Questionnaire: Erin Marvasti, candidate for Hollywood City Commission District 5 – Sun Sentinel

Name: Erin Marvasti

Campaign website: erinforhollywood.com

Date and place of birth: September 13,1980 in Miami, Fl.

In your opinion, is your city generally on the right track or wrong track, and why or why not?
I believe Hollywood is generally on the right track, but we cannot afford to become complacent.

The City has made important investments in public safety, parks, infrastructure, transportation, and resiliency, while continuing to plan for long-term growth through its Comprehensive Plan update and capital improvement planning. Hollywood has also used public investment to attract private investment, helping advance projects that might otherwise place a greater burden on taxpayers. Orangebrook is one example, where the City pursued a public-private partnership, saving the city significant tax dollars.

Housing is another area where meaningful progress is being made. The City recently completed the initial phase of its Housing Master Plan, examining affordability, housing supply, future demand, and strategies to expand affordable, workforce, and market-rate housing options.

At the same time, we should not pretend everything is perfect.

Hollywood has experienced financial challenges before and has had to make difficult decisions when revenues and expenditures fell out of balance. I never want the City to return to a position of Financial Urgency and decisions driven by a lack of options.

That is why we need to stay focused on the future. We must maintain infrastructure before problems become emergencies, grow our tax base responsibly, and encourage redevelopment that creates jobs, businesses, housing, and investment while ensuring growth contributes to the infrastructure it relies upon.

Most importantly, we must ask how decisions affect the people who already live here. Homeowners are facing rising insurance costs. Seniors are dealing with assessments and major repairs. Families want safe streets and neighborhoods. Small business owners are working to stay open and keep employees.

So yes, Hollywood is moving in the right direction. But being on the right track requires planning ahead, protecting our investments, strengthening essential services, and maintaining financial stability so the people who live here today can continue to be part of Hollywood’s future.

List in order of importance the three most important issues in the city and briefly explain what you would do about each?
If I had to identify the three most important issues facing Hollywood, I would put them in this order: lowering costs for residents, aging and missing infrastructure, and affordable and workforce housing.

Resident Costs

Residents are feeling squeezed by insurance, utilities, housing and everyday expenses. While City government cannot control every cost, we can be responsible with taxpayer dollars, pursue grants and outside funding, use public private partnerships where they make sense, leverage private investment and make City programs more efficient.

We should also make sure residents know about programs that can help. Eligible homeowners may receive assistance through housing rehabilitation programs for safety and resilience improvements, and where sewer is available, eligible households may receive assistance with septic abandonment and sewer connections.

Every decision should come back to one question: Does this help residents, and are we getting the greatest return for the dollars being invested?

Aging and missing infrastructure

You cannot build a strong city on infrastructure that is falling behind. Hollywood has aging roads, sidewalks, drainage and utility infrastructure, while some areas still lack infrastructure other neighborhoods have.

We need to maintain what we have, prioritize areas with the greatest needs equitably, coordinate projects, pursue state and federal funding and make sure new development appropriately contributes to the infrastructure it requires. Growth without infrastructure is a problem, but refusing responsible growth does not solve it. We need to plan both together.

Affordable and workforce housing

People who work in Hollywood should have an opportunity to live in Hollywood.

As a real estate broker, I have helped families repair credit, navigate mortgage challenges, prepare to buy their first home and move from renting toward homeownership. Through my community work, I have also seen how housing costs affect seniors and working families.

We should use every tool available: affordable and workforce housing programs, responsible redevelopment, preservation of existing housing, partnerships and private investment.

These issues are connected. Lowering unnecessary costs, investing in infrastructure and expanding housing opportunities will help create a stronger, more sustainable Hollywood.

Do you support or oppose Amendment 3, and why?
I understand why Amendment 3 may sound appealing to families and seniors facing rising costs. Property tax relief is an attractive idea when household budgets are under pressure. As a homeowner and business owner in District 5, I feel these cost pressures too. However, I am concerned the amendment could create unintended consequences that lead to tax shifting, fee shifting, or reductions in essential services.

