Latest news with #BrowardCountyCommission
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Help ICE or lose your job, Florida attorney general tells Broward sheriff
Last week Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said his department will not prioritize arresting undocumented immigrants who haven't committed crimes. On Monday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the sheriff that could cost him his job. Uthmeier posted a strongly worded letter Monday morning addressed to Tony on X lambasting remarks the sheriff made during a June 3 Broward County Commission budget workshop meeting, in which he said that there are 'other priorities in this community that I'm focused on, and immigration is not one of them.' 'I don't care what country you're from. If you commit a crime in this county, I'm coming for you,' Tony said during the meeting. 'But what I refuse to do is take this notion that we need to be knocking on doors or arresting children or going into day care centers or restaurants and taking and snatching people off these streets who have been paying taxes and contributing to this society in some positive form regardless of if they are a U.S. citizen or not. It's not within our purview, it's not within our responsibility, and I won't participate in it.' Tony's June 3 comments appear to put him at odds with President Donald Trump's sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration and Gov. Ron DeSantis' efforts to aid in the president's goals. In February, DeSantis touted that all 67 of the state's sheriffs signed a 'Task Force Model' agreement with ICE that gives deputies some immigration authority under the 287(g) program, including the Broward Sheriff's Office. 'Participation is not optional' Uthmeier's letter stated that Tony must comply with a Florida Statute that says 'state and local law enforcement agencies and any official responsible for directing or supervising such agency shall use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law.' 'You are such an official, and therefore must use 'best efforts' to work with federal immigration authorities, including United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),' Uthmeier wrote in the letter. 'Your statements to the contrary suggest you misunderstand or intend to flout these requirements under Florida law.' Penalties for failing to adhere to the law, Uthmeier wrote, include 'declaratory and injunctive relief, being held in contempt, or removal from office by the Governor.' Uthmeier doubled down on the threat against Tony's job Monday afternoon with a video posted on X. 'The choice is simple and participation is not optional. State, county and local officials can support and defend the United States and Florida constitutions and the laws therein,' Uthmeier said in the video. 'Or, we will find someone who will.' Uthmeier wrote in his letter that he wanted Tony to 'clarify' his remarks. Tony responded with a letter of his own on Monday, reassuring the attorney general that the Broward Sheriff's Office works closely with ICE to arrest undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes and is in compliance with its agreements with the federal agency. 'It is BSO's priority to address criminal activity within our community, including crimes committed by unauthorized aliens, and to work with our federal partners in this endeavor,' Tony wrote. 'BSO is not only enforcing the law against unauthorized aliens who commit crimes in the community; it is a leader in this effort.' 'We're not ICE' In his letter, Tony told Uthmeier that BSO entered two agreements with ICE in 2019: a 287(g) Warrant Service Office Agreement that authorizes trained deputies to serve ICE warrants to people in jail and a Basic Ordering Agreement to keep federal immigration detainees in the county jail for up to 48 hours to allow ICE to take them into custody. This year, Tony wrote, BSO entered into the 287(g) Task Force Model agreement 'to assist ICE with federal immigration enforcement upon request.' While Tony's letter seems to try to allay the attorney general's concerns, it does not necessarily contradict the comments he made during the June 3 meeting when a county commissioner asked Tony about BSO's role in arresting undocumented immigrants. 'The patch on our sleeve says Broward County. We're not ICE. We're not immigration,' Tony responded. 'I don't work for the Department of Justice. I don't work for the president of the United States. I work for the people of this community.' Tony said in the meeting that BSO is in compliance with state law and the 287(g) agreement. However, he said, while other Florida sheriff's have 'increased the availability of manpower to execute some of these responsibilities that fall under immigration,' BSO has not. Earlier this year Tony told the Sun Sentinel that while BSO does comply with ICE, it does not deploy deputies to find and round up undocumented immigrants who have not committed any crimes. He echoed the same stance during the June 3 meeting. DeSantis appointed Tony, a Democrat, as Broward sheriff in 2019. He won both his bids to keep his job in the 2020 and 2024 elections. Broward is the only firm Democrat stronghold in South Florida. In March, Uthmeier sent a similar threatening message to the Fort Myers City Council after it voted against enrolling in the 287(g) program. 'Failure to correct the Council's actions will result in the enforcement of all applicable civil and criminal penalties, including but not limited to being held in contempt, declaratory or injunctive relief, and removal from office by the Governor,' Uthmeier wrote in a letter. Days later, the city council unanimously reversed its decision.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Broward governments brace for Florida tax and spending cuts
