A neighbor-led effort · Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida

Nice sunrises.
Fewer highrises.
Let's keep it that way.

Nobody moved here for the politics, either. We're neighbors — Republicans, Democrats and plenty of none-of-the-above — who love this one-and-a-half square miles of barrier island exactly the way it is: three stories, no party labels, no outside playbook. This November, the same 3–2 majority that spent $17,489 of your money putting up and taking down a sign a political party wanted wants to rewrite our Town Charter in eight places at once. We're asking you to vote NO on all eight and elect three Town-First neighbors — Randy Strauss, Howard Goldberg and Patrick Ferguson — who answer to you, not to a party and not to Tallahassee.

See the 8 questions Meet the slate
Election Day Tuesday, November 3, 2026
— days away
On the ballot Mayor · Commission Seat 1 (District 1) · Commission Seat 2 (District 2) · 8 charter amendments — we say NO on all 8
How to vote By mail, early, or on Election Day — browardvotes.gov

What "Town-First" means

The Town-First Commitment

It isn't complicated. Every candidate we support has committed to three things. That's what earns our recommendation — not a party's endorsement.

A commitment to the people of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea

Honor our non-partisan charter

Our town charter makes local office non-partisan on purpose. Town-First candidates run that way and govern that way — no party machinery, no outside playbook, no county committee deciding what goes on our street corners. National politics stays on the other side of the bridge, where it belongs.

Neighbors before party

The job is beach access, sidewalks, the pier, parking, the height limits, and whether your street floods. None of it has a Republican or Democratic answer. Town-First candidates put the residents of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea ahead of any party interest, every vote, every time.

Answer to you, in public

Decisions made in public, on the record, with the reasoning explained in plain language and your money treated like it's yours. Questions from residents answered, not deflected. A commissioner who can't tell you why they voted the way they did shouldn't be voting for you.

Every candidate we recommend has committed to this

Our Town-First slate · November 3, 2026

Three seats. Three neighbors who made the commitment.

Every registered voter in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea votes in all three races. These are the three we're asking you to vote for — and why.

Randy Strauss

For Mayor

Randy Strauss

Vice Mayor · on the Commission since 2018

Randy has spent eight years on the dais and three decades practicing law, and he raised his two daughters here. He's a Hillsboro Inlet District Commissioner, past president of the Broward Hundred Club, and the kind of angler who knows the reef by heart. He's running on the basics: protect the height limits and the charter, keep town business local, safer crossings and better lighting, careful spending, get the pier open, fix parking.

Why we're backing him Randy has already cast the votes that kept this town low and walkable, including a no vote on all eight charter amendments. He doesn't need to learn the job — and he's never let a party tell him how to do it.

Howard Goldberg

For Commission · Seat 1, District 1

Howard Goldberg

Chairman, LBTS Chamber of Commerce

Howard is a longtime resident and a working real-estate professional who has spent more than a decade helping people find their way to this town. He's been on the Chamber of Commerce board since 2014 and its Chairman since 2022, so he's sat across the table from every small business on Commercial Boulevard and El Mar that makes the village feel like a village. He co-chaired the Planning & Zoning Board from 2022 to 2024, where the height limits get defended one site plan at a time, and served on the Town's Audit Board in 2023.

Why we're backing him Howard has already done the unglamorous work: zoning, audits, the Chamber. He understands that a strong small-business district and a small-scale town aren't in tension — they're the same thing.

Patrick Ferguson

For Commission · Seat 2, District 2

Patrick Ferguson

Attorney · helped neighbors write the No Politics in Paradise referendum

Patrick is a lawyer (Nova Southeastern, 2015) who has spent nearly a decade fighting overdevelopment across Florida, including the push to build inside our state parks. He knows how to read a site plan, an ordinance and a charter, and how to stop a bad one. When three Commissioners voted to put a party's mark on the Sea Grape Drive corner, the neighbors who stood there with No Politics in Paradise signs asked Patrick for help. He put his law degree to work for them, helping write a charter referendum so that residents, not commissioners, decide that kind of thing.

Why we're backing him "Local government should always put the interests of the town and its residents over partisan agendas." He said it before he was a candidate. He showed it when his neighbors asked for help. That's the whole commitment.

