Showing posts with label Broward County Courthouse Taskforce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broward County Courthouse Taskforce. Show all posts

Monday, February 1, 2010

South Florida news media ignores Broward Courthouse Taskforce shenanigans planned for Tuesday by Usual Suspects, not taxpayers; Judge Victor Tobin enlists legal eagles to come to rescue

So, did you hear about the Broward County Commission meeting on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. where the future of the Broward Courthouse will be discussed?
Hundreds of millions of dollars are involved.

If not, don't worry, that's the way the Broward County Commission wants it.
In that regard, they rely heavily on the apathetic South Florida news media, who'll no doubt make
excuses, after-the-fact, for why they haven't mentioned this topic AT ALL before the meeting
actually happens.

Meet the New Media, Same as the Old Media!

Here's how it looks on tomorrow's agenda, but I have it printed out in full at the bottom.


15.






Attachments

Exhibit 1 - Final Report 2009

Exhibit 2 - Master Plan Phases 1 - 3

Exhibit 3 - New Courthouse - Conceptual Footprint

Exhibit 4 - Summary of Borrowing Options

Exhibit 5 - Comparison of Voted & Non-Voted Debt


Consider this.
This is what Comm. Ken Keechl said exactly a year ago about the Courthouse.
Sounds pretty realistic.
http://www.broward.org/kenkeechl/02_09_newsletter.pdf

But that was before the rigged Broward Courthouse Task Force, under Comm. Ilene Lieberman,
had time to really work in earnest to figure-out some way that they could legally evade the referendum that would be required if the Commission voted to make this a bond issue, with voters getting the ultimate thumbs up or down.
And we know that would be a heavy thumbs down, don't we?

Broward County Judicial Complex
Broward County Courthouse, with jail north of it, to the left. With delightful river-views!

You can be excused for wondering why you haven't heard anything about Tuesday morning's Commission meeting that will discuss the Courthouse.
It's not your fault.
Really.

Neither the Herald or the Sun-Sentinel have mentioned this subject in print or online since last September, when the Guest Op-Ed below, purported to have been written by Comm. Stacy Ritter, was published in the Sun-Sentinel.
Whether she actually wrote this or just signed it is not the point.
The real point is that once again, on something very important, South Florida's news media has shown they were sleeping on the job.

Not that anyone in local TV has anything to brag about in this.
Are you kidding?

Did you EVER see anything last year on TV about the ties that the members of the Lieberman-led Taskforce had to the Broward legal establishment here, who desperately want a brand new pony?
Preferably, with a brand-new barn and a lifetime supply of feed.
On your dime.

Nope.
There never was one

Did you ever read in the newspaper or see anything on local TV about how Comm. Lieberman put herself on the committee, and thus ends up with two votes on this matter?

Ever read or hear anything about why Comm. Stacy Ritter appointed Bruce Rogow to the Courthouse Task Force after she'd earlier appointed him to the Charter Review Commission, which
just ended in 2008?

Is there really such a complete lack of qualified people in Broward County -or genuine fear of diversity of opinions?- that the same old faces have to appear, over-and-over?

Bruce Rogow, really?
The same guy who continually made ridiculous alibis and excuses for Broward's elected officials, over-and-over, in the Charter Review Committee meetings?

The same Bruce Rogow who was recently making $375 an hour off of Hallandale Beach taxpayers for reasons that most of the HB City Commission still can't logically explain?
Yes.

In case you forgot, that's the same Lieberman I continually wrote about last year on my blog
that didn't follow basic aspects of the state's Sunshine Laws, and instead, tried to fool
the public by arranging for the agenda and assorted public docs for the last meeting, which should've been online days before, to be placed online HOURS AFTER the
last meeting was over.
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Ilene+Lieberman

Really.
Not that they actually had the final public meeting listed online days before the meeting, since they didn't, and which I wrote about at the time.
And Lieberman was the one in charge -the Chair.

The answer to that long-winded question is also a big fat NOPE.
There never was one story about any of those aspects of the Task Force
Now you know the truth.

There you have it, a snapshot of South Florida's not so gung-ho news media, circa February 2010
-asleep at the wheel.

The Jordana Mishory article from the Daily Business Review last week that I link to below features one of the most gallingquotes you'll ever see.

In case you've been under a rock, Judge Victor Tobin is the genius in charge of the statewide task force investigating corruption.

Mishory
writes: "He also encouraged the lawyers to run for state Legislature, saying nonlawyers in Tallahassee don’t understand the justice system and the separation
of powers."


So now you know what citizen taxpayers are really up against.

I'll be at the meeting tomorrow afternoon for the public session that starts ar 2 p.m., filming the drama surrounding Agenda item 15.
Should be pretty interesting to watch the Broward Commissioners engage in verbal gymnastics to do
what they always wanted to do, despite Broward citizens being unalterably opposed by large margins.

But the reality is this -the Commissioners have contributor friends who need the contracting work,
so don't be surprised to hear some pretty crazy news emerge from Andrews Avenue tomorrow.


South Florida Sun-Sentinel
BROWARD COURTHOUSE NEEDS REPLACING NOW

September 30, 2009

When I became Broward County's mayor almost a year ago, I made rebuilding our courthouse a priority.

We are one hurricane away from not having a courthouse. Engineers say that the roof could blow off in a moderate hurricane, leaving us with no place to handle trials. In that case, we would be forced to replace the courthouse during an emergency at whatever cost is charged.

Almost everybody who steps into the aging building, from witnesses to the Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board, has repeatedly said a new courthouse is needed.

Why? The courthouse is the lynchpin of Broward's public safety, where everything from divorces to traffic tickets is decided. If you get robbed, or are hurt in a traffic accident, justice is found at the courthouse. The problems with the 60-year-old building are myriad and threaten public safety.

Because of overcrowding, criminal defendants are in close contact with the public. There are rats, roaches and corroding pipes, which leak sewer water. Bathrooms are often out of order. The aging elevators sometimes require two dozen service calls a week. The overloaded electrical system dates back to the 1950s.

In 2006, voters turned down a $500 million-plus courthouse plan. Voters believed it was too big and too expensive. Since then, the courthouse has gotten worse - closed at least three times because of burst pipes. The flooding caused ceilings to collapse, electrical equipment to fail and required extra deputies to transport prisoners to makeshift courtrooms.

To keep patching the building together is costly and wasteful. With this in mind, I appointed a task force under County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman to tackle this decades-long problem. To insure the public that those on the task force would not benefit financially, no one doing business with the county was a member. After multiple public hearings and hours of expert testimony, the task force developed a sensible plan:

Smaller and less expensive than the 2006 rejected proposal, it would cost $328 million, down from more than $500 million. It will be 17 stories rather than 25 stories, and 675,000 square feet, rather than 893,000 square feet.

It is doable. The County Commission approved the plan in early August. We already have $120 million set aside to pay for the building. As time passes, the need for a new courthouse only increases, and will just get more expensive the longer we wait. We need it now.

Stacy Ritter is mayor of Broward County.

---------
FYI: Jordana Mishory is a Medill grad.
Daily Business Review

Broward Courthouse
Chief judge considers legal remedies if county rejects bond

By Jordana Mishory
January 22, 2010

Broward Chief Circuit Judge Victor Tobin is recruiting lawyers to attend a Broward County Commission meeting on a bond issue for courthouse construction and is considering legal remedies to ensure the county provides a safe and adequate building, he said Thursday in his state of the circuit speech.

Tobin said drastic matters may be needed to deal with the decrepit wing of the downtown Fort Lauderdale courthouse, but he stopped short of threatening a lawsuit.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/news.html?news_id=60007

See other DBR stories on the Broward Courthouse at:
http://www.dailybusinessreview.com/related_news.html?cluster_id=980


http://205.166.161.204/agenda_publish.cfm?mt=ALL&get_month=2&get_year=2010&dsp=agm&seq=4651&rev=0&ag=165&ln=27918&nseq=&nrev=&pseq=4696&prev=0#ReturnTo27918

AI-4651 Item #: 15.
Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Date: 02/02/2010
Director's Name: Pete Corwin
Department: County Administration

Information
Requested Action
MOTION TO DISCUSS and determine the method of financing for the new courthouse complex.
Why Action is Necessary
Board direction is required to determine how to fund the new courthouse complex.
What Action Accomplishes
Provides staff direction to take the necessary steps to finance a new courthouse.
Is this Action Goal Related

Previous Action Taken

Summary Explanation/ Background
Background

On August 5th, the Board approved the Courthouse Task Force’s final report (Exhibit 1). The Board agreed that a new courthouse should be constructed on County owned land at the corner of SE 6th Street and SE 1st Avenue; which is the site of the 400 space Judicial Garage. The Board also amended the agreement with Spillis Candela, Heery, Cartaya Joint Venture to design the new courthouse. The Board discussed the Task Force recommendation to fund the courthouse utilizing non-voted debt and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of voted and non-voted debt; however, the Board postponed a decision on financing the courthouse. The Mayor directed staff to bring the issue to the Board for determination.

Project Status

The consultant team has completed the architectural program totaling 674,000 sq ft to meet the space needs of the courthouse agencies plus one shell floor (34,000 sq ft) to provide for future expansion. The team also developed a master plan (Exhibit 2), consistent with the recommendations of the Task Force. The master plan provides for a judicial campus on County owned property that will meet the space needs of the courts for well over thirty years. The consultant team also developed over 30 design schemes for the courthouse footprint, which were reviewed by County staff with input from the courts. After detailed analysis using selection criteria which included site constraints, building and functional efficiency, natural lighting, way-finding, best practices, and cost , the team selected an “L” shape footprint (Exhibit 3) as the preferred conceptual configuration for the building. The 20 story structure will include 74 litigation spaces for judges and general masters; provide secure separation of the public, judges, inmates and juvenile detainees; centralize Court Administrator functions; include space for Clerk of Court and State Attorney functions; and will be an environmentally friendly and energy efficient building designed to achieve LEED certification.

The consultant team has initiated the schematic design phase of the project during which they will complete architectural massing and elevation studies to represent the preferred design solution for the building. Conceptual floor plans will be developed for each level during this phase, responding to the architectural program requirements. Preliminary project descriptions, with a narrative of engineering systems and material selections, will be provided so that a more detailed project cost can be prepared.

Schematic design will be completed in mid-March and will be followed by the design development and construction document phase to produce the design drawings used to bid the project. Since these drawings must conform to the most current building codes, staff does not recommend proceeding with design development until a financing plan is in place. If the project is delayed pending financing, the design development drawings would likely require significant and potentially costly modifications.

Project Costs
The following provides a summary of the $328 million projected project costs:

• Courthouse, Demolition, Landscaping, Connectors and 120 Secure Parking Spaces
($281.5 million)

• 1,380 Parking Spaces ($34.5 million)

• Remodel Midrise ($4 million)

• Additional North Regional Parking ($8 million)

Staff and the consultant team is committed to designing the project within the project budget including the prospect of bidding the project next year at a time when the construction market is expected to remain “soft”. In addition, the project estimate does not include a separate allocation for public art since the consultant team will integrate art into the design of the new courthouse. The cost to add parking to the North Regional Courthouse may be less than projected if we can add capacity within the existing structure.

