Pompano Beach keeps getting stuck on 3–3 votes. That's because we elect six people to represent five districts — and the Mayor-at-Large lives in one of those districts, effectively canceling out that district's commissioner. This amendment fixes it with a simple change: five elected commissioners, five votes, and a Mayor selected from among them.

The Problem

Pompano Beach is divided into five districts, and each district elects one commissioner. On top of that, voters elect a separate Mayor-at-Large. The Mayor lives inside one of those five districts — which means that district gets two votes at the dais while every other district gets one.

With six seats, the math doesn't work. The Commission repeatedly splits 3–3, and important business stops moving. Residents are frustrated. Projects stall. The city can't get things done because the structure guarantees gridlock.

What This Amendment Does

This amendment eliminates the separately elected Mayor-at-Large seat. Going forward:

It doesn't change district boundaries. It doesn't change residents' right to vote for their commissioner. It removes one seat — the one that creates the imbalance — and lets the five elected commissioners choose a Mayor from among themselves.

A Cost Savings for Taxpayers

Eliminating the Mayor-at-Large seat also eliminates the taxpayer cost that comes with it — the Mayor's salary and benefits, including pension contributions, expense allowance, and other compensation tied to that dedicated seat. Those dollars stay in the general fund and can go toward services residents actually use.

How Other Florida Cities Pick Their Mayor

Both models exist up and down Florida — neither is unusual. Here's a snapshot of real cities on each side, with a focus on our own Broward County neighbors.

Model under Amendment 1

Commission selects the Mayor from its own members

Residents elect every district commissioner. Those elected commissioners pick a Mayor and Vice Mayor from among themselves, in public, at the swearing-in.

  • Coconut Creek — 5 commissioners; Mayor & Vice Mayor chosen for 1-year terms
  • Fruitland Park — Commission elects Mayor & Vice Mayor annually
  • Broward County — 9 commissioners elect Mayor & Vice Mayor each November
  • Fort Lauderdale — Council-Manager form of government
  • Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Miami Beach — Council-Manager form
  • Tallahassee, Gainesville, Cape Coral — Council-Manager form
Pompano's current model

Mayor is separately elected citywide

Residents vote for a Mayor-at-Large on top of their district commissioner. The Mayor lives in one of the districts and has one vote at the dais, the same as any commissioner.

  • Pompano Beach — today: 5 district commissioners + elected Mayor-at-Large
  • Coral Springs — 5 commissioners elected at-large, Mayor elected separately
  • Tamarac — 4 district commissioners + Mayor elected citywide
  • Dania Beach — highest-vote-getter at-large becomes Mayor
  • Lauderhill, Pembroke Pines — directly elected Mayor
  • Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando — Council-Strong Mayor form

Sources: Broward County, “Florida Cities with Form of Government”; City of Coconut Creek; City of Fruitland Park; Broward County Commission; City of Tamarac; City of Dania Beach. Forms of government shown above describe how each city is structured; specific mayor-selection procedures are drawn from each city's own charter and website.

Common Questions

Won't residents lose their vote for Mayor?
Residents keep voting for the person who represents them — their district commissioner. Under this amendment, the Mayor is selected by the elected Commission from among its own members at the swearing-in — the same process already used to pick the Vice Mayor. Many Florida cities operate this way.
Why eliminate the seat instead of changing the voting rules?
Because the real problem is structural. Six seats across five districts guarantees that one district always has double representation — and six votes guarantees the possibility of a 3–3 deadlock. Removing the Mayor-at-Large seat fixes both problems at once.
How much does this save taxpayers?
Every year, Pompano Beach pays the Mayor a salary with benefits and expense allowances attached to that dedicated seat. Eliminating the seat eliminates that recurring cost — money that stays in the general fund for city services instead.
Is this about any specific Mayor or commissioner?
No. This is a permanent structural change to the charter. It applies to every future Commission, no matter who holds the seats. It's about the rules — not the person.
How does this get on the ballot?
Under Florida Statute §166.031, residents can place charter amendments on the ballot by collecting signatures from 10% of registered voters — 5,796 signatures. Once submitted, the Commission is legally required to put it to a vote of the people.

Deeper Questions

Two questions keep coming up. Here are the plain-English answers with the legal receipts.

Topic 1

Am I losing my right to vote for Mayor?

If the Mayor is picked by the Commission, how is that still democratic?

You still vote for the people who pick the Mayor — and every one of them represents you. Today, four out of the six votes at the dais are not accountable to any single resident's ballot: the Mayor-at-Large represents everyone (and therefore no one specifically), and three other commissioners represent districts you don't live in. Under the amendment, every one of the five decision-makers is elected by a specific district and answerable to a specific set of neighbors.

The Mayor title then goes to one of those five people — chosen in public, at the swearing-in, by the same commissioners you just elected. It's the same selection process that already picks the Vice Mayor today.

Which other Florida cities already do it this way?

Council-selected mayors are one of the most common municipal structures in Florida. A few examples:

  • Fruitland Park charter: “Every year at the first regular city commission meeting… the city commission shall elect from among its members, a mayor and a vice mayor.” (City of Fruitland Park)
  • Many Florida council-manager cities use the same model — residents elect the council, the council picks a mayor from its own members each year to preside at meetings and represent the city ceremonially.
  • Ballotpedia's overview of Florida city councils notes that cities commonly use either the mayor-council, council-manager, or commission system — and council-selected mayors are standard in the council-manager form (Ballotpedia).

This isn't an experiment. It's a form of government already working across Florida.

Doesn't an elected Mayor give us a stronger leader?

In Pompano's current structure, the Mayor has exactly one vote at the dais — the same as every commissioner — and no veto power. The title is ceremonial and procedural: presiding at meetings, signing documents, representing the city externally. Under the amendment, all of those duties continue — they're just handled by a Mayor chosen from among the five district commissioners.

What changes is the math. Six seats across five districts guarantees that one district always gets double representation and that deadlock is always on the table. Five seats, one per district, ends both.

But I like being able to vote for the Mayor specifically.

That's a fair preference — and the amendment doesn't take the decision away from voters. It puts the decision in front of all of them at once: every Pompano Beach voter gets to decide, on the ballot, whether to keep the separate Mayor-at-Large seat or fix the structural imbalance. Under Florida Statute §166.031, residents have the power to make this call for themselves at the ballot box.

Topic 2

What happens to the current Mayor and commissioners?

Does anyone get removed from office if this passes?

No. The amendment is prospective — it applies going forward, not retroactively. Every sitting commissioner and the current Mayor serve out the terms they were elected to. No one is pushed out early.

The Mayor-at-Large seat simply is not placed on the ballot at the next regular election after the seat's current term naturally ends. From that point forward, the Commission has five members, all elected by district, and selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among themselves at each swearing-in.

Has Pompano done a change like this before?

Yes. In 2003, Pompano Beach voters amended the charter to restructure commission terms. The adopted language explicitly let sitting commissioners finish out their terms and lined up successors with the new schedule — a standard, clean transition. The current charter section establishing the Commission and Mayor-at-Large is itself a product of that 2003 amendment process.

Amendment 1 uses the same playbook: the ballot language will specify an effective date that respects every currently elected official's term.

Does this change district boundaries or the right to vote for my district commissioner?

No. District 1 through District 5 stay exactly as they are. You keep voting for the one person who represents your district, in the same election cycle, with the same residency and qualifying rules. The only structural change is eliminating the separately elected Mayor-at-Large seat — the seat that today gives one district two votes at the dais while every other district has one.

Can one charter amendment really do all of this at once?

Yes — as long as it covers a single subject, which this one does. Every provision here addresses one thing: the structure of the elected Commission (how many seats, how the Mayor is chosen, how Mayor and Vice Mayor duties are assigned). The Florida Attorney General has confirmed that charter changes affecting “the terms of elected officers and the manner of their election” are exactly what §166.031 referendums are for.

Before circulation, the final charter text will be drafted by a Florida municipal attorney experienced in §166.031 petitions, in compliance with the single-subject rule for charter amendments.

Support this amendment — request your petition packet.

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