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Coral Springs Street to be Renamed after Late Mayor

by Guest Contributor June 6, 2019

by Guest Contributor June 6, 2019 41 views

Coral Springs Street to be Renamed after Late Mayor

The street next to city hall which will be renamed in honor of the late mayor.

By: Jen Russon

A unanimous vote to rename a road in the heart of downtown Coral Springs took place Wednesday at the city commission meeting.

NW 94th Avenue, which heads south from Sample Road is just under one mile in length and runs from city hall to NW 31st Court. The well-traveled road will soon bare the name of the late Coral Springs mayor, Skip Campbell.

The late Skip Campbell in September 2018.

Campbell, who died following complications from hip replacement surgery, was not just a three time-elected mayor of the city with “Everything Under the Sun,” but a former state senator and founder of the Krupnick Campbell law firm. At the time of his death, Campbell had more than 400 active cases, his passing at the age of 64, coming as a shock to all who knew him.

Vice Mayor Joy Carter, who served with Campbell on the city commission for four years, said he was both mentor and friend to her. Having known Campbell for decades before being elected to office herself, Carter was one of the commissioners who suggested honoring the late mayor by naming a road after him. Carter’s suggestion was one of many made by the city commission on possible tributes to Campbell; these included renaming a conference room in city hall, dedicating a memorial bench, or building a public park.

“All of us were supportive of something being done and leaning toward settling on one thing,” said Carter, who raised her idea of renaming NW 94th Avenue in April.

After an initial discussion at the city commission retreat, the resolution to rename the road Walter “Skip” Cambell Avenue was met with full approval. City attorney, John Hearn, and director of development services, Susan Krisman formally presented the resolution to the commissioners and mayor at a city commission meeting where they not only voted unanimously but — as Vice Mayor Carter put it — did so “all-heartedly.”

Moving forward, Hearn will notify the post office on NW 94th Avenue about the change, as well as order new signage, which could take between four to six weeks. Once the street sign is installed, an official ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate Walter “Skip” Campbell Avenue will take place.

Mayor Scott Brook, who won the special election to replace Campbell in March, expressed how pleased he was to honor his predecessor in such a way.

“I’m very happy we’re doing this to honor Skip Campbell. It’s a great tribute to his dedication to our community and his leadership over the years,” said Mayor Brook.

Commissioner Joshua Simmons, appeared to be equally touched, adding he was happy he and his fellow commissioners had reached a compromise.

The date of the ribbon cutting ceremony for Walter “Skip” Campbell Avenue is expected to be announced within the next two months.