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Carnival cruise passenger vanishes after ship docks in Florida

September 6, 2023 / 8:39 AM EDT / CBS News

A man has been missing for over two days after disappearing from a docked Carnival cruise ship in Miami, officials and the cruise line said. 

According to a missing persons poster released by the Miami-Dade Police Department, 26-year-old Kevin McGrath was last seen on board the Carnival cruise ship Conquest early Monday morning. McGrath was reported missing by a family member, Carnival said in a statement to CBS News. 

Police said he was last seen in his cabin aboard the ship at around 2 a.m. local time on Sept. 4. Carnival said that McGrath was "last seen in his cabin at approximately 7 a.m. according to his cabinmate."

That was around the time guests were leaving the ship, the cruise line said. An "extensive search" did not find McGrath on board. 

The U.S. Coast Guard used a helicopter to search the "water in the general vicinity," the cruise line said, and Miami-Dade police officers boarded the ship to investigate and search. McGrath was "not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," Carnival said. The ship was later cleared to sail on by police. 

McGrath, a Black man with brown eyes and brown hair, was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and gray sneakers, police said. 

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

Police said McGrath "may be in need of services." 

The cruise line said they were in contact with McGrath's family through their Carnival Care Team.

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Carnival cruise passenger reported missing after ship returns to port in Miami

Police and federal authorities are searching for a man who was reported missing Monday morning after a Carnival cruise ship returned to Miami.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen at 7 a.m. Monday in his cabin as the Carnival Conquest reported back to the Port of Miami, Carnival said in a statement Tuesday. He was reported missing by his family and "was not located on board despite an extensive search."

Miami-Dade police issued a missing person's alert Tuesday morning for McGrath, who was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and gray sneakers. Police said he "may be in need of services" and asked anyone with information to contact authorities.

After McGrath could not be found on board, the Coast Guard was contacted, and Miami police officers arrived to investigate, Carnival said.

"The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process," the company said.

McGrath's brother declined to comment when contacted by phone Tuesday.

The Coast Guard confirmed that its crews are "actively searching near the Port of Miami and along the South Florida shore" after the missing person's report Monday.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

Carnival Cruise passenger reported missing after ship returns to Florida

Kevin McGrath was last seen in his cabin before returning to port.

A guest aboard a Carnival cruise ship was reported missing by family Monday morning, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was on the Carnival Conquest with family and was last seen by his brother in his cabin early Monday, the day the ship arrived back to Port Miami, according to a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line.

McGrath was supposed to meet with family for breakfast before disembarking the ship, but he never arrived, Miami-Dade Detective Angel Rodriguez said in a statement.

After an extensive search, Carnival crew members were unable to find McGrath on the ship. The U.S. Coast Guard and the Miami-Dade Police Department were later called to investigate and searched the ship and the water for the missing man but failed to locate him.

MORE: Coast Guard searching for cruise passenger who jumped overboard off Florida coast

Surveillance systems and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol did not find McGrath once passengers were disembarking the ship, Carnival said. Miami-Dade authorities also checked security cameras, none of which indicated that he may have gone overboard, Rodriguez said.

McGrath's whereabouts are still unknown.

McGrath is 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds and was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and gray sneakers.

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Officials are searching for a missing Carnival cruise passenger who was last seen on board shortly before the ship docked in Miami

• A Carnival cruise passenger is missing after he was last seen before the ship docked in Miami.
• Miami-Dade police told Insider that Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen by his brother in his cabin.
• Coast Guard officials are still searching the Port of Miami and South Florida waters.

Coast Guard officials are searching Florida waters after a Carnival cruise passenger disappeared shortly before the ship returned to PortMiami this week.

Miami-Dade Police Department identified the missing man as Kevin McGrath, 26. A spokesperson with the department told Insider that McGrath was last seen by his brother at approximately 2 a.m. on Monday morning in his cabin.

McGrath was supposed to meet his family for breakfast ahead of the ship's return to port but he never arrived for the meal, authorities said.

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He was reported missing at approximately 7 a.m on Monday, a spokesperson with the cruise line told Insider.

