Election forum puts spotlight on Fort Lauderdale’s District 4 candidates

Fort Lauderdale candidates on the campaign trail have no shortage of issues to weigh in on this year.

There’s the public outcry over a plan to remove a tree-lined median on Las Olas. A homeless crisis that has business owners and residents on edge. And the prospect of a railway bridge — or tunnel — running through downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Voters got a preview of the District 1 and 4 candidates running in the Nov. 5 election during a forum hosted by the Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations and moderated by South Florida Sun Sentinel Deputy Opinions Editor Dan Sweeney.

A second forum for the District 2 and mayoral candidates is planned Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at the L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center, 1409 NW Sistrunk Blvd.

This news article focuses on the District 4 candidates: Kevin Cochrane, a software executive; Ted Inserra, a community activist and retired chef; executive coach Ben Sorensen, a former commissioner who resigned in 2022 to make an unsuccessful run for Congress; and physician Warren Sturman, the incumbent. Their comments have been edited for brevity.

The winner will initially earn a yearly salary of $88,500. That will increase to $89,100 on Dec. 1 as part of the commission’s automatic yearly raise.

Marion Robert Howard, an independent contractor who qualified to run, has withdrawn from the race and will not appear on the ballot.

Opening remarks

Sturman: “I have been the strongest opponent of overdevelopment on the commission. I have supported our parks, voting to save the Las Olas median. I voted not to sign the comprehensive agreement for pickleball at Snyder Park . I was there during the flooding disaster (in April 2023) and since then I more than doubled our commitment to stormwater infrastructure.”

Sorensen: “I was elected as a city commissioner in 2018. I bring not only experience but the ability to bring people together to get big things done. As a commissioner, I led the effort to get $600 million invested in infrastructure — stormwater, water, sewer. I led an effort to address a homeless encampment in downtown Fort Lauderdale, helping eliminate that encampment and move all of those people to sustainable housing solutions.”

Inserra: “Not only was I born in the city of Fort Lauderdale, I was born right in District 4. I ran (for office) in 2022. That was my first venture into running for a campaign. Since then I have doubled down on my involvement within the city. I didn’t go anywhere. I stayed here. I was known as an STP. One of the Same Ten People that goes to all the meetings. I suit up, show up and speak up.”

Cochran: “I’m a 30-year tech executive and I bring business experience to Fort Lauderdale. I’ve pioneered the development of some of the largest and most successful software companies on the planet. I’m focused on investing in the future, listening to customer requirements, building a product and experience that’s superior to anything else. I want to bring that business acumen here to Fort Lauderdale to improve our citizen experience for all.”

What is your position on the proposed makeover of Las Olas Boulevard, which includes removing black olive trees, widening sidewalks and reducing on-street parking?

Sturman: “Had I not been elected, it would have been gone. I held a series of town hall meetings. I got a lot of flak from the business community. But they’re not going to be removing that median on my watch . We can widen the sidewalk by taking out on-street parking and keep the median in place. It’s a landmark and we need to keep it.”

Sorensen: “When I was a commissioner, I worked with Commissioner Steve Glassman and we brought together about 50 neighborhood leaders to (brainstorm) what Las Olas should look like. The City Commission (is now) having two designs come forward for Las Olas. When those updated plans come back, that’s going to be the opportunity for us to engage with the public (on the best way forward). And that includes exploring the idea of increasing the number of trees and keeping the median.”

Inserra: “I’ve been speaking in favor of keeping the median strip for quite awhile. Like I said, I was born here in Fort Lauderdale. That is the iconic Fort Lauderdale look. When I had visitors coming down from Pittsburgh, we would go to Las Olas. Las Olas had those cool trees right down the middle. And they were lighted at night and that’s what made it special. I would keep the trees right where they are.”

