POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Debresia “Bre” LeSane is campaigning to replace Rex Hardin, the mayor of Pompano Beach. She is asking residents to vote for her in November.
Hardin, who has been on the city commission since 2007, said the city doesn’t need a new mayor. He has done the job since 2018 and is campaigning for reelection.
“People are generally happy about where we are at and where we are going,” said Hardin, a Pompano Beach resident since 1963.
LeSane, who ran for mayor in 2018, and Hardin, the incumbent, also have different perspectives on real estate development. Hardin said development is good, but it does need to be controlled.
“We are putting features in our code so that we can guide the kind of development, the heightened development, the intensity of development so that we don’t wind up being overrun,” Hardin said.
Residents are already seeing development at the Pompano Beach Pier. A rendering of The Pomp, a 223-acre entertainment venue with a casino, retail shops, top golf, and restaurants.
“They want to develop the surface and ignore the problems. The Northwest District is drug-stricken,” LeSane said about her neighborhood.
LeSane and Hardin are both concerned about crime in the city.
“We all have to work together on these crime issues,” Hardin said.
LeSane, a South Florida Fashion Academy instructor, said more development means more employment opportunities for residents.
“Lets in-source all our resources before we go outside so that we know the money is being spent in our city over and over before it leaves,” LeSane said. “As mayor, I would make sure our college graduates got a place to start their careers to be first-time home buyers — that’s the biggest issue.”