TO PST ORIES FROM LAST WEEK

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

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. Eighteen rectal cancer patients participated in a trial and for the first time in history, all 18 patients are in remission! The cancer is now gone in every single patient and is undetectable by physical exam, endoscopy, PET scans and M.R.I. scans. The medication was given to the patients every three weeks for six months and cost approximately $11,000 per dose. The medicine unmasked cancer cells, allowing the immune system to identify and destroy them. The best news is — no further treatment is necessary for any of the patients who participated in the trial.

Bernie Fernandez Jr., M.D., CEO, Baptist Health Medical Group. Summer vacation and rising South Florida temperatures mean it’s time to reassess water safety to prevent drowning. Florida ranks No. 1 in the U.S. for drowning deaths among children ages 1 to 4 years, according to the Florida Department of Health. Baptist Health Urgent Care Express employee Sophia Brizeus’ 23-month-old daughter Soraya died in a pool drowning in July 2018. Since then, Sophia has become a swim safety advocate, raising awareness of drowning dangers and prevention through Soraya’s Love Bugs on Facebook and Instagram. Sophia reminds us that fatal drowning is preventable with supervision, barriers and quick action.

Beam Furr, member, Broward County Commission. We cannot afford to look away from the Jan. 6 hearings — no matter what else is going on in the news or all the other challenges we face. The evidence from these hearings paints a clear and vivid picture. Starting after the 2020 election and leading up to Jan. 6, there was a clear attempt to overturn the election, first by manipulating state election results, and then by force. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the insurrection stopped there. The success of these hearings will not be in how well they prove what happened, but in the prevention of it happening again.

Chip LaMarca, member, Florida House of Representatives. Gov. DeSantis officially signed the largest budget in Florida history — $109.9 billion, with $3.1 billion in vetoes. The budget includes $1.24 billion in tax relief and includes historic investments in education, transportation/infrastructure and our environment. I am pleased to say that I brought home over $3 million for Broward County for projects like the Nancy J. Cotterman Sexual Assault Treatment Center, Marine Industries Research Hub, Huizenga Park, Unicorn Children’s Foundation and several stormwater/drainage projects for our cities. I will continue to prioritize important projects to get the funding they need from our tax dollars in Tallahassee.

Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, president and CEO, Community Foundation of Broward. This past week was the 78th Anniversary of D-Day. As a 13-year-old exchange student visiting France, I walked the memorial, visited the museum and walked the coastline battlefield. That experience stayed with me forever. The scale and scope of the area and invasion, the agony so many suffered, the heroic acts and the gratitude locals still express. Normandy is a stunning place, and the memorial is breathtaking in every way. We must remember the stories, people, sacrifices and how America, England and Canada worked together that day to defeat Germany and turn the tide of World War II.

Eleanor Sobel, former member, Florida Senate. Following the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in 2018, Florida legislators passed a red-flag law, which prevents individuals in crisis from obtaining firearms. The legislation, also known as an extreme risk protection order, specifically allows law enforcement to temporarily safeguard guns from dangerous individuals and has prevented domestic violence in addition to mass shootings. However, following the recent mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, other states have refused to enact similar legislation. Although the law has been used more than 5,000 times in Florida and has saved countless lives, only 19 states currently have red-flag laws.

Gregory Tony, Broward sheriff. At the Broward Sheriff ’s Office, there is no expiration date on justice. Nearly four decades after the “Pillowcase Rapist” began terrorizing the community, the persistence of BSO Cold Case Unit detectives and technological advances led to identifying Robert Koehler as the attacker and providing closure for his victims. Koehler is currently charged with six sexual assaults in Broward County but is believed to have committed dozens more during the 1980s. If you believe you are a victim of Robert Kohler, please call Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477). We have the resources available to bring closure and ensure justice.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, member, U.S. House of Representatives. When will Republicans confront gun violence? House Democrats just passed meaningful legislation to raise the age to buy semiautomatic weapons and crack down on ghost guns and high-capacity magazines. Now let’s speak out and take to the streets to pressure Senate Republicans to act. Whether it’s a Parkland March For Our Lives rally, honoring victims in Washington with my friend Gabby Giffords, or meeting Cypress Bay High School students who raised money for “Stop the Bleed” kits — that’s what I’ll do. Extremist Republicans and gun lobbyists cannot define America’s values. It’s time to defend our values, now and in November!