Cochran: “We have no commitment to green spaces and our urban canopy. We don’t have a master transportation plan. And we are not pedestrian friendly. We immediately move, anytime we’re going to do development, to tear down our tree canopy. This has got to stop. We saw this most recently in Snyder Park. We have to have an urban tree renewal program — not cut down more trees. We must keep that median.”

What’s your position on bridge vs. tunnel at the New River crossing for commuter rail and what would you propose to eliminate congestion on major east-west roads?

Sturman: “I’ve been an advocate for the tunnel from the very beginning. Keep in mind, the county is going to own this , operate this, fund this. So we cannot do this on our own. We have to work with the county. We do have another thing on the MPO to address east-west traffic: Undercuts. The tunnel and train is not going to help 17th Street. It’s not going to help Davie Boulevard or SR 84 or Commercial Boulevard. There is money for funding undercuts so the cars will go underneath the train on those intersections. And I am advocating for that.”

Sorensen: Tunnel. Here’s why. We need to improve transportation options and that includes train options. We cannot have a train bridge 40 feet high going through our downtown. Our current city commissioner wants to defer to the county and let the county decide for Fort Lauderdale what’s best for us. I say absolutely not. We’re not going to have the downtown residents be faced with a noisy, loud train bridge running right through downtown. We need to push and demand for a train tunnel.”

Inserra: “Very easy. I’ve been very vocal on how I feel about this. Tunnel, bridge? In my opinion we don’t need either. We don’t need 100 more empty commuter trains every day coming through our city. Nobody is going to take a train from Hollywood to Oakland Park Boulevard to go eat at Peter Pan Diner. We’re just not going to do that. My stance is neither.”

Cochran: “We need to stop being at war with the county and we need to partner with them for real solutions. The bridge vs. tunnel debate is a good example of that. (Cochran says he favors a bridge.) The No. 1 thing we need to focus on is an overall transportation master plan for this city because every day is urban gridlock. East-west traffic is at a standstill. It took me an hour and a half to drive 6 miles across the city. And with respect to the rail lines, we need to look at underpasses on Sunrise and Oakland Park Boulevard. You simply cannot get in and out of the city.”

How will you comply with the state’s new law on public sleeping and homeless encampments and what are your ideas for providing housing and services to homeless residents?

Sturman: (Broward Commissioner Lamar Fisher) and myself have been spearheading a comprehensive plan for homelessness. The key is low-barrier shelters. The county does not have them. We’re prepared to launch this. We’re starting with some pilot programs. And let’s talk about the stockade. Originally the (suggestion) was to use that as a homeless shelter. The county has said there’s not going to be any sheltering there. We’re now proposing a plan to have a homeless assistance center there with triage, social services, drug and mental health rehab.”

Sorensen: “You hear a lot of talk about homelessness, but look at the action. What it takes to address homelessness is more affordable and workforce housing. As a commissioner, I pushed to get city land turned into workforce and affordable housing. We did that in multiple locations throughout the city.”

Inserra: “I think we need to take this law and enforce it immediately. We now have a law that says what we have to do and we need to enforce the law. The homeless task force, they’re nice people, but golly we’ve got to do more than just shaking hands and handing out sandwiches. I have been in meetings where they’ve said, ‘We can present a new park to your neighborhood.’ And people say, ‘No, it’s just going to become a homeless place where they all gather.’ We can’t have that in this city. We’ve got to draw the line , get a tough stance and end it.”

Cochran: “In the business world when you have a challenge, you don’t have the luxury of waiting six, seven, eight years watching it get worse and worse. That puts you out of business. At the end of the day, the homeless situation has only worsened in our city. It’s been a lot of talk, very little results. And now with this new state law, for the very first time we can actually take action. But even though we knew this was coming, we did not plan for it. We do not have a coordinated plan to deal with what happens when this state law takes effect. We need to work with the county to start investing heavily in an appropriate number of shelter spaces to get a roof over their head. It’s the humane thing to do. We should have been planning for this a decade ago.”

Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com . Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan