Showing posts with label Josh Levy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josh Levy. Show all posts

Thursday, February 15, 2024

What happened at #HollywoodFL City Mgr.'s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I and many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in CM George R. Keller, Jr., who's MORE of what we want LESS of.

What happened at #HollywoodFL City Mgr.'s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I and many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in CM George R. Keller, Jr., who's MORE of what we want LESS of.



Back on September 19th, I received a very lengthy email from a very savvy and well-connected Hollywood civic activist friend. Someone who is noted for both their genuine alacrity as well as their longstanding desire for Hollywood to be a MUCH BETTER place to live and MUCH BETTER managed. They share with me and so many of my friends and fellow Hollywood civic activists for many of the anti-democratic and authoritarian excesses of the past several years at Hollywood City Hall to be rolled back, and for the people responsible for implementing those policies FINALLY being held to account.

They/We are tired of Hollywood being on the slippery slope and becoming something that we frequently don't even recognize when it comes to the caliber and competency of both the elected officials and high-ranking, highly-paid city bureaucrats, in what has always been a very liberal city that had taxes far too high to be justified by the ROI and the self-evident results.

The fact that very liberal Hollywood was the last large city in South Florida to finally institute police body cameras is perhaps the best example of the city's virtue-signaling ringing hollow when it comes time to putting their money where their mouth was. They would NOT pay for it initially out of the city budget -as most other localities have- but instead, waited and waited and waited until it received a non-city funding source, via largesse from Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. 

WHY? 

You should ask Mayor Josh Levy that very question next time you see him tooling around town as he runs for re-election. 

NOT A SHOCKER: I will NOT be voting for him in November!

Given the amount of crime that takes place in Hollywood and HPD's well-known and less-than-stellar reputation over the years, how could Hollywood have been among the last of South Florida cities to come into the light when it was and is a city that was tailor-made to have the devices as soon as they were available? Especially when the public here was repeatedly assured by City Hall and HPD that it was so important to implement such a system? Exactly.

I've chronicled that particular cat-and-mouse sleight of hand many times before on this blog, as well as in fact-filled emails around the area and very pointed tweets on my popular Twitter feed, @hbbtruthhttps://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies    

Here was my last blog post about it, last year on January 31st:

#Memphis Police Body Camera video release is a great time to recall that 74 months into reign of Josh Levy as #HollywoodFL mayor, he still can NOT give the public a firm date when it, the LARGEST #SoFL city STILL w/o #police body cameras, will have them. 😳🙄🤨🤔

https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1623206932071825409



Since I received that email in September from a friend, roughly 5 months ago -back when Miami Dolphins fans here and elsewhere were yet again getting their hopes up about FINALLY returning to the Super Bowl after 39 years of frustration since their last appearance -I've been waiting, semi-patiently, for the right moment to finally drop this email on you faithful readers of the blog.

That way, those of you who never knew about this conflict, or, only heard snippets of what was reportedly said or written at the time, could read it for yourselves, and see the facts and arguments as they were stated at the time. 

Not some historic revisionism of the sort that this city's elected officials of past and present have been so prone to do for SO many years, as is well-known by local reporters.

Years where inconvenient facts and public records are erased or misplaced and memorable arguments for or against a particular policy were forgotten by the very people in charge who consistently made bad decisions and showed very poor judgment at the time. 

So many bad decisions, so many mistakes in judgment! 

And look what happened in September to one of the persons who used to have a large -some say  oversized influence- on what actually happened on a daily basis at Hollywood City Hall, Shiv Newaldass, who worked for over 8 years for the city. 

Chief Development Officer from Jun 2015 - March 2021, then Director of Development Services from October 2018 - June 2023.

I first met him and spoke to him during a break of a meeting of the city's very important Evaluation Committee back in 2016, a meeting where I was the only member of the public actually present for a P3 meeting in a small room on the third floor. A room that was otherwise full of city employees and real estate developers and their attorneys. Judging by what was said and done -and meetings are NOT taped- it was hard to see who was there in the room to be the eyes and ears of the public's best long-term interests besides myself.  

Well, cutting to the chase, the city has DISAPPEARED him from its website and archives.

A person whose name used to be a cc or bcc on nearly every other important city document for YEARS, which is one of the reason he was making roughly $182,000 a year.



 

Here's the link to his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiv-newaldass/


Back in September, I hoped to have more useful context her so I could once and for all connect-the-dots on a few important matters and policy issues that have been percolating in the city for quite a while, and to use this situation as but the latest example of what was going on under-the-radar, and NEVER seeing the light of day in the South Florida Sun Sentinel or at any of the four English language TV stations serving South Florida. 

