Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

                                                                                                                                                                      

     
     Yup, it’s what it looks like …..

      On Las Olas – the empty lot owned by First Presbyterian  …

           I should know more tomorrow !

     Here’s a few items of interest – will be looking for your comments!

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     1.    

     Forbes magazine does lots of lists! And last week, one of their lists was not kind to Fort Lauderdale – their ranking of Cities with the best/worst climate for business.

      The list of 200 Cities put Fort Lauderdale at #192, just barely above the bankrupt City of Stockton, Calif., who came in #196. The listing was titled Fort Lauderdale, but actually included all of Broward County.

     This poor showing incensed the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance ( the County’s business group), who disagreed with the county ranking, and sent out a list of talking points, meant to argue the point. Most of the City’s leaders were sent the “points” which then drew this response from long time civic activist and lawyer John Wilkes –

                                      

                                                     actually John Wilkes Booth, all I could find

                                              “Having
just returned from New Jersey – when Newark and Camden (having driven
through each) are ranked above our fair City, it is a sad day indeed!
While State and local efforts in each have focused on a plan for
recovery, with the window dressing of public arenas, they have a long
way to go from advisable to avoid to desirable to live.

     As for Fort Lauderdale, it is time for a real self – evaluation, not self-laudatory recap”.

     I agree with John!

     2.

    The Fort Lauderdale City Commission  backed a change to the city’s Charter to allow future Commissioners to extend their possible time on the Commission to 12 years, (currently they can only serve 9 years) . The change will have to be approved by the voters.

    Only Commissioner Rogers spoke against the plan, saying the 12 years were too many, but he ultimately joined the rest of the Commission in the unanimous vote.

     When you see the proposed change on the ballot – You Should Vote NO! (12 years is too many!)

     3.

             

      The Fort Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman says they are still taking the Broward County Schools to the “Special Master” for building violations uncovered when they butchered multiple healthy, large Mahogany trees, but the hearing has been postponed. The School Board lawyers requested a 30 day continuance, so the hearing is now scheduled for  Aug. 16.

         

       Hopefully, they can take away all their chain saws until then!

    

     If you haven’t been the victim of a crime as of late, consider yourself lucky.

     And if you have been the victim of a crime, this year, you might remember this!

                  

     Apparently, the Fort Lauderdale Police now routinely take the victim’s  DNA at a crime scene.

                       
                        
                        current and former Fort Lauderdale Chiefs
    

     That happened a month ago to Spirit Airline’s pilot Tim Helms, when a burglar broke into his screened back porch and stole tools and his lawn mower.

     When the Cops arrived, they took Helm’s DNA. Though the Police Officer got Helm’s written permission for his DNA sample, Helms was still taken aback. Helms called me and asked – “what’s up with that, Tim?”

     Turns out the Police are taking an “exclusion sample” to rule out the homeowners’ DNA from a possible suspect’s. Helms didn’t remember the explanation, but seemed somewhat relieved when told.

     And last week, Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom was also swabbed, when her car was broken into in her driveway overnight.

     Rodstrom says she also found the procedure “odd” and plans on asking some questions about the new procedure at the next Commission meeting like …..   “is my DNA on file?”

    …..  Much to the chagrin of Broward County School’s Development Division, the annihilation of  Fort Lauderdale High School’s nearly century-old Mahogany trees controversy  is not going away any time soon.

            

     Now, Fort Lauderdale City Manager Lee Feldman, has instructed the new Broward County School’s Administrator, Robert Runcie, that he will see him in court – City Court!

                      

     The tree violation will be heard on July 19th, at 9 am, in front of the City’s Special Master.

     So far,  the Fort Lauderdale Mayor  has weighed in, two School Board members are making inquiries, (Leach and Dinnen) and the neighborhoods are up in arms.

     And just a bit ago, after possible District II candidate Steve Glassman wrote County Commissioner La Marca asking for the County Commission to weigh in, LaMarca is now looking into new procedures to preclude it from happening in the future!
    

     Mayor Jack Seiler says it’s one piece of City Business that has frustrated him – the City’s Homeless problems.

