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Above, Hallandale Beach City Hall Complex on S. Federal Highway/U.S.-1, where attention to details and appearances has NEVER been their strong suit in the nine years I've lived here, after returning to South Florida after 15 years in D.C. area. Thanks to the city's incompetent, myopic and poorly-managed DPW, the spotlights seen above in 2011 on the city's monument sign, at the corner of U.S.-1 & S.E. 5th St., have NOT worked since June of 2012. Which is to say that they have NEVER worked in the year that Renee C. Miller has been City Manager. But guess what, attention to details and appearances really DO matter when you are a government, and the situation with the lights is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a consistently unsatisfactory performance for HB taxpayers and businesses in exchange for their taxes. August 7, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier. (c) 2013 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved
Per tonight's crucial Hallandale Beach CRA meeting at 6 p.m., here's an HB CRA & absence-of-ethics primer to bring FL legislators up-to-speed, as well as the South Florida press corps and Editorial Boards that have been ignoring it at their peril - News Flash: the FL Legislature is NOT going to TOLERATE the sort of self-evident waste of MILLION$ via crony capitalism that HB's CRA Board has been doing for years under the direction of Mayor Cooper
My friend and fellow Hallandale Beach and Broward County civic activist Csaba Kulin writes with his customary conviction and precision:
Hallandale Beach adopted the “rope-a-dope” tactics a long time ago. Mayor Cooper and her friends on the commission will take a lot of punches but will not change their ways on less the Governor, the State or Broward County comes down on them like a ton of bricks.
Maybe this time someone will not only listen but will help us to bring an end to this gross mismanagement of our City and CRA. Promises and cover-up will no longer do. A few people benefit at the expense of the rest of the City/CRA.
We need to know the truth, we are entitled to the truth.
We will see tonight who is going to vote for transparency and open government and who is NOT.
And will Broward State's Attorney Mike Satz and Broward Inspector General John W. Scott -or one of their representatives- be present tonight to bear witness to what happens here?
What about anyone from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's regional office in Fort Lauderdale, which has also been completely asleep-at-the-switch for years on this and so many other matters in Hallandale Beach involving Florida's Sunshine Laws and very curious civic administration, doing absolutely nothing about things like months and months of legally-required lobbyist disclosure documents missing from HB City Hall and the city's own website?
If you attend tonight's meeting at City Hall, please be sure to bring along your cameras and video recorders so that you can capture the moment and perhaps capture something going on in the Commission Chambers that I don't see, and I will even give you an incentive.
I will buy a delicious coffee and pastry at the Panera Bread here in town for the non-reporter who sends me the best photo of themselves standing with Mayor Joy Cooper's bosom pal/Broward lobbyist Judy Stern,
Stern was partners with the mayor and City Manager Renee C. Miller in vigorously fighting against the request of HB Commissioner Michele Lazarow and former HB Comm. Keith London to the Broward County Commission on June 4th to have a thorough audit of the HB CRA done by the Office of Broward County Auditor Evan Lukic,
In that way, HB residents, taxpayers and small business owners could FINALLY find out where ALL the millions went, since Mayor Cooper has NEVER wanted a thorough audit of the entire CRA performed by an independent third-party.
That's the last thing she wants!
For the record, as of 1:50 p.m. today, I have still NOT been provided copies by the city of the text messages sent between Judy Stern, Mayor Cooper and City Manager Miller regarding their efforts to thwart an audit of the CRA by the county, weeks after my simple Public Records Request was made.
Stern was partners with the mayor and City Manager Renee C. Miller in vigorously fighting against the request of HB Commissioner Michele Lazarow and former HB Comm. Keith London to the Broward County Commission on June 4th to have a thorough audit of the HB CRA done by the Office of Broward County Auditor Evan Lukic,
In that way, HB residents, taxpayers and small business owners could FINALLY find out where ALL the millions went, since Mayor Cooper has NEVER wanted a thorough audit of the entire CRA performed by an independent third-party.
That's the last thing she wants!
For the record, as of 1:50 p.m. today, I have still NOT been provided copies by the city of the text messages sent between Judy Stern, Mayor Cooper and City Manager Miller regarding their efforts to thwart an audit of the CRA by the county, weeks after my simple Public Records Request was made.
If you are reading this far from the heat and humidity that is Hallandale Beach in the summer, especially those of you reading this up in Tallahassee, here's what you need to know: It's been Mayor Joy Cooper's great fortune to be an elected official in South Florida at a time when the vast majority of the local public is both apathetic and intensely cynical, and the local press corps, with just a few exceptions, has been both incurious and unwilling to report on what is in plain sight .
And that combination has been my community's great collective misfortune.
By the way, my October 15, 2012 post below, "Ethics? Not for us!" has now been seen over 35,052 times as of Noon.
