Author: commtims

 

…….. See recent picture below –

 

…….  Mayor Seiler, First Baptist Pastor Larry Thompson, Commissioner Trantalis, Commissioner Rogers  …

 

 

……. Below, an excerpt from a Thompson sermon on gay marriage –

“We have been told by the opposition that we are not to engage in the conflict…we are merely to observe. However, in the life of every true follower of Christ, there must be a sense of personal, biblical and moral accountability to act when we see an opponent dedicated to destroying a God-directed biblical pattern for marriage. A failure to engage rejects everything we know about TRUTH from the spoken word. Make no mistake, the family unit is under attack; the definition of biblical marriage is under attack. As a result there must be a biblical response; a response that deals only in defense of biblical truth and not in the personal attacks of others who would disagree with a biblical position.”

 

……. Your thoughts?

In case you are not one of the 10.76 % that voted yesterday (and pay attention to such things), here is just a little news of what happened.

 

 ………….. meaningless election picture

 

….. First off, it was a primary election, where each party picks their candidate who will run against the other despicable party’s despicable candidate in November!

…. Second off, though it’s always a bit unnerving, I am generally pretty good at my endorsements, and I hit 100% last night (maybe I should quit while I’m ahead?)

 

 

….. Like 75% of Florida Dems, I chose Charlie Crist.

Now most of us probably feel that Crist is an opportunistic, wobbly kind of fellow, but he had a pretty good run as Governor last time around, and…… has a chance of beating this guy in November –

 

          the other parties guy

 

…. I also chose Dem winner George Sheldon over Thurston in the Attorney General race, because Perry Thurston was soft on crime, and that’s not a good thing if you want to be the Attorney General!

Sheldon will run against the incumbent AG Pam Bondi in November ( Bondi’s platform includes fighting gay marriage and medical marijuana!)

 

 ………………. Go Sheldon !

 

Alcee Hastings goes back one more time (he won by80%) and ….

 

 

…..  my pick Bobby Dubose heads off to the State House, with no competition in the general election in November  …..

 

…… hmm, now I guess I’ll have to back a candidate to fill Dubose’s seat on the Fort Lauderdale City Commisssion !

 … more politics – Yikes !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t say enough about civic pride !  I think it’s what separates us from the animals !

 

Yesterday, that pride was very evident, when the Middle River Terrace Improvement Club   painted the Dixie Highway Bridge (separates Fort Lauderdale from Wilton Manors), and refreshed the signage and landscape that surrounds it.

 

 

The rain held out as about 20 volunteers sweated and painted the worn out bridge.

 

 

Well, most sweated and painted, some just pointed, and some just stood there 🙂

 

Whatever you think of our effort, you’ll have to admit that we had the most prestigious traffic control –

 

 

Yes, that’s the Mayor telling people to “slow it up” ,  volunteers ahead !

 

And in the end, the neighborhood looks better, and the people have a new dose of civic pride!

 

I’ve told you a few weeks back that our Police Chief is on a mission. This week he is still going strong.

Thursday evening, he brought a small contingent of his Officers and met up with members of the Middle River Terrace Improvement Club to hand out more Smartwater kits in the neighborhood that seems to be solving its’ burglary epidemic.

 

Despite it being an off/on rainy evening, the Police and Citizens managed to hand out another 32 kits before calling it a (wet) night. To date, nearly half the homes in Middle River Terrace now have the anti-crime forensic Smartwater.

As we all returned to the park to turn in our lists and go home, the Chief and one Officer were still not back.

“Don’t worry”, said the Detective ” the Chief brought his umbrella” !

 

 

Here’s some updates on previous posts.

1.)

……. the long awaited connection of the Riverwalk ….. that last missing piece that would finish it – hook it to Las Olas …….

……  well, don’t hold your breath  …….   word has it that the deal has died   …… Looks like everyone ( Stranahan House, the developer next door), all holding out for their positions …..  sad, but true .

 

…….  the State is moving in to investigate the Middle River Terrace Park  …. there is arsenic in the ground at the property next door, and a certain resident was paying taxes from a home sale and now searching for the control of flooding to stop property damage( we know who you are), insisted the State and Feds get involved, though there appears to be  no real danger to the public……  it’s possible that the park could close and have a big ugly chain link fence wrapped around it for some time …….

