The top stories last week

Michael Dennis, M.D., chairman, Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine

In my “Looking Ahead” snippet this week I wrote that it’s naïve not to expect repercussions from our withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord. And I mentioned that the deal did nothing to restrict Iran’s development of ballistic missiles. We didn’t have long to wait. Within 24 hours of Trump’s announcement, Iranian forces in Syria launched rockets against Israel’s Golan Heights. Fortunately all were intercepted or fell short. Israeli fighter jets responded. Some people will argue that this action justifies our withdrawal, but it just sadly confirms that we live in a time when antagonists communicate by weapons, not words.

Nan Rich, member, Broward County Commission

The Broward County Commission voted unanimously to end the Wave streetcar project, following Fort Lauderdale’s recent withdrawal vote. I applaud all the local residents and activists for their incredible example of “Democracy in Action!” In March, Fort Lauderdale voters overwhelmingly elected a mayor and two new commissioners who pledged to end the Wave. They lived up to their campaign promises, and I’m glad we’ve upheld the county’s end of the agreement. We both listened to the will of the people! I look forward to working with Fort Lauderdale and other municipalities in finding cost-efficient, responsive solutions to our mass-transit needs.

Peter Moore, president, Chen Moore and Associates

It may seem a little self-promotional to write about a Sun Sentinel collaboration in the SF100, but I really think that more credit needs to go to the editorial staff for rolling out www.theinvadingsea.com. Sea level rise is a fact, not a political opinion. Everyone within the reach of this article needs to get on board with that fact. One day in the not too distant future, insurance and mortgage companies will simply find it too costly and complicated to do business and all our investments, our life’s work, will literally be underwater.

Ghenete Wright Muir, attorney. Realtor. LGBTQ advocate

I got a text from my friend’s daughter asking if I had seen what happened at her school’s graduation. She shared an article detailing a humiliating experience for some black graduates of the University of Florida, then I pulled up a video. Graduates briefly broke into celebratory dances as they crossed the stage and were abruptly shoved off by a white staff member. The audacity! This is America. His arrogance and disregard is reminiscent of a time when black people were prevented from and punished for expressing ourselves … whether by dancing or taking a knee … oh wait, that was last year.

Dean Trantalis, mayor, Fort Lauderdale

This past week, the new City Commission laid out a bold agenda of goals for the next year — eradicating homelessness, improving traffic flow, increasing affordable housing, upgrading infrastructure and combatting climate change. Homelessness was at the top of the list. The encampment next to the main library downtown is more than an eyesore, it’s an ever-present sign of this community’s failure to properly address homelessness. We can expect some significant steps in the coming months. Our police department and the judiciary are looking at creating a special court division where individuals are not jailed but diverted to needed services. And, a task force of business leaders has formed to determine how to expand rapid re-housing and social services to get people off the streets.

Gary Farmer, member, Florida Senate

This week, I sent letters urging Gov. Rick Scott and the members of the Executive Clemency Board to grant full clemency and pardons to Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas: The Groveland Four. These men were wrongly accused and sentenced to a life of abuse and racial hatred — not only done to themselves, but also their families. With the one-year anniversary approaching of the unanimous passing of Senate CS/SCR 920 and House CS/HCR 631, it is time to rewrite the wrongs of history, and bring closure to the pain their families have endured.

Beam Furr, mayor, Broward County

We owe it to future generations, our children and grandchildren, to start planning for the impacts of climate change NOW. This week, the Board of County Commissioners voted to move forward with a 100-year flood elevation map. This project is critical for mapping out how sea-level rise will impact throughout Broward. It’ll use the latest technology to model sea-level rise and future climate conditions, giving us a picture of what we can expect in our future. This invaluable information will help us invest in infrastructure that will mitigate climate change effects, and help make us more sustainable.

J. David Armstrong Jr., president, Broward College

Please join me in congratulating the Broward College District Board of Trustees in making an outstanding selection of Gregory Haile as the college’s seventh president, beginning July 1. He will now have the honor of celebrating the achievement of our students as we did this week when the college awarded 5,507 degrees and technical certificates to Broward College graduates. The commencement was attended by participants in the Broward College World Conference, consisting of representatives of our current and future international centers and affiliates as well as U.S. university counterparts. Greg will be a great president and build on these partnerships to continue serving our students and community.