"Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Chip LaMarca, a Broward Republican, would ask the county's voters in November 2026 if they want to change the county's name from Broward to Lauderdale. It was headed for defeat on Thursday, with a majority of Broward Legislative Delegation members who participated in a hearing in Fort Lauderdale on local legislative priorities for 2026 declaring their intention to vote no. The measure was rescued from defeat by state Rep. Robin Bartleman, a Democrat who chairs the delegation."
"Several legislators said they didn't want to advance the measure for action in Tallahassee before getting a sense of whether the Broward County Commission supported asking voters about a name change. The answer came hours later. Commissioner Michael Udine, who has been championing the renaming referendum idea along with LaMarca, withdrew his resolution that would have declared official commission support after it became clear it would lose."
A bill would put a November 2026 referendum to change Broward County's name to Lauderdale. The proposal encountered strong resistance from a majority of the Broward Legislative Delegation during a local hearing, prompting a likely no vote. The bill was temporarily withdrawn after the delegation chair promised a future hearing if the sponsor agreed to pause. County commissioners also declined to endorse the referendum, citing insufficient information on costs, benefits, and implications. Opponents cited the expense, poor optics amid economic hardship, and concerns replacing one controversial historical namesake with another.
Read at Sun Sentinel
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