The Florida Legislature's apparent commitment to statewide tax relief is going to leave local government scrambling to come up with cash to cover emergency, parks and health services for years to come — and it's not too soon to start bracing for that potential impact, officials said this week. Broward County Administrator Monica Cepero said during Tuesday's commission meeting that Tallahassee's priorities will leave county government and most cities looking for ways to make up for lost revenue. The unofficial estimate, she said, is a statewide loss of $2.8 billion in tax cuts, with at least $1.6 billion recurring. In terms of population, Broward is the second-largest county in the state, and Palm Beach County is third. Proposed reductions in sales and property taxes would have a profound effect on the ability of local governments to deliver services. 'So there are some pretty concerning things that we're following,' Cepero said. As an example, Cepero cited a plan to reduce the state sales tax from 6% to 5.25%. 'That would, of course, get trickled out to every county,' she said. The annual recurring impact to Broward would be an estimated $30 million: half to cities and the other half to the county, she said. A second proposal, according to County Commissioner Nan Rich, would have local governments forced to have a referendum on eliminating property taxes on homesteaded properties, a proposal that could prove challenging for voters to resist but would cost the county a thus-far uncalculated amount of annual revenue. Related Articles Commissioner Steven Geller said the proposed tax cuts and projected income reductions reflect a lack of understanding on the part of a state Legislature, of which he was once a member. 'The question is not how much they're going to do for us, but how badly they're going to hurt us,' Geller said. 'The governor seems to think we spend it all our funding one giant program called DEI.' DEI stands for 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,' a shorthand term for hiring policies that purportedly seek to correct for historical inequities surrounding race, ethnicity and gender. Conservative political figures have criticized DEI as an unacceptable alternative to hiring the most qualified person for a job regardless of race or gender. 'Most local governments spend more than half their funding on first responders,' Geller said. The Broward County Commission is scheduled to meet on Tuesday for a budget workshop, Cepero said. As of now, the potential budget shortfalls remain hypothetical. The Florida Legislature failed to pass a budget last week when its session was supposed to end, and it extended its deadline. The county has been keeping close watch. 'Obviously, these conversations are happening many times a day with all the stakeholders and our lobbyists,' Cepero told commissioners. Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Broward readies for Sawgrass Expressway expansion to I-95
Vital steps are being taken this year in the eventual expansion of the Sawgrass Expressway from its current end at Florida's Turnpike to Interstate 95. The expansion would make trips easier for thousands of drivers who commute through the area in Deerfield Beach each day. The Spanish design and development firm OHLA recently announced it was starting the planning phase of the long-discussed project funded by the Florida Department of Transportation. And the Broward County Commission is scheduled next week to make some necessary decisions about the revamp, pertaining to canal improvements and drainage installation along Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach. Talk about enhancing the connection between the Sawgrass and I-95 has long been circulating among local and state government officials. In 2018, then-Gov. Rick Scott backed the notion as a method of easing congestion. And in 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis pitched a multibillion-dollar proposal to speed the completion of 20 highway projects in Florida — including the Sawgrass Expressway expansion. Through the years, some Deerfield Beach neighbors raised concerns about the proposed changes. Still, the plan got a warmer reception several years ago during some transit-oriented presentations. Residents of Coral Springs and Parkland who work in Fort Lauderdale currently exit the Sawgrass and proceed along Southwest 10th Street, often being forced to stop at traffic lights on Powerline Road, Military Trail and the overpass at Interstate 95. The changes also would make evacuation easier for those leaving the area ahead of hurricanes. The state Department of Transportation published on its website a preliminary project schedule, which estimated a construction phase could start this year and potentially run through 2032. Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than 200 new apartments planned off Federal Highway in Deerfield Beach
Developers are planning to break ground later this year on a 237-unit apartment building in Deerfield Beach, bringing activity to a mostly vacant lot whose southern tip is home to a two-story office building on the northwest corner of Federal Highway and Northwest Second Street. The new housing, at 201 N. Federal Highway, would rise near a prominent stretch of the city, just north of East Hillsboro Boulevard and Federal Highway, also known as U.S. 1. The Axis project in Deerfield has been under consideration for years, passing through the application process in the city over the past five years, according to city records. Through the process, it also reportedly drew residents' concerns about traffic. Its most recent hurdle was a routine approval recently before the Broward County Commission. The plan, spearheaded by the Chicago-based Centrum Partners development group, calls for a five-story building with an internal parking garage accessible through Federal Highway, said Eric Power, director of planning and development services for the city. The apartments will be fair-market rentals, but the developers have committed to contributing $138,500 to the city's affordable housing trust fund as well as additional $100,000 contribution of the fire fund. Developers also have promised to pay for the repaving of Federal Highway to create a dedicated left-turn lane for access to the building. They also will be responsible for some nearby landscaping, public art and the removal of some above-ground power lines, Power said. Children whose families move into the development will be zoned to attend Deerfield Beach Elementary, Deerfield Beach Middle and Deerfield Beach High School. Plans anticipate the addition of just 14 additional school-age students. A building on the southern end of the land, known as the Eller Building, was set to be demolished. Groundbreaking on the project is expected to take place in late 2025. Calls to Centrum were not returned as of Friday afternoon. Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
