Congressman Jared Moskowitz has submitted funding requests for important community projects in the 23rd District of Florida to the House Appropriations Committee.
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee, each Representative may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2024 – although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding.
In compliance with House Rules and Committee requirements, Congressman Jared Moskowitz has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested.
Community Project Funding Requests
Recipient name and address: Broward County, 1801 NW 49th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Project name: North Regional Emergency 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Equipment
Funding requested: $11,377,777
Explanation of request: This project will allow for PSAP technology upgrades along with necessary equipment to establish a new PSAP location while keeping the old PSAP operational. If this project is not funded current operations of the County’s North Regional Emergency 911 PSAP would need to be consolidated into the two other County Regional Emergency 911 PSAP facilities, in which there is not sufficient capacity to perform at a high level in the operation of call taking and dispatching of police, fire and emergency medical rescue services. Call taking and dispatching positions within this emergency 911 PSAP will be used for daily operations, contingency for continuity of 911 operations, and to support flee-to activation in the event of any failures at other emergency 911 PSAPs in the County.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: Broward County, 100 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Project name: SW 7th Avenue Bridge Rehabilitation
Funding requested: $10,800,000
Explanation of request: The project’s goal is to upgrade the movable bridge structural, mechanical, and electrical components to ensure the reliability, safety, and resiliency of this vital economic infrastructure asset. The SW 7th Avenue Bridge is a movable span over the New River in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. The bridge was built in 1964 and is one (1) of three (3) crossings linking the downtown Fort Lauderdale community across the river. The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on this bridge, ref. FDOT 2021 data, is a substantial 12,400 vehicles. In addition, marine industry has a $9.7 billion annual economic impact in Broward County and the span is operated thirty plus times a day to allow passage of waterborne traffic. The movable span has been in service for 59 years and the original structural, mechanical, and electrical components are worn out and in dire need of refurbishing and or replacement.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: Broward Sheriff’s Office, 2601 West Broward Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Project name: Broward County Real Time Crime Center Expansion
Funding requested: $1,835,000
Explanation of request: This project will expand the BSO Regional Intelligence Center to augment the intelligence capabilities of the hardware centric. The BSO Regional Intelligence Center will focus on collaboration with Broward’s municipal police agencies while also coordinating across levels of law enforcement, government and private partners. The common goal is to bring these entities and their data into one location with a common purpose, to maximize the ability to detect, prevent, investigate, intervene and respond to crime and terrorist activity. The proposed funding would establish a common operating platform by which to integrate multiple data sources and make them accessible to partners, as well as communicate and share with non-partners. The desired platform will also enable the data to be viewed simultaneously on one mapping software and in one location by multiple partners.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Coconut Creek, 4000 West Copans Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33063
Project name: City of Coconut Creek Police Department Body Worn Cameras and Related Technologies
Funding requested: $1,200,000
Explanation of request: As a part of the City of Coconut Creek’s established Officer Safety Program, this request will allow the City to implement a comprehensive body-worn camera (BWC) program to include BWC equipment, related technologies, and policy. The program includes equipping each responding officer within the Police Department a BWC and supporting technologies. A BWC Program will directly benefit the public by increasing accountability and transparency, reducing complaints, assisting with resolving officer-involved incidents, helping identify and correct agency issues, and providing for increased evidence documentation (see attached Implementation Plan).
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Coral Springs, 9500 West Sample Road, Coral Springs, FL 33065
Project name: Police Park Safety Project
Funding requested: $200,000
Explanation of request: The funds will be used to put up cameras at 10 parks in the City to increase security and reduce crime while ensuring citizens are able to safely participate in healthy outdoor park activities.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Deerfield Beach, 150 NE 2nd Ave, Deerfield Beach, FL
Project name: Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Stormwater Project
Funding requested: $1,500,000
Explanation of request: The proposed 12-inch Reclaimed Water Main project will secure reclaimed water for City customers by connecting to the existing Broward County water line, which intersects Deerfield Beach, with a 12-inch reclaimed water pipeline approximately 3 miles long. The scope of work involves the construction of the water main. The proposed pipeline will include stub-outs at major intersections along SW 10th St. for future interconnections to a future reclaimed water distribution system and will be incorporated with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) project along SW 10th St. from the Florida Turnpike to I-95 (Natura Blvd.).
