Florida → House → District 98
The Florida House directory lists Mitch Rosenwald (D) for the 2024–26 term and gives the county coverage as Part of Broward.
District map · 2022 House plan
¶ Geography and communities
Enacted under Florida’s 2022 decennial redistricting plan, Florida House District 98 encompasses a dense urban-suburban corridor in northeast-central Broward County, extending inland from coastal-adjacent neighborhoods toward the central Broward municipal core.
- Municipalities Included (Full or Partial):
- City of Oakland Park: The municipal and residential anchor of the district, hosting the incumbent's district office along North Dixie Highway (where Rosenwald previously served as Mayor and City Commissioner). Florida House of Representatives
- City of Pompano Beach (Central & Inland Portions): Significant residential, commercial distribution, and industrial aviation core.
- City of Lauderdale Lakes (Eastern Portions): High-density residential and healthcare corridor along State Road 7.
- City of Deerfield Beach (Southern Portions): Suburban residential and commercial enclaves buffering the northern border.
- City of Tamarac (Eastern Portions): Multi-family residential subdivisions and commercial plazas.
- City of Fort Lauderdale (Northern Periphery): Urban neighborhoods and transit interfaces buffering Cypress Creek Road and Commercial Boulevard.
- Census-Designated Places (CDPs) & Neighborhood Enclaves:
- Corals of Oakland Park & Harlem Park: Established historic residential neighborhoods.
- Twin Lakes & North Andrews Gardens: High-density single-family and multi-family residential tracts along the Dixie Highway corridor.
- Key Transportation & Rail Corridors:
- Interstate 95 (I-95): Primary high-density commuter and freight freeway bisecting the center of the district.
- State Road 811 (Dixie Highway): Crucial commercial, civic, and commuter corridor anchoring Oakland Park's downtown revitalization district.
- State Road 870 (Commercial Boulevard): High-volume east-west transit and commercial spine connecting interior communities to coastal arterials.
- State Road 814 (Atlantic Boulevard - Inland Segment): Major commercial artery carrying commuter traffic through Pompano Beach.
- Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway / Brightline Rail Corridor: Active passenger and heavy-freight rail spine running parallel to Dixie Highway.
- C-13 Canal (Middle River Canal) & C-14 Canal (Cypress Creek Canal): Critical regional drainage and flood control waterways managed by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).
¶ Population and electorate
(District-specific metrics based on enacted post-2020 reapportionment parameters; strictly excluding broader non-coterminous countywide totals.)
- Target Population: Standard reapportionment single-member baseline of ~179,754 residents post-2020 redistricting.
- Demographic Composition:
- Racial / Ethnic Composition: Performing majority-minority district with a significant African American and Afro-Caribbean demographic (notably Haitian American and Jamaican American working families concentrated across Lauderdale Lakes, Pompano Beach, and urban enclaves), balanced by an expanding Hispanic/Latino population (growing across Oakland Park and along commercial strips) and an established non-Hispanic White population.
- LGBTQ+ Community Concentration: Significant LGBTQ+ population and active civic presence centered in Oakland Park and surrounding areas, reflecting close proximity to the Wilton Manors cultural hub.
- Household Structure: Mix of working-class families, young professionals, healthcare workers, and active seniors residing in mid-century single-family homes, townhouses, and multi-family condominiums.
- Socioeconomic Character:
- Blue-collar trade services, light industrial logistics, healthcare delivery, education, and retail commercial economy.
- Elevated constituent demand for affordable workforce housing, expanded mental health resources, social safety-net supports, and child welfare system improvements.
- Urban drainage and flood exposure: low elevation and secondary canal networks require active maintenance of stormwater culverts and pump stations to prevent street flooding during intense tropical downpours and king-tide conditions.
¶ Elections and political context
District 98 functions as a dependable Democratic stronghold in central-northern Broward County, propelled by strong voter turnout across Black and Caribbean civic organizations, labor unions, and progressive municipal coalitions.
- Partisan Index: Safe Democratic (typically D+28 to D+36 baseline performance).
