Tag Archives: city hall

Fort Lauderdale Official Says Climate Change Group Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

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Nancy Gassman Says The Southeast Florida Regional Compact Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

A City Of Fort Lauderdale official says local government uses a climate change organization to help “put sea level rise in our DNA” in order to affect public spending on resiliency programs. Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman made the stunning admission during a November 2020 online seminar about “Coastal Sustainability.” Gassman said the sea level rise data produced by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact was infused into City of Fort Lauderdale master plans for seawall building, parks and recreation programs and even cemetery projects.

Formed in 2009, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is a partnership of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach County governments to “discuss the climate change threats facing over six million residents in the region.” The Compact created a “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group” to predict sea level rise across South Florida. The work group is composed of local government bureaucrats.

According to their 2019 study, sea levels in South Florida will rise seventeen inches by the year 2040.

In addition to sea level rise, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is sounding the alarm over “extreme rainfall” and “extreme heat.”

Who is prominent member of the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group?”

Yep, City Of Fort Lauderdale Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman.

When Nancy Gassman claims it is important to use the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s sea level rise data to influence government spending, is she really saying it is important to use data she helped craft to determine the types of expensive resiliency projects she advocates for when speaking to elected officials and residents?

EXPENSIVE FAILURES?

Some of the first resiliency programs pushed by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact were street drainage schemes for Dania Beach Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Now, these areas regularly flood after average summer thunderstorms.

As REDBROWARD previously reported, Gassman’s expensive tidal valve installation program leads to regular street flooding across Fort Lauderdale. Last week, an average thunderstorm caused heavy street flooding along Broward Boulevard near downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Residents and businesses are still recovering from the April street flooding that crippled downtown and other Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and the nearby Edgewood neighborhood were underwater for days.

In June, REDBROWARD exposed how Gassman was aware the Edgewood neighborhood lacked basic drainage systems.

Instead of installing drainage in some neighborhoods, Gassman urged residents to keep their swales clear to mitigate flooding.

The April rainfall even flooded Fort Lauderdale City Hall. Now, taxpayers must pay extra for temporary offices for Nancy Gassman and other employees.

If Nancy Gassman cannot keep City Hall dry, should residents really trust her to combat sea level rise?

Gassman and her allies claimed no drainage system could handle the biblical rainfall of April 2023. Yet the Southeast Florida Regional Compact repeatedly mentions “extreme rainfall.”

Did they fail to plan for 11 inches of rain?

Did their previous solutions make flooding worse?

Should we trust Nancy Gassman and the Southeast Florida Regional Compact when it comes to water management, drainage and resilience programs?

Surely the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is run by the top scientific minds in Florida, right?

Get out your notebooks, there’s more…

The Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group

“MY D*CK IS HARD FOR THIS:” Plantation Councilman Nick Sortal Admits Making Inappropriate Sexual And Racist Remarks To City Employee

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Nick Sortal comments on chances of a black mayor.

Plantation City Councilman Nick Sortal made highly inappropriate sexual and racist remarks by to a city employee sparking a Human Resources investigation, records show. REDBROWARD obtained a memorandum detailing the City’s investigation into Sortal’s remarks following a complaint filed by a high-level City of Plantation employee. While REDBROWARD knows the name of the employee, we are not naming her at this time.

The memorandum bears the signature of City Of Plantation Human Resources Director Denese Edsall, Ph. D.

According to the memorandum, the incident occurred last month when Nick Sortal filed paperwork to run for Mayor. Sortal, accompanied by his wife, told the employee about their “scuffle” with popular incumbent Mayor Lynn Stoner. Sortal said he exchanged words with Stoner regarding his decision to challenge her. Sortal said his wife, Robyn Sortal, also exchanged words with Mayor Stoner.

Then, Councilman Nick Sortal told the female employee, “My dick is hard for this!”

Rhymes with “Nick”

Shocked by Sortal’s graphic comment, the female employee said he covered her face.

Sortal then asked her if anyone else filed paperwork to run for mayor. She told him yes.

Sortal asked if the person was black. The employee, a person of color, said no.

Sortal said, “Oh good, Plantation will never have a black mayor.”

The female employee would later file a complaint with the City of Plantation Human Resources Department.

NOTHING CITY COULD LEGALLY DO

According to the memorandum obtained by REDBROWARD, City of Plantation officials met on May 23, 2022 to discuss the “protocol for handling the complaint” against Nick Sortal. Chief Administrative Officer Jason Nunemaker and Human Resources Director Denese Edsall conducted a telephone conference call with labor attorney Denise Heekin. City leaders wanted to determine the City’s responsibility and how to handle the matter.

According to the labor attorney, since Nick Sortal is an elected official, the City could not level any sanctions against him. She advised Nunemaker to speak with Sortal about the inappropriate nature of the comments and the fact that a complaint was made against him. Heekin said there was nothing else Plantation could legally do to Sortal.

Screenshot of City Of Plantation memorandum detailing Sortal HR complaint.

SORTAL FELT “COMFORTABLE”

According to the memorandum, CAO Jason Nunemaker discussed the matter with Nick Sortal on May 24, 2022. The memo states, “Mr. Nunemaker spoke to Councilman Sortal who admitted to the comments.” Sortal said he, “did not realize they were taken as inappropriate as he has been speaking to [the employee] for four years and felt comfortable.” Sortal told Nunemaker he “would be more careful in the future.”

On May 25, 2022 another discussion was held with labor attorney Denise Heekin. She advised leaders to document the actions taken and to “document to a separate complaint file the actions taken.” Heekin advised leaders to discuss the actions with the female employee.

Later that day, a city official spoke with the female employee. The official told her that Nunemaker spoke with Sortal. Sortal promised to be more careful. The employee asked if she was required to deal with Sortal in the future. The City official said no.

The employee stated she understood what the City had done to address the matter. The City of Plantation official told her “If anything else happened she should let me know immediately.”

Last Friday, Councilman Nick Sortal sent a floral arrangement to the employee at her City Hall office.

Nick Sortal sent flowers to victim.

REDBROWARD contacted Nick Sortal for comment on this matter.

We wanted to know why Nick Sortal felt “comfortable” talking about the state of his penis with a woman not his wife.

We wanted to know if Nick Sortal regularly discusses the state of his penis with other City of Plantation employees.

We wanted to know why arguing with a female colleague made his penis “hard.”

We wanted to ask Nick Sortal why he asked about the race of potential opponents.

We wanted to ask Nick Sortal why he said “Oh Good” when told the opponent was not black.

We wanted Nick Sortal to tell us why there will never be a black mayor in Plantation.

We wanted to know why Nick Sortal sent flowers to an employee who filed an HR complaint against him?

Nick Sortal did not respond to our request for comment.

Nick Sortal has a history of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior at City Hall. And he wants to be the next Mayor of Plantation?

Stay tuned….