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'People Need to Feel They're Being Heard': Melissa Donnahoe Runs for Coral Springs Commission Seat With Message of Bringing Residents Together

Melissa Donnahoe {courtesy}

Melissa Donnahoe, a longtime Coral Springs resident who serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board and helps lead the Coral Springs Community Chest, is running for city commission seat 4, centering her campaign on public safety, affordability, and strengthening community connections.

Donnahoe is a South Florida native who raised her three daughters in Coral Springs (two of her daughters are 29 and the other 25; all attended Coral Glades High School). She said her interest in civic leadership grew gradually, beginning with volunteering in her daughters’ school activities and expanding into broader community and city service.

“I want to help guide our city forward, in a way that helps people feel connected and heard,” Donnahoe told Coral Springs Talk. “If residents are not coming to us, we have to go to them.”

She said that approach would mean expanding outreach beyond City Hall by engaging residents directly in neighborhoods, community associations, and informal settings where people already gather.

“I want to meet people where they are,” she said.

Her early involvement in the city included volunteering as a judge for Coral Glades’ debate program, followed by participation in city events such as ArtWalk and work with the Mental Wellness Network Alliance. That path eventually led her to the Coral Springs Community Chest, where she now serves as vice chair.

Through that role, Donnahoe reviews applications from residents seeking financial assistance — an experience she said has shaped her understanding of the serious financial burdens residents face.

“I see people struggling,” Donnahoe said. “I understand how difficult it is for people to afford to pay their mortgage or pay their rent. I’d like to work on having more affordability in the city, and at least ensuring people can stay where they are.”

Donnahoe also serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, where she said she draws on her expertise in the real estate field in an effort to improve communities. She is a licensed real estate broker, a real estate instructor who teaches ethics and fair housing courses, and works in residential, commercial, and rental real estate. She and her husband, Prince Donnahoe, also invest in property locally and nationally.

While public safety and affordability are major priorities for Donnahoe, she also wants to bridge the divide between residents and their local government, while also bringing residents of different backgrounds and viewpoints together.

“It’s really easy to be angry on social media,” she said. “It’s different when you sit across from someone and talk face to face.”

At a recent city commission meeting, Donnahoe suggested creating a public gathering space on city property — such as a fountain with a seating area — where residents could sit, talk, and interact informally. She said spaces like that could encourage conversations between people who may not otherwise talk with one another.

Donnahoe said her belief in the power of community building is rooted in her own neighborhood experience. She and her husband moved to the Pine Ridge neighborhood earlier this year and were quickly welcomed by neighbors through block parties, group text chats, and community gatherings.

“People don’t talk about politics,” she said. “They talk to each other. They look out for each other.”

Donnahoe said that kind of hyper-local connection gives her confidence that broader unity across the city is possible.

Public safety, she said, is foundational to that effort.

“One of the reasons I brought my family here was because Coral Springs has lower crime than most cities in Broward County, and I’d like to keep it that way,” Donnahoe said.

She said her family and friends grieved with the community after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in 2018. While her daughters did not attend MSD, she said the tragedy underscored the importance of community members leaning on each other for support.

Speaking about the school shooting, she said: “I want to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. I want to make sure that our students feel safe when they go to school, that people feel safe when they’re on our streets, and that residents feel safe in their homes.”

Donnahoe said her decision to run for office was also influenced by conversations with her daughters, two of whom live in Coral Springs, about the lack of affordability, domestic and global strife, and whether they feel safe raising families in such an uncertain world.

“As a mother, you want to do everything that you can for your children, to help them feel safe,” said Donnahoe. “So I’m going to do whatever I can to make things better, and make sure they feel comfortable enough to bring a child into this world.”

If elected, Donnahoe said she hopes to be known as a commissioner who listens, collaborates, and works to bring residents together in an inclusive way — not just at City Hall, but throughout the community.

“I think that my professional experience, my community service, and public service experience allows me to approach issues thoughtfully and responsibly,” she said. “To be able to look at a budget, to understand profit and loss statements, to understand balance sheets and negotiate contracts. These are all things I’ve already done in my professional career” that would help her in public office, Donnahoe said.

Donnahoe is seeking to replace Commissioner Joshua Simmons, who is term-limited as of 2026. She faces competition in the Seat 4 race from attorney Jeffrey Adelman and children’s advocate Jennifer Levi.

The city commission race is nonpartisan, something Donnahoe said aligns with her approach.

“It takes everyone’s voice to have a well-rounded city, and people need to feel they’re being heard,” she said. Her campaign slogan, she says, is something she strongly believes: “You can’t build community without unity.”

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.