Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

     Here’s an Update on a few more stories we’ve been following….

     New City Manager Lee Feldman has been on the job over two weeks now, and all the City problems are not solved yet! Come on Lee!
     
     But to be fair, word has it that his car has basically not moved out of the special City Manager Parking Spot at City Hall since he arrived, and he has already solved some minor blow-ups that I know of, so I still have high hopes! 



     Former Interim Manager ( long interim!) Alyson Love resigned from the City after an over two decade career, startling many. But some insiders say things were beginning to fall apart at City Hall, and some speculate that the City was on auto pilot the last few months.

     I called City Hall the last few days to speak to Alyson, but I think she’s somewhere in the south of France !!



     Former to the former City Manager Love,  George Gretsas is still City Manager in Homestead, and many are saying new manager Feldman is in nearly 180 degrees different in style and philosophy. Many say that will be a relief!
 
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     On to the unsolved Homeless/Vagrant feedings in Stranahan Park fiasco, no news is – well, – no news!

     A weekly memo now comes out religiously that says “there will not be a meeting of the Homeless Task Force this week. The new administration is looking at options, according to Cate McCaffrey, who is spearheading the effort for the city.

     To tangle the issue further, the homeless feeding group Food Not Bomb’s parent organization, has been gettting help from a Computer Hacking Attack Group that is fouling up websites in Orlando to protest that City’s aggressive policies aimed at curtailing the feedings.



     Our Fort Lauderdale chapter of the Food Not Bombs group’s headquarters is located in the neighborhood of South Middle River. The group’s home, lovingly called the Swamp House, pictured above, still hasn’t replaced a broken- out front window, and neighborhood President Sal Gatanio says ” it’s a mess”.

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     Lastly, the City has asked you all for ideas for a name for the Fort Lauderdale Vision project getting underway. Here’s their Press Release about it – 

City of Fort Lauderdale Seeks Public Input to
Name Citywide Visioning Initiative

 Residents Encouraged to Submit Ideas To Brand Project
 

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL– It’s time to get involved in Fort Lauderdale’s future. Now through July 13, the City encourages residents, visitors and local businesses to send in their ideas for a name for the citywide visioning initiative. There is no limit to the number of ideas that can be submitted. To suggest names for the visioning initiative, please send an email to visioning@fortlauderdale.gov or call (954) 828-4743. 


     The City is compiling a list of the suggested names YOU SEND IN, and will ask the City Advisory Board tasked with advising the City Commission on the effort to pair the list down to the Final Four, which you will vote on sometime soon. 
    
     Here’s the list the City has so far, but GET YOUR IDEAS IN !!

Imagine Fort Lauderdale
Leading the Way, Fort Lauderdale
Future in Focus: Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale: Forever Looking Forward
Fort Lauderdale: Seeing the Future, Today
Livable. Lovable. Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale: Finding a vision for tomorrow, today
First forever … Fort Lauderdale
Staying first forever, Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Forward Focused
Future forward … Fort Lauderdale
Future focused, Fort Lauderdale
Everything Under the Sun, Fort Lauderdale
Foundation for the Future, Fort Lauderdale
Planning today for tomorrow, Fort Lauderdale
Vision for a Better Tomorrow 
Fort Lauderdale – Raise the Bar !
Vision Fort Lauderdale – Dream it, Do it !
Fort Lauderdale – Our City, Our Vision
Fort Lauderdale – First and Foremost
Fort Lauderdale – Comprehensive Accountability Plan
Vision Fort Lauderdale 2011
P.L.A.N. -Proposed Logical Action Now 










                      

     Update ! ….. It was a short and sweet message over the weekend from the Fort Lauderdale Building Department head Valerie Bohlander.

     “No need to call me back Tim, just calling to tell you the ducks will be gone on Monday”. 

     Bohlander was talking about the Muscovey Ducks, and all those ducklings, that have invaded a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, and are being fed by the neighborhood duck lady. I didn’t call her back, but the neighborhood has now been informed and are grateful.

     Neighbor Lark Lensel remarked ” OMG, I’m putting away the pressure cleaner!”

     The neighbors are on the lookout this morning to see just how the removal will happen. This is one Vision that comes to mind.

                                                   

     You see, the Federal Government recently changed the rules and no longer protects the Muscovey, native to Mexico. The new rule allows for “destroying the adults and their eggs”. But then what?

     That question brought this thought to my head – 

                                                     
                                                       actual Muscovey entree


     I’ll never trust another chicken dish!


    

     Those Muscovie ducks are precious little babies …….

                                                

– and then they start pooping –                                                    

     It’s happening in Middle River Terrace, and the Duck Lady that is feeding them has her neighbors quite distraught.

                             

     By day, they hang out in her carport, plopping mostly on her nice paver driveway. Then just before dusk ……

            

      …….  they move to the street, where people that live far away from the action ( and the poo) drive to the ducks and feed them. Some area driveways are goo covered messes.

