Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Dale V.C. Holness
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution No. 2021-337 designating a portion of NW 8th Street in the Broward Municipal Services District as “Alcee Street” in honor of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings. (Commissioner Holness)
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Why Action is Necessary
Board action is necessary to adopt a Resolution renaming a County-owned road.
What Action Accomplishes
Adopts the proposed Resolution renaming a County-owned road after Congressman Alcee L. Hastings.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
This item proposes renaming the portion of NW 8th Street from NW 27th Avenue to NW 31st Avenue located in the Broward Municipal Services District (“County Road”) as “Alcee Street” in honor of the late Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (“Congressman Hastings”), an individual who made significant contributions to the County. Congressman Hastings passed away after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer on April 6, 2021. Congressman Hastings will be remembered as an advocate for the working class, minorities, immigrants, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and as a leader in international affairs, as well as a loving father and husband.
Congressman Hastings was first elected to Congress in 1992 and, in 2020, was elected to his fifteenth term in the U.S. Congress representing the State of Florida U.S. Congressional District 20, which includes significant portions of the County, including parts of Fort Lauderdale, Miramar, Lauderdale Lakes, Tamarac, and the Everglades. At the time of his passing, he was the longest-serving member of Florida’s congressional delegation. Throughout his tenure, Congressman Hastings sought to represent the interests of his constituents and worked, among other priorities, to create jobs and provide greater economic opportunities for middle class and working poor Americans.
Congressman Hastings previously served as a Circuit Court Judge in the County’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit from 1977 to 1979, and in 1979, was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Congressman Hastings was the first African American Federal Judge in the State of Florida and one of the first African Americans to represent the State of Florida in the U.S. Congress since the post-Civil War era.
Pursuant to Section 336.05, Florida Statutes, the Board is authorized to name and rename County-owned streets and roads. Section 18.43 of the Broward County Administrative Code (“Administrative Code”) establishes the Board’s policies for naming property, buildings, structures, or facilities, including roads.
On May 4, 2021 (Board Agenda Item No. 51), the Board provided notice on the record that it would consider a proposed Resolution renaming the County Road after Congressman Hastings on June 15, 2021, as required under Section 18.43(h) of the Administrative Code. In addition, the Board waived Section 18.43(d) of the Administrative Code, which provides that property owned by the County may be renamed after persons who have passed away following a minimum 90-day waiting period, in order to consider renaming the County Road after Congressman Hastings. Further, the Board directed the County Administrator to solicit the input of at least three local municipalities, homeowners’ associations, or other appropriate community groups of the Board’s proposal to designate the County Road in honor of Congressman Hastings. Correspondence submitted by the County Administrator to such groups is included as Attachment 1 of the proposed Resolution.
This item (1) adopts a Resolution designating the County Road as “Alcee Street” in honor of Congressman Hastings; (2) directs the County Administrator, as Clerk of the Board, to provide notice to the officials designated in the Resolution; and (3) directs the County Administrator to take all budgetary and other actions necessary to effectuate the renaming of the County Road.
Source of Additional Information
Heidi Richards, Chief of Staff, District 9, 954-357-7009
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
$1,700