As the project has taken shape over the past several months, several items have been indentified that will have to be taken into consideration when designing the courthouse and developing the detailed project budget. The initial project budget did not contemplate any remodeling in the East or North Wings. As the consultant completed the space program, it became clear that several State Attorney units that support judges in the North Wing (felony courts) should be located in the East or North Wings. By consolidating Court Administration and the administrative functions of the Clerk of Courts in the new courthouse, space can be freed up in the East and North Wings for the State Attorney. The team also identified additional work necessary to make the East Wing functional after the old courthouse is demolished. With the assistance of our construction project manager (Weitz), staff and the consultant team will design the courthouse so that the project is completed at or under the project budget.

Financing the New Courthouse

The County has $60 million in the budget for courthouse capital projects plus $60 million for a new jail which is not needed due to reductions in the inmate population. If additional jail capacity is needed in the future, the 700 bed Stockade can be reopened. By utilizing $120 million in cash, the County can reduce the amount of borrowed funds needed for the projects to approximately $208 million.

The key policy questions for the Board to address are:

• What is the best time and method to borrow the $208 million to finance the project?

• What funds will be used to pay the annual debt service on the bonds?

• What is the impact of the annual debt service payments on the millage rate and
taxpayers?

The County’s Financial Advisor prepared a summary of several borrowing options (Exhibit 4). While there are several options available to the County for financing the courthouse project, the fundamental choice is between voted and non-voted debt. There are pros and cons of each method.

Voted debt (General Obligation bonds) has several advantages. Debt service is paid with property taxes that are not included in the County’s General Fund and operating millage rate; interest rates are lower than non voted debt; and no debt service reserve is required.

The key advantage to non-voted debt is that financing can proceed immediately allowing the County to take advantage of a very soft construction market; take advantage of historically low interest rates; and utilize Build America Bonds before they expire December 31, 2010. Non-voted debt service payments are paid with general revenues and the millage required to fund debt service is included in the General Fund under the 10 mill cap limitation.

The total debt service on $208 million ranges from $12 to $14 million per year. The Court Facilities Fee can be used to pay $5 million per year of the debt service on the bonds ($1million/year from rent savings plus $4 million/year from increase in the fee). Therefore, by utilizing $5 million/year in courthouse facilities fees, the amount of property taxes needed to support the bonds is reduced to approximately $7 to $9 million per year.

A key variable in the annual debt service payments is whether the County issues Recovery Zone and Build America Bonds (BABs), which can significantly lower borrowing costs, but must be issued by December 31, 2010. The County has been allocated $40 million in Recovery Zone Bonds which provide a 45% credit towards interest payments. There is no limit on the amount of Build America Bonds that can be issued and they provide a 35% credit towards interest payments. The reduction in interest payments are based upon the Federal Government providing “rebates” and carry the risk that the Federal Government will suspend or eliminate the “rebates”. As shown in Exhibit 5, the annual rebate averages approximately $3 million per year. The Federal program is available for both voted and non-voted debt; the bonds are taxable; and bonds must be issued no later than December 31, 2010 unless the program is extended by Congress.

The County’s Financial Advisor compared four borrowing scenarios based upon current market conditions:

• Voted Debt with Build America Bonds

• Non-Voted Debt with Build America Bonds

• Voted Debt without Build America Bonds

• Non-Voted Debt without Build America Bonds

Based on current market conditions, Exhibit 5 calculates the total amount borrowed (including issuance, underwriters costs, and revenues); total average annual debt service; tax supported annual debt service (netting out the Courthouse Facility Fee and Federal interest “rebate”); the “all in” interest rate (TIC); and total debt service. The following chart summarizes the annual debt service and “all in” interest rate for each alternative:


OPTION ANNUAL DEBT SERVICE TIC
• Voted Debt with BAB’s $6.9 million 3.85%

• Non Voted Debt with BAB’s $7.5 million 4.11%

• Voted Debt w/o BAB’s $8.1 million 4.68%

• Non Voted Debt w/o BAB’s $9.3 million 5.34%



Based on current market conditions, the lowest cost option would be voted debt utilizing Build America Bonds; however, a non-voted issue utilizing Build America Bonds is more attractive than a GO issue without Build America Bonds.

Policy Questions
Given the information presented above:

1. What is the best time and method to borrow the $208 million to finance the project? Voted debt offers lower borrowing costs, but if the Board elects to finance the project with voted debt and voters do not approve the bond issue, the County could miss historically low interest rates, BAB rebates from the Federal Government and a soft construction market.

2. What funds will be used to pay the annual debt service on the bonds? The total debt service payments on $208 million will be approximately $12 to $14 million per year. Courthouse Facilities Fees will provide approximately $5 million per year. If voted debt is utilized, the difference will come directly from property taxes. If non-voted debt is utilized, general revenues will be pledged to make up the difference which ultimately impacts the general fund tax rate.