I have attended meetings and events in Carriage Hills and listened to senior condo owners dealing with 40-year inspections, repairs, rising insurance costs, and special assessments. These affordability pressures are being felt throughout Hollywood, and I understand the desire for relief. My concern is whether Amendment 3 would truly lower costs or simply shift them elsewhere.

At the same time, property taxes are a significant source of the City’s General Fund, while nearly two thirds of General Fund spending supports public safety. Reduced revenue would put pressure on the City’s ability to fund police and fire rescue, roads and sidewalks, drainage, water and sewer infrastructure, parks and neighborhood improvements.

I believe there are practical ways we can provide relief through previously mentioned programs.  We should pursue grants, public private partnerships, responsible redevelopment, smart use of City assets and other ways to leverage private investment and strengthen our revenue base.

For those reasons, I oppose Amendment 3. We should pursue targeted ways to lower costs for residents without simply shifting the burden to another fee, charge or service reduction.

For me, it is about doing both: meaningful relief for residents while keeping Hollywood financially strong enough to move forward.

If you are elected and Amendment 3 passes, you will have to reduce services or raise other fees. Can you cite a specific city program or service that is wasteful or unnecessary?
If Amendment 3 passes, my first responsibility would be to look carefully at how the City is spending the money we have and identify where we can operate more efficiently.

One area I would examine is public private partnerships and the use of City owned assets to leverage private investment. Orangebrook is an example. The City had estimated the original planned improvements at approximately $24.7 million to taxpayers before receiving an unsolicited proposal and going through the state’s public private partnership process, including soliciting competing proposals.

That does not mean every public private partnership is automatically a good deal. Each opportunity needs to be evaluated on its own merits. What does the City contribute? What does the private partner contribute? What does the public receive? What are the long term costs and risks to taxpayers? And what does it mean for the surrounding neighborhood?

I would also examine whether we are fully leveraging state and federal grants, making the best use of City assets, identifying duplicative functions and administrative inefficiencies, improving operations, and ensuring new development appropriately contributes to the infrastructure it requires.

The goal should be simple: make every taxpayer dollar work harder while protecting the services and investments that matter most to residents.

How would you assess Hollywood’s ability to manage growth, development, and related issues such as traffic, noise, pollution, and demands on city infrastructure?
Hollywood has room to grow, but growth needs to be thoughtful and beneficial for the people who already live here.

Responsible redevelopment can help replace aging buildings, improve resiliency, expand housing options, create jobs, and strengthen our tax base. But growth should improve our community, not create new burdens for residents.

We also have to recognize reality. Florida’s Live Local Act has changed the landscape for local governments, and developers will continue to use it as a tool for new projects. Doing nothing is not responsible leadership. If we do not have a clear vision for redevelopment, we risk ending up with projects shaped by outside forces instead of community priorities.

That is why planning matters. A thoughtful redevelopment strategy can help attract the kind of investment and redevelopment Hollywood will have to live with for many years to come. We should be proactive rather than reactive.

Every new development or redevelopment should come with concurrency. If a project adds residents, traffic, or demand on City services, the necessary infrastructure must keep pace. Roads, drainage, water and sewer capacity, parking, and public safety resources should be part of the conversation from the beginning. New development should also contribute its fair share toward the infrastructure it relies upon.

Residents deserve a meaningful voice in the process and should have the opportunity to provide input before decisions are made.

At the same time, simply saying “no” to every project does not contribute to constructive dialogue or thoughtful planning. Each proposal should be evaluated on its merits, impacts, and benefits to the community.

My approach is simple: plan ahead, insist on accountability, protect quality of life, and put residents first. I am not anti-development, and I am not pro-developer. I am pro-resident.

What single factor most distinguishes you from your opponent and why?
The single factor that most distinguishes me is experience. I have been serving District 5 long before asking for a vote.

I am a parent, homeowner, small business owner, and longtime community volunteer. For more than 20 years, I have lived, worked, and invested in this community. I did not decide to get involved because there was an election. I have spent decades showing up, listening, advocating, and working to make District 5 a better place to live.

For 15 years, I have served in the PTA, including four years as President of the Boulevard Heights PTA. I have worked alongside parents, teachers, and school leaders to advocate for children and strengthen our schools.

