Here’s one good thing about term limits: They create open seats.
That levels the political playing field, with no incumbent running. At least in theory, every candidate starts out on fairly equal footing.
Case in point: The next race for mayor of Fort Lauderdale. It is three years off, but it’s not too early to speculate about who will run.
The seat will be open because Dean Trantalis can’t run again due to term limits.
This highly coveted local office is sure to attract lots of interest, as it did last time.
Trantalis had an enormous fundraising advantage as an incumbent, with a well-publicized mountain of pro-development money.
Yet he won with just 38% of the vote because four other names were on the ballot, splitting the anti-incumbent vote multiple ways and perpetuating the status quo.
And even with an open seat, it could happen again.
Barbra Stern, a lawyer who finished a strong second last time, is running for mayor again, and the political chatter is that commissioners Steve Glassman and Ben Sorensen could also run. (Glassman is termed out in District 2, creating yet another open seat.)
The city’s political winds are shifting. We just saw it with the outpouring of grassroots support for challenging a major developer and city commissioners, and fighting to keep the beachside basketball courts where they are.
The plans for nine 30-story towers at the Galleria mall property, and a new city hall with a $344 million price tag, have a way of capturing people’s attention.
In the next race for mayor, a wild card is Republican state Rep. Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point, who also faces term limits.
The upcoming legislative session will be his last, but he’s too young to quit politics after careers at City Hall, the County Commission and Legislature.
LaMarca, 57, and his wife Eileen have moved to a condominium in Fort Lauderdale’s Coral Ridge section while their home is renovated. He grew up in the city and it still feels like home.
“It’s not something that’s happening right away, but I’ll look at what’s out there,” he said. “I think the world of the city of Fort Lauderdale. It’s uniquely dynamic … it’s certainly something to look at.”
In four state House races in Broward’s only Republican-leaning legislative district, LaMarca improved his victory margin each time, from 53% to 55% to 57.1% to 57.4%, against credible Democratic opponents.
But the elongated district, white and affluent and east of Dixie Highway, is tough territory for Democrats.
LaMarca won with this newspaper’s editorial backing, and he won without it, too.
As we wrote in supporting Democrat Jim Brenner in 2024, with some exceptions, LaMarca supported his party’s extreme right-wing agenda in Tallahassee too often. “It’s impossible for this newspaper to reconcile LaMarca’s voting record with our editorial opposition to the divisive and intolerant agenda in Tallahassee driven by Gov. Ron DeSantis,” we said.
Despite that — and Fort Lauderdale becoming more liberal in its politics — LaMarca will be a force to be reckoned with if he runs for mayor. He’s seemingly everywhere, which over time builds a real familiarity with people that pays big dividends on Election Day.
“People wonder why I go to the opening of a tin can, if you will,” he said. “I go to a lot of things.”
A little like Clay Shaw, a Fort Lauderdale mayor who also had a long career in Congress as a Republican, LaMarca has the ability to cross party lines, even in these hyperpartisan times.
He also knows how to straddle controversy. When I asked whether he favored a bridge or tunnel across the New River for a regional commuter train, he said: “I’m a river-crossing guy. Whatever gets done quickest.”
A smile, handshake and open door can go a long way in politics. People are more likely to vote for someone they know and like — despite deep philosophical differences.
Like “Clay,” “Chip!” (with the trademark exclamation point on his red campaign signs) is among the few Broward politicians who’s on a first-name basis with his constituents.
Even though LaMarca has nothing to run for, he has a political committee flush with cash.
That committee, Citizens Helping Improve Policy (CHIP for short), has nearly $600,000 on hand, with many big checks from Tallahassee players like Comcast, Duke Energy, FPL, GEO Group, the Seminole tribe and others.
That’s a ready-made pile of money for whatever comes next.
“We’ll see what happens,” LaMarca said.
Steve Bousquet is Opinion Editor of the Sun Sentinel and a columnist in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale. Contact him at sbousquet@sunsentinel.com or (850) 567-2240.
