November 27, 2007

Mayor Josephus Eggelletion, Jr.
2006 - 2007 Mayor
Broward County Commission

Commissioners, staff, and especially the residents of Broward County, I am honored to be here today to present a summary of the accomplishments of Broward County government during the past fiscal year.

When I first took office as the Mayor of Broward County, I promised to bring consensus to this Board so we could move forward on the pressing issues facing us in the year ahead --- one of the most challenging in the 92 years since we were incorporated into a County. To that end, we made progress and we made history. It is my hope that we can maintain this momentum as we move forward with a new Mayor and face the challenges of the year ahead.

First, I would like to commend the Board for their consistent, insightful and dedicated leadership during the last year. I commend, too, our department, division and office directors, as well as administrative staff, for their leadership and performance in implementing the policies and directives of this County Commission. And finally, I would like to express my appreciation to the employees of Broward County for their hard work and support in meeting the needs of the residents we serve.

Shortly after I assumed my duties as Mayor last November, I knew that we had an obligation to reduce spending and streamline operations. We all heard the concerns and demands for lower taxes.

We took the initiative before state lawmakers even began discussing the subject. We pushed forward a zero-based budget that was based on performance, expense and need. I presided over five budget workshops in the spring and summer and, for the first time, public participation was promoted and publicized so that the public could have an early say in forming the budget. From the very beginning, members of the public engaged in the budget process, came to these meetings, told us what they wanted. In the end we would make history.

We created and adopted a budget with a precedent-setting decrease in the millage rate of 14 percent, the largest known reduction ever made in Broward County. The decrease resulted in an average savings of $143 on the County’s portion of the tax bill for homeowners occupying homesteaded property.

The total budget was reduced by approximately $116 million. Programs and services were reduced and 360 positions were eliminated from the payroll. To our credit, no employees lost their jobs.

The rise in the value of real estate in Broward County, coupled with the inequities contained in the Save Our Homes amendment in the Florida Constitution, created an unfair method of taxation throughout our state. Although previous Commissions reduced the millage rate in Broward County for the better part of the last decade, we went beyond the call of duty this year to meet the demands of our residents who cried out for tax relief and less government spending.

This is a major contraction of government. We were determined to make this happen, no matter what mandates were handed down by state lawmakers, because we know that County government is the government closest to the people and that we are obligated to reflect their wishes, hopes and concerns.

Colleagues, this was truly a job well done and I thank you for your help and support in making change happen this past year. As I reflect on our accomplishments and achievements, I am pleased to report that the state of the County is excellent.

Financial Management
From a financial management perspective, the County is sound and solvent and utilizes proactive, prudent management practices as reflected in the County’s general fund reserve level. Our $2 billion investment portfolio earned the highest possible rating from Standard & Poor’s (AAAf/S1+) making it the first County portfolio in the state to receive this rating.  Investments within the portfolio earned interest income of $128.7 million and the average portfolio yield for Broward County’s investments increased from 4.4 percent to 5.2 percent.

The County has a moderate debt level, and we refinanced taxpayer-supported debt and realized savings of over $7 million.  The County’s bond rating was affirmed at the strong AA level.

In an effort to increase our focus on international trade and the economy, our Office of Economic Development and the Broward Economic Partnership, which includes municipalities, the Broward Alliance and other economic groups, helped in the creation of 1,500 new jobs and the retention of more than 2,500 existing jobs. Working through the partnership, Broward County provided direct assistance to 366 companies.

Under the capital formation program, Broward County was instrumental in providing $28.6 million of work in Industrial Revenue Bond financing. These efforts totaled nearly $82 million in new capital investment.

Continuing to reach out to the global economy, Broward County led or participated in three outbound and six inbound trade missions. I accompanied business leaders to trade missions in Brazil, Chile and Mexico. My mission to Merida and Guadalajara resulted in a memorandum of understanding between the Latin Business Association and the Office of Economic Development. The memorandum designates Broward County as the host for the first virtual office for trade and investment. The second result is the relocation and expansion of a manufacturing company in Broward County next year.

Our Vital Economic Engines
The major engines of Broward County’s economy -- aviation, the port and tourism -- all show signs of vitality and growth.

