Martha Retzko elected chair of Fort Lauderdale infrastructure advisory board; monthly meetings set

The Fort Lauderdale Infrastructure Advisory Board elected Martha Retzko as its chair at the panel’s first formal meeting and appointed Peter Partington as vice chair. Members then approved a schedule to meet at 2 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, with staff to handle adjustments when the date conflicts with holidays or commission calendar changes.

Peter Partington, a former Fort Lauderdale city engineer who declined the chair role, nominated Retzko for chair and Peter later accepted the vice-chair nomination. Martha Retzko, who identified herself as an engineering geologist and an assistant director for utilities (speaker 5), said, “I accept the nomination.” The nomination and subsequent roll-call confirmations took place by voice vote during the meeting.

Members discussed scheduling logistics for holiday weeks and summer breaks before voting on the monthly meeting time. Lisa Sharkey initially voiced concerns about meeting on Mondays because of travel and long weekends but later changed her vote to yes after staff explained the board typically addresses scheduling conflicts in the month prior. The board chair and staff agreed to present a yearly meeting calendar to the clerk’s office and to confirm meeting dates at the end of each meeting so members and the public know the next session’s date.

Why it matters: The chair and schedule set the board’s operating rhythm as it begins reviewing capital projects, bond allocations and public outreach items. The board directed staff to coordinate future agendas with the liaison and to provide the committee with the information needed to comment on projects and community engagement.

The board adjourned after agreeing that staff will provide an annual calendar and that the next meeting’s materials will include items requested by members, including bond-tracking updates and upcoming project presentations. The next meeting date was noted during the session for planning purposes.