FTL Politics

05/05/2026

https://ftlpolitics.com/2026/05/05/sorry-were-closed-be-back-november-3/

Unfiltered insights into Fort Lauderdale politics—local government, campaigns, and the power players shaping our future.

04/25/2026

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board praises three Fort Lauderdale commissioners who wisely halted progress on a wildly controversial City Hall proposal. Fiscal common sense prevailed.

02/03/2026

Residents joked the proposed new City Hall looked like a sinking ship. What followed was worse. A $344 million project, cheaper alternatives dismissed, and a City Manager under fire for questioning the plan. Our latest breaks down how this process unfolded and who is clinging to the deck.

Unfiltered insights into Fort Lauderdale politics—local government, campaigns, and the power players shaping our future.

01/27/2026

For months, FTL Politics warned the City Commission that the financing behind One Stop Shop didn’t add up. Now a federal RICO lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York is starting to explain why.

At least five pages of the complaint specifically reference the Fort Lauderdale deal, including the role of ARES 2811 and the same financing representations the city struggled to verify. The lawsuit quotes and cites FTL Politics directly in describing how these concerns came to light. The screenshots attached here are from the complaint itself.

To be clear, these are allegations and the defendants are entitled to due process. But the lawsuit alleges a broader fraudulent scheme involving false claims of funding and sham financial instruments that closely mirror the red flags we repeatedly raised.

Fort Lauderdale was grazed by a bullet. The city must fundamentally change how it vets people doing business with the city, especially unsolicited public-private partnership proposals. Throughout this process, I kept wondering how Fort Lauderdale might be part of a potential scheme. That picture is now starting to come into focus.

11/20/2025

Come join us for a lively and honest discussion about the state of our neighborhoods, hosted by the River Oaks Civic Association and Ted Inserra. The last event was incredibly fun, informative, and full of great conversation.

I hope to see many of you tonight, November 20, 2025, at the Church of the Nazarene from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Food will be provided as well.

And yes, everyone is welcome — you do not need to live in River Oaks. River Oak's last roundtable brought together 81 people from 18 different Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. Let’s make this one even better.

Church of the Nazarene
2300 SW 15th Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315

Hope to see you there!

10/31/2025

https://apnews.com/article/florida-beach-basketball-courts-pickleball-f857e000f6bd25a0cdf9d8be72406cc6

Basketball players who frequent a South Florida park feel like they’re being run off in favor of wealthy residents of a new luxury development.

10/24/2025

https://sfl.media/steve-glassman-bet-over-30-million-on-pickleball-then-padel-showed-up/

Steve Glassman Bet Over $30 Million on Pickleball — Then Padel Showed Up - South Florida Media

09/16/2025

One Stop Shop’s attorneys are now threatening the City and claiming it is the City who is in fact in breach of the Comprehensive Agreement. Enough is enough its time to put a stop to the madness. Fort Lauderdale taxpayers deserve answers — not intimidation tactics from developers who have failed to deliver.

09/15/2025

Back in May the City Commission declared the One Stop Shop developer in default for failing to prove financing. But by late August, the City Attorney quietly issued what he called a “Notice of Partial Cure,” claiming the financing was proven — even as the City Auditor and staff say very clearly it has not been.

The September 3 meeting and subsequent public records requests exposed the gaps. City Auditor Reilly said, “As of the date of this memo there is no proof of funds,” and revealed he called London to a financing institution listed in documents, only to find they didn’t know who Jeffrey John (the developer) is. Commissioner Beasley-Pittman called it "fraud." Commissioner Herbst demanded third-party confirmation. Meanwhile, Commissioner Glassman insists everything is fine.

This is about more than one broken deal. It’s about holding public servants accountable. The contract required proof of financing within 90 days of it being signed back in 2020. That obligation still has not been met. It’s time to rescind the partial cure, terminate the agreement, and reclaim that public land.

The One Stop Shop project is back on the agenda at tomorrow’s City Commission conference meeting at 1:30 p.m. — make sure you’re watching or showing up.

Read the full editorial to see how deep the red flags go 👉

Unfiltered insights into Fort Lauderdale politics—local government, campaigns, and the power players shaping our future.