Author: commtims

     Sea Turtles …..

              

     ….a majestic animal that can live to be over 100 years old will be hatching on the Fort Lauderdale Beach on Friday Night   ……

                        …………  wanna be there?

         What: another City tour by Tim

              Where: Fort Lauderdale Beach (park at Fort Lauderdale South Beach Parking)

              When: Friday night at 10 pm

              Questions: call Tim @ 954-822-4727

                                  

     The tour will be conducted by Richard Whitecloud, a half Cherokee/Blackfoot, half Irish turtle saver that runs a group called S.T.O.P.  (Sea Turtle Oversight Protection). He says his group has saved some 60,000 sea turtles.

     Whitecloud says it is peak hatch ling season and we’re pretty sure to see a nest hatch.

     …   We can only have 15 people, so please  RSVP to me by e-mailing me at tim@timsmith.com or just post a comment on this blog post saying  ….see you friday night

                                                                  Tim

     Maybe you can help ….

     Yesterday, I came across this important mail from State Attorney Michael J. Satz.

     The official letter was under the door of the historic 1914 Annie Beck House, that is located in Fort Lauderdale’s Middle River Terrace Park.

                                              
    
     The State attorney was sending  a notice to a witness in a drug dealer case. The notice gives lots of important information to the witness, such as calling the Police if they are intimidated in any way!

     The witness? – Middle River Terrace Park!

   
                  If anyone sees Mr. Park, please give me or Mike a call !

      He is Popeye, probably Fort Lauderdale’s most long lasting homeless panhandler.

       Here he is yesterday. In his left hand is his protection spear,  he says the Cops say he has to keep the sock pulled over it.


                     

      When I first met Popeye, years back,  he was living at Home Depot in the elevator, the outdoor one, and only after closing!

     But HD finally evicted him,  and he lived for awhile in a fleabag motel just south of Searstown. He told me yesterday the motel threw him out, and he’s back out on the street fending for himself….

      He wanted me to take a picture of his head.

                       

     And he needs a new shoe, only the one, as he only has one good foot, the right one, that he uses to shuffle himself along from panhandling median to median.

     Size 11.

      ….. one of the beaches’ top activists, Steve Glassman,  has run off to New York and gotten married –  to another man! 

                           
     

      Steve sent me this e-mail (below) to share with me the notice he sent out about his nuptials – 

       Tim,  I posted this on Facebook yesterday and have just read the 79 comments thus far from friends, family, and HS students that I taught from 1977-1994 in Buffalo. So very touched by these and makes me realize how much work we have to do in our state. 

   ….  As I am in a sharing mood, I want to forward an email I just sent to LGBT
leaders in Broward County, Florida. It is also meant for leaders nationwide
and supporters of marriage equality.
     Please indulge me:
 
     I am not in the habit of writing these kinds of emails, but I felt it was
important to thank each and every one of you for the work you have done,
still do, and will do in the future for our LGBT community.
 
     You see, I truly believe that people like you are a major reason why I was able to
marry my partner of 40+ years this past Wednesday, August 28, in Buffalo,
New York.

     Rande and I were visiting family in Buffalo and the Niagara region of
Ontario, Canada and decided in advance that the time was right to do this. After all, Rande was born in Buffalo, we met in Buffalo and shared a beautiful life there together for 21 years before moving to Florida.

     We were both born in New York State, and now we were going back to visit for the
first time in 19 years. The fact that our marriage was scheduled by City
Hall on the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
was icing on the cake.
   
     Surrounded by the love of our family that day and listening to the poignant
words of the marriage officer, this was, on many levels, just so right. Our
family even recited a Jewish LGBT marriage blessing as part of the ceremony.

 
     I did not think that I would feel any different getting married – after all,
after 40 years together, feelings are solidified and there are not that many
surprises. But, I was wrong. I do feel different and the solemnization of
the day and that piece of paper affirming our marriage is definitely
life-changing.


So, I won’t go on and on, just know that I do so appreciate what all of you
do each and every day to make a positive difference for our community. Our
civil rights struggle continues and, hopefully, one day Florida will wake
up.
Again, thank you.
Steven 

                 Congratulations Steve   …..  Tim

     In our last discussion, the Crystal Ball was consulted to see what would happen at last nights’ public hearing for the Marina Lofts “luxury” rental building,  proposed to be built on the New River in the Tarpon River neighborhood.

     The Ball said  approvals for moving the now famous Rain Tree, and its associated building allowances would happen at 11:30 pm.

                            Try 3:07 a.m.!

      The ball had it right on most of the other details.

