Chair's Introduction

I am Joe Couriel, Chairman of the LBTS Citizens Initiative Committee.  I have lived in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea for the last 17 years and, am proud to say, a founding member of the CIC.

Shortly after moving to LBTS, I became involved in our community’s affairs and saw a need for a citizen-oriented, grass-roots organization that would protect the character and future development of our town.  It is the commitment of our organization to continue to represent the interests of our citizens, who want to maintain the quaint, seaside character of our town while ensuring that growth does not disrupt our low-rise, low-density atmosphere. We strive to keep our elected officials on notice that LBTS will not turn into another Galt Ocean Mile.

The CIC successfully preserved the low-rise restrictions that currently exist in our town by petition drives which were overwhelmingly supported by our residents. We, in essence, took the zoning decisions away from politicians and put it in the hands of our citizens, where it belongs. Commissioners in LBTS cannot sell out to developers due to the efforts of the CIC and the support of our residents.

We now find our next goal to be bringing the focus of the Town Commission back to its residents. The current administrations sole purpose seems to be to cater to the business community. While we support the local business and hospitality segments of our community, we must bring back attention to the residents, who are the backbone and main support of our town. The overwhelming source of revenue for LBTS is property taxes from our residents. We must maintain and improve the infrastructure of our residential areas. They are extremely important to the future of our town.

It is now our mission to ensure that the Commission's focus is evenly divided among all segments of our community, especially our residential areas. We support our Town and deserve the Commission's support and attention.