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Fort Lauderdale, 100 N Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301
Project name: Breakers Avenue Streetscape Project
Funding requested: $7,000,000
Explanation of request: The project will create an iconic corridor that not only provides mobility but is also a safe, accessible, climate-resilient public space serving neighbors and visitors in Fort Lauderdale. Proposed improvements include essential and necessary streetscape elements such as pedestrian lighting, shared used street design, and underground water and sewer utility upgrades. These elements provide a safe and sustainable option for pedestrians and drivers alike.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Fort Lauderdale, 100 N Andrews Avenue, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33301
Project name: Critical Homeless Support Service Hotspots Project
Funding requested: $2,000,000
Explanation of request: The proposed project will address critical need hotspots, in the City, where homeless individuals are congregating and/or encamping by deploying specific and targeted support services to create an economically sustainable strategy that will reduce recidivism in group encampments.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Lighthouse Point, 2200 NE 38th Street, Lighthouse Point, FL 33064
Project name: Sample Road Bridge Replacement Planning
Funding requested: $1,000,000
Explanation of request: The funds will provide conceptual design and permitting for the replacement of Bridge #867205, Sample Road Bridge over the Cap Knight Bayou Waterway. The bridge, built in 1956, is 67 years old and traditional maintenance is no longer feasible. The bridge has undergone multiple repairs and due to the extremely aggressive marine environment, it will continue to deteriorate rapidly. The bridge serves as the single point of access and hurricane evacuation route to the Lake Placid island community.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Parkland, 6600 University Drive, Parkland, FL 33067
Project name: Loxahatchee Road Improvements
Funding requested: $2,000,000
Explanation of request: This project is a collaborative effort of the City of Parkland, Broward County, Florida Department of Transportation and the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization for the improvement of the six (6) mile corridor from the Everglades Conservation Area (Arthur Marshall Loxahatchee Refuge) to State Road 7/US 441. The project will improve safety, traffic flow, and community connectivity of this important east-west corridor at the northern boundary of Broward County. Loxahatchee Road improvements include the addition of buffered bike lanes, signage and pavement markings, new landscaped medians, and the addition of sidewalks. Roundabouts, left turn lanes, drainage, and appropriate lighting are additional integral improvements to increase safety. This project improves the safety and connectivity of a vital link of the City of Parkland to a main thoroughfare (State Road 7) and aligns with the City’s comprehensive development plan. This project can be completed with the project period.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: City of Pompano Beach, 100 W. Atlantic Boulevard, Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Project name: Dixie Highway Safety Fence
Funding requested: $1,400,000
Explanation of request: The proposed project, installation of a 6’ high fence that would act as a deterrent from would-be-trespassers onto the Florida East Coast railway and Brightline train tracks, would effectively help to reduce accidental deaths on the tracks. will increase public safety along the FEC railroad tracks. It will be an added security measure/barrier to deter both children and adults from entering the tracks, avoiding dangerous encounters with oncoming trains. It will also facilitate proper crossing by ensuring that pedestrians will only utilize the area designated for crossing the tracks.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: Nova Southeastern University Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center, 8000 North Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL 33004
Project name: Coral Nursery Center for Reef Restoration and Preservation
Funding requested: $5,339,600
Explanation of request: NSU’s National Coral Reef Institute requests funding to build a world-class Coral Nursery Center (CNC) to build coral propagation capacity and prepare holding aquaria to support immediate and future coral propagation, restoration, and mitigation needs. Focusing on an evidence-based propagation and outplanting program our Coral Reef will be restocked with hardy populations of native corals and other keystone species to re-establish and strengthen natural reproduction, dispersal, and recruitment patterns, significantly enhancing flood protection and strengthening our coastal economy. Another vital part of our District and region’s infrastructure is Port Everglades. As a proud supporter of our Port neighbor, NSU believes fostering economic growth by expanding Port Everglades and fostering healthy reefs are tandem goals. To mitigate for projected damage to the coral reef during the expansion, Port Everglades may need to move at least 250,000 corals, temporarily house them in land-based facilities, propagate new ones to account for expected mortality rate, and then outplant them on the reef again. It will take significantly more aquaria and nurseries than the county presently has – and the time lag of getting the corals back out to the wild will be minimized if sufficient facilities already exist when the mitigation begins. District 23 will experience the greatest reef impacts from the dredging. At the same time, given its reef size, it has the deepest need for current reef restoration.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: Pace Center for Girls, Inc., 6745 Philips Industrial Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32256
Project name: Security and Safety Technology for Pace Center for Girls, a Juvenile Justice Prevention and Early Intervention Program
Funding requested: $180,000
Explanation of request: This project will address girl and staff safety at Pace Center for Girls in Broward County by: – Adding internal and external security cameras throughout Centers – Adding automatic door locks and staff key cards – Providing technology for video surveillance monitoring. As a result, nearly 500 middle and high school aged girls can focus on mental, behavioral, and academic gains. When Pace girls see success in the program, they achieve long-term socio-economic independence, break multigenerational cycles of poverty and trauma, reduce recidivism, and create a safer community. Additionally, staff feel supported in a safe and healthy workplace.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners – Palm Tran, 100 N. Congress Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33445
Project name: Bus Shelter Expansion
Funding requested: $1,078,000
Explanation of request: The funding will go towards the revitalization and expansion of bus shelters to enhance the safety and experience of the 28,000 daily passengers who utilize public transit in Palm Beach County. Customers currently have access to approximately 3,000 bus stops throughout the system, though many stops do not have a shelter. This funding will account for 14 new shelters that are critical in delivering quality transportation services to customers.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter
Recipient name and address: University of Miami, 1252 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146
Project name: Sustainable Estuarine and Marine Protection System
Funding requested: $2,900,000
Explanation of request: This project will protect South Florida coastline communities against storm surge and wave action by supporting the installation of a specially designed artificial coral reef system known as SEAHIVE. Recent scientific testing conducted at the University of Miami have shown that the SEAHIVE system, which resembles the hexagonal structure of a beehive (see picture provided below), provides better protection against storm surge and wave action than traditional coastal protection structures such as vertical seawalls and trapezoidal submerged breakwaters.
Member’s Signed Certification Letter