ABOUT PATRICIA

Personal:

I was born in Miami to refugee Cuban parents, raised in Brazil, and married to a Puerto Rican. I speak multiple languages and love the diverse environment in which I grew up in. I am a member of St Bonaventure Catholic Church, where I was a CCD teacher and school volunteer for many years. I consider myself to have an entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to business. Finally, I am a breast cancer survivor and advocate for mental health – as I have had personal battles with depression and anxiety. I consider myself very fortunate to be healthy and have the ability and strong desire to serve this community.

Professional:

I am currently the Executive Vice President at North Florida Hauling, a family business that specializes in cargo transportation. Prior to that, I owned and operated a successful concrete pump business and small concrete repair company, Concrete Repair Solutions. For more professional background, please check out my LinkedIn profile.

Community Involvement – “how I got started”:

In 2013, I wanted to learn more about how “The Islands” community was being managed, so I joined the Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors. During my tenure there, I held the position as the Vice President, and I am currently serving as the Treasurer and Voting Member. The main goal was to work together with other board members to ensure we are fiscally responsible while maintaining the high standards of our community. From here, I would get involved in bigger city issues:

Issues that I have been involved with and fighting for you:

Rezoning Weston Hills Country Club to build apartments:

In 2017, there was a significant issue that came up for the city of Weston that would be the beginning of my city involvement. This issue was a proposed “re-zoning” of Weston Hills CC to construct several buildings, made up of 7 floors and would house 199 apartments. To my surprise and disappointment, this deal was almost a “done” deal with that city unbeknown to most of our residents. Our tranquil way of life would change dramatically with these 199 extra units! Not only would we lose some of our beautiful views, but we would see a negative impact on traffic, school overcrowding, and possible increase in crime. I was not going to sit on the sidelines!! I became part of a large organized group that would eventually win and prevent this development from taking place. United we stood and united we won. This one issue woke up the city and would catapult me into other city matters.

Park and Ride

Many in our city still do not know about the proposed parking lot that could be built at the entrance of our city. Imagine a huge parking lot with express buses transporting residents to the Miami Airport and its vicinities. This project had the full support of Mayor Stermer and it was quietly moving along for several months before many of us found out. I knew that I needed to become involved and oppose this project. I, along with several concerned citizens, attended several meetings with FDOT and had multiple discussions with city commissioners. Because of our engagement and strong support from Commissioner Mary Molina-Macfie, the item was revisited and the city recanted their support for the Park and Ride. (This is not a dead issue and we must be very resilient). 

Storage Facility and San Mateo

In my opinion, the city needs to communicate better with residents that could be affected by a development project. We also need to ensure that our residents are HEARD. The residents of San Mateo were blind-sided by the request to rezone an area of Temple Dor Dorim for the construction of a storage facility. Unfortunately, Mayor Stermer, along with commissioners Jaffe and Kallman, voted yes to redevelop this area despite the great opposition of the San Mateo Residents. I was very vocal with many in the commission to listen to the residents and vote no. Unfortunately, they did not want to listen. If I was your commissioner, I would have joined commissioners Brown and Macfie in voting NO!

In 2003, a master rezoning of Weston was done in order to “ensure preservation of Weston’s unique lifestyle” and to “assure green spaces are preserved”. In my opinion, all of the above are initiatives that contradict the vision of Weston.

As your commissioner, I will ensure that we keep Weston the best and safest city in Florida, maintain our beautiful landscapes and continue to provide our residents with amazing educational, recreational and social opportunities. It is “our city and our legacy”

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at (786) 486-7734.

Stay well, healthy and blessed.
Patricia Bernardini