TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

Lamar Fisher, vice mayor, Broward County. This week was Rail National Safety Week (Sept. 19-25), which brings awareness to the dangers around train tracks. South Florida law enforcement agencies and Brightline stepped up their efforts of enforcement at gate crossings this week to alert drivers and pedestrians who stop on the train tracks. It is certainly disheartening that Broward County’s portion of rail has become one of the deadliest. This has prompted a federal review and with the assistance of Broward’s MPO, the county and municipalities, I am hopeful that we will find practical safety measures to increase safety around the train tracks.

Dan Gropper, dean, College of Business, Florida Atlantic University. The annual Economic Freedom of the World measurement and rankings were just released, and for the first time in decades, economic freedom declined worldwide. The United States dropped from fifth place to seventh, showing declines in the measures of sound money (too much money growth, causing inflation); increases in regulation, particularly with financial institutions; and rises in government taxes and subsidies. Greater economic freedom is associated with higher personal freedom, health, wealth, longevity and happiness. Venezuela has seen tremendous declines in economic freedom, dropping from the 17th freest country in 1980 to 165th last year. The tragic results there have been predictable, avoidable and regrettable.

Larry Rein, CEO and President, ChildNet. Has anyone ever “put their money where their mouth is” like Yvan Chouinard, founder of the family-owned clothing brand Patagonia? The New York Times reported that the family transferred all shares in the multimillion-dollar company to two newly formed entities, the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the nonprofit Holdfast Collective. The nonprofit will receive all Patagonia profits, which will be used to support efforts to combat climate change. To the cynics among us — this is not some tax avoidance strategy. The founder will still pay $17.5 million in taxes on the gift to the Purpose Trust. Genuine and vital philanthropy.

Dean Trantalis, mayor, Fort Lauderdale. The pools at the new Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center have opened for public use ahead of the complete reopening, which is scheduled for the beginning of 2023. Complimentary public lap swim and diving admission runs through Oct. 31, 2022. For full details and operating hours, including which hours are open to the public, go to parks.fortlauderdale.gov/beach/aquatics/ fort-lauderdale-aquatic-complex.

Wendy Sartory Link, supervisor of elections, Palm Beach County. This past week your Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections joined with 2,000 election officials, clerks, supervisors and organizations across the country in the nonpartisan civic holiday National Voter Registration Day, celebrated on Sept. 20. This was the 10th year of the celebration. As part of our voter registration efforts, we visited 25 high schools in Palm Beach County this week to register those 18 and older who choose to and pre-register those 16 and older who want to pre-register to vote. While Sept. 20 was National Voter Registration Day, the official deadline to register to vote for the November general election is Oct. 11.

Gregory Tony, Broward Sheriff. This week, I had the privilege of awarding 76 deserving community-based nonprofits a total of $930,000 in Law Enforcement Trust Funds (LETF), the most given out in a single year under my leadership at the Broward Sheriff’s Office. These funds, which come from the forfeiture and seizure of contraband used in the commission of a crime, are given back to the community through these organizations to further their mission of preventing crime, keeping our neighborhoods safe and addressing drug abuse. For more information about how your nonprofit organization can apply for a future LETF grant, visit sheriff.org/CS/Pages/LETF.aspx.

Patricia Williams, member, Florida House of Representatives. In response to Florida’s low literacy rates, the New Worlds Reading program is a literacy initiative that will provide Florida children with access to quality reading materials via monthly free hardcover books that will be delivered to their homes. To be eligible, children must be K-5 students reading below grade level and enrolled in either a Florida public school or district-sponsored charter school. It is our job to address low literacy rates! Remember, if a child can read, they can learn, and if they can learn, they can do anything. For more information, please visit newworldsreading.com/enroll.

Nan Rich, member, Broward County Commission. According to a new Center for Budget and Policy Priorities report, “The expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) alone kept 5.3 million people above the annual poverty line.” Unfortunately, the expanded CTC expired at the end of 2021, reducing millions back into poverty in 2022. In 2018, one-in-four Black children lived in poverty, by 2021 it was fewer than one-in-ten. Government assistance can help address hunger, homelessness and housing insecurity. In a world where tax cuts for billionaires never trickled down, we have a policy that reduced child poverty to record lows without work requirements. Shouldn’t that be reason enough to make it permanent?