At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, we expect total passenger traffic to increase by approximately 5 percent in 2007, with a record number of 22 million passengers using the facility. In June, County Commissioners were able to reach a consensus and approved the expansion of the south runway, which includes mitigation for the surrounding neighborhoods before the runway extension is fully utilized. This was a decision that had been postponed -- or was at a standstill for years -- but now through leadership, there is well defined direction for the future of our airport.

The Commission liaison, Commissioner Stacy Ritter, represented the Board and attended ceremonies that celebrated new airline service at the airport and the expansion of service from current airlines.

We secured $18.4 million in federal funding for a permanent automated baggage screening system in Terminal 1 and nearly $10 million for security, noise mitigation and other projects. For the ninth consecutive year, the international airport received “zero discrepancies” in the annual CFR Part 139 inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration. North Perry Airport was named “ General Aviation Airport” of the year by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Port Everglades
At Port Everglades, we experienced our third year of record growth in containerized cargo with an estimated 8 percent increase in tonnage and a 10 percent increase in containerized cargo. As a result, Port Everglades is expected to surpass the Port of Miami by the end of Calendar 2007 becoming the 11th busiest container port in the United States.

Port Everglades continues to be one of the top three cruise ports in the world, breaking a record on December 23 of last year with 47,229 passengers accommodated on a single day. We also recorded a new milestone in daily cruise activity with the fifteen-millionth passenger embarking from the port. The port will also welcome six cruise ships to its fleet this winter, three of which are making their United States debuts. In total, Port Everglades expects to host 3.4 million passengers sailing aboard 40 cruise ships from 15 cruise lines this coming season.

A recent, independent analysis of economic impacts shows a total value of economic activity at Port Everglades surpassing almost $17 billion. More than 188,000 Florida jobs are impacted by the Port, including 11,000 people who work for companies that provide direct services to Port Everglades. This economic activity generates $6.4 billion in total personal income and $589-million in total state and local taxes.

The Commission’s liaison to Port Everglades, Commissioner John Rodstrom, and I participated in the signing of an agreement that created a sister city Port with the Port of Olbia in Italy and a second sister city agreement with the Port of Xian in China.

As the Port Everglades Master Plan Update progressed, we negotiated a new multi-year maintenance and repair contract for the port’s nine gantry cranes and maintained crane uptime to nearly 100 percent. We installed new energy-efficient equipment in the cruise terminals and office buildings to cut greenhouse emissions by 9.8 million pounds annually, which will result in savings of more than $4.5 million in energy costs over the next decade.

Tourism
Tourism, the third component of our economic engine, continues to play a major role in Broward County’s economy.

Total 2007 fiscal year-to-date tourist tax revenues are up 4 percent, with overall collections at a record-breaking $41 million. The average daily hotel room rate rose to more than $123, the highest figure in the destination’s history. The Commission’s momentum continued to move. Currently, the Convention Center Hotel is now in negotiation, with plans for a world-class Hilton Hotel that will be built adjacent to the Convention Center. This is an idea that had been dormant for years.

During the past year, Broward County hosted 10.5 million visitors -- a new record -- with an economic impact estimated at $9 billion. Future convention bookings broke previous records, with a strong appeal to world-class collegiate, amateur and professional sports groups. This past year, 320 athletic groups visited the area, with an economic impact of $627 million, employing more than 114,000 in the region.

This year Broward County also emerged strong as we co-hosted the 41st NFL Super Bowl Championship which brought an estimated economic impact of more than $183 million dollars to Broward County.

Transportation
Transportation continues to be a vital concern of residents, as well as visitors. Steps have been taken this year to improve mobility throughout the County. The Mass Transit Division was elevated to an office under County Administration and became the Broward County Office of Transportation in February.

This year, the Office of Transportation held the first Broward County Transit Summit, hosted by me and attended by my colleagues; Vice Mayor Wexler and Commissioner Sue Gunzburger. More than 200 people from all walks of life attended this event. Our goal is to bring together our community to embark on an agreed upon transit master plan.

So far, we have had two Transit Forums: one at the Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale and one at the South Regional/BCC Library in Pembroke Pines. These forums are designed to solicit community input on public transportation issues. Within the next 18 months we hope to have a transit master plan that is created by the people of Broward County; a plan that reflects the needs of the community and one that will be promoted and supported as we look for ways to finance this public plan.

