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Fort Lauderdale commission splits over lobbyists on advisory boards; excludes one nominee to Planning & Zoning
Summary
After extended debate and public comment on whether lobbyists should serve on city advisory boards, the commission voted to approve a slate of board and committee nominees while removing one nominee — John Rodstrom — from the Planning and Zoning nomination. Staff said a draft ordinance on board‑member lobbying will be returned to the commission.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission on April 15 debated whether registered lobbyists should serve on city advisory boards and ultimately approved a slate of appointments while excluding one nominee to the Planning and Zoning Board.
The debate began when several commissioners and members of the public objected to the nomination of John Rodstrom to the Planning and Zoning Board, citing his prior public advocacy, social‑media posts and work as an attorney and paid political consultant. Commissioner Glassman objected to the nomination and urged that the planning board — a body with “incredible responsibility” — should not include a lobbyist he said had publicly disparaged elected officials and that, in his view, had shown insufficient understanding of the city’s Unified Land Development Regulations (ULDR).
Supporters of the nominee and other commissioners said criticizing government and elected officials is protected speech and that attorneys and advocates routinely represent clients; they noted the city has lobbyists currently serving on boards and questioned singling out one individual. Public commenter Barbara Stern raised concerns about inconsistent enforcement and wrote that “3 men can serve on boards as lobbyists, and 2 women were presented,” arguing the commission should be consistent in its standards.
On the first roll call for a resolution appointing the full slate of nominees as presented by the clerk, the commission cast votes as follows: Vice Mayor Herbst — Yes; Commissioner Glassman — No; Commissioner Pam Beasley Pittman — Yes; Commissioner Ben Sorensen — No; Mayor Dean Trantalis — No. That resolution did not pass.
A second resolution was introduced that approved the slate with the Planning & Zoning nomination of John Rodstrom removed. The commission approved that amended slate by roll call: Vice Mayor Herbst — No; Commissioner Glassman — Yes; Commissioner Beasley Pittman — No; Commissioner Sorensen — Yes; Mayor Trantalis — Yes. The amended resolution passed and the remaining nominees were cleared to serve on their respective boards and committees.
City staff said they have prepared a draft ordinance, modeled on Broward County language, that would bar appointed board members from lobbying the city and its departments; staff said the draft would be brought to the commission for consideration at an upcoming meeting. Dwayne (staff) told the commission: “Our office has a draft, a draft ordinance that mimics Broward County, which bars members of boards and committees from lobbying the city and its departments.” The commission asked that the ordinance be returned for discussion.
The debate highlighted disagreements about the scope of lobbyist rules, First Amendment protections for criticism of government and longstanding local practice. Commissioners called for clarity on whether a rule should bar anyone who has ever acted as a lobbyist, only current lobbyists, or those who have lobbied recently. Staff said they would bring model language and legal analysis back to the commission.
No formal disciplinary action against any individual was taken; the meeting record shows the commission approved the nominees except for the removed Planning & Zoning candidate.
