Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner John Herbst and State Representative Chip LaMarca provide some guidance for all residents as we go into the 2023 hurricane season. These two communications provide tips and resources that are important as we keep an eye out for a future hurricane.
Click here to read the hurricane message from Commissioner Herbst
Click here to read the hurricane message from Representative LaMarca
Rep LaMarca, in his legislative newsletter, provides an update on the key pieces of legislation that were considered during the 2023 60-day session. The topics covered include the budget, infrastructure, health and agriculture and natural resources. He also discusses the tax-free holidays in Florida that were enacted and expanded upon during this session.
Fort Lauderdale’s favorite free ride is growing! The LauderGO! Micro Mover will start serving the Galt Mile area on May 5. We thank our city commissioner John Herbst for his efforts to expand this service to the Galt Mile area and look forward to its expansion.
The free and eco-friendly service is powered by Circuit’s all-electric vehicle. The on-demand service is a free, convenient service that features a fleet of all-electric vehicles so anyone can catch a ride within the Galt loop.
Service will operate 7 days a week from 9a-9p until the end of September. Through the ongoing budget process, the Administration is seeking funding to continue service past September 30 of this year and connect with the downtown loop.
Riders should download the Ride Circuit app to request to be picked up and dropped off anywhere within the Galt Mile service area. Use the FREE “Ride Circuit” app to book your ride or alert a fleet driver to come pick you up. The app is available for download from Google Play and the App Store. Please note: Riders must be at least 18 years old to request a ride or otherwise be accompanied by an adult. The youngest riders must weigh at least 65 pounds or use a child seat provided by the adult passenger.
For more information please visit: LauderGO! Micro Mover | City of Fort Lauderdale, FL
Click here to see the Galt Mile Loop.
I am providing the below information that we received from our Resilient Environment Department (RED) Deputy Director, Dr. Jennifer Jurado regarding the large mass of seaweed. As we all know this will be an issue that the Florida coastal cities will be monitoring and dealing with its arrival.
Background: Sargassum is a brown macroalgae (seaweed) that is a natural part of the marine ecosystem. Sargassum has long formed large blooms in the Atlantic Ocean. In Broward County, generally between the months of March through October, Sargassum caught in the Gulf stream is pushed in by prevailing winds and makes its way to our beaches. Sargassum accumulation along our beaches is a part of the beach ecosystem, providing a food source for shorebirds while trapping sand, fortifying our dunes and beaches, and increasing the resilience of our shoreline.
Concern: This year’s bloom could be the largest ever, spanning more than 5,000 miles from the shores of Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. Current satellite imagery predicts above average Sargassum accumulation on Florida beaches this season. It is difficult to predict when and where these accumulations will occur due to local changes in currents and winds, but material will likely become entrained by the Gulf loop and Gulf stream, bringing larger volumes to Broward and neighboring counties.
Coordination: In preparation for this potential, the Resilient Environment Department (RED) is coordinating a regional stakeholder group that includes representatives from Monroe through Martin counties to exchange information and discuss potential management strategies. This group is being convened to facilitate communications and share updates and guidance to aid management strategies throughout the southeast region and in collaboration with local communities. This initial coordination is primarily in conjunction with our neighboring counties and agency partners. Frequency and nature of engagement will likely evolve in response to conditions. RED intends to engage concurrently with the county’s coastal municipalities to ensure everyone is kept informed over the next several months.
Note: While Broward County’s Resilient Environment Department (RED) maintains shoreline protection and coastal resource programs, the County does not provide mechanical beach maintenance, an activity managed by the coastal cities. Best practices recommend that Sargassum be left in place to the benefit of the natural ecosystem and is typically removed by natural processes (i.e., tidal cycles). However, multiple coastal municipalities and private entities within the County maintain special permits issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) that allow for mechanical raking of the beach. Special permit conditions specify where and when mechanical beach raking is allowed. Methods of removal range from composting, burial, and/or disposal of the seaweed.
Angela Delaney, Marine Resources Manager, will be serving as the County’s liaison for this effort ([email protected] or 519-1207).
