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
Will You Contribute A Buck?
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