The missing person's report came right as passengers were beginning to disembark in PortMiami following the the four-day Bahamas venture, the cruise line said.

Carnival crew conducted an "extensive" search on board the ship but failed to find McGrath. Miami-Dade police then boarded the ship to investigate. McGrath was not detected by any of the ship's surveillance systems, including security cameras and US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process.

Authorities said the ship's cameras and security devices don't indicate that McGrath went overboard.

A spokesperson with the US Coast Guard told Insider that air and surface crews are still actively searching for McGrath near Port Miami and along the South Florida shore.

Miami-Dade police eventually cleared the Carnival Conquest to set sail again. The ship is currently located in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean on its way to the Bahamas, cruise tracking data shows.

The incident comes just one week after a 19-year-old college student went overboard the largest operational cruise ship in the world , the Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. Authorities have conducted a lengthy search for the missing man, but he has yet to be found.

A 2020 study from the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association found that 19 people go overboard cruise ships each year on average.  At least six people have gone overboard in the last three months , promoting debate over whether cruise ships should be required to install man-overboard detection systems.

Watch: Sub taking tourists to see the Titanic goes missing

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Missing Carnival cruise passenger's last known whereabouts revealed as search intensifies off Florida coast

A cruise spokesperson said the man wasn't seen by u.s. customs and border patrol during the debarkation process.

Passenger details nightmare on cruise ship: 'We felt trapped'

Kathleen Meenan, a passenger on Carnival Sunshine, shares how the ship was battered by 80 mph winds and rough waters on 'America Reports.'

Officials are searching for a Carnival cruise passenger who went missing as the ship arrived in Miami on Monday morning. 

Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen at his stateroom early Monday morning on the Carnival Conquest, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department. He was last seen in the area of PortMiami, police said.

A spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Line told Fox News Digital that the passenger's cabin mate last saw the man at 7:00 a.m., which is around the time that debarkation was beginning.

Cruise employees performed an "extensive" search of the ship, but the spokesperson said the 26-year-old wasn't found.

AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT IDENTIFIED AS PASSENGER WHO WENT OVERBOARD FROM WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP

Officials are searching for a Carnival Cruise passenger who went missing as the ship arrived in Miami on Monday morning.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Miami-Dade Police)

McGrath wasn't detected by the ship's surveillance systems and wasn't seen by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the cruise's debarkation process.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard told Fox News Digital it is "actively searching" near PortMiami and along the South Florida shore for McGrath, but his whereabouts are still unknown.

SEARCH UNDERWAY AFTER PASSENGER ON WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP GOES OVERBOARD

McGrath wasn't detected by the ship's surveillance systems, and wasn't seen by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the cruise's debarkation process. (Miami-Dade Police Department)

A Carnival Cruise spokesperson said the Coast Guard performed a helicopter search.

Angel Rodriguez, a detective with the Miami-Dade Police Department told Fox News Digital that McGrath was supposed to meet the family for breakfast before leaving the cruise but never arrived.

The detective also said that the ship’s cameras and security devices don't indicate he went overboard.

Key West Florida USA cruise ship Carnival Conquest at dock Mallory Square.  (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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The ship was eventually cleared to sail by Miami-Dade police .

McGrath was on a two-night cruise to Bimini, Bahamas.

Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.

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A rip current statement in effect for Coastal Broward and Coastal Miami Dade Regions

Coast guard suspends search off miami for missing carnival cruise ship passenger, kevin mcgrath, 26, was onboard carnival conquest celebrating father’s 60th birthday.

Amanda Batchelor , Digital Executive Producer

Samiar Nefzi , Reporter

MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that it has suspended the search for a missing Carnival cruise ship passenger in the waters off Miami.

According to Coast Guard officials, Sector Miami Command Center watchstanders were alerted about the missing passenger around 11 a.m. Monday.

Miami-Dade police said Kevin McGrath, 26, was last seen around 2 a.m. that morning inside his cabin onboard the Carnival Conquest ship.

A statement from the cruise line, however, said his cabin mate actually last saw him around 7 a.m. “around the time the debarkation of guests was beginning.”

