Heather Moraitis and John Rodstrom III, both candidates from well-known political families, are in a highly contested race to fill a Fort Lauderdale commission seat now held by John Herbst, who is stepping down two years into his four-year term.
The winner will be decided in the Nov. 3 election and will serve out the remainder of Herbst’s term.
Moraitis, 55, is the wife of George Moraitis, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives who recently lost a run for Congress.
A former teacher, Heather Moraitis served nearly five years as a Fort Lauderdale commissioner but stepped down in November 2022, two years before her term ended, to help care for her late mother.
Moraitis says she wants to return to the dais to represent the northeastern neighborhoods in District 1.
So does Rodstrom, 34, a local attorney and civic activist whose mother, Charlotte Rodstrom, served on the City Commission, and whose father, John Rodstrom Jr., was a Fort Lauderdale commissioner, county commissioner and mayor of Sunrise.
Rodstrom’s name will appear on the ballot as John E. Rodstrom, the same way his dad’s name appeared on ballots years ago.
A third candidate, Garry Smyth, withdrew from the race but his name will appear on the ballot. Any votes for him will not count.
Herbst has endorsed Rodstrom, calling him the fiscally responsible choice.
With his political blog FTL Politics, Rodstrom trained a spotlight on City Hall, questioning development deals, flooding woes and government spending.
Rodstrom takes credit for digging up legal documents to expose a poorly vetted plan for an arts park on prime taxpayer-owned land downtown — a plan many opponents warned was a bad deal for the city.
The deal fell apart when the developer could not provide legitimate proof of funds. After years of delays, the commission terminated the lease agreement last year.
“He knows I do my homework,” Rodstrom said of Herbst’s endorsement. “He knows that I’ll be a financial watchdog.”
Fort Lauderdale Commissioner John Herbst is resigning two years into his four-year term. Two candidates are competing in the Nov. 3 election to replace him: Heather Moraitis and John Rodstrom III. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Rodstrom acknowledges that his parents have a long history in community service and public service, but says he’s running on his own merit.
“I don’t want to say I’m trying to escape from their shadow,” Rodstrom said. “But I’m definitely trying to do this on my own.”
If elected, Rodstrom promises to follow Herbst’s lead in asking the hard questions.
“I want to be that voice,” he said. “I want to be that devil’s advocate. I want to be that independent thinker.”
Moraitis shrugged off the fact that her opponent won Herbst’s endorsement.
“I really don’t need an endorsement honestly,” she said. “I have my own record. I’ve done a lot for our community and when I knock on doors throughout the district people remember that. I’m happy for John (Rodstrom) getting the endorsement. But I’m going to stand on my own record.”
Moraitis was elected twice without opposition, so her name has never appeared on a ballot. But residents know her well from her time on the commission, she said.
Moraitis touts that experience as one of the top reasons residents should vote for her.
“As a homeowner and previous City Commissioner for our district, I know the issues facing the neighborhoods in District 1: Expensive and irregular water bills, too many vacation rentals, homelessness, and lack of park space,” she said. “I know the unique needs in the Galt Ocean Mile Condominium community, and I have worked with the residents on streetscape improvements, beach renourishment, and bringing back county transportation options.”
Rodstrom argues that Fort Lauderdale has paid a high price for allowing infrastructure problems to become emergencies.
“We have fallen behind on infrastructure, made questionable deals involving valuable public assets, struggled with traffic and affordability, and too often reacted to problems instead of planning ahead for them,” he said. “Our challenge is making sure that growth doesn’t come at the expense of our neighborhoods, waterways, infrastructure or quality of life. We need to be more disciplined with taxpayer dollars, invest in the basics, protect what makes this city special, and plan for where Fort Lauderdale will be 20 years from now.”
Moraitis backs moving forward with plans for a new City Hall to replace the old one that was damaged beyond repair by a record-breaking flood that hit in April 2023. The project is expected to cost at least $217 million.
Moraitis says she wants to see costs kept as low as possible.
“We don’t need a Taj Mahal,” she said. “We just need a City Hall that meets the government’s needs. Not too big. I’m definitely not in favor of anything too grand.”
Rodstrom said he would not have backed a plan to build an iconic City Hall that costs more than $200 million. But he is not in favor of tearing up the contract.
“We’ve already committed that amount of money,” he said. “I think it will just invite litigation.”
Moraitis backs Florida’s Amendment 3, the ballot measure that would increase the homestead exemption for all non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
She believes the resulting budget shortfalls can be managed partly through increasing property values and cost-cutting at City Hall with the help of an outside operational audit.
“We’ve received almost $100 million extra in revenue over the past 10 years just based on taxable value going up,” she said. “As far as what we can cut … I think it’s time for an outside operational audit, looking at our city, looking at our staffing, and just trying to find cuts. I think that’s the next step.”
Rodstrom opposes Amendment 3, arguing that it comes with too many unforeseen consequences.
Rodstrom, a former member of the city’s Budget Advisory Board, says an increase in property values won’t be enough to cover a $17 million shortfall the first year and a nearly $28 million shortfall the next.
“I do think Fort Lauderdale itself might be able to figure out how to do this with cuts, but there are other cities that won’t,” he said.
If voters reject Amendment 3, he recommends the city still look to provide taxpayer relief by rolling back the tax rate and trimming its budget.
“The city’s budget has grown substantially alongside rising property values and increases in non-ad valorem assessments, fees and other charges,” he said. “I believe there are opportunities to find efficiencies before we consider reducing core services or asking residents to pay even more.”
Rodstrom also recommends the city do a better job of negotiating the best deal on behalf of the taxpayer, especially when it comes to public-private partnerships and public-land agreements.
“Fort Lauderdale has entered public-private partnerships and public land agreements where I believe taxpayers could have received substantially greater value,” he said. “When the city leaves revenue on the table, residents ultimately make up the difference.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan