From the City of Margate's official press release on the topic:
The North Lauderdale City Commission passed a resolution requesting that Florida be divided into two States…North Florida and South Florida with the boundary line from Palm Beach County down through Monroe County and is encouraging Palm Beach, Broward, Dade and Monroe Counties to join in the quest for a separation of the State of Florida.
“This has been going on far too long. We are here trying to give good service to our residents at the cheapest possible costs and we keep getting hammered by the State Legislatures,” Mayor Jack Brady said. “We believe South Florida has many different issues than those in North and Central Florida and yet we all get put into the same frying pan together….local officials are the closest to the people and we have to do what is right for our citizens.”
Florida has grown from a thinly populated rural state to the fourth most populous state of the United States. Population estimated to be nearly 19 million. The State of Florida has also grown from two initial counties to that of sixty-seven counties of which the most populous and urban are the three counties of Miami- Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. Southeast Florida contributes more tax revenue to the State of Florida than it receives from the present State government. These counties being the most populated have requirements for conducting their affairs that are different and often times more intense than other portions of the State. Florida is too varied for this one-size fits all approach to cities and counties.
In recent years, the Legislature of the State of Florida has considered a number of proposals that have had a significant adverse impact on local governments’ ability to generate revenue and effectively perform their essential municipal functions with many of these initiatives resulting in a local government regression whereby as a direct result of legislative action certain counties and municipalities are becoming increasingly unable to perform essential public services.
During a recent visit to Tallahassee as part of the Broward Days lobbying, North Lauderdale Commissioner Rich Moyle told Legislators, “last year you beat our cities up and this year you are stealing our lunch money. How are we supposed to run our cities?” The question…Moyle said, mostly fell on deaf ears.
The Declaration of Independence of the United States provides that when any form of government becomes destructive to the extent that it no longer has the consent of the people governed, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish said government and institute a new government based on the foundation in which the people seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness and given the size of the State and the great differences in needs and priorities between the southern portion of the State and the northern portion of the State, the North Lauderdale City Commission has determined that it is in the best interests of the citizens and residents of the State to divide the State into two separate and distinct governing entities.
Wow...that's a spectacular use of logic and time. Well done, good sirs and madams. Ross and I were just chatting on IM about this magnificient idea:
Ross: How about just calling South Florida North Havana instead?
Me: Or Old York?
Trish and me, April 2006
