Coconut Creek moves to renew community shuttle agreement while tracking shift to on-demand transit

Coconut Creek commissioners on Thursday approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the fourth amendment to the interlocal agreement with Broward County that continues the city’s community shuttle service while county and city officials work on longer-term changes to transit funding and delivery.

Commissioner Riedell said he pulled the item only to request an update and to “track how we can shift this from maybe not necessarily community bus” toward a different transportation model. City Manager Sheila Rose told the commission that two county-level items must be resolved before Coconut Creek can shift models: completion of Broward County’s mass master operational plan and a third amendment to the county’s surtax agreement that would allow cities to use surtax funding for an on-demand transit model instead of the current community shuttle framework.

Rose said Broward County is allowing Coconut Creek to continue operating the shuttle despite not meeting minimum ridership numbers, and that county audits have not clawed back funding. She said the third amendment, which has been “dawdling,” is the critical change needed to enable the city’s master plan proposal for an on‑demand service.

Commissioners discussed funding mechanics in the proposed third amendment. Rose summarized two material effects of the term sheet: creation of a designated pot of surtax money for resurfacing projects and a move to a formula-based allocation of surtax funds. She said the formula approach could reduce the annual dollars Coconut Creek receives compared with prior large project awards but would allow stacking funds across years for priorities such as resurfacing. She also confirmed the third amendment would allow cities to replace a community shuttle with an on‑demand transit system once the county’s process is complete.

Commissioners asked for follow-up on whether existing on-demand services operated by other municipalities (Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Deerfield Beach) could be reimbursed or otherwise included under the surtax program when federal or grant funding expires. Rose said many local pilot services were initially grant‑funded and that those grants will expire; she committed to send an update to the commission and noted the county is expected to consider the term sheet before the Broward County Commission on Aug. 10.

The resolution approving the fourth amendment advanced on a roll‑call vote with all commissioners voting yes. No amendments to the agreement text were offered at the meeting.

Why it matters: the city retains near-term shuttle service funding while staff and commissioners pursue a policy and funding pathway to shift to an on-demand model that the city’s master transit plan favors. The timing depends on county-level decisions about the surtax contract and the countywide master operational plan.