     Commissioner Romney’s did recuse himself from the deliberations, ( and the new City Attorney did back him up), and the vote to move the Rain Tree  was  3-1, with Trantalis opposing.

      But the final vote for the project itself was 4-0, with Trantalis persuaded by the scaled back  version of the project orchestrated by Mayor Jack Seiler.

                                  

     I give the ball an 8 – and am sending it out for minor adjustment!

      I’ve just taken a look into my crystal ball –

                            

     And sadly, tomorrow night, the City’s Rain Tree wins approvals that allow it to be moved, trimmed back, no longer the largest of it’s species.

           

     The tree is a true giant, and is thought to be the largest of its’ species in the continental United States., because it only grows in Florida and Hawaii, and there isn’t one this large anywhere in Florida!

     Furthermore, about thirty years ago the tree was specifically protected by the City Commission, because of its’ specialness,  but those protections will be set aside about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday ( damn this crystal ball is good!)

     Here’s the rest of the story –

     First, the item won’t come up until late in the evening, and a good portion of the crowd that was there earlier to oppose the tree move has been worn down and gone home.

      Then, Commissioner Romney Rogers will announce a “conflict” of interest and recuse himself from the vote. He will say that his law firm represents the Water Taxi, and because they will be somehow affiliated with the Marina Lofts  project (the crystal ball is murky here), his firm will stand to gain, and therefore he cannot vote.

                        
                                                     Rogers

      The new City Attorney, Cynthia Everett,  will back him up. [ When Rogers runs for Mayor after Seiler leaves that post in 2018, no one will be able to say Rogers voted to move the Rain Tree ( just in case it croaks from the move].

                                    
                                                       big dead tree

       Then there will be a raucous debate, with Commissioner Trantalis opposing the tree move.

     Commissioners Dubose and Roberts won’t say too much, but will rely on information from the City’s Urban Forester (Gene Dempsey), who will say the tree could be relocated safely, and then Mayor Seiler rounds out the vote and it passes – 3 to 1.

                 

     With the tree out of the way, the Marina Lofts 950 unit rental building, that creatively looks like it was split by an earthquake, gets approvals to build, and the Rain Tree gets moved somewhere south of the building. (No word yet form the ball if the tree ultimately survives the move).

                                    Now you don’t even have to watch!

    

    

     If you thought that the question of how to redevelop our Fort Lauderdale Beach had been settled, you’d be way wrong. Let me tell you who is suing who this week!

                            
     Our Beach is in a constant state of disagreement. The problem is that the beach is our major tourist attraction, but it is also a neighborhood!

     Today’s controversy involves a proposal for a new condominium called Grand Birch.

     The developer for the Grand Birch condo received approvals to build the 115 feet, 22 unit condo on the Intracoastal in April from the City Commission, but soon there after a group that calls itself –   Residents for Responsible Growth – sued the City to stop the construction.

                                   
                                         proposed condo in the yellow box

      The group, (RRG),  said the approval for the condo was illegal, and their attorney, Keith Poliakoff, (who is usually a pro-development attorney, – go figure,) said he thinks he could hold up the construction of the condo for three to five years, if the developer doesn’t capitulate and make the building smaller, etc.

                 ………………………………………………………………………………….
     [Enter proposed condo – developer’s attorney]

      ….  “it has been the plan of a discreet group of unaffected citizens to use the court for the improper use of delaying ……”

      ….. The developer’s attorney has counter sued for the developer, and is demanding about $7000.00 in damages from the Central Beach Alliance, for interfering, (though the CBA have dropped their participation in the suit)  …. But the group RRG is still in the fight…..

    
                                    

      …. here is the question that I want you to answer –   will we ever find consensus on how to redevelop our beach ?

                  …….  how about a comment !

                                     …….. Tim

       ……   
       

  

     Our last post was about the rate of burglaries finally going down in the South Middle River neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, after the introduction of the newest in crime prevention techniques- Smartwater – 

                                                     
                                                      criminal doused with Smartwater

      -but unfortunately, the rate of burglaries in its’ next door neighborhood, Middle River Terrace. that doesn’t have City sponsored Smartwater,  went UP by the same percentage ! (squeezing of the balloon they call it) ………. 

     Tomorrow, both those neighborhoods join the LakeRidge and Poinsettia Hgts neighborhoods for a National Night Out Against Crime event.

                 
                 

     All Fort Lauderdalians are invited  …  Join the 13th Street Alliance, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Mayor Seiler, Commissioner Trantalis, and City Manager Feldman for an interesting and fun event designed to keep up the fight against crime.