     While Broward County is lauded for it’s Homeless Assistance Center on  Sunrise Boulevard, the chronic homeless, either because of substance abuse problems, or their distrust of help centers, can’t get help there, and have continued to live off the land, mostly Downtown.

     These chronic homeless have also frustrated lots of citizens, mostly downtown residents and business people, but some of this years’ actions of the City Commission seem to be working!

                  

     Stranahan Park at South Andrews and Broward Blvd., once ground zero for the chronic homeless, is no longer the destination of choice by the area’s  homeless and their feeders.

                  

     The City “temporarily” closed the park, which was in deplorable condition, and 100’s of volunteers have turned the park into a tropical oasis – leaving little room for homeless to use as their makeshift camp.

      The City Commission has struggled with other ways to limit the negative effects caused by this hard to help group, like busing some home to their real homes up north, and ticketing some for aggressive panhandling, but the retaking of Stranahan Park seems to have had the biggest effect.

     But as always, when you squeeze the balloon in one place, it pops up somewhere else!

              

     Here is where it has popped up!. Ironically, this is the location of the City’s infamous Tent City of the early 1990’s, where the chronic homeless lived under tents and sometimes shot and raped each other.

     None of that should happen here, as there is no tent, only a fraction of the population, and the ones that now call this square of blacktop “home”, are much better managed.

     These folks pictured above told me they slept here last night, but that the Police “came at 6am and turned on their sirens until we got up”.

    

    

 

     Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom is used to attending her arranged crime meetings she holds for her District constituents.  They are usually held on 13th street in a FLPD substation, to address crime in all parts of her District, (the highest crime rates are mostly in the neighborhoods that run along Sunrise Boulevard)…..

                                              
   
      But what Rodstrom is not used to addressing is crime in her own neighborhood, Nurmi Isles, (because there basically isn’t any!)
     
                       

     And that means Rodstrom is not  used to addressing crime when it’s on Nurmi Isle, with her own car in her own driveway burglarized!

     But yesterday she had to address just that. Her car, a 2002 Suburban, with 150,000 miles on it, was busted into. She says they didn’t take any of her campaign materials that stocked the car, but did take her “driving eyeglasses and her prescription pills for headaches.” She said the burglars were probably sorely disappointed in the take.

                                                    
                                                         Suburban

     She said the Police took fingerprints and DNA samples.

     There was only 1 vehicle burglary reported in Nurmi Isles last year. By contrast, in Rodstrom’s largest neighborhood, South Middle River, there were 146.

    

     If you thought that the 13th Street neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale had given up their quest for funding a renewal of their business district,( after last month’s loss at the County,)

                                  you’d be mistaken!

                    
                           the new, hoped for 13th Street Business District

    
      Today, the 13th Street Alliance took out all the stops!

     They sent  Sir James, and Lad Charles to deliver caligraphied scrolls to each of the County Commissioners and County Mayor Rodstrom, asking again for the needed funding!


       
                         Sir James and Lad Charles at the County 


     The 13th Street Alliance, four neighborhoods of about 15,000 people, chose the rather theatrical delivery, english style, to help drive their point home.


        
                 Sir James, Lad Charles ( and their pet squirrel Rocky?) 


     Sir Thomas read the proclamation aloud (very aloud!) so that any Commissioners behind the iron curtain might hear – 

                          ……………………………………………………….
             ……… With utmost sincerity, and in anticipation of good outcomes, the 13th Street communities of Fort Lauderdale thank you for your positive consideration

                         Signed,  

                         The People
                      ……………………………………………………………….


     It’s expected that the Commission will have a renewed discussion of the funding at their meeting tomorrow…….

     More has happened since yesterday’s post on the Mahogany Massacre!

     For a refresher –
 
     …..here’s the Google Earth picture of the shady, tree-lined view in front of Fort Lauderdale High School ……. before yesterday ..

           


     and here’s a picture after the School Board’s improvements of yesterday …


         

    
     I talked to School Board At Large member Katie Leach a few minutes ago.
 