And that combination has been my community's great collective misfortune.
By the way, my October 15, 2012 post below, "Ethics? Not for us!" has now been seen over 35,052 times as of Noon.
And without further ado, here's the past 18 months worth of the Greatests Hits of the Hallandale Beach CRA waste, ethics and corruption scandal.
JULY 9, 2013
"High Noon" in Hallandale Beach on Wednesday night? After so many months of HB City Hall intentionally stonewalling the public, the city's long-running CRA scandal and the Broward IG's damning report of the HB CRA Board, alleging "gross mismanagement" of millions of dollars, will FINALLY get a public airing on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at HB City Hall; Is the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Comm. poised to come to the rescue of long-suffering HB residents who've longed for a complete audit of the entire CRA for many years, and want to see some punishment after years of ZERO accountability and little tangible to show for the MILLIONS that went out the door?
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/high-noon-in-hallandale-beach-on.html
JULY 9, 2013
"High Noon" in Hallandale Beach on Wednesday night? After so many months of HB City Hall intentionally stonewalling the public, the city's long-running CRA scandal and the Broward IG's damning report of the HB CRA Board, alleging "gross mismanagement" of millions of dollars, will FINALLY get a public airing on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at HB City Hall; Is the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Comm. poised to come to the rescue of long-suffering HB residents who've longed for a complete audit of the entire CRA for many years, and want to see some punishment after years of ZERO accountability and little tangible to show for the MILLIONS that went out the door?
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/07/high-noon-in-hallandale-beach-on.html
JUNE 28, 2013
More intentional Hallandale Beach City Hall misdirection & deception re HB CRA - Media Trackers Florida has more proof of the unseemly behavior at City Hall that HB citizens recognize on sight from past experience: "Hallandale Beach Officials Failed to Document Contacts with Florida Lobbyist"
JUNE 10, 2013
Don't say it with flowers, say it with subpoenas! Subpoenas finally drop on the heads of Hallandale Beach officials, including Mayor Joy Cooper, and now the Joint Legislative Auditing Comm. is showing genuine interest in getting the WHOLE TRUTH from the HB CRA about what happened to all that money. Yes, the scandal in Broward County involving MILLION$ that the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and their Dana Banker & Rosemary Goudreau have been ignoring for months. Future owners of the Sun-Sentinel, please take note!
JUNE 5, 2013
When it comes to Public Integrity, it's "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" at the Broward State Attorney’s Office: What are all you people in Hallandale Beach who want good, clean government looking at me for, anyway? Why are you expecting me to actually do something about the longstanding corruption, incompetency and malfeasance at Hallandale Beach City Hall, to say nothing of what the Broward Inspector General's office just called the city's "gross mismanagement" for years of the HB CRA? After all, I'm only the Broward State's Attorney
JUNE 3, 2013
Questions, questions and more questions about Tuesday's important Broward County Commission meeting re possible audit of controversial Hallandale Beach CRA; Meeting now has an added feature: City Manager Miller and CRA Attorney Zelkowitz who publicly argued that the Broward IG didn't have legal authority over the HB CRA, will now be speaking and playing the role of Wiley E. Coyote before the boulder falls on them. Must-see TV! HB citizens want the truth, not more stonewalling, finger-pointing and spin from city's elected officials and city employees
MAY 31, 2013
Given the longstanding mismanagement and corruption involving MILLIONS of dollars at Hallandale Beach CRA, why has Broward's independent Office of Inspector General refused to hold a single outreach mtg. with citizens in Hallandale Beach, while OIG has met with other Broward civic groups? It's very perplexing and counterintuitive to getting cold hard facts out into the sunshine and the public realm
MAY 22, 2013
Mark your calendar for June 4th! Latest news re controversial Hallandale Beach CRA: Keith London set to appear at Broward County Commission and urge them to heed the recommendations of the Broward IG's damning report on HB CRA, urge Broward County Auditor to perform audit and get a full-accounting for HB taxpayers of where the $70 million has gone; Need to get FL Joint Legislative Auditing Comm. more involved, per my previous emails to Sen. Jeremy Ring
MAY 3, 2013
Csaba Kulin asks Hallandale Beach City Attorney Whitfield THE question HB citizens have long wondered, esp. as the Broward IG's Office has been busy investigating the city and turning-up mountains of incriminating and jaw-dropping evidence: Who at HB City Hall is supposed to make sure that applicable laws, ordinances and rules, especially those regarding ethics and conflicts of interest, are followed and enforced fairly? Teaser Alert: You won't like her answer
APRIL 24, 2013
The Broward IG returns serve on Hallandale Beach's embarrassing and mis-behaving tinhorn pols & officials re HB CRA. They get a dose of cold hard reality poured on them, the first of so many to come in their well-deserved comeuppance in the court of public opinion. Their karma is going to be a bitch!; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
APRIL 19, 2013
Wither Florida's Sunshine Laws? Part II: Investigating the continuing dysfunction, lack of appropriate disclosure of public information and the generally imperious anti-citizen attitude at Hallandale Beach City Hall under Mayor Joy Cooper; Yet MORE on the City of Hallandale Beach's failure to comply with legally-required public disclosure/lobbying laws, as well as the accuracy and timeliness of public records on HB's own website; Lobbying records that are supposed to be timely and accurate are TWO MONTHS old, making any pretense of genuine lobbying disclosure a joke; @MayorCooper
APRIL 18, 2013
Breaking News: Broward Inspector General's Final Report on Hallandale Beach City Hall's longstanding corruption & incompetency with CRA released today - FINAL REPORT RE: GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH AND THE HALLANDALE BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
APRIL 4, 2013
Follow-up email to FL Gov. Rick Scott about MILLION$ more down the drain at Hallandale Beach City Hall. MORE of what we already knew and always suspected and now it's Q.E.D. yet again -Bill Gjebre in Broward Bulldog: "Hallandale city managers erased millions in code violation fines with little oversight"; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
MARCH 19, 2013
Part I: Investigating the continuing dysfunction, lack of appropriate disclosure of public information and the generally imperious anti-citizen attitude at Hallandale Beach City Hall under Mayor Joy Cooper; Matters that anyone could see if they just looked -I looked and here's what I found in late February 2013
MARCH 14, 2013
Is Hallandale Beach Comm. Alexander Lewy -Lewy the Liar- running for FL House 100 in 2014? Yes, but opponents/voters have a treasure trove of evidence to show why he's a poor choice to represent anyone anywhere, given his uncontrollable know-it-all personality and pro-govt. mindset, and penchant for always thinking he knows best, even when self-evident facts show why he's wrong; Friends Helping Friends Dept.: Last Tuesday Lewy was honored by group at the same address he voted to give $200k CRA loan to (that still owed taxpayers money for previous loan) and voted $50k to just weeks ago. Plus, another deal for Rabbi Tennenhaus; @AlexLewy
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-hallandale-beach-comm-alexander-lewy.html
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/is-hallandale-beach-comm-alexander-lewy.html
No end in sight for Hallandale Beach's ethical problems with CRA funds: The Palms Community Action Coalition's lack of public transparency -and Murvin Wright's fingers in so many pies- are THE logical result of years of unethical dealings in Hallandale Beach, wherein taxpayer & CRA dollars routinely go out to pals of City Hall, and compliance with laws, common sense and real-world notions of oversight and conflict-of-interest take second place to personal/political gain
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-end-in-sight-for-hallandale-beachs.html
DECEMBER 18, 2012
Good news for Hallandale Beach taxpayers! Rare victory for common sense and financial accountability at City Hall courtesy of Comm. Michele Lazarow
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/good-news-for-hallandale-beach.html
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/good-news-for-hallandale-beach.html
DECEMBER 16, 2012
Public corruption & incompetency hiding in plain sight - The Hallandale Beach CRA and its Exec. Director, Alvin Jackson, along with CRA "Directors" like Alexander Lewy, show their true colors -yet again! One thinks he's above the law and the other one wants to ignore the law on how CRAs operate; Broward Bulldog: Broward IG says Hallandale made “immense” gaffe in overseeing $12.7 million in city bonds; @AlexLewy, @SandersHB
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/public-corruption-incompetency-hiding.html
Public corruption & incompetency hiding in plain sight - The Hallandale Beach CRA and its Exec. Director, Alvin Jackson, along with CRA "Directors" like Alexander Lewy, show their true colors -yet again! One thinks he's above the law and the other one wants to ignore the law on how CRAs operate; Broward Bulldog: Broward IG says Hallandale made “immense” gaffe in overseeing $12.7 million in city bonds; @AlexLewy, @SandersHB
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/public-corruption-incompetency-hiding.html
NOVEMBER 9, 2012
Hallandale Beach's Midnight Vigilante is no Paul Revere! Caught in the act: Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper's son's Midnight Ride of campaign sign-stealing -on Election Day!; Anything goes now in HB -even political intimidation- as Broward IG & Broward SAO sleepwalk while laws & ethics are repeatedly laughed at by pols in power; @MayorCooper, #FDLE, @myfloridalegal, @fbi.gov
OCTOBER 24, 2012
The City of Hallandale Beach's rules are clear -NO political activity on city property. But Josh Brown, Jr. doesn't care about our rules. He wants what HE wants, and our rules don't scare him...; @SandersHB
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-city-of-hallandale-beachs-rules-are.html
OCTOBER 15, 2012
Ethics? Not for us! Follow-up to my post re Hallandale Beach's unethical "business as usual" attitude, with "special rules for special people" if they are named Joy Cooper, Bill Julian and Anthony A. Sanders; What ethics? What rules? @MayorCooper, @SandersHB
