Showing posts with label Amendment 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amendment 4. Show all posts

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The only way to kill the real estate developer monsters in Florida is to drive a stake thru their hearts, er, wallets -Yes on Amendment 4. It's true!

Coming so quickly after my August blog posts comparing Broward Comm. Ilene Lieberman's efforts to already weaken the brand-new Broward County ethics rules to any number of famous hard-to-kill monsters that starred in classic Hammer Films, honored last year by the Royal Mail with stamps -Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy- I feel a small amount of gratification.
Perhaps those posts of mine found an unintended audience, and helped contribute a kernel to the idea below.


http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Ilene%20Lieberman
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/content1?catId=32300674&mediaId=76000716





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXuFEAx0eK4

http://www.youtube.com/user/FloridaHometown


Latest Amendment 4/FHD news stories at
http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/news

Why the lies about Florida Hometown Democracy? blog

http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/


http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/


http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/blog

Reminder: Amendment 4 Informational Forum in Hollywood on Wednesday, October 13th, from 7-9 p.m. at the Hillcrest Playdium, 1100 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood, FL. Free parking

See my post from last week on this meeting with lots of information on participants at:

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/forum-in-hollywood-on-amendment-4.html

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Forum in Hollywood on Amendment 4 slated for Wednesday October 13th at the Hillcrest Playdium, hosted by HLSCA & HHCA

Received this bit of public policy news this afternoon that I wanted to share with you ASAP, so you can check your calendar and make plans to attend.

To be honest, until today, I'd never heard of the Hillcrest Playdium, but just hearing the name, well, it sort of makes me wish that Hallandale Beach had a Hippodrome of its own.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_of_Constantinople

As most everyone knows by now, I support Amendment 4, since the Diplomat LAC proposal in Hallandale Beach earlier this year made HB the poster-child for why this legislation is NEEDED.

----------

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Amendment 4 Informational Forum in Hollywood - Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

The Hollywood Lakes Civic Association (HLSCA) in partnership with the Hollywood Hills Civic Association (HHCA) will host a Forum on the upcoming statewide ballot question, Amendment 4. Amendment 4 would require city or county land use or comprehensive plan changes to go before the voters at an upcoming election.

Participating in the Hollywood Amendment 4 Forum will be following individuals:


For Amendment 4:
Bett Willett – Ms. Willett is the South Florida Coordinator for Florida Hometown Democracy, the grass-roots organization that was successful in getting Amendment 4 on the ballot. Bett is also a member of the Broward County Planning Council.


Tom Connick – Mr. Connick is a practicing attorney from Deerfield Beach and works closely with the Deerfield Beach Save Our Beach organization.

Against Amendment 4:
Mayor Frank Ortis – Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis is an outspoken critic of Amendment 4 and has a long history of civic service. Mayor Ortis was appointed to Vice Chair of the Broward League of Cities 2010-2011 Legislative & Advocacy Committee and has served as a Commissioner and Mayor for Pembroke Pines since 1996.


Cliff Schulman – Mr. Schulman is active with the “Vote No on 4” campaign organization.


Location for the Hollywood Amendment 4 Forum will be the Hillcrest Playdium, 1100 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood, FL 33021.

Time: 7 to 9 pm.


Free parking.


For information, call 954-923-1940 or
info@hollywoodlakes.com

-----

For the record, Cliff Schulman, mentioned above as one of the speakers who'll appear as an opponent of Florida Hometown Democracy, is considerably more than just someone who is "active" in anti-Amendment 4 activities.

Schulman
is a frequent visitor
before municipal and county government bodies throughout South Florida on behalf of his clients in his role as an attorney and lobbyist.
He was formerly the co-chair of the Environmental and Land Development Practice in the downtown Miami office of
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, down on Brickell Avenue.

Earlier this year, Mr. Schulman left for
Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske PL
. http://www.wsh-law.com/content/attorneys/s/clifford-a-schulman/

Tell me, would it ever occur to you to ask for increased density for a client, in this case, Publix, as a result of
development credits for underwater land?

Underwater
, as in the Intracoastal.
No, really.

Well, Mr. Schulman has.


To wit, whether
"submerged lands within an adjacent platted lot owned by Publix can be included for purposes of determining density and intensity of land use under section 265-5 of the City of Sunny Isles Beach Code of Ordinances..."

I have to admit, THAT is one lawyer who thinks 'outside-of-the-box'!


