In the 12 years since its creation, the Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit A Child Is Missing has helped locate more than 600 missing people around the country, and the number keeps growing. The group announced its 600th successful assisted recovery last month.

The missing persons recovery group, with only 12 full-time and 19 part-time staffers, has been operating out of the 2,500-square-foot building on Southeast 17th Street for six years, while working off an annual budget of $900,000 provided mostly by donations and grants.

Founder Sherry Friedlander said the idea for the nonprofit came to her in 1996, when a project for an advertising and marketing firm she owned fell through.

“I was sitting there with four high-speed computers,” she said. “Suddenly the thought came: look for missing children. Like a lightning bolt.”

From the beginning, Friedlander had national ambitions, and the timing was right. She traveled to Tallahassee and met with former Sen. Howard Forman, who guided her through the creation process.

Within minutes of a missing persons report, the group can begin sending out a description to residents of the search area. They can also make dozens of alert calls from a database of 130 million phone numbers, according to Vice President Claudia Corrigan.

By utilizing geomapping and satellite systems, workers can then use maps to develop a better search area, said Ron Bannis.

Friedlander said she is pushing the Legislature to pass U.S. House Bill 1933, known as A Child Is Missing Alert and Recovery Act. Introduced by Rep. Ron Klein, the bill passed the House of Representatives in July and if it passes the Senate, would provide annual federal grants to the group.

Even with additional funding, Friedlander said, the organization would likely open 10 smaller offices around the country and hire 95 additional workers.

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How can downtown Fort Lauderdale residents enjoy the Super Bowl experience without alcohol? They may not have to.

City commissioners are considering whether to relax local ordinances banning open containers of alcohol near the beach in anticipation of city-organized events celebrating Super Bowl XLIV Feb. 7 in Miami. One idea under consideration would allow alcohol to be carried in plastic cups near the beach.

Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom commented on the city’s open-container ban during a City Hall meeting Monday, saying she favored loosening the alcohol ordinances in an effort to boost city revenue.

“Bring in alcohol, and you bring in more money,” she said. “We’re doing these events for economic development.”

During a meeting in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood in September, Rodstrom said the current commission is “a new City Commission. We’re way into partying at the beach.”

At Monday’s meeting, Rodstrom echoed comments she made in September in support of city events that could bring residents and visitors downtown and create revenue for the city.

“If you’re having fun, you might spend a few dollars at a restaurant you like,” she said at the September meeting.

Mayor Jack Seiler told the Sun Sentinel in May that he, too, wants to loosen the city’s strict ban on open containers around the beach in anticipation of four major events on the calendar: the Super Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Pro Bowl and the Boat Show.

Rodstrom mentioned the Boat Show as a major event, and said she was eager to move forward.

“We’d better hurry up and approve the Super Bowl party,” she said. “It’s a precedent.”

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