Lauderdale-by-The-Sea residents and local activists plan a "No Politics in Paradise" protest Saturday to object to a recent decision by town commissioners to allow the Seagrape Drive to also be known as "President Donald J. Trump Drive."
"We are gathering to remind commissioners that their first priority is to their constituents, not party politics," they said in a statement announcing their protest. "Our town is not a political billboard; divisive partisanship has no place in the relaxing paradise of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea."
Saturday's event is being organized by members of the local chapter of Indivisible and Lauderdale-by-The-Sea residents. Indivisible is a nationwide organization that aims to rebuild democracy.
The organizers say on September 10 the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea town commission voted 3–2 to co-designate Seagrape Drive as “President Donald J. Trump Drive" and "breaking the town’s long tradition of nonpartisanship."
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Commissioner Richard DeNapoli, who sponsored the resolution adding the president’s name to Seagrape Drive, said the new designation could draw more visitors to the beachfront town in Broward, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
DeNapoli, a former chair of the Broward Republican Party, said renaming the street was “not about politics” but “about history, parity and fairness.”
He said “many requests” to rename the street had been proposed to him, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
The new street sign, say organizers, will be prominently displayed at the intersection of Seagrape Drive and Commercial Boulevard — the main route into town.
"No public notice of the Resolution was given to local business owners or local residents including those living on Seagrape Drive ahead of the meeting where the resolution was voted on," say organizers. "The manner in which the Commissioners have proceeded with this measure that left little opportunity for the community as a whole to weigh in has damaged local trust in our commissioners."
Organizers say the the sidewalk protest over redesignating Seagrape Drive is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the corner of Commercial Blvd. and Sea Grape Drive.