To see more on the particulars, see

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/opinions/3D07-1895.pdf
and http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2007/04/greedy-developersjoe-martinezclifford.html and
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2009/07/r-allen-stanford-and-miami-based.html

Schulman
is also the Chairman of the Board of the Aventura Marketing Council (AMC).
http://www.aventuramarketingcouncil.com/

For more information on the individuals and groups mentioned above, see:

http://hollywoodlakes.com/news.htm

http://www.hollywoodcivic.org/modules/wfchannel/

http://www.hccacentral.org/


http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/


http://blogbybett.blogspot.com/


http://www.originalsaveourbeach.org/

Friday, July 30, 2010

It can't be said better than this - Howard Troxler in 7/29/10 St. Pete Times: St. Petersburg's cynical plan to thwart Amendment 4 (redux)

I was up early Thursday morning for a reason I'll reveal in my next post, and after reading some of the early stories and columns that had made their way to my trusty Blogger Dashboard, I sent this excellent Howard Troxler column around as an email to the same couple of dozen well-read and concerned citizens throughout South Florida and the state that I'm always communicating with.

Some had already seen it, but it proved to be quite a healthy cold shower for those who'd thought that as ridiculous as some of the anti-
Amendment 4 rhetoric had gotten the past few months, there was no way that any of Florida's local governments would be stupid enough to try to mess with something as basic as listening to the will of the people as expressed thru a vote. Forgetting, of course, where we live.

Judging by the responses I got throughout the day via emails, I think it's safe to say that those few people have been completely dis-abused of this lazy thinking now, after digesting the true significance of this column.
I also wondered if perhaps the
Republican National Committee might not end up having some doubts about the logic of awarding the 2012 Republican National Convention to the Tampa Bay area after hearing about this kind of anti-democratic nonsense masquerading as public policy, which, frankly, is straight out of the Florida League of Cities playbook.

------

Well, in any activity affecting government and the public's rights in Florida, someone inevitably has to earn the sobriquet of "Most brazen."

Far too often, our mismanaged and unethical City Hall crew here in Hallandale Beach makes our city the unwitting winners in competitions where there are no real winners,
http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Hallandale_Beach,_Florida but for once, it looks like HB is going to have to simply watch from the stands as St. Petersburg makes a mockery out of democracy and voting.

I, for one, am happy to let them take the slings and arrows, though I'm sure that the City of Miami, given their track record of late,
per their recent CRA shenanigans -see below-
is working hard on 'halftime adjustments' so they can try to catch-up and then pass St. Pete in the waning days to win that dubious title.
If anyone can do it, it's the City of Miami.


Past columns of
St. Pete Times columnist Howard Troxler are at: http://www.tampabay.com/writers/howard-troxler
He's one of a number of their columnists and reporters that I link to on my blog also.
That's not by accident.


--------

St. Petersburg Times

http://www.tampabay.com/news/st-petersburgs-cynical-plan-to-thwart-amendment-4-redux/1111712
St. Petersburg's cynical plan to thwart Amendment 4 (redux)

By Howard Troxler, Times Columnist

Posted: Jul 28, 2010 06:19 PM
In Print: Thursday, July 29, 2010


With St. Petersburg's final decision not until September, let's take another look at that city's attempt to thwart Amendment 4.


Amendment 4 on this November's ballot is known as "Hometown Democracy." It says that voters of each Florida city and county should have direct say over certain growth decisions.


By "certain growth decisions," I mean changes to each city and county's "comprehensive plan," a huge, complicated document governed by state law. Every city and county in Florida has one.


Right off the bat let's suppose that Hometown Democracy is just a terrible idea. All those elections!


The issue here is what St. Petersburg proposes to do if the voters pass it anyway.

Here is St. Petersburg's idea:
The city is creating a decoy map, calling it the only "plan" covered by Amendment 4, and declaring that this simplistic, pretty-colored map is the only thing voters control.


Meanwhile, the city's real comprehensive plan — and the real decisions about where developers will build — would stay under the control of the City Council.


It is a trick that will surely be challenged in court.

Naturally, the City Council approved it by a 7-1 vote on its first reading.

The city bats its eyes sweetly and claims that it is just trying to make Amendment 4 "better."
(This reminds me of an off-color joke; e-mail me at htroxler@sptimes.com and I'll tell it to you.)


The city also claims that it would still hold an election for most big developments. I do not believe that for one nanosecond.


Listen:


(1) The whole idea of Amendment 4 is to achieve voter control of comprehensive plans — REAL comprehensive plans. Creating a decoy plan does not make Amendment 4 "better." It guts it.


(2) The argument that Amendment 4 is a bad idea still cannot justify the city's end-run around the Constitution.


