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.
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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

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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/

Hollywood's Johnson Street Beach Project Evaluation Comm. to hear Developer Presentation and Consultant Findings on Thursday morning at City Hall

I'll have more comments here later tonight about this
matter but wanted to post this basic info before 6 p.m.
just in case it caught someone's attention who had
forgotten it was scheduled for Thursday.

My comments follow the press release about Thursday's
very interesting foray into planning, economic development
and public policy, Hollywood-style.

It's the next step in a process of getting something in place
over at Johnson Street and State Road A1A that is appealing
and captures the imagination of both tourists and Hollywood
residents alike, creates jobs, is aesthetically attractive if not
iconic -and F-U-N!

FYI: The Margaritaville Casino Resort project in Biloxi,
Mississippi, backed by Harrah's Entertainment, is currently
on hold
http://www.grandcasinobiloxi.com/casinos/grand-biloxi/casino-misc/margaritaville.html

See what their Orlando complex looks like:
http://www.universalorlando.com/Citywalk/Restaurants/jimmy_buffett_margaritaville.aspx
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The Evaluation Committee meeting for Johnson Street Beach Stage II Detailed Development Proposals has been scheduled for Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall, Room 219. The public is invited to attend, but not speak at this meeting.

The meeting will be taped and later aired on the Government Channel 78 and also on the City's website at www.hollywoodfl.org. RSVP's are not required to attend either meeting.

A Community Forum has been set for Monday, March 15, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Hollywood City Hall, Room 219. Developer presentations to the public followed by a
Questions/Answer session. Refreshments will be served.

Please be advised the "Cone of Silence" remains in effect preventing Developers from communicating with Members of the City Commission and most City Staff.

The March 4, 2010 Evaluation Committee Meeting sequence was determined as follows:

Margaritaville Resort at Hollywood Beach, LLC

Presentation from 9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Consultant Reports and Question/Answer session from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Lunch Break 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Hollywood Beach Partners, LLC

Presentation from 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Consultant Reports and Question/Answer session from 1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Evaluation Committee will begin deliberations and rankings at 3:45 p.m.

The March 15, 2010 Community Forum Agenda:

1. Introduction and Opening Comments

2. Oral Presentations from Proposers:

Hollywood Beach Partners, LLC

20 minute presentation

20 minute question and answer session with the Public

Margaritaville Resort at Hollywood Beach, LLC

20 minute presentation

20 question and answer session with the Public

3. Adjournment

We look forward to seeing you at these very important meetings!

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And this related bit of news from Terry Cantrell, President
of the Hollywood Lakes Section Civic Association

http://www.hollywoodlakes.com/

NEXT HLSCA MEETING:
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010.
Time 7:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Beach Community Center,
1301 S. Ocean Drive.

Guest speaker: Asst. City Manager Cathy Swanson-Rivenbark
on the Johnson Street Beach project and other important issues.
Refreshments will be served.
For info, call 954-923-1940.

Free parking.

ALL RESIDENTS are always WELCOME!

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I hasten to add that Terry Cantrell has been a great friend
to the concerned citizen taxpayers of Hallandale Beach even
while we have been sold-out by our own mayor and
Commissioners Ross and Sanders and most of the
Hallandale Beach business establishment, such as it is,
led by HB Chamber of Commerce head Patricia Genetti,
a woman who has continually spoken publicly in favor of the
Diplomat's absurd and incompatible proposals for turning
this small ocean-side city into a pinball machine, with multiple
towers towering over residential neighborhoods and plunging
them into near-permanent darkness, while their thousands
of additional cars make the current gridlock even worse.
As if that was possible.
But we all know it is.

Here's the statement put out by HLSCA

-Lakes Residents:

The Broward County Planning Council heard the Diplomat Golf and Country and City of Hallandale Beach request for a land use change to Local Activity Center (LAC) on Thursday and voted 12 to 4 to approve the plan despite the Council's Staff recommendation of denial. The plan consists of 950 new condo units in a number of high rise buildings (from 20 to 27 stories) spread out along the perimeter of the existing golf course. The golf course would remain as is. In addition, a new hotel would be built for approximately 500 rooms. The HLSCA as well as many Hallandale Beach residents and condo associations urged the Planning Council to deny the application due to incompatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods as well as a potential increase in traffic and congestion. The Planning Council vote of approval is based upon the applicant working with the City of Hallandale Beach to further refine the plan by lowering the building heights and creating a workable traffic plan. The plan will ultimately come before the Broward County Commission for final approval in late March.

It should be noted that the City of Hollywood Dept. of Planning and Development also supported the Planning Council's Staff recommendation of denial. The HLSCA thanks our City's Staff for their support. They recognize that this project, if and when if ever gets built, will, indeed, increase traffic through the Lakes neighborhood. Currently, many Hallandale Beach residents use the Lakes streets to cut through to the north as no one wants to drive on the very congested Hallandale Beach Blvd.

The HLSCA would like to recognize the well organized United Condo Association of Hallandale Beach led by Luis Paredes for all their hard work on this issue. They are truly a force in Hallandale Beach and deserve respect and admiration for strongly advocating on behalf of their membership and all the residents of Hallandale Beach.

We will continue to monitor this project as it, hopefully, morphs into an acceptable development that will not negatively impact the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Stay tuned....

www.hollywoodlakes.com