In one corner sits John Herbst, the ex-city auditor who did not go quietly into the night, but instead ran for office and won a seat on the Fort Lauderdale commission after being fired two years ago.
In the other corner sits Norbert “Norby” Belz, a small-business owner and member of the city parks board making his first run for office.
The two rivals are battling to represent the District 1 neighborhoods of northeastern Fort Lauderdale, a sprawling district that includes Palm Aire on the west, Galt Ocean Mile on the east, the Galleria mall on the south and Port Royale on the north.
The winner of the Nov. 5 election will be among the highest-paid elected officials in Broward County.
Fort Lauderdale commissioners earn $88,500 and are guaranteed automatic pay raises. On Dec. 1, commission salaries will rise to $89,100.
Herbst, a certified public accountant, spent 16 years as Fort Lauderdale’s city auditor before being fired in a late-night meeting in February 2022. He now shares the dais with two of the men who voted to fire him that night — Mayor Dean Trantalis and Vice Mayor Steve Glassman.
Herbst, a straight-talking self-described bureaucrat, has won key endorsements from the police and fire unions.
Herbst argues he is the best man for the job.
“My opponent’s background as a college professor has not prepared him to understand the complexities of running a major city,” Herbst said. “Fort Lauderdale has close to 3,000 employees, a $1 billion budget and 190,000 residents. It is a highly complex and diversified operation encompassing water plants, sewer plants, stormwater systems, cemeteries, parks, marinas, airports and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure. I have 18 years of deep inside knowledge and history of the city’s operations, neighborhoods and challenges. No one is better prepared to lead on these issues than I am.”
Michael Laughlin / South Florida Sun Sentinel
Condo towers line Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale, just one of several neighborhoods represented by Fort Lauderdale’s District 1 commissioner.
Belz says he’s the better choice because he would listen to the residents and be a better advocate for them and their concerns. He also says he would bring a sense of calm to a dais that often erupts into what he called chaos and fighting.
“Voters should elect me because I am present, honest, transparent and deeply committed to our community’s long-term well-being,” he said. “I plan to be here long after the impacts of my decisions as commissioner are realized. I’m ready to ensure that city leadership focuses on the issues that matter most to residents: energizing local businesses, combating coastal flooding, keeping our families and residents safe, addressing the cost of living and homelessness, and ensuring responsible redevelopment with supporting infrastructure — all managed with fiscal responsibility.”
Belz accuses Herbst of charging ahead with his own plans before checking in with residents.
As an example, he pointed to the failed $1-a-year deal championed by Herbst that would have paved the way for Broward Health to lease a city-owned parking lot at the beach community center and build a 24-hour ER center.
The proposal drew a public outcry that Herbst admits caught him off guard. Neighbors blasted the proposal, saying they did not want the howl of emergency sirens keeping them up at night.
“We got a surprise notice (from Herbst) via newsletter that we were getting an emergency room and development in our neighborhood,” Belz said. “(Herbst) thought he knew what was best for us without asking us first. As commissioner, (he) did not do (his) job to ask the neighborhood what we wanted. And that’s why it backfired.”
Herbst says the failed ER-center plan is a perfect example of how he does listen to the neighborhood.
“We held a (town hall meeting) where we had 300 people from that area attend,” Herbst said. “And we listened to them. The outspoken opposition to the plan was overwhelming. And as a result we canceled that project. There is no greater example of listening to the neighborhood.”
Back when he was city auditor, Herbst was fired in a late-night vote in February 2022 after the mayor questioned why Herbst had not told the commission he was investigating the police chief. Herbst was not required to alert the commission of the investigation.
He decided to run for office two months later, after Heather Moraitis announced she was stepping down as the city’s District 1 commissioner.
During an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Belz argued that Herbst ran for office to get back at the commission bosses who fired him.
“My real concern as a resident is why he chose to run in District 1,” Belz said. “It feels like it was a vendetta. A retaliation.”
Herbst bristled at the comment.
“I am a 25-year public servant,” Herbst said. “I have devoted most of my life to taking care of the communities I live in and I’m continuing to do that same work. There’s nothing in anything I’ve done that would suggest a vendetta. So I wish you would please stop using it. It’s a tired playbook.”
As for deals the city has made with private developers to build on public land, Belz and Herbst don’t see eye to eye on that either.
Two years ago, the commission approved a developer’s controversial plan to build a food hall and concert venue on taxpayer-owned land in downtown’s Flagler Village. Known as the One Stop Shop site, the parcel was once home to City Hall and later the city’s One Stop Shop permitting office. The building was torn down in 2019 after sitting empty more than a decade.
Belz backs the plan to transform the parcel into an entertainment spot and park.
“I support the city’s decision because the One Stop Shop was previously an underutilized concrete building, “ he said. “The proposed development will transform it into a vibrant space for arts, culture, food and entertainment, which can enhance the quality of life for residents.”
Herbst calls the project another bad deal that gave away 3.3 acres of prime downtown property for 25 cents on the dollar.
“The business plan was deeply flawed, which is why it has yet to be built,” Herbst said. “The project has sat vacant for two years. And the neighborhood doesn’t have its park.”
The two rivals also disagree on the whether the city came out ahead when it made a $1-a-year deal in 2019 with soccer legend David Beckham and his billionaire partners Jorge and Jose Mas to build a $170 million stadium on taxpayer-owned land.
As part of the deal, Beckham and his partners agreed to build a park on a neighboring 20-acre parcel by July 2022. The park has yet to break ground, partly because the Inter Miami soccer team is using it for overflow parking on game days.
Belz says the city should have done a better job of addressing parking and traffic flow, but praises the commission for attracting a well-heeled investor to build a new stadium and lure world-famous soccer players and teams to Fort Lauderdale.
The entire topic is a sore spot for Herbst, who said he warned the commission it was a bad deal back in 2019 when he was the city auditor.
“I pointed out from the inception that the comprehensive agreement was so poorly drafted that you could drive a Mack truck through it,” Herbst said. “They did it anyway because they were starstruck. They were starstruck with David Beckham and dealing with billionaires and (now) they are starstruck with Messi. Well, I’m not starstruck.”
Added Herbst: “I inherited this mess from the previous commission, who by the way did the worst deal in the world for a stadium in the history of sports. I’m trying to salvage what I can out of the world’s worst deal possible. Because I’m not afraid to stand up to billionaires. You’ve never seen one picture of me standing next to billionaires and sports celebrities. And you never will.”
Herbst says he does not automatically rubber-stamp whatever the mayor and other commissioners want. He claims Belz will.
“If you want more of the same, vote for Norby,” Herbst said. “If you want somebody that’s going to continue to challenge the status quo, there’s only one person who’s been shaking that tree now for the last two years. And it’s me. Norby talks about the fact that there’s discord up on the dais. There’s discord because I push back.”
Belz objected to Herbst’s comments, saying he will be serving no one but the residents.
“There are going to be points when I adamantly oppose everything that they’re promoting because our district needs things that are different,” Belz said. “I am here running to be the voice for our residents. As part of my job as a commissioner, I am going to be able to collaborate. But collaborate means we can disagree and still move things forward. I will absolutely not rubber-stamp.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan