On Nov. 3, voters in three Broward County cities will consider ballot measures affecting waterfront development, the leasing of public land and the use of city-owned property.
Here are the measures to watch in Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood.
Deerfield Beach
Deerfield Beach voters will be asked to consider nine proposed amendments to the City Charter, three of which aim to loosen development and parking restrictions and change requirements governing city-owned property transactions. Here’s what’s at stake for some of the amendments:
Amendment E: Referendum requirement for certain city property transactions
This proposition would allow the city commission to sell or lease city-owned land without the approval of voters. It would nix the requirement for city voters to approve the sale, gift, trade, transfer or lease of city-owned property valued above $750,000.
Transactions involving city property currently require majority approval from city voters in a referendum. Removing that requirement would eliminate the time and cost of seeking voter approval, the city said.
Proponents of Amendment E say the requirement unnecessarily hinders redevelopment and public-private partnerships, according to Citizen Portal. But opponents argue the amendment would prevent residents from having a say in what happens to publicly owned land, allowing the city to make decisions without the input of taxpayers. A vote against the amendment would keep power in the hands of city voters, they said.
This proposition aims to loosen waterfront development restrictions, asking voters to weigh removing floor area regulations (allowing larger buildings) and restrictions on mixed and accessory uses.
Development east of the Intracoastal Waterway is limited by city rules, including height caps of 45 feet for commercial-zoned properties and 55 feet for multifamily-zoned properties. Those limits, as well as a bar on rezoning properties to commercial use, would remain.
The city charter also caps the floor-area ratio at 1.0 for commercial properties and 0.8 for multifamily properties. If approved, the amendment would remove those caps from the charter, leaving applicable land development code regulations to govern floor-area ratio and mixed and accessory uses.
Mayor Todd Drosky said some declining barrier-island properties can’t be redeveloped under the current charter, Coldwell Banker Realty reported. But Commissioner Daniel Shanetzky said removing the floor-area limit could increase residential density, straining utilities and hurricane evacuation capacity.
Amendment H: Main beach parking area restrictions
This provision would loosen restrictions on the city’s main beach parking areas. Most notably, it would allow public parking spaces to count toward a privately owned property’s required parking supply, benefiting nearby development by helping it meet parking requirements.
The amendment would also remove the requirement that parking spaces be at least 10 feet by 20 feet and eliminate a restriction on commercial use to 15 days per year, giving the city more flexibility in hosting commercial events in parking areas. Existing limits on permitted uses, floor-area ratios, setbacks, garage height and lot coverage would remain.
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is also considering an amendment to its city charter that could change rules for city-owned property sales and leases.
Amendment 7 would revise five sections governing how the city leases and sells public property. It would simplify land sales, allowing the city commission to approve a sale with the vote of four of five commissioners.
That change would replace the current process for selling to a private buyer, which requires the commission to declare property unnecessary for public use, give public notice, accept offers of at least 75 percent of the appraised value and allow residents to protest or propose other public uses.
Property deals with other governments would also be simplified.
The amendment would change rules governing long-term leasing, implementing a tiered system of approval requirements for leases and similar agreements exceeding one year. Deals over three years would require an outside property appraiser, which the city would pick but the tenant would pay for, Florida Politics reported.
Sealed competitive bidding, a public hearing and a 50-year cap on private leases of city-owned property would be eliminated, the outlet said. Voters would have a harder time forcing city leases to go to a public vote. Under the proposed changes, they would only be able to force a referendum for leases longer than 50 years. That petition process would require them to gather signatu res from 15 percent of registered voters.
Hollywood
Hollywood’s ballot will also include questions regarding long-term city property leases.
The first charter amendment would require a five-sevenths vote of the city commission to approve a lease of city property lasting more than 20 years. Leases exceeding 50 years, including renewals, and sales of city-owned parks, golf courses, recreational facilities, designated historic properties or properties east of the Intracoastal Waterway would require majority approval from city voters.
The ballot measure comes before voters as the city commission gave final approval for Related Group’s Live Local project at 1301 South Ocean Boulevard. Related has a 99-year lease on the project’s site, which fronts a public beach, The Real Deal previously reported. The commission agreed to lease the property to Related in 2022.
In June, Hollywood residents filed a lawsuit against the City of Hollywood and a Related Group affiliate, arguing the project violates the city charter and should go before a public referendum. The complaint called for the deal with Related to be invalidated.
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