Amendment 4 might be a lousy idea. But if 60 percent of the voters of this state vote in November to put it in our Constitution anyway, then the city should obey it.

The mayor and members of the City Council took an oath to defend the Constitution, didn't they? Or did each one mutter under his or her breath, right hand in the air: "Except when I know better than the stupid voters"?


(3) If this trickery is allowed to stand by the courts, then the petition process in the Florida Constitution is meaningless.


This is the most important thing at stake. The Constitution is even more important than what the Sembler Co. is going to build next.


If the government in Florida can defy the voters by tricks and labels, then the Constitution does not matter. The voters can pass any change, and the government can just re-name the thing in question and go on with its business as usual.


In sum, this is a disingenuous attempt to dodge democracy.

It speaks poorly for the seven council members who voted for it. It speaks poorly for the mayor and his staff who are pushing it.
It is morally wrong.

How can the City Council do it? How can its members walk around in public, holding their heads high, proud of trying to beat down the ignorant riff-raff, proud of trying to block citizens from running their own democracy and their own Constitution, all so they can keep letting developers build what they want?


-------

Miami Herald

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/21/1741412/request-for-cra-funds-for-miami.html#ixzz0uPLcGSIk

2 Miami commissioners want CRA funds to pay staff
By Charles Rabin
Posted July 21, 2010

Two Miami commissioners want to transfer $105,000 from community redevelopment funds to their own offices, a move experts say could be illegal and skirts the intent of helping blighted communities.

The request, to be voted on Thursday, comes as commissioners grapple with a free-falling city budget -- and as they look for ways to shore up their own staff finances.

"They're over budget in their commission offices, big time,'' said Mayor Tomás Regalado, among those questioning the idea.

Legal experts say Community Redevelopment Agency money -- intended to spur redevelopment in blighted areas -- should not be shifted outside the impacted communities. If the vote passes Thursday, the CRA money would flow to City Hall in Coconut Grove, well outside the targeted districts.

Two commissioners head CRA districts, and both support the transfer: Richard P. Dunn II and Chairman Marc Sarnoff.

Commissioners, who make up the CRA boards, are being asked to take $52,500 from the Southeast Overtown/Park West CRA and transfer that money to their district offices to cover "necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of duties.''

That CRA district is run by Dunn. The same total is being sought at the Omni CRA, headed by Sarnoff.

Dunn said top staffers in his office, such as chief aide Alexander Koteles, spend about 30 percent of their time dealing with CRA issues, visiting constituents to study their concerns. CRA money "goes to the commissioner's budget to cover for the person who spends time at the CRA,'' said Dunn.

Sarnoff echoed Dunn.

"You have all those obligations you never had before,'' said Sarnoff.

The two resolutions would grant the respective chairs $30,000, and each other commissioner $15,000.

Some observers question the wisdom -- and legality -- of such a move.

"It's a real gray area because you're not allowed to spend CRA money on city services,'' said Brad Knoeffler, a Park West developer. "They don't have any money in the general fund. They're looking for money.''

The state says property tax dollars accumulated in a CRA district must stay within that boundary. The statute also demands CRA money be spent on projects that have a chance of bringing economic vitality to an area.

In a letter to Dunn, CRA Executive Director James Villacorta, a former assistant city attorney, quoted a state statute that says a ``commissioner shall receive no compensation for services, but is entitled to the necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred in the discharge of duties.''

Frank Schnidman, director of the Center for Urban Redevelopment Education at Florida Atlantic University, disputed Villacorta's opinion.

Commissioners are ``basically providing a slush fund out of CRA money that is supposed to be used for slum and blight. It's an attitude that's pervasive in Miami,'' Schnidman said.

Replied Dunn: ``I disagree. A slush fund is when something is provided without services.''

Schnidman and Knoeffler believe the CRA money would be better spent on propping up local businesses in Park West, Overtown or the Omni area.

Dunn says he's in a tough spot. Commission budgets have been slashed to under $250,000.

That money comes from the city's general fund, or through property tax dollars. Office staff is paid through a commissioner's budget.

Sarnoff said a pair of audits show his office is over budget after being slashed in the cost-cutting move by the city, which is on the brink of financial collapse. But Sarnoff says he has enough unspent money from previous years he can roll over to balance his books.

"But yes, under both budgets, we'd be over budget,'' said Sarnoff.

Dunn, who admits his office is slightly over budget, denies using CRA money to balance his books.

"No I'm not,'' said Dunn. ``I mean it helps. It helps to stabilize my books.''