If the debt is incurred in the next 3 years, the increase in debt service payments can be offset by a $36.4 million per year decrease in voted debt service payments. In FY 10, total annual debt service taxes are $74.4 million and in FY 14 they will decrease to $38 million. These scheduled decreases in payments will occur as follows:

• FY11 $17.3 million

• FY12 $11.3 million

• FY13 $7.8 million

Total $36.4 million

3. What is the impact of the annual debt service payments on the millage rate and taxpayers? No matter which method of borrowing (voted or non-voted debt) is used, there will be an increase in debt service payments. If the debt is “voted”, the additional $7 to $9 million will be offset by the programmed $36.4 million decrease in existing voted debt service payments and likely result in a decrease in the “voted” millage rate depending on the tax roll for that year. If the debt is “non-voted”, the impact on the County operating budget and millage rate cannot be determined at this time, given the number of variables such as the tax roll, other increases/decreases in revenues and expenses, and the Board’s tax policy. The impact of the additional $7 to $9 million on the budget by itself would not require a supermajority vote since the County has developed ample capacity under the State-mandated maximum millage calculation by significantly reducing the County’s ad valorem tax levy each year for three years.

The following summarizes the impact on the average taxpayer based on the current combined millage rate (voted and non-voted) and current average taxable values:

• Current millage rate 5.3889 (4.889 operating plus .5 mills debt service)

• Less .25 mills decrease in voted debt service payments ($36.4 million/year)

• Plus .05 to .06 mills for new courthouse debt service payments ($7 to $9
million/year)

• Total millage rate – 5.1889 to 5.0789 (3.5% to 3.7% decrease)

• The impact of the $7 to $9 million debt service payment on the average
homeowner would be $8 per year, which would be offset by the reduction
of $37 per year in voted debt service payments over three fiscal years.

The Courthouse Task Force met on January 22nd and voted to reaffirm their recommendation that the Board utilize non-voted debt.

Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary:
Total cost of courthouse projects is $328 million. There is $120 million available in the Capital Program in the courthouse and jail projects. The balance ($208 million) will be financed and supported by revenues generated in the Courthouse Facilities Fund and general operating revenues.

Attachments
Exhibit 1 - Final Report 2009
Exhibit 2 - Master Plan Phases 1 - 3
Exhibit 3 - New Courthouse - Conceptual Footprint
Exhibit 4 - Summary of Borrowing Options
Exhibit 5 - Comparison of Voted & Non-Voted Debt

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Just Broward County being Broward County when facing their own serial incompetence. A sad, familiar refrain... The sorry state of ethics and Good Government in South Florida where government incompetence and corruption are too frequently the norm; Broward County Courthouse Taskforce

Below are some thoughts by some very concerned Broward County citizens on what's going on up at
Andrews Ave. with the Broward County Commission, with my own comments just below them, which are, in large part, excerpts of an email of my own sent to the writers and the much larger community who receives my emails.

The emails are in reverse-chron order with some identifiable email info removed, and some blank spacing eliminated, but otherwise identical to how I received it over the weekend.
The comments are pretty self-explanatory and the official govt. response speak volumes.


---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Charlotte Greenbarg
Date: Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Subject: FW: Another arrest: J. Eggelletion from Mae Smith
To: Charlotte Greenbarg

Read the whole list of emails. Interesting. Go Mae!

Charlotte



From: Warence Mae Smtih
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:52 PM
To: 'Dave Reierson'; 'Henry, Bertha'; 'Keechl, Ken'; Commissioner Diane Wasserman-Rubin; Commissioner Ilene Lieberman ; Commissioner John Rodstrom ; Commissioner Ken Keechl; Commissioner Kristen Jacobs; Commissioner Lois Wexler; Commissioner Stacey Ritter; Commissioner Suzanne Gunzburger
Cc: Michael Mayo
Subject: RE: Another arrest: J. Eggelletion

To all who have the authority or power to take responsible action:
Commissioner Eggelletion was removed from office in September it appears on the website as if he still represents the district. Why is it taking so long to remove his name off of the website? This is misleading to the residents of District 9. When School Board Commissioner Beverly Gallagher was removed from office; the school board immediately removed her pictures and name from all business of the school board. The school board felt a need take immediate action. Is there a reason for you to be so slow to remove his name?
Today Ex-Commissioner Eggelletion turned himself into the Broward County Jail. The Feds has him on one corner and the State Attorney’s Office finally has him on the other. I don’t think Governor Crist is stupid and I don’t think you are. What are the chances of the Governor Crist re-instating him to office? All material and websites that advertise his name as Commissioner for District 9 should be removed NOW!!!!
Warence “Mae” Smith
President of St. George Civic Association, Inc.
From: Dave Reierson
Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 5:15 PM
To: 'Dave Reierson'; 'Henry, Bertha'; 'Keechl, Ken'
Cc: Mae Smith; Michael Mayo
Subject: Another arrest: J. Eggelletion
Commissioner Keechl and Ms. Henry:
The attached story about another arrest of former Comm. Eggelletion further questions your approach about your unwillingness to update your website. Your official website states that he remains a Broward County Commissioner and that he represents District 9. I seems that you put little value in the content of the website, even the home page and somehow this inaccuracy about who holds an elected office is a small issue to the Commission and to the County Administrator.
Dave Reierson
Oakland Park, FL
From: Dave Reierson
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:20 PM
To: 'Henry, Bertha'; 'Keechl, Ken'
Subject: RE: J. Eggelletion
Ms. Henry:
I guess that makes sense to you, but certainly not to me. Updating of the web site is dependent on actions of the Governor? There is a vacant spot on the Broward County Board of Commissioners, but you seem to be not willing to acknowledge it on the web site. Apparently the web site is not expected to be current or accurate, even when it addresses a matter as important as our elected officials. Evidently that is also quite acceptable to the other Commissioners. It also seems to me that this update to the website should be quite manageable and a rather simple task. Certainly that is our expectation in the private sector, but in the public sector our expectations are expected to be much lower? This makes me continue to wonder how well the large tasks are being managed.
Dave Reierson
Oakland Park
From: Henry, Bertha
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 7:07 PM
To: Keechl, Ken; 'Dave Reierson'
Subject: RE: J. Eggelletion
Dear Mr. Reierson,
We expect the Governor to make an appointment any day now. Once done, we will update all at once.

