Nick Sortal, a 30-year staff writer and editor at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, has filed to run for Plantation City Council.
Sortal, 59, says the theme for his campaign is “Let’s Upgrade.”
Sortal, who has lived in Plantation since 1993, took a voluntary buyout from the newspaper in 2015. He now freelances for The Miami Herald, serves as the professional advisor for the American Heritage School newspaper, coaches basketball at St. Thomas Aquinas and trains for triathlons.
“Plantation is already a great city, but I will bring higher expectations, so we can be outstanding,” he said.
Sortal says his experience as a journalist, most of which was spent working in community news, transports well to city service.
“By seeing how all the cities in Broward operated, I’ve seen a lot of things that work,” Sortal said. “And I’ve also learned what to avoid.”
Sortal says he considers himself “a Plantation guy.” His children attended Plantation schools, he coached them in youth sports and he has volunteered for a variety of community activities.
Sortal’s wife, Robyn, was the first woman to serve as an assistant sports editor at the Sun-Sentinel. He has three children: Diane Davis Kiefer, a digital advertising executive; Michelle Davis, a high school guidance counselor and Aaron Sortal, a junior at Syracuse University.
Full disclosure, Nick Sortal often submitted gambling related articles to South Florida Reporter.