Reader comments at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/21/1741412/request-for-cra-funds-for-miami.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1#none

Not mentioned here on the press page for the City of Miami CRA when I checked Thursday afternoon, http://ci.miami.fl.us/cra/Press_Releases.htm, is the fact that the Miami City Commission fired multi-area CRA Director James Villacorta late last Thursday night.

Miami Commission fires head of Community Redevelopment Agencies http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/23/1743826/miami-commission-fires-head-of.html

This comes as no surprise to anyone with common sense who watched in dismay the way the City of Miami put logic on its head by intentionally changing the boundaries of the CRAs, without a public vote for affected voters, in order to scare up more public money for the poorly-located Marlins Stadium in Little Havana, on the site of the iconic Orange Bowl.
That karma is going to be a real bitch in a few years!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Right to Build initiative, rural U.K. variation of FL's upcoming Amendment 4, is proof that David Cameron's "The Big Society" works - direct democracy

I listened to this lively discussion on 5 live Friday morning of a rural variation in the U.K. of Florida's upcoming Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy, that gives a measure of direct democracy to residents and take it from the government and creates a scenario for more affordable housing if that's the will of the people.

The Right to Build initiative is a direct result of David Cameron's Big Society campaign promise to deal with some longstanding problems in rural villages and hamlets, including high-priced housing as a result of second-home owners and brain drain.

Taking power from the elites and parish council bureaucrats means that some people can finally move back to their hometowns and have the quality of life they want once their children have grown-up and moved away.


Under the Cameron government's initiative, townspeople will be able to actually vote on whether or not something gets built without the thumbs-up of planning bureaucrats, which means that both NIMBYISM and heavy-handed bureaucrats don't strangle rural areas and force people to have to work far away because elites like having a quaint little village with nothing to do but be inundated by tourists on weekends.

BBC live 5 host Shelagh Fogarty talks to listeners across the U.K. -Shropshire, Watford, et al-
about the pros and cons of the innovative idea that clearly shows that Prime Minister David Cameron has every intention of doing exactly what he said about eliminating the stranglehold of government over people's lives and dreams, which is one of the reasons he won. Elections have consequences.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/connect/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10735506

http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/


See also:

The Telegraph

People in rural villages to be allowed to build on green belt without planning permission

People living in rural communities will be able to give themselves the right to build on local green belt land without planning permission, under plans to be unveiled today.


By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor

Published: 7:00AM BST 23 Jul 2010


Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, wants to breath life into remote villages by making it easier to win permission to build more homes and shops.


The Community Right to Build programme will allow people to build any type of property on Green Belt land, if enough locals are in favour.


Currently, planning permission to build on green belt is only granted in exceptional circumstances for affordable homes.


Local people will be able to grant themselves planning permission, avoid the need to ask the council for the green light, if a large majority vote in favour in a special local referendum.


Read the rest of the article at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7905033/People-in-rural-villages-to-be-allowed-to-build-on-green-belt-without-planning-permission.html

Predicate article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/5114542/Rural-communities-to-be-given-new-powers-to-approve-local-housing-developments-under-Conservative-plans.html


As you can see here, I wasn't the only person listening to
Grant Shapps, since some defenders of the old status quo, like The British Urban Regeneration Association, are already throwing spitballs and saying it favors "the rich."
Right, because human nature and experience tells us that the "rich" and "affordable housing" usually go into the same sentence, and, somehow, suddenly, small British villages will want to do whatever helps the well-heeled. LOL!
Oh, dear, I think this public policy wonk needs a dose of reality!

Is Grant Shapps' "Right to Build" a step too far for localism?
By Jackie Sadek on July 23, 2010 9:17 AM
http://www.estatesgazette.com/blogs/jackie-sadek/2010/07/is-grant-shapps-right-to-build-a-step-too-far-for-localism.html

As you can see on BURA's website, the word "people" and "residents" and "citizens" never appears on the main page:
http://www.bura.org.uk/
Hmm-m-m...


See my previous post on David Cameron
:
David is STILL a great name for a British Prime Minister. Make it a reality today.
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/david-is-still-great-name-for-british.html

David Cameron: The Big Society

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2uVYgAuO_c



David Cameron backs parents to set up new schools

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwywQTJZDZk




The Conservative Manifesto 2010:
http://media.conservatives.s3.amazonaws.com/manifesto/cpmanifesto2010_lowres.pdf

Sunday, July 11, 2010

2010 Summer swelter budget blues, NYC's ballooning pension costs and cutting-back elected officials perks

KNVB -Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond

Sunday July 11th, 2010
Just biding my time waiting for
The Netherlands to beat Spain 4-2 in today's World Cup final.