From: Keechl, Ken
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 12:47 PM
To: 'Dave Reierson'
Cc: Henry, Bertha
Subject: RE: J. Eggelletion
Dave:
Under the Broward Co. Charter, this decision is that of Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry. I have cc’d her on this email. Ms. Henry, please respond to Mr. Reierson directly.
Thanks for your continued support, Dave.
Ken
Ken Keechl, District 4 Commissioner
Vice Mayor Broward County
From: Dave Reierson
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 11:59 AM
To: Keechl, Ken
Subject: J. Eggelletion
Commissioner Keechl:
I see that J. Eggelletion is still listed as a Commissioner of the Broward County Board of Commissioners. His website states that he represents District 9. Neither is true. Why hasn’t this been corrected?
Dave Reierson
Oakland Park, FL

----------

November 10th, 2009

Up until now I've always avoided forwarding emails to you for all the obvious reasons, but as you can see below, other concerned citizens in Broward are noticing the very same sorts of 'curious' things that we've been noticing and taking note of for quite some time and also asking why? 

Their emails and questions ring familiar to us and resonate deep inside because they contain the same lyrics from that same old sad song of incompetence and misfeasance sung by Broward County administrators and elected officials, starting with Bertha Henry and her assistants.

To cite one recent example, Broward County administrators DIDN'T properly keep the public information on their website accurate or up-to-date on their so-called Courthouse Taskforce, under Broward Commissioner Ilene Lieberman as Chair.


(When you're looking for fresh objective eyes on a subject, why was a Broward Commissioner on the Taskforce in the first place, thereby effectively giving her two votes on the matter?
Someone who reportedly owned land in the immediate area?
And then made the Chair?

The entire Courthouse Taskforce had self-evident professional and personal conflicts of interests of the sort that, in a well-run county would've never allowed them to pass muster, since there was nobody on it who was even openly agnostic about needing a new facility, much less, critical of the county's self-serving bias with taxpayers dollars.

But with just a few rare exceptions, seemingly everyone in South Florida media just looked the other way, because the Broward County Commission desperately wants a new Courthouse, and doesn't much care what taxpayers say or think, or what sorts of behind-the-scenes moves they have to finesse in order to get their way.

There's a reason why the Broward County Commissioners don't want to have a public referendum on this issue.


If the media is supposed to be 'watchdogs' for the public, why did South Florida's media 

suddenly go deaf, mute and blind on this issue and never ask tough questions about the 
personnel makeup of this Taskforce, and why did the Editorial Boards of the Herald and Sun-Sentinel just sit on the sidelines and take one for the home team, i.e. The Establishment, and never ask?

Do you know what they call a place where the 'watchdog' doesn't bark?
Of course you do, because you live here, too. They call it our reality -South Florida 2009.)


Under Comm. Lieberman's watch, the Taskforce waited until hours AFTER their last scheduled public meeting before finally putting up the agenda and any and all relevant updated info, docs and renderings, as well as the Minutes of the previous meeting, which was supposed to be online for the
public to examine long BEFORE that meeting ever started.

In a well-run community where there is actual punishment and public rebuke of those who don't play by society's norms and laws, and who continually don't do what they're supposed to do, there's a real tangible downside to those who don't place the info on the county's website WEEKS BEFORE, if not days before, as the County kept trying to peddle their sad-luck mold stories to anyone in the media who'd ask, complete with arranging tours of supposed off-limit areas.

But this isn't a well-run county as we all know, so it WASN'T done.
There was no public accountability.

That's why in the days prior to that final public meeting of Broward's Courthouse Taskforce, I emailed Comm. Sue Gunzburger's office to let her know about this failure by the county to properly keep the public FULLY informed.

Her always-helpful staff forwarded my concerns to the top of the county.

Later, I received what I can only describe as a series of pathetic, self-serving excuses from one of County Administrator Bertha Henry's assistants.

These rather silly and unsatisfactory missives were very similar to the ones I received this past Spring when I grilled them about the fact that ONE YEAR after-the-fact, the relevant information and Minutes from the FINAL public meeting of the county's Charter Review Commission in April of 2008, including the actual arguments for and against individual items being proposed for the Nov. 2008 ballot for county voters, as well as the actual procedural and final votes by the individual committee members, were STILL NOT on the county's website.

So, after posting them every few weeks, what, they just forgot to do it BEFORE the actual election?

Call me old-fashioned, but I happen to believe that Broward County's citizen taxpayers, having already paid for all the costs involved, had an absolute right to actually read that information and
see for themselves why some proposals made the cut and others didn't, and know specifically who said what when.

Maybe they'd have noticed as I did from having actually been there in person, the highly anti-democratic comments and votes taken by the Broward city mayors who were appointed to the CRC,
under Chair Lori C. Moseley of Miramar, all of whom, coincidentally, were women.

In my opinion, the worst offender of all was Cooper City mayor Debby Eisinger, whose comments and behavior made me think that what she'd really like to be in another life is a despot.

And not a benevolent dictator, either.

