Can two cousins really serve together on the Dania Beach commission?
That question is being asked around town now that the cousin of Mayor A.J. Ryan is running for office in the upcoming city election in November.
Here’s the answer: Yes, indeed, it is perfectly legal for relatives to serve together as commissioners.
Colman Ryan, the cousin in question and the son of County Commissioner Tim Ryan, says he’s caught the “political bug” and wants to get more involved in his community.
Ryan, 26, is one of seven candidates competing for three seats on the five-member City Commission on Nov. 5. The candidate with the most votes will serve as mayor for the first two years of a four-year term.
The other candidates include Polly Ann Jones, Gunnar Magliocca, Luis Rimoli, Morris Stowers and incumbents Joyce L. Davis and Marco Salvino Sr.
Jose Armand, a local activist, says he did a double take when he heard the mayor’s cousin was in the race.
“I was astonished,” Armand told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “I was talking to a lady in the audience at the last commission meeting and we were aghast. We were both wondering if it was legal.”
Armand was just as shocked to hear two family members can serve as elected officials on the same commission.
“I’m surprised it’s legal,” he said. Despite that, he said he felt it would have “the appearance of impropriety.”
While legal, it still remains rare for two relatives to serve on the same commission, said Bob Jarvis, a law professor with Nova Southeastern University.
“It does not appear to be a common practice,” Jarvis said. “It’s pretty rare. Normally this happens in very small towns.”
Dania Beach is the oldest city in Broward County, incorporating in 1904 with only 35 residents. The thriving city, located between Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, now has a population of nearly 32,000 residents.
Starting in November, the mayor of Dania Beach will earn $53,240 a year thanks to a 6% cost-of-living increase. The commissioners will each earn $50,506. All five will be given an expense allowance of $10,000 and a $480 phone stipend. Each will earn a pension from the Florida Retirement System. The city will pay 84% of their medical, dental and vision insurance.
A yen for politics
Ryan says he’s running for office because he loves his hometown and wants to make it even better.
Ryan said he has learned plenty watching his dad over the years.
“I listen to his advice, but I want to run my own campaign,” Ryan said.
As for having family ties to the mayor, Ryan shrugged it off.
“We both care but I think we’re going to see some things differently,” he said. “We’re just two guys who love our city. If elected, you’ll clearly see the difference between us. But you’ll see the shared opinions of two Dania residents who really care.”
Ryan said he and his cousin often get together for Dolphins games and family gatherings. But they both are well aware of the Sunshine Law and know not to get involved in a discussion about city business outside of the public eye.
“We’ll have plenty of time in the meetings to voice our opinions,” Ryan told the Sun Sentinel.
Back in the 1970s, two brothers served on the Dania Beach commission at the same time. Their terms overlapped by two years.
One brother, Ted Kay, won office only to see his younger brother, John, elected two years later.
It was legal then and it’s legal now, Jarvis said.
“If your husband is a U.S. senator and you want to run for the second seat, you should be able to run,” Jarvis told the Sun Sentinel. “It really wouldn’t be fair to disqualify on the basis of who you happen to be married to or related to. It’s up to the voters to decide if they are comfortable having relatives both serving.”
‘Up to the voters’
In theory, the two relatives might end up voting the same way. But in reality, they might not, Jarvis said.
“You might have two cousins on the commission who hate each other,” he said. “One cousin might not agree with what the other cousin is doing. It’s really up to the voters to decide.”
That said, the two relatives would still be subject to the state’s Government-in-the-Sunshine law.
“You cannot have any discussions on an upcoming vote,” Jarvis said. “The fact that you are related does not exempt you from that.”
Ted Kay, who still lives in Dania Beach part of the year, is now 82.
A retired airline pilot, Kay says he doesn’t recall any chatter around town at the time he and his brother were both on the commission.
“I ran for office because I didn’t like how the city was being run,” Kay said. “I served four years.”
Two of those years he served as mayor.
Kay says he doesn’t have any issue at all with the Ryan cousins serving on the board.
“I don’t see any problem with it,” Kay said. “A lot of times commissioners are good friends. We got along pretty good. There’s no reason to be mad at someone over their political position.”
Family roots
Mayor A.J. Ryan IV, a real estate broker, was elected two years ago.
His father, A.J. Ryan III, is the brother of County Commissioner Tim Ryan.
In his campaign literature from 2022, the mayor touts his roots as a fourth-generation Danian whose great grandfather opened A.J. Ryan Realty in 1924 — where he now works.
“My great grandfather was a commissioner in the 1920s,” Mayor Ryan told the Sun Sentinel. “My grandfather was a state senator in the 1960s. My uncle, Tim Ryan, was in the state Legislature and a county commissioner.”
Mayor Ryan, who is 34, noted the eight-year age gap between him and his cousin.
“Colman’s a different generation than me,” Mayor Ryan said. “I’m a millennial and he’s Gen Z.”
If his cousin wins office, the mayor says he will treat him no differently than the rest of the commission, with integrity and respect.
“People are concerned about the Sunshine Law,” the mayor said, referring to the fact that he and his cousin will see each other at family gatherings. “But any business we do can be done on the dais.”
If his cousin joins him on the dais, the mayor says he doesn’t expect them to agree on everything.
“We are going to come to disagreements,” he said. “But you let bygones be bygones. These people on the commission are doing the job for the same reason I am, for the love of our community.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan
