E. Pat Larkins

Pat Larkins served as the face and the voice of the African-American community and had an extensive record of civic and professional accomplishments. In 1982, he was the second African American elected to the Pompano Beach City Commission and subsequently the first African American to serve as Mayor of the City of Pompano Beach. He had served twenty-five years of elected municipal service in Pompano Beach including an unprecedented seven years as Mayor, five years as Vice Mayor, and thirteen years as Commissioner. The oldest of nine children by farm worker parents, E. Pat Larkins was born in Pompano Beach on April 29, 1942. He was married to Bettye Lamar-Larkins, retired Broward County school teacher. Upon completing his high school education at Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach in 1960, he matriculated to Tennessee State University.

In 1962, he was hired as Housing Director with the local community action agency. In 1969, he was one of two recipients in the State of Florida to be awarded a one-year Ford Foundation fellowship to attend the National Housing Institute in Washington, D.C. and subsequently certified by HUD as a Housing Development Specialist. In 1970, he was employed by the Foundation for Co-Op Housing in Chicago, Illinois. In 1972, he created the Broward County Minority Builders Coalition, Inc., where he served as CEO for many years.

E. Pat Larkins’ civic and political involvements over the years are numerous. His previous involvements include:

• First Chairperson of the City of Pompano Beach Community Development Committee, Urban League Founding
• Board member, United Way Board of Directors,
• Superintendents’ Commission on Public Education, Florida
• Committee, Chamber of Commerce, National Black Mayors Conference and U.S. Conference of Mayors.
• He served an unprecedented 14 consecutive years as a member of the Broward County Planning Council and the first African American to chair that body. His present affiliations include NAACP,
• Life member, Kiwanis Club of Pompano Beach,
• North Broward Hospital District Community Relations Council,
• Ely High School Advisory Committee,
• Broward County Boys and Girls Club Corporate Board and John Stephanis Branch Board,
• Juvenile Justice Intensive Halfway House,
• Florida Energy/Weatherization Board of Directors,
• Florida Black Caucus/Local Elected Officials, and
• Longtime member of Hopewell Baptist Church.

Mr. Larkins unsuccessfully sought election to the Broward County Commission in 2001, but was re-elected to the Pompano Beach City Commission in 2003, where he continued to represent City Commission District 4 and served as Vice Mayor, when he became ill and had to resign his position as Commissioner/Vice Mayor on May 8, 2008. He passed away on Saturday, February 14th, 2009.