November 18, 2015

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve as Broward County Mayor over the last year. I am proud of the work we have done together on behalf of the people of Broward County.

Broward County government is operating on all cylinders. Our airport, seaport, parks and libraries are all operating effectively, efficiently and providing our residents and visitors with exceptional service and programs. Economic development and tourism are thriving and we continue to see low unemployment and increasing property values.

The Commission continued to advance Broward County's legacy as a progressive and inclusive community. This year marks the 20th anniversary of our County's human rights ordinance, which remains a model for this state, and nationwide.

We expanded our domestic partnership ordinance to provide reciprocity for domestic partnerships from other jurisdictions. This enabled domestic partners to participate in educational decisions of their partners' children and allowed partners to have a say in one another's funeral and burial decisions.

This Commission helped make Broward County a more economically inclusive community by extending the living wage to employees of airport subcontractors. Starting next year, our airport workers will earn a living wage. This pay increase will make a huge difference in the lives of airport workers and their families.

In the past year, we have made great strides on a number of projects that have been years and in some cases decades in the making. A new courthouse is rising out of the ground to take its place in the downtown skyline. A long battle over the siting of the BARC facility has come to a close. We received the Army Corps of Engineers Report, clearing the main hurdle for the Port Everglades widening and deepening project. We've made substantial progress toward expanding our Convention Center and bringing in an on-site hotel.

We also made substantial progress this year towards achieving the County's long term goal to make Broward County a no-kill community. We broke ground this year on a new shelter that will provide a more comfortable environment for animals and expand our capacity for residents who wish to adopt. Shelter intake continues to decrease – down nearly 15 percent from last year, while live outcomes for animals in our shelter is on the rise. We are preparing to roll out our high volume, low cost, spay and neuter clinic in partnership with the Humane Society of Broward County after the first of this year. Together these steps will take us a long way toward reaching our no kill goal.

We upgraded our traffic signalization system so it is fully digital. The single most important complaint that I get at homeowner association meetings is about traffic lights.

We are back to having most of our libraries open six days a week. Libraries are a tremendous resource to our residents. I know our residents will appreciate the expanded access.

This year is Broward's 100th anniversary. We marked it with arts and cultural events around the county and celebrated our history, diverse culture, and talents of the residents. Our signature event was successful beyond anything I could have imagined.

I want to thank all of the county staff who made it so helpful for me to serve as your Mayor this past year. I also want to tell my colleagues what a pleasure it has been to serve with you. I am proud to note that we were serious when we needed to be, lighthearted when we could be and we were respectful of each other when we couldn't agree. I am grateful for the trust and respect you have given me this year.