[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6534984,"mediaKeyId","3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18","parentId",3443750,"title","Resident urges council to block high-rise housing at old Plantation General Hospital site, raises pension and CRA concerns","audioSeconds",1255,"startMs",1335000,"endMs",2590000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18&start=1335&end=2590","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18/thumbnail_1335000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6534984/Plantation/Broward-County/Florida/Resident-urges-council-to-block-high-rise-housing-at-old-Plantation-General-Hospital-site-raises-pension-and-CRA-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534984-31509e41d3652d082164f558ac06225e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775508024&Signature=CnC1RJja6ezpOUrPSTqdRI1yjoyUzJk91s5grja1Jvan22xB0SJek3tDijKtQekE9q-UgFACvT-whFqALo9Y5nviDMV0qgk25LZ5cObTsnDhgkghzO09BrfBQthyVh58yThE-tR5kVDQoathRMBHs8tXJonY7oRIYloqVkkOoXDkqSaW22EDIJVJTS1IQNZa9NkDu2QIdcjUi46I9xeNOiJOkYvM0VQjNceb6xJynjGeFss13Adn5e-N5qg39rjbecnNV4O8ccWf7YfB-U5P~DP-BfgLb69RxRWjuu0p~VOPTfnH4B6NBiyeAUNq9gWP86iwAcj7k8Wr9EDmZR3JXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Plantation","date","2025-05-21T18:36:00Z","article","Resident Dennis Conklin addressed the City Council and the CRA at the May 21 meeting with multiple requests and observations. At the CRA portion he said he visited the demolition groundbreaking at the old Plantation General Hospital site and asked commissioners not to allow high-rise residences in that location, citing privacy concerns for adjacent homeowners. Conklin told the council: “Please do not put high rise residences in that place. Looking into my neighbor's backyards and homes.”

During the city-comment portion Conklin also raised fiscal concerns. He asked the council to review municipal pension funding and distributed comparative information for 10 cities’ pension funds, urging the city to fully fund the general-employee defined-benefit pension plan. Conklin said Plantation’s general-employee fund was “down $74,000,000” as reported in his materials and provided the council with CAFR excerpts for comparison. He also urged the city to stop mandatory DEI/CRT/ESG training, halt EV purchases and EV infrastructure spending, and to divest Treasuries — requests the council did not act on at the meeting.

Conklin also returned to CRA oversight in public comment later in the meeting and questioned recurring weekly CRA expenditures for water and wastewater in the Gateway 7 overlay, noting the amount exceeded $1,300 weekly and that the TIF this year exceeded $4,000,000 (Conklin referenced the CRA CAFR). He asked the council to reduce the overlay district’s additional millage; no action was taken during the meeting.

Council response and outcome: Council acknowledged the comments and accepted Conklin’s materials into the record; no motions or directives were recorded to change development approvals, pension funding policy, or CRA millage at the meeting. The council referred some items to administration-level follow up and proceeded with the agenda.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Plantation - City Council - May 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","In public comment Dennis Conklin asked commissioners not to allow high-rise residences near the Plantation General Hospital demolition site, urged action on city pension funding and criticized recurring CRA water/wastewater expenditures for the Gateway overlay district.","taxTitle","Plantation, Broward County, Florida","taxId",4265,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6534988,"Resident asks council to revisit traffic-calming policy; council agrees to staff meeting",256,1727000,1983000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18&start=1727&end=1983","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18/thumbnail_1727000.jpg","/articles/6534988/Plantation/Broward-County/Florida/Resident-asks-council-to-revisit-traffic-calming-policy-council-agrees-to-staff-meeting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534988-5c17ecc94800ef00d08ce01930ae4412/orig.mp4?Expires=1775508024&Signature=ZvjMtAxMDPcqU9WfXLWl4QrRTLfCALALCqKXbRvP46q53tJ~Z50aWyQlPnS7E9~K-E5tQezJxQ41txuUYNtLq0zjbUgoOyXL7vzsdCpUF-JhXoMpyWSeSoOGYXkUTMNreHjgImCpy3WIRKsBlwEawYHWoe2wqUcL9cu2oq9fz~PfOZjN4CJn6-5spIWGJCwSDTg431AbNbsBqOY6~XCbaTC0PMY~QYSQ~oWax7vzZNsNZlAXs9~J0qnKQmQ99ImZlYybbEXR00HpCrAEbeOU3hMAhHWv6iBl-WjGS4pUzoNw6MV4udbTdQVufDsSyenwvvxptQMxa1iQdCCckW3Mig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dave Heisinger (identified in the record as a Plantation resident) addressed the City Council on May 21 to press for changes to the city’s traffic-calming process and policy, which he said was adopted in August 2022. He described early outreach and his attempts to meet with staff and council members and said he prepared a preliminary agenda for staff discussion but received no substantive response until April 2025. Heisinger told the council he found that public notice and turnout for the policy adoption meetings were limited and questioned aspects of the policy’s definitions, including whether a household vote counts as a single vote and how the “area of concern” is defined.

