As of today, June 8, summer camps are open and vacation rentals too; next will be other services, including bowling alleys, arcades, laser tag, concert and play houses, auditoriums and movie theaters–which will be open at 50% capacity next Monday, June 15 with sanitation and other safety procedures in place, just like restaurants and other businesses, which have already been open in this way, have put into place. Masks, hand washing, etc. will be at play. For a full list of details and requirements, see https://www.broward.org/CoronaVirus/Documents/Emergency%20Order%2020-15.pdf

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County has partnered with the City of Deerfield Beach to open a free, public COVID-19 walk-up testing site. The testing site will open on Monday, June 8, and will be open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This testing schedule will run through Saturday, June 20, and may be extended. 

The location is Oveta McKeithen Recreational Complex, 4455 SW Second Street, Deerfield Beach, FL, 33441. This site will not only assist the state identify COVID-19 trends in South Florida, it will allow those in the community to easily access necessary free testing.

“We encourage our residents to take advantage of this free testing service as we continue to move forward safely to other phases of re-openings in the near future,” said Mayor Bill Ganz. 

Appointments are not required; however, please call 954-412-7300 for more information or to schedule an appointment. 

For additional information or questions, call the Broward County COVID-19 hotline at 954-357-9500.

The Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. with elected officials and City staff participating through video conferencing.

A copy of the agenda for the June 9 meeting can be found at http://www.deerfield- beach.com/1554/Meetings-Agendas. 

Ready to access? Use the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85005159288?pwd=ZXFTUTFuajdJc3g3Nmc5dkIzZFYvdz09

The meeting begins at 6:45 p.m.

You can also dial in via telephone instead by dialing  1-929-205-6099 and inserting the Meeting ID — 850 0515 9288 — when prompted. No computer or access code is required. Don’t forget the password… It is 768361

For more information on using Zoom, please visit https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us.

The meeting will also be available to the public via YouTube for audio and video access; however, public participation, i.e. comments are not possible. The link to watch the meeting via YouTube will be active no earlier than 6:45 p.m. on June 9  and can be found by clicking the camera icon in the Media column at http://www.deerfield- beach.com/1554/Meetings-Agendas.

Public participation is strongly encouraged. Your comments will be limited to three minutes per person. To participate, please choose the option best for you and remember to include your name and address for the record.

1. Via Email – Public comments and documents may be submitted via email to web.clerk@dfb.city. Public comments will be read aloud during the meeting and added to the record. Emails can be submitted prior to the meeting or until the public hearing session is closed.
2. Live Zoom Video Participation – If attending via Zoom online, at the appropriate public comment period, click “raise hand” on the bottom of the “participants” tab, and your audio will be unmuted when you are recognized.
3. Live Zoom Telephone Participation – If attending via Zoom by telephone, at the appropriate public comment period, press *9 to “raise your hand” and your audio will be unmuted when you are recognized.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND FLORIDA STATUTE 286.26, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROCEEDING SHOULD CONTACT THE CITY CLERK NO LATER THAN 3 DAYS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT 954-480-4213 FOR ASSISTANCE.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the City Clerk’s Office at 954-480-4213. For additional information on the agenda items for the Commission meeting, please visit www.dfb.city.

As of June 3, County Administrator Bertha Henry has terminated the Emergency Curfew Order that was imposed on Broward County since May 31.

However, if required to protect Broward County residents and businesses, a curfew may be reimposed for part or all of the County, including incorporated and unincorporated areas, with as little as one (1) hour prior written notice designating the applicable area(s).

A curfew will be reimposed if there is evidence of possible civil unrest that threatens the health, safety, or welfare of the public. Broward County Code of Ordinances gives the County Administrator the authority to impose a general curfew applicable throughout the community while there is a State of Local Emergency in effect, issued on Sunday, May 31st.

Municipalities may have still have curfews in place. Residents are urged to check with their municipality for any stricter pronouncements. 

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) first Virtual Chess Championship set a record in participation as 167 students in elementary, middle and high school put their chess skills to the test, competing in more than 300 games.

BCPS partners with chess organizations, such as Chess4Life, to incorporate chess into the school day for elementary students, as well as after school chess clubs for students of all ages. Due to school closures as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Spring Chess Championship, that had previously attracted as many as 150 students for face-to-face mental bouts, was moved to a virtual landscape.

The tournament, held Friday, May 15, was divided into four categories by grade level: kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through eighth and ninth through 12^th.

At the end of five rounds of competition, the winners emerged: kindergarten through second grade – Matthew Dunlop from Eagle Point Elementary School; third through fifth grade: Miles Rosner from Beachside Montessori Village Academy; sixth through eighth grade – Alice Wu from Falcon Cove Middle School tied with Vladimir Bershanskiy from Parkway Middle School; and ninth through 12^th grade – David Reyes-Tobar from Fort Lauderdale High School.

“Chess is an important part of our District’s plan for preparing students for success,” said BCPS Superintendent Robert Runcie. “It helps to enhance students’ problem-solving skills, concentration and creativity and provides great lessons in patience and sportsmanship. I congratulate all the winners and competitors for challenging themselves by participating.”

Aspiring chess experts can continue to hone their chess skills during distance learning by accessing the Chess4Life platform through the District’s Clever portal. For more information, contact the Applied Learning Department at 754-321-1851 or visit chess4life.com.

District 4 Commissioner, Todd Drosky is happy to host Saturday office hours via teleconference, Saturday, June 6.