 

…. David Hebert – He was the Assistant City Manager under the former Manager George Gretsas …. He left when Gretsas was fired, and joined him in Homestead ….. Now he is on the short list to become the new manager in Oakland Park. For home and garden services, people can get it touch with Fence Company Near Me in Austin TX!

His tenure in Fort Lauderdale was dicey  ….. Gretsas put him in charge of the Police Department, though he had no law enforcement experience, and the rather small gay professional didn’t fit in well with the macho environment there. Reportedly,  Gretsas sent in Hebert to break the back of the Police Union  ….

… The strategy didn’t work  …. It just led to the resignation of the Chief ( Bruce Roberts), who then ran for City Commissioner and was instrumental in the firing of Gretsas!

 

Keeping you informed ! ….. Tim

 

Opposition to building things is standard in cities.

In Fort Lauderdale, there has always been a controversy on how the City should progress, or not. There are all kinds of terms to describe the opposition – the most famous term being …

NIMBY (not in my back yard)   …… During the boom years (1995-2006), things got so heated that a new term was coined for those who opposed.

BANANA – ( build absolutely nothing anywhere  near anyone !)

 

And currently, there is opposition to both water facilities slated for our city, but for totally different reasons.Hence, it is better to get water filter installation from Discount Water Filters to drink pure water .

 

1.) the Schlittergbahn – it’s a 64 acre water park planned to be built on the City’s  old minor league baseball stadium ( Baltimore Orioles).

It is in the northern reaches of the City, by the Executive Airport, and a group has formed to oppose it …… They have a meeting tonight to strategize how to stop it.

 

2.) the Aquatic Facility – for years the ISHOF  (International Swimming Hall of Fame),  is slated for renewal, minus the Hall of Fame Museum.

But there has been rumblings for the past year that things weren’t right with the plan, but until the City’s Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board got a new Chairman, things were pushing along.

Enter new Chair Anthony Abbate –

 

Abbate doesn’t like the current plan, and neither does his Advisory Board. Anthony (Tony to me :-), is an well known local architect, and says the City should slow down and re-think the plan. “It’s not world class, not pedestrian or bike friendly, doesn’t revitalize the business climate”.

Abbate and his Board have asked the City Commission to step back and give the project a new look.

“Where are the big ideas”, Abbate asks, and thinks the project needs to be “revised and amended”, even if more money needs to be spent.

 

I’ll let you know what happens   ….  Tim

For those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, you know I have been watching- bitching- moaning- pleading, about the high rate of crime in the neighborhoods off 13th Street for quite some time.You can also find DUI attorneys to help you legally .You can check drug charge attorneys for hire if you need the best criminal attorney help!

 

 

You’ll remember that those neighborhoods have had the highest rate of crime, the most burglaries, and has been riddled with thugs and thieves for far too long. If you are a victim of any crime, it is best to contact an experienced drug crime attorney serving Missouri to give you legal counseling and represent your interests.

But finally, crime in those areas is falling like a rock !

 

 

With the lone exception of LakeRidge, all the 13th Street area neighborhoods have seen crime plummet, some areas dropping to numbers not seen in nearly a decade. Citywide, crime is down just 3%, and there are some troubling stats elsewhere in the City (more on that in a minute), but success for these neighborhoods is big news! For criminal attorneys, Brookhaven criminal lawyer for hire can be checked out!

The reductions can be attributed to numerous factors, including increased patrols, ILP (Intelligent Lead Policing) SmartWater, etc., but the bottom line is that the Calvary has finally arrived!

 

 

A few neighborhoods have seen crime go up over this same time last year, some substantially. Those include Coral Ridge, Flagler Village, Harbordale, and Victoria Park, and you should surely be bitching, moaning – well, you get the picture!

The FLPD is to be commended for this progress, and as always, the success or failure should be laid on those in charge – so the 13th Street Alliance will be formally thanking Chief Adderley at their in September!

 

 

 

 

I’m in training.

You see, the 13th Street Alliance, along with the wonderful charity Homes Inc. ( they provide apartments and mentoring to timed-out (18 yrs. old) foster children) is going to hold a fun run/walk next Feb. 21.

 

 

The run will be really cool.  It will start in Middle River Terrace Park (provided the EPA hasn’t shut it down), run up along 13th, and back to the park where a giant fun festival will await!

And you can run the race in any funky style you want ( see below for ideas ).