Last year there was a proposal before the CRC to take a resolution to the County Commission to support a process that would lead to a procedure that allowed the public to place legitimate agenda items on the County Commission agenda

With 19 members present, 13 votes were need to pass.
http://www.broward.org/charter/pdf/crc_regular_meetin20040908final.pdf
page 10

It lost 13-5.
Only two women on the CRC voted yes: H.K. "Petey" Kaletta and Burnadette
Norris-Weeks
.
Six voted against: Debby EisingerLori Moseley, Patricia Good, Maggie Davidson, Hazelle Rogers, Jodi Jeffreys-Tanner.

Page 20, On the proposal for the creation of an advisory MTA, which I strongly supported and which passed 15-4, voting against were Debby EisingerLori Moseley and Patricia Good

On the proposal that received the lion's share of media attention last year which would allow Broward County citizens to vote in November for or against a County-wide elected mayor, George A. Morgan,
 Jr. the Exec. Director of The Broward Workshop put it plainly on page 73 in his submitted remarks: "...The voters have a right to decide this important issue... Don't take their right to vote away..."

At page 84, Mr, Morgan speaks in person

On page 127, you can see who voted for and against which led to the motion failing on a 10-9 vote, failing to get the 13 votes.

The women voting to prevent Broward County voters from deciding this issue themselves:
Burnadette Norris-Weeks, Maggie DavidsonHazelle Rogers, Jody Jeffreys-Tanner
and our ol' pal, Debbie Eisinger.


Cooper City mayor Debbie Eisinger voted against all three, earning her the booby prize.


That Eisinger, Joy Cooper and a few other Broward pols recently endorsed Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber, see Gelber rolls out more Broward endorsements

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/10/gelber_rolls_out_more_broward.html


Posted by Anthony Man on October 7, 2009, it caused me to write a post a few weeks ago
that you'll soon see, tentatively titled without exaggeration, Rogue's Gallery of Broward
Officials Endorses Dan Gelber - Includes Joy Cooper, 
Naturally.


All of these important matters about the CRC were seemingly only observed by myself, since the Herald and Sun-Sentinel's coverage of that final public meeting was woefully short of what was needed or required.

So as to your question of what sort of people possess the chutzpah to think they can do nothing,
after-the-fact
, when it suits them, and think they can get away with it, I'd suggest it's the very same

people who don't do what they're required to do, before-the-fact, when it suits them and they think
they can make it stick.

The answer, of course, is the Broward County Commission, though sometimes, it's also the Hallandale Beach City Commission for the same exact inexplicable reasons.


Except when it's not at all inexplicable but patently obvious to both you and me: because they can.


It's the same reason that the Hallandale Beach City Commission last week refused to agree to Comm. Keith London's common sense plan to post the Diplomat Country Club's very unpopular Local Activity Center (LAC) application on the city's feeble website.

Nobody would even second the motion.
Joy Cooper, William Julian, Dotty Ross and Anthony A. Sanders all just sit there like bumps on a log, as the silence echoed throughout the Commission Chambers.

Why?

Because they don't want you to know!



And trust me, in a few weeks, they'll be criticizing HB citizens from the dais just like Mayor Cooper was doing in earnest last Wednesday morning, over the city's very unpopular RAC plan, saying that people in the community were "uneducated" and were spreading lies, etc.
It was typical Joy Cooper theatre-of-the-absurd.


Yet they won't post the important yet very unpopular LAC plan on their own website so that people in the community can actually see what the specific details are.
THAT is what passes for normal in corrupt and poorly-run Hallandale Beach, Florida in the year
2009.

If you're interested, you can see some of my own contemporaneous comments about the myriad actions of both the Broward Charter Review Commission and the Courthouse Taskforce by going here,
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Charter%20Review%20Commission
and here, http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search?q=courthouse

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Update on latest Broward County Courthouse Taskforce meeting, which again can only see one answer: MORE MONEY!


