Dear Broward County Residents,
I am honored to serve as your County Commissioner, representing our coastal communities from Deerfield Beach to Fort Lauderdale and all of the amazing communities in between. Here are some recent highlights from around Broward County:
LEED Certification for County Facilities
The new state-of-the-art Ravenswood Bus Operations and Maintenance Facility and the new Animal Care and Adoption Center have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and Silver certification respectively from the U.S. Green Building Council.
As an internationally recognized mark of excellence, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. As a lifelong construction professional, this is very important to me.
The Ravenswood Bus operations and Maintenance Facility project included the construction of a new 3-story parking garage, operations and maintenance buildings, fuel station and bus wash.
The Animal Care and Adoption Center set new standards by becoming the first LEED climate controlled shelter in the state of Florida.
Port Everglades Cruise Guide
Broward County’s Port Everglades is Florida’s leading seaport for containerized cargo and the third largest cruise port in the world. Ten cruise lines sail 40 ships and a ferry from Port Everglades and now you can access the 2018 Port Everglades Cruise Guide that provides great vacation tools. More than 701,000 passengers, approximately 20 percent of the Port’s cruise business, will set sail during the holiday season. The Cruise Guide provides information on cruising, hotels, dining, entertainment, and transportation to many destinations from Port Everglades.
To access the 2018 Port Everglades Cruise Guide and for more information, please visit PortEverglades.net.
It's Manatee Season
Broward's Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division cautions boaters to be on the lookout for manatees moving throughout our waterways. November 15th marked the beginning of manatee season and seasonal manatee protection zones are in effect thru March 31st. As air and water temperatures drop, manatees begin moving south for warmer water such as springs and energy center discharge canals for refuge, and slower seasonal speed limits go into effect. For information about manatee protection zones by County, including seasonal changes, visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website and click on "Data and Maps." At the bottom of the page there is information on Manatee COLD-weather changes to speed zones.
Broward County now also offers a new innovative manatee reporting mobile app that can be used to report the location of manatees and their activities, view manatee protection zones and boating safety zones in County waterways. The ‘I Spy a Manatee’ mobile app can be used by Broward residents and visitors to report manatee sightings. Download the app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Broward Water Partnership and Conservation Pays Program
Residents, business and nonprofits in Broward County had record breaking water savings through the Broward Water Partnership and the Conservation Pays Program. The Community has saved 1.5 billion gallons of water combined as of October 2017. Much of the savings were achieved through the regional toilet rebate program that provides property owners with rebates when they upgrade older model toilets to high-efficiency water-saving models. The Broward Water Partnership provides rebates through ConservationPays.com, with just five steps including filling out an application and attaching required documentation. Applicants can receive up to $100 rebate per toilet.
For more information and to check your availability, please visit ConservationPays.com.
The Resident's Guide to Government provides a convenient resource to help people stay connected to their local government. It includes contact information for County officials and Federal, State, and local agencies. Visitors can subscribe to eNews and social media sites. Please sign up at Broward.org/District4 to receive email updates from our office. If there is anything that we can do to assist you with your vision for a better Broward, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 954-357-7004 or by email at clamarca@broward.org.
One final note, as we celebrate the holiday season and prepare for an exciting new year, I offer you a very Happy Hanukkah, a very Merry Christmas and the most prosperous 2018 for you and yours.
As always, it is my honor and privilege to serve you.
Best regards,
