[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12606]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATION TO THE TOWN OF SOUTHWEST RANCHES

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2005

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, in the fall of 1996, a bill was 
proposed to the Broward County Legislative Delegation to annex all of 
the unincorporated area between Griffin Road to the north, Sheridan 
Street to the south, Flamingo Road to the east and SR 27 to the west, 
into the City of Pembroke Pines.
  Hundreds of citizens from that unincorporated area, known as the 
Southwest Ranches, packed the Delegation hearing in November of 1996, 
to protest this attempted takeover and to call for the right to form 
their own city. As a result of this grassroots effort, the State 
Legislature passed a bill during the 1997 legislative session, calling 
for a vote of the citizens of Southwest Ranches in March of 2000.
  In the summer of 1997, Southwest Ranches Homeowners Association 
members agreed to actively promote incorporation of a new city for the 
area and formed a political committee to explore this option. A 
feasibility committee was appointed to determine if a new city would be 
viable.
  On July 3, 1999, the SWRHA sponsored a parade and picnic to declare 
the area's independence. The bill was passed by the Florida Legislature 
in 1997, authorizing the vote in 2000 to determine if residents wanted 
to annex or form their own city. On March 14, 2000, residents voted 
overwhelmingly to form a new Town. The election to approve the Town's 
charter was held on June 6, 2000, and Council Members were elected on 
July 25, 2000. On that day, Southwest Ranches was officially in 
business.
  This year, we celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of the Town of 
Southwest Ranches and commemorate the preservation of the beautiful 
land and environment that its residents love so much.

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