Seat 2 is Randy's current seat; he's termed out there and running for Mayor. Commission terms are four years; the Mayor serves two. All three races are decided town-wide.

Also on your ballot · eight charter questions

Vote NO on all eight. Tallahassee doesn't run this town. You do.

Our Town Charter is the rulebook residents wrote for our own government — the term limits, the petition rights, the residency rules. This November three of the five Commissioners are asking you to change it in eight places at once (Ordinance 2026-04). Read together, the changes protect incumbents, weaken the term limits residents put in place, slow down citizen petitions, loosen who can run here, and hand pieces of local accountability to the state. This town has done fine under its charter for fifty years. Several of these began as suggestions from a Charter Review Board the Commission appointed; the Commission then chose which suggestions became your ballot. It kept the four-year Mayor and the longer petition timelines, rejected the board's one-year residency requirement for candidates, rejected the board's recommendation to end the district boundaries and froze them instead, and added items of its own. A board suggested. Three votes decided. Read them next to how the Sea Grape Drive sign was done: the same three votes, asking to make that way of governing permanent.

These reached your ballot by a 3–2 vote: Mayor Malkoon, Commissioner DeNapoli and Commissioner Poulopoulos for; Vice Mayor Randy Strauss and Commissioner John Graziano against, on first reading and again on second. Same three yes votes as the sign.

All eight questions are open below: the ballot language, what it actually does, and why we're voting no.

  1. 1 Extend timeframes for certifying citizen petitions Doubles how long Town Hall can sit on your petition. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to extend petition certification deadlines and clarify time calculations?"

    What it actually does When residents gather signatures to put an ordinance on the ballot, the Clerk currently has 20 days to certify the petition. This raises it to 30. For petitions to repeal or amend an ordinance, the Clerk's deadline goes from 5 business days to 10.

    Why we're voting no Citizen petitions are the one tool residents have when the Commission won't listen. The clock on that tool should not get longer. "Clarify" is fine; doubling the wait is not, and they've been bundled together so you can't have one without the other.

  2. 2 Two four-year Mayor terms instead of three two-year terms Voters weigh in on the Mayor half as often, and the total cap on years in office goes up. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to change the Mayor-Commissioner's term to a maximum of two four-year terms, effective November 2028?"

    What it actually does Today the Mayor faces voters every two years and can serve at most three terms (six years). This makes it four-year terms, two of them (eight years). The same amendment also raises the charter's cap on consecutive years in any combination of offices from 14 to 16. It starts with the 2028 election. Today the Mayor and two commission seats are on every ballot, which is a majority of five; the Charter Review Board's minutes record the Town Attorney explaining that the terms were written that way “to ensure that a majority of the Commission would be on the ballot every two years” (April 1, 2025 minutes, p. 7). After this, every other election would put only two of the five seats on the ballot.

    Why we're voting no Electing the Mayor every two years puts a majority of the Commission on your ballot every time. That is your most regular chance to hold them to account. Four-year terms and a higher limit on years served would keep the same people in office longer and give you fewer chances to replace them.

  3. 3 Let a term-limited Mayor run for Commissioner right away Opens a revolving door from the Mayor's chair to a Commission seat. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to allow a person who has served as Mayor-Commissioner to run for and serve as a Commissioner at the conclusion of their service as Mayor-Commissioner, if permissible under the maximum term limits?"

    What it actually does Right now, when a Mayor's time is up, it's up. The ordinance deletes the words "or a Mayor-Commissioner or both" from the Commissioner term-limit rule (Sec. 6.3), so years spent as Mayor stop counting. A Mayor could step straight into a Commission race without the two-year break the charter requires today. The Charter Review Board did not recommend this; Commissioner DeNapoli proposed it in March 2026.

    Why we're voting no Term limits only work if there's an actual exit. Pair this with Question 2's higher cap and a single person could rotate between the dais chairs for sixteen straight years.

  4. 4 Fill vacancies with term-limited people, no break required Lets the Commission appoint a term-limited insider to an empty seat without an election. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to clarify that the Town Commission may appoint a qualified person to fill a vacancy in the office of Mayor-Commissioner or Commissioner, even if that person would otherwise be required by the Town Charter to take a two-year break in service, potentially increasing the number of persons available for appointment?"

