Plantation mayor goes on medical leave, and council president takes the reins

Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal is temporarily out of City Hall for medical reasons, so Council President Tim Fadgen will fill in for him, city officials said Monday.

In an email to council members Monday, Chief Administrative Officer Jason Nunemaker said Sortal is out under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act focusing on his health.

Sortal issued a statement about being on leave: “To treat a series of injuries, I was prescribed a pain medication under my physician’s care. Realizing that reliance on pain medication is not a long-term solution, I decided to stop taking it and I had a reaction to an alternate medication. As a result, I chose a medical treatment that will require me to take a temporary leave of absence.”

“In the meantime, City Council President Tim Fadgen will take over the duties of Mayor, as spelled out in the charter,” he wrote in his statement.

The city doesn’t have a date yet for when the mayor would return to work, Nunemaker said. Nunemaker said Sortal’s leave began Monday.

Plantation is a rare strong-mayor form of government, with the mayor running the daily operations of the city, instead of a city manager like most of Broward’s cities.

Sortal, who was first elected in 2018 to the City Council, won the mayor’s seat in 2022.

Sortal added in his statement, “The city is in good hands with our dedicated council members and staff. We are so grateful for all of the kind words my family and I have received from our friends and neighbors in our community. Thank you.”

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash