The Lauderhill Top 12 Stories for 2014

#12 - Lauderhill passes laws prohibiting the sale, storage and manufacturing of Synthetic Illegal Drugs.  Subsequently the Lauderhill Police Department conducts a sting operation at the Swap Shop and arrest people selling the illegal drugs.

#11 - Lauderhill participates in the consolidation of the E911 Dispatch System which is completed on October 1.  Also a new non-emergency number takes effect.

#10 - Retired Lauderhill Fire Chief, Ed Curran, passes away.

#9 - Lauderhill and Professional Facilities Management, Inc. enter into a contract to provide consultation and management services for the Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, which is to open in the first quarter of 2015.

#8 - The city passes legislation to create a First Time Offender Adult Non-Violent Misdemeanor Diversion Program.

#7 - Lauderhill passes legislation that city employees must be paid a minimum wage of $10.10/hour and on a 4 to 1 vote (Commissioner Berger voting No) also requiring all contractors and subcontractors of city projects to pay their employees a minimum wage of $10.10/hour.

#6 - Lauderhill passes a Resolution by a vote of 4 to 1 (Commissioner Berger voting No) supporting equal pay for women.

#5 - The city elections of 2014 take place and Mayor Richard J Kaplan and Commissioner Hayward Benson, Jr., are re-elected to 4 year terms.

#4 - A Resolution to oppose the closing of Plantation General Hospital, allowing it to move to Davie Florida fails 2 to 3.  Subsequently, approvals by the required state agency were given which will now allow Plantation General to close.  However, they state they will leave the emergency room open and subsequently transport patients by ambulance by the hospital to Davie for further treatment.  It is anticipated that patients from the SE area of the city will instead be transported by the city to Broward General Hospital in more cases.

#3  - Lauderhill Officials will be saying goodbye to the temporary fire house on 31st Ave., and have broken ground for a new permanent station adjacent thereto.  The addition of temporary Fire Station #110 in 2006 followed the City's annexation of the St. George, West Ken Lark and Broward Estate Communities (the SE side).

#2 - Lauderhill's Mayor and Commission hold a ribbon cutting and park dedication ceremony in opening the city's newest park, the James D. Bradley, Jr. Park.  Mr. Bradley was the president of the West Ken Lark Homeowner's Association for many years and passed away in 2014.

#1 - Castle Hill Elementary all-girls team is nationally ranked No. 2 in Chess in the United States.  A three-girl chess team representing Broward County Public Schools and Castle Hill Elementary School in Lauderhill, place second nationally at the 11th Annual Kasparov Chess Foundation All-Girls National Championship in Chicago for teams under 12 years of age.  The team members were McKhaila McKenzie, Erykah Shaw and Shyan Braswell.  The placing ignited a county wide movement, which is now in all Broward Elementary Schools, to have students learn and play the game of Chess.  Many Mayors have had Chess Challenges throughout the county in support and promotion of Chess.

Honorable Mentions - New SRO Officers for public schools, New Flood Maps are implemented allowing many residents to no longer be required to have flood insurance to satisfy their mortgage lenders, and SmartWater technology is introduced into a Lauderhill Housing Authority project and is available to residents throughout the city at a reduced cost.