Miami Herald
28-03-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Meet the woman who led the charge to get Muslim holiday recognized in Broward schools
This weekend marks the end of Ramadan, the holiest month for believers of Islam, and one that's made up of fasting, prayer and self-reflection. On Monday, students in South Florida will get a chance to celebrate Eid al-Fitr — one of the most important Muslim holidays — with their families, enjoying a day off from school. But it wasn't until two years ago that the religious holiday was first recognized by Broward County Public Schools — a milestone for South Florida school districts. Shortly after, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach county school districts followed suit. That's due largely in part to the seven-year struggle of one woman: Naima Khan-Ghany, a retired Broward public school teacher of over 17 years who has been instrumental in advocating on behalf of Muslim students in South Florida. For years, she chipped away at her goal of getting Eid al-Fitr recognized as a day off by Broward County Public Schools. Her efforts resulted in the recognition of American Muslim Heritage Month by the Broward County school board — the first school board to do so in South Florida — then by the Broward County Commission. Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood and Cooper City followed with their own proclamations. Khan-Ghany has helped organize city-sponsored Ramadan dinners, or iftars — celebratory meals that mark the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan — that have been attended by local elected officials and residents in various cities throughout Broward County. Then-County Commissioner Barbara Sharief hosted the first Broward iftar event with public officials from across the county in 2019. Other cities, including Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Cooper City, followed. Lauderdale Lakes held its first iftar this year. An important part of her advocacy, Khan-Ghany said, is the ability to foster relationships with community members and stakeholders. 'Change does not take place overnight, I know this for a fact,' she said. 'It has to be gradual, and it has to be well-calculated. It has to start off with building relationships.' Helping Muslim students feel safe Often the only female Muslim teacher at her school, Khan-Ghany served as important representation to Muslim students and a bridge to non-Muslim students, constantly helping dispel negative stereotypes held by students and parents. She said she would often tell her students to 'be a voice' for their community. 'Be a voice to help people, whether it's your own people or people in your community,' she said. And I try not to … speak only for Muslims, because there are lots of issues that affect us as a community.' Though the holiday may seem like a small thing for some, Khan-Ghany said the impact on students and young Muslims has been the most telling. The main reason she advocated so long for Eid, she said, was to help students feel safe and seen in their school environment. 'I had Muslim students who were scared to be identified as a Muslim,' she said. 'They want to stay in their little bubble and just not say anything because they're scared. So it took a lot of work to get these students to actually come out and be comfortable and feel safe.' A multi-day festival, Eid al-Fitr is the culmination of a month of fasting where practicing Muslims refrain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. It's also the holiest month in Islam, where it is believed that the Quran was first sent down from heaven to guide people toward salvation. The disciplined fasting period is believed to bring a heightened spiritual awareness and joy to those who practice. It's also a time when Muslims practice charitable giving and community service. On Eid al-Fitr, Muslims may spend the morning in prayer at their mosque, then gather with friends and family to eat dinner, enjoy special sweet treats and give gifts. Khan-Ghany likens the celebration to Christmas or Thanksgiving. Khan-Ghany's activism is just one example of recent Muslim advocacy in South Florida. Local groups including the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations (COSMOS) and the South Florida Muslim Federation have worked for years to build bridges in the South Florida community through establishing interfaith relationships and organizing community events. On Sunday and Monday, for example, the county buildings in downtown Miami will light up green in honor of Eid, according to a spokesperson from the Miami-Dade County mayor's office. And just last week, the city of Coral Gables presented a proclamation in honor of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr for the first time in the city's history, following the efforts of community activist Sadia Raja. The advocacy comes at a time when Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian incidents have been on the rise. Last month, two Israeli men were shot on Miami Beach after they were allegedly mistaken for Palestinians. The shooter is now facing escalated hate crime penalties on top of the original charges. Advocate for the 'underdog' Around 2015-2016, Khan-Ghany began noticing that her Muslim students, friends and her own family were unable to celebrate one of the more important holidays in the Islamic faith without missing a day of school. 'They couldn't stay home and enjoy the festivities and really be relaxed and enjoying the holiday,' Khan-Ghany said. Many students, in her experience, would often still attend classes. The make-up work and missed tests were not always worth it to stay home, she said. 'Well, how come other days off are given for other faith groups and we are not recognized as though we don't exist? That really bothered me a whole lot,' she said. As a parent and teacher, Khan-Ghany began getting more involved in various committees, starting email campaigns and attending school board meetings — staying, at times, as late as midnight. In 2016, she was appointed to the Diversity Committee, which makes recommendations about diversity and inclusion to the school board. Soon after, Khan-Ghany organized a Muslim Students Association at her school, McArthur High School, encouraging students to partake in community service activities, identify common issues for Muslim students and create change. Students set up Ramadan displays in schools and organized what she calls 'courageous conversations,' or small group discussions with non-Muslim students to help foster understanding. Students would talk and answer questions about why Muslims fast or why women wear a head covering, for example. The Muslim Students Association members would eventually show up to school board meetings to advocate for issues they felt were important, like having food options in the cafeteria that obeyed Muslim dietary laws or Halal. It was all a part of giving Muslim students — and others who felt invisible — a voice. Khan-Ghany, who is originally from Trinidad, advocated not just for Muslim students but for 'all students who were scared or had issues that were bothering them,' she said. 'I became an advocate for those, for the underdog,' she said. Debra Hixon, chair of the Broward County school board, said on the issue of Eid, the school board heard from Muslim students and people in the wider community but that Khan-Ghany led the 'biggest push.' 'Naima does a really good job of, of telling them, 'Listen, you need to speak up for yourself,'' said Hixon. 'I had her granddaughter in first grade, and she was having some issues with the cafeteria, and she was very cute. She couldn't wait to tell me what the issues were. She was very articulate about it,' Hixon said. Khan-Ghany is now an adviser for local middle and high school chapters of over 10 Muslim Students Associations in Broward County schools, with new groups being formed every year. Hixon said she first met Khan-Ghany at one of those groups' events. 'It was so nice to see that, because it wasn't just Muslim students that were part of that organization, there was a wide variety of them, and they were being recognized and awarded for … just accepting each other and doing good things in the community,' Hixon said. No stranger to struggle But the wins didn't always come easy. For years, the school board declined the proposal to recognize Eid as a day off. Their reasoning, according to Khan-Ghany, was that the small minority of Muslim students was not enough to justify changing the calendar for all students. Logistics of the school calendar, which must accommodate standardized testing schedules, union requirements and hurricane days, were also a factor, according to Hixon. However, it was important to the school board, according to Hixon, that even smaller communities felt 'valued and heard.' The Muslim community in Florida is a small but growing population, according to the South Florida Muslim Federation, which estimates there are 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims in South Florida. 'They were advocating for this for a long time,' said Hixon. 'They were ... very excited about it, and then seeing other school boards take similar measures ... when it was appropriate in their community gave them a sense of belonging and value.' The Broward school board voted 7-1 to approve the 2022-2023 school calendar with Eid as a day off and has approved the holiday — which changes each year according to the lunar calendar — ever since. Khan-Ghany has encouraged her Muslim students to be proud of their religious and cultural upbringings. She said she would often see them shying away from their heritage — choosing not to wear a hijab, or head scarf, for example — out of fear of being bullied. Khan-Ghany, who wears a hijab, is no stranger to discrimination herself. While she was still teaching middle school, she said she discovered a student's threats and detailed plans to harm her in a school notebook. She was told by the same student, in a derogatory manner, to 'go back where she came from' — a sentiment that was echoed by the student's parent. She learned to deal with students who showed up to her classroom with preconceived ideas about Muslims. Some, she said, would express fears about having a Muslim teacher. After 9/11, many negative stereotypes associating all Muslims with terrorists resulted in a rise in hate crimes against innocent Muslims, Sikhs, and people of Arab and South Asian descent. But Khan-Ghany, who taught math, used her students' concerns and biases as a teachable moment, answering their questions about her religion and culture. Perhaps the largest struggle for Khan-Ghany came in mid-2023 when she was not reappointed to the Diversity Committee and Human Relations Committee following a campaign led by a local blogger for the Middle East Forum — a group and website the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as a think tank that foments anti-Muslim sentiments. The article made serious accusations about Khan-Ghany's character and linked her to terrorist organizations, all claims that Khan-Ghany denies. 'I was devastated. I mean ... I've been involved in these committees and doing work with them for at least 15 years ... and I'm advocating for all students,' she said. More accusations about Khan-Ghany came pouring in after the article. The backlash made her fear for her safety. 'At that time, it was devastating. It was depressing. I went into a dark hole,' she said. Khan-Ghany believes the decision to not reappoint her was purely political, as there was no investigation into the allegations, and she continued teaching. Khan-Ghany said she wishes the school board members, who appointed her in the past and attended countless events with her over the years, would have stood up for her. 'Nobody was willing to do that,' she said. Khan-Ghany is now retired from teaching and spends her days baking and sewing with her granddaughter. But she's still advocating and encouraging students to organize around causes they believe in. 'The struggle is still there. ... People have to persevere, they have to be persistent and they have to keep fighting,' she said. Eid al-Fitr is observed on Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31, depending on the moon sighting. For a full calendar of Eid prayer times around South Florida, view this schedule created by the South Florida Muslim Association. This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