But seeing as how many of those avenues have either dried-up because information has gone curiously missing, or, rather suddenly, people who used to be fonts of reliable information here in our community suddenly got cold feet and went radio silent, apparently, wanting me to forget what they already told me and then being unwilling to go on-the-record, I'm dropping this today.

I've deleted the personal contact information of not only the person who first shared it with me, as well as people they sent it to besides myself.

That is also a reminder that in the year 2024, there's still no extant diagram on the city's website detailing the exact chain of command in the city, with a clear delineation of not just who's who, but who gets to prevent other ideas and POVs from going forward.

When in doubt, contact me directly, and I'll share them with you.


For the record, here's the city's current sanitized biography for City Manager George R. Keller, Jr.

https://www.hollywoodfl.org/863/City-Manager-George-Keller-Bio


Date: Wed, Sep 20, 2023, 11:17 AM
Subject: ICYMI: Wow! Email I just received re City of Hollywood's Shiv Newaldass, until recently, the city's Director of Development Services

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From: Shiv Newaldass 
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2023 12:27 AM
To: George R. Keller JR CPPT 
Subject: [EXT]For the Record

City Manager Keller,

On the eve of my promised termination, a note for the record.

For those of us called to public service, working for the City of Hollywood had always felt a privilege.  For the past 8 years, together, as part of the City’s Executive Management team, we achieved a tremendous amount through a style that can best be described as collaborative disruption.  Empowered to do more, take chances, question each other, and push/pull the City forward, we did.  Prior to your appointment to the City Manager position, you and I met to discuss expectations.  Our rapport, one of ease and transparency, was grounded on what I understood be mutual respect.  As an atypical Director, we bonded on shared values and a sense that service can be more business like.  I was inspired by you and you often told me how much I reminded you of your own career.  I was honored. 

When your candidacy was being considered, I shared my enthusiasm with those in the public, including some elected officials.  When probed about fears regarding a potential stylistic difference relative to the preceding City Manager, I continued to express my support, assured by you, of the same values. 

The irony in all of this, months after championing your ascension and attempting to allay fears over a reputation of petty vindictiveness, I never imagined being on the receiving end as to what one can only describe as a targeted campaign to oust me from the City of Hollywood- a “Special Project” of sorts.     

Since the beginning of your administration in April, in an effort to deliver “more, better, faster”, work has devolved into a toxic, hostile environment.  These past few weeks have introduced new experiences in my professional career that have both jarred and terrified me.  Your reputation for “decisiveness”, especially with regards to personnel issues, has always troubled those of us witnessing it on the outside, yet we remained silent. 

You would often say that “people fire themselves” and that you never took any delight in the actions required.  I wanted to believe you even as colleagues departed under spurious circumstances and often, a one-sided rationalization.  So, I remained silent. 

Earlier this year, at our the site visit for a bicycle rental operation to resolve ongoing tension with Jorge Camejo, you told me “not to worry, he’s a Special Projects of yours”.  Shamefully, I remained silent. 

When at our March 6th meeting, you noted that Gus Zambrano, another “Special Project” of yours, “did not have the votes”, yet again I remained silent.

I am not exactly certain when the change occurred or why between us, but to unpack, I can only speculate that it has to do with my concerns about the Orangebrook vote. 

During the process, I raised some concerns about rumored tactics being utilized by one of the firms.  I cautioned, for the sake of transparency in the process, to make certain members of the Commission and potential respondents not communicate outside of the Cone of Silence.  I spoke up during the evaluation meetings to emphasis an “apples to apples” comparison rather than “apples to kangaroos”.    The day of the award, I unfortunately commented that the specific ranking was the “worst outcome” for the City.  You shot me a glance and someone else pulled me aside, warning not to say such things in front of you. 

At the time, Real Estate, was under Development Services, and I had been the lead negotiator for the City on a number of transactions prior, including 1301.  When the team was being put together, Dave Keller, a truly exceptional person and professional, was selected to lead negotiations, I was intrigued by the approach yet pleasantly surprised when he took control over a very complicated process with aplomb.

Early meetings indicated an opportunity to work diligently with the top rank firm to meet a very ambitious schedule.  I was excited to participate and share feedback as we worked through a series of interconnected agreements detailing risks, obligations, guarantees, and numbers.  With an MBA in Real Estate, a penchant for numbers, and an understanding of development, this was my natural element.

