Reviewing the City of Fort Lauderdale Charter
Your City. Your Charter. Your Vote.
The City of Fort Lauderdale is considering amendments to its charter. The charter is like our city’s constitution and guides how the city is governed. It explains how decisions are made, who’s responsible for what, and how services like parks, roads, and public safety are provided. It outlines the roles of the mayor, city commissioners, and city manager, ensuring everyone works together to serve the community. It’s designed to keep everything running smoothly and fairly for residents like you.
Any changes to the charter must be approved by residents through a public vote. Your vote decides how our government works.
The City Commission approved changes to 21 sections of the City Charter which are reflected in 10 ballot questions. The language for each ballot question is linked below along with a description of the proposed changes.
2026 Proposed Ballot Items
Charter Amendment No. 1
Sections 3.03, 3.05, 3.09, 3.10 and 4.04
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 3.03 | Qualifications of members; forfeiture of office | Reorganizes candidate qualifications, requires candidates to be City electors, accounts for redistricting, outlines the documentation needed to establish continuous residency, and changes the residency requirement from six months to 12 months. |
| 3.05 | Designation of vice mayor | Changes when the vice mayor is designated to the first meeting after all commissioners elected in a municipal election assume office, then annually after that. |
| 3.09 | Organizational meeting | Updates the timing for the oath of office to occur on the date of the first regular city commission meeting after certification of election results by the Broward County Canvassing Board. |
| 3.10 | Special meeting to seat a new member | Deletes this section because it is addressed in Section 3.09. |
| 4.04 | Functions and duties of mayor. | Removes a hyphen in "Vice Mayor." |
Charter Amendments No. 2 and No. 3
Section 3.04
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 3.04 | Judge of elections and qualifications of members | Adds Clerk for ministerial review of candidate documentation; removes the City Commission as canvasser and removes the City Commission’s ability to receive affidavits alleging a candidate has violated the City Charter or is unqualified. |
Charter Amendment No. 4
Section 3.12
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 3.12 | Special meetings | Requires 72 hours' notice for special meetings, with an exception for emergency meetings which require notice to be provided as is practicable under the circumstances. |
Charter Amendment No. 5
Section 6.04
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 6.04 | Civil Service Board | Updates the Civil Service Board appointment/election process and removes the Board's role in reviewing job class specifications. |
Charter Amendment No. 6
Sections 4.06, 4.08, 6.02, 7.16 and 10.03
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 4.06 | Interim or acting city manager | Distinguishes the title of interim city manager, who is appointed during the resignation/termination of the City Manager, from that of acting city manager, who is appointed during the temporary absence of the City Manager. |
| 4.08 | Removal or discharge | Updates language from "acting city manager" to "interim city manager" for consistency. |
| 6.02 | Classified and nonclassified service | Updates language from "acting city manager" to "interim city manager" for consistency. |
| 7.16 | Election tie vote | Deletes outdated language referencing a primary election. |
| 10.03 | Public hearings and public notice | Repeals the requirement for two newspaper publications for public hearings. |
Charter Amendment No. 7
Sections 8.01, 8.02. 8.04, 8.07 and 8.09
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 8.01 | Sale of personal property | Simplifies the sale of personal property (e.g., vehicles, furniture and equipment) and provides for such sales to be governed by ordinance. |
| 8.02 | Sale or lease of City property to public bodies | Simplifies the sale or lease of property to public bodies for a public purpose, defines “public purpose,” and requires adoption of a resolution by the affirmative vote of at least four commissioners. |
| 8.04 | Sale of real property to private parties | Requires a resolution containing a finding that the sale, exchange or conveyance of real property would be in the City's best interest, adopted by the affirmative vote of at least four commissioners. |
| 8.07 | Leases with governmental entities | Subsumed by proposed revision of Section 8.02. |
| 8.09 | Leases, licenses, concessions and use agreements over one year | Provides a tiered system of approval requirements for leases and similar agreements exceeding one year. |
Charter Amendment No. 8
Section 8.21
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 8.21 | Disposing of public park property | Provides that the City shall not, without a unanimous vote of the entire City Commission, sell, transfer, or lease, for more than one year, any land zoned Parks, Recreation and Open Space (“Parks”), or enter into any license agreement, concession agreement, facility use agreement, or other type of use agreement, for more than one year, for any land zoned Parks; also requires a unanimous vote of the entire City Commission to remove such zoning designation. |
Charter Amendment No. 9
Section 4.15
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 4.15 | Charter Position: Police Chief | Creates a new charter position of Police Chief, reporting directly to the City Commission. |
Charter Amendment No. 10
Section 4.16
| Section | Topic | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 4.16 | Charter Position: Fire Chief | Creates a new charter position of Fire Chief, reporting directly to the City Commission. |