Coral Springs Commission: Updates Residents on December 2020 Events

Coral Springs, Florida – As we start the countdown to the end of the year, it is the perfect time to take a step back, reflect, learn from what we experienced and prepare for what’s to come in the new year.

Although 2020 brought many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which at times was overwhelming, it was also a year filled with a myriad of moments and stories that reminded us of how incredible our community and residents are.

We started the year with the Princess Meadow’s Playground ribbon-cutting at Betti Stradling Park. The playground named for Meadow is a reminder of her youth, love of others, and grace, which served as an inspiration to her family and friends. She lived by the motto, “Be kind to all kinds,” that message reverberates in our city strongly, now more than ever.

The city also hosted events that brought our residents together like, Keep Coral Springs Beautiful, Unplugged, and Bites-N-Sips. We unveiled the final public art installations for the Power of Art: Inspiring Community Healing After Gun Violence, which included Peace & Love and The Big Picture: Resilience. What we may have not realized throughout those first few months of 2020, was that we were unconsciously preparing ourselves for the rest of an unconventional year.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen challenges for our residents and local businesses. Learning to navigate those challenges was difficult, however, we are now more prepared than ever to work through hardships while keeping our community safe.

Throughout the year, our residents were engaged and involved; regardless of the challenges faced, our community made a difference! From donating food to our collection to fill local pantries, donating plasma to assist those battling COVID-19, and youth participation in the “The Importance of Voting” poster contest.

This was also a year for residents to exercise their right to vote during the Presidential Election and locally for Coral Springs Commission Seat 3 and Seat 5. With the departure of Commissioner Larry Vignola, who was term-limited after 10 years of service, we welcome newly elected Commissioner, Nancy Metayer. She made history as the first Black and Haitian American elected to the Coral Springs Commission. We are thrilled to work alongside, Commissioner Metayer as we continue to make Coral Springs the best city to live, work, and raise a family.

As we gear up to finish the year and look towards the holiday season, city staff continues to reimagine events while preventing the spread of COVID-19. Sadly, after 35 years, we are unable to host our annual Holiday Parade along Sample Road or Downtown in December, but we do have fun holiday activities. We will host our yearly Deck the Halls Home Décor Contest, a Holiday Drive-thru experience, and a Virtual Tree Lighting Ceremony. For more information on all these fun festivities, visit www.coralsprings.org/events.

In closing, we wish all of our Coral Springs residents a joyful holiday season and a Happy New Year. May 2021 be a safer and healthier year for us all and a year that we celebrate embracing our differences.