We know if we build it, they will ride! Ridership on Broward County Transit (BCT) continued to increase, averaging 39.2 million passenger trips a year, nearly a 5 percent increase over 2006. We have entered into partnerships with 23 of the County’s 31 municipalities for community bus service. Hallandale Beach and Wilton Manors are our newest partners. Additional community bus service was added to five existing partner cities. Ridership on community buses continues to show a slight increase.

This year, Commissioner Kristin Jacobs and I broke ground for the new Northeast Neighborhood Transit Center in Pompano Beach. In addition, BCT launched limited-stop “Breeze” service along State Road 7 and U.S. 1. A new route was added along Stirling Road, between U.S. 1 and Flamingo Road, and more frequent service has been added to several routes.

We approved a program to provide bus passes at a reduced fare to agencies that serve homeless individuals and Paratransit Services introduced its newly restructured Transportation Options (TOPS) program to provide a better quality of service to paratransit customers.

We began three major highway construction projects: Sheridan Street, from S.W. 184 Avenue to S.W. 196 Avenue; Sunrise Boulevard, from Hiatus Road to Pine Island Road; and Plantation Bridges, from S.W. 125 Avenue to Commodore Drive. We installed 330 transfer switches for generator hook-up at intersections with power during emergencies and distributed more than 10,000 emergency Stop/No Right Turn signs to municipalities. We started the mast-arm conversion project by completing the design of 44 traffic signal locations and retimed 10 arterials and evaluated the signal timing at nearly 900 intersections. In addition, we installed 250 emergency vehicle preemption systems.

Hurricane Preparedness
While some residents are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Wilma in 2005, we were most fortunate to have dodged the bullet this year. Had a hurricane materialized, we would have been ready because of lessons learned two years ago and the progress we have made in responding to an emergency.

This year, more than 350 County and city employees were trained on the Incident Command System at our Emergency Operations Center. We conducted our second and largest Hurricane Expo in early June and again sent the Broward County Hurricane Preparedness Guide to every household in the County. For the second year in a row, Broward County hosted the Governor’s Hurricane Conference in May with 4,000 participants.

To enhance our future preparedness for emergency situations, the Fort Lauderdale Urban Area Security Initiative, which includes Broward County, was awarded $6.5 million in federal funds for the current fiscal year. During the year, the County’s Construction Management Division managed the design and reconstruction of 115 County facilities, estimated at more than $38 million that were damaged by Hurricane Wilma. This process included the documentation of damages and loss claim recovery negotiations with both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the County’s insurance carrier. We also purchased two 1,000-kilowatt generators, 64 smaller generators, seven portable pumps and two portable light trailers for use in an emergency or during a hurricane.

In addition, Vice Mayor Lois Wexler broke ground this year to kick off the construction of three new regional fire rescue facilities, one located along Alligator Alley, and a logistics warehouse, to better protect our residents and visitors from harm’s way.

Resident Welfare
Safeguarding the health and welfare of our residents is a priority of the Broward County Commission. The County’s Human Services Department assisted more than 56,000 residents during the past year, while an additional 125,000 clients received services through contracted providers.

To assist us in our efforts, we received grant award funding totaling approximately $7.8 million for programs and services for the homeless, elderly, disabled and those with substance abuse needs. The Sexual Assault Treatment Center was awarded a $125,000 grant from the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence for being state-certified as a rape crisis center.

The Substance Abuse and Health Care Services Division was expanded from one service location in Fort Lauderdale to two additional locations— Lauderhill and Hollywood. Another major accomplishment includes the implementation of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness by increased mobile homeless outreach efforts countywide.

On a very encouraging note, the Broward Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) reports that 100 percent of the women in its perinatal addiction program gave birth to drug-free babies.

Broward County Commissioners Sue Gunzburger and Ilene Lieberman initiated drives to feed our hungry—and provide hurricane supplies to senior citizens in need. The “Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation” food drive, led by Commissioner Gunzburger, resulted in the collection of 6 tons — that’s 12,000 pounds of food — to be distributed to local food banks throughout Broward County. Commissioner Lieberman, raised money for and hand delivered nearly 300 hurricane survival kits to the elderly and low-income elderly registered in Broward County.