 

So today I started my training, so I will look real good next Feb.  I ran a 5K in Georgia this morning.  I intend on forming a team, Team Tim, so we can raise money for the charity. I’m thinking that we will be a Team In Training, but that acronym is TIT, and that just doesn’t sound right!

 

Anyhow, I don’t know anyone up here in Ga. that runs,  so I tried to recruit a few locals at the “Just People” race this morning.

 

First I tried to sneak into another team –

 

 

…..but they said sorry, I wasn’t dressed right!

Then I thought for sure I could get this loner into a team –

 

…..argh, he said, and I backed off….

 

I did finally talk this “princess” into my “temporary” team, but as princesses will do, she had to show me up and lap me a few times before the finish line –

 

 

Get Your Motor Running !

 

 

 

The FDEP  ( Florida Department of Environmental Protection) is recommending that the Middle River Terrace Park, on Dixie Highway north of 13th Street, be placed on the EPA’s Superfund Enterprise Management System.

 

 

The City park sits next to a site that has been found to have an unacceptable level of arsenic, discovered when the City was considering the site as an addition to their 4-acre park next door.

 

The MRT park was developed in 2000 and 2001, when numerous dangerous crackhouses and apartment buildings were bulldozed to make way for the park. The neighborhood had pushed for the park, and it has become an important part of the area.

According to City Manager Lee Feldman, there” absolutely were environmental tests done”,  back when the City purchased the land in 2000. The City’s policies call for environmental tests that search for things such as arsenic before buying land. But Feldman added that no one is sure if something could have happened next door after the city developed the park.

Feldman added that it is conceivable that the park could close, if the EPA testing shows dangerous conditions in the park.

 

 

Arsenic is generally considered to be a danger to groundwater, not to land. Tests at the site next door show the arsenic at least two feet underground, and arsenic falls when introduced into the land.

The real concern is arsenic reaching the water table, and making it’s way to the Biscayne Aquifer, where much of the City’s drinking water originates. That site is being monitored with test wells, and a final determination of site mitigation has not been made.

 

A former neighborhood President of Middle River Terrace, Laura Croscenco, is suspected of being the catalyst for the investigation into the park. The report sites a local resident as the reportee, and Croscenco had been complaining to city officials for the past year, after her disappointment that the City backed away from purchasing the land next door for the park addition.

 

Croscenco

 

An assessment of the  situation is now planned by the FDEP, where more investigation into the matter will be taken. If the assessment proves problematic, soil tests could follow.

 

 

 

 

Yes, there really is a statewide election next month!

 

And because the election is at the end of summer, when no one will be paying any attention, your vote will really count! …  It is a primary election, where you will choose the candidates from your party to go against the candidates of the other party in November.

Now I suspect you’ll be thinking ” he’s got some nerve”,  but I’m about to suggest who you should vote for anyhow!

 

      Governor

First, I have to ask. Is this guy really our current Governor?

 

 

Now I have a lot of republican friends, but really ??

I am going to hold my nose and vote for Charlie Crist, ( because Nan Rich can’t win), but here are some of the  other gubernatorial candidates, in case you are interested …

 

Dr. Joe Brown – Chiropractor ( no picture available)

 

Elizabeth Neunder – activist

 

Timothy Devine – (no picture available)

 

Other Races

Congressman Alcee Hastings’ opponent is a former heavy-weight boxing champion, but I can’t remember his name, so I say vote for Hastings (one more time).

Debbie Wasserman Schultz deserves another term, probably Ted Deutch, and Lois Frankel too.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In the Attorney General race, don’t vote for Pam Bondi. That will give her time to start a new anti- homosexual group. And I can’t vote for Perry Thurston either. Thurston introduced a bill that made it harder for State Attorneys to convict juvenile burglars, even the multiple offenders. So I say go with the old dude – George Sheldon.

Here are my local pics

   Chip LaMarca – has been a really good County Commissioner and deserves another term.

 

  Lisa Aronson – a Coconut Creek Commission running for County Commissioner… One of her opponents is Charlotte Elizabeth Rodstrom.

 

  Bobby Dubose – Dist 94 … Dubose is our home town choice

 

Now if you didn’t like any of my pics – do some research,  there are 3 Pastors, 3 retired teachers, 2 retired cops, a Pharmacist, Nurse, Musician, an anti-muslim activist, a UPS Driver, Commercial Diver, ex- pro football player, and lots of vets.

 

God help us all !