Heisinger’s request: He asked the council to “direct staff to meet with me and honestly and earnestly listen to my points and, like make some changes to the policy.”

Council response: Several council members said they had met earlier with Heisinger and agreed that another staff-level meeting would be appropriate. Council members requested a meeting that includes the city engineer and Director Shailan (traffic/engineering staff) to review his proposals and to explain city procedures; council president and other members expressed support for re-examining the policy and for administration to take another look.

Next steps: Council agreed to schedule a meeting between staff (including engineering) and Heisinger to discuss possible adjustments to the policy and to report back; no formal policy changes were adopted at the May 21 meeting.","A Plantation resident asked the council to direct staff to meet about shortcomings in the city’s traffic-calming policy adopted in August 2022; council members agreed to a follow-up meeting with staff to review suggested revisions.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6534993,"Council approves generator installation at Fire Station No. 3 after debate over $220,000 installation cost",251,2056000,2307000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18&start=2056&end=2307","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18/thumbnail_2056000.jpg","/articles/6534993/Plantation/Broward-County/Florida/Council-approves-generator-installation-at-Fire-Station-No-3-after-debate-over-220000-installation-cost","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534993-8f108635348eafb48acc96dba54af1a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775508024&Signature=LsWUeMMMwgg8KDNNxvlG8E~tub83XitxXSpTqsc1eD0lmQ6~SB9kle04kXuOeuAO5jd-bAVp1Ynf89UWzNLJxFoKOs5q80-xZMgQUyxtZK9Nz41SjZDW~uomUZvBXaAVFv5mtstUYpdwHWS9bszyRUHPJBhA8LWxfpL9rZ1hzDIU9yNCSjbrSK2O1wo9IAM8qtEccN4qcCA1gEwiBWLzkMmYZ2-Q5YL7jg~DGxmW06FCORwKq8d6Zz9OFOwTz4EhPHopbtH0GG~bc0vProBL9HSrysEEHWyP5LzK4279m9hgwUDduhKqXeQR8sAD~TWZYiosxAqEk-W9xczM7I~yQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Plantation on May 21 approved a contract to remove an existing interior generator and install a replacement at Fire Station No. 3. The generator unit itself was previously purchased; the vote authorized the scope of work that includes site preparation, a concrete pad, drainage, a new transfer switch, fencing and electrical work needed to connect and commission the unit.

Council discussion focused on the apparent disparity between the vendor list price for a comparable generator and the low number of responsive bids and high installation totals. Council member Anderson questioned the pricing after staff referenced a vendor MSRP around $53,000: “It still seems extremely high for a $50,000 generator that it costs 225,000 to install it. It's just insane.”

City staff explained the total reflects more than the generator purchase: the project covers removal of the existing interior unit, engineering and design work, a compatible transfer switch (the existing switch was incompatible), electrical runs, earthwork, testing and a contractor contingency. Charles Spencer, project manager for administration, said the generator had been purchased two years earlier and that the installation scope grew once the city evaluated the work required on-site. Asher Edwards, assistant procurement director, told the council that bidding conditions and recent labor and material price increases had reduced bidder participation and raised prices compared with past projects.

