Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal was named “Best Local Elected Official” at the annual “Best of Broward” celebration Saturday night at the Lauderdale Lakes Recreation Center.
Other elected officials Best of Broward winners were: U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (national), State Rep. Marie Woodson (state) and Property Appraiser Marty Kiar and Commissioner Beam Furr (county).
The Democratic Party of Broward County named the winners of a county-wide vote while also honoring Ken Evans, the county’s long-time state committee member, who is stepping down after a long career of service. Party officials also awarded certificates to volunteers.
Sortal was elected mayor of Plantation on Nov. 8, 2022, by a 61-38 percent margin over incumbent Lynn Stoner. Democratic chair Rick Hoye cited a list of measures Sortal has installed as mayor, including embarking on a strategic plan for the city, establishing Friday afternoon office hours for residents to visit him in City Hall, improving the permitting process and initiating a proposal to eliminate excessive growth in Plantation Acres.
Citing a dearth of accurate coverage from traditional media, Sortal also began a regular newsletter sharing actions taken at City Hall. The public can subscribe via Plantation.org.
Plantation’s charter calls for a “strong mayor,” a person who runs the city on a day-to-day basis. Most cities have a “city manager” form of government, meaning a commissioner or council directs a city manager. Sortal oversees the 14 department heads, ranging from police to utilities to parks.
Sortal was a writer and editor at the Sun-Sentinel newspaper from 1985-2015. He was elected to Plantation City Council in 2018 and again in 2020.
Sortal cites the education he gleaned from attending Florida League of Cities workshops and conventions for quickly building his skill set. He is a graduate of both Level I and Level II of the Florida Institute for Elected Officials, where he garnered valuable “hard skills” and best practices deployed in Florida’s 411 municipalities. He also is active in the Broward League of Cities functions.
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