My comments follow the article.
-------

Miami Herald

New courthouse talks move forward



For years, Broward County leaders have bemoaned the state of their main courthouse, an old, oddly organized building prone to leaks.
Now a task force says the best solution is constructing a new, 17-story tower with a $328 million price tag. County commissioners are scheduled to discuss the proposal Tuesday.
This will be the county's second attempt in recent years at getting a new courthouse. In 2006, Broward leaders proposed a more expensive plan that required a voter-approved, $450 million bond issue. Voters rejected that idea.
As for the new proposal, no floor-by-floor plans for the building exist.
County consultants say they can't craft detailed plans without the commission's OK.
But they have identified a general layout, which elements they cut from the 2006 plan, and a long list of problems that need fixing.
At issue, they say, is an outdated design with a heavy dose of wear and tear in the building, which at its core is about 55 years old.
''It has outlived its life. It has outlived its culture,'' said Mario Cartaya of Cartaya and Associates Architects, one of several consultants hired by the county to examine the courthouse. ``And so, because of that, you've got severe issues.''
Cartaya highlighted these problems:
A layout that mixes judges, employees, visitors and prisoners in the same space, even sometimes putting judges and inmates in the same elevator at the same time.
''This is the one that is a ticking time bomb,'' Cartaya said.
Water, sewer and electrical systems from the 1950s that are failing or close to it.
Cartaya also predicted needing a new air conditioning system in the next year or two.
Weakened connections between the windows and the walls that could fail in another hurricane, especially a Category 2 or higher.
Some fixes require tearing down entire walls, which would mean renting separate space so the courthouse could continue while undergoing renovations. Other problems, like the shared elevators, can't be changed, leading to the question:
Which is cheaper, building a new courthouse or fixing the old?
Consultants say a new one probably would be cheaper.
That assessment probably is correct, said University of Florida professor Michael Cook, who teaches the cost of construction and estimating at the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction.
Cook hasn't analyzed the Broward courthouse, but said its situation sounds similar to other public buildings he has studied. Since they are built to last a long time, when they finally break down, sometimes the pipes and mechanics inside the building aren't made any more, making the fixes -- and bringing the building up to code -- expensive.
''It's like an automobile. How much are you going to invest in an auto when you can get something brand new that will last a lot longer for a little more, maybe even less?'' Cook said.
There are exceptions to that idea, such as the 81-year-old Miami-Dade County Courthouse. That building benefits from several factors, said architect Don Dwore, who is in charge of the Broward project for another consultant, AECOM Design.
It's made of stronger materials -- masonry -- as opposed to Broward's metal and glass, which was prevalent in the 1950s. Also, Miami-Dade took good care of the building, which earned designation on the National Register of Historic Places, further requiring good maintenance, Dwore said.
''It's on the historic register. That elevates any building to another status,'' Dwore said.
Last year, two plumbing leaks forced the Broward courthouse to close, including a burst pipe in December that soaked court files, knocked out phone service and delayed trials. Earlier this year, a handful of courthouse employees sued the county, alleging the building made them sick.
Those breakdowns lead to a renewed push for a replacement building, resulting in the latest plan: the 18-story building to be built where the judicial garage sits.
The bottom floor would be a garage.
Courtrooms, clerk offices and state attorney offices also would be housed in the building, the task force report says.
The courthouse's newer wings -- east and north -- were built about 15 years ago and would remain as is. They include criminal courtrooms and most of the public defender's office.
When the new tower is done, the old west and central area would be torn down and landscaped, according to the report. Those areas include what is now the main lobby, civil and family court, clerk of the court, courtroom administration and most of the state attorney's office.
But to bring down costs and avoid another bond issue proposal, some features included in the 2006 plan were cut, including:
Plans to buy land near the courthouse to add 3,000 parking spaces. The new proposal adds about 600 spots. The county will try to add more parking around the courthouse, but as a separate project, said Pete Corwin, assistant to the county administrator;
Moving the main public defender's office into the new building. It will stay in the east wing;
A handful of extra courtrooms;
Upgrades to satellite courthouses;
Larger work spaces. In total, the new courthouse will be more than 200,000 square feet smaller than the 2006 courthouse proposal.
But the new plan will have a bit of room for growth. The tower would include an empty floor for adding offices or courtrooms as needed, Dwore said.
Chances are good that floor would be put to use pretty quickly, Dwore said, adding, ``I've never seen a courthouse shrink.''
Reader comments at: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/v-fullstory/story/1029948.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=5840663&commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1#Comments_Container
----------------------------------
The May 5th Courthouse Task Force Update on Tuesday will begin in Room 430 at 12:00 PM or immediately following the morning County Commission meeting.

NOTE: This is NOT the same room as the County Commission Chambers, Room 422, so leave early if you want to get a good seat.

The County's one-sided Task Force interim report is at: http://www.broward.org/courthousetaskforce/pdf/interim_report.pdf

It concludes thusly: "The Task Force plans to meet again in June to discuss several open issues related to future phases. These include the long term phasing plan; and an updated estimate of shell space; potential for Stimulus funds; use of a County owned building on Federal Highway; and the potential sale of the land on the New River."


I definitely plan on attending this and really letting the criticism flow.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll even get some answers to the reasonable questions I've posed here in the past, including the curious composition of the group, ALL of whom have a self-evident tie-in to Broward's legal community or to County or local government.
Talk about a complete lack of diversity!

Yet there's not a single architect, urban planner, engineer or high-technology expert on the Task Force?
And the chair of the Task Force is one of the County Commissioners, Ilene Lieberman?
Now that's Broward County in a nut-shell!


Is it really that hard to get honest, open-minded people in this county to be on a panel?
No, but that presupposes that was, in fact, what they wanted; it wasn't.
They wanted a booster club, not a fact-finding group.

Friday, April 24, 2009

In case you hadn't heard the sad news yet...; a story the media is ignoring


Below is a copy of an email that I sent out this afternoon to folks near and far in the Sunshine
State, hoping to give some much-needed context to a situation that, in my opinion, is not being
properly reported on by South Florida's media, print and electronic.
__________________________________
April 24th, 2009
3:15 p.m.

This is the letter Comm. Suzanne Gunzburger sent out yesterday as it appeared early today on
the Buddy Nevins website, Broward Beat:

Sent: Thu Apr 23 18:32:46 2009
Subject: Message from Commissioner Suzanne Gunzburger
From: Suzanne Gunzburger


Dear All,

I have just lost my beloved husband Gerry today after

a short illness. We were together 49 wonderful years.
The services will be Sunday, March 29, at 1:00 P.M. at
Temple Beth El, 1351 S. 14th Avenue, Hollywood Fl.
We shall be sitting Shiva through Tuesday evening,
from 2 until 9 P.M.

Sue

Sue and Gerry Gunzburger
---------------------------------
Back on April 9th, in response to something I'd previously written to many of you the week before,
about the absurd antics of the Broward County Courthouse Taskforce, having previously dropped
me a line or two about the subject and my concerns, Comm.Gunzburger wrote back, in part, "I can
not help you further, as I have been at home for over 2 weeks dealing with a family medical crisis"...