I have also served as Vice Chair of the Housing Authority of Hollywood, been reappointed to the Community Development Advisory Board, served as a Chamber Trustee, and completed Leadership Hollywood. In addition, I founded United We Stand, a nonprofit organization that has served residents in our community for years by helping address local needs and connecting people with resources.

I am bringing more than two decades of service, leadership, and real-world experience to the role because I believe District 5 deserves a Commissioner who has already been doing the work and who will make sure the interests of our neighborhoods are represented when decisions are being made.

District 5 is a proud working-class community with unique needs and priorities. Over the years, residents from other parts of the city have opposed policies and ordinances that many District 5 residents supported because they benefited our neighborhoods and quality of life. Those perspectives are already represented on the City Commission. District 5 deserves its own voice at the table.

My goal is simple: to ensure the people who live here, work here, raise families here, and invest in these neighborhoods have strong representation. District 5 deserves a Commissioner who understands our community because they have spent decades serving it, advocating for it, and putting residents first.

List in reverse chronological order colleges or universities attended with years of attendance and degrees.
Broward College- 1999-2001 (No degree)

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
Reaction Realty, Inc. in Hollywood District 5 (2003-Present) I have operated our family-owned real estate brokerage for the past 23 years and currently serve as Owner/ Broker of 79 licensed real estate agents.

Have you ever been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so, provide details of the case and disposition.
I am disclosing the following civil cases:

1. Marvasti v. Walgreen Co., Broward County case CACE08013994, filed March 31, 2008. I filed this case after a serious fall at Walgreens that required surgery. The case was settled for a modest amount and is closed.

2. Signature Grand Ltd. matter, Broward County case COCE11000387, filed January 10, 2011. This dispute arose after we canceled a planned wedding due to a deeply personal and unexpected loss. I disputed the cancellation penalty, and a default was entered. I later settled the matter, paid the agreed amount, and the obligation was satisfied. The case is closed.

3. Reverse mortgage foreclosure, Broward County case CACE19019419, filed September 19, 2019. My father-in-law had a reverse mortgage and passed away. I was named in the foreclosure because my name was on the property title, giving me an ownership interest. I was not a borrower on the loan. His son subsequently purchased the property, and the loan was paid in full. The case is closed.

4. ODK Capital LLC v. Reaction Realty Group Inc., et al., Broward County case CACE24003211, filed March 7, 2024. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Reaction Realty Group obtained a business loan. I was an officer of the corporation at the time. I am disclosing this corporate matter for completeness. It was settled, the agreed amount was paid, and the obligation was satisfied. The Broward case is closed.

Have you ever been charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, including adjudication of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates, and terms of sentence.
No

Why should voters elect you instead of your opponent?
I know many residents feel District 5 has too often been the stepchild of Hollywood. As a proud working class district, our neighborhoods have unique needs. Too often, people outside our district have weighed in on issues that directly affect our community, while those perspectives are already represented at City Hall. District 5 deserves its own strong, independent voice at the table.

What distinguishes me is that my commitment to District 5 did not begin with this campaign. For more than two decades, I have lived here, worked here, volunteered here, raised my family here, and served this community. Long before I considered running, I served in PTA leadership, advocated for our schools, founded United We Stand, served on local boards, and worked to improve residents’ quality of life.

When residents approached me about running, I did not immediately jump at the opportunity. I gave it serious thought because I understand the responsibility of representing a community. This work should never be about personal ambition.

What has surprised me most is that the best part of this campaign has not been politics. It has been meeting residents, hearing their stories, and building stronger relationships throughout the community. Those conversations have reinforced what I have always believed: representation starts with listening.

Experience matters because City Commission decisions affect a family’s mortgage, a senior’s ability to remain in their home, a small business owner’s livelihood, a child’s education, and our quality of life.

I am not running because I have all the answers. I am running because I know how to listen, ask questions, bring people together, and do the work. For me, this is not a political opportunity. It is a responsibility. District 5 deserves a Commissioner who has been showing up, serving, and putting our neighborhoods and residents first all along.