- Recent General & Primary Election History:
- Voter Resources & Official Information:
¶ Economic and civic anchors
- Higher Education & Social Sciences:
- Barry University (School of Social Work): Prominent South Florida higher education institution where Representative Rosenwald serves as a Professor of Social Work and Director of Doctoral Studies.
- Healthcare Infrastructure:
- HCA Florida Woodmont Hospital (Tamarac / District Interface): Comprehensive acute-care hospital providing 24/7 emergency medicine, general surgery, and behavioral health services.
- Holy Cross Health (Fort Lauderdale - Adjacent Draw): 550+ bed non-profit acute-care hospital and medical research center serving northern Broward County.
- Specialized community behavioral health centers, addiction recovery programs, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) along Oakland Park Boulevard and Commercial Boulevard.
- Aviation & Industrial Logistics:
- Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE - Adjacent Industrial Area): High-density corporate aviation and light-industrial manufacturing hub generating substantial regional economic activity and technical employment.
- Culinary Arts & Downtown Revitalization:
- Oakland Park Culinary Arts District: Downtown municipal redevelopment zone anchored by craft breweries, independent dining concepts, and mixed-use commercial investments along Dixie Highway.
¶ People and organizations to map
- Municipal Governance & Civic Coalitions:
- City of Oakland Park Municipal Leadership: Rosenwald’s four-year service on the Oakland Park City Commission (including his term as Mayor from 2023 to 2024) provides deep institutional ties to municipal administrators, public works directors, and local neighborhood associations. Wikipedia
- Neighborhood Coalition of Oakland Park: Grassroots coalition co-founded by Rosenwald, linking him to civic association presidents and homeowner boards across the city.
- Broward League of Cities & Florida League of Cities: Active institutional connections stemming from Rosenwald’s municipal representation on intergovernmental policy committees.
- Social Work, LGBTQ+ & Labor Coalitions:
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW - Florida Chapter): Professional network connecting Rosenwald to statewide social services, child welfare advocates, and clinical mental health practitioners.
- Dolphin Democrats & LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Networks: Prominent LGBTQ+ political advocacy organization that provided active campaign backing and grassroots mobilization. Wikipedia
- Labor Alliances: Structural alignment with public-sector and healthcare labor organizations, including 1199SEIU, AFSCME Florida, and the Broward County AFL-CIO.
- Research Leads (Speculative Network Connections):
- Research Lead: Non-profit mental health agencies, foster care networks, and youth behavioral health organizations likely maintain active policy consultation with Rosenwald given his published scholarship on child welfare advocacy and his academic leadership at Barry University.
- Research Lead: Downtown mixed-use real estate developers and transit-oriented corridor planners along Dixie Highway likely interface with the delegation regarding state tax credits, Brownfield redevelopment incentives, and regional commuter rail station planning.
¶ Representation and legislative work
- Incumbent Member: Mitchell "Mitch" Rosenwald
- Biographical Background: Born October 22, 1970, in Towson, Maryland; relocated to Florida in 2007; resident of Oakland Park. Wikipedia
- Academic Background: B.A. in Sociology and Economics from Salisbury State University (1992); M.A. in Sociology from Syracuse University (1993); Master of Social Work (MSW, 1997) and Doctor of Social Work (DSW, 2004) from the University of Maryland. Wikipedia
- Professional Background: Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW); Professor of Social Work and Director of Doctoral Studies at Barry University; published author on child welfare and foster care policy. Detail Page
- Public Service History: State Representative (2024–present); Mayor of Oakland Park (2023–2024); City Commissioner, City of Oakland Park (2020–2024). Wikipedia
- House Committee Assignments (2024–2026 Term):
- Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight
- Health & Human Services Committee
- Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee
- Careers & Workforce Subcommittee Detail Page
- Government Operations Subcommittee Detail Page
- Signature Policy Priorities: Expanding access to mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment services; reforming child welfare and foster care systems to support kinship caregivers; protecting municipal home-rule authority against state preemption; stabilizing Florida's residential property and flood insurance markets; addressing workforce housing shortages; and securing state budget appropriations for local stormwater drainage and drinking water utility hardening in central Broward County.
Research text: Gemini browser session, 2026-10-04. Officeholder and county coverage: Florida House directory. The graph keeps these leads separate from the reference office record.