During the past year, we received and spent $5.6 million in hurricane relief funding to assist more than 700 Broward County elders impacted by Hurricane Wilma. The funding supported temporary rental and housing assistance, as well as home repair expenses. We also created the vulnerable persons database and partnered with our municipalities to develop and implement a database to register and track vulnerable residents in our community—in the event of a hurricane or other emergency.

In January of this year, under the charge of Vice Mayor Wexler, the first Broward Elder Services Summit was held, bringing together more than 300 elders, caregivers, providers and stakeholders to review the primary Updated Elder Analysis findings. The summit produced extremely useful dialogue, which established priorities for the future.

Broward County Commissioners Ilene Lieberman, Diana Wasserman-Rubin and Vice Mayor Wexler also introduced a Discount Drug Prescription card that is available to all Broward residents free of charge and offers up to a 15 percent reduction in prescription drug costs to those with little or no insurance.

Housing
Housing, another high profile issue of this Commission, received a major boost this year when the County’s Housing and Community Development Division and the Housing Finance Authority rolled out its new home ownership program. The 2007 Home Ownership Program offers a 30-year, fixed-rate first mortgage at 6.60 percent and 4 percent of the full loan amount to be credited to down payment or closing costs. The program is not restricted to first-time buyers, but residents must meet standard credit requirements.

We issued a total of $93 million in revenue bonds for the purpose of providing funds to finance the rehabilitation and preserve the affordability period on more than 1,000 units, all of which will provide rental housing for persons and families of low and moderate income. The Housing and Community Development Division provided $4.5 million in State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funds to assist in closing costs and down payment assistance and additional funds to assist homeowners with minor repairs.

We completed the 12th year of the Neighborhood Improvement Program. To date, 43 bid packages have been completed or are underway, for a total of $435 million. More than 140 miles of sanitary sewer have been placed, 135 miles of water mains installed, and 115 miles of drainage pipes have been laid.

Several Redevelopment Capital Programs were negotiated this year: we successfully negotiated interlocal agreements with Lauderhill, Plantation and Oakland Park. More than $5 million is earmarked for improvements in Lauderhill on the State Route 7 corridor, of which $3.8 may be used in Central Lauderhill for a park and roadway improvements; and up to $13 million is allocated for Oakland Park for a variety of improvement projects.

The County has continued to make progress on construction of affordable housing in the central county neighborhoods of Roosevelt Gardens and Washington Park. As of this date, contracts have been awarded or are in the process of being finalized for 66 affordable single family homes. Next phases will see more houses built in these neighborhoods and Boulevard Gardens and Franklin Park. And, we celebrated a groundbreaking of the Renaissance in Lauderhill, which provided 27 workforce priced single-family homes in Central Broward County.

Protecting the Environment
Protecting Broward’s environment has always been a priority of the Commission. This year, we contracted with a consultant on the County’s hydrologic model to develop a master plan that will identify alternative water supply projects and water management strategies, capable of satisfying the County’s water demands through 2025. We continue the development of the coastal water quality monitoring program, aimed at protecting Broward’s coastal resources, worth an estimated $2.1 billion in economic activity.

Broward County maintained compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and sustained the air quality designation status of attainment for ozone.

Monitoring continues along Segment III of the Beach Renourishment Project, which was completed in 2006. The project involved placing sand along 6.2 miles of beach in southern Broward County. We have targeted the end of next year for completing plans and obtaining permits for Segment II, which includes Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas.

This Broward County also, again, received international and national media attention as we embarked on a clean-up project to restore our Coral Reefs, by removing millions of tires that lie on the bottom of the ocean floor. The Coral Reef restoration program is managed by our Environmental Protection Department, and brings together the military, Florida DEP and Port Everglades. This program not only removes the tires, but recycles them into energy and at the same provides training for salvage divers from the U.S. military. In the end, nearly 11,000 tires were brought to the surface. The project will begin again this year in April 2008.

This year, Broward County also completed a Boat Facility Siting component of the state-required Manatee Protection Plan. Funding for implementation of the siting plan will come from a combination of one-time impact fees for new slips and a yearly manatee mitigation fee, assessed on all facilities regulated by the plan.

