The top stories last week

Ina Lee, president Travelhost Elite of Greater Fort Lauderdale

The announcement of the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered to be a moderate swing vote on the Supreme Court, is very troubling for the future of Roe v. Wade and other social justice issues. The announcement comes on the heels of the 5-to-4 vote upholding President Trump’s immigration ban from many predominately Muslim countries. As a popular Bob Dylan song from the ’60s, “The times they are a-changin’.”.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, member, U.S. House of Representatives

After stealing a seat on the Supreme Court when they refused to hold a vote on President Obama’s justice nominee, the Court’s Janus v. AFSCME ruling shows how far Republicans and their wealthy financial backers are willing to go to tilt the economy against working people. This decision not only undercuts the bargaining power of millions of firefighters, police and public service workers, it is yet another Republican assault on America’s middle class. It’s also a ruling that will energize Democrats to stand even stronger with our sisters and brothers in the historic labor battle for better wages and working conditions.

Perry Thurston, member, Florida Senate

Elections do have consequences. I hate to say I told you so, but if there’s ever a time for a reminder, it’s now. President Trump will pick his second justice for the U.S. Supreme Court. His choice will push the court far enough to the right to put affirmative action, Roe v. Wade and gay rights in jeopardy. In 2016, Trump won a narrow victory in Florida and other states, in large part due to citizens who thought their votes wouldn’t make a difference. It did. The challenge now is for those voters not to make the same mistake again.

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

The immediate and chronic damage from separating children from their immigrating parents has received massive media coverage. And rightly so. What must be included, however, is the fact that most families are simply seeking to survive. Conditions of violence and poverty abound in their mostly Central American countries. Corruption and extortion are rampant. People are forced to make payments to criminals or face death. Battles between drug cartels leave a path of blood or forced recruitment of new members. No wonder these families are willing to march for days through desert and wild terrain. We should encourage their legal entry.

Ted Deutch, member, U.S. House of Representatives

When I toured the Homestead federal detention facility, I was assured that they are working to reunite the more than 70 children at that facility taken from their parents. President Trump’s executive order didn’t fix this crisis. Fortunately, a federal judge ordered the administration to expeditiously reunite families. The administration must devote all resources necessary and commit to working around the clock to reunite families and resolve this heart-breaking situation.

Mike Ryan, mayor, Sunrise

In the aftermath of the MSD massacre, lessons are being learned, but not all are being heeded. Just after the shooting, public safety professionals could not use the radios upon which we and they rely to save lives. When too many radio users are trying to use the system, it throttles and no one can be heard. One reason, known for years through daily spikes, Broward school bus radios! After three years of delays, a separate public safety radio system won’t happen until 2019. We need to remove school bus radios from the system before school begins. Find solutions now.

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

I am in awe of Victoria Burgess and her tremendous accomplishment this week. She traveled from Cuba to Key West on a stand-up paddleboard, making a successful 100-mile crossing in 26 hours. This Pompano Beach fire inspector demonstrated strength and perseverance with a terrific team around her keeping her safe and focused. What a role model for women everywhere! Congratulations.

Alex Price, Director of Government Affairs & Community Investment, Comcast

Last week was move-in day for summer semester at FAU, with the campus bustling of nervous students and emotional parents.

Among the crowds were five young men that defied the odds and exemplified what’s possible when a community comes together “like a village” to support youth with high potential, but nearly every obstacle imaginable.

These freshmen, dubbed the “Fab Five,” are Haitian refugees who became deserted and homeless by the age of 16. Through the intervention of Propel, a mentoring charity supported by the United Way of Palm Beach County, all five young men have earned scholarships to FAU. Our company was invited to help, furnishing their dorms, moving them in and witnessing firsthand how communities lift one another up when we all work together.

Peter Moore, president, Chen Moore and Associates

This past week, Florida scored a victory in the “water wars” with our neighboring states. The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, said Special Master Ralph Lancaster used “too strict a standard” in recommending that Florida be denied relief in its long-running claim that overconsumption of water in Georgia is damaging the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay. This opens up Florida interests to sue for damages over the misuse and sets the tone for future disputes with the Floridan Aquifer as well.

Frank Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines

Florida got some good news this week with the announcement of new funding commitments to fight Alzheimer’s. There are an estimated 540,000 people living in our state with Alzheimer’s. And, there are over 1 million people in Florida who are caregivers for patients with the diseases. The $75 million commitment to the Dementia Discovery Fund will help with the development of new drugs for treating dementia. Now there are reportedly only five federally approved drugs for the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s. At a time when more focus is on politics and protesting, it’s refreshing to hear of some good news.

Keith Koenig, president, City Furniture

Tariffs are a big deal to our economy. Unquestionably, many countries have used tariffs to restrict U.S. imports. Trump is negotiating to reduce those imbalances. Cars, furniture and Harley Davidsons are in play, but the final deals are far from done. Trump has consistently started with outlandish opening threats and negotiations. Frankly, those often get the other side to lower their expectations and may get the USA significant improvements. These negotiations are unusual in politics, but not in Trump’s business world. Lets see what he gets. Look what happened with North Korea.

Michael De Lucca, president, Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc.

PillPack, an online pharmacy, was recently purchased by Amazon. With Amazon’s mission to be the earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online, it only makes sense to add a home delivery service of prescription medications to their customers. This service will be an advantage for all customers because it will help make it easy for individuals to save time, simplify their lives and stay healthy. Thank you Amazon for continuously shipping items fast and for selling virtually anything online.