Hello Coral Springs Citizens!

Hello citizens! It has been such a pleasure and honor to serve as your Mayor since I was sworn in on March 21. You are all keeping me very busy!

You have expressed concerns about code enforcement, roofs, activities and more. Our new Commission is off to a great start as we have completed a full series of excellent orientation workshops and have arrived at a strong solution to the roof dilemma our community has faced since Hurricane Wilma.

Our Second Annual Festival of the Arts was a smashing success. I am so thankful to the Committee of volunteers who have put this on and to all the professionals involved, especially to our Chairperson, Shirley Richards.

We are also currently still engaged with our 10th Annual Slice of the Springs throughout our City. These meetings are your opportunities to learn about information that affects your neighborhood from City staff and to share your concerns and ideas concerning the operation of our magnificent City.

If you have, however, policy issues or ideas for changes in the government of the City, the most appropriate people to share those ideas is with YOUR CITY COMMISSION. Your Commission consists of Vice Mayor Roy Gold (Congrats on your deserving accomplishment, my friend!), Commissioner Ted Mena and your newest Commissioners, Vince Boccard and Claudette Bruck. You can reach us through City Hall at 344-1142 or through email by looking at our website, http://www.coralsprings.org. You can reach me directly on my cell phone at:

494-9872 or by email at sbrook@coralsprings.org
You are also always welcome to attend our City Commission meetings, typically held the first and third Tuesday of every month beginning at 6:30 at City Hall (9551 W. Sample Road). Any member from the public is welcome to speak beginning at 7:30 for up to three minutes about any topic. We just ask you to fill out an information sheet by the time you wish to be heard.

Our Commission is committed to address your concerns respectfully, timely and with a smile to boot!

We just had a successful trip to Tallahassee with our extraordinary City Manager, Mike Levinson, to speak with legislators about some of our legislative priorities, including workforce housing, Charter School funding, portability of the Save Our Homes Cap and others.

One of the Commission's priorities as we head into our upcoming Strategic Planning sessions is our youth. Personally, I am hoping to attract a Dave and Buster's or Gameworks or some other similar business to provide additional recreational options for our children (and many of us, too).

We are also focused on a successful Downtown Redevelopment as Phase 1 is building rapidly. Based on the recent campaigns, it is likely that we will address some obsolete codes this year and look at ways to improve Code Enforcement. As you may know, in order for there to be a change in policy, it requires a majority vote of the Commission. The Mayor does not have an extra vote nor any veto power. Thus, if you have any policy-oriented ideas, I urge you to share them with the entire Commission.

This is a very exciting time to live and work in the City. Between our business growth, our enhanced public safety commitment (thanks for passing the Bond referendum), the energy of our new Commission and so much else, we all have a great deal to look forward to. Along with the rest of the Commission, we are all so grateful for the opportunity to serve you and to reach greater heights together.

Lastly, I give thanks to the Parklander for this cherished opportunity to communicate with you through this column. It is a great service to the City of Coral Springs. Please call me at 757-2915 if there is ever anything I can help you with.

 - Scott J. Brook, P.A.

Posted: Thursday, May 25, 2006