either book drop at the Library building or Deicke Auditorium
• Storytime will be held outside Deicke Auditorium until further notice
• Donations may be dropped off in the bins on the west ramp at the library building

The Library has a variety of online resources which can be accessed by visiting Plantation.org/Library. Be on a lookout for the grand re-opening ribbon cutting!

League of Mayors

I was among the South Florida mayors who gathered for a local Florida League of Mayors session over the weekend in Islamorada. Many Monroe County and Miami-Dade County mayors showed up. Broward was represented by Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook (now League of Mayors president) and Weston’s Margaret Peggy Brown. A few from the west coast of Florida also visited.

I credit the Florida League of Cities for quickly improving my base of knowledge when first elected to City Council, and I see League of Mayors as a continuation of that education. Gotta keep learning…

County Advisory Boards

You might know we have advisory boards where residents help us with city business, but County Commissioner Steve Geller reminds us that you can apply for similar roles in county government. Geller reminds us that there are vacancies for boards pertaining to parks, general contractors, engineers, culture, unsafe structures, rules and appeals, historic preservation and consumer protection. There are varying qualifying requirements. For a comprehensive Broward County Board Vacancies list visit Broward.org.

Council meets Wednesday

The City Council meets at 6:10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25. The Fire Department will present the winners of the annual fire prevention art and literature contest, so we expect a big crowd early.

We will also be discussing stormwater maintenance services, plans for a community survey, Central Park master plan and a massive dredging of the Royal Palm canal. The canal, north of Peters Road and east of University Drive, has been poorly maintained for years and is a priority I stated after spending last summer knocking on doors and campaigning.

Dog-washing business opens

Pet Bar, a dog washing and grooming center, has opened on the south portion of The Fountains. Pet Bar has seven stations for people to wash or shampoo their dogs. They’ll either do it for you, or give you a do-it-yourself spot (and a lower price). It takes about an hour for small dogs, about an hour 45 minutes for large ones. There are two waiting enclosure areas, one for small dogs and another for large ones. Other services include nail-cutting and tooth-brushing.

It’s part of a franchise that is prevalent in Texas and has expanded to Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and now Plantation. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Sunday hours are pending. The address is officially 801 S. University, #K13B. It’s one-third of the old Sweet Tomatoes spot, next to KidStrong Plantation fitness for kids. Call 754-701-0972 or go to PetBarInc.com.

Ducks

There are people on many sides of this issue, but no matter how you feel about them, cruelty is never acceptable. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission provides information on Muscovy ducks, which are considered an invasive species in Florida. Feeding them is never a good idea, because it creates a nuisance animal situation, which may then necessitate their trapping, removal and, potentially, euthanasia.

Cruelty to animals is a crime punishable under Section 828.12 of the Florida State Statutes. The City’s PD is authorized to respond to and investigate animal cruelty reports.

Important Dates

Events

October 31: Trunk or Treat at Pine Island Park! Come out for Halloween from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an evening of trick or treating, arts and crafts and more. Meetings October 24: The Review Committee at 2 p.m. at City Hall. October 25: The City Council at 6 p.m. at City Hall. October 26: Planning & Zoning Special Meeting at City Hall.