Prior to becoming city manager for a number of Florida municipalities, Robert “Bob” Baldwin graduated with a master of arts in public administration from the University of Florida in Gainesville. During his time as city manager of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Robert Baldwin oversaw the annexation of an ocean-front residential area populated by condominiums, increasing the city's population by 34 percent.
After Broward County simplified the process for cities to annex neighborhoods, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea sought to annex the Intracoastal Beach Area. The coastal neighborhood featured a number of condominiums as well as gated communities filled with single-family homes and occupied an area just north of the city. At the time, around 5,000 individuals called the area home. The cities of Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale also hoped to add the area to their own communities,. However, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea offered lower taxes, which helped it gain the upper hand. The city also offered concessions to the new residents, including reorganizing the local government to better represent residents living in luxury condominiums.
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Experienced city manager Robert Baldwin has spent more than four decades working in local government across several Florida towns. In his most recent role, Robert (Bob) Baldwin served as the city manager of Dania Beach, Florida.
The oldest town in Broward County, Dania Beach may not be the first choice for tourists, but its convenience and numerous local attractions should make it a must-see destination. Traffic around Dania Beach is often low, with ample parking near and even on the beach. Because other areas of Broward County, such as Fort Lauderdale Beach, are often large tourist attractions, Dania Beach typically is quiet. This makes it a perfect destination for people who prefer to avoid large crowds. The small, two-mile beach also boasts several tiki huts, an Intracoastal boat launch park, an old-fashioned pier, and several local restaurants. For tourists interested in a variety of activities, Dania Beach is home to the Dania Beach Casino, which has slot machines, a card room, and live jai alai. Prior to assuming his current role as the city manager of Dania Beach, Florida, Robert Baldwin served more than 12 years as the town manager of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. In this role, Robert Baldwin worked to secure the city’s financial future through the annexation of the unincorporated area of South Beach, which added another 5,000 residents to the town’s population as well as $144 million in additional taxable income. Small towns like Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, nestled between the larger cities of Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, can easily fall victim to annexation themselves, lacking the funds to support necessary community amenities. The ability to build a viable government budget that can create efficient sanitation, school, and transportation systems as well as police and firefighting services is often too much for the economic resources available to these small, local governments. By offering South Beach residents a lower property tax rate, forming relationships with the boards of the area’s luxury condominiums, and offering the residents of the condos local representation, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea was able to provide financial stability for itself into the future. Today, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea maintains a property tax rate of $3.74 for every $1,000 worth of taxable value, and has seen a 7.8 percent increase in property values within the last year. Robert Baldwin currently serves the City of Dania Beach, Florida, as city manager. Prior to taking on this position, Robert Baldwin spent time as a public administrator in a number of Florida cities and municipalities, including the City of Fort Lauderdale and the City of Hollywood.
While working as an assistant city manager for Fort Lauderdale in 1986, Baldwin was involved with the implementation of a unique strategy to discourage an expected wave of graffiti artists that accompanied Fort Lauderdale, Florida's annual influx of college students observing Spring Break. Fittingly known as the Spring Break Wall, an extensive stretch of concrete running alongside State Road A1A had long been a target of mischievous students who often lived or attended school in distant parts of the country. To combat these out-of-town defacement efforts, then Police Chief Ron Cochran reached out to more than 1,200 students at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale to paint and otherwise decorate the wall before spring break crowds arrived. Cochran and then Mayor Robert Dressler said that the canvas, which measured about 2,500 feet in length from Granada Street to East Las Olas Boulevard, could be dressed in any way so long as the images did not depict nudity, politics, or scenes that could be linked to the Spring Break debauchery he intended to avoid. Serving the community of Dania Beach, Florida, City Manager Robert Baldwin draws on more than 30 years of experience in local government leadership. His previous positions include assistant city manager of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which he oversaw departments including utilities, parks and recreation, and building and zoning. In this role, Robert Baldwin strived to support and improve his community, working to curb such issues as drunk driving.
