UPDATE: FROM A RESIDENT'S PHONE CALL TO REAL POLICY SOLUTIONS

Earlier got off the phone with a concerned North Lauderdale resident who asked me a tough question about the zoning town hall hosted by Commissioner Luke Lewis yesterday. She wanted to know: “If the state is changing the rules, what can we actually do in addition to showing up to meetings?"

Following up on my post from yesterday, I promised her I would do additional research to find real answers. I refuse to take a passive approach.

I dug into the fine print of these new laws (HB 1389 and HB 803) which just went into effect on July 1, 2026. Because our city has not voted on the official code changes yet, our commission has not been stripped of its authority yet. We are in a critical window of time to build local legal safeguards.

As your Mayor, I will work hand-in-hand with our commissioners and you the residents to implement specific, actionable policy plan I shared with her to protect North Lauderdale, such as:

Mandate a "Live Local Tracker" Portal: Because the state allows developers to bypass standard public hearings for specific projects, I will immediately direct our IT and planning departments to launch a public online tracking portal. This will list every single pending developer application the moment it hits city hall, so you are never blindsided by a massive project in your backyard.

Order an Immediate Audit of Public Lands: Under Florida Statute §166.0451, the city must maintain an inventory of public lands. Because the new HB 1389 expansion allows entities like school districts to bypass local zoning on properties over three acres, I will audit this inventory to publicly identify and protect vulnerable green spaces before a developer tries to buy them.

Pass Strict Design & Compatibility Ordinances: The state is limiting local power over height and density, but they cannot take away our power over how our city looks. My administration will aggressively advocate for strict local ordinances governing architectural styles, massive landscaping buffers, mandatory green spaces, and high-quality exterior materials. If developers want to build here, I will force them to match the beautiful character of North Lauderdale no cheap concrete blocks.

Deploy Code Enforcement for Permit Safety: As of July 1, HB 803 allows single-family homeowners to skip building permits for minor cosmetic repairs under $7,500. However, this exemption explicitly excludes structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, or flood zone work. To protect our neighborhood safety, I will ensure code enforcement monitors commercial contractors to guarantee they aren’t illegally phasing major construction to dodge safety oversight.

Weaponize Local Tax Incentive Controls: Under Florida law, our city still holds sole discretion over whether to grant lucrative property tax exemptions to these massive housing developments. My policy is clear: No accountability, no tax breaks. I will refuse to support tax incentives for developers unless they sign a binding Community Benefits Agreement that explicitly funds our local traffic mitigation, upgrades our neighborhood parks, and prioritizes North Lauderdale families for units.

I am running to answer your phone calls with a shield and a strategy before those votes ever happen. North Lauderdale families come first, and under my leadership, our community will be aggressively protected.