Broward refines naming policy

Commissioners vote to include living persons

If you do great community deeds in Broward, you may live to see a public building named in your honor.

County commissioners recently voted to allow buildings, roads and other properties to be named after living persons. Under the previous policy, commissioners had to wait until after a person died before naming anything in their honor.

For decades, communities have wrangled with naming policies, an issue that evokes strong feelings over who deserves to have property — whether it’s a public building, road or something else — named after them. Some communities reserve such recognition for those who’ve died. Others allow people who are still alive to be honored.

In Broward County, the updated code will still set limits on who a county property can be named after. Among the restrictions: The new code doesn’t allow anything to be named after current officeholders, unless they won’t be seeking elected office again.

Seeking change

The policy change came after the County Commission waived its own rule against naming structures for living people numerous times in recent years. It led Commissioner Steven Geller to advance a solution that allows commissioners to name property after living people, but required county staff to review the proposals first.

“I just think, right now, instead of continuously violating the procedure, we should clarify and fix it,” Geller said during a meeting two weeks ago.

Not every commissioner agreed. “I see this as adding just another layer of government,” Commissioner Mark Bogen said at that Jan. 24 meeting. “Why would we want to vote for something that takes away our authority and our power?”

“If I want to name something after somebody that’s alive and the commissioners don’t like it, vote

against it,” he said. “There’s no need for this.”

Drawing disagreement

There has been contentious debate about the appropriateness of naming buildings after public servants who are still alive.

In 2021, the County Commission backed a plan to name a courtroom at the Broward County Judicial Complex after Chief Judge Jack Tuter. Geller had flagged the fact that they would be naming something after a sitting judge, in the building he worked in.

“My concern with Judge Tuter is, I hope he lives long and prospers, but I expect him to be on the bench for many years to come,” Geller said at an August 2021 commission meeting. But Geller was outnumbered by other commissioners pointing to Tuter’s record on the bench. While Geller initially pushed back, the motion to name the courthouse after Tuter received unanimous approval.

After a series of these debates, Geller put forward the proposed ordinance change, which he felt struck the right balance.

“This I believe is a compromise,” Geller said Jan. 24. “This is not a hill I intend to die on, but I think it’s an improvement over our current policy.”

New requirements

While the amended code allows the Broward commission to name county property after a living person, it also created provisions to make sure it isn’t being abused.

In addition to barring officeholders seeking reelection and requiring staff review, the new policy requires the county administrator to solicit community input before putting the proposal in front of the commission.

They will have to get comments from at least three municipalities or “community groups that the County Administrator determines may have relevant input,” such as homeowners’ associations, professional associations and neighborhood groups.

Other property that has been named after people in recent years includes:

■ A courtroom named after the late Michael Moskowitz, the accomplished Democratic fundraiser and attorney. (A street also is being named after him in Parkland.)

■ A road was named after the late Congressman Alcee Hastings.