Anne Geggis
Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr will serve a third term representing District 6 after winning re-election to the Broward County Commission against a newcomer to the Broward political scene, Jeffrey Jones of Boca Raton.
With all 40 precincts reporting Tuesday night, Furr scored 70% of the vote compared to 30% for Jones, the founder and owner of Seaport Transportation Services.
District 6 includes parts of Davie, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood as well as Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Park and West Park.
Furr decisively outraised and outspent his opponent. Donors propelled the fundraising for his campaign to nearly $190,000 for his campaign. Furr, as of Aug. 5, had spent $81,945 as Jones raised $10,500 and spent the same.
Furr, a retired Broward County School teacher and librarian who also served on the Hollywood City Commission, is well-known for spearheading efforts to address trash, transportation and children’s education, serving on numerous committees and boards.
He received all the endorsements heavily favored Broward candidates receive: The Broward Democratic Party, Broward Teachers Union, the Broward County firefighters and paramedics union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Service Employees International Union, Broward Young Democrats and the Sun-Sentinel.
The Sun-Sentinel’s endorsement waxed poetic about Furr’s work ethic and his work addressing unglamorous issues such as trash, transportation, and sea level rise.
“Furr is a workhorse, not a show horse,” the endorsement reads. “He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, figuratively speaking, as the commission’s point person on the important issue of managing solid waste — no trivial undertaking in a county of two million people. You won’t see him pound the gavel and fill a room with booming oratory at commission meetings, but you’ll find his fingerprints on many things that get done in county government.”
Jones, in contrast, was even more low-key than the incumbent. He did not fill out a Sun-Sentinel questionnaire or go for an interview with the editorial board. His website says he was born and raised in Hallandale Beach and will prioritize economic development and financial instability, along with dignified senior services and more equitable educational opportunities.
He lists “Boca Raton” on his qualifying papers and, indeed, his home in Boca Raton has a homestead exemption, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s website. He told the Sun-Sentinel’s Lisa J. Huriash that he intends to move once to Hallandale Beach or Hollywood once he’s elected.
“My community is underserved and we have issues here with affordable housing and equity,” Jones told the paper. “I want to make a difference.”
