Animals and transportation. Those are two areas Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry says residents would like to expand county services. And while the county has seen its finances improve as the housing market has recovered somewhat, the county is not looking to expand its workforce.
In the five years since the Great Recession, Broward County has 1,700 fewer full-time employees.
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Henry acknowledges the job cuts and unfilled vacancies were forced upon the county due to the housing collapse and significant drop in property tax revenues. But she contends the job cuts were done with the support of the county's organized labor groups.
Now that property values have stopped falling and are growing again, Henry says she hears a lot from people wanting to add county services for animals. She wants to expand transportation as a way to help get Broward County residents to and from their jobs. But one concern she has regarding county services is the ability to respond in the event of a major disaster.
Thankfully, as she tells the Sunshine Economy, "nature has been kind to us."
