South Florida 100

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

Lauren Book, member, Florida Senate. This week we learned first-hand that the man nominated to serve as our state’s surgeon general is more comfortable promoting nonsensical and thoroughly debunked alternative theories of medicine than he is answering direct questions. His refusal to answer basic questions about how he plans to address the ongoing pandemic was shocking and disrespectful. His actions led me and my fellow Democrats to walk out of the sham committee hearing, as it became quite clear that Dr. Joseph Ladapo is not qualified to serve as our state’s chief medical officer. Kudos to my fellow Democrats for standing up for integrity and respect.

Wendy Sartory Link, supervisor of elections,

Palm Beach County. The Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) is proud to once again offer scholarship opportunities to students from around the state. Four scholarships in the amount of $1,200 each will be awarded in 2022. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is March 11, 2022. Applications must be submitted to the elections office of the county in which you are registered to vote. Each county will select one finalist to send to the FSE Scholarship Committee for consideration. Learn more about the 2022 FSE Scholarships and how to apply at VotePalmBeach.gov or call 561-656-6200.

Tom Shea, chairman & founder, Right Manage

ment. A surprising report by the Federal Reserve found that nearly 25% of American adults have no retirement savings. Florida is often thought of as a popular state for retirees, but how much does the average 65-year-old American need to make that dream a reality? Americans live 19.4 years after they retire and spend $50,220 annually, which amounts roughly to $1,120,408. To comfortably retire in Florida, retirees need $1,184,000 because Florida retirees live 20.3 years on average. People 65 and older account for 20.9% of Florida’s population, 4.4% higher than the average for the rest of the US.

Andy Thomson, member, Boca Raton City

Council. Last January, I started #RunTheCity, an initiative to run, clean and improve all 475 miles of Boca Raton streets in 2021. We finally completed that journey, and here are the results: 1,276.76 pounds of trash cleaned and 329 issues identified (like broken sidewalks and potholes), many of which have already been fixed. But better yet, 427 amazing volunteers from neighborhoods and community groups joined to help make their city cleaner and safer. We’re going to keep it going in 2022 with #RunTheCity 2.0, when we hope to clean less trash but bring even more people together doing it.

Robert Weinroth, mayor, Palm Beach County.

Last week, Palm Beach County took an important step on the road to settling a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against multiple opioid distributors as part of national, multidistrict litigation. Our county ranks highest in the state in overdose deaths and south county, known for a proliferation of recovery centers, endured even higher overdose numbers. When received, the settlement money will be used for strategies and services, including recovery and support programs, and public education. While it won’t bring back the nearly 4,000 county residents who died since 2012, these funds (like the 2015 tobacco settlement) will fund treatment and preventative programs.

Lonny Wilk, interim regional director,

Anti-Defamation League Florida. Last week, the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day — all while the Florida Jewish community is reeling from a 40% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2020, antisemitic flyers on homes in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, students reporting harassment in school and online, and more. The lessons of the Holocaust remind us that antisemitism, or any form of bigotry, can escalate quickly from ideas and rhetoric to biased acts, systemic discrimination, violence and even genocide. We must stop antisemitism and hate in their tracks and ensure that “Never Again” is a promise that we keep.

Norm Kent, publisher, South Florida Gay

News. As a community, we have come to appreciate Broward County as a center of inclusion and diversity in our state, sadly administered by a Legislature and governor that want to strip away the right of teachers to discuss gay history in their classrooms. Living in the past and not standing up for the future. Speak out. Don’t let it happen here.

Jamie Cole, municipal attorney, various

Broward County cities. The Florida Legislature is in session, and taxpayers need to watch their wallets. Bills are progressing that would significantly increase expenses for local governments. One bill would increase sovereign immunity caps for tort claims from $200,000 to $1 million per person and eliminate the cap on total liability per incident. This will result in higher insurance premiums and claims expenses. Another would expose local governments to lawsuits by businesses that claim they have lost money because of newly enacted local laws. The money to pay for these bills has to come from somewhere — either reduced services or higher taxes.