Pembroke Pines presses Broward Schools on ‘student station’ fees as district outlines school closures

Mayor Angelo Castillo and city officials pressed the Broward County School Board on Feb. 4 over “student station” fees the city says may no longer be lawful after changes in state law.

City Attorney Goren told the commission the city’s Dec. 11 resolution asks the school board to release or amend an interlocal agreement that assesses student station fees in addition to impact fees. Goren cited Florida statute Section 163.3180(6)(j), Senate Bill 1080 (2025), and an Attorney General advisory opinion dated Oct. 24, 2025, concluding school districts may be precluded from collecting alternative fees that fail the statutory nexus test. “The Attorney General’s office rendered their opinion,” Goren said on the record, adding that the new statute took effect Oct. 1, 2025.

Broward Schools representatives responded that the district has received the city’s letter and the AG opinion and that legal counsel is reviewing the issue. Board member Laura Bowman said the board cannot speak for the entire membership but is “open to negotiation or to learning about making an agreement that works for both parties.” Bowman emphasized the board is awaiting a formal legal opinion from its counsel before taking action.

The exchange unfolded ahead of a district presentation titled “Redefining Broward Schools,” in which district staff described a decade-long enrollment decline across the county — about 50,000 students systemwide — and the financial and facility consequences.

“We went out for about the last six months to the community,” a district presenter said, outlining proposals that the district described as final decisions: closing Panther Run Elementary and closing Palm Cove, with students re‑assigned to nearby schools. The presentation said Panther Run students would be split between Chapel Trail Elementary and Silver Palms; Palm Cove students would move to Lakeside and Pines Lakes. The district said it will pursue partnerships and administrative reuses to avoid leaving buildings empty.

Several commissioners sought clarification on how previously collected fees were spent. Commissioner Rodriguez asked whether those fees paid debt service on schools already built or were meant strictly for constructing new student stations; she called for legal dialogue between the two agencies to resolve the question. Mayor Castillo urged the school board’s general counsel to confer with the city attorney to identify where “the law requires us to act.”

School district officials repeatedly said they will continue community outreach and collaborate with municipalities on potential facility reuse. Dr. Valerie Wanda (presented in the record as the district’s chief innovation and strategy official) said the district will work with nonprofits and municipal staff and promised community handoffs and continued engagement for families affected by boundary changes.

What happens next: the school district has announced the closures and is continuing the community process around transitions and facility reuse; the city has asked the school board to consider releasing or amending the interlocal agreement in light of the 2025 statute and AG opinion. Commissioners requested that the city attorney confer with the school district’s counsel to clarify legal obligations and returned the matter for continued intergovernmental discussion.