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LHIA President’s Message

I’m pleased to report, first of all, that Lauderdale
Harbors Improvement Association is once again an
officially recognized neighborhood association by
the City of Fort Lauderdale.

Although I’m told that our association is the oldest in the city, it unfortunately lost
that recognition when the annual election of officers and directors required by our
bylaws did not occur at our Annual Meeting of March 2023. With the stewardship
of our Commissioner Warren Sturman, we were able to get back on track with the
Bob Ferencik elections held at the March 2024 Annual Meeting. I think you will find that all of
our neighborhood is represented on our current board and I am looking forward to
President working with each of them in the future. A special thanks goes out to our Secretary,
Lauderdale Harbors Barbara Magill, who was instrumental in getting our association reinstated with the city.
Improvement Association I encourage each and every one of you to get involved in our association. There are

plenty of volunteer opportunities and every voice needs to be heard.
LHIA OFFICERS We are currently focusing on areas of concern for our neighborhood. Unfortunately,
President as with many areas of this city, crime is a primary concern. Other neighborhood
Bob Ferencik associations, notably Rio Vista, have addressed this with a security patrol program.
rferencik@outlook.com These patrols are conducted by City of Fort Lauderdale Police Officers. Members of the
Rio Vista Community Association pay an annual fee of $475.00 for nine hours per day
Vice President of security patrol. Approximately 260 of the 1000 homes in Rio Vista participate. We
Kevin Hoffman
13th Terrace would need at least 45 households to participate in this program. Let us know if you are
interested in this.
Secretary
Barbara Magill Traffic on Cordova Road is another serious concern. Since the removal of the speed
14th Street humps during the repaving of the road speeding is out of hand. In meeting with the city
about this, we have been told that the budget does not support replacing the speed
Treasurer humps at this time. However, the city plans to install LED speed feedback devices that
Bonnie Rogers flash your speed at you on Cordova Road as an interim measure. Those should be
14th Street
coming soon.
DIRECTORS On the islands there has been an interest in installing a passive gate at the 13th
Richard Heidelberger Street bridge to deter unauthorized access to the neighborhood. This has been under
Kevin Hall discussion for at least nine years from what I have seen. We have met with the traffic
Bruce Palmer management division about the prospects of getting this done. The current idea is to
Patty Hawk
Mitch Sokoloff have this gate installed in connection with the reconstruction of the 13th Street bridge.
Charlie Matthews We have met with the city to learn the timing of this project and will share the details
Ed Rebholz shortly. The addition of a passive gate to the 13th Street bridge project will require a
Christina Deuschle petition to the City Commission and compliance with the city’s Road Closure Ordinance.
Marissa Lord I am told that many of you have given your approval for the gate and signed approvals
circulated by our prior board although I have not seen any of them and more approvals
are needed if the gate is to become a reality. We intend to schedule a special meeting
in the fall so that everyone can become fully informed on this issue, have your questions
answered, and make an informed decision.

Bob Ferencik
President, LHIA

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