     The neighborhood association has reported it to Code in the letter below –

Code,

I’m not sure if this is actually a violation but it was brought up by several residents at the last Middle River Terrace meeting.

The residents at this house have been feeding (food/water dishes in first picture) the Muscovyducks on a regular basis for several months. They’ve apparently raised two clutches of babies.

Since they stay at the house people have started walking/driving by to watch and feed the ducks. The babies do not have their natural fear of humans or dogs.

Points raised:
They are invasive animals so we’re not sure they can even be fed
Each duck produces 1/3 pound of feces a day so there is a fly problem on the street
The females raised will come back and lay eggs in the same area so this problem will exponentially increase

As an association we very respectful of wildlife and happy to live in an area so abundant. However we must balance the health and well-being of all our residents.

Please let us know how to proceed. 

     I’ll let you know what the City does !

     If Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom is feeling a sharp pain in the backside as of late, it is most probably coming from this man.
 
                                                                         

     Steve Glassman, long time former President of the Central Beach Alliance, who lost to Rodstrom in a tough battle last election cycle, has been amping up his criticism of Rodstrom’s City Commission performance.

     His latest e-mail questions why Rodstrom called for a beach review of the Windmill controversy when, he says, Rodstrom was at the meeting where the beach’s review of the Windmills was on the agenda.

    
                                                 
                                                                    Rodstrom on the dais

     I asked Steve if his latest criticisms of Rodstrom foretold any upcoming decisions on his part, and what he thought of her performance as the District II Commissioner.  He answered with this- 

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      “My parents always said that if you don’t have something nice to say about someone, then don’t say anything at all; I’m going to break that rule.

      Realizing that I’m not the most objective person to weigh in, let me just say that I do not give Charlotte a high grade for performance.

     I believe her to be petty, rude, and childish. She has done little in the way of improving the quality of life for the residents of Fort Lauderdale; in fact, her actions have actually been detrimental to creating jobs, fostering economic growth, and helping people stay in their homes. Folks are struggling and are tuned out, yet she panders, grandstands, and does little more than attract attention.

     On a positive note, she certainly looks busy and speaks a lot at Commission meetings – so much so that her colleagues can hardly get a word in edgewise.” 

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     I joked with Steve to tell me how he really felt and then asked “so, are you considering another run against Rodstrom? He replied –

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     I wonder why so many people are asking me that lately?


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      hmmm … I wonder!

          He’s sometimes described as the biggest P.I.T.A. around (you’ll just have to figure  out that acronym for yourself).

     But this week, he’s being called the ” Best Political Activist” of the year.

     Cal Deal. 



     He calls out misguided elected officials, insider deals, schemers, development proposals he doesn’t like, fraudulent pain clinics, parking scofflaws, wrongly timed traffic lights, … you name it….. It’s a wonder he has any time left to make a living.
 
             Here’s how the New Times Broward put it – Congratulations Cal!

     I’ve been keeping you in the loop about the Fort Lauderdale Visioning work. It’s time to figure out what we’ll be when we grow up!

    And here might be your first chance to weigh in!  …..  Stay with me now –

 The Vision effort has been in the planning stage for over a year, but the actual project has just begun, and only the preliminary stuff. 

     This summer, the effort starts with the City’s compilation of the Data Book, which will describe the Existing Conditions of everything in the City ( City owned things, the people, the environment etc.), so we’ll have all the facts when we go about planning what our future will entail!    

      Also, about one hundred citizens will soon be interviewed in the “preliminary interviews”  to start to put together what the ISSUES are. These interviews will include a wide array of people from all over the City, all groups, all demographics, that are considered ” opinion makers” in their respective areas.

     But there’s just one big problem !    ….The effort still doesn’t have a name!
      We can only call it “the Visioning Effort” for so long. The Vision Committee, which is the City Commission appointed Advisory Board, has sent the Commission their ideas for a name, but word is that some on the Commission might be thinking we need to keep trying for a better name.

      Former Mayor Rob Dressler, who’s been involved since the Visioning discussion began, has sent out an e-mail asking people to send in their ideas – a contest of sorts, and he wants the ideas by Friday. He suggests there will be a “prize” for the winner!

                                             
                                                  Mayors Seiler and Dressler

     Here’s a list of some of the names that have been rejected so far, to give you an idea of what we’re talking about. Some are quite funny, some you may like, some deserve to be rejects! 

     ……Focus Fort Lauderdale
     ….. Fort Lauderdale, We can see the Future
     ….. Dream Fort Lauderdale, Charting our Course
     ….. Vision Fort Lauderdale, Dream it, Do it!
     ….. Fort Lauderdale, Circle the Wagons
     ….. Imagine Fort Lauderdale, Reach our Horizon
     ….. Breaks Over !
    …… Rethink Fort Lauderdale
    …… Got Vision?
    …… Fort Lauderdale, the Future is Ours!

     Anyhow, you get the idea. So if you have a good name idea, you can post it here, call the Mayor’s office at 954-828-5003 and leave a message for the Mayor, or send Mayor Dressler an e-mail.  

     I’ll let you know how it all works out.   

  

       Invasion of the Giant Flower Sun people?


            

        …… No, just what I’ve sometimes been accused of having  …. a lot of  Hot Air ….. balloons ( odd ones) taking off in my Georgia get-a-way …..Helen Georgia ….  this morning

               
     Pretty soon, if you live anywhere near downtown, and have any money left, you’ll have two new Grocery Stores to shop at!

     These rubble piles, spotted today in the 400 block of North Federal Highway, will soon be magically transformed into a Fresh Market. Fresh Market is a smaller, more upscale grocer than we’re used to, and it’s groceries probably more exensive (if that’s even possible!)  

     The land for the store was once a sparkling Mayhue’s Liquors ( remember back then?), and a collection of other odds and ends including the Dolph Map company. The lands changed hands throughout the years, and the last owner, taxi magnate Jesse Gaddis, sold the land to Fresh Market. The market will be in the Victoria Park neighborhood.


                               
                                                   today’s rubble  =  tomorrow’s yum yums!


     The pictures below depict one of the Fresh Market’s models, inside and out.


                                                 

                                                  

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     The other new Grocer will be on the land pictured below.


    

     The land is in the Northwest part of the City, at NW 7th Ave and Sistrunk Boulevard. The City bought the land decades ago and tore down the ramshackle houses for Urban Revitalization. The land has sat fallow for decades.

      A few months back, the Milton Jones family, that has controlled the land for much of that time, got approvals and pulled permits for a new, discount grocery store called Save-a-lot.

                                     

     The construction will start when the permits are issued. Expect it any decade!

         
     So,as you learned in my last blog post,  the City of Fort Lauderdale said they would entertain renaming about 100 feet of NE 5th Terrace, off NE 13th Street to …….
 
                                                   Gerry Cooper’s Way  
  ….. in recognition of the life of the late Gerry Cooper, the City’s largest landlord, who helped start the renaissance of the blighted 13th Street section of the City about a decade ago.

     The one wrinkle in the street renaming plan was the $300 for the cost of the sign. Who would pay for it-  (and why are those signs $300 anyway?) The City Commission didn’t seem ready to cough up the $300 out of taxpayer monies, so I put the challenge to you – my loyal readers !!    …… (I love my loyal readers !!)

     Well, you all did pretty good, we raised $265, but the well ran dry. No more pledges were rolling in. We were $35 short of the mark !  What would we do ??

     And then , like a mirage in the desert, it appeared!

      An old street sign, thrown into a lot during Hurricane Wilma years ago, and recovered….There it was!




                      

         Now, if the City wants to know who was in the possible illegal possession of the old windblown sign all these years later, they’ll have to start using those enhanced interrogation methods to get me to talk.

      The important thing is –  it must be worth the $35 we’re short !….  It must be able to be repainted or something??

      We’ll bring the sign and the $265 to Commission meeting when they formally vote on the renaming soon….. and hope for the best!

                                                        thanks, Tim

     

   

     The city’s biggest landlord, Gerry Cooper, died a few months back, and there’s a move on to name a tiny little street after him. Many streets in Fort Lauderdale are named after deceased notables.

     The Cooper effort has stalled. The City is ready to approve the renaming, but the City Commission doesn’t appear to want to spring for the $300 for the new street sign. The City has sprung for other street name changes in the past.

     Gerry was the CEO of Cooper Properties, arguably the largest rental apartment owners ( and probably the largest residential tax payers) in the City. He was also quite well – known among the City’s movers and shakers, (he was one), and served on many of the City’s advisory boards over many decades. 

    
                                
                                                    Gerry  Cooper

     Cooper moved his multi- million dollar operation into a downtrodden area (13th Street) about a decade ago and substantially renovated many of it’s structures . The neighborhood there, Middle River Terrace, appreciated that and worked well with Cooper, and recently asked the City to confer the street renaming recognition to Cooper.

                 
                                        Cooper offices on NE 13th Street
    
     Cooper was a controversial figure, tough as nails for sure, respected by most, but reviled by some. The Cooper buildings are often in tough areas, catering to lower income folks, but are always maintained in acceptable conditions.

     Cooper built his mega- holdings building by building, the hard scrabble way, and was known as anything but a pushover. There are urban legends about evictions of druggies and the such, done with little beauracratic approvals!

     But a little know fact proved that Cooper had a soft side to all that toughness,  with his commitment to provide wheelchairs for indigent folks in need of them.

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      The neighborhood specifically asked that the street alongside the Cooper offices be named “Gerry Cooper’s Way” (catch the double meaning?).

                             Here’s the Deal

     We’re looking for 300 people to contribute a buck to this effort. I started this morning and have $11 already !   ….let me know privately at Tim@TimSmith.com  if you can spare a buck, or I’ll hit you up when I see you…….. (just try and hide

                                                Tim