To this end, he suggested an initiative to prevent residents from driving under the influence while also ensuring that their cars made it home, as well. Sponsored by Sunny’s Towing and Recovery, the program allowed Fort Lauderdale drivers who had been drinking at local bars to have their cars towed home for a reduced cost. At the time of the program’s establishment, the company charged Fort Lauderdale $32 per vehicle towed, but set a rate of only $18 to help residents get home safely. Available 24 hours a day, the tow service began as part of a statewide effort to reduce alcohol-related crime. At the same time, several bar and restaurant owners throughout Broward County began offering free meals, taxi rides, and nonalcoholic beverages to patrons in an effort to prevent drunk driving. Since 2009, Robert Baldwin has applied nearly 25 years of expertise in public administration and local government in Broward County to serving Dania Beach, Florida, as city manager. As the chief administrator of a commission-manager form of city government, Mr. Baldwin leads and collaborates with task- and department-specific commissioners and appointees, including Broward County Sheriff’s Office District Captain Kevin Granville.
Captain Kevin Granville serves the Broward County Sheriff’s Office as the district captain of Dania Beach. As head of this Sheriff’s Office district, Granville supervises two lieutenants, eight sergeants, 58 deputies, and a team of office administrators who provide law enforcement services to the residents of Dania Beach, the oldest incorporated city in South Florida. Dania Beach is home to roughly 30,000 residents, and the city offers such attractions as the International Game and Fish Association World Fishing Center, many antique and curio shops, and one of the world’s largest jai-alai sport centers. Dania Beach maintains an annual budget of roughly $10 million for sheriff operations in the city’s 22 residential neighborhoods and communities. More information can be found here: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-02-21/news/fl-bso-chief-dania-20130221_1_dania-beach-kevin-granville-sheriff-s-office Local government manager Robert Baldwin provides expertise in municipal leadership as the city manager of Dania Beach, Florida. In a 2013 appointment that was covered by the Sun Sentinel (http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-02-21/news/fl-bso-chief-dania-20130221_1_dania-beach-kevin-granville-sheriff-s-office), Robert Baldwin selected Broward County Sheriff’s Office veteran Kevin Granville to lead the agency's Dania Beach office.
At the age of 21, Captain Kevin Granville joined the Broward County Sheriff's Office after serving as the group's first intern and graduating from Bethune-Cookman University with a degree in criminal justice. Initially performing road patrol in South Broward, he transferred to the countywide Street Crimes Unit. After three years in that division, Captain Granville joined the road patrol, motor unit, and Special Enforcement Team in Lauderdale Lakes. During the 2000s, Captain Kevin Granville protected the citizens of Dania Beach, Pompano Beach, and Pembroke Park. In 2010, he was named acting chief and executive officer of the Deerfield Beach district. Immediately preceding his appointment to district captain of Dania Beach, he served as Area 2 captain for Pompano Beach. Shortly after accepting his current position, Captain Granville received praise from Dania Beach Mayor Walter Duke for his dedication to fixing chronic crimes, such as drugs and prostitution. Additionally, he serves as the executive vice president of the South Florida Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. Robert Baldwin currently works for Dania Beach in Florida as city manager. Previously, Robert Baldwin has served as assistant city manager and city manager in cities such as Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale.
The city of Dania Beach has recently made a huge step forward in supporting animal rights by joining a number of nearby municipalities in banning the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores. Individuals in the area can now rest assured that pet store animals have either come from a shelter, rescue operation, or the Humane Society. Dania is the ninth city in Broward County to pass such a law, joining nearly 50 cities nationwide. While some consumers are aware of the horrors of puppy mills, many are not aware that pet store animals often come from these mills. City officials received public support from Hallandale Beach commissioner Michele Lazarow, who has championed the cause throughout Broward County over the years. Dania Beach City Manager Robert Baldwin has held similar positions in several other Florida cities. As a city manager, Robert Baldwin has had significant experience in creating and managing budgets, as well as addressing concerns of residents. Often, these tasks go hand in hand.
While serving as town manager of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Mr. Baldwin led town officials in addressing concerns regarding the community’s 322 parking meters. Both residents and visitors complained that the meters ran too quickly and did not reimburse users for remaining time. As another source of complaints, meters in the tourist area of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea only accepted quarters, were enforced 24 hours a day, and provided 15 minutes of parking time per quarter. At the same time, meters in other areas were only active from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., accepted quarters, nickels, and dimes, and provided 30 minutes per 25 cents. Town officials noted that each meter had been calibrated by the town’s meter repair technician, but they also acknowledged that the mechanical meters may have developed problems over the years due to weakening springs. To address the issue, Mr. Baldwin proposed a budget of $20,000 to improve the meters. |
AuthorAn accomplished local government veteran, Robert Baldwin is the pa. City Manager of Dania Beach, Florida. Baldwin oversees all aspects of the city's administration. Archives
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