Parkland City Commission. {Bryan Boggiano}
By Bryan Boggiano
The Parkland City Commission will discuss redistricting for future municipal elections at their upcoming budget workshop on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The discussion comes as the commission prepares for the 2024 election.
According to the city’s code of ordinances, the commission must undergo a redistricting process every four years. They must adopt a final map, divided into four districts, between 360 and 480 days before the upcoming election.
The districts must be as close in population as possible and be in contiguous boundaries. The new maps also must not prevent any current commissioner from completing their current term.
Parkland has 34,670 residents, meaning each district should have as close to 8,668 people as possible. Districts One and Three have fewer people than this figure, with 8,272 and 8,135 people, respectively. Districts Two and Four each have a higher population, at 9,136 and 9,127, respectively.
Current city commission district maps {City of Parkland}
Under the code, the city must also hire an independent consultant to assist in redistricting and develop two potential proposals. For the current redistricting cycle, the city hired ARCBridge Consulting and Training, Inc.
They prepared two proposals, Plan A and Plan B, to mitigate the current population discrepancies in the current district maps.
Proposed redistricting Plan A (left) and Plan B (right)
Under Plan A, District One would have a population of 8,882, District Two would have 8,649, District Three would have 8,603, and District Four would have 8,536.
Changes to that plan are most evident in Districts One, Two, and Three. Heron Bay would remain firmly in District One, but Parkland Bay would be rezoned to District Two. District Three would include a small area north of Holmberg Road and East of Pine Island Road, but it would lose part of Parkland Golf and Country Club to District Two.
Plan B features a similar population breakdown. The populations of the four districts, respectively, would be 8785, 8,649, 8700, and 8536.
District One would include all Heron Bay and Parkland Isles, while District Two would consist of all areas north of Hillsboro Road and west of University Drive. District Three would contain Parkland Village. District Four remains the same, but areas near Quigley Park and Cypress Cay would be rezoned to the Third District.
The city commission will review proposals at their workshop but will not make any final decisions. They will hold its first reading on a map at their Sept. 13 meeting at 7 p.m.
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Author Profile
- A University of Florida journalism graduate, Bryan plans to pursue geosciences at Florida International University for his master's. He has a strong interest in weather, entertainment, and journalism.
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