When Real Estate was reassigned from me on April 24th, you and I not spoken as to your thought process.  As the City Manager, that is your prerogative; however, I had hoped to understand further or delve deeper with the newly appointed Assistant City Manager, Raelin Storey, as to how best to proceed given our different styles.  This never happened.    When my role on the team was diminished, the justification was to focus on “building” issues.  Given my background, this seemed odd.             

When half of Development Services, inclusive of Real Estate, was removed from under my purview, the first time you made note of it was at another first for me- an impromptu disciplinary meeting on April 26th. 

Building had been receiving an inordinate amount of complaints and while an innovative “team based” approach was presented to the City Commission on March 15th and an April 19th meeting that created 11 new positions for DS, you seemed particularly concerned that not enough had been done.  You requested a meeting at 10 am with HR, Finance, and DS to talk about the “change” in approach for Building.  You demanded to know why “no one told you” that the “pay study” had shifted from your direction in December to pay the highest levels for inspectors and plans examiners, to the impending “team” structure.  As we attempted to explain that there were multiple meetings conducted since December, inclusive of you, to discuss this revised approach and was ultimately presented to the City Commission on March 15th.  You even gave two thumbs up after the presentation.  This seemed to have upset you as you immediately demanded that Gus, Tammie, and I meet in your office. 

The moments after became the worst professional experience of my life, only to be trumped by your later actions.  I sat across from you as you pointed your finger at Gus and I, blaming primarily me as the Director for the complaints.  You then instructed Tammie to place in my personnel file an improvement plan with probation promised if I could not deliver on certain milestones by June 30th.  As I stood up to leave, I extended my hand to you.  Your initial hesitation baffled me, but as I shrugged it off, you took my still extended hand and said “this is why Real Estate and Community Development was taken away from you”.  I was not sure how to respond, so I remained silent and smiled.  This seemed to have annoyed you further as you then preceded to berate me for not knowing that one of my division manager had accepted a position with another city.  You demanded that I answer whether or not it was “right” that you knew about it and I hadn’t.  I remained silent and turned to leave.  You then remarked, Code is being take away and given to PD and that this will help me focus on permitting issues.  Half of team was gone and I remained silent.

The letter that was issued later that day, hand-delivered, noted that I had to have all positions filled by June 30th, including the newly created ones.  The other mention was a reduction in complaints and mention that I had provided unsatisfactory improvements.  The letter also referenced a meeting that you and I supposedly had on or about March 31st- the day after the previous City Manager had retired and a Friday.  Unfortunately, this meeting or conversation never happened and the metrics demanded, to many would appear a fool’s errand. 

I wanted to believe that I could do this and continued a manic effort to meet what would become an irrational mad dash.  Each day became a new exercise in trying to fathom what would be a potential minefield with you, but I wanted to believe that your “guidance” was for the best. 

On May 30th, at 6:30, I was summoned to your office. With Raelin and Tammie there, you presented a “finding”, a narrative of an incident that occurred on April 11th between one of my division managers and self.  I read a description that presented me in the worst light possible.  Colleagues that I had worked with for years, my team, prescribing statements to me that I found to be troubling.  I would later find out that some of the statements were not made by the people attributed.  You demanded a response and I asked for more time to digest the information shared.  I was surprised by it all, especially given that the incident had occurred 45 days prior and we had spoken directly about it immediately after.  I asked why now, and you claimed it was because the Union was asking you to do this (records request indicate a different story).  This was not acceptable to you as you insisted that I respond right of way.  I implored for some time, turned to the Human Resources Director, tried to be as balanced as I could be, understanding in that moment what was happening.  You called me a liar and that the problem has “always been me”.  Years of working hand in hand together, I was gutted.  You had been someone I looked up to as a mentor and friend.  Without much to say, you then pulled out of your notebook a pre-written disciplinary letter issuing a 3 day suspension without pay.  It seemed excessive, especially in light of your own behavior towards many of us, including that very moment. 

The panic attacks, the sleepless nights, weight loss, fear of retaliation, and feeling overwhelmed, I reached out to my Therapist.  He suggested that I stay away from such a toxic, hostile work environment, and recommended Family Medical leave with an intense, weekly therapy sessions and a referral to a psychiatrist for further assistance.    I reached out inquiring as to the process and then the harassment amplified thereafter.  Prior to a formal designation, on a call with Tammie Hechler, she insisted that I consider a separation agreement instead of FMLA.  Jarred, I told her I would consider, but given my emotional state and the life changing outcome such an action would have, please allow me some time.  She then noted that there was an allegation of impropriety with a contractor that they would be investigating if I did not accept a separation agreement.  I laughed at first, knowing it to be baseless, especially when told that said contractor would not even identify themselves.  I insisted that any investigation that is required to be done is thorough and hopefully impartially.  I told her that I would be prepared to address fully whenever those findings come forward as I have always acted in highest ethical manner in furtherance of my job for the City.  Ultimately, I had to insist that I be afforded the same rights other employees are provided as mental health is a serious concern for the City, or so we are lead to believe.  Reluctantly, she agreed and I was approved to be out through June 16th.

