TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Richard Clark, CEO, Clark Leadership Consulting. The combined impact of the global supply chain, escalating cost of living, inflation and the war in Ukraine is creating an uncontrollable hardship for Americans.

It is challenging for all, especially for single parents trying to raise children, keep their jobs and pay everyday expenses. The price of gas, utilities and housing are beyond their income. Those who control these costs need to reexamine their own priorities and consider their customers, even if it means tightening their own belts.

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. Due to a new Florida law, “Grandparent Tuition Waiver” goes into effect this August. Any nonlocal, high-performing student applying for college in Florida will only need to pay in-state tuition and fees if their grandparents live in Florida. Grandparents must show proof of residency for the last 12 consecutive months for students to be eligible. This law will help students save thousands of dollars. Florida State University, the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida already allocated all of their grandparent waivers for the incoming school year and each university has over 100 students on their waitlist.

Frank Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines. New synthetic opioids continue to enter the market and are causing devastation throughout our state and the country. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has issued an emergency rule to outlaw eight synthetic drugs, targeting ones known as nitazenes, which have no medical use and can be 10 times more potent than fentanyl. These have been linked to at least 15 deaths in Florida in the past two years. The order makes it a felony to possess, sell, manufacture or deliver the drugs. Any steps taken are steps in the right direction, but new approaches to address and combat this problem must be made.

Tina Polsky, member, Florida Senate. For months, my office has been receiving emails from constituents expressing their struggles with property insurance coverage, so I was relieved to hear that the governor and Republican leadership are finally dealing with this issue head-on by calling for a special session. Should this have been addressed during the regular legislative session? Absolutely. Should this have been the number one priority for the first special session instead of attacking our state’s largest private employer? Most certainly. I’m relieved that we are moving forward in getting some much-needed relief for the people we represent. Hopefully, we are not too late.

Nan Rich, member, Broward County Commission. This week, the Broward County Commission passed an ordinance I sponsored, modeled after a recent Miami-Dade ordinance, that would require landlords to provide a written notification period of at least 60 days before the end of an annual lease if the landlord intends to raise the rent by more than 5%. Given the limited supply, this gives the tenant a better opportunity to find an affordable unit or negotiate an acceptable rent increase. We’re trying to do everything we can to address the affordable housing crisis in our community, given that our Legislature consistently preempts local governments from implementing commonsense regulations.

Mike Ryan, mayor, Sunrise. The Sun Sentinel spotlighted a crisis in our regional 911 system. BSO and Broward County promised every 911 call would be answered quickly. However, poor management and lack of transparent reporting with critical oversight led to 911 calls not being answered timely or at all, ever increasing vacancies in the BSO dispatch centers and a broken early warning system. We demand immediate solutions to solve this crisis in the near-term and long-term, as well as accountability from those responsible. Throwing money at the crisis is not enough. Without true accountability, changes in management and meaningful oversight, Band-Aid solutions will fail.

Robert Weinroth, mayor, Palm Beach County. Palm Beach County recently received its single largest state tourist development tax remittance totaling $9.7 million. Tourism has rebounded and remains a top industry in Florida. Tourist development funds reduce the tax burden on our residents and are reinvested in our community for beach renourishment, infrastructure (e.g. our baseball stadiums) and tourism-related marketing. Our county’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.6% in March, well below the national and state averages. This is an important milestone for our county. Summer is a slow season for employment, but we now find ourselves with fewer applicants than employment opportunities, creating significant business challenges.

Dan Lindblade, president, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. The formal grand opening of the Alan B. Levan Center for Innovation at NSU Florida brings with it four pillars: ideate & create, incubate & implement, accelerate & scale, and post-accelerate & dominate. This state-of-the-art center targets eight key industries to create and sustain new companies and jobs. This regional economic development center will have a global reach thanks to the engagement and commitment of both the public and private sectors.