Per the spot-on New York Post article below, City taxpayers foot 90% of municipal pensions, it'd be nice to see a South Florida news media organization that could produce a reliable chart indicating what those pension numbers are for South Florida's myriad cities and counties.
Don't hold your breath!
It's summer after all.

In two weeks here in Hallandale Beach, the city's staff will have their public budget workshops with the City Commission that they could've actually conducted weeks ago when more of the city's populace was actually still here, and hadn't fled the summer swelter, so they'd have had more time to go over the staff's numbers and projections in devising questions of their own.

In case you forgot, that was yet another motion made by Comm. Keith London that lost 4-1.

But that's fine... now I and many other concerned residents just plan on spending more time asking
LOTS of specific questions for Comm. Ross, Sanders and Julian to personally answer about what specific city programs they want to cut or pare-down, as well as explain why should the community trust their judgment given how reluctant they've been to fully carrying out their legal oversight role of the City Manager's Office and keep an eye on the the Depts of this city, almost all of whom believe they are princely kingdoms of which there can be no criticism.

Though I'm not opposed to it in the abstract, since there's something to be said for attending conventions, a very good place to start cutting the city's budget is the city's travel expense account.


Can you name another city in South Florida, much less, one as small as Hallandale Beach, that routinely sends ALL of its City Commissioners to the Florida League of Cities' convention in Orlando, usually noted for its anti-taxpayer agitprop and propaganda?
http://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/

But that's what happens here every year, as if it's an entitlement written in the city's charter.

Why do they
ALL have to go at our expense?
It's pretty ridiculous when you think about it.


It's like rewarding people who don't pay attention to their own city, and telling them they can take a travel junket to a place where nobody knows what a truly abysmal job they do.
Actually, it's not "like" that, it's exactly our reality.

At least this year's event is at the
Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, from August 19-21, right before the primary election, so there will doubtless be lots of statewide candidates milling about, eager to talk to anyone who will listen.

Can't be sure but I'm guessing that considering FLOC's bluster on this and so many other public policy issues, there will be at least a few hours of one day spent debating(!) the question,
Will Amendment 4 really destroy Florida like we said it will, or are we just angry that FL citizens will no longer defer to our infinite wisdom as elected officials?

And what about HB instituting a prohibition like many other South Florida cities on city taxpayers paying the hotel expenses for any city employee or elected official attending an event, forum or convention in Miami-Dade or Broward County -
and something with real teeth?

I'd be in favor of forcing HB City Hall to put all taxpayer-paid travel expenses for city employees and elected officials on a designated page on the city's website within 72 hours, with name, title, total costs and description of event.

Why do I think this?

Perhaps you forgot about this telling story about HB Mayor Joy Cooper from 18 months ago:

My mayor went to the Inaugural but all I got was the bill and her imperious attitude!
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-mayor-went-to-inaugural-but-all-i.html


New York Post
City taxpayers foot 90% of municipal pensions
By Susan Edelman
Last Updated: 10:31 AM, July 11, 2010
Posted: 2:10 AM, July 11, 2010

Taxpayers kick in an average $8.60 for every dollar that city employees contribute to their pensions, a sweet deal costing the Big Apple a bundle.

Even though their own retirements are less secure, as private businesses have shifted from traditional pensions to riskier savings plans like 401(k)s, taxpayers' support for rock-solid public employee pension plans is growing. That's because pension funds are guaranteed to grow 8 percent a year -- and taxpayers have to make up the difference if they don't.

Taxpayers' share of city pension costs has skyrocketed more than 900 percent in the last decade -- from $703.1 million in 2000 to $6.5 billion in 2009, according to the city comptroller's annual reports.


Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/you_pay_the_price_hNooJsBk9MtO67HvinglHP

Monday, May 24, 2010

Have Peter Deutsch & Ben Gamla Hebrew Charter School formally pulled their application in Hallandale Beach? Looks like it!

Late this afternoon in Hallandale Beach, word began spreading -yes, like wildfire- that well-informed sources were confirming that the Ben Gamla Hebrew Charter School's application had been formally pulled, and that Wednesday afternoon's scheduled P&Z meeting was canceled.

On Friday, the city had posted the docs below to their website, which included the Hallandale Beach Planning Dept. staff's recommendation that the HB Planning & Zoning Board recommend DENIAL of
Ben Gamla Hebrew Charter's application, as it was not in compliance in six areas.

