Looking ahead to thisweek

Anthony Abbate, FAU, Associate Provost, Broward

Florida Atlantic University officially welcomes its seventh president, JohnKelly, who will hit the ground running on March 1st. The university community is very grateful to interim president Dennis Crudele for having set the stage for future success, built on the strengths of our students, faculty, staff and alumnae/ i. This is an exciting time to be a proud member of FAU’s extended family.

Lois Frankel, member, U. S. House of Representatives

TheHouse is expected to take up a version of flood insurance reform. Homeowners and homebuyers in Florida and in other flood- prone states are facing skyrocketing flood insurance rates. Florida’s Congressional delegation has been pushing for a bi- partisan approach to delay rate hikes until a permanent solution is found. The Senate has already passed legislation. It is unclear whether the proposed House version will grant the relief needed.

Keith Koenig, president, City Furniture

Don’t be misled by “bumpy” housing reports of down sales. Recent articles have reported that owning a home is now significantly less expensive than renting. That clearly predicts an increase in home sales is coming. And higher prices follow increasing sales. Plus, after a terrible winter up north, whowould not want a second home in Florida? My bet: housing will growand add to our economy for the next few years.

Hava Holzhauer, regional director, Florida Anti- Defamation League

There are two in- state tuition bills pending before the Florida Legislature for the 2014 session. One codifies existing U. S. Supreme Court precedent providing in- state tuition to children of undocumented parents. The other is a broader bill thatwould provide in- state tuition to undocumented children known as Dreamers. While comprehensive federal immigration reform and the Dream Act languish in Congress, Florida should pass the broader bill giving both groups of children a chance to obtain one of the fundamental components of the American dream: an education.

Barbara Sharief, mayor, Broward County

Two governmental entities should never engage in lawsuits. In Broward County’s 99- year history, it never needed “164 proceedings” for conflict resolution. Regarding the landfill, the issue is not the valuation of assets, but the distribution of liabilities. The landfill is our safety plan to keepwaste fees low. The citieswant us to sell it and divide the profits, which is not a good idea. If the cities actually carried their share of the liabilities, theywould realize that the county has given far more than they could have ever imagined. By last count, it appears they may need to share in more than $ 200 million in liabilities.

ToddWodraska, president, Palm Beach League of Cities; councilman, Jupiter

In Jupiter, folks are starting a petition against All Aboard Florida using the FEC rail line to run an additional 32 trains per day through our community. This is a major impact for both auto and boat traffic.

EarlMaucker, commissioner, Lighthouse Point; former editor, Sun Sentinel

Imagine living in a quiet, peaceful neighborhood then every couple of weeks a different extended family moves in next door, parties in the pool, blasts the music and enjoys all the amenities of a Florida vacation. Allowing short- term vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods was sanctioned by the state in 2011 to boost tourism. In the process, the lawtrumped local communities from enforcing their own ordinances. That madness can be overturned by new legislation nowbeing considered thatwould give back control to local municipalities. Let’s hope reason and common sense prevail.

Jack Seiler, mayor, Fort Lauderdale

The City of Fort Lauderdale, working with Broward County and partner agencies, will be implementing “Housing First,” an initiative that provides the most vulnerable homeless with permanent housing and vital support services. The program mirrors the “100,000Homes” project that is successfully being implemented nationwide, and will hopefully assist families who are in desperate need of a roof over their heads.

Patrick Franklin, president, Urban League of Palm Beach County

The number of people living in poverty in Palm Beach County is growing. 14 percent of residents now live belowthe poverty level and many work in jobs that pay the minimumwage of $ 7.79 per- hour based on a 40- hour week. That’s $ 311.60 pre- tax, or $ 1,2460 per month. Based on federal regulations, a HUD landlord can’t take more than 30 percent of your gross income toward the payment of your monthly rent - $ 373.92. Yet in Palm Beach County, the average monthly rent is over $ 1,000 per month. The gap is growing between those who have and those who have much less.

Andrew Duffell, president, Research Park at FAU

Florida’s economy relied successfully on familybased tourism for years. We are now trying to diversify into a more knowledge and technologybased economy. Adding gambling to the mix doesn’t seem like a good addition at this point. I have yet to see a study that indicates significant numbers of net new visitors and jobs created by destination casinos. With that in mind, from an economic development perspective, it seems to be an investment without a big enough return on investment or robust risk- mitigation strategy.