LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEW YEAR

Irela Bagué, president, Bagué Group.

Global financial markets finally began to take climate change seriously, and the United States saw a movement towards zero-carbon energy development. Closer to home, NextEra Energy became the country’s most valuable energy company due to their strategic move towards renewable energy production. These are positive signs for future economic development and growth in the tech workforce. It looks like the future will be greener and cleaner in the coming years.

Lori Berman, member, Florida Senate.

The pandemic has exposed many inequalities in Florida, and the repercussions will be felt in 2021. Among the items that should be addressed by the Florida Legislature are reformation of the unemployment system, expansion of Medicaid to assure greater access to healthcare, support for our distressed small businesses, criminal justice reform and a thorough discussion on how to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in our state. Despite the difficult budget year, the Legislature needs to support the growing need for social services while maintaining our balanced budget.

Richard Clark, CEO, Clark Leadership Consulting.

The undermining of the media, self-serving leadership, and shameful lack of statesmanship in Congress demonstrated the vulnerability of our democracy. The foundation of our society is a free press, today discredited by intentional attacks labeling it as fake news. Americans have been bullied by false rhetoric creating unparalleled polarization, through which lies are accepted as truths. Yet we have witnessed the sacrifice of first responders, risking their lives to save others. Let us honor the values upon which our nation was founded and only elect leaders who deserve our trust and place their constituents before themselves.

Debbi Hixon, member, Broward

County School Board. I believe coronavirus will continue to be the biggest story of 2021; the economic impacts, the vaccine, the impact of virtual learning and the COVID-19 slide will continue to be front-page stories well into 2021. So many people are struggling, either financially or emotionally, and our leaders must continue finding ways to provide relief and ensure the safety of our citizens. We will never go back to the way things were before the pandemic, so we must embrace the changes and look for opportunities to be successful in this new world. May 2021 bring us more blessings than challenges!

Christine Hunschofsky, member, Florida House of Representatives.

While 2020 brought many challenges, 2021 brings the opportunity to tackle numerous issues that came to the forefront in 2020 — issues such as access to and affordability of quality mental and physical healthcare, systemic racism, access to broadband and how our society addresses our most vulnerable and at-risk populations. To deal with these and many other challenges, we also need to restore trust — trust in each other and trust in our institutions. In 2020, we saw that we are all interconnected. In 2021, we need to put in the work to unify our communities and confront these tough issues.

Chris Lagerbloom, city manager, Fort

Lauderdale. We will be facing challenges into 2021 and beyond from the pandemic. It will continue to dominate the news cycle as we focus on the future of our personal and economic health. We are waiting for the federal government’s final approval of the much needed COVID-relief package, which will provide economic aid to hard-hit small businesses, nonprofits and venues. The funding allocated for forgivable loans for small businesses and for new Economic Injury Disaster Loan grants for businesses in low-income communities will help cities like Fort Lauderdale rebound even stronger.

Chip LaMarca, member, Florida

House of Representatives. 2021 will focus on COVID-19 recovery. Due to the pandemic, millions of people lost their jobs, but in Florida, we see more businesses opening back up, with new employment opportunities. With vaccine distributions already underway, we can all begin to feel safer once it is distributed to the public. This year, Florida gained nearly 1,000 new residents per day, and due to the pandemic, that number will be larger in 2021. The pandemic made many families reevaluate how and where they were living, choosing a state with no state income taxes and better opportunities. Cheers to 2021!

Ina Lee, owner, Travelhost Elite of

Greater Fort Lauderdale. Hopefully, we will begin to see healing from the pandemic as vaccines are made available. Hopefully, our hard-hit hospitality industry will begin to recover devastating job losses and economic hardship. As a nation, hopefully we will begin to heal the great divide wrought by the election. Hopefully, we will begin to slow down global warming and begin to heal our environment. But hope will not be enough. We will need collective actions that rise above our differences.

