Vice Mayor John Herbst asked the City Commission to review the Planning & Zoning Board’s approval of the Amalfi development (UDP S240352317) on North Ocean Boulevard, citing procedural questions and statements made during the P&Z hearing that he said might have affected the board’s deliberations. The request prompted extended public comment from nearby homeowners associations and residents who opposed the project and from the applicant and supporters who defended the P&Z process.

The vice mayor said he wanted clarity about the record and whether any statements at the P&Z meeting created procedural risk. Planning & Zoning counsel and the city attorney explained the narrow statutory and code criteria the commission may use for a city-commission-request review: whether “the project and the surrounding area require additional review to ensure development standards and criteria have been met and to protect the surrounding area.” Counsel warned the commission that investigating off-record motivations or private communications risks creating a new record that could complicate any future judicial review of the P&Z decision.

Neighbors and homeowner association leaders told the commission they view the project as out of scale for the block and raised concerns about a large requested yard modification (the applicant sought what opponents described as an 89% reduction from the usual setback), the loss of views, and a perceived lack of meaningful neighborhood input. Speakers included representatives from Dolphin Isles, Fort Lauderdale Beach, White Egret, the Everglades Club and the Central Beach Alliance, who described votes within their associations and said many owners opposed the project.

The applicant’s representative, architect and supporters said the developer had engaged for more than two years with neighbors, made design changes to reduce view impacts, and demonstrated how the requested conditional-use height (240 feet) and yard modifications fit the zoning and conditional-use criteria. Planning & Zoning had voted 7–2 to approve the conditional use and yard modifications; staff had recommended approval. Several commissioners and staff noted that conditional-use and yard-modification requests are common in Fort Lauderdale and that the city’s Unified Land Development Regulations provide the framework for review.

After extended discussion and clarification from city legal staff, Vice Mayor Herbst said his purpose in calling the item up was not to relitigate the project but to clarify procedural questions. No commissioner moved to order a de novo hearing or otherwise overturn the Planning & Zoning decision, and no formal de novo review was scheduled. The public record therefore remains the P&Z hearing and the documents and testimony that were before that board.

Commissioners and staff also discussed a broader policy issue raised during the public comment: the city’s yard-modification language, which requires repeated modifications and hearings. Staff confirmed the code section has been in place for decades and said they can return with options to the commission if directed.

The commission’s discussion concluded without a motion to rehear the matter de novo; the Planning & Zoning Board’s 7–2 approval remains the current local administrative decision on the application.