I will post more about what's going on here when there are more specifics to report.

-----
Applications # 28-09-CU and #29-09-V by Hallandale School LLC/Ben Gamla Charter School for a Conditional Use and a Variance in order to operate a public charter school with 600 students at the existing Hallandale Jewish Center located at 416 NE 8th Avenue.

The applications are as follows:

a. Application # 28-09-CU requesting a Conditional Use Permit to operate a charter school in a residential single family zoning district pursuant to Section 32-152(c)(2) of the City’s Code of Ordinances.


b. Application # 29-09-V requesting a Variance from Section 32-152(c)(2) of the City’s Code of Ordinance in order to provide outdoor play equipment closer than 50 feet from any adjacent residential use.

Ben Gamla Application
, 131 KB,
Last Uploaded: 5/21/2010 3:52:15 PM ]
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1487

Ben Gamla Plans, 4393 KB,
Last Uploaded: 5/21/2010 3:52:15 PM
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1488

Ben Gamla Staff Report, 102 KB,
Last Uploaded: 5/21/2010 3:27:05 PM
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1484

Backup to Staff Report, 3202 KB,
Last Uploaded: 5/21/2010 3:27:05 PM

http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1485

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Monday night's meeting in Hollywood on Amendment 4 and Florida Hometown Democracy

The Hollywood Council of Civic Associations will be hosting a meeting Monday night in Hollywood on what's new in Florida Hometown Democracy's efforts to get Amendment 4 passed this November, and finally put the larger community's interests on an even playing field
with well-heeled developers and their lawyer/lobbyists' contributions to elected officials who vote on their proposals.

The guest speaker will be Bett Willett, the South Florida Coordinator for Florida Hometown Democracy, and a woman who has been extremely helpful recently to Hallandale Beach and Hollywood residents in defeating the Westin Diplomat's incompatible proposal to build multiple 25-30 story condo towers near the Diplomat Country Club, in a town like Hallandale Beach that has more condos on the books than seems either logical or desirable.

And to this geographically-limited and poorly-run city they wanted to add over 800 more condos and cars on secondary roads that already lead to gridlocked roads that residents daily curse.

Not surprisingly, throughout the entire process, the Hallandale Beach Chamber of Commerce, the tinny echo chamber of HB City Hall -which gave them $50,000 this year as they have for years- strongly supported this effort, as their head honcho Patricia Genetti spoke in favor of the Diplomat's efforts at least five times at public meetings that I've personally witnessed.

At none of those public meetings did Genetti ever make any public disclosure about how much of that $50,000 of taxpayer funds went towards HER salary.

It won't surprise you to learn that the HBCoC currently opposes Amendement 4, just like their puppet-masters next door at Hallandale Beach City Hall.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, last year, HB City Hall gave them a free office in their taxpayer-funded complex.

Monday May 17th
7:00 p.m.

Fred Lippman Multi-Purpose Center
, Main Auditorium,
2030 Polk Street, Hollywood, Florida 33021

Meanwhile...

Broward Bulldog.org

Ex-Supreme Court chief justice approves ballot petition, gets hired by firm allied with its sponsor

28 April 2010, 5:15 am

By Dan Christensen, BrowardBulldog.org


Weeks after casting the deciding vote to approve a controversial ballot petition in December 2008, former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Wells joined a law firm aligned with the petition’s sponsor.


The high court’s 4-3 ruling gave life to a push by developers and statewide business interests – led by the Florida Chamber of Commerce – to blunt a possible change in the state constitution to greatly expand citizen powers over local development.

Read the rest of the post at:
http://www.browardbulldog.org/?p=1181 and http://www.browardbulldog.org/?p=1199

For more information:
http://www.browardbulldog.org/
http://www.hccacentral.com/
http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/
http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/

Bett Willett's
personal blog is called Blog by Bett
http://blogbybett.blogspot.com/-
--------

View Larger Map

Friday, October 9, 2009

Broward LWV's upcoming forum on Amendment 4, i.e. Hometown Democracy; Herald-Tribune: Managing growth a hot button topic

Yesterday, I wrote to the very-friendly
Carol S, Smith of the Broward League
of Women Voters
, whom I first met at
the Broward Charter Review Commission
meetings early last year, about this item
that intrepid Genius of Despair ran at
Eye on Miami yesterday morning.

http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/
Thursday, October 08, 2009

Amendment 4: Panel Discussion in Broward 10/26. By Geniusofdespair

Carol's quick response to my query is below.