    What it actually does Exactly what it says. Someone the charter says must sit out two years could be appointed by the sitting Commission to fill a vacancy anyway. The Charter Review Board did not recommend this; Commissioner DeNapoli proposed it in March 2026.

    Why we're voting no Appointments already bypass voters. This lets them bypass term limits too. In a town of five or six thousand people there is no shortage of qualified neighbors who aren't term-limited.

  5. 5 Write today's district lines into the charter Freezes 2004 boundaries and deletes the equal-population, one-person-one-vote requirement. NO

    On the ballot "The Town has used the same northern and southern Commission district boundaries since 2004. Shall the Town Charter be amended to establish the current district boundaries in the Town Charter, including the existing boundary at the portion of the Village of Sea Ranch Lakes bordering the Atlantic Ocean to preserve the current district boundaries?"

    What it actually does The ballot language sounds harmless. The ordinance text also strikes the charter section that requires districts to be "of equal population, compact, proportional" and says "the principle of one person/one vote shall be adhered to strictly," along with the requirement that a Florida university review the lines.

    Why we're voting no Nobody asked to move the line at Sea Ranch Lakes. What's being removed is the rule that says the two districts must stay roughly equal. That rule protects every voter's weight in the north and the south, and it should stay.

  6. 6 Rewrite the rules for removing a Commissioner from office Ethics removals move to a state board in Tallahassee; absences get excused by a simple majority. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to clarify standards for forfeiture of office of Commission members by tying qualifications to existing Charter provisions, requiring ethics-based removal to be determined under state law by the Florida Commission on Ethics, requiring incapacity determinations to be supported by medical certification or court order, allowing absences to be excused by majority vote, and excusing the Commission from voting on removals already mandated by other governmental authorities?"

    What it actually does Today a Commissioner forfeits office for violating "any standard of conduct or code of ethics established by law." Under this change, an ethics violation only costs the seat if the Florida Commission on Ethics issues a final order, after every appeal is exhausted, that specifically imposes removal. Missing four straight meetings can be forgiven by a majority vote of colleagues instead of a unanimous one. The Charter Review Board did not recommend this; Commissioner DeNapoli proposed it in March 2026.

    Why we're voting no This is the surrender of local authority we're talking about. A state process can take years and rarely ends in removal. Accountability for a five-person town commission belongs in Town Hall, in front of the neighbors who elected them.

  7. 7 Adopt state law for elections, public notices, and audits Audit deadline slips three months; legal notices can move from the paper to a website. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter incorporate Florida laws governing municipal elections, public notices, and audits?"

    What it actually does Three things: the Town's annual financial audit deadline moves from six months after year-end to nine; legal notices (including notice of a forfeiture hearing) may be posted on a website instead of in a newspaper; and the charter defers to whatever Tallahassee decides about municipal elections, now and in the future.

    Why we're voting no Later audits and quieter notices are the opposite of transparency. And "as amended from time to time" means the rules of our own elections change whenever the Legislature changes them, with no vote here.

  8. 8 "Correct errors, resolve inconsistencies, clean up language" The "cleanup" that cuts the residency requirement for candidates nearly in half. NO

    On the ballot "Shall the Town Charter be amended to correct errors, resolve inconsistencies, and update provisions to reflect current law?"

    What it actually does The charter sets candidate residency in two places. Sec. 3.3 counts six months back from qualifying, in June. Sec. 6.3 counts six months back from the election, in November. A candidate has to meet both, so today it comes to about eleven months of living here. This deletes Sec. 3.3 and keeps Sec. 6.3, which leaves six months. In the ordinance, Sec. 3.3 is struck through on page 3; Sec. 6.3 on page 7 is untouched. It also swaps domiciled — your one true home — for "residency," which a part-time resident can satisfy.

    Why we're voting no The charter said it two ways, and this deletes the stricter one while calling that a cleanup. The Town’s own Charter Review Board recommended going the other way, to a full year; the Commission turned that down and voted 4–1, on Commissioner DeNapoli’s motion, to count six months from the election. Someone could move here in May and run in November.

Why it matters · the height limits

The height limits came up at Town Hall last year. The only thing that protects them is your power to say no, and that is what these eight questions are about.

