Trantalis was elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission in 2003, and served until 2006. He was the city's first openly gay commissioner.
Fort Lauderdale City Commission (2013-2018)
Trantalis was elected to the Fort Lauderdale City Commission in a 2013 special election, defeating then-incumbent Charlotte Rodstrom, who instead ran for County Commission. He won the 2015 general election without much opposition.
"Homeless Hate Laws"
The City of Fort Lauderdale made international news when the commission voted to outlaw feeding the homeless. Trantalis voted against the ordinance, causing a major rift between himself and the commission. There was international outrage when a 93-year-old man, Arnold Abbot, was arrested for feeding the homeless. The City passed another feeding ban in 2017, despite public outcry. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would probe Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale, in response to the homeless sharing ordinances. Trantalis has vowed that as Mayor, he would not enforce the ordinance.
Development
Trantalis has been an early opponent of overdevelopment in the coastal city. On the commission, he voted against many of the development proposals. In 2017, he voted against the controversial Bahia Mar development proposal.
Fort Lauderdale Mayoral Election, 2018
The 2018 race for mayor of Fort Lauderdale was said to be the city's most heated election. Trantalis announced his intent to run for mayor late in October 2017. The election became about pressing issues such as development, infrastructure, traffic, and special interests. "Our infrastructure needs have reached a crisis level, and now we are discovering that mismanagement of city funds only made the situation worse", said Trantalis in a Sun Sentinel questionnaire. On January 12, 2018, Trantalis campaign staffer Elijah Manley was arrested by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. Manley was accused of tampering with campaign signs. On This Week in South Florida, Trantalis defended Manley, saying that it could have been because of a mistaken identity. Manley accused the Fort Lauderdale Police Department of a "politically motivated" arrest and bias for their former boss, Bruce Roberts, who was running against Trantalis. Trantalis and Roberts exceed to a March 2018 runoff. Trantalis handily defeated Bruce Roberts, with a 64% landslide in the March 13th, 2018 General Election runoff. Trantalis is the first openly gay person to be elected Mayor of Fort Lauderdale.
