Big Vs. Itty Bitty

   Some years back, the City replaced all of its’ signature Cushman Jeep parking enforcement vehicles with Ford SUVs.

                  

    
I wrote about that at the time, and was critical. The old Cushman Jeep types were small and cheap, and even cheaper to operate.

    The powers that-be disagreed, said the Cushmans were out of date, hard to repair, not fitting for a City of our standing!

     But look at what’s new ! ………….


           

    
     Yup ! There is a new sheriff in town, proverbially speaking –  (Feldman), the new Department is called Transportation and Mobility, and the new buzz word around City Hall is sustainability. 

    
 The City now owns 5 Smart Cars in the parking division.

     At about  $15,000, Smart Cars are about $5000 cheaper than the Fords, and get about a zillion miles to the gallon. The City still operates 8 Ford SUVS.


            

 
     The reviews on the new cars are as diverse as the fleet.

      Some parking employees don’t like the new Smart cars. They say they are too small and don’t hold enough gear. They say the $5000 in savings don’t make up for the operational difficulties.

      Others say the Smart Cars are the best thing since sliced bread.

      No word yet on what the new sheriff thinks! 

Remembering Rick

     Sadly and unexpectedly, top local realtor and well known civic activist Rick Gibson is gone.

                                  

     Rick was a tenacious player with a big heart.

     Though Rick was a very successful realtor that specialized in bringing back the older – tougher neighborhoods through gentrification, he spent much of his spare time in volunteer efforts to make life better in those same communities.

     He sold and managed lots of homes in the South Middle River/Wilton Manors areas over the last decade, and when he didn’t think progress was moving fast enough there for his clients that bought in, he ran for the Presidency of South Middle River and won.

                     

     In the last few years, Rick had fought and beat back cancer, while still making time to serve on Fort Lauderdale’s Central City CRA advisory Board, and the multi neighborhood group, the 13th Street Alliance.

     When the Alliances’ Christmas Toy Drive fell short of the needed 200 toys for the event this past Christmas, a van full of toys arrived, just in time, from Rick.

                                  


     Rick will be missed. A spontaneous gathering of friends will take place at Rick’s favorite restaurant, the Egg and You  – this Sunday – noonish  ….

                          

                        ……….see you there …. Tim



Behind Door 203

               

     The building residents of the Cortleigh, at the Fort Lauderdale Beach,  are hopping mad – well, all except for the drug rehab residents in unit 203.


                       

     According to some of the residents of the Cortleigh, their neighbors, the drug rehab, is making life miserable. They say the rehab unit is filled up with 18 and 19 year olds, all recovering drug addicts.

     They say the rehab patients are made to ” line up like a cattle call” in the common areas at 7:30 in the morning and 10:00 at night. They say (though the operators are apparently disputing it) that the patients are being given medicine without the proper licensing.

     The building is an older building in a very nice neighborhood north of Sunrise Blvd., a few blocks from the ocean, and some residents have already moved due to the rehab, and others are considering moving. 

                            

     The City is aware of the issue, and Police are checking to see what, if any, laws are being broken.

    
     

A Record ?


     The picture below is Richard Boemerman, a Fort Lauderdale real estate magnate, holding what has to be the smallest refund  check ever sent anywhere! ( thanks Geico !)  …. He got it in today’s mail and thought I’d get a chuckle ….

        ….. in case you don’t have your reading glasses on, it is for 

                       exactly  … zero AND 01/100  dollars !


            

Shippey Shape?

     The Shippey House.


                     

     It’s one of the oldest homes still standing in Fort Lauderdale, circa 1914, one of the last remaining things from old Fort Lauderdale.

     It was the home of quite a character, Judge Shippey, a marrying judge – even before he had a law degree!

     The picture above is what the house looked like in its’ better days – below is the house today.


        

     But there is good news.
 
     The house was saved from the wrecking ball a few years ago by a group of private citizens. Though progress on the historic houses’ renovation has been painfully slow, the house is finally safely  on a foundation before this seasons’ hurricanes!


         

       ……… Now it’s time to ask even more of the organizers and the benefactors of this monumental effort. 

     The house needs to be secured, the graffiti has to go, and hopefully a mold problem (Southside school) won’t have time to take root.

     ……… and let’s ask even more of ourselves !
   

Rodstrom Ready to Rumble?

  
     Former Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom sent out a letter to her former constituents this past week. 


               

     Pundits are trying to analyze the letter. It looks and sounds like a campaign letter, and some theorize that she is already setting the stage for a comeback!

