Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Dale V.C. Holness
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO DISCUSS renaming the portions of Dixie Highway that run through Broward County. (Mayor Holness)
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Why Action is Necessary
Permits the Board of County Commissioners to discuss renaming Dixie Highway.
What Action Accomplishes
Allows discussion and Board action on this important issue.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
Since before the Civil War, the term "Dixie" has represented a racialized and romanticized reference to the antebellum South. The name recalls the lasting effects of slavery and Jim Crow and the harsh realities of those who came before us. Today, large stretches of roadway in the State of Florida carry the name Dixie Highway. In Broward County, Dixie Highway runs through the following municipalities in the eastern portion of the County: Dania Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach, and Wilton Manors.
Given the legacy of racism associated with the term Dixie, several local governments have renamed or sought to rename portions of Dixie Highway. This Item allows the Board of County Commissioners ("Board") to discuss renaming Dixie Highway. In lieu of the term Dixie, the Board could recognize a civil rights leader such as Sojourner Truth or Harriett Tubman.
Dixie Highway is categorized as State Road in portions of the County, others are City Roads, and the remaining portions are County Roads located in municipalities. See Exhibit 1, Broward County Highway Map. Because all the portions of Dixie Highway in the County are either State Roads or located in municipalities, the County is unable to change the road names on its own. Depending on the particular stretch of road involved, action will be required by the Florida Legislature, local governments, or both in order to rename Dixi...
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