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Dean Trantalis

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Dean Trantalis
42nd Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Incumbent
Assumed office
March 20, 2018
Preceded byJack Seiler
Commissioner, Fort Lauderdale
In office
March 17, 2013 – March 20, 2018
In office
2003–2006
Personal details
Born (1953-10-14) October 14, 1953 (age 71)
Norwich, Connecticut, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
EducationBoston University (BA)
Stetson University (JD)
OccupationLawyer

Dean J. Trantalis (born October 14, 1953) is an American politician and mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Before his election as mayor, Trantalis served as a city commissioner for Fort Lauderdale from 2009 to 2017.[1]

Biography

Trantalis was born and raised in Norwich, Connecticut, from Greek parents. He attended high school at Norwich Free Academy.[2] At Boston University, he majored in political science and graduated cum laude and with distinction in 1975. He received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1979 from Stetson University College of Law, while completing international law courses in Eastern Europe, Russia, and London.

Dean was admitted to the Connecticut and Florida Bar Associations in 1980 and has practiced law in Broward County since 1982.

Political career

Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner (2003–2006)

Trantalis was elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission in 2003, and served until 2006. He was the city's first openly gay commissioner.[3]

Fort Lauderdale City Commission (2013–2018)

Trantalis was elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission in a 2013 special election, defeating then-incumbent Charlotte Rodstrom, who instead ran for County Commission.[4] He won the 2015 general election without much opposition.

Law against feeding homeless

The City of Fort Lauderdale made international news when the commission voted to outlaw feeding the homeless.[5] Trantalis voted against the ordinance, causing a major rift between himself and the commission. There was international outrage when a 93-year-old man, Arnold Abbot, was arrested for feeding the homeless.[6] The City passed another feeding ban in 2017, despite public outcry.[7] In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would probe Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale, in response to the homeless sharing ordinances.[8] Trantalis has vowed that as Mayor, he would not enforce the ordinance.

Development

Trantalis has been an early opponent of overdevelopment in the coastal city. On the commission, he voted against many of the development proposals. In 2017, he voted against the controversial Bahia Mar development proposal.[9]

Fort Lauderdale Mayor (2018-present)

Mayoral election, 2018

The 2018 race for mayor of Fort Lauderdale was said to be the city's most heated election. Trantalis announced his intent to run for mayor late in October 2017.[10][11] The election became about pressing issues such as development, infrastructure, traffic, and special interests.[12] "Our infrastructure needs have reached a crisis level, and now we are discovering that mismanagement of city funds only made the situation worse", said Trantalis in a Sun Sentinel questionnaire.[13] On January 12, 2018, Trantalis campaign staffer Elijah Manley was arrested by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.[14] Manley was accused of tampering with campaign signs. On This Week in South Florida, Trantalis defended Manley, saying that it could have been because of a mistaken identity. Manley accused the Fort Lauderdale Police Department of a "politically motivated" arrest and bias for their former boss, Bruce Roberts, who was running against Trantalis.[15] Trantalis and Roberts exceed to a March 2018 runoff.[16] Trantalis handily defeated Bruce Roberts, with a 64% landslide in the March 13, 2018, General Election runoff.[17] Trantalis is the first openly gay person to be elected Mayor of Fort Lauderdale.[18]

Water and sewer infrastructure Crises

Trantalis' first term as Mayor has been marred by a growing infrastructure crisis in the City of Fort Lauderdale.[19] The crisis has been partially blamed on the City's practice of diverting money from the water and sewer infrastructure fund to other projects.[20] Since 2012, the City siphoned off at least $106 million from the fund.[21] In 2019, Trantalis falsely claimed to have ended the process later clarifying that "We are weaning ourselves out of it."[22] The process was later rejected by state officials with Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Valenstein stating, "Our message is simple: Engaging in the practice of diverting utility funds and sending that money elsewhere is no way to mitigate, monitor or address the issue of aging infrastructure."[23] Trantalis later responded saying "We will get cited. There's nothing we can do about that."[24] Trantalis has also been criticized for his lone vote against a $200 million sewer repair bond claiming he did not understand the "full scope" of the project and doubted the need to borrow such a large sum despite the City's Comprehensive Utilities Strategic Master Plan outlining the need for over $1.4 billion in repairs.[25][26][27] In 2020, the sewage crisis ballooned into an environmental disaster after over 211,000,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the City's waterways.[28] The State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection has fined the City over $2.1 million—the largest in State history—as a result of the City's poor handling of the crises.[29]

Flooding

Main article: 2023 Fort Lauderdale floods

On April 12, 2023, an "unprecedented" more than two feet of rain fell on Fort Lauderdale, "flooding roads, swamping cars and stranding travelers"[30] An additional two to three more inches of rain fell on April 13, 2023.[31] City officials had said Fort Lauderdale's stormwater system was built to handle three inches of rain within 24 hours, far less than what this storm brought.[32]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in Ohio when the storm hit, at an event for his national book tour.[33] On April 13, 2023, DeSantis issued Executive Order 23-65, declaring a state of emergency for Broward County due to severe flooding and rainfall.[34] During a press conference on April 14, 2023, Trantalis said that Governor Ron DeSantis had not yet called him, further stating "I’m not sure what’s going on but I’m sure that he’s, uh, very interested in what’s going on here and we’re happy to work with his office."[35] Trantalis did say that he had heard from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Broward County, and Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis.[36]

Personal life

Trantalis resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He graduated with a law degree from Stetson University in St. Petersburg, Florida. He practices real estate law, and has his own private practice firm in real estate law.