“The guest was not located on board despite an extensive search,” the statement read. “The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and completed a helicopter search of the water in the general vicinity and Miami-Dade police officers came on board to investigate.”

Carnival confirmed that McGrath “was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process.”

Coast Guard crews searched nearly 3,300 square nautical miles for more than 80 hours.

Miami-Dade police and Fire Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also assisted in the search.

McGrath’s sister told Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos Wednesday that her brother was aboard the ship with several relatives, celebrating their father’s 60th birthday.

“He was having a good time, an amazing time, on the cruise ship,” said Danielle McGrath.

Relatives said they know McGrath didn’t get off the ship through the debarkation process because his mother still has all of his personal identification credentials, like his birth certificate and license.

“This is not like him and he would never disappear like this,” Danielle McGrath said. “He is also a father of two kids. He would not disappear.”

Carnival Cruise Lines confirmed to Local 10 News Thursday that their investigation continues, including multiple reviews of closed circuit video footage.

Anyone with information about Kevin McGrath’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective M. Ritch Jr. at 305-715-3300 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.

About the Authors

Amanda batchelor.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Samiar Nefzi

Samiar Nefzi joined the Local 10 News team in August of 2023.

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Man, 26, disappears from carnival cruise ship after docking in miami.

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Carnival Ship Passenger Missing after Miami Cruise

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• September 6, 2023

A Carnival ship passenger has been reported missing after Carnival Conquest returned to PortMiami on Monday morning with one less guest.

Local authorities continue to search the vicinities of Port Miami and the South Florida shore for 26-year-old Kevin McGrath.

The news comes a week after a passenger went overboard on the world’s largest cruise ship.

Carnival Ship Passenger Missing

McGrath’s brother was the last to see him on Monday at 2 a.m. He was reportedly inside his cabin onboard Carnival Conquest.

They reported McGrath missing when he failed to meet his family for breakfast at 7 a.m. the next day. The missing person’s report came in while passengers began to disembark at PortMiami after a four-day sailing in the Bahamas.

After an extensive onboard search was unable to locate him, and there were no signs that he debarked, the cruise line reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and Miami police.

A Carnival Cruise Line representative said, “The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, during the debarkation process.” 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard deployed a helicopter to search nearby waters. Miami-Dade police boarded the ship for an investigation.

READ MORE : What Happens When Someone Goes Overboard

Though local authorities eventually gave Carnival Conquest clearance to leave for its next voyage, the search for McGrath was ongoing as of Tuesday.

The Miami-Dade police department’s Special Victims Bureau was also involved in the investigation since officials said the missing passenger may need special services.

McGrath has been described as five feet and nine inches tall. He weighs 170 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last spotted wearing a black shirt with black shorts and gray sneakers.

19 People Go Missing From Cruise Ships Every Year

The Maritime Injury Guide reports that 19 people go missing from cruise ships yearly. While that may not sound significant, it adds up to 400 people over the last 20 years. This includes accidental falls overboard, suicides, and disappearances during port visits.

In July, a passenger went overboard from Carnival Elation , followed by a string of others across Princess and Royal Caribbean.

Anyone with information that can help should contact Detective M. Ritch Jr. at (305) 715-3300 or Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).

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Family Desperate for Answers After Passenger Mysteriously Vanishes From Carnival Cruise Ship

🚨 #MISSING : Kevin McGrath, 26 years old, was last seen in the area of Port of Miami 1015 North America Way. The missing person may be in need of services. Anyone with information is urged to contact @CrimeStopper305 at (305) 471-8477 or by dialing **TIPS. pic.twitter.com/pmAAMpgSgM — Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) September 5, 2023

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Cruise ship passenger mysteriously disappears as it returns to port

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Police are searching for answers after a man disappeared from a cruise shipshortly before it returned to port in Florida .

Kevin McGrath, 26, went on a cruise from Miami to Bimini in the Bahamas over Labor Day Weekend.

But when the ship returned to port on Monday morning, McGrath was nowhere to be found. He was reported missing by family members after he failed to show up at a planned breakfast that same morning.

