TO PST ORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.

Audra Berg, president and CEO, Jewish Federation of Broward County. On Friday, the Jewish community celebrates Passover, which commemorates our people’s exodus from slavery in Egypt. It is hard, in these dark days, not to reflect on the parallels between Passover and the Russian war on Ukraine. The images are devastating. Millions of people, including tens of thousands of Jews, have been displaced. I am so proud of the work that our overseas partners have been doing on the ground to help exiled persons of all faiths escape tyranny. As part of an international infrastructure of connected partners, our resources provide life-saving services. Wishing you a meaningful holiday.

Angelo Castillo, commissioner, Pembroke Pines. Kudos to the Pembroke Pines City Commission for unanimously granting conceptual approval to naturally preserve 24 acres of city-owned land located off Pines Boulevard and Northwest 208th Avenue, known popularly as the bald eagle nesting site. West Pines residents are eager to learn the details of how this important objective can best be achieved. City staff were directed to provide a roadmap to the goal. It is an initiative I was proud to present on behalf of residents and one we believe will grace West Pines for decades to come. Well done. Not every bit of land should be built upon, and Pembroke Pines is doing the right thing with land the people already own.

Dan Flynn, vice president for research, Florida Atlantic University. Research is showing that there may be a new way to treat Type 1 diabetes in the future, using stem cells. Type I Diabetes is a disease that arises at a young age, where the immune system will attack and destroy insulin-producing cells, resulting in high glucose levels in the blood. Patients can be at risk for cardiovascular damage, kidney failure, blindness and other complications. Type 1 diabetics must administer insulin for the rest of their lives. Recently, clinical trials have administered stem cells engineered to produce insulin to patients with Type 1 diabetes and the early evidence is encouraging.

Marlon A. Hill,

It appears that the current trend in legislative intent is to advance the institutionalization of living in a supposed race-neutral world of electoral boundaries, education, procurement, employee training and other areas of public life. This assumes that our society has been built in a race-neutral manner, while not confronting and dealing with self-evident truths of the vestiges of slave-based economies. Unfortunately, if we continue to tread down a path of turning a blind eye, we will not be able to fully become a more perfect union. We cannot legislate away the imperfections of our history. In fact, the more we try to do so, the more history reveals itself.

of counsel, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L.

Melissa McKinlay, member, Palm Beach County Commission. This week, the Palm Beach County Commission discussed a potential bond referendum that would raise $200 million for affordable housing. We are in a housing crisis in Florida, with rental lease renewals skyrocketing for so many families not equipped to handle these increases. While I think the bond idea would be good if we weren’t staring at 8.5% inflation rates, I don’t think now is the time to further tax my constituents, no matter the worthy cause. The Legislature must address important issues like renter’s rights and property insurance. It’s a shame our Legislature is heading to Tallahassee next week simply to vote on congressional maps and not on these critical issues.

Tom Powers, chairman, Republican Party of Broward County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 18 million children — one in four — in the United States who do not have a father in their home. This has a severe impact on children and often leads to dropping out of school, crime and substance abuse. To combat the fatherlessness crisis, Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed the “Responsible Fatherhood” bill, which includes nearly $70 million in funding for educational programs, mentorship programs and one-on-one support to encourage responsible and involved fatherhood in Florida. Gov. DeSantis is doing everything he can to support involved fatherhood in Florida.

Kelly Skidmore, member, Florida House of Representatives. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Gov. DeSantis has again asserted his autocratic control over Republican legislative leadership to the detriment of Florida’s voters. This week, he released his map for Florida’s 28 congressional districts, diluting Black representation in the state to distort districts that unconstitutionally benefit Republicans. For months, he has shamelessly hijacked the process to benefit his political agenda. What’s clear from this preordained map is that the governor is insistent on gerrymandering more Republicans into Congress to support his presidential campaign, and the Legislature is willing to rubber-stamp his outrageous strategy. Shame on them.

Howard Dvorkin, CPA, chairman, Debt.com. Inflation officially rose faster than it has in 40 years, and that would be back in 1981. In 1981, the recession was triggered by tight monetary policy — not a pandemic followed by a war. Now, some (including me) are wondering if a recession looms in our immediate future. Unless something changes, we’re facing a recession that won’t be as deep as the last one, but it will be broader and potentially longer. Expect to see the word “recession” creep into mainstream news coverage over the next few weeks.