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

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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.

Dave 

David B. Smith  

Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbbtruth/ 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DavidSmith0215

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/david-bruce-smith-b945b376/

Travel Massive: https://travelmassive.com/dbsmith 

Completely contrary to common sense, logic and Florida's Sunshine Laws, Hollywood city officials, including the city's soon-to-be-resigning Planning Director, Leslie Del Monte, allowed several representatives of The Related Group to speak today for 25 minutes at the city's PACO meeting re their very unpopular 1301 S. Ocean Dr. project

 

Updated Sept. 22, 2022 at 1:00 a.m.

A VERY reliable and well-informed person -and upset- called me late this afternoon to tell me that, completely contrary to Florida's Sunshine Laws, Hollywood city officials, including the city's soon-to-be-resigning Planning Director, Leslie Del Monte, allowed several representatives of The Related Group to speak this afternoon for 25 minutes at the city's PACO meeting re their very unpopular 1301 S. Ocean Dr. project.

A project that continues going forward despite a lack of support among the community AND The Related Group NOT having the REQUIRED community meeting with the public as the city's own rules mandate.

It's the city's own requirement, NOT a suggestion.

And again, what happened today took place despite 1301 NOT being listed by the city as an agenda item on the city's website or any printed agenda.

I'm also told that it was a VERY, VERY chummy 25 minutes, too, like a bunch of old friends just talking about things amongst themselves like they always do when nobody outside their small inner circle knowing anything about it.

I'm further informed by this same trusted source that several City of Hollywood Commissioners were/are blindsided by this news, and had no idea that The Related Group was going to be allowed -encouraged?- to participate at the meeting by city officials

WITHOUT any public awareness or ability by the public to engage or protest what was taking place.

Yes, more than ever, as I've said before, "Special rules for special people" should be the City of Hollywood's official slogan.

By the way, WHERE exactly are the links to any 2022 PACO meetings on the city's own 

website? http://fl-hollywood.civicplus.com/Archive.aspx?AMID=105

Zip. Nada. Nothing. Goose Egg.

No PACO meetings have been posted on the city's website since February of 2021.

Don't kid yourself, things like this do NOT all happen by accident!

FYI, I tweeted about this around 5:15 pm on my way back to Hollywood.

If you aren't currently Following me on my Twitter feed or regularly visiting my blog on your own every few days, you might want to strongly consider doing both going forward so you have a better context for understanding just what is taking place right in front of all of us at Hollywood City Hall.

Not by accident, but, rather as part of someone's plan.

https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1572023343460585472

https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/status/1572821337256730624

Dave 

David B. Smith  

Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbbtruth/ 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DavidSmith0215

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/david-bruce-smith-b945b376/

Travel Massive: https://travelmassive.com/dbsmith 

City of Hollywood Commissioner Linda Sherwood has CONSCIOUSLY and DELIBERATELY cast a vote in a city + state that she no longer lives in. Period. Investigate/prosecute HER + City officials engaged in a coverup to get deal done! 🤨😠

City of Hollywood Commissioner Linda Sherwood has CONSCIOUSLY and DELIBERATELY cast a vote in a city + state that she no longer lives in. Period.

Investigate/prosecute HER + City officials engaged in a coverup to get deal done!

Now we all have a much better understanding of why, in 2 long years, the #HollywoodFL 

Mayor, City Comm. and City Mgr. -and their staff that acts like Related publicists- has NEVER once publicly said why they've refused to force them to follow the city's OWN rules that require them to meet the public in-person.

More about this in my next post, which will have LOTS of QUESTIONS about ethics and professionalism that local newspapers and TV stations are completely failing to ask the responsible officials and pin them down so that the public knows who knew what when...

Dave

David B. Smith  

Hallandale Beach/Hollywood Blog: http://www.hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter: @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth/with_replies

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hbbtruth/ 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DavidSmith0215

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/david-bruce-smith-b945b376/

Travel Massive: https://travelmassive.com/dbsmith

BREAKING: #HollywoodFL - Contentious City Comm meeting: City Manager Ishmael directed to negotiate a separation agreement for City Atty. Jeffrey Sheffel

Developing story...

The Hollywood City Commission was set to reconvene at 4:30 today after contentious 1:00 PM City Commission meeting results in call by Comm. Richard Blattner -supported by Commissioners Traci Callari and Peter Hernandez-  for Hollywood City Manager Wazir Ishmael to enter into negotiations with City Attorney Jeff Sheffel for the purposes of creating a separation agreement for Sheffel, following months of drama and reports of chronic complaints in his office.

These reports included unhappiness with turnover within City Attorney's office due to existing culture there -i.e. Sheffel himself- Sheffel's arrest in March for DUI,  and 
more recently, as was discussed at length today, an email from the Assistant City Manager to Sheffel alleging that the City Attorney's Office was behind in paying legal bills to outside counsel defending the city, and also was exceeding his spending authorization in settlements.

Much debate on what true facts were and whether facts were subject to interpretation. 

No seemed to be the consensus - the facts are black and white.

City Attorney Sheffel later said he was short-staffed and that was part of the cause for some of the highlighted problems but Comm. Traci Callari quickly shot back that the reason that he and his office were short-staffed was directly because of his own actions and behavior at the manager.

In his motion, later rescinded after Sheffel agreed to meet with Dr. Ishmael, Blattner was supported by longtime Sheffel opponents Callari and Peter Hernandez, who called for Sheffel to resign at the first City Comm. meeting following his March arrest. 

Publicly supporting Sheffel at the meeting were Mayor Josh Levy and Comm. Debra Case,

while Commissioners Kevin Biederman & Linda Sherwood seemed more on the fence but not at all happy at the various reports.

Update: Before the end of the second half of the 4:30 PM session, Hollywood City Manager Wazir Ishmael announced that he and the City Attorney Sheffel have reached a meeting of the minds regarding a Separation Agreement.

Commissioner Traci Callari made clear following this bit of news that she would like to discuss this development in more depth at the next City Commission meeting, on June 7th.

May 31st, 2017 Update
I will be updating this story tonight with some insight and quotes from from some of the parties involved, including their public comments during the early afternoon meeting, where I was the only person from the media(!) present.
CBS-4 News came by for the continuation after I sent them an email.

I had the opportunity to talk to Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy for a bit following the recent Young Circle Roadway Study at the Lippman Multi-Purpose Center, and naturally, the situation with the City Attorney was one of the subjects we discussed. 
Also in attendance Thursday night at the event were Hollywood Commissioners Debra Case and Richard Blattner.

From the City of Hollywood:

UPDATED: Meetings of the City Commission
Tuesday, June 6, 2017

A Special City Commission Meeting and a City Commission Workshop have been planned for Tuesday, June 6th at City Hall in Room 215. The meeting is at 3:00 p.m. regarding a separation agreement with the City Attorney and the workshop is at 4:00 p.m. regarding the proposed Safety Enhancement District in Emerald Hills. City Commission meetings and workshops are broadcