SOUTH FLORIDA 100: LAST WEEK

Frank Ortis, mayor, Pembroke Pines

October welcomed in 27 new state laws. One that affects most of us, and was desperately needed, builds on the texting while driving ban. The new law bars drivers from all cellphone use in designated school crossings, school zones and work zones. Tickets won’t be issued until January 1 but if you’re holding a phone or any kind of device, you’ll be stopped and warned. A new bill for the 2020 legislature would go beyond the zones, requiring drivers to go hands-free when using wireless phones. It’s about time.

Gary Resnick, commissioner, Wilton Manors

Water from our rivers and canals was well above sea walls encroaching onto roads, sidewalks and private property. Pictures in the media tell the story. Did we have a storm or heavy rain? No, just high tides. This is not merely a regional issue, but significant property here is at risk. We cannot put this off for 10, 20 years. We need to start implementing steps now to protect property. The Trump administration will not provide significant funds for solutions, and it doesn’t seem that our state will either.

Lamar Fisher, member, Broward County

Commission

This week, Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale International Airport officially reopened the North Runway which has undergone an extensive rehabilitation. The 9,000-foot long runway was out of commission for four months and all flights were using the South Runway during reconstruction.

The $95 million project was finished on time. This week FLL returned to its normal flight activity, providing visitors a seamless travel experience.

Dwight Bullard, former member, Florida Senate; political director, The New Florida Majority

There has been a lot of commentary on the sentencing and subsequent treatment of Botham Jean’s killer by Dallas, Texas, court officials. I continue to be critical of a legal system that treats people inequitably based on race. A case like this one should have never been in question.The scenario of the roles being reversed has played out far too many times to count. We already know how the story ends if a black man killed a white woman in her apartment. The trial would’ve been mere window dressing for a guilty verdict that would’ve carried a mandatory life sentence. I’m not mentioning Jean’s killer’s name because, for those news outlets that want to center her humanity, this is how it reads when the shoe is on the other foot.

Ina Lee, owner, Travelhost Elite of Greater Fort Lauderdale

Bonnet House is a cultural asset and one of South Florida’s most popular tourist destinations. The future of this historic Ft. Lauderdale home may be in jeopardy. The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation in Tallahassee, which owns the estate buildings and land, has ordered it to relinquish day-to-day management control and all revenue, presumably to shore up the Trust’s other operations. That is a grave injustice. Revenue earned needs to stay at Bonnet House to maintain and preserve this gem.

George Moraitis, chairman, Broward Republican Executive Committee

President Trump won the 2016 election with a pledge to drain the Washington swamp of corruption and influence-buying. Now he’s being brought to task for inquiring about that very issue – the circumstances surrounding Hunter Biden’s $50,000 per month board member position for a large Ukrainian gas company, followed by Vice President Joe Biden’s ultimately successful efforts to have the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating Hunter fired. The silver lining in this latest attempt to discredit Trump is that it exposes the problematic conduct of the Biden family.

Sandra Bernard-Bastien, chief communications officer, Children’s Services Council of Broward County

Dallas police officer Amber Guyger’s trial for the shooting death of Botham Shem Jean, while he was in his own apartment watching TV and eating ice-cream came to a dramatic finish this week, when she was found guilty of murder and then sentenced to ten years. In emotional testimony, the victim’s brother said he “loved her as a person” before hugging her. That hug and the concept of forgiveness split social media, with some saying it seemed to normalize behavior that brutalizes and devalues blacks. Caribbean news feeds overwhelmingly embraced the concept of forgiveness, since forgiveness allows healing.

Tina Polsky, member, Florida House

I spoke with seniors at a town hall in my district on the Boca Federation campus. We discussed many issues affecting seniors, but one kept arising: the lack of affordable housing. Whether you are a senior who wants to “age in place”, a young adult starting out in the workforce or a middle-class family, the housing market is out-of-sync with incomes. This issue affects the whole state. It’s bipartisan problem. So why aren’t we fixing this crisis? Hundreds of millions of dollars available in the housing trust fund gets swept into other projects every year. We must make housing a priority in the next budget.