Access to emails and facilities were cut, on the guise of me not being able to work on City related matters while out on FMLA.  I was curious to know more about the “allegation”, but no one followed up and have since been told that this “allegation” would not be pursued further.   

For a few days, I thought I was becoming more centered with therapy and better habits.  Realizing that my time at the City was nearing an end, I began thinking of my future and what could be an alternative career.  Little did I know that colleagues of mine were actively seeking negative information to help identify further possible improprieties.  Figuring out my mental well-being as my employer targets me continued to overwhelm and baffle me.  I realized that this would never stop and my time at the City was effectively over.    A draft separation agreement was shared by Tammie Hechler on Saturday, June 10th.  Without being able to fully respond, another version was sent by Tami Thornton on Tuesday, June 13th at 4 pm.   

I was told that I needed to have a response to you by noon the following day. 

Within this June 13th agreement, I would be forgoing an incredible amount of rights and be subject to future actions by the City.  I was perplexed by this, only to learn that I am now being investigated for “Fraud”.  As persona non-grata at the City, hearing this information secondhand through the industry, imagine my genuine surprise and disappointment.  I gave up, as it was clear that the City, directed through you, was seeking not only to run my professional reputation but life as well.  I was told that City Managers have almost absolute authority and the unlimited resources of an in house legal team.  Be prepared for years of a legal fight and no future in government afterwards.  As a person who felt called  and has dedicated most of my career towards public service, this is intimidating and overwhelming. 

Before 11 am, I responding with a draft, unreviewed by an attorney, accepting the terms presented by Tammie Hechler on June 10th and some language that would allow me to defend myself of any future allegation. 

At 11:48, Tammie Hechler called to tell me that the only draft that would be accepted in the one sent over by Tami Thornton without any changes.  I inquired as to why the significant change to the terms, especially in light of accrued leave, inclusive of sick time, being not paid out in full.  She said you were not willing to do so and that if I did not sign yesterday, would be fired on Monday.  I told her that I did not want to be coerced into signing such a document that forgoes so many rights.  I was promised to be fired on Monday.  At 11:52, Tammie called back to move the date up the date of my termination to Friday, June 16th, per your direction, as she had just gotten off a call with you.

I told her that I would not be coming in, on a day the City is not opened, while I am still out on FMLA, to be fired.  If this is the only option, then I would have to seek legal assistance. 

Assuming that this time was meant to be for me to recover, the harassment and continuous threats the City, per your direction, continues to overwhelm as the uncertainty of my career, the way I can provide for my family, has been debilitating. 

While I have not been the first of your “Special Projects”, I highly doubt I will be the last.  I am reminded of a recent commission meeting at which, this statement was referred:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out- Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me- and there was no one left to speak for me.

- Martin Niemuller 

I will not remain silent anymore and given that your commitment to ruining my life, I believe others should be aware of who you are.  Others will speak up eventually, but my biggest regret remains not addressing your intimidating, threatening, petty tendencies sooner when doing to others. 

At this point, I am looking forward, as painful as it is going to be, to having an opportunity to clear my name, as best as I can.  I am confident in my past actions.  I hope the same for you and that “team” of yours, so willing to go deep and dark, so quickly.  Public records are quite revealing.       

Shiv

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More on this in coming weeks!

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/SFBJRealEstate?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SFBJRealEstate</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RedBroward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RedBroward</a> What happened at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HollywoodFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HollywoodFL</a> City Mgr.&#39;s office in June 2023 that led to firing of Dir. of Development Services? I + many other Hollywood civic activists + residents have VERY LITTLE confidence in new CM George R. Keller, Jr. 😠<a href="https://t.co/vTgt1jfVjp">https://t.co/vTgt1jfVjp</a> <a href="https://t.co/800Z16wFcS">pic.twitter.com/800Z16wFcS</a></p>&mdash; HallandaleBeach/Hollywood Blog (@hbbtruth) <a href="https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1758213515423134114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



