The Fort Lauderdale City Commission on Oct. 7 received a progress report from the Charter Revision Board and discussed proposed charter revisions covering candidate qualifications, election procedures and the city’s rules for sale and use of public and park land.

Anthony Fajardo, director of development services, introduced the presentation and the city attorney’s office lead, Paul Vangel, who walked commissioners through recommended changes and deletions in several charter articles. The board’s draft would: simplify candidate-qualification text; reduce the minimum age to qualify for office from 21 to 18 if the candidate is an elector; clarify residency rules (including allowing candidates affected by redistricting to run for the district into which they are placed); remove a citizen-affidavit procedure for challenging qualifications that currently lets any registered elector file an affidavit; and tighten or redefine procedures for special meetings, initiative/referendum petitions and the sale, lease or use of city property.

Paul Vangel summarized key recommendations, including a reworked Section 3.03 on qualifications (reducing the age threshold to 18 and clarifying continuous residency in a district), and a proposed deletion of the sentence that allows “any registered elector” to file an affidavit challenging a candidate’s qualification and have the city commission adjudicate it. Commissioners debated both changes.

Several commissioners expressed concern about lowering the age to 18. Mayor Dean Trantalis, Commissioner Steve Glassman and others debated whether an 18‑year‑old would have the maturity for the office; Commissioner Ben Sorensen said he was comfortable with 18 because the electorate will decide. “If the commission wants 21, I’m good with 21 too,” Commissioner Sorensen said. Paul Vangel said the board referenced the reduced voting age in federal history and state voter-registration rules when considering the change.

Commissioners asked for clearer, objective language to define “permanent residence” or “domicile” and asked the Charter Revision Board to propose specific evidentiary factors—such as voter registration, driver license, utility bills or other indicia—to reduce ambiguity. Commissioners discussed whether the city clerk, the city attorney’s office or the commission itself should receive and review qualifying paperwork; several members said they did not want the city attorney to serve as the exclusive gatekeeper because an attorney’s opinion could become evidence in later litigation.

On initiative and referendum changes, the board proposed a new process allowing a committee of 10 electors to submit a proposed ordinance to the city attorney for initial sufficiency review; if the city attorney deemed a draft legally sufficient, petition circulation would proceed and signatures equal to at least 1% of registered electors would be required to submit the petition to the supervisor of elections for verification. Commissioners and members of the public questioned whether the board’s summary language mischaracterized steps; staff and the city attorney’s office clarified that the summary does not replace the charter text and that the city attorney’s sufficiency determination would be followed by a traditional petition and verification process prior to a ballot placement.

The board’s draft also rewrites the city’s public‑property rules. Current charter language establishes heightened requirements for disposal or lease of parkland in place in 2004; the draft would require a special-election referendum to sell or transfer land zoned parks, recreation and open space, and would require unanimous commission votes or a referendum to enter multi-year lease/licensing/use agreements for land with park zoning. Commissioners discussed whether to add a date-specific trigger (for example, protect parkland existing on the charter’s effective date) and debated thresholds by value or acreage so small parcels would not require referendum-level approval. Vice Mayor John Herbst and several members suggested adding a financial or acreage threshold for referral to a public vote; community speakers who addressed the commission urged strong protections for public lands and transparency for lease or licensing agreements.

Members of the public who spoke at the meeting included Bill Brown (Council of Civic Associations) and Marilyn Numano (Lauderdale Tomorrow), who urged prompt public outreach and ballot placement, and Barbara Stern, who raised concerns about the commission serving as the entity to judge candidate qualifications and recommended removing the commission’s affidavit-adjudication role.

Commissioners requested the Charter Revision Board (and staff) return with: clearer proposed definitions or objective criteria for residency/domicile; a recommended process for who compiles and reviews qualifying materials (clerk, attorney’s office, or other officer); recommended ballot timing and a proposed subset of amendments for the 2026 ballot; and suggested thresholds for parkland dispositions and use agreements. Staff noted deadlines for ballot placement and the need to work on public outreach and education.

Why it matters: The proposed charter changes affect who may run for municipal office, how eligibility challenges are handled, how citizens can bring initiatives or referenda, and when and how the city can sell, lease or license public or park land—issues that shape municipal governance and long-term stewardship of city-owned open space.

What’s next: Commissioners asked staff and the Charter Revision Board to refine language on residency and process, produce a work plan for outreach, and advise which items should go on the 2026 ballot (staff noted a June 2026 deadline for ballot placement with the supervisor of elections). Several commissioners expressed support for putting proposed public-land protections before voters with strong outreach; others asked for thresholds so routine small transactions would not trigger referendum requirements.

Who said it: Anthony Fajardo, director of development services; Paul Vangel, city attorney’s office; Mayor Dean Trantalis; Vice Mayor John Herbst; Commissioners Ben Sorensen, Steve Glassman, Pamela Beasley Pittman; public speakers Marilyn Numano (Lauderdale Tomorrow), Bill Brown (Council of Civic Associations), Barbara Stern.

Clarifying details: The board recommended replacing the commission-affidavit challenge process with a commission judgment “subject to review by the courts” but commissioners asked that staff or the board propose a clearer mechanism and suggested adjudication prior to election day is preferable to post-election challenges. The board’s initiative process would allow a 10-member committee to request a city-attorney sufficiency review and then proceed to a petition requiring at least 1% of registered electors for signature verification; if certified sufficient, the matter would be placed on the ballot after required administrative steps.

Ending note: Commissioners and members of the public asked staff to prioritize public outreach and to return with refined draft language, recommended thresholds and a calendar that aligns with supervisor-of-elections deadlines.