COMMISSIONER CARYL SHUHAM

As commissioner, my focus has been on protecting the environment, increasing public safety, preserving the City’s history and promoting our unique neighborhoods. I work hard to maintain Hollywood’s character while supporting smart, resilient development along its underutilized commercial corridors and increasing access to housing that is affordable.

My commitment to improving our city and Broward County is extensive. I serve on the executive committee of the Solid Waste Disposal and Recyclable Materials Processing Authority of Broward County (SWA), Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization Board (MPO), the Broward County Climate Change Task Force (CCTF), the executive committee of the Metro Transportation Engineering and Construction Cooperative (MTECC) and was recently elected chair of the Broward County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board (TDLCB).  Additionally, after the Surfside tragedy at Champlain Towers, I served on the Broward County Condominium Structural Issues Committee.

I have been recognized as a Florida League of Cities Home Rule Hero, the Broward County School Board Outstanding Mentor of the Year and am a Hollywood Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member. I completed the Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Municipal Officials and received a Certificate of Achievement from the Broward County Leaders Water and Climate Academy. 

I currently serve as a mentor to young women students at Hollywood Hills High School through the Women of Tomorrow program. I am a graduate of Leadership Hollywood and have held several volunteer leadership positions in the past with Broward Public Schools Partners In Education, the David Posnack JCC and the local chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. I am a member of the Hollywood Rotary Club, the Hollywood Lions Club, the Hollywood Historical Society, the Hollywood Women’s Club, the Art & Culture Center of Hollywood and my family belongs to Temple Beth El in Hollywood.

I have a degree in civil engineering from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from the University of Maryland. I continue in my private law practice and am certified in Construction Law by The Florida Bar. I have extensive experience in preparing and negotiating construction contracts, as well as risk allocation, insurance and bonding.

In addition, I am a Supreme Court of Florida Certified Circuit Court Civil Mediator. My husband Marty and I live in east Hollywood and are the proud parents of three sons: Simon, an aerospace mechanical engineer; Matt, a journalist; and Ben, a physician – each the product of Broward County Public Schools.