His disappearance sparked a massive search of the ship by crew members and police officers.

The last person to see McGrath was his brother, who saw him enter his cabin around 2.00am on Monday morning, Miami-Dade Police said.

Despite the ‘exhaustive’ search, investigators found no trace of the missing person, Carnival Cruise Lines said.

McGrath was not detected by the ship’s surveillance systems, and a search of security cameras conducted by the police confirmed he did not fall overboard.

The US Coast Guard also responded to assist with the search, sending a helicopterto search the waters around the ship. They did not find any trace of the missing man.

He was also not detected by surveillance systems used by US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process, Carnival Cruise Line said.

The Miami-Dade Police Department has now issued a missing person notice for McGrath, who they say was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black shorts, and gray sneakers.

The disappearance happened just over three months after another Carnival Cruise passenger disappeared from the Carnival Magic in Norfolk, Virginia.

After reviewing security footage, crew members determined that the victim, Ronnie Peale, fell overboard from the ship around 4.00am the morning of his disappearance.

The Coast Guard conducted a search of the area, but found no trace of the missing man.

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] . Or you can submit your videos and pictures here .

For more stories like this, check our  news page .

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A Carnival Cruise passenger who mysteriously vanished from the ship during a family vacation was not allowed to sail because he was on probation for assault after his wife said he threatened to kill her and their kids, according to a report.

Kevin McGrath, 26, was celebrating his dad’s 60 th birthday on the Carnival Conquest when he failed to show up for breakfast as the ship headed back to Port Miami after a Labor Day weekend cruise to the Bahamas.

But the ship’s cameras and overboard detection system showed no indication that he went overboard and his disappearance has been shrouded in mystery ever since the Coast Guard called off its search.

It has now emerged that McGrath pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in Tennessee in September 2022 and was sentenced to six years of supervised probation, TMZ reported .

His wife said he threatened to kill her and their children, according to the outlet, which cited legal documents.

McGrath received permission to move from Tennessee to Florida, where he was living with his parents, but his probation officers said he never got a green light to go on a cruise, the report said.

The probation office — which apparently only found out he had been aboard the Conquest when media reported about his disappearance — said he also is delinquent on $241.20 in probation fees, the outlet said.

McGrath was with a big group of relatives during the three-day cruise, his sister Danielle McGrath previously told USA Today.

He was reportedly last seen by his brother Andre at about 2 a.m. Sept. 3 and his keycard was used to enter his room around 3:30 a.m.

The family met for breakfast at 7:30 a.m., but McGrath didn’t show.

His disappearance came a week after a  young college student fell overboard  off the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.

Sigmund Ropich, 19, tumbled into the ocean off Cuba and was never found.

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Crew member goes missing at sea during around the world cruise ahead of return to UK

A crew member has been reported missing at sea on an around the world cruise.

The crew members went missing from the Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambassador ship.

The massive 1,400 guest cruise ship was making its way back from Lisbon , Portugal , to the UK, when one crew member was reported missing, according to Sky News.

Ambience had turned back to ‘retrace her route to the ship’s position when the crew member was last seen,’ the outlet said citing a statement from the British cruise line.

But the ship has since been ‘released by coastguard authorities from the search’ and it is making its ‘original course back to the UK,’ the company said.

The missing crew member is reportedly from India and they are thought to have gone missing ‘shortly after breakfast’ on Friday when the cruise was off Cape Finisterre on the Spanish coast, the statement said.

A thorough ship-wide searchers were carried out for the missing person, who has not been named, Sky News said.

The local coastguard was also informed.

Ambassador told the outlet in a statement: ‘Our immediate priority is to provide full support to all crew members closely affected by this incident.

‘Guests onboard have been kept informed throughout the day and have been advised of recent developments.

‘Ambassador remains committed to the safety and wellbeing of all our crew and guests. We are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of our colleague at this difficult time.’

The cruise ship set off for the 120-day voyage on January 6 from Tilbury, Essex.

