County Commissioner Steve Geller tells Southwest Ranches council public safety, jobs and water are top priorities

Steve Geller, a Broward County commissioner, told the Town of Southwest Ranches at its April meeting that the county’s primary duty is protecting residents and that public‑safety spending is creating difficult budget pressures.

“99% of Broward is unincorporated, so we only have that 1% that we provide primary law enforcement for,” Geller said, describing a trend of rising public‑safety costs that he said the county cannot afford to increase indefinitely.

Geller outlined other county priorities, including efforts to recruit higher‑paid employers by emphasizing cultural amenities and workforce training. He said the county has revived film industry jobs and runs a quarterly working group with the building trades to expand post‑secondary training for skilled trades.

On water and climate resilience, Geller said Broward County entered an agreement with the South Florida Water Management District that included a $5,000,000 county contribution to fund a study; he said the Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to accept that study so federal work can proceed sooner. “If we don’t do something, we will be returning to the Everglades,” he said, urging federal support and local planning.

Geller also described the county’s “megazone” effort — coordinating airport, seaport, rail and interstate assets — and said the region has an unusually large concentration of university‑based marine research that could support a “blue economy.”

He concluded by inviting town officials to an annual August lunch of city commissioners and county staff intended to speed local problem‑solving and encouraged residents and officials to call his office with concerns.

The presentation closed with a brief question period from the council; no formal town action followed the update.