“This is why taxpayers don’t trust the government”-Allison Fournier, Pompano Beach District 3 Commissioner
By Kristen Hernandez and Attiyya Atkins
Pompano Beach, FL – Residents are petitioning a Pompano Beach special joint city commission and community redevelopment agency (CRA) meeting, claiming it’s rushed, cloaked in secrecy, and violates due process.
The meeting will be held Tuesday, November 12, at 12:30 p.m. in the city commission chambers. Pompano citizens want the meeting postponed until after the newly elected commissioners are officially sworn in, November 19 at 12 p.m. The meeting was announced via press release on the city’s website on November 6.
The meeting will discuss a major land deal that will turn part of Northwest Pompano into 400 parking spaces for an upcoming commuter rail in heart of the city’s historically Black neighborhood.
Public input will be allowed during back-to-back sessions, beginning with the joint meeting at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) at 12:45 p.m., and then the city at 1 p.m.
In this special “lame duck” session residents labeled as “premeditated,” outgoing city commissioners will vote on a multi-million-dollar land swap deal in the Downtown Pompano Transit Corridor, which includes portions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
A “lame duck” city meeting happens when an outgoing commissioner must vote after the people have voted that commissioner out. In this case, Andrea McGee is the “lame duck.” The city’s announcement came days after voters passed amendments, one to remove eminent domain from the city’s charter, which makes it much easier for land to be swapped with the CRA.
Villij News reached out to the commission for details on the land swap deal and has not received any comments.
Allison Fournier, Pompano Beach District 3 commissioner, released a statement on Instagram with further details: “The day after the election, I received a call from the city manager’s office regarding this ‘emergency’ joint meeting to consider a Term Sheet. It’s a landmark land swap between Pompano Beach and Broward County. I received a 7-page document with no other details, no appraisals, no values… Turns out we’re giving the county a 3.8-acre parcel valued at about $3.5 million dollars. We’ve committed to 400 parking spaces for when commuter rail comes to Pompano Beach at a cost of around $12 million. There’s also an option to buy an adjacent parcel of land.
“In return, Pompano is getting a 1.4-acre retention area for the new downtown. It’s a net deal of $13 million or more away from taxpayers. To push it through in an emergency lame duck session is wrong. This is why taxpayers do not trust the government.”
Vice Mayor Andrea McGee was unseated by her cousin, Audrey Fesik, the new district one City Commissioner, who will not be permitted to vote. In a statement to Villij News, Fesik said: “I’m deeply concerned that the city, county, and CRA are pursuing a multi-million dollar land swap in a lame-duck session, with last-minute notice, not enough information related to this ‘Special Joint Meeting’ provided to the public, and scheduled during a time when most residents can’t attend.”
A petition opposing the meeting was circulated on social media that demands the city postpone it until after the newly elected commissioners are sworn in, November 19. According the city’s press release, “The Special Joint Meeting is a presentation…among the City of Pompano Beach, the Pompano Beach CRA, and Broward County…addressing the redevelopment and conveyance of the Broward County Retention/Detention parcel located within the boundaries of the Downtown Pompano Transit Oriented Corridor Project area in exchange for approximately 3.838 acres of land and improvements containing the Annie L. Weaver Center, located at 2011 NW 3rd Avenue.”
Objections included within the petition are:
Misrepresentation of Charter Amendments Purpose
The amendment was presented as a technical adjustment to adjust with state law. The real purpose appears to enable property transfers that could bypass state restrictions.
Misleading Voter Information Within Voting Locations
Large “Ballot Questions Explained” posters were displayed [during early election] …as a direct attempt to influence voters while they were actively casting ballots.
Enabling a Private “Eminent Domain” Mechanism at the Municipal Level
Contrary to the description given to voters, this change effectively grants the city eminent domain-like powers that favor private developers.
Immediate Application for a Preconceived Swap Deal
The quick use of the amendment for this specific land swap reveals it was likely premeditated. The true motive was not to just align with state law but to enable this very transaction, and potentially others, which was entirely withheld from voters in pre-vote materials. The amendment appears to have been a veiled attempt to pass this specific swap without fully informing residents.
Misleading Voters and Campaigning on City Property
The same citizens who voted for this amendment also voted for new commissioners and expect these new representatives to review the amendment and proposed deal.
To read the petition in its entirety, scan the QR code.
“This is not a question of transparency – it’s honoring the trust of the Pompano Beach residents,” Fesik said. “The timing and rush around this deal raise red flags, especially since the amendment enabling it was presented to voters in a misleading way. Our community deserves to have such significant transactions reviewed by the new commission, which was elected to represent residents’ interests and bring fresh oversight. Rushing this deal in these final moments bypasses public input and accountability, and that’s not how we should be operating as a city.”
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