Police and fire chiefs will answer to the City Commission after both questions passed with about 54%. Heather Moraitis leads the District 1 race by 415 votes.
Fort Lauderdale voters approved nine of the 10 changes to the city charter on Tuesday’s ballot, according to unofficial results. The two closest questions were also the most contested. They make the police chief and the fire chief report to the City Commission instead of the city manager.
In Commission District 1, Heather Moraitis had the most votes, 415 ahead of John E. Rodstrom.
The figures come from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections’ unofficial results page, last updated at 12:09 a.m. Wednesday. At that update, early votes and Election Day votes were complete across all 346 precincts. Mail ballots were marked as partially reported. Results are unofficial until the county canvassing board certifies them.
District 1
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Heather Moraitis | 8,543 | 49.05% |
| John E. Rodstrom | 8,128 | 46.67% |
| Garry Smyth | 746 | 4.28% |
The seat was open because Commissioner John C. Herbst resigned effective 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. The new commissioner’s term starts Tuesday, Dec. 1, and runs to Dec. 5, 2028, according to the resolution calling the special election.
The charter amendments
Each question needed a majority of the city voters who answered it. Here is how each one did, as of the last update:
| No. | Question | Yes | No | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qualifications, organizational meeting, vice mayor | 45,930 (78.61%) | 12,498 | Passed |
| 2 | Submission of candidate documentation | 47,847 (81.09%) | 11,155 | Passed |
| 3 | Elector challenges to candidates | 36,867 (62.60%) | 22,024 | Passed |
| 4 | Special meetings | 48,477 (82.10%) | 10,567 | Passed |
| 5 | Civil Service Board | 36,972 (65.21%) | 19,727 | Passed |
| 6 | Primary references, newspaper notices, manager titles | 26,340 (46.16%) | 30,719 | Failed |
| 7 | Sale and lease of city property | 35,201 (62.27%) | 21,329 | Passed |
| 8 | City-owned park land | 41,257 (70.66%) | 17,131 | Passed |
| 9 | Charter police chief | 31,235 (54.07%) | 26,533 | Passed |
| 10 | Charter fire chief | 31,683 (54.75%) | 26,185 | Passed |
Police and fire chiefs
Questions 9 and 10 make the police chief and the fire chief charter officers. Each will report to the commission, not the city manager, on terms the commission sets, the ballot wording in Resolution 26-114 (PDF) said.
The commission split 3-2 when it put both questions on the ballot on June 2, the meeting’s action summary shows. Mayor Dean J. Trantalis, Commissioner Steven Glassman and Herbst voted yes. Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman voted no.
With both questions passed, the city will have six charter officers, according to the city’s memo on the police chief amendment.
The one that failed
Question 6 was the only one to fall short, with 46.16% yes. It would have:
- deleted the charter’s references to primary elections
- ended the rule of two newspaper notices for public hearings
- given the interim city manager and the acting city manager separate titles
Those parts of the charter stay as they are.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes at City Hall yet. The results are unofficial until the canvassing board certifies them, and mail ballots were still being reported at the last update.
- District 1 gets a new commissioner Dec. 1. Until then, the seat is vacant. Commission contacts are on who to call at City Hall.
- Park land gets more protection. Once Question 8 takes effect, any use agreement on city park land longer than one year needs a unanimous vote of the full commission.
- Special meetings will need 72 hours’ notice under Question 4, except in an emergency.
- Check the count yourself on the county’s results page.
What was on the ballot, question by question, is in our preview of the charter amendments. Dates for the next election are in our Broward voting guide.
Have your say