Dave

Photo of me, 2017 November.jpg
David Bruce Smith,  +1 (786815-9440
Email: hallandalebeachblog@gmail

Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Bloghttp://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bruce-smith-b945b376/


Monday, November 7, 2022

Did the Pandemic Change How You Feel re #HollywoodFL? Yes. Hollywood residents and stakeholders no longer see the city as "special" and they personally blame the Mayor, City Commission, City Manager, and City Attorney for abusing their trust and sending the city in the wrong direction

Did the Pandemic Change How You Feel re #HollywoodFL? Yes. Hollywood residents and stakeholders no longer see the city as "special" and they personally blame the Mayor, City Commission, City Manager, and City Attorney for abusing their trust and sending the city in the wrong direction


This post today is the Reader's Digest version of what dozens and dozens of well-informed people from every part of Hollywood have been telling me and my friend and fellow civic activist, Catherine "Cat" Uden in detail for well over a year: they believe that the city has gone completely in the wrong direction, and that self-evident fact has led increasingly larger number of Hollywood citizens, residents and stakeholders to get more angry and feel bitter at Hollywood City Hall than they ever imagined they could. 

That's especially true for Hollywood's most involved residents who follow every move the city makes publicly, and who, in the past, had always thought of these elected officials as simply friends and neighbors in a position to positively influence the future direction of this city.

Now that's NOT anger at the City Hall building, obviously, but rather at the very people there who've been entrusted with running the city in the best and most transparent way possible, people like the City Commission's members, all of whom took an actual oath to follow, protect and defend the Florida constitution. But they aren't doing that. Far from it.

Based on our one-on-one conversations in-person, over the telephone, and in the many emotional and exasperated emails and texts Cat and I receive, a very clear majority of the city's best and most informed residents personally believe that the Mayor, the City Commission and several people in the City Manager and City Attorney's offices, have knowingly and deliberately lied to the public and abused their longstanding trust in small and subtle ways that has left them shaken, if not in despair for this city's future. 

Now, they no longer believe that "Hollywood is different."

There in no one I know and respect here in Hollywood who feels the city's elected officials and  top bureaucrats response during/after has been anywhere close to satisfactory. 

Even people who always disagree with each other AGREE on this!

More on this matter at length after the election. An election that has been without any organized in-person candidate debates or forums of any kind, which has only angered people more, because they wonder where the groups are that in the past were involved in hosting those very things at locations throughout the city, and especially in Downtown and over on Hollywood Beach.  

There are a lot of people in this city who have an awful lot to answer for.



https://twitter.com/UdenCatherine/status/1580530579807748097



https://twitter.com/UdenCatherine/status/1585436563634520064




------------------

Read the whole thing in its original form: https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1586756350184398850

2/ Instead, #HollywoodFL has INCREASED secrecy re PUBLIC info/facts/context, and is ACTIVELY avoiding normalcy, INSISTING on online mtgs. for important matters -inc. P3's- instead of returning to in-person engagement. ALL to avoid PUBLIC accountability!


3/ For 10 months, #LindaSherwood, a #Macon #GA-area woman has been VOTING as elected official in #HollywoodFL, city she's NOT been legal resident of since B4 roughly mid-January at latest, based on HER signed @FHAgov docs re primary residency.


4/ #HollywoodFL's City Mgr/City Atty/Mayor/City Comm. have engaged in a criminal conspiracy to keep #LindaSherwood on dais, meaning her one-time constituents are repped by a no-show #GA resident, yet gets salary/benefits fm taxpayers while violating #FL Constitution.

5/ Instead of #HollywoodFL citizens being fully represented @ City Hall by a person who legally LIVES in city where they do -as they are legally entitled to- they are, instead, "represented" by #GA resident who CONTINUALLY breaks multiple state/federal laws w/impunity.



6/ Why is this #SoFL town's City Mgr./City Atty./Mayor/City Comm. seemingly engaging in a criminal conspiracy -against their own city's citizens- to keep #LindaSherwood on dais @ #HollywoodFL City Hall, despite KNOWING she has/is breaking MULTIPLE #FL + U.S. laws?


7/ The answer, like so many criminal cases involving public corruption @ #SoFL City Halls is #RealEstate. These #HollywoodFL officials need to KEEP her YES vote to build a luxury condo tower -on public land!- for multimillionaires, 5x's higher than zoning allows.


