a Special City Commission Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov.13 at 6 p.m. at the City Hall Complex, 150 NE 2 Ave., Deerfield Beach, at which time the City Purchasing Department will present the evaluation committee’s recommendation for the Comprehensive City-wide Parking Revenue Collection and Enforcement System. 

Please note that Cale America, the company that is being recommended, will also be on site and available to the city commissioners and the public who might be interested in a LIVE demonstration of the new technology and equipment.

They will be in Commission Chambers lobby beginning at 1p.m. and they will available to answer any questions or concerns until 6 p.m. 

**For more information, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 954-480-4200.**

The first of a six public workshops addressing the redistricting of Broward County Commission districts takes place tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, West Banquet Room, 1801 N.E. Sixth Street in Pompano Beach.   Commissioner Chip LaMarca will attend tonight’s meeting.

The Broward County Commission is preparing a new Commission District map based upon 2010 Census data. Redistricting is required by the Broward County Charter to balance the populations of the nine single member districts and ensure residents have equal representation on the County Commission.
The public is invited to participate in the process by attending the workshops and by submitting maps of their own for the Commission’s consideration.

The six public workshops are:

Tuesday, September 6, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, West Banquet Room, 1801 N.E. Sixth St., Pompano Beach

Monday, October 3, 5 – 7 p.m.
West Lake Park – Anne Kolb Nature Center, 751 Sheridan St., Hollywood

Several map options have already been prepared by County staff for the Commissioners to consider.  All eligible maps must meet the “Fair Districting” principles for Federal congressional and State legislative districts which were added to the Florida Constitution by voter referendum in the November 2010 election. Submitted maps that meet Fair Districting Standards will be sent to the Commission and all maps sent to the Commission will also be posted at www.broward.org/redistricting.

Residents are encouraged to participate in any of the workshops and submit their own suggestions for redistricting, by submitting paper maps or maps created in a web-based software, My District Builder.

In a 4-0 vote just after 8 p.m. tonight, Aug. 15 Deerfield City Commission voted to turn it’s Fire Rescue services over to BSO in what was a full confidence  of Sheriff Al Lamberti. The contract will start Oct 1.

See story in full in 8-18 Observer newspaper. See video of the vote and Sheriff Lamberti  on Observer TV

The 2011 redistricting effort will provide for extensive public participation, including public workshops, public hearings, and a process for members of the public to submit maps for Commission consideration.

Public Workshops

A series of workshops will be held at various locations around the County to inform the public about the process and requirements for completing the new County Commission district map. Five workshops have been scheduled:

September 12, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
African American Research Library & Cultural Center
Library Auditorium
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

September 19, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
North Regional Library
Library Auditorium, Room 154
1100 Coconut Creek Boulevard
Coconut Creek, FL 33066

September 26, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Tree Tops Park
Oak Auditorium
3900 S.W. 100 Avenue
Davie, FL 33328

September 29, 2011 from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Government Center West
Hearing Room
1 University Drive
Plantation, FL 33324

October 3, 2011 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
West Lake Park – Anne Kolb Nature Center
Mangrove Hall
751 Sheridan Street
Hollywood, FL 33019

Public Hearings

The County Commission will hold two public hearings, in October and early November of 2011.

Public Submissions of Maps

The State of Florida is developing Web-based software, called “MyDistrictBuilder,” which the public can access for free to draw Federal congressional and State legislative maps that they want to submit for consideration. This software is expected to be fully operational in July 2011, and can also be used to draw custom maps for Broward County Commission districts.

Once the software is available, staff from Broward County Planning and Redevelopment Division will be available to help train members of the public on the use of the software and the process for submitting maps.

Paper maps will also be available, with voter precincts and current Commission district boundaries noted, for members of the public interested in drawing maps by hand.

Planning and Redevelopment Division staff will review all maps submitted by members of the public to ensure consistency with the Broward County Charter and Fair Districting Standards, and submit maps meeting those standards to the County Commission for consideration.

All maps submitted for consideration by the County Commission will be posted to this Web site.

The special City Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 7 in Deerfield Beach has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.