City Attorney Frank Adler, who rose to the top of city and county government during half a century of public service, died Monday. He was 77.
Mr. Adler died at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, wherehe had been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and other health problems since Aug. 4.
The loss of the former mayor, city commissioner and Broward County commissioner stunned people in Dania, where flags flew at half staff Tuesday.
“Everybody is going to miss Frank,” Mayor Bob Mikes said. “What’s most unfortunate is he never really had a chance to transcribe some of his memories in either a book or a recording. It’s a shame.”
Mr. Adler was widely respected in Dania, where he was city attorney since 1977. Last month, city commissioners designated November as Frank “Tootie” Adler month, remembering to add the nickname that stuck with him throughout his life.
Mr. Adler will be remembered for his wit, humor and kindness, his wife, Heather Adler said.
“Up to the bitter end, his mind was as sharp as all get out,” she said. “He had wonderful historic stories to tell about different people in the county. It was always hysterically funny.”
Heather Adler said her husband was also kind-hearted and enjoyed helping others, often taking on clients who could not afford legal help.
“Sometimes they would pay him 20 years later,” she said. “I remember a lady paying him in tomatoes.”
Born in Bartow, into a three-generation Florida family, Mr. Adler moved to Dania as a child. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
Mr. Adler became Dania’s youngest city commissioner in 1946 at age 26. While a commissioner, he started attending law classes at the University of Miami at night.
He was elected mayor in 1951, Broward County commissioner in 1958, chairman of the county commission in 1962 and 1966 and city commissioner again in 1972. He also served as the city’s postmaster, and as a volunteer firefighter.
As mayor, Adler arranged the purchase of 28 acres of Dania beach for $280.
While serving on the county commission, he helped slice Broward County into zoning districts, and determined that Broward and Collier counties could co-finance the construction of Alligator Alley with a toll.
When not on the job, Mr. Adler could often be found behind the barbecue pit. Dania residents long praised his barbecuing skills and his barbecue sauce.
“We had a little crew that barbecued for all the churches and civic organizations in town,” said longtime friend Eugene Jewell, a former fire chief and city manager.
The search for another city attorney will begin soon, Mikes said, but commissioners say Mr. Adler will be difficult to replace.
“When you walked into Tootie’s office with a question, not only did he have the answer, but he had the history of the answer,” Commissioner Bill Hyde said. “He didn’t have to go look at a law book because he was there.”
“It was like sitting across the desk from a talking encyclopedia.”
Besides his wife, Mr. Adler is survived by three sisters, Mary Everett, of Alpharetta, Ga.; Loretta Grieshaber, of Gonzales, Calif; and Gladys Mae White, of East Palatka.
Visitation will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday at United Methodist Church, 113 S. Federal Highway in Dania.
A memorial will be held at 3 p.m. at the church.
About 4 p.m., a funeral procession, led by a firetruck containing Mr. Adler’s body, will leave the church for the east Woodlawn area of Dania Memorial Park, 300 S. Dixie Highway. After a short ceremony there, a reception will follow in the atrium of City Hall, 100 W. Dania Beach Blvd.