8/ Say hi to #LindaSherwood, a Lizella, #GA resident for 10 months, yet STILL a voting member of #HollywoodFL City Comm. She LIVES 570 miles away -and city KNOWS it! I + public wonder when this charade ends and someone is ARRESTED.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Reality is starting to sink-in for The Related Group. #HollywoodFL residents and stakeholders really DO hate their absurd plan to build a 30-story luxury condo tower for multi-millionaires on PUBLIC land at Hollywood Beach. An energized public is prepared to make life miserable for any Hollywood elected official or city employee who tries to change the ambiance of that quiet, natural area of the beach.

October 19, 2021 photo of Hollywood Beach via Catherine "Cat" Uden https://www.instagram.com/p/CVOYElvvMLa/


In a few moments, you'll have the chance to read for yourself the 4 complete media accounts of what took place at last Wednesday's Hollywood City Commission regarding The Related Group's ridiculous plan, and some things for all of us to remember in advance of the next meeting on this subject, on Wednesday March 16th, the day before St. Patrick's Day.

That'll necessarily include many smart, dumb, inarticulate, curious and incurious comments from our local elected officials, including two truly great "money" quotes, which make it seem like at least some of them were living in two completely separate worlds, no?
 
In one world, a cold-hearted look at the facts-on-the-ground where logic meets reason, the other, a kind of fantasy story that depends upon unicorns, dragons and a collective sense of amnesia among the citizens of this community, wherein, for the benefit of the developer, we all forget everything we have personally seen and witnessed first-hand with real estate development on Hollywood Beach the past 15-20 years.

"Do we sell our soul for just money?" Shuham asked. "Once we sign it, we're stuck. We don't get to walk away from this. This contract is not a good deal."

Commissioner Traci Callari, stating she had planned to vote yes on the deal, blasted Shuham for making the city "look like a fool" by airing her concerns at the 11th hour, in public.


Hmmm.. could it be because Comm. Shuham could NOT legally talk about it with her or any other commissioners if Shuham wanted to stay on the right side of Florida's  Sunshine Laws, so often ignored in South Florida city halls, and a subject that I've written about dozens of times over the past 14 years here on my blog, Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog?

Yes. Something that Callari should know something about given that she was recently the President of the Broward League of Cities, the Broward politico lobbying group that over the years has received hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars from Broward citizens to employ attorneys and consultants to further their power grab in Tallahassee and continue to put citizens, taxpayers and Small Business owners at a further disadvantage, while trying to carve out more power and privileges for politicos.

I also wanted to single out those of you who have been telling me for years that I made a real mistake a few years ago when I decided to be more open-minded to what Comm. Callari said, and that I would judge her in the future by her words AND actions, and not just her often hostile or antagonistic attitude towards citizens or common sense or both.
You all are looking more and more correct right now, given what Comm. Callari said in front of everyone at the public meeting.

There's really no need to impugn her, since all we have to do is take her at her word that she REALLY believes the nonsense she spouted last Wednesday.
Yes, my days of giving her the benefit of the doubt are.. Gone With The Wind.

And for the record, Comm. Callari caring whether the Hollywood City Commission looked "like fools" at that meeting is hardly a reasonable measurement barometer on this specific issue, given the fact that neither Mayor Josh Levy or Commissioner Callari or any of the other 5 members of the City Commission ever did the right thing over 19 very long months, and publicly chide The Related Group and their execs for Related's repeated, abject failure to meet with the community at an in-person meeting as required by the city's very own rules.
That's a very low bar to surpass, and yet...

Yes, a public meeting where the actual neighbors of such a prospective building could speak, much less, the rest of the Hollywood community -and the South Florida news media- that genuinely loves that quiet and natural ambiance, and who'll fight to ensure it stays that way, could look Related Group execs, attorneys, architect, and transportation consultants in the eye and ask them to defend what they claim, and then point out its many self-evident holes and flaws in logic. 
Though a plan so devoid of logic and common sense, and which fails to properly judge both public sentiment and human behavior, will not suddenly transform in one month.

Just because the Hollywood City Commission itself, collectively, was not showing proper diligence -or any curiosity!- in their thinking and judgment, and instead chose to act more like cheerleaders for the plan, via their softball questions publicly for two years -save Comm. Shuham- doesn't mean that we could not throw fastballs at a public in-person meeting when we got the chance to let them know that this deal was NOT a fait accompli.

Or, as I said in my last blog post before last Wednesday's meeting, here:

By the way, again, for the record, the Miami Herald has said nothing about this preposterous, incompatible Related Group plan since they first sent word of their unsolicited bid to City Hall 19 months ago, and the city, in their failed decision-making process, decided that it was both a love letter and a promi$$ory note.
Nor has the Herald EVER mentioned Caryl Shuham by name since the day after she was elected on Nov. 6th, 2018. Really.

