Trio of Fort Lauderdale commissioners opting to quit two years early

FORT LAUDERDALE — Election season is coming two years early in Fort Lauderdale.

Heather Mora itis, Robert McKinzie and Ben Sorensen are stepping down two years before their city commission terms end in November 2024.

That means three new faces will be elected to serve on the five-member board in two separate elections.

The two candidates replacing Moraitis and McKinzie will be elected during the state’s midterm elections Nov. 8. The new commissioner replacing Sorensen will be elected during a special election next year on a date that has not yet been decided.

All three elected officials are leaving for different reasons.

McKinzie, who represents District 3 in central and western Fort Lauderdale, is running for county commission Nov. 8. He plans to resign his Fort Lauderdale commission seat Nov. 7.

Moraitis, who represents District 1 in northeast Fort Lauderdale, will make her exit on the same day to spend more time with family.

Sorensen, who serves District 4’s neighborhoods downtown and to the east, is running for Congress. He hopes to win the race for the District 22 congressional seat now held by U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, who is not seeking reelection.

Fort Lauderdale commissioners make around $70,000 a year. Members of Congress are paid a base salary of $174,000.

On Thursday Sorensen notified the city clerk he plans to resign right before midnight on Jan. 2. The next day new members of Congress will be sworn in.

With Sorensen staying through the end of the year, Fort Lauderdale will be forced to hold a special election sometime in 2023 that will cost an estimated $150,000.

Sorensen is now coming under criticism for not bowing out in November, a move that would save

the city money by putting the District 4 seat on the November ballot.

The cost of holding the election in November goes down substantially, to around $25,000 for each of the three races, Commissioner Steve Glassman said.

“I’m still hoping he changes his mind and moves [his resignation] to November so we can wrap all three elections in one day,” Glassman said Friday. “It makes it easier if the city can hold the elections at the midterms.”

Jim Naugle, the former mayor, agreed.

“All you have to do is resign by November and there would be very little cost,” he said. “When you have a special election there’s a big cost.

“I just can’t imagine a reason for doing that. I’m hoping Ben sees the error of his ways and changes his mind and resigns in November.”

It’s not going to happen, Sorensen says.

“I’m not going to quit early,” he told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I love being a commissioner and I just want to keep serving.”

Under the state’s resignto-run law, Sorensen says he has the right to resign his commission seat Jan. 2.

“The congressional term begins Jan. 3,” he said. “You can resign at any point during your term, so I’m serving out my term until I need to resign for my congressional seat. And that’s the standard practice. Others have done the same.”

Sorensen