Coral Springs decides to prolong mayoral terms and establish lifetime term limits

Coral Springs, Florida – On Wednesday, Coral Springs commission members took a step toward increasing mayoral term limits and establishing a lifetime term limit for their seats.

Coral Springs commissioners and mayors are currently limited to eight consecutive terms.

Currently, commissioners have four-year terms and mayors have two-year mandates. There is no lifetime term limit, even with the restrictions on successive terms.

The first reading of an ordinance that would eventually extend the mayor’s term of office from two to four years and impose a 16-year lifetime cap on mayors and commissioners was overwhelmingly approved by the commission on Wednesday. Voters in Coral Springs will be asked a ballot question about the matter in November if the commission approves the ordinance on second reading.

The new term restrictions would take effect if the ballot issue is approved by the majority of voters.

The ballot issue on term limits was formulated based on a suggestion made by the city’s Charter Review Committee.

The present two-year mayoral term limit, according to Commissioner Joy Carter, has been challenging for those now employed.

“If you have to [stand for election as] mayor every two years, you are effectively running for that seat every year, and it’s very stressful,” Carter said.

Commissioner Joshua Simmons, who has pushed for the term limit changes, said of the mayoral job: “I think we want to have [more] time in that office, and people being able to be good at the job and learn the job, instead of, ‘you get in for one year and all of a sudden, I’ve got to turn around and run again.’ And I think that’s unfair to our citizenry.”

Simmons said of the proposed commissioner term limits: “We want to make sure we keep refreshing and bringing in new people and allowing other folks in the city to serve and to learn how to keep their city how they want it to be.”