I checked and then double-checked their archives before I posted this.

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Bisnow South Florida
Vote Delayed On Related Group's Controversial Condo Project
Deirdra Funcheon, Bisnow South Florida
February 3, 2022
 
At the end of a meeting that lasted from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 3 a.m. Thursday, city commissioners in Hollywood, Florida, delayed a vote on whether to allow Florida's most prominent condo developer to build a 30-story condominium on part of a taxpayer-owned, beachfront site that now includes a public park.

Commissioners are now scheduled to vote on March 16 whether to authorize city officials to execute a comprehensive agreement, a ground lease and easements between the city and PRH 1301 S Ocean Drive LLC, a subsidiary of The Related Group.

Read the rest of the article at:
https://www.bisnow.com/south-florida/news/commercial-real-estate/hollywood-florida-related-group-condo-111743

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South Florida Sun Sentinel
Hollywood delays vote on condo deal - Vice mayor skewers plan as too risky in marathon meeting

Susannah Bryan, South Florida Sun Sentinel
February 4, 2022

HOLLYWOOD - Go big or go home.

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, the folks who want a private 30-story condo built on a prized piece of taxpayer-owned beach in Hollywood went home without a deal.

But the proposal, skewered around the midnight hour by Vice Mayor Caryl Shuham, is not dead.

The commission agreed to resume discussions on March 16 to give city staff and The Related Group time to come up with a revised deal. The 5-2 vote came just before 3 a.m. Thursday, ending a marathon - and sometimes snippy - debate that began Wednesday afternoon.

The 10-hour meeting, compared by some to a filibuster, began with a two-hour presentation by city staff hyping the deal as a boon for Hollywood that could bring the city an estimated $1.4 billion over the course of a 99-year lease.

Read the rest of the article at:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/hollywood/fl-ne-condo-tower-hollywood-beach-vote-20220203-iiikon4pkjb27a4u6swijk7fq4-story.html

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South Florida Sun Sentinel
Editorial
Hollywood puts off vote on condo on public land, but problems remain
February 4, 2022

Residents speak during a meeting at Hollywood City Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 to vote on the building of a condo tower on a section of taxpayer-owned beachfront land. John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS

Hollywood is trying to make better a deal that the city can’t make good.

We have 10 hours of new evidence. That’s how long it took Wednesday night and Thursday morning for the city commission to discuss and hear comments on the proposed lease of oceanfront property to Related Group of Florida.

The company would build a 190-unit, 30-story condo on roughly one acre of the four-acre site. In return, Related would pay for a new, upgraded Harry Berry Park, a larger community center, a plaza and a sculpture garden. Hollywood officials say the project also would bring the city money from rent and increased property tax revenue.

After that marathon debate, the commission voted 5-2 to continue the discussion on March 16. Given the level of opposition, we’re doubtful that the city and Related can refashion the deal enough to gain more support.

Read the rest of the editorial at:

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South Florida Sun Sentinel
Editorial
Hollywood gets reality check on Related condo deal

By Randy Schultz
February 9, 2022

Caryl Shuham is not a prosecutor. But shortly before midnight last Wednesday, the Hollywood city commissioner delivered a forceful indictment.

For roughly 45 minutes, Shuham - a construction lawyer - picked apart the proposed deal under which Related Group of Florida would build a 30-story condo on a public oceanfront site in return for building a park and community center. Supporters call it a great example of public-private partnerships, known as P3s.

Such partnerships, however, must strike the proper balance between public and private. Shuham argued that the deal would have been very unfair to Hollywood. "It began on Related's terms" after the company approached the city, Shuham told me, and stayed there.

Shuham called the projected revenue to the city "speculative" because Related based it on inflated sales prices. The contract, she said, "guarantees nothing" to Hollywood. After Related sold the 190 units, the city would be dealing with a condo association. Nothing prevented the project from becoming rental.

Read the rest of the editorial at:
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-col-schultz-hollywood-commissioner-beach-high-rise-related-20220208-w3p5mfkub5hoxfwf3qdaojl36e-story.html

Thursday, November 4, 2021

re Hollywood's Kevin Biederman problem. The Hollywood City Commissioner's recent conduct has been nothing short of abominable. And yet he persists. Today, a small taste of reality and things to come for him and his colleagues


I posted this bit of carefully-considered insight a few minutes ago to my Facebook page as well as the Hollywood Residents Speak Up group page on Facebook, and post it below with just a few small edits.

