Author: commtims

     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
    

    

    ……. 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

     We’re proud of our sons’ entrepreneurial spirit, and you are invited to his grand opening!


                               
                                    entrepreneur Tim


     Tim is opening a really cool store, and, as he is a glutton for punishment (like his daddy), his new store is located on the needy
NE 13th Street in Fort Lauderdale. It will be the first new business to open on 13th Street in quite some time!

     You know there has been alot of effort to kick start this long depressed corridor in the City. Just last month we were all out painting murals on some of the buildings.

                

     This month, a real new business – and this is it! ..


           

     It’s called Oddballs’ Nifty Thrift, and the name is just right! It is kind of a thrift store, but not exactly. It has plenty of thrift for sure, but also some collectibles ( slot machine, Indian carvings, Star Wars stuff etc.!)

     It has some crazy $400 things, but also gads of $2 and $5 bargains, and everything in between …..   And it’s already been said that the store has some serious Feng Shui !

    And if you have anything to donate, Tim will be giving half of the proceeds from your donations to the 13th Street Improvement fund… (Tim will also be taking some consignment … call Tim direct at 754-422-7623 to arrange a pick-up).

     And the transformation of the 3000 square feet space in just over three weeks has been nothing short of a miracle.  Here is what the last tenant left for little Tim to fix – 


           

     ……..  So …… you are invited to the grand opening, (and a free cheeseburger!)

      Monday, April 1st ( and that’s no joke!) at 530 NE 13th Street … at 5:30 pm…. The Mayor and Commissioner Trantalis will be there to cut the ribbon!

                        See you there …Tim

    


    

     Just a month back, Commissioner Tim Ryans’ plan to double the size of one of the Citys’ parks was thwarted by former Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom.

                                  
                                        Ryan

     Ryan was trying to move funds from an arsenic laden lot that is on a park-land funding list, and sits to the south of the park. That land can’t be bought due to the arsenic.

     Ryan was attempting to move the funds to a bigger (and cheaper) lot, on the parks’ northern boundary.

      Rodstrom opposed moving the funds from the arsenic lot, and enlisted one of her key supporters, neighborhood President Laura Croscenko, in opposing it.

                                     
                                              Croscenko on right

     
      Days after opposing the park land addition, Rodstrom signs covered that lots’ fencing, reportedly placed there by Croscenko.


            

    
     The campaign is over, but the signs are still there. There is some hope that the land will still become park land, now that a new City Commissioner (Trantalis) has been elected.

      In the meantime, here is how the land has looked for the last few weeks!


           

             ……………  thanks Laura and Charlotte !


     

    

     South Side School …..




     Pictured above is a very old photo of the Southside School. The caption tells how the historic Fort Lauderdale school was built in 1922, enlarged in the 1940’s, but closed in 1967.

    Then it goes on to say that “the City took on the admirable job of restoring it for a community center”.

     Well, not exactly!

     The restoration has been a nightmare…  mold and many millions in overruns later, the original estimate of $4 million (when former
 
Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson  proposed the project) is up around $12 million and counting.


                        

     An update was given at this weeks’ City Commission meeting.
 
         The City Manager called it “the project from deep recesses of lots of places”. Activist Donna Morganhaven called the mismanaged project  “purgatory”.

     Council of Civic Associations President Marilyn Mammano said “we’re in the situation of horrible choices”.

     But the brand new Commissioner, Dean Trantalis, is standing alone in calling for a way out ” I don’t see spending another $2 million on this project” 
                                       

     We haven’t seen the last of this boondoggle!

     
    

     Caldwell Cooper, owner of Cooper Properties, the largest apartment house operator in the city,  is crying foul.

    ……  During the tumultuous political campaign between newly elected Commissioner Dean Trantalis and former Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, Cooper received this Code Citation from the City.

                
     The notice instructed Cooper to remove the Trantalis political sign he had posted on one of his properties just off Las Olas on SE 2nd Court, saying it was too large.

     He called the Code Inspector, Ursula Thime, to inquire. Cooper said he was surprised when Thime told him the complainant was not other than Charlotte Rodstrom herself!

     Cooper said the “kicker” was that Rodstrom has the exact same size sign just a block away – 

                

     Trantalis gets sworn in as the new Commissioner Tuesday. at 11:30 am.

    

    It’s official now….

           Commissioner Trantalis ….

     And as we celebrate our new Commissioner, we should thank the prior Commissioner  …

                                  

                             Charlotte Rodstrom

      Charlotte worked very hard at the job, and it’s a hard job to begin with ( trust me!) ….

     I hope that Charlotte and John Rodstrom will both volunteer their time now, it will show that they really care, but only time will tell!

                  ……………………………………………..

     And for Dean, a hearty congratulations  …

     

     Good luck to us all !

     …In one of the closest elections in Fort Lauderdale history,

             

         … former Commissioner Dean Trantalis beat former Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, for the Fort Lauderdale District II seat, by 18 votes …… yes, your vote can count!

     No one, (including me) could call this election…everyone knew it would be a nailbiter  …

     It turned out to be mostly a battle between the wealthiest parts of District II ( that went strongly for Rodstrom), and the blue collar areas, (that went strongly for Trantalis).

             

     The beach area, that essentially was tied in the primary between Rodstrom and Trantalis, went Trantalis this go round, strongly helped by former beach area president Steve Glassman…

     More analysis later ! …

              Tim is happy !


 

     Floated their float!

             


            


            


                   


            

                       A Good Time Was Had By All !

     We’ve been following the progress of the 13th Street Alliance of neighborhoods and businesses, trying to concoct their odd Saint Paddys’ Day float – in time for todays’ parade, for a few weeks now….

     It had been looking dicey, but late into last night something amazing happened! 


             

     A small group of committed volunteers pulled it together –


           

     The way I hear it –  they were so thrilled with themselves that they celebrated a bit too much  …

     Now the question is –

     Can they get the float to the Parade this morning ???