     I wasn’t sure if that’s what it meant, so I tried something new.
 
     I sent the letter through an amazing brand new app “what they really mean app”, and was quite surprised ! It was way worth the 99 cents I paid for the app!

     Rodstroms’ “real” thoughts came through in red!

     



           

     
Dear Friends and Neighbors even you Dean – you bastard,

    
As I clear out my office and place this little bugging device in the ceiling, I reflect back on the past 7 years of service to you. You provided me with a wonderful opportunity and many life lessons along the way. Together, ……. we were able to advance your goals and objectives …….. I was pleased to be the person in government you could depend on certainly not those overpaid employees and the corrupt City Managers!

     Now the election is over and with only a 20 vote difference Dean barely won, and probably
cheated Mr. Dean Trantalis will be at the helm. I can assure you that I will stay active and try and make Dean’s life a living hell! …..

        ……  I was your watchdog at City
Hall  ……pit bull ….  Let us not forget the numerous neighborhood improvements   …. I did so much, it will take pages to list them all, but I will !   …..

      Additionally, my work with the Stonewall library and the Domestic Partnership Ordinance 
– didn’t matter a lick as you people had one of your own on the ballot … 

      …..   Now as Commissioner Trantalis takes the helm, I shall pass the baton over to him
.. I’d like to do something else with that baton !  ..

                                         Sincerely,
… not really ….

                                             Charlotte   
     

My 500th Post !!

     OMG !

     This is my 500th blog posting  …

             

     I started writing about things that interest me in Fort Lauderdale over 5 years ago, and haven’t stopped, yet!

     Just to show you how long that has been, here is a picture of me when I started blogging !

                                             

     OK, maybe not that long ago, but let’s just say – many words ago!  … The 500 posts include 258,103 words ( half of War and Peace).

     Readers have visited the site 659,055 times, 6535 have posted comments, and 155 of you now subscribe so you don’t miss any news, or fun – (subscribe for free!).

     My very first post in 2008 was speculation about who would replace outgoing Mayor Jim Naugle. It mentioned that leading citizen Romney Rogers was eyeing the post, but featured the only candidate for mayor at the time –

                                              
                                                  Cindi Hutchinson

     We know how that turned out. “Hutch” dropped out ( now in government housing), Romney went for Commissioner instead of mayor and won, and Jack Seiler jumped in the Mayors’ race and is now in his second term, (with speculation that he may someday be Governor Seiler!)

     Some of the blog posts over the years went sort of viral. A story about a most troubled neighborhood, called ….

         Riot,Rumble,Disturbance ,
had the most reader views and lots of comments – 161) .

                                                  
                                                         riot?

     Another viral post was due to a creative picture, photo-shopped by Cal Deal. This post went careening around the internet, and sent people to the blog over 4000 times, (and probably made Rogers’ blush!) –

               

     You seemed to like the more unusual stories.

When my family was awakened at 5am by a naked man, on crack, pacing on our front porch and wanting in, you read it in earnest!

      You got to know homeless “Popeye”, who lived for years in the Home Depot elevator.

                                       
                                                       “Popeye”

     You also took keen interest in “Nomad Nancy”, a disabled woman who slept in one of our parks and was prostituted in the bushes until we got her some help.

     And then there is Calvin!

                     

     Calvin is a sometimes homeless, always schizophrenic, a giant man, who likes to sleep on the beach – for weeks at a time. The Police entice him off the sand with cheeseburgers and the like, and get him back on his medicine. You have taken him shoes (14 Wide), many times!

      But mostly you read for the politics…….

      The Rodstroms, Jack, Bruce, Bobby, Dean,  Jailed Joe, the Chief, City Managers, the Council, the candidates and their campaigns, …. and the controversies –

                                                    

                              

                                                  

                                  

                                               

                         

                      ….So, thanks for reading  ….. read on ….. I’ll be back !

                                                  Tim
    

    

Eighth Floor

    ……. Things are a bit different now-a-days on the 8th floor at
                          Fort Lauderdale City Hall.


           

     
New (old) Commissioner Dean Trantalis is in the building.

     Word has it that Trantalis has been slammed with appointments, and needless to say, he hasn’t gotten too far along on decorating his City Hall office….

               

     I met with Trantalis and a gent looking to develop park land in Trantalis’ District this morning (we used the Commission conference room where there were chairs .
 
     I had originated the park land addition when I served on the Commission a decade ago!

     The current District II administrative aide was hard at work setting more appointments for the Commissioner….

                    

      I’ll update you as things progress!

                                           Tim