Vote and next steps: The council approved the item by roll call (yes: 5, no: 0). Staff reported the project budget includes a contingency and allowances; administration will proceed with contract execution and construction scheduling. A formal construction timeline and contract amount will be finalized through the city’s procurement and capital-projects process.","Council approved the capital-project contract to remove an interior generator and install a previously purchased replacement at Fire Station No. 3; staff said the project scope explains the higher-than-expected installation bids.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6534998,"Plantation City Council approves consent items, development ordinance and hospital sign exception; generator project clears vote",202,2687000,2889000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18&start=2687&end=2889","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3443750-e6a921f0eba5b45e67f54d1c657baa18/thumbnail_2687000.jpg","/articles/6534998/Plantation/Broward-County/Florida/Plantation-City-Council-approves-consent-items-development-ordinance-and-hospital-sign-exception-generator-project-clears-vote","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534998-be2537e6c9baa286d85dfae08e590f26/orig.mp4?Expires=1775508024&Signature=G3RBfakPRtUHfzDih15V3f3uowOMFTkBqIN5zDpjJ-0WLUs5j8yoGRoS1S2WUSaA-c4-PFz2zr7amHiGM6t2pUhAG~VvWRysflSyEemz4glbX7awU-xaHbL70egv2-h11ZWaB9EkHTW~nnFU0b~rMkTGafDiVNbKcXlZlfywHcyQeCcXBeIS3LuxzZKTCaB-0ZSMMlViTQra49J3njW~2dYUJOf-IztOaR4AsRNEbF3lR9fpNM0wbmasLkNaU-nW6SkwcEPo3BOUi5x3O0~smgzhGJ9k6Nky5qqqSSDIdkCNTLfFmLeg~Z2xDq4reb2V9FU8pv0gfmu3NjW8aQTqiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Plantation City Council on May 21, 2025, voted to approve the evening’s consent agenda, adopt an ordinance assigning 18 local-activity-center (LAC) residential units for property at 849 S. State Road 7, grant a special sign exception for the HCA (Westside) hospital campus and award a contract related to a generator installation at Fire Station No. 3. The council took each vote by roll call and recorded unanimous affirmative tallies on the items presented.

Why it matters: The ordinance assigning LAC residential units permits development uses in the Plantation Gateway Local Activity Center; the sign exception allows a hospital campus signage variation in the Mixed Use Plantation Midtown zoning district; and the generator contract funds site work, removal of an interior unit and installation of a pre-purchased replacement unit at a city fire station. Together the decisions affect near-term construction and public-safety infrastructure and adjust the city’s development permissions in the Gateway area.

The votes (summary):
- Consent agenda (city items 1–12, with items 6 and 11 pulled for discussion): approved by roll call (unanimous among voting members present).
- Item 6 — Generator installation (consent pull): motion to approve the project and award the contract was approved by roll call, yes: 5, no: 0. Council discussion flagged the difference between the generator’s purchase price and the higher installation bids.
- Item 11 — CRA consent item (expenditures related to CRA/Gateway): approved by roll call, yes: 5, no: 0.
- Legislative item (PP24-0011) — Ordinance to assign 18 LAC residential units for 849 S. State Road 7: ordinance adopted by roll call, yes: 5, no: 0.
- Quasi-judicial item (PP25-0013) — Special sign exception for Columbia/HCA Westside Hospital at 8201 W. Broward Blvd: approved by roll call, yes: 5, no: 0.

Discussion highlights: The primary recorded discussion with extended staff and council back-and-forth concerned the Fire Station No. 3 generator installation (item 6). Council member Anderson questioned the bid spread given a generator list price near $53,000 and installation costs exceeding $200,000. Charles Spencer, project manager for administration, explained the previously purchased generator and the additional site work required — engineering, drain and electrical work, a new transfer switch, removal of an interior unit and associated earthwork and testing. Asher Edwards, assistant procurement director, confirmed bid responsiveness and that pricing and labor inflation had affected contractor bids. Anderson said, “It still seems extremely high for a $50,000 generator that it costs 225,000 to install it. It's just insane.” Council members voted to approve the contract after staff said the bids and a contingency were included in the total.

Other items: The council approved routine proclamations and recognitions earlier in the meeting and heard public comments (see separate article on public comments). No motions to continue any of the listed legislative or quasi-judicial items were made.","At its May 21 meeting the City of Plantation City Council approved the consent agenda, adopted an ordinance assigning local-activity-center residential units for a State Road 7 site, granted a special sign exception to HCA Westside Hospital and approved a contract to install a generator at Fire Station No. 3.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Resident urges council to block high-rise housing at old Plantation General Hospital site, raises pension and CRA concerns

Resident asks council to revisit traffic-calming policy; council agrees to staff meeting

Council approves generator installation at Fire Station No. 3 after debate over $220,000 installation cost

Plantation City Council approves consent items, development ordinance and hospital sign exception; generator project clears vote