                          

     The event is Tuesday, August 6, from 5:30 pm until 8 pm, on NE 13th Street between Dixie Highway and NE 5th Terrace.

     Everything is free, even the famous Bear’s Sausage and Pepper Subs!

     ….. and you’ll have to see the challenging game of “ring around the criminal” to believe it – 

                                 see you tomorrow   ……  Tim

     SMARTWATER    ….. 

                 

     Smartwater is that space-age, novel approach to fighting crime. It uses an invisible liquid, (only visible under black light), to mark valuables for recovery after a break-in. The theory is that criminals will stop breaking into homes, fearing they might actually be caught! 

     Smartwater has been used in about 400 homes in the most crime-ridden neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, (South Middle River), since the beginning of this year, and the Police Crime Stats released yesterday might begin to tell a tale about its’ effectiveness, and how the authorities might have to tweak the program.


                 

     The good news is that burglaries in South Middle River have been reduced so far this year by 12% (110 burglaries so far this year compared to 125 burglaries – same time last year). 

     The bad news, unfortunately, is Sir Issac Newton.

                                      
                          
                         

      ” To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction “, 

     The neighborhood just to the east of South Middle River –
 Middle River Terrace – has had a 14% INCREASE in burglaries over the same time period.

     And vehicle burglaries in South Middle River have jumped a disturbing 36% this year over last year  – (60 so far this year over 44 same time last year) –

   …..  could it be that the criminals are breaking into cars instead of homes, or just breaking into nearby homes in a neighborhood without SmartWater ? 

      There may be some tweaking to do !  

     Most readers of this blog already know that the OIG, (Office of Inspector General) for Broward County, has issued a report entitled –

       Misconduct by Fort Lauderdale in the award of the contract for the Design and Construction of the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex

                                            

   [  I have been looking into the history of Fort Lauderdale’s different renovation plans for the International Swimming Hall of Fame Complex, and it’s quite amazing, but first a little more about the report – ]
 
                        ……………………………………………………………………………….

       The report from the OIG claimed the City “conducted an inadequate procurement and legal review process” ……. let a contract that allocated $67,000 for unidentified costs …. shielded $1.66 million from audit   ….. said the RFP (request for proposal) was flawed and sent “mixed signals that dissuaded competitive participation“.

                                         
                                                         ISHOF Complex

      The report seems to place a large amount of the blame on just retired City Attorney Harry Stewart, but also criticized City Manager Lee Feldman.

                                         

     Though I agree that these two highly paid employees of the Fort Lauderdale City Commission should have seen the problems with this RFP and publicly counseled against moving forward, I suspect they were trying to please their bosses ( the Commission), and finally get the Aquatic Facility redo done.

     . The tortured, controversial processes of revamping  ISHOF  has seen five Mayors, and has been in the news for nearly three decades, through two different renovations.

                             
                                     ……. five Fort Lauderdale Mayors

       
      Here are some headlines from the Sun-Sentinel over the years about ISHOF renovations

          ………..  Tues, April 4, 1989   ….. Residents Vow to Fight Beach Plan   

           ……….  Wed. June 28, 1989   ….. Pool Funds May Face Veto

           ……….    Mar. 31, 1991  ……….. Gov. Chiles Refusing to Release $400,000

           ……….     Jan. 9, 1993   …….. Aquatic Complex Reopens- $12 million [cost] 

           ……….     Sept 6, 2001  ………..  Swim Center Improvement Plan Gains Support 

            ………     April 24, 2002 ……..    Swim Center Proposal on Hold

            ………     June 5, 2002  …….      Lauderdale Turns Down Aquatic Plans

            ……….    May 6, 2009  ……. Fort Lauderdale Politicians Propose Aquarium (ISHOF)

            ………..    June 3, 2009  …….  Lauderdale Scuffles Aquarium Idea

             ………     May 20, 2010    …… Aquatic Plan makes $76 Million Splash

             ………..    April 7 2011 ….. Ft. Laud. Background Check of (ISHOF) Developer

             ………..     May 4, 2011  .,… Projections Don’t Add Up for Revamp

             …………    July 7, 2011 …. Review Slams Plan for Swim Project

             ………..     Aug. 12, 2011 …. Seiler Wants Revamped Plans for ISHOF Project

            ………….     Oct. 3, 2011  … City Proposes New Vision for ISHOF complex

            ………..       Sept. 18, 2012  … Swim Hall Contract has Price Locked In

            ………..       July 25, 2013   …… Lauderdale Deal Violated Law – OIG says     

                                …..     so, what’s next? ….. Tim