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re Hollywood's Kevin Biederman problem. The Hollywood City Commissioner's recent conduct has been nothing short of abominable. And yet he persists.  

Today, a small taste of reality and things to come for him and his colleagues.


Just going to tee this up right here, with more to come in a few days on my popular blog and Twitter feed. I simply could not let this go unsaid one more day, after witnessing the nonsense I heard coming from Hollywood City Hall yesterday, that seemed even more untethered to reality than usual.

Comm. Biederman: Just wanted to remind you and the South Florida press that your Commission Chambers dais microphone was, in fact, working Wednesday afternoon.
So when you went off (yet again) on one of your smug, patronizing, self-justifying, thin-skinned tirades, decrying in a whiny voice what you see as persistent, unfair online PUBLIC criticism of city employees and elected officials like you during the pandemic, we heard it.

But then that's become a habit for you the past 20 months, hasn't it: being wrong and being unwilling to admit it? Predictably, because you simply don't know what you are talking about.
And not for the first time, right?

Let me connect-the-dots for you.
There REALLY is a growing army of VERY dissatisfied #HollywoodFL citizens +stakeholders, people who in the past likely gave you and others at Hollywood City Hall the benefit of the doubt. 
And then some! 
People who simply bit their lip when what they really wanted to do was call the City Commission or you out. But they didn't. 
You know, discretion.

But since March of 2020, those same people in Hollywood have personally seen or experienced on a daily basis, consistently stupid, incompetent, self-serving, and undemocratic behavior and conduct at Hollywood City Hall that directly threatens their family's Quality of Life, and also threatens the better future that they want for this city.
Things that you and your colleagues and high-ranking city employees are STILL in complete denial about: the multiple failings of the city the past 20 months and YOUR own personal role in making that true.

And honestly, your whole straight-talking, guy-next-door shtick of the recent past no longer amuses anyone or fools anyone who is actually paying attention to the facts.
Especially since your new tactic is to try to maliciously malign people you disagree with, using unfounded assertions that you can not back up with actual facts.
Because, after all, it's all in your head.

And yet you naively persist in thinking that you'll continue to be able to get away with such creepy behavior indefinitely without paying any sort of consequences.
Now THAT is really naive -and sad.

Based on my conversations around town with smart, savvy, and well-informed Hollywood residents/stakeholders, as well as the emails and text messages I receive from them, one year from this week -that is, assuming that you are not part of the group of Hollywood City Commissioners recalled from office next August- the growing odds are that YOU will not be celebrating on Election Day 2022.

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Trust me, I have been writing things here-and-there about Hollywood City Commissioner Kevin Biederman's odd conduct in office for months that I have chosen not to post for various reasons. Mostly, because I did not want to post something while I was mad, after just seeing him in action on the dais, doing his tiresome shtick, saying yet another thing that has no connection to reality.
Not that he is unique on the dais in that respect, especially as The Related Group's incompatible 1301 S. Ocean Drive project has continued to dramatically ratchet up the community's collective frustration level.

I posted it here so that other people in the greater Hollywood community could see these specific words and thoughts and perhaps be able to exhale.
Exhale, knowing that they were NOT the only person in the area thinking similar things about Comm. Kevin Biederman's odd and creepy behavior in office, using his position to maliciously malign citizens who hold him to account, and him with no facts to offer up, just his thin-skinned attitude and snark.

But then the sad reality is that Kevin Biederman is NOT the only problem in the room, the only elephant in the Commission Chambers, when Hollywood City Commission and CRA meetings are taking place.
Far from it, as Commissioners Linda Hill Anderson and Adam Gruber continue to remind us every two weeks, as they continue to be largely unprepared, uninformed, and unaware of facts/situations they should and which most of the community -and most of my friends- know at least something about, if not MORE than them.

They often seem more like lost visitors who've taken a wrong turn than serious people who fully appreciate or grasp the expectations the citizenry of this community has for them.
And to an extent that's kind of shocking, they are unresponsive to emails, text messages or phone calls, including those about situations and incidents within their own district.

Anderson and Gruber have been in office for almost a year now, and yet remain completely underwhelming in nearly every respect, and more importantly, do NOT seem not up to the responsibility of the job they actively sought. In my opinion, they simply are not up to the job and the learning curve is only getting worse for them with every passing week.

I'll be double-checking those drafts, doing some serious editing, and present that for you to peruse sometime next week on my blog. 
Perhaps even with a helpful video or two that connects-the-dots on some aspects of the past 20 months on matters that you are not fully aware of.