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Board backs staff to negotiate housing and service proposals for surplus school sites; Eagles Haven donation supported
Summary
After public testimony, the board asked staff to pursue negotiations with Cistrunk Rising on a mixed-use housing proposal at the North Fork site and accepted Broward Health's pledge to donate funding to Eagles Haven, while pausing major work at Margate Middle pending replacement-cost estimates.
Broward County School Board members on Thursday gave staff direction to pursue two separate tracks related to surplus school property.
First, the board asked staff to continue negotiations with Cistrunk Rising on an unsolicited proposal for the North Fork Elementary parcel in Fort Lauderdale. The proposal would develop mixed-use housing, including roughly 300 affordable units (targeting income bands from 30% to 80% of area median income), an 18-unit townhouse component and market-rate hotel space, while reserving a portion of built space for district training and community uses. Cistrunk representatives told the board they intend to use typical affordable-housing financing tools (low-income housing tax credits, 4% tax-exempt bonds and other subsidies) and expect entitlement and financing steps to take several months; staff said a negotiated agreement might be ready for board consideration in the fall.
Second, following sustained public testimony from Eagles Haven (a nonprofit that provides crisis/mental-health outreach) and its funders, the board accepted staff's recommendation to pursue Broward Health's purchase of a district property where Broward Health would then make a donation to Eagles Haven to secure the program's long-term funding. Board members stressed that the actual donation arrangements would be bilateral between Broward Health and JAFCO/Eagles Haven; the district's action is limited to the land sale (Broward Health has proposed a $14 million purchase). Legal staff confirmed the land sale will proceed through required public procurement and P3 processes and that the board will receive formal contracts and an independent appraisal before a vote.
Margate Middle: staff recommended pausing a planned band-aid renovation and instead assessing a full replacement after cost estimates; board members supported pausing additional capital spending pending a replacement-cost analysis and a build-in-place plan that would keep students onsite during construction.
Seagull site: staff presented three options for the Seagull/Whidden campus now vacated by a program: (1) district-run public-safety training complex for SROs and other agencies, (2) use as district administrative space, or (3) solicit formal proposals (P3/lease/sale) once the new P3 policy and SOPs are in place. Board members asked staff to prepare cost/revenue comparisons for options (1) and (3) so the board can decide which path to take.
Next steps: staff will bring back (a) a negotiated ground-lease or sale proposal and associated development agreement for North Fork for board review, (b) a sale agreement and supporting documents for the Broward Health/Eagles Haven transaction, (c) Margate replacement cost estimates and an implementation plan that maintains on-site instruction, and (d) detailed cost estimates and procurement options for Seagull. The board asked staff to prioritize transparency and community outreach for any site-specific plans.
