Coral Springs agency names new leader to guide downtown plan. Here’s what to know

Coral Springs commissioners recently voted 3-2 to appoint attorney Bernie Moyle as chair of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

Moyle, a former CRA vice chair who purchased the Country Club of Coral Springs for $4.3 million in 2022, beat out three other board members for the position.

FULL STORY: New chair appointed to Coral Springs agency overseeing downtown vision

Here are key takeaways:

• Moyle was selected over vice chair Lorna Brown-Burton, retail member Mike Del Pozo and urban design member Germain Bebe. He cited his hospitality industry background and experience as board chair of the Broward Workshop as qualifications.
• He wants more mixed-use residential development in underused parts of downtown, particularly the Village Square parcel north of City Hall. He acknowledged that “most of that residential is apartments. Not really, necessarily what we want.”
• Plans for multiple high-rise, mixed-use apartment complexes downtown have drawn criticism from some residents.
• Moyle emphasized accountability over CRA spending, pointing to the multi-million-dollar Coral Springs Museum of Art move downtown as an example of where financial oversight matters.
• Commissioner Joshua Simmons, the CRA’s commission liaison, said the agency faces big decisions ahead and warned that “lots of these developers prey on CRAs and take advantage of them, assume they don’t have industry know-how.”
• Commissioners voted 4-1 to keep Lorna Burton-Brown as vice chair. Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen said Burton-Brown’s “experience and approach positions us to strengthen oversight.”
• The next CRA meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, April 27, in the Sawgrass Room at City Hall.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.