Coral Springs Forum | Sun-Sentinel.com

Just days after closing the door on Coral Springs, with which it had been discussing a new five-year contract for fire and emergency services, Parkland has decided to continue negotiations on the issue with its neighbor.

The volte-face came at an emergency City Commission meeting last Friday at the behest of Mayor Michael Udine, who has all along supported continuing ties with Coral Springs. Vice Mayor Jay Smith, who had initially voted to stop negotiations with Coral Springs, was the one who made a motion to resume talks with the city.

The change of mind means that Parkland will now be negotiating with both Coral Springs and Broward Sheriff’s Office at the same time. The city’s existing contract with Coral Springs will expire Oct. 1 this year.

Smith said that he had heard from a number of residents who wanted to know if they would get the same level of service from Broward Sheriff’s Office that they had from Coral Springs. “I may have been a little hasty on the call that I made last week. We need to reopen negotiations,” he said.

Commissioners Mark Weissman and Dave Rosenof stuck to their earlier stand and voted against resuming talks with Coral Springs. The latter, however, clarified that he would support continuing ties with the neighboring city if the contract contained the termination clause and audit provisions that Parkland had sought.

Rosenof said his stand against negotiating with Coral Springs was because of the “strong” termination clause. “How do we require a future provider to do anything? I am a proponent of more people bidding on a contract, but this was an exceptional case. If we sign a contract, it’s got to be on the right terms. I am making my decision on an unfair and one-sided contract.”