It was scheduled to arrive in the UK at 9am on Sunday, but it will be delayed until the evening, the UK-based company said.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected] .

For more stories like this, check our news page .

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Crew member missing at sea during round-the-world cruise

The ship - which can carry 1,400 guests at a time - turned back to join the search for the missing crew member. It had been due to return back to the UK on Sunday morning.

By Rachel McGrath, news reporter

Friday 3 May 2024 22:07, UK

A crew member on a 120-day voyage around the world is missing at sea.

Ambassador Cruise Line's Ambience ship was making its final journey from Lisbon, Portugal back to the UK when the crew member was reported missing.

In a statement to Sky News, the British cruise line said Ambience had initially turned back to "retrace her route to the ship's position when the crew member was last seen".

However, it has since been "released by coastguard authorities from the search" and is "continuing on her original course back to the UK".

According to the statement, the crew member, who was from India, was reported missing "shortly after breakfast" this morning while the ship was off Cape Finisterre, on the west coast of Spain .

It said thorough ship-wide searches were conducted for the person, who has not been named, and the local coastguard was informed.

Ambience had departed from Tilbury, Essex on 6 January and is due to return to the port on Sunday.

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Ambassador has confirmed its arrival time, initially planned for 9am, will be delayed until the evening.

All events to mark its return have also been cancelled.

"Our immediate priority is to provide full support to all crew members closely affected by this incident," Ambassador said.

"Guests onboard have been kept informed throughout the day and have been advised of recent developments.

"Ambassador remains committed to the safety and wellbeing of all our crew and guests. We are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of our colleague at this difficult time."

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British cruise line Ambassador has its headquarters in Purfleet, Essex, and its home port is the nearby Tilbury.

The 800ft-long Ambience is its flagship boat and can carry 1,400 guests in its 789 cabins.

Stops on its 120-day Grand Round The World Cruise voyage have included New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Brazil.

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Education | Plan to close and overhaul Broward schools…

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Education | plan to close and overhaul broward schools faces resistance. a closer look at the growing opposition..

Oakridge Elementary in Hollywood, Olsen Middle in Dania Beach and Broward Estates Elementary in Lauderhill would shut down completely in the fall of 2025, under a plan Superintendent Howard Hepburn unveiled Monday to deal with declining enrollment. Officials in those cities have all voiced opposition to the plans.

Another proposal generating controversy is to remove the Montessori magnet program from high-performing Virginia Shuman Young Elementary in Fort Lauderdale and move it to the more struggling Bennett Elementary, two miles away.

Mary Fertig, a longtime Fort Lauderdale education activist, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel she’s “tremendously concerned this will destabilize” area schools “that we’ve been spent a generation building.”

“The fact they would do this without consulting any of us is unbelievable,” she said.

School Board member Allen Zeman, a Fort Lauderdale resident who has a countywide seat, said he plans to hold meetings with at least three cities that voiced concerns about the district’s proposals: Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Pembroke Pines.

Zeman said a big weakness in the district’s plan has been the way it was communicated. Even though two of the three school closures were in the Hollywood area, those plans weren’t revealed prior to the first of seven town halls, which was held Monday night at Hollywood Hills High.

Zeman also said the format of the town halls — three of which have been held already and four of which are scheduled over the next week — don’t give the public a chance to have a dialog with school officials. Comments are limited to two minutes and district officials have rarely responded to questions asked by attendees.

“I plan to listen to people and actually talk to them, which has been missing from the town halls,” Zeman said of his own meetings with cities. “I want to be able to explain to them there are possibilities and potential for the system to get stronger through these repurposing efforts. We’re dramatically oversized and under-resourced.”

Zeman said he wants the district to invest money it’s now spending on buildings directly into the classroom.

One proposal Zeman supports involves a dramatic makeover to a school that is neither low-performing nor underenrolled. Virginia Shuman Young, one of the district’s most popular offerings, would switch from a Montessori school that students apply to get into, to a traditional school serving its surrounding neighborhoods. Bennett would then house the Montessori program, under the proposal.

That plan is facing major resistance, including from School Board member Sarah Leonardi, whose district includes the school. She said all the emails she has gotten oppose the idea.

