Longtime influential Democratic leader and activist, dies at 89
Adele Berger, an influential Democratic leader and activist in Pembroke Pines, died Friday at age 89.
Berger was a political leader and organizer in the Century Village retirement community in Pembroke Pines where she lived.
Sophie Bock, president of the Century Village Democratic Club of Pembroke Pines, said Berger was one of the original 25 members of the retirement community who started the club. Later, Berger became vice president of the club.
Bock said Berger played a crucial role in managing the club’s efforts to support various local democratic candidates. She said Berger was also frequently sought out as a mentor for emerging candidates.
“She spoke to a lot of candidates and would give advice to those she liked,” Bock said.
Mitch Caesar, the former Broward Democratic Chairman, remembered Berger as an opinionated activist who often took a straightforward approach in advocating for causes or candidates.
Caesar said Berger was particularly successful in aiding the candidacies of several local judges. “So many judges are in her debt,” he said.
Although Berger was a mainstay in local politics, Caesar said her impact was often felt far beyond the sprawling grounds of the Century Village complex and attracted the attention of statewide and national campaigns.
“If you were going to run for office,” Caesar said, “she was one of the stops that was a necessity.”
Caesar said that large retirement communities, like Century Village, have played a vital role in helping to evolve Broward County into a Democratic stronghold over the past two decades — particularly in national elections.
Berger deserves some of the credit for that, Caesar said.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, agreed with that assessment. She also said she counted herself lucky to have Berger’s support going back to her days in the Florida Senate.
Wasserman Schultz said Berger was famous for creating candidate lists that others in her community trusted because they knew her to be a discerning person when it came to choosing who she supported.
“It wasn’t like she just threw any Democrats on her card,” Schultz said. “You had to earn her support and her respect.”
Wasserman Schultz said she was able to earn Berger’s support throughout her own political career.
“Any candidate worth their salt wanted to be on Adele’s card and call her a friend,” Wasserman Schultz said.
Berger was born April 6, 1930. She lived in New York and California before moving to Florida. Information about survivors was not available Sunday night.
Funeral services will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Menorah Gardens & Funeral Chapels, 21100 W. Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches.
Firefighters rescue a resident and a cat from a fire.
CORAL SPRINGS – Coral Springs firefighters saved one person and a cat from a blaze that struck an apartment early Saturday.
Division Chief Michael Moser said a call came in about 4:30 a.m. about a structure fire at 3015 NW 91st Ave. Upon arrival, first responders found smoke inside an apartment and a small fire inside.
Moser said one person was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The cat also was rescued from inside and taken to the Coral Springs Animal Hospital, where it is recovering.
—Staff report