After reading today's Herald-Tribune article
below about Amendment 4, I'm even more
inclined to attend, but...

The political culture down here being what it is,
where elected officials and pols think nothing
of regularly raiding taxpayers funds to engage
in what they jokingly call "awareness" campaigns,
but which you and I might more accurately call
one-sided campaign electioneering, I can't help
but wonder to what lengths they and their pals
at the Broward League of Cities and the
Broward School Board will go over the
next year to defeat Amendment 4.

No doubt they'll once again use public schools
at night for their one-sided pep rallies that they
euphemistically call "forums," where as I wrote
here last year, they intentionally don't invite
opposing points-of-views, which, in this case,
will be anyone from Hometown Democracy.

In advance of this coming issue campaign war,
it'd sure be nice to see some stories in the press
about what Florida cities spend on these sorts
of poorly-supervised activities, from a
historical perspective -and whom they hire-
since it's clear that whatever those numbers
were in the past, they'll likely be surpassed
over the next 13 months, as folks like
Mayor Cooper and Co. rally their cronies
by making sure their lobbyist/campaign friends
get involved to keep citizens at bay,
just like they did last year with certain proposed
Constitutional Amendments.


What's a little 'walking around money'
from taxpayers for pols' pals to engage
in one-sided campaign tactics?

Obviously, given who Hallandale Beach's
mayor is and her frequent use of City
Commission meetings to run pointless
resolutions past about internal
League of Cities and Mayors Conference
matters that actual Hallandale Beach
citizens and residents could care less about,
forcing city staff to waste their time
-and hence our money- on matters
designed solely for Cooper's personal
and professional benefit, to curry favor
and earn brownie points from her
fellow elected pals, this small city of ours
will likely be one of the first to cough-up
taxpayer funds to defeat Hometown
Democracy
.

If you doubt what I say here, consider
this fairly recent example of Cooper's
use of HB City Commission meetings
for butt-kissing.

Ask yourself why it was so important that
it HAD to come before the HB City
Commission, but the actual re-hiring of
the HB City Manager, the HB Police Chief
and the HB Fire Chief, DIDN'T come
before them in front of the public.

As you all know by now, THAT actually
happened up on the 2nd floor of HB City
Hall, away from TV cameras, without
ANY legal formal notice.

That's no coincidence, it was done
that way intentionally by the mayor
and the city manger so that HB citizens
like you and I COULDN'T speak
about their very unsatisfactory
performance the past few years.



A Resolution of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, in Support of Frank Ortiz's
Nomination for Second Vice President of the National League of Cities
(Staff: Acting City Clerk)(See Backup)CAD #008/09 (Staff Report, Supporting Docs)

What's that?

You say that the mayor of Pembroke Pines
is really named
Frank Ortis, not
Frank Ortiz, as he is constantly
referred to in these official HB city docs?
Yes, I know.


After all, Ortis' name
is constantly
in the newspaper or mentioned on TV,
given that Pembroke Pines is the second
largest city in Broward County.
My sister even lives there, so I know its
good points and bad.

You'd think that
Mayor Cooper would've
noticed something like that, wouldn't you,
since it was entirely her idea for this
parochial
matter to come up before the
City Commission
in the first place.

I
mean it's a known fact that Ortis succeeded
her as head of the Broward League of Cities,
which makes her failure to even notice this
all the more curious
.

But just as she does far too often with
genuinely important matters in which
she does have a say, she's barely paying
attention to what's right in front of her,
which explains the piss-poor state of
the city we see every day,
where the
same simple problems fester
for weeks,
months and years.


But she doesn't see it and neither does

the Rubber Stamp Gang.

The city commission does such a poor
job as it is in actually doing their own
homework, and taking their duties seriously,
since 4/5ths of the Commission seems
barely aware of self-evident problems
and unresolved issues in our own city,
much less, ones located elsewhere in the
county or state.

Their lack of curiosity and unwillingness
to actually exhibit
any initiative or oversight,
independent of City Manager Mike Good
and his staff, makes me think of baby chicks
in a nest waiting to be fed.

It's hard to go to lots of city meetings
in South Florida like I do and not come
away with the vivid impression that many
city officials who are deeply involved with
the
League continually manage to direct
their own city's attorney and staff to do
the
League's bidding, since you rarely
-if ever- will find an amicus brief filed
by a city that is not 100% aligned with
whatever the League espouses,
either locally or statewide.
Coincidence?
I don't think so.

For instance, why did HB file an amicus
brief here?