References

  1. ^ "City of Fort Lauderdale, FL : Commissioner Dean J. Trantalis". www.fortlauderdale.gov. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Bessette, Claire (March 24, 2018). "Norwich native takes helm as Fort Lauderdale mayor". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Fort Lauderdale Elects First Openly-Gay Mayor in Landslide – Dallas Voice". Dallas Voice. March 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  4. ^ "Former Commissioner Dean Trantalis wins Fort Lauderdale special election". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  5. ^ Barszewski, Larry. "Fort Lauderdale commissioners pull all-nighter and approve homeless feeding restrictions". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Norman, Bob (April 11, 2017). "Arnold Abbott vows to continue feeding homeless in Fort..." www.local10.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  7. ^ Iannelli, Jerry (July 10, 2017). "Fort Lauderdale Wants to Ban Feeding the Homeless Again". Miami New Times. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  8. ^ Funcheon, Deirdra (May 6, 2016). ""Homeless Hate Laws" in Broward Prompt Talk That the Department of Justice Is Investigating". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Iannelli, Jerry (June 17, 2016). "Bahia Mar: Critics Say Developer Seemed to "Coach" City Commission Using Hand Signals". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "The FACE of FORT LAUDERDALE". Fort Lauderdale Daily. Retrieved September 10, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Wallman, Brittany. "Fort Lauderdale mayor race heats up". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  12. ^ Wallman, Brittany. "Development, broken pipes, traffic dominate mayor's race". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  13. ^ Sun-Sentinel, South Florida. "Sun Sentinel questionnaire: Dean Trantalis, mayoral race". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  14. ^ Swift, Tim (January 15, 2018). "Staffer for Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate accused of..." www.local10.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  15. ^ Wallman, Brittany. "Mayoral candidates slinging mud in Fort Lauderdale race". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "Trantalis and Roberts in runoff for mayor of Fort Lauderdale". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Wallman, Brittany. "Dean Trantalis is Fort Lauderdale's new mayor". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  18. ^ Burke, Peter (March 14, 2018). "Dean Trantalis makes history as first openly gay mayor of Fort..." www.local10.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Florida sewage spills expected to worsen due to ageing infrastructure". the Guardian. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  20. ^ Maines, Brittany Wallman, John (August 24, 2017). "Fort Lauderdale diverts millions from sewer fund as pipes crumble, problems mount | Video". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Maines, Brittany Wallman, John (August 24, 2017). "Fort Lauderdale diverts millions from sewer fund as pipes crumble, problems mount | Video". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Barszewski, Larry (December 20, 2019). "As pipes crumble, Fort Lauderdale still raids cash collected for water and sewer repairs". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Fort Lauderdale sewer calamity blamed on budget strategy". Florida Bulldog. July 5, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Fort Lauderdale Boaters Demand Quicker Response From City To Sewage Spills". January 2, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  25. ^ Wallman, Brittany (January 24, 2018). "Lauderdale approves $200 million to help stop sewage spilling into streets". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  26. ^ Fort Lauderdale Comprehensive Utility Strategic Master Plan
  27. ^ "Fort Lauderdale Boaters Demand Quicker Response From City To Sewage Spills". January 2, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  28. ^ "211m gallons of sewage spilled into Fort Lauderdale waterways, officials say". The Guardian. Associated Press. February 17, 2020. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  29. ^ "State Increases Sewage Fine To Fort Lauderdale To $2.1 Million — Largest Penalty In State History". WLRN. June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  30. ^ "Fort Lauderdale got 25 inches of rain in 'unprecedented' storm". www.nbcnews.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  31. ^ "Fort Lauderdale airport to remain closed until Friday morning after the rainiest day in the city's history causes severe flooding". www.cnn.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  32. ^ "Fort Lauderdale saw 2 feet of rain in a day. How on Earth is that even possible?". www.usatoday.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "A Florida mayor accused Ron DeSantis — who's away on a book tour — of not calling to check in on Fort Lauderdale as it floods". www.businessinsider.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  34. ^ "Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Florida Division of Emergency Management Announce One-Stop Business Resource Site for Local Businesses Impacted by Flooding in Broward County". www.floridadisaster.org. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  35. ^ "Deluged Florida Mayor "Not Sure What's Going On" with Ron DeSantis". www.msn.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  36. ^ "DeSantis slammed for out-of-state politicking amid Fort Lauderdale flooding". www.orlandosentinel.com. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
2018–present 		Incumbent
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