“You would be disrupting one of the most successful and desirable schools, and for what?” she asked.

Zeman contends the plan could result in two A-rated schools, Virginia Shuman Young, which already has that distinction, and Bennett, which is currently C-rated. Bennett is also adjacent to Sunrise Middle in Fort Lauderdale, which has a Montessori program, providing a more seamless transition and the ability to share facilities, Zeman said.

Hepburn told the Sun Sentinel the proposal may help the district better compete, as many families in Virginia Shuman Young’s upscale Victoria Park neighborhood are choosing private schools because the school has limited space for their children.

“We have many families that live in that area that can’t send their kids there because it’s a full-choice school,” Hepburn told the Sun Sentinel.

However, the district already sets aside 150 of the 690 Virginia Shuman Young slots for students in the neighborhood, and only 126 of those are being used now, district data shows. District spokesman John Sullivan said that’s because the neighborhood seats go primarily to students starting the program in kindergarten.

“There is not a seat available in grades other than kindergarten since the existing students do not leave the school until they move to 6th grade,” he said.

Although the proposal is designed to serve more neighborhood students, it’s actually opposed by the Victoria Park Civic Association, which represents homeowners who live near the school, according to a letter association President Melissa Carbonell sent to the School Board on Thursday.

“This proposal changes the educational choices available to our residents and risks destroying a successful, diverse school program that is serving many members of our community,” Carbonell wrote.

She cited other problems. Many residents are zoned for nearby Harbordale Elementary and don’t want to be rezoned. And she noted that Bennett only has the capacity for 572 students, fewer than the 690 now attending Virginia Shuman Young. That could potentially mean there aren’t enough seats for all Montessori students.

Zeman suggested enlarging Bennett to accommodate all Virginia Shuman Young students, an idea not included in the superintendent’s proposal. That may face opposition from other board members since the district’s reasons for closing and repurposing schools is to save money and reduce the number of seats in the district, in addition to offering better options.

The Virginia Shuman Young proposal is viewed skeptically by Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Steve Glassman.

“I have serious concerns, primarily hearing from my constituents in Victoria Park,” Glassman told the Sun Sentinel. “Much more public input is necessary before final decisions are made.”

A town hall for the area is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at Fort Lauderdale High. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel he also expects the district’s proposal to be brought up at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

Other cities in affected areas also are voicing alarm.

Officials from the city of Lauderhill raised concerns at a recent town hall about closing Broward Estates Elementary. City Manager Desorae Giles-Smith said the district has neglected many schools in her city.

“Schools in Lauderhill have not received the attention that they should. Broward Estates is one of them,” she said at a Wednesday night town hall at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale. “We want to make sure our schools are brought up to current standards.”

The City Commission in Hollywood passed a resolution Wednesday night opposing the possible closure of the 65-year-old Oakridge Elementary and pledged to reject any requests to zone the property for non-education use. The district has proposed using the site for workforce housing.

“While workforce housing is a great need and we are addressing that need, the single-family neighborhood that surrounds Oakridge Elementary is not suitable to have multi-family units built right in the middle of it,” Mayor Josh Levy told the City Commission.

Commission members questioned why the school was even being considered. Oakridge is 76% full, well above the 55% threshold the district used in most cases to identify schools that are severely underenrolled.

District officials say Oakridge was proposed because it’s D-rated and has outdated facilities, and there’s room in other schools to house its students.

“To put them as a target because the building is old and it’s a D school — they can put money in it and fix how they’re teaching kids,” Hollywood Commissioner Adam Gruber said at the Wednesday meeting.

City commissioners in Dania Beach plan to hold a special meeting Tuesday night to vote on a resolution opposing the district’s plans to close Olsen Middle. The district has proposed using it as office space for district administrators.

City officials say the school has already grown by 100 students under the leadership of a new principal, and the city has approved 10,000 additional housing units, which will likely create more demand for the school.

“Our city is experiencing a ‘renaissance,’ and the anticipated growth will yield hundreds of new students for Olsen,” Marco Salvino, a Dania Beach commissioner who attended Olsen in the late 1960s, wrote in a letter to Hepburn.

