Municipal services return to West Deerfield Community Center
Plus a referendum headed to voters and two meetings that land on real streets.
Multiple city service divisions returned to the West Deerfield Community Center on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The city facility is at 580 S. Powerline Road, across from the Powerline Road entrance to Quiet Waters Park. The newly renovated center also contains flexible event space, a large kitchen, a basketball half-court and a computer lab used for community programs. The service transition means residents who had been directed elsewhere during repairs may again have city business at this address. The city has not named each returning division, so residents should confirm the correct counter before making the trip.
FDA says the Cyclospora lettuce outbreak remains active
A multistate Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled Taylor Farms de Mexico iceberg lettuce remained under investigation as of Aug. 13. The FDA counted 9,481 illnesses, 398 hospitalizations and two deaths across 17 states; Florida was listed among states that received recalled product, not among the states with reported cases. The FDA says the recalled lettuce should no longer be for sale. Anyone who previously had recalled lettuce should clean and sanitize containers and surfaces it touched. People with symptoms should contact a health care provider, especially after eating shredded iceberg lettuce in the two weeks before illness.
MLK Jr. Avenue drainage plans get an Aug. 24 meeting
City officials will hold a follow-up community meeting Aug. 24 on the SW Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Drainage Improvement and Road Conversion Project. The corridor, also known as SW 3rd Avenue, was identified as a priority in the city’s 2021 Stormwater Master Plan. Along with new drainage, the road restoration is being evaluated for a lane reduction, left-turn lanes, enhanced landscaping, and bicycle and pedestrian features. The meeting is the next public look at those plans before the project advances. Residents who use the corridor can focus on drainage, lane layout, turns and non-car access.
Ballot Question D stays before voters
A Broward judge allowed Deerfield Beach Ballot Question D to remain headed to voters, the Sun Sentinel reported Aug. 17. The question would move city elections from March to November in even-numbered years and extend the current mayor and commissioners’ terms during the transition. A lawsuit challenged whether the ballot language adequately explained the change. The judge denied emergency relief that could have stopped the question before the ballot deadline. The ruling does not approve the policy itself; it leaves the decision to voters in the Nov. 3 election.
Nine charter changes are set for the Nov. 3 ballot
Deerfield Beach’s November ballot is set to carry nine proposed City Charter amendments. The subjects include updated charter language and city boundaries, a two-year residency rule for commission candidates, moving municipal elections, city-owned property rules, the Charter Review Board schedule, beach development and parking restrictions, and a four-fifths commission vote before changing police or fire providers. Each question stands on its own and takes effect only if a majority of voters on that question approve it. Ballot Question D, the election-timing proposal, is the one that drew the court challenge.
CRA board meets Aug. 25 at City Hall
The Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency board meets Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m. in City Commission Chambers at the City Hall Complex, 150 NE 2nd Avenue. The CRA directs redevelopment work and spending inside its district, so board decisions can shape public projects, property programs and business-area improvements. The Aug. 25 session is an additional meeting in the agency’s fiscal-year schedule. The chambers will be the physical meeting room. Residents who want the specific votes before the board can review the posted agenda through the city’s meetings page before attending.