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Commissioner’s Message
Dean Trantalis
District II Commissioner
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE
12
City of Fort Lauderdale • District II
ould you believe we are approaching the fifth anniversary of my current tenure
Won the City Commission? I thought it would be a good moment to reflect on
some of our accomplishments and some of the things we’ve stood up for.
I’ve always tried to be a voice for the people at City Hall.Too often governments
don’t listen to their constituents, and instead, politicians pay more attention to special
interests. I’ve sought to be an advocate for sensible growth, the preservation of our
neighborhoods, the safety of our residents and the advancement of our economy.
Here are some of the things that I’m proudest of:
Bahia Mar. This was a tragic decision, and I refused to support it. The City Commission
agreed to let developers build a massive housing complex on the site and to squeeze
the economically important Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show inside a parking
garage. I joined the chorus of residents who viewed it as a case of overdevelopment
and something that will create a traffic nightmare on the barrier island.
Police and fire union contracts. The commission recently approved very expensive
contracts for the police and fire unions. I support paying employees a fair wage, but this
deal was rushed through with no hearings to take public input or review the finer details.
We will now have to raid our reserves in order to pay for it. I could not support it.
Perhaps in better times, we could do contracts like this. However, the city is facing an
infrastructure crisis that carries with it a big bill and we need to be more frugal.
Infrastructure. When underground utility pipes began breaking around town and
flooding people’s yards with sewage, I demanded action and accountability. Other
officials literally called it hyperbole, and I was ignored. When the commission
received an 800-page report detailing how our infrastructure is crumbling, I wanted
an immediate workshop. Nothing happened. It wasn’t until the state threatened to
fine the city for creating health hazards, the city began getting serious. I was proud
to be an early voice saying we had a problem that needed to be addressed.
Dixie Highway. Working with the state, we have been able to take the “highway”
out of Dixie Highway. Work is being wrapped up to make it more of a
neighborhood street.
The aquatic center. Soon after I re-joined the commission in 2013, I became
concerned about the direction of the project to redevelop the aquatic center. I noted
that the price was spiraling out of control. I finally convinced my colleagues to cancel
it in favor of a more modest renovation.
Vacation rentals. When residents from across the city complained that neighbors
were renting their homes to weekend vacationers who were disturbing their quality of
life with round-the-clock partying, I stood up. City officials at first said there was little
that could be done. Still, I pushed through regulations that allow well-managed
vacation rentals that are sensitive to their surrounding community while holding rogue
owners accountable for the problems they create.
Unpaved streets. Believe it or not, but when I was sworn into office in 2013, there
were still unpaved streets in our city. City staff shrugged off residents who wanted
more than dirt roads, telling them it would be at least a decade before the city could
do something. I got the city to undertake the work immediately.
LAS OLAS BOULEVARD & ISLES