The City of Margate entered an agreement with the Broward
\nCounty Supervisor of Elections for the election scheduled on November 3, 2026
\nwhich authorizes the county\u2019s elections office to manage key components of the
\ncity\u2019s voting process, including the selection, training, assignment, and
\npayment of poll workers. <\/p>\n
Under the resolution, Broward County Supervisor of
\nElections Joe Scott, a constitutional officer under Florida law, will carry out
\nelection services in accordance with state statutes that govern federal, state,
\ncounty, and municipal elections. The agreement formalizes the city\u2019s delegation
\nof authority for conducting the election while preserving the city\u2019s
\nresponsibility for election-related costs.<\/p>\n
The agreement outlines the Supervisor\u2019s role in managing
\nelection operations. That includes designating polling locations, hiring and
\ntraining poll workers, using county voting systems, and administering
\nvote-by-mail procedures in compliance with Florida law. While the county
\nhandles logistics, Margate remains financially responsible for the full cost of
\nits municipal election, as required by state law and the local election act
\nthat establishes uniform filing and election dates across Broward County.<\/p>\n
Financial impact varies depending on whether the city
\nplaces ballot questions before voters. According to the cost estimate attached
\nto the agreement, the cost for a candidate-only municipal election held in
\nconjunction with a county, state, or federal election is zero dollars. However,
\nif ballot questions are added, the city would pay $2.79 per registered voter,
\nwith an additional charge for extra ballot pages. City records show the
\nprojected fiscal impact for ballot questions with one extra page would total
\n$106,172.22. If no ballot question appears on the November 2026 ballot, the
\ncost to the city is expected to be zero.<\/p>\n
The agreement also addresses municipal obligations.
\nMargate must provide accurate ballot language in English, Spanish, and Creole,
\nensure legal sufficiency of its materials, and reimburse the Supervisor for any
\nadditional costs, including recounts or legal expenses connected to the
\nelection. The city must also pay all invoiced election fees within 30 days of
\nreceiving a final invoice.<\/p>\n
Liability protections are also spelled out. Both parties
\nretain sovereign immunity protections as defined under Florida Statutes, and
\nliability is limited pursuant to Section 768.28 of state law. The term of the
\nagreement runs from full execution until 60 days after certification of
\nelection results and completion of any required post-election audit.<\/p>\n
For taxpayers, the importance of this agreement lies in
\nboth cost control and accountability. Elections are one of the most fundamental
\nservices local government provides, yet they carry real financial implications.
\nBy partnering with the county\u2019s elections office, Margate avoids duplicating
\ninfrastructure, equipment, and staffing systems that are already in place at
\nthe county level. That shared structure can reduce administrative overhead
\nwhile maintaining compliance with complex state election laws.<\/p>\n
At the same time, taxpayers ultimately fund the election.
\nIf ballot questions are placed on the November 2026 ballot, residents should
\nunderstand that each additional page and each registered voter increases the
\ntotal cost borne by the city. Transparent cost estimates allow residents to see
\nhow policy decisions translate into budget impacts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The City of Margate entered an agreement with the Broward
County Supervisor of Elections for the election scheduled…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":159494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[76507,249,251,250,76508,76510,76506,66821,66815,76509],"class_list":["post-159493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county-supervisor-of-elections-agreement","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-margate-ballot-questions-cost","tag-margate-election-taxpayer-impact","tag-margate-municipal-election-2026","tag-margate-news","tag-margatenews-net","tag-november-3-2026-election-broward"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}