Pembroke Park to redraw districts after FAU presentation; commissioners set workshop amid tight deadline
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Summary
Florida Atlantic University presented three redistricting maps to rebalance Pembroke Park's five districts; consultants and the town attorney warned an ordinance must be adopted by March 9, 2026 to meet statutory deadlines ahead of the March 9, 2027 election.
Florida Atlantic University consultants presented three map alternatives to the Pembroke Park Town Commission on Jan. 14, concluding the town’s five election districts are substantially out of balance and should be redrawn.
Consultant Mike Stamm told commissioners the town’s 2025 estimated population is 6,354 and that under current lines the total deviation between districts exceeds 300 percent, with a mean deviation around 63 percent. “The districts are severely out of balance,” Stamm said, urging the commission to adopt new boundaries that reduce the populations of Districts 4 and 5 while increasing Districts 1, 2 and 3.
James Gammer Clark, FAU’s mapping specialist, outlined three alternatives: one focused on the best population balance, a second that favored compactness and recognizable boundaries, and a third that reconfigures western districts. Clark said the first alternative reduced the mean deviation from roughly 63.6% to about 3.8% and the spread from 178.4% to under 10%.
Town Attorney Horwitz told the commission the work is legally required and time‑sensitive. He said an ordinance adopting new districts must be adopted no later than 270 days before the next municipal election; because the next election is March 9, 2027, an ordinance needs to be adopted by March 9, 2026. Horwitz also flagged a one‑year residency requirement in the town charter that affects when incumbents could qualify under new lines.
Commissioners directed staff to place the item on a Feb. 3 workshop for public discussion and to time any first reading and special meeting so the commission can meet advertising and statutory deadlines. Mayor Jacobs and other commissioners emphasized the need for public input and warned that meeting the March ordinance deadline may require an extra meeting between the workshop and the regular February meeting.
The consultants advised the commission to select a preferred map and to then assign district numbers as needed; they also said the maps followed federal Voting Rights Act §2 and Florida Statute 166.0321 guidance. The commission did not adopt a map on Jan. 14; next procedural steps are the Feb. 3 workshop and potential special meeting to schedule first reading and eventual adoption.
The commission’s next regularly scheduled workshop is Feb. 3, 2026; commissioners and staff said they will coordinate calendar, advertisement and further public outreach before any ordinance vote.