The Galt Mile Community Association received a legislative update from Ellyn Bogdanoff, from Becker Lawyers. She spoke about the upcoming legislative session, which begins March 7 through May 5. It is a 60-day session.
She said the agenda for this session will be set by the governor, so she does not expect many other bills to be passed. She is hopeful that the legislature will address the “glitches” in the new condo/coop law that passed last year, as the new law has many confusing sections that need clarification. The Engineered Life Safety System (ELSS), which requires an ELSS system and partial fire sprinklers to be completed by December 31, 2023, is still the law. However, through rulemaking, there may be a change to the Florida Fire Prevention Code that would delay full implementation until 2027. We will not know the final results until later this year.
Regarding rising insurance rates on both association buildings and individual units, the legislature has passed two insurance reforms, but none of these will immediately lower rates. The big issue is the number of providers. As the number declines, insurance rates go up. The hurricanes in the other parts of Florida and northers states hves also raised our costs. When we can attract more providers and more competition, then rates will fall.
Ellyn will be providing us legislative updates during the 2023 legislative session on bills introduced, status, and analyses of those bills.
Community association boards and managers often ask their lawyers to create a document which will protect them if owners or other users of the association’s facilities are injured. The communities often intend to require users of the facilities to sign these documents as a condition of allowing them to use the facilities in the hope of minimizing the association’s exposure to liability. Many times, there are issues of whether owners and others have legal rights to use the facilities which preclude the association imposing such conditions, but, for purposes of this article, let us assume we get past those issues so we may consider whether such agreements are enforceable at all.
Discover The Galt Mile lifestyle. An elegant neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale with the best tropical climate, pristine beaches, shopping, dining and nightlife.
Enjoy the luxurious lifestyle unique to The Galt Mile, with the sunrises over the ocean and sunsets over the intracoastal.
The Galt Mile is walking distance to all residents – and visitors alike.
Come live, visit, shop, dine, play and enjoy the uniqueness of The Galt Mile. Click here to view the video.
Everyone has questions about the new condo bill that will impact all condominiums and condo in Florida. The members of the Galt Mile Community Association will be directly impacted in two ways: reserve studies and requirements, and additional safety inspections.
Because the bill was passed by the Florida Legislature in two days during special session, there are many unanswered questions about how it applies and what condos really have to do to meet these requirements. In an attempt to help clarify these issues (as we know them today), a webinar presentation covered many topics and answered several questions, but also indicated there are many unanswered questions.
The webinar, entitled, “Part Two: New Condo Inspection Bill” had presentations from three leading experts in the field:
Michael Bender, Kaye Bender Rembaum law firm;
Evan Bradley, Campbell Property Management; and
Scott Harvey-Lewis, Building Mavens.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue has established a program called “Community Connect” whereby property managers and individual owners can input important data to be used by firefighters in an emergency. It cuts down response time and saves lives.
The program is free. Simply go to Community Connect and sign up as a property manager or an individual owner. The department is looking for contact information, special needs persons in the unit, pets, occupancy, and other vital factors to make the firefighters’ job easier during an emergency. When an emergency occurs, the owners are notified and may be asked for additional information. It is especially important in high-rise buildings, where getting to the apartment takes extra time. Watch the video to see an example of Community Connect in Fort Lauderdale.
Community Connect is designed to build a safer Fort Lauderdale through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.
Click here to read the brochure from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue about Community Connect.
The state legislature passed and the governor signed a new condo/coop law this spring, SB4D.
What is amazing is the state legislature passed and the governor signed the bill in three days. They have implemented a solution for a problem (Champlain Towers collapse) that they don’t know the cause. One sponsor stated that this new law would ensure there will never be another Champlain Towers incident. That’s a remarkable statement to make – based on “best guesses.” On another issue, the legislature provided no relief for condos/coops facing steep increases in insurance coverage.
Attached is a 4-page summary (of an 89-page bill) describing the key elements and dates in the new law as it applies to the members of the Galt Mile community. The key dates in the new law are highlighted: January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024.
Please read the disclaimer at the top of the summary. Interpretations and implementation information are being generated almost daily on this new law. You should consult your legal counsel regarding the new compliance provisions in the law.
Click here to read the Galt Mile prepared summary of new condo bill.
