Name: Kim Stokes

Age: 41

Website: kimstokesforlwb.com

What distinguishes you most from your opponent(s)?
I have a very clear reason for wanting to serve as the District 3 commissioner as well as a problem-solving and solution-oriented mindset. I rely on facts and data to make decisions on issues that affect the community rather than making inflammatory remarks or gestures that only serve to keep the community divided in hopes of getting “your person” elected. I’m tackling the issues head on, and she will not let the voters know where she stands on them until after she is elected. We have had multiple workshops and have heard from the public and investors; she is implying otherwise.
On her website, she said she wants to develop common-sense solutions around short-term rentals. The state took that power away from us and we have already discussed the options thoroughly. It feels like a way to signal to the investors of STRs that she will remove the minimum for them, but doesn’t want to tell that to the neighbors who have been negatively affected by their presence.
During the Benny’s lease negotiations, I was reading the market analysis, doing research, and working with the city attorney to find the best deal, under the circumstances, for the city. She was part of the golf-cart parade, advocating for the owner who was taking advantage of the city. The job of a city commissioner is to work in the best interest of the city and its residents, and I have a track record for doing that.

List in reverse chronological order, starting with most recent, colleges and universities attended with years of attendance and degrees held.
Florida Atlantic University (2008 – 2010): M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with Emphasis in Mathematics
University of Florida (1999 – 2004): B.S. in Mathematics with Minor in Secondary Education

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
Curriculum Associates, Development of iReady Math Instruction (2011 – present): Titles held: Associate Executive Math Editor, Supervising Math Editor, Senior Math Editor, Math Editor
Park Vista High School. Math Teacher (2010 – 2011): Courses taught: AP Statistics, Geometry
Lake Worth High School, Math Teacher (2004 – 2010): Courses taught: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics, Algebra 2 Honors, Geometry, Informal Geometry, SAT prep, Algebra 1 (summer school)

Have you ever been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so, provide details and disposition. 
No

Have you ever been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, including an adjudication of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates and terms of sentence.
No

Would you have supported the firing of former City Manager Carmen Davis, and why?
Yes, as I stated when I made the motion, a series of events led to my lack of confidence in the city manager, and I felt there was no longer justification for keeping her on. I had rising concerns in her first year and thought the performance review was the appropriate place to address those with my colleagues given that we are not allowed to talk about them outside of a public meeting. Unfortunately, she kept delaying her performance review and by the time we had it, it was clear that she was not the right fit for the city, so trying to work together to give constructive feedback didn’t seem worthwhile. Here were some of my concerns:

  • Linemen: The linemen continued to grow frustrated with their treatment by the director, including retaliation by cutting their overtime, and the city manager’s lack of concern.
  • Head start: She sent a non-renewal letter to the Head Start program without consulting the Commission. It appears Commissioner Sarah Malega was the only one involved in that devasting decision that had to be overturn.
  • Budget shortfall: When we were asked to do a budget amendment of about $2 million because staff was approving positions and salaries that didn’t align to the approved budget, she refused to find the missing money.
  • Concerns from staff around hiring: She micromanaged and it caused delays in hiring that resulted in directors losing several good job applicants to other organizations.
  • Inability to move projects forward (CRA/City downtown development, oceanfront, circuit, restricted ARPA funds)
  • Unresponsive to lobbyist about legislative requests
  • Benny’s lease: She brought us an unacceptable lease for our most-valued piece of property in the city.
  • Didn’t appear capable of holding staff accountable.
  • Timeline for performance review

Do you support or oppose a proposed state law that would make panhandling a crime, subject to 30 days in jail, and why?
I want to recognize that panhandling and homelessness is a real problem for my community. It is not good for the individuals experiencing it or for those who can feel threatened when approached and asked for money. That said, I don’t think criminalizing poverty is the answer for several reasons.
1. It is unconstitutional to single out one group of people or type of speech. In Lake Worth Beach, we recently overturned our aggressive panhandling ordinance because of a lawsuit. These lawsuits have been filed around the country and every city that has challenged them has lost. I wish Florida would spend their resources on real solutions rather than lawsuits.
2. Criminalizing poverty and homelessness introduces more barriers for individuals seeking to improve their situation. They will have a criminal record that will make it harder to move them off the street to permanent or even transient housing. This criminal record will also make it harder for them to get a job. It is more likely you will just see them cycle through the system, returning to the street when not in jail, it doesn’t help anyone and is quite expensive.
3. It creates a false sense that something is being done about the problem. The police have said they weren’t able to enforce these types of bills before because of existing case law. By continuing to pass these types of laws, the state is deflecting the blame away from the real source of the problem, which is a lack of affordable housing and stagnant wages, as well as a lack of access to health care, including mental health and treatment for substance abuse disorder.

What changes are needed to improve regulation of short-term vacation rentals?
Once again, the state is making it harder for cities to address concerns of their residents. They need to change their rules to allow cities to control the number or percent of houses that can be used as short-term rentals and how far apart they should be from each other. If we don’t have the proper tools in place, we are unable to ensure an appropriate balance between tourism and quality of life.
Residents who live in single-family or multi-family neighborhoods have experienced issues with an influx of illegal short-term rentals in Lake Worth Beach. We are one of the cities in Florida that are grandfathered in and have a 60-day minimum night requirement for rentals that the previous commission did not enforce. After a workshop, where staff explained how little control Florida cities have over how many STRs are in their neighborhoods, I felt like we should keep the minimum requirement and enforce it, rather than remove it. My concerns around removing the requirement are as follows:

  • We will never be able to get back our grandfathered-in status. Once they become legal, we may see an even bigger influx of STRs in our city, which could have negative effects on our neighborhoods.
  • When one street has multiple STRs on it, there are times of the week and year where half the street can appear dark and vacant, like a ghost-town. This does not create an environment for the rest of the residents that feels welcoming or safe.
  • Potential homebuyers are having to compete with investors that have access to more funding sources and can afford to pay more for a property than if it was for residential use. We are dealing with a housing crisis and can’t afford to take more residential units off the market.