Public service has a way of convincing you that the next fight is the one you can’t walk away from.
There is always another vote, another proposal, another issue that demands attention. If you are not careful, the work becomes open-ended, with no natural point of completion.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission recently made a decision regarding the new City Hall that reflected the kind of fiscal discipline and independent judgment that I’ve tried to bring to this role from the beginning.
John Herbst is resigning is a Fort Lauderdale city commissioner.
It was not about winning a single vote. It was about demonstrating that careful scrutiny, a willingness to challenge assumptions, and a focus on long-term consequences can still shape outcomes in a meaningful way.
When I entered public service nearly three decades ago, my focus was straightforward.
It was to protect taxpayers, demand accountability, and ensure that major decisions — especially those involving significant public resources — are subjected to rigorous analysis rather than momentum or emotion.
Over the years, I have approached each issue through that same lens, whether it was popular or not.
Public office is not meant to be permanent. It is a period of stewardship.
You take on the responsibility, do the work as best you can, and at some point, decide what comes next.
For me, that moment has been shaped not just by my time in office, but by something far more personal.
The recent passing of my brother forced me to reflect in a way that public life rarely allows — on time, priorities and how I want to spend the years ahead.
It is a reminder that while public service is important, it is not the only thing that is important.
This decision is not driven by any single vote, personality or disagreement.
Anyone who has spent time in government understands that debate and disagreement are inherent to the process. That is not new, and it is not, by itself, a reason to step away.
Over time, I have also experienced moments of real disappointment, when the standards of leadership and judgment I once believed were shared were not always reflected in decisions that in my view placed other considerations ahead of the long-term interests of our city and its children.
In some cases, that has meant reducing public recreational space, eliminating playing fields, and limiting access for neighorhood children in favor of private developers, leaving families with less than what was promised and less than what they deserved.
That, too, has shaped my perspective.
In the end, this is a personal decision about time, focus and how I want to spend the next chapter of my life.
Public service, in an elected capacity at this level, is all-consuming. It demands not just your attention, but constant engagement — seven days a week — in a cycle of issues that never fully resolves.
For me, this role, and the constant demands that come with it, are no longer how I want to allocate my time and energy.
I am proud of the work we have done. I am proud of the times we asked hard questions when it would have been easier not to. And I am proud that, even now, those questions can still lead to better outcomes for the people we serve.
There’s a tendency in public life to stay a little longer than you should — to take on one more fight, one more vote, one more issue that feels too important to leave behind.
But there’s also value in recognizing when you have done the work you set out to do and in choosing to leave at a moment when you are still fully engaged and effective.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have served and for the trust placed in me by the people of this city. It has been the honor of a lifetime. I remain committed to serving this community in ways that align with the next chapter of my life.
John C. Herbst, 62, is the District 1 city commissioner in Fort Lauderdale. On Friday, he tendered his resignation from office as of Nov. 2, 2026.