Meet Nick Sortal
Before entering public service and becoming mayor, Nick Sortal spent 35 years as a newspaper writer and editor, including 30 years at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. For most of his career, he covered community news—digging into the issues that mattered most to local residents and earning a reputation for fairness, thoroughness, and accuracy.
Nick is also known for his ability to connect with people and tell stories with heart. His article “A Wave for Grandpa Bob” was reprinted in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Celebrating People Who Make a Difference. He was recognized by the Society for Features Journalism and the Florida Press Club for human-interest pieces including “A Walk in the Park,” about an elderly man’s daily strolls through Plantation Central Park.
Over time, Nick developed a strong passion for parks and recreation. In 2006, he received a media excellence award from the Florida Recreation and Park Association. His reporting led him to build deep knowledge of water safety programs, the Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant process for municipal park development, and the elements of successful youth sports programs. In 2009, he was named a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Positive Coaching Alliance at Northeastern University.
In his final years in journalism, Nick covered entertainment and developed expertise in South Florida’s complex gambling rules and regulations. During that period, he began shaping a plan to transition from reporting on public life to participating in it. “I wanted to actually do, instead of write about people who do,” he says. “And I was fortunate to see how a variety of cities operated, with hopes that I could bring the best of everyone’s practices to a city I love.”
Career & Hobbies
Nick took a voluntary buyout from the Sun-Sentinel in November 2015 and then signed a freelance contract with The Miami Herald in December 2015, which concluded when he filed to run for office. He also served for 10 years as a professional adviser to American Heritage School’s award-winning Patriot Post newspaper.
A lifelong basketball coach, Nick has spent more than 30 years on school campuses coaching at Cardinal Gibbons High, St. Thomas Aquinas, and American Heritage School. In 2001, he combined his interests in sports and teaching by writing Basketball Tip-Ins: 100 Drills and Tips for Young Players, published by McGraw-Hill.
Nick is also an avid triathlete, competing in eight to 10 races each year. His daily routine—swimming, biking, running, and yoga—has helped him complete eight 70.3 (half-Ironman) triathlons, a demanding event that includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run.
Family Life
Nick has been married since 1993 to his wife, Robyn, the first woman to become an assistant sports editor at the Sun-Sentinel and an honoree as one of Broward’s 100 Outstanding Women (2014). They live in Jacaranda Lakes and have three children: Diane, a strategy officer at a local advertising company, married to financial executive Nick Kiefer; Michelle, a college advisor at American Heritage School, who married Merick Lewin in 2020; and Aaron, a post-production specialist in Los Angeles for Netflix, a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University. Nick and Robyn are also proud grandparents of four.
Nick grew up in Herrin, Illinois, where his father was a basketball coach and junior high assistant principal; a gymnasium is named in his father’s honor. Nick graduated from Southern Illinois University with degrees in mathematics and journalism, and worked in Carbondale, Illinois; Owensboro, Kentucky; St. Louis; and Indianapolis before moving to Florida and joining the Sun-Sentinel.
Community Involvement
Nick’s civic and volunteer involvement includes:
- Creator of “Plantation Palooza,” an annual concert benefiting local causes (2022: support for Ukrainians resettling in Broward; 2021: Take Stock in Children; 2020: Feeding South Florida)
- Volunteer coach with the Plantation Athletic League (basketball, flag football, soccer), 1993–2004
- Volunteer “Christmas Eve Santa” visiting city neighborhoods in various years
- Volunteer with Plantation Relay for Life for 15 years, including 2022
- Co-host of a Comcast cable “Sports Talk” show; in 1996, helped create and host a telethon that raised more than $100,000 for Kendrick English, a Stranahan High football player paralyzed making a tackle
- Volunteer food delivery driver for Craig’s Pantry, providing groceries to seniors in need
- Former classroom and office volunteer at Peters Elementary and Central Park Elementary
- Member of local organizations including Plantation Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Friends of the Helen B. Hoffman Library, 5000 Role Models of Excellence, Freedoms Foundation, and Take Stock in Children/Broward
- Graduate of the Broward County Water and Climate Academy (2020); featured in “The Invading Sea” series (link provided in original)
- Guest speaker and presenter of “10 Topics in Plantation” to clubs, HOAs, and community organizations (2019–2020)