South Florida 100

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

The top stories last week

Anthony Abbate, Florida Atlantic University, Associate Provost, Broward

Americans Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Mark Mooligan and Brit Chris Norman received the Legion of Honor from the president of France for their heroic actions to trounce a gunman brandishing an AK-47, a Luger pistol and a box-cutter. And they performed their life-saving feat without being armed themselves or carrying weapons. These heroes demonstrated that it does not take more guns to defeat criminal threats, rather it took a selfless sense of humanity.

Walter “Skip” Campbell, mayor, Coral Springs

Hurricane season is upon us. After 10 years of no significant storms, let’s hope we make it 11. Having said that, we need to be prepared. That includes making sure that the federal government doesn’t come in and try to bankrupt local governments. Many cities in South Florida have been asked by FEMA to pay back millions of dollars used to restore our communities after Hurricane Wilma. FEMA paid for costs of cleanup after Wilma and now wants our communities to repay. That’s not right.

Howard Finkelstein,

chief public defender, Broward County

California recently banned the use of grand juries in police shooting cases. The secretive grand jury process only deepens racial tensions when police shoot or kill minorities. Charging decisions should be public and transparent and fall squarely on the shoulders of prosecutors. The use of a grand jury allows prosecutors to pass the buck and take cover. In Broward County, no officer has been charged in a shooting for more than a quarter century. It is unbelievable that every Broward police shooting was justified. Charging decisions must be made in the Sunshine. That way, cops and prosecutors can be held accountable.

Alcee Hastings,

member, U.S. House of Representatives

Friday was the anniversary of President Reagan signing into law legislation banning armor-piercing “cop-killer” bullets. There won’t be any celebrations marking the anniversary, in fact some would probably prefer to ignore the date completely. Today, our nation’s policies on guns are no longer driven by reason, but instead by fierce divisive ideologues. This legislation was a common-sense approach to responsible gun control, but in today’s Congress, it would never make it onto the House or Senate floor for a vote.

George L. Hanbury,

president, Nova Southeastern University

Helping our nation’s veterans transition back to civilian life is a priority for Nova Southeastern University. To that end, we are dedicating an improved Veterans Resource Center thanks in part to a $25,000 grant from The Veterans Trust. Our vision is to provide our student veterans with a “one stop shop” where they can access information to help with their classwork, clinical services at NSU and career prepara- tion. Adjusting to college life can be daunting for any incoming student, but when you combine that with the added stress our veterans experience when they transition out of the armed forces, we decided to address this critical need.

Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, VP/community relations, Nova Southeastern

I was thrilled to see U.S. Army First Lt. Shaye Haver and Captain Kristen Griest graduate from the Army Ranger school last Friday. These are the first women to demonstrate that they meet the physical and mental ability required by one of the military’s toughest training schools. The U.S. Army has been working for years on this by determining the skills and abilities required of a successful Army Ranger. What role models these West Point graduates are, not only to me, but to young women everywhere.

Marty Kiar,

commissioner, Broward County

Broward has a convention center, but it is smaller than what is needed and it lacks a hotel. Its inadequacies have caused groups to hold conventions elsewhere and causes Broward to lose out on millions of dollars of economic activity each year. The County Commission is working to remedy that. The Commission chose to move forward with five developers who will compete for a $550 million dollar project to expand the convention center by 300,000 square feet and build a AAA 4-Diamond rated hotel ranging from 750-1,250 rooms. The Commission has made this project a top priority.

Kathleen Cannon,

president, United Way of Broward County

Once again we are witnessing gun violence at the hands of someone with mental illness. Florida ranks last among the states in the annual per capita funding for mental health services. Failure to provide adequate behavioral health care results in societal costs being shifted to other sectors of government at a higher cost. Additionally, the new funding formula from Broward could seriously slash funding for mental health services in Broward. At what point do we take seriously the lack of funding for mental health treatment in our country?

