36Shares

Retiring Springs City Manager Frank Babinec was honored by a host of elected officials in a moving tribute at City Hall Wednesday, a day on which he was also officially honored in the U.S. Congress.

Among the tributes paid to Babinec at his final commission meeting: U.S. House Rep. Jared Moskowitz read a commendation of the 31-year public servant into the congressional record of the 118th U.S. Congress, making Babinec himself a permanent piece of American history.

“Mr. Speaker [of the House], I rise today to recognize and commend the 30-plus years of dedicated public service of Mr. Frank Babinec,” the congressional record states. “Over the years, Frank has displayed an unwavering commitment to the community’s safety, well-being, and prosperity” as both the city’s fire chief and, later, its city manager.

“Frank supported the community through a tragic shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018,” Moskowitz’s congressional remarks read. “His leadership in the aftermath demonstrated his ability to provide calm and competent direction in times of crisis, encouraging a sense of resilience and unity within the community.”

A native Floridian and Coral Springs resident since 1991, Babinec joined the city’s fire department in 1992 as a volunteer and was named chief in 2014. He helped grow, modernize, and improve operations and firefighter health at the agency. In 2020, he received the Florida Fire Chiefs Association’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Firefighter Safety and Health – an award now named in his honor.

Babinec was appointed city manager in 2019 and “guided the city through unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and focused his commitment to the city’s health and economic stability,” Moskowitz said. “Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Frank Babinec’s invaluable contributions to the city of Coral Springs and his exemplary public service career.”

Moskowitz also recorded a video message to Babinec that played at Wednesday’s meeting.

“You’ve never backed down from a challenge,” said the congressman. “You’ve always stepped up, and you have a tremendous legacy to show in the city that you’ve helped shape.”

Other tributes to Babinec poured in from a long list of public officials, including state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland), state Rep. Dan Daley (D-Coral Springs), Parkland’s mayor and commissioners, and Babinec’s colleagues on the City Hall dais.

“The situations he has had to lead through are situations that people usually never have to even experience, never mind be the guiding light to show people how they can get through it by bringing the humanity to make sure that every person who’s affected feels seen and supported through it,” Hunschofsky, a former Parkland mayor, said of Babinec’s leadership in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.

Babinec thanked his many family members and friends in attendance Wednesday, bidding goodbye to a local government that his colleagues – and city residents – said he helmed with selflessness and a steady hand.

“It’s been a privilege to serve you,” Babinec said.

Send Your News to Coral Springs’s #1 Award-Winning News Site Here. Don’t Miss Parkland Talk, Tamarac Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, Margate Talk, and Sunrise FL Talk..

Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.