Just to grab power?


http://www.law.fsu.edu/library/flsupct/sc04-990/04-990ans-amicus.pdf
http://www.4dca.org/opinions/Jan%202009/01-28-09/4D02-3636.reh.pdf

It's typical of the anti-democratic
mindset at Hallandale Beach City
Hall and the League of Cities.

Mulligan v. City of Hollywood
it reads
The "FCFA" provides that "[i]t is the policy of this state that law enforcement agencies shall utilize the provisions of the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act to deter and prevent the continued use of contraband articles for criminal purposes while protecting the proprietary interests of innocent owners and lienholders.." (Emphasis supplied.) Such is an express preemption by general law of municipal criminal contraband forfeiture (impoundment) laws.

Later, it picks up this point:
Inasmuch as the "FCFA" requires a felony to forfeit a vehicle, any ordinance that purports to authorize the forfeiture of vehicles used in connection with a misdemeanor is in direct conflict with
the Act's limitation to felonies.

What do you suppose the people of this
city or Hollywood would think if they
knew that their City Commissions and
City Attorneys/outside counsel were
urging such a thing, i.e the city trying
to pre-empt state laws in favor of their
own self-serving ordinances,
which would make it easier for cities
to seize personal vehicles and be left
unable to exercise their legal rights,
but instead be forced to deal with the
city's own
regulations?

Well, as it turned out, the professionals
behind this particular municipal power
grab LOST!

Judges ruled Hollywood's ordinance was
constitutionally deficient, as among other
things, it violated both the separation of
powers and due process clause.

But sadly as we've seen time and again,
those particular concepts mean little to
the folks who run things at Hallandale
Beach City Hall.


When you read the proceedings, you can't
help but wonder how in the world they ever
thought they'd pull that off.

By the way, there's one other thing that's
particularly noteworthy about this case of
Colon Mulligan v. City of Hollywood,
and
I know that this will not surprise the
majority of you reading this one bit.

Having checked their archives today,
I can tell you that neither the Miami
Herald
or the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel have ever written a
single updated story on this case since
July 7, 2006, by Marc Caputo.

Which is to say that they have NONE
of the important questions about how
the case was finally decided against
the City of Hollywood has ever appeared
in either newspaper.

Which also explains why there is so
much bad information about this case
all over the Internet.

If everything goes as planned,

I'll have a blog post this weekend

about Attorney General candidate
Dan Gelber getting a Rogue's
Gallery
of anti-democratic Broward
pols to endorse him, per this

Broward Politics blog post from
Wednesday by the
Sun-Sentinel's
Anthony Man.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/10/gelber_rolls_out_more_broward.html

My comments will highlight this common
anti-democratic element shared by these
other folks, as well as Mayor Cooper's
well-known aversion to public transparency
and accountability.

For example, her galling chutzpah in suing
a HB citizen for trying to access public
records he's legally entitled to examine
by virtue of the Florida Constitution,
which Cooper knows full-well will
reveal her personal carelessness,
a
nd her very troubling behavior with
regard to ethics,is a gross insult to all
Hallandale Beach citizens and taxpayers.

Mayor Cooper has quite a lot to
worry about, as you will soon be
hearing and reading about.

I'm also planning to finally post
that much-delayed post that really
hammers the seemingly clueless
and oblivious Gulfstream Park,
which, to be charitable,
seems to
be a serial sleep-walker.

----------
Carol: Can you please fill me in on the Amendment 4 meeting you all are hosting on the 26th?


Dave,
This is a public information forum on Amendment 4, Hometown Democracy, which will be on the ballot in Nov. 2010. This will be a pro/con panel discussion. To my knowledge, League has not yet taken a position on the Amendment but we provide these forums to bring out all the issues. Hope you can come. It will be in Ballroom C of the Wynmoor Clubhouse.

Carol
---------------
Broward County League of Women Voters:
www.lwvbcfl.org
---------------------------------
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Managing growth a hot button topic
By Dale White
October 9, 2009

The vote on a ballot measure giving residents more say in how their local governments manage growth is still a year away. Yet it is already shaping up to be one of the most contentious issues ever placed before Florida voters.

That volatility was evident Thursday as nearly 300 people watched the battle lines being drawn during a fiery debate at the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091009/ARTICLE/910091040/2055/NEWS?Title=Managing-growth-a-hot-button-topic

Reader comments at:
http://forums.heraldtribune.com/eve/forums?a=dl&f=3941081465&s=3341001365&x_id=910091040&x_subject=Managing+growth+a+hot+button+topic&x_link=http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091009/ARTICLE/910091040