Our parks, natural areas and libraries continue to be built, renovated and enhanced. To date, 75 projects are either in design or under construction through the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond program. More than 30 projects have been completed, including six major park projects. In September, we re-opened the 66-acre Tall Cypress Natural Area in Coral Springs, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. In October, the new, 34-acre environmentally sensitive Highlands Scrub Natural Area opened in Pompano Beach, a small fragment of the remaining, very rare “scrub community” in Broward County. In October, we reopened T.Y. Regional Park in Hollywood, following nearly a year of renovations. The 150-acre park includes a new ADA-approved swimming facility, a totally renovated campground, numerous amenities and new landscaping.

This month, we dedicated the 110-acre Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, the first regional facility acquired and developed through the 2000 bond program. This multi-purpose park was completed with more than 50 percent minority participation. It includes a main event field with 5,000 covered seats and additional seating for 15,000, the first public venue for cricket in the United States. There are also four lighted soccer/football fields, tennis and baseball courts, a nature trail, covered playgrounds, corporate pavilions and picnic shelters. Plans for this park also include a water park, library and cultural center as this facility continues to grow in the future.

We also celebrated the much anticipated opening of Richardson Park in Wilton Manors. Commissioner Ken Keechl cut the ribbon to officially open this jewel of a park in the heart of Wilton Manors, and the site of the Historic homes of the Richardson family.

Libraries
This year we dedicated the 70,000-square-foot South Regional/Broward Community College Library, one of two certified “green buildings” in the County. In addition to the Environmental Protection Department Laboratory building, the library is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) facility building.

In October, we re-opened the Riverland Branch Library which had been heavily impacted by Hurricane Wilma, and we also opened the new West Regional Library in Plantation, which is now more than double the size of the former building. Also, this year, we celebrated the fifth anniversary of the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, one of four such institutions in the Country.

The County’s Web Site
As our residents become more accustomed to going online for information about Broward County programs and services, we revamped the County’s website, www.broward.org, making the site more user-friendly with a calendar of events and an enhanced search engine. The website, with more than 10,000 pages of data, is utilized by nearly one- third of the residents, double the national average. Nearly half a million visitors visit our website each month.

E-commerce transactions show significant increases for auto tag payments and property taxes. Last year, we collected $244.8 million in taxes through e-checks and credit cards.

In an effort to heighten awareness of the diversity among Broward County’s 1.8 million residents, we have launched a new website on Broward County’s home page. The new site looks at diversity in the workplace, in business and the community. It recognizes individuals who have received honors and awards for their leadership and efforts to create a more inclusive community.

This year marked the launch of the Broward County Academy, an eight-week interactive program designed to inform participants about the services of Broward County government and to encourage community participation in government. The inaugural class this past winter was most successful and a second academy is now underway.

We continue to work with our partners in government: at the local, state and federal level. We understand that intergovernmental cooperation is essential and an integral component of governance. We have reached out to the business community, not-for-profit agencies, civic groups and individual residents. We understand the decisions we make affect all segments of the community. We have cooperated with the Charter Review Commission and offered our observations, along with many other Broward County residents.

Broward in the News
This year, the achievements and accomplishments of Broward County were truly heard and noted around the world:

• Our Coral Reef Restoration/Tire Removal program was featured on all major television networks, along with CNN, Fox Network, MSNBC and foreign media in Germany, England and Latin America.
  
• News from outer space made news nationwide as a small rock taken from the moon now proudly sits on display as featured in Broward County’s main library. This is the only library on our planet to feature such a unique exhibit.
  
• Two internationally renowned ships, gathering at Port Everglades at the same time, brought news media from across the globe when the Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mary II set sail for different trips around the world.
  
• The 41st Super Bowl Championship game brought Broward County local, national, and international attention as more than 92 million viewers watched worldwide, the second most watched Super Bowl in the history of the game.
  
• And in those countries where Cricket makes news, the Central Regional Park, with its world class cricket field, was featured in the Bahamas, Bangladesh, and the West Indies.

Conclusion
Reflecting on this past year, I can honestly say that the State of the County is excellent, but we face significant challenges ahead. Government cannot be all things to all people. We must always remember that there is price tag for every service and program we provide.

While each of us seeks to represent the residents in our respective districts, we must always remember that we are a regional government and our decisions affect the entire County. There will always be differences of opinion and issues that divide us. This is democracy in its truest form. But, in the end, we must come together with one voice to speak for the residents of Broward County.

Thank you.