The Infrastructure Task Force on Monday pressed staff for more detail on stormwater project prioritization, funding and near‑term public‑safety fixes after hearing that repeated neighborhood flooding has left some residents exposed to dangerous conditions.

Committee member James asked for the status of a stormwater neighborhood ranking that staff will present to the City Commission on Nov. 18 and reminded the group that the ranking presented earlier had not been formally decided by commissioners. Staff said they will present qualitative rankings—based on cost, cumulative construction impacts and other metrics—at the Nov. 18 meeting.

Funding questions were prominent. A staff representative said the current bond tranche is expected to provide about $330 million and that the overall program’s multi‑year financing will depend on bond capacity, the city’s rate structure and debt‑service ability. Committee members asked staff to schedule a dedicated finance briefing so the task force can better understand how much accelerated stormwater work the city can support.

“I think it's finding the right grant, finding the right opportunity, finding the right timing,” a staff member said about efforts to supplement bond proceeds with grants and other sources.

Committee member Greg proposed a recurring, concise milestone tracker for major city projects—an at‑a‑glance sheet listing the next major milestone and whether the project is on track—so the task force can focus on projects that are behind schedule or at risk. The committee supported asking staff to produce a one‑page status for items such as the Victoria Park stormwater project, the new police station occupancy date, and the Prospect Lake (new water treatment) schedule.

Public‑safety concern: Bayview Drive

A committee member raised a safety complaint about Bayview Drive south of Oakland Park Boulevard, describing a curved swale with near‑vertical dropoffs near a dental office and reports of vehicles entering the swale during parking maneuvers. Staff said the swale was designed to the Florida Green Book criteria and that stormwater operations have been asked to clean the structures and recondition the swale; they agreed to follow up.

“It's a swale, but... cars have driven in there and ruined the swale. So it needs to be reconditioned,” Roberto Bencourt, stormwater engineering division manager, said during the discussion.

Committee requests and next steps

Committee members reiterated requests for: (1) a Nov. 18 Commission briefing item on stormwater rankings; (2) a finance presentation on bond capacity and debt‑service constraints at a near‑term task‑force meeting; and (3) a simple project‑tracking sheet for major infrastructure projects and milestones. The chair also recorded thanks to departing committee member James and confirmed the task force's next meeting for Monday, Dec. 1.

Ending: staff agreed to follow up on the Bayview Drive safety complaint, prepare the requested finance briefing and provide the milestone tracker at a future meeting.