Paul Castronovo, host, Paul & Young Ron Show

Boy, times have changed. If our parents wanted to have an affair, they’d first meet someone, perhaps at work, maybe the cute, and overly friendly secretary or the wellbuilt, gregarious guy at the water cooler. They’d chat each other up, have a harmless lunch, a peck on the cheek, which would inevitably lead to a hot make-out session in the Plymouth, ultimately leading to a steamy night in the no-tell motel. The chase: America’s pastime. Well, thanks to the convenience of AshleyMadison.com, millions of fellow cheaters are available right there on your keyboard and nobody will ever find out. Oops.

Looking ahead to this week

Steve Geller, former member, Florida Senate

It’s time to cool down the rhetoric on reapportionment. Newspapers have been calling for the scalp of former Republican Senate President Don Gaetz, who chaired the Congressional Reapportionment Committee. I disagree philosophically with Gaetz on most controversial issues, but I know him to be an honorable and honest person. The Fair Districts constitutional amendment had just (thankfully) been approved, and no one knew at the time how it would be interpreted and what would be permitted. Gaetz should get a pass on what happened then. If this happens again, however, after recent court rulings, violators of the amendment should be disciplined.

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council

Property tax notices arrived this week for Broward property owners. As taxpayers, it is vital that we familiarize ourselves with the financial impact that both local and national policies have on our local tax bill. Voter approved tax levies, payments to tax-supported hospital districts, and special assessments suddenly become a reality as costs are clearly itemized on tax notices. It is incumbent upon us as taxpayers to review this notice, be aware of how our taxes are calculated and attend the municipal and taxing district public hearings in September to ensure our elected and appointed officials are aware that you are invested in their decisions.

Tim Ryan, mayor, Broward County Commission

Planning for the Broward County Convention Center’s expansion will begin in earnest in the coming months, as county commissioners this week short-listed five development companies competing for the project. While each company will have a different vision, the expansion will generally include adding 300,000 square feet of convention space, a hotel of 750 to 1,250 rooms, parking, shops, entertainment and public green space. The developers’ detailed plans are expected in November, leaving plenty of time for public input so that we can plan a convention center that makes us all proud and is a good fit for surrounding neighborhoods.

Barry Johnson, president, Greater Miami Chamber

of Commerce

We’ll be watching Judge Terry Lewis of Florida’s Second Circuit Court as he has been charged with mediating or redrawing the court-ordered redistricting that the state Legislature failed to execute, as they did in the legislative session. Last week, the judge sought instruction from the Florida Supreme Court to complete the task the elected officials shirked. This is a continuing saga of embarrassment by the Legislature, which appears unable to provide governance for the greater good of the state.

Irela Bagué, president, Bagué Group

How to deal with a bully in the school yard? Stand up to him or her. This is what the GOP lacks, a brave soul willing to stand up to the bully who continues berating immigrants, women and journalists. Who knows who is next? This is no time for the other GOP presidential primary candidates to stand on the sidelines and watch this despotic behavior. As a proud native-born citizen, Latina and registered Republican, I am embarrassed and disappointed.

Jack Seiler, mayor, Fort Lauderdale

On Sept. 9, Fort Lauderdale will host the Annual State of the City Address. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the new U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, located at 5401 E. Perimeter Road. The event will include a networking reception at 6 p.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the new customs facility at 7 p.m., followed by the State of the City Address. Please join us for an informative evening as we review many of our accomplishments and look forward to exciting projects that lie ahead. For details, please visit fortlauderdale.gov/stateofcity.

Robert Weinroth, deputy mayor, Boca Raton

As I write this, Erika has replaced Danny and she marches west across the Atlantic. Will she make landfall as a hurricane or a tropical storm? As you read this you will know more about its path. It’s been a decade since Wilma’s 100-mph winds left our region dark and damaged with a dozen deaths in the tricounty area from a storm many didn’t take seriously. It’s time to begin planning for the aftermath of a hurricane which, if not this season, can be counted upon to disrupt and damage our region at some point in the future.