Pembroke Pines advances plan to move elections to November. Here’s the latest
The city of Pembroke Pines has moved one step closer to shifting municipal elections in even-numbered years to November.
Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance on first reading Wednesday that would place a charter amendment before voters, asking whether to move the election from March to November to align with federal, state and county races.
The April 15 meeting also included discussion on extending Vice Mayor Michael Hernandez’s tenure, taking action on the commissioners’ ceremonial badges and online ethics training for city employees.
Broward County Supervisor of Elections Joe Scott joined the meeting virtually from Ohio to answer questions about ballot costs, logistics and voter turnout.
Scott said the deadline to place items onto the November ballot is Aug. 18 and that his office begins preparing for the general election immediately after the primary.
Mayor Angelo Castillo said the commission plans to be “very strategic” about when to bring the ordinance back to the dais for a second vote to allow time for input from residents through citywide town hall meetings.
One of the main points of discussion, raised by Castillo, was how the city would be billed for election costs. Scott said that estimates are based on the number of registered voters, not actual turnout.
“If we did do it that way (using the number of registered voters), the number would have to be much higher,” Scott said, pointing to staffing and equipment needs across hundreds of polling sites.
He noted that turnout in March municipal elections is typically about 10%, with cities fully funding those elections without the county’s support.
Under the proposal, the change would not happen immediately. Instead, voters would decide whether to amend the city charter and move elections to November in even-numbered years.
“I think, again, to reiterate, it’s definitely worth democracy,” Hernandez said. “It’s definitely worth putting this to the voters.”
A recent poll tied to Hernandez’s political committee found strong support from residents for the proposed change.
The survey, conducted by Beacon Insights on behalf of Better Broward and published by Florida Politics, found that more than 83% of respondents favored moving the municipal elections, with about three-quarters saying they “strongly support” the shift.
When respondents were informed of a potential one-time cost of about $345,000 to implement the shift, more than 78% of voters still supported the proposal.
To accommodate the transition, the proposal would extend the terms of current elected officials by about eight months.
The survey also found that about 79% of respondents would be more likely to vote if municipal elections were held in November, while about 19% said it would not affect their voting habits.
Hernandez has been a leading advocate for the change, arguing it would increase voter participation and save the city money in the long run.
Under the plan, the mayor and commissioners in Districts 2 and 3 would serve until November 2028, while commissioners in Districts 1 and 4 would serve until November 2030, maintaining staggered elections.
The cost for a November referendum is estimated at $2.79 per voter, increasing to $2.90 beginning Jan. 1. An additional $0.15 per page per voter may apply depending on the length of the ballot.
Scott said there are no charges for candidates:
“The quote that we give you is an estimate of what it’s going to cost and we use the number of registered voters in the city to make that estimate.”
The ballot item passed unanimously. A second and final reading is tentatively scheduled for May 20, though Castillo suggested May is too soon. He moved to designate City Manager Charles Dodge to choose the return date.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Pembroke Pines advances plan to move elections to November. Here’s the latest."
