North Lauderdale, Florida

a Community Sustainability Board that our Commission appoints residents to and they’ve been working on a community garden to provide healthy food choices. It was located across from city hall and we’re currently in the process of moving it in front of the dog park. There will also be a playground there, so it will be a multi- use facility.” Mayor Ziade has lived in North Lauderdale for 30 years and Mike Sargis is also a resident. “We’ve lived here long enough that we know what it once was,” says Ziade, “and as times have changed, the city has evolved. We’re just trying to bring it back, as needs change. It’s not just restaurants, our parks need to expand in certain ways. We have more children per capita than we have adults in our city. With five schools and three charter schools, we have to gear a lot of our programs toward kids. We have phenomenal spring, summer, and winter camps and aftercare programs.” Obviously, with COVID-19 a lot of those programs have been affected. So Sargis and the Parks Department have created a safe space for kids who possibly don’t have internet, or have parents who may need assistance, to come out and meet in the teen center. Just one of the many things the city is doing to think outside the box for their youth. Working with Scouting groups is another effort, which in turn is geared to help the community. “We’ve got them going out with Code Enforcement and meeting the residents that can’t otherwise take care of their property, so it’s a win/win situation for everybody,” says Ziade. “These are the type of things that I envisioned bringing back into the city, and we have. It’s amazing. I can’t say enough about the way they’re moving forward and being proactive, as opposed to waiting for things to happen.” Sargis adds, “Above all, we are a caring city and a diverse community. We care about all our residents. and we take great effort to make sure everyone feels welcome.” Revitalization has also been addressed through