Lawyer Patrick Ferguson is running for the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Commission, pledging to protect the town\u2019s coastal character and keep local government focused on residents.<\/p>\n
Ferguson, an environmental advocate, announced his candidacy this week, pitching himself as a community-focused candidate prioritizing preservation, transparency and what he described as nonpartisan leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cLauderdale-by-the-Sea is a special place, and I\u2019m running to make sure we preserve what makes it so unique,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means protecting our beaches and environment, maintaining thoughtful growth, and keeping partisanship from overshadowing the sense of community that defines our town.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ferguson is running for Seat 2 on the five-seat panel<\/a>, now held by Vice Mayor Randy Strauss, a fellow Democrat. He enters the race with a background in environmental organizing and local activism.<\/p>\n He has spent nearly a decade as a Senior Organizer with the Sierra Club\u2019s Florida Chapter<\/a>, where he led campaigns across South Florida. Among them is the \u201cStop the Burn<\/a>\u201d initiative, which advocates ending sugar cane field burning and promoting more sustainable agricultural practices.<\/p>\n Ferguson\u2019s environmental work has also included efforts to prevent overdevelopment in Florida\u2019s state parks and local initiatives through Residents for Resilience<\/a>, a Broward County-based nonprofit where he serves on the board.<\/p>\n There, he co-founded a \u201cRestaurants for Resilience<\/a>\u201d program to promote sustainability in the local hospitality industry.<\/p>\n