Jesse Scheckner
An organization representing the interests of more than 30,000 real estate professionals across three counties in Southeast Florida wants small-business owner Norby Belz on the Fort Lauderdale City Commission.
Belz’s campaign for the Commission’s District 1 seat announced that the Broward, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Realtors group is backing his bid.
The campaign called the nod a “significant endorsement” that “highlights Norby’s commitment to smart growth, affordable housing, and maintaining the vibrancy of Fort Lauderdale’s neighborhoods.”
Belz called the endorsement, which joins another from the environmentally focused Sierra Club, an honor.
“Our city is growing rapidly, and we need to ensure that development is both responsible and sustainable,” he said in a statement.
“I’m committed to working closely with the real estate community to create policies that balance growth with the preservation of our unique neighborhoods and ensure that Fort Lauderdale remains an accessible and welcoming place for all.”
Belz, a first-time candidate, is the founder and CEO of Seva Learning, a business and career coaching company in Fort Lauderdale. He previously worked at his alma mater, the University of Kansas Medical Center.
He’s running to supplant Commissioner John Herbst, who won his seat in 2022 by 17 points. Herbst worked as an auditor for Fort Lauderdale for 16 years before the Commission fired him in 2022 for opening an investigation into former Police Chief Larry Scirotto’s off-duty work.
He ran in a Special Election later that year and won a seat to join them on the dais.
District 1 covers the northernmost portion of Fort Lauderdale, with parts abutting the city’s western boundary and others containing beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
The city’s election coincides with the General Election on Nov. 5.