Another alum, Commissioner Tamara James, wrote that she became disheartened by the Olsen proposal after tuning into a community meeting Monday night at Hollywood Hills High.

“It became apparent that the proposed closures disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged children, limiting their access to quality education and resources,” she wrote. “I urge you to consider investing in Dania Beach and its schools, rather than closing them.”

The concentration of school closures and shakeups in the eastern part of the county has reignited a decades-long complaint that the district fails to treat eastern and western communities equitably. While the district built new schools to accommodate growth in the west in the 1990s and 2000s, eastern schools were often left neglected. The district agreed in a 2000 lawsuit settlement to provide more equity to older schools, but complaints have continued.

Hepburn said the conditions of the schools facing possible closure are not the same as those in western areas, such as Pembroke Pines, where enrollment in district schools has also declined .

Pembroke Pines has a large and growing population of public school students, many of whom attend charter schools, so the focus is to compete rather than to close, Hepburn said.

Although Hepburn isn’t recommending any school closures in Pembroke Pines, city leaders still appeared uneasy about the plan at a Wednesday night meeting. They noted an alternate proposal released by the district which would match enrollment with capacity and possibly close 42 unnamed schools.

“That has not been taken off the table,” Pembroke Pines City Commissioner Thomas Good said at the Wednesday meeting.

Mayor Angelo Castillo agreed to send a letter to the school district saying the city opposes any school closures and asks that city leaders have “direct involvement” with any decisions the school district makes.

The city runs its own successful charter school system, but Castillo said the city may have little say on what happens to district-run schools in the city.

“I don’t want anyone to blame the city of Pembroke Pines because the School District of Broward County decides they’re going to close schools. We didn’t conceive of it, we didn’t think it up. We don’t support it,” Castillo said. “We want to find out about it, but at the end of the day, these aren’t our schools to keep open or close.”

Following four town hall meetings over the week, the School Board plans to have a workshop at 5 p.m. May 14 at Plantation High to discuss the plans. Any final decisions are scheduled to be made June 18.

Here are schools proposed for changes under the superintendent’s plan to redefine Broward schools. The plan involves numerous boundary changes, some program changes and three closures. If approved, they would take effect during the 2025-26 school year.

— Attucks Middle, Hollywood: boundary change

— Bennett Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: switch from boundary to full-choice Montessori

— Broward Estates, Lauderhill: close

— Colbert Elementary, Hollywood: boundary change

— Collins Elementary, Dania Beach: boundary change

— Deerfield Beach Elementary: public-private partnership involving a historic building

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: end Montessori program, boundary change

— Harbordale Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: boundary change

— Hollywood Central Elementary: become a K-8 school

— Hollywood Hills Elementary: boundary change

— Mary M. Bethune Elementary, Hollywood: boundary change

— McNicol Middle Hollywood: boundary change

— North Fork Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: become a full choice “commuter school” with no busses.

— North Side Elementary Fort Lauderdale: boundary change

— Oakridge Elementary, Hollywood: close

— Olsen Middle School, Dania Beach: close

— Panther Run Elementary, Pembroke Pines: house exceptional student education cluster

— Pines Middle, Pembroke Pines: switch to 6-12 collegiate academy

— Plantation Elementary: boundary change

— Quiet Waters Deerfield: public-private partnership involving unused property

— Silver Lakes Elementary, Miramar: boundary change

— Silver Palms Elementary, Pembroke Pines: boundary change

— Silver Shores Elementary, Miramar: become a full choice K-8 school with new academic theme

— Stirling Elementary, Hollywood: boundary change

— Sunland Park Academy, Fort Lauderdale: switch from K-3 to K-5, boundary change

— Tedder Elementary, Pompano: public-private partnership involving vacant land or unneeded property

— Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: boundary change

— Virginia Shuman Young Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: switch from full choice Montessori to neighborhood boundary school

— Walker Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: boundary change

— Westwood Heights Elementary, Fort Lauderdale: boundary change

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