Reflections for the New Year

It has become part of our culture to use the start of the new year as a time to reflect on the year just past and to set personal or professional goals for the one to come. 2018 was a great year for our City with groundbreakings for Colony West and Tamarac Village and significant progress on our buffer wall and signage programs.

We have a major beautification project scheduled to happen at Tamarac Elementary in January, made possible by partnerships formed throughout 2018. Additionally, we said goodbye to Mayor Harry Dressler and welcome to our new Mayor, Michelle J. Gomez and our newest Commissioner, Mike Gelin. 2018’s accomplishments have strategically positioned our City for success in 2019!

Looking forward to 2019 and what I will be working on, there is still major work to be done with the schools our Tamarac students attend. A new year brings a new legislative session with renewed attacks on Home Rule. Additionally, this year I will be working with Broward cities to look at ways to help combat human trafficking at a local level.

Tamarac Elementary School Murual, 2018 Beautification Project

School Work

As I have said before, Tamarac students go to 16 different regular public schools in 7 different cities. As a City we do not have control over what happens in the classroom. However, we can ensure that our children are ready for school when they arrive at the doors each day and that the students have a healthy, happy place to learn.

2018 brought about some really strong partnerships with groups such as the Children’s Services Council, HandsOn Broward and the Broward Reads Coalition. This year, I will be reaching out to the other cities where our students attend school to hold a meeting to discuss best practices from each to help improve the learning environment for all students.

Defending Home Rule

I was honored to be named a Home Rule Hero by the Florida League of Cities in 2018 for my work to educate residents about the importance of local government control and for my advocacy for Home Rule. The 2019 Legislative Session begins Tuesday, March 5th and there is already a bill filed that would preempt local governments from regulating vegetable gardens on residential property.

I will be spending time in Tallahassee this year to work with the Florida League of Cities (FLC), the Broward League of Cities (BLC) and others to protect Home Rule and to work on a bill I am putting together regarding elections. I am also working with the FLC on water supply and water quality issues which the League has recognized as a priority for this year.

Combating Human Trafficking

During the re-write of the Tamarac City code, we took an important step toward combating human trafficking when we revised our code regarding massage parlors. We now require window tint that allows people to see inside. The front door must be unlocked during hours of operation, and we shortened the hours of operation. These may seem like small steps in an issue of international scope, but if every city did this it would make it that much more difficult to operate those massage parlors that are actually fronts for human and sex trafficking.

These are the big three for me this year. I will be working on other issues as well, but these are the ones I wanted to start with. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on these issues or if you would like to suggest other issues for me to work on.

Upcoming Events

Are you getting all the tax exemptions on your home that you are entitled to receive? Do you qualify for the new low income long term senior exemption for seniors who have lived in Tamarac for 25 years or more who have an income of under $25,000 a year? Come find out on January 17^th at a free interactive session starting at 6 pm at the Tamarac Community Center. Click here for information.

January 12: Rock N' Ride, Tamarac Park, 4 – 7 pm
January 18: MLK Day Celebration, Community Center, 6 pm
January 22: City Commission Workshop, City Hall, 9:30 am
January 23: City Commission meeting, City Hall, 9 am
January 25: Tamarac Historical Society Centenarian Luncheon, Community Center,
11:30 am – 2 pm

Additionally, VITA Tax Preparation will be ready to help prepare taxes for people who make $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English-speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals. This service will be offered at the Tamarac Community Center starting January 22^nd. Call the Community Center at (954) 597-3620 for dates and times. This service is offered through Hispanic Unity of Florida.

Finally, applications are still being accepted for Tamarac University until January 31st. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the City operates at Tamarac University (TU), an eight-week interactive program. Click here for more information. As a TU graduate, class of 2013, I highly recommend it!