     She called me after seeing the carnage on this blog. She said she was “devastated“! She told me her husband was an alumni at Fort Lauderdale High, and he remembered how nice the shade of those trees were even back then!


                                    
                                      School Board member Leach

     Leach has already called the new Broward County School Superintendent, the former District Super, etc. and promises to get to the root of it all ( pun intended!)
 
     Meanwhile, the Fort Lauderdale Mayor, Manager, and Building officials say they are on it ……..


        
                   I’ll keep you informed  … Tim
     
     


    

    

     It may go down as one of the biggest tree massacres that Fort Lauderdale has ever seen!


         


     Before yesterday, these gauged Mahoganies were part of the treelined, shady Fort Lauderdale High School grounds –


               
                              what they used to look like!


     Then came yesterday! ….  Neighborhood President Randall Klett was the first to see the carnage happening friday afternoon (odd time to start ?)

     Klett called the Mayor, who in turn called the Manager, who in turn called out the head of the Building Dept,  Greg Brewton….

     Brewton’s department went to the scene, and thought they had stopped the work, but this morning the choppers were back at it again – Brewton was notified this morning that they were still hacking and was off to try and stop them again.

            

     The School Board calls it an improvement. The City, who has no jurisdiction on school property, calls it a violation! The School Board is exempt from having to get permits from the City, but Mayor Seiler says that “doesn’t mean they can break the law!”.

     Hopefully the tree destruction has been halted again, time will tell.

     – but the School Board says not to worry –  they will be replacing the trees like they did just across the street at the new Ft. Lauderdale High Swimming Pool…


               

                       …. with these beautiful 8 footers ???  UGH!

     I’d like your opinion on this:

     Should we be saving the important historical structures still alive in our community? – and by whom – and how?

                      …………………………………………………..

     Here’s a few examples of recent efforts, where they went right, and where they may be going wrong.

    #1 – Effort went right!

        

     It’s an historic Firehouse in Sailboat Bend, it’s a Fire Museum, and it’s a beauty!

     The historic renovation was a successful private effort, with very little City help. It was led by former Commissioner John Aurelius and friends. Aurelius was one of our best City Commissioners.

                         
                     Aurelius (picture courtesy of Cal Deal)

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      #2 – Effort has been tough going


             

     
     The Shippey House.
 
     Turn of the century bungalow once owned by infamous local Judge Shippey.
 
     There were good reasons to save the house for posterity, important and colorful City founder, good example of the architecture of the day.

     Just days before it was to be demolished, a small group of citizens banded together and fought to save it. The House was moved to a City lot in the historical district, just in time. 

     The effort has inched ahead in fits and starts. Even though some top citizens have participated, no one seems to be totally in charge, and it’s been hard to get a straight story on the progress (or lack thereof).  The move was somewhat controversial from the start, and the City seems to have been hot and cold over the house’s move and renovation since.

     Now, it’s been sitting on blocks for months, with plans for it’s foundation changing, even though the hurricane season is upon us.

                   …………………………………………………………. 

     #3 – Was good – now maybe in trouble.

                           
                                      new paint already defaced

     The Annie Beck House. One of our most important saved homes that was once on Las Olas. 

     It was moved to the Middle River Terrace Park  a few years ago by the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation. The Trust was run very efficiently for a decade by it’s President Diane Smart, and the historic structure was always perfectly maintained.

     But now, with Smart gone, the House is going downhill.

                      

     The current Board of Directors has let the lattice surrounding the crawl space stay kicked in and broken for months. Now, local hoodlums are doing other damage ( the broken window theory !)

                   
                         firmly attached porch swing ripped from porch

 
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     So what role should the government play in preserving our history?
 
     Years ago, when the Riverfront downtown was built, the government got involved and insisted that one of the last remaining structures, the front of the old First Bank, be saved.


                    


     But this picture wouldn’t be it, because the developer “accidentally” backed over the original with a bulldozer.
 
     That’s the “recreation” the City made them build.

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

     So what’s your opinion? Should we save any of the remaining important historic structures?

     Should the government take some sort of regulatory or organization role in the preservations?

      Or should we just knock it all down and forget them?