OVER DEVELOPMENT
It is no secret that South Florida is experiencing a shift in opinion from residents everywhere in regards to the changing vertical landscapes. Over development has become a hot topic in cities across the region. Davie is no exception. Whether it be the eyesore apartment complexes that have risen along downtown Davie Road or the new neighborhoods in traditionally rural Davie westward of Pine Island Road with starting prices above $1 million on small plots, residents truly have had enough and want it quite frankly to stop.
My campaign logo features a construction hat with a red circle crossed out. I am not against the construction industry, but I am firmly against future residential development in Davie that goes beyond the scope of what residents like myself want or need. I do not support rezoning commercial to residential property. Even if the proposal is for the ground level to remain commercial I am against it. I have no problem redeveloping current residential zones as long as they maintain similar development constraints of what has been there. If there is any land left available for development, it is a hard no for me on approval. Like a popular hotel that one cannot get a room in, Davie is at no vacancy.
"But we need affordable housing!!!", a sentence I hear not just in Davie, not just South Florida, but this entire country. It is a real ongoing problem that has no real solution that makes sense. There is no way the average person can find a place to live in South Florida with just one job. They must work multiple jobs or be in a minimum dual income household to make ends meet. The pressures are on the individual to do this. It is not easy, but it is the truth. There is no such thing as affordable in South Florida anymore and there will not be no matter how much a developer or town/city council will say. Their definition of "affordable" is not affordable. The Florida legislature passed the Live Local Act, that requires developers to allocate 40% of the units to "affordable" housing for 30 years relative to the median income of the area. And that last section there is the catch the makes the term "affordable" BS. I must also note that this legislation makes it very difficult for any town/city council to deny the project from being developed, a bullet point that is a serious flaw in the legislation. Granted, the minimal power the councils do have is to enforce infrastructure is sufficient and if not is pretty much the only saving grace a council has to deny a project from being developed.
I am fully aware that a lack of supply drives prices up and that ceasing future development in any municipality will drive housing up. For Davie, that is a risk I am willing to take to the best of my ability to maintain the culture and feel that makes Davie in my opinion that best place to live in the South Florida region.
CULTURE
It is no secret to anyone that drives through downtown Davie, that we lean into the "western" culture. We love the equestrian lifestyle, farms, porches and cowboy life. This look and feel is unique to South Florida. It's something about Davie that I love. I am no cowboy and if I'm being honest, not a huge country music fan (though I musically play a ton of it). However, it makes Davie standout above and beyond the stucko plazas of our neighbors or glass high rises of our major cities. In the last 20 years though I have seen this be diminished more and more with each year. Building codes for the aesthetics have loosened and we are seeing it all along Davie Road. This design was always a must not just along Davie Road but on Griffin and Stirling between University Drive and the Turnpike. I understand some residents may think it's "outdated" or want that "modern look", but not me. If it's in my power I will make this essential to my decision making. I will also go out of my way to see what can be done to restore this western look to many areas of the town where it has been relaxed.
Aside from that, I love the rodeos, Orange Blossom Festival, community events we currently have in place and without a doubt would keep all of that going in addition to looking into expanding them. Our parks and trails are amazing and kudos to the existing town council on making those such a priority.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Good infrastructure is essential to any town/city. To say Davie has been not working on this would simply not be true. I was recently at the budget and special projects meeting and Davie is doing a lot. Of course we need to keep that momentum going and expand as much as possible beyond what is planned. There are many areas that are effected by flooding during heavy storms that we must focus on getting draining better. Yes, it takes cooperation with neighboring cities and the South Florida Water Management. The flooding is here to stay and could likely get worse if we do not properly plan.
FPL has been doing a lot of work in the town to bury lines to minimize outages. We need to continue this as well, especially in areas with older poles where downed lines could be more of a factor, not just to reduce outages but for general safety. Speaking of lines, the other lines above us are for data. Comcast and AT&T need to work to do similar upgrades throughout our community. Fiber installations have been happening all across South Florida but we need to work with them to try to get our entire town on fiber and below the ground.
The roads will continue to be maintained and approved. I have seen plans for expansion on Pine Island Road as well as others. Sidewalks, horse paths, bike lanes and proper bus stops that do not stop traffic are essential as well. We must continue to assure stop lights are programmed correctly to keep traffic moving smoothly.
Traffic cams have been a hot topic lately and for the record I am not for any type of traffic camera. I am against them automatically issuing traffic violations as well. If elected I am one of five but I will do everything I can to take them all out of service.
PROPERTY TAXES
If you're taking the time to read this then you know about Amendment 3 on this November ballot. If it is approved and goes into law every town/city council must get very creative very quickly. For me, keeping emergency services in tact is essential. However, looking at the budgets of those services and looking at ways to cut would be necessary. Keeping our utilities running is essential as well as maintaining our roads. I am firmly against raising the millage rate on homeowners to compensate for the potential loss.
Though I believe the law is poorly written, I do think homeowner's need relief from the continued inflation of property taxes and insurance. I have spoken to many seniors that risk losing the houses they own, that they've spent the majority of their lives working to have because they simply cannot afford the property taxes and insurance. This is unacceptable and there has to be a better answer. The Florida legislation has come up with this for now. If it fails, the legislation needs to still address this somehow. If it passes, the burden is now on the town/city councils to make it work. It will be challenging but not impossible. I have found in life that our society is highly adaptive and is able to figure out solutions. If elected, I will look for these solutions in every way possible for Davie.