Tim Lonergan, former mayor, Oakland

Park. As we welcome the New Year, we renew our hopes and dreams for a happier, healthier and prosperous 2021. Optimism and faith, along with advocacy and individual actions, will help to move our nation forward for all Americans. We must continue to loudly advocate against racism and prejudice and demand equity, equality and equal opportunity for all. Employment, education, housing, justice and police reform, comprehensive and affordable health care, and climate change and resiliency all remain a priority. Hopefully 2021 will be a year for the people and the planet.

Peter Moore, president, Chen Moore

and Associates. I think the story of 2021 will be how we rebuild, figuratively and literally, from 2021. As an engineer, you may think that I talk about rebuilding in the literal sense because it is self-serving, but you’d be wrong. Some of the greatest economic times in U.S. history were during times of great infrastructure expansion. Estimates place the return on investment for infrastructure spending somewhere between four and 10, because stable infrastructure allows people and businesses to invest in the certainties that quality infrastructure provides. Hopefully, infrastructure will be the first thing that D.C. agrees on a long time.

Larry Rein, CEO and President, ChildNet.

George Floyd was killed in 2020, but the continuing reaction and response of our nation should be, must be, “the biggest story of 2021.” The story should be of continued outrage and unceasing efforts to identify and eliminate racism in our policies, practices and systems. In Broward’s child welfare system, such efforts began several years ago and have substantially improved the access and quality of services and supports provided local families. In 2021, these efforts will expand in their scope and intensity. They will also extend to Palm Beach County, where replication and enhancement of Broward’s great work has just begun.

Nan Rich, member, Broward County

Commission. The story of 2021 will be “How America Rebuilds Her Democracy.” After the current administration vacates the White House, President Biden will have the unprecedented task of rebuilding our democracy. Fortunately, he will restore honor and legitimacy to the office of the presidency. He is already putting together a team of competent people, who bring experience and knowledge, representing the great diversity of America. Under the leadership of President Biden, we will restore faith in our democracy, promote tolerance and mutual respect, and rebuild a just and equitable society. Our democracy has been severely tested, but it has not been lost.

Kerry Ann Royes, CEO, YWCA South

Florida. 2021 will be largely dictated by the new presidency, how the transitioning of power will unfold and new legislation that may — or may not — impact our communities. Many will be watching government and business leaders closely to see how they work with public health officials and community organizations to navigate the flood of information and the changes our “new normal” will bring. Additionally, transparent, honest and frequent communication from credible sources will be critical to address vaccine hesitancy, especially amongst Black Americans who attribute their reluctance to a lack of trust in government and to the country’s history of racism.

Howard Simon, retired executive director, ACLU of Florida.

In a few weeks, America will show the world what a revolution looks like in a democratic society. In the November election, more people voted — and by a higher percentage of those eligible — than any election in 120 years. By a margin of 7 million, the people of the United States rose up to dismiss their elected leader. Despite insidious efforts by the president to deny the will of the majority, our country will demonstrate to the world, messy as it will be, of how citizens in a democracy remove power from one leader and invest it in another.

Dean Trantalis, mayor, Fort Lauderdale.

While vaccinations and our societal recovery from the coronavirus will be the national focus of 2021, at the local level, Fort Lauderdale residents can look forward to the completion of the city’s new seven-mile sewer transmission line. This main artery of the city’s infrastructure will soon be fully activated, providing utility service underground from the Lohmeyer Wastewater Treatment Plant on Southeast 17th Street to the Wastewater Lift Station in Coral Ridge on Northeast 37th Street. My thanks go out to our residents for their patience and cooperation as we work to upgrade this sewer system in record time.

Randall Vitale, president, Hoffman’s

Chocolates. The long journey of commuter rail travel on the FEC rail line, connecting all the downtowns in South Florida, will take several big steps in 2021. Building on the momentum from Miami-Dade County’s recent agreement with Brightline, Broward will be next in line to work with all the parties needed to move this important initiative forward in 2021. A cohesive plan, with lots of stakeholder input, is coming together — this is critical, because community alignment will be needed to keep this project on schedule. Once completed, this new rail option will reshape South Florida mobility forever.

To read responses from more South Florida 100 participants, go to SunSentinel.com/100