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/ethics-not-for-us-follow-up-to-my-post.html
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
More tough questions for Hallandale Beach taxpayers to ponder as voting draws near on 2013 budget for controversial CRA; Why can't the city provide real oversight and criticize Jessica Sanders' continued inability to properly manage the Palms Community Action Coalition, which gets CRA funds? Because her husband is a commissioner, the same man who hides from savvy taxpayers rather than answer their questions about his land sale to the city in 2009 -for MORE than property was worth!; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-questions-as-hallandale-beach-gets.html
JUNE 28, 2012
Hallandale Beach's political corruption is hiding in plain sight -"Your Tax Dollars at Work" Hallandale Beach CRA (City Commission) Says Hands Off to Broward Inspector General; Mayor Joy Cooper's stonewalling initiative begins in earnest, since the true facts are NOT her friend
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/hallandale-beachs-political-corruption.html
JUNE 26, 2012
Cornered! Pious Comm. Anthony A. Sanders consistently ignored Hallandale Beach's most-concerned taxpayers, and now, as they see their suspicions about him proving to be entirely justified by an IG investigation, because of his own words, deeds and votes, they're urging him to quit and come clean. Words, deeds and votes that the South Florida press corps has almost completely ignored for four long years.
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/cornered-pious-comm-anthony-sanders.html
JUNE 23, 2012
As we get closer-and-closer to the real targets in Hallandale Beach of Broward IG John W. Scott's inquiry, longstanding questions begin to get the overdue attention they always deserved, while many of the 'Usual Suspects' have good reason to be VERY concerned; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
JUNE 22, 2012
The more you know about the culture of corruption and incompetency in Hallandale Beach, the less this news surprises you: A week later, Hallandale Beach's elected officials and employees are still REFUSING to cooperate with the Broward Inspector General's Office in their probe of HB City Hall
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-you-know-about-culture-of.html
JUNE 3, 2012
From the blog's cold storage vault, circa 2010: Another Hallandale Beach story the South Florida news media originally ignored for YEARS: faux journalism & crony capitalism with taxpayer dollars for allies of HB City Hall
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/from-blogs-cold-storage-vault-circa.html
MAY 31, 2012
In light of more news stories re bad Hallandale Beach CRA loans, Csaba Kulin and I thwart yet another of City Hall sycophant Andrew Markoff's desperate attempts at revisionist history of City Hall's trail of crony capitalism under Mayor Joy Cooper and her Rubber Stamp Crew; @MayorCooper, @SandersHB, @AlexLewy
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/more-news-stories-about-curious.html
APRIL 12, 2012
An IG investigation! Finally! Plus, more curious CRA matters to ponder - William Gjebre in BrowardBulldog: Broward Inspector General's office zeroing-in on Hallandale Beach after numerous reports re city's curious CRA loans and land purchases with no written plan in place for the latter
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/ig-investigation-finally-plus-more.html
MARCH 9, 2012
Wednesday night's HB City Comm. mtg. re the gory details of Marcum LLP's audit of the City of Hallandale Beach and its entrenched anti-Sunshine, anti-taxpayer culture
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/wednesday-nights-hb-city-comm-mtg-re.html
MARCH 7, 2012
Csaba Kulin continues connecting-the-dots on Marcum LLP's devastating audit of Hallandale Beach, revealing how city's own rules were routinely broken and leaving taxpayers on the hook
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/csaba-kulin-continues-connecting-dots.html
MARCH 6, 2012
More on the $20 Million of Hallandale Beach city contracts that went unchecked -Csaba Kulin re Marcum LLP's limited audit of "Exceptional" Hallandale Beach City Hall and its longstanding dysfunctional practices that insult HB taxpayers
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/more-on-20-million-of-hallandale-beach.html
FEBRUARY 16, 2012
Miami Herald's Fred Grimm weighs in -again- on the faux newspaper in Hallandale Beach and its sweetheart CRA deal from HB City Hall to be a propaganda arm
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/miami-heralds-fred-grimm-weighs-in.html
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Csaba Kulin on Hallandale Beach's crony capitalism deal with a fake newspaper that stands ethics on its head and takes CRA money in exchange for being a City Hall propaganda machine
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/above-september-12-2010-issue-of.html
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FINAL REPORT RE: GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY THE CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH AND THE HALLANDALE BEACH COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Now we need to see some logical follow-up and real prosecution of the people directly in charge and pushing these illegal and incompetent policies, not the minions.
Please be advised that the report can take up to a minute to open due to the many exhibits.
It took 55 seconds for me.