As some of you may recall me telling you in person
over the past few months, a lot of associates and
political supporters of Steve Geller have been
engaging in a classic whispering campaign for
months, telling attendees at various civic events
throughout the Broward and South Florida area
-ones that I've personally attended- that long
before the much-anticipated, expensive,
media-intensive and fireworks-filled campaign for
the November 2010 election for the Broward County
Comission seat she currently holds
-representing us- that Comm. Gunzburger
would drop-out of the race entirely,
leaving Geller as the only candidate, owing
to either fund-raising or health problems.


At the time, the fact that South Florida's media,
especially the local newspapers and their own
blogs, didn't pick-up on this and publicly comment
on this obvious intimidation tactic being employed
so far in advance of any real campaign, much less,
the media not publicly commenting on who was
saying it, really made me... well, quite angry,
even though, obviously, I don't agree with
Comm. Gunzburger and her vote on every
issue or policy matter.


To me, this rather pointed media error of
omission only reinforced my own belief that
South Florida's media has become SO
addicted to using Geller as sort of a
one-stop source for pithy political/govt.
quotes and observations, for all
occasions -likely. just as many
anonymously as those he is actually
credited with, and he's already THE
most-quoted Broward-based pol by far-
only further supported the general
proposition that, whatever else he is,
as I've seen first-hand, Steve Geller
is a manipulative, blowhard of a bully,
who, given what he has done and
whom he has represented in the past
as a lobbyist/lawyer, can NOT politically
afford to get into a fair fight with an
experienced opponent.


Especially an experienced opponent
who knows the local issues as well if
not better than him; who has 'resources'
matching his, if not exceeding them;
and who can raise as much if not more
campaign funds locally as Geller can
state-wide and nationally, thru his vast
network of big money lobbying and
pari-mutuel interests, whose water he
has faithfully carried for years.


For instance, thru loyal and dependable
pals like Dan Adkins of the Mardi Gras
Casino here in Hallandale Beach, which
gave Geller's Committee of Continuing
Existence beaucoup bucks right after it
was formed, which then gave some of that
money to his brother Joe's campaign last
year when he ran for Dan Gelber's old
State House seat based out of Miami Beach
last November, when Gelber ran and was
elected to the State Senate.


Knowing that he might NOT win if things
stayed static, I believe that Steve Geller
has tried to shake things up and level the
playing field for himself by looking for ways
to preliminarily soften-up Suzanne
Gunzburger, by initiating a whispering
campaign that would have the practical
effect of causing people in the community
who are generally inclined to support her
now, as they have in the past,
to hesitate before either sending her a
campaign check or publicly supporting
her, especially if there was a reasonable
chance that she would eventually drop-out.


Steve Geller and WFOR-TV's Michael Williams outside
of Hallandale Beach City Hall, May 7, 2008, from my
post of May 15th, 2008,
(Obviously, I hadn't fixed my camera date button yet.)

William "Boss" Tweed (c. 1871).
William "Boss" Tweed (c. 1871).
Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University


In my opinion, Geller, smart as he is, is likely
betting that by introducing the element of a
shadow of a doubt to her campaign, people's
own egos will prevent them from actually doing
what they are already inclined to do:
support Sue Gunzburger publicly and/or
writing campaign checks to her, for fear
of later being seen as not only insufficiently
in-the-loop, but also being seen as on
the wrong side of Steve Geller,
powerful County Commissioner.

He is, in effect, trying to freeze people,
money and resources into place, by
introducing a shadow of a doubt into their
political calculations.

That he and his supporters are, in fact,
the very ones responsible for introducing
the doubt publicly, largely but not entirely
sotto voce, is something that he clearly
believes is a good calculated risk here,
given that this fact will not be revealed
publicly until it is too late in the campaign
to really matter to voters, which, sadly,
he is probably quite right about.

He is trying to introduce a shadow
of a doubt into everyone's political
calculations!

Manipulating facts and impugning others
behind-the-scenes are long-favored tactics
of Steve Geller's, as I've chronicled on
my blog and as we've all read and heard
for years, so it should hardly be surprising
that many of his go-to supporters and
water-carriers are perfectly fine with those
particular tactics, too.

I mean it's not like Steve Geller is running
on a platform that's pro-reform, or that's
focused on smaller govt. or more
accountability in that govt., is he?
Nope!!!

He wants to continue to be able to legally
lobby municipal officials and employees
for his clients, but this time, from the
vantage point of a Broward County
Commissioner's seat located here, not
a State Senator's seat in Tallahassee,
that for many voters and businesses
is largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

According to many well-informed people
I've spoke to over the past year who've thus
far proven reliable on these sorts of things,
often at events where the very whispering
campaign was taking place, Buddy
Nevins of BrowardBeat.com, a former
Sun-Sentinel writer whom I had never
heard of before returning to the area
from D.C., is said by many to be but
one of many in that Geller Legion,
which is fine, since that's his personal
choice and he can hold it if he wants.
(But perhaps that fact should inform
your own opinion when you read
things at his website in the future,
or read what's already been written
there, oui?)

Given the sad news yesterday, I can't
help but wonder in retrospect if the
"health problems" that were being
alluded to by Geller supporters, as
a possible reason for her deciding
in the future not to run for re-election,
were not, in fact, her own health
problems in the future, but rather
those of her husband?

Obviously, I'm in no position to say
with certainty, and the Geller folks
who were, in fact, whispering about
'health problems' could hardly admit
that NOW, even if it was true,
but it does seem consistent with
Geller's general M.O.:
to often use mis-direction or
employ minions to effect a
ricochet shot, while appearing
to know nothing about it.

Just thought you'd like to know
and have the benefit of some context.

------------------------------------------------
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Broward Politics blog
County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger's husband, Gerard, dies
By Anthony Man on April 23, 2009 05:45 PM