Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live

     I’m very pleased that Coral Springs ranked 27^th in Money Magazine’s Best Places to Live list, making it the best place to live in Florida. Our highest scores were in parks and safety. While the county’s crime rate has been on the rise, our city dropped 17%. I’d like to thank the city staff for making Coral Springs a great place to live, work and raise a family.

In the past months, the City Commission worked on a very important issue affecting the quality of life and future of Coral Springs. Affordable housing has been on the radar for many cities in South Florida. After extensive discussions and a comprehensive analysis of the economic development needs of our City, we have approved the first reading of the Affordable Housing Ordinance. The ordinance proposes the development of a Housing Trust Fund for down payment assistance, second mortgage loans and other solutions to make certain that we close the affordability gap for teachers, nurses, public safety and other members of the workforce wanting to live in Coral Springs. I want to thank the staff for all of their hard work on developing the proposed for the pilot program to construct affordable housing for the Coral Springs Charter School teachers.. The second reading is set for our August 15 commission meeting.

            With the start of another school year, I want to fill you in on a great new program called Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) for four year-olds. This county program allows parents to enroll into a free 540 instructional hours VPK, which is designed to prepare children for kindergarten and build a foundation for their educational success. Parents can apply for this program at www.vpkflorida.org.

The City of Coral Springs will offer mentor training starting August 15 for this school year. After an initial training session, mentors usually contribute one hour per week for a one-year commitment. All mentoring is done on school campuses during school hours. For more information, contact Pat Mirabello, Training Coordinator, at 954.344.5907.

            On another note, I want to share with you some of the great services you can receive at the Northwest Coral Springs Family Success Center. This facility is designed to help individuals and families achieve economic and social stability. The center offers a variety of services at one convenient location, including: rent/mortgage and utility assistance, individual family and group therapy, life skills classes, bus passes and food vouchers. The facility is located at 10077 N.W. 29 Street, across from Mullins Park. For more information, call 954.761.2121.

I’d like to encourage any single-family homeowners that live along a public road to sign up for the City’s Street Tree Subsidy Program. If eligible, the City will partially reimburse residents who replant code required street trees in the public-rights-of-way. For more information, visit www.coralsprings.org/trees.cfm.

I am proud to announce that the Sawgrass Nature Center (SNC) will be holding it’s grand opening in October. I’d like to thank Joan Kohl, founder and president of SNC, for her hard work and dedication in developing this wildlife rehabilitation center. The center currently provides care for injured, sick or orphaned wildlife and will be offering a variety of education exhibits soon. For more information on the SNC, visit www.sawgrassnaturecenter.org.

The entire City Commission is holding office hours to serve our residents! I’d like to thank my colleagues for committing their time to meet with residents and discuss any concerns they might have. Residents may also use the complaint tracking system on our web. 

Posted: Monday, Jul 24, 2006