In June 2025, the vice chair of the Town’s Charter Review Board proposed asking the Commission to consider a referendum on higher height limits in some zoning districts, “across the Town,” including the beach. Other members pushed back, and the Board voted 7–0 to leave the height section as it is (minutes, pp. 8–10; hear it: “put up in the next vote” (clip, 25 sec) · “add an extra story” (clip, 45 sec) · “across the town” (clip, 35 sec)). No one running this year has proposed raising them. Commissioner Poulopoulos has pledged to support them; the Mayor has said no changes are planned. The point is narrower and it does not depend on anyone's intentions: the eight amendments weaken the three tools residents would use to stop it, and the year behind us shows what this majority is willing to do with a process when it wants an outcome.

If someone ever wanted to get rid of the height limits, the first steps would look exactly like this year: end the practice of staff putting the facts in front of you first, skip the notice to the street, go around a residents' petition, tell a full room its vote cannot stop it, and then ask you to make petitions slower, elections rarer, and removal of a commissioner a Tallahassee decision.

The sign is finished. The staff report that used to come before a vote has not come back. Now the same three votes are asking you to approve eight changes to the charter.

For the record: on July 22, 2025, during the tax discussion, Commissioner Poulopoulos called the height restrictions the “major, major roadblock” the Town will hit and said “at some point in time, we’re gonna have to address that” (51-second clip · minutes, p. 18). Ten months later, running for reelection, he pledged to support them (May 26, 2026 minutes). We take him at his word on the pledge. We are asking you to keep the tools that let you hold him to it.

Questions are listed in the order they appear in Ordinance 2026-04, adopted May 26, 2026; the Broward ballot may number them differently. Ballot language is quoted from the ordinance. The full text is on file with the Town Clerk, 4501 N. Ocean Drive, and in the May 26, 2026 Commission agenda packet. Read it yourself; we did.

The story so far

Catch up in ten emails.

This fall a few of us started writing to neighbors about what was happening at Town Hall, because most of it never made the news. Here's everything we've sent, in order. Pour a coffee and start at the top.

  1. A note from your neighbors

    Who we are, and why a few neighbors started paying attention to Town Hall.

    Read the email

  2. Sea Grape Drive

    How a street sign moved through Town Hall: a staff report nobody saw, and a 3–2 vote.

    Read the email See the full record

  3. The height limits

    Every candidate promises to protect them. The eight charter changes decide whether you still could.

    Read the email

  4. Paid for in Tallahassee

    Where the glossy “Vote YES” mailers really came from.

    Read the email

  5. Count who vouches for them

    All six candidates’ endorsement lists, side by side, exactly as they published them.

    Read the email

  6. His father-in-law’s pier

    Anglin’s Pier has been closed since 2022. The commissioner who promises to rebuild it is the owner’s son-in-law.

    Read the email Hear the song

  7. You liked the pier song. Here’s one more.

    A short reminder set to music: the “Vote YES” mail was paid for in Tallahassee, so it’s NO on all eight.

    Read the email Hear the song

  8. Seat 2: 34 donors from our town. Zero.

    Patrick Ferguson has 34 donors from Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Justin Bartholomew has none, and he has never spoken up at a Town meeting.

    Read the email Hear the song

  9. LBTS is not for sale

    The Tallahassee suite paying for this fall’s mailers donated to Richard DeNapoli’s first campaign. He isn’t on your ballot. His two votes are.

    Read the email Hear the song

  10. They stepped up. Now it’s our turn.

    Randy Strauss, Howard Goldberg and Patrick Ferguson stepped up for our town: not for a party, not for a crown. Who they are, who’s behind each side, and how to vote.

    Read the email Hear the song

In their own words

Letters from your neighbors

Neighbors who wrote to the whole town, and asked us to share it.

A letter from Cristie & Marc Furth “We voted for you three times. Not this time.” Residents and local hoteliers since 1972 Read their letter A letter from John Graziano “All ethics are local.” Town Commissioner, writing as a resident · Terra Mar Read his letter

Want to write one? hello@letsprotectourparadise.org

Email updates

Short. Occasional. Written by neighbors.

Candidate news as it happens, what's on your ballot, and a heads-up when it's time to vote. No spam, no selling your address, and you can leave any time with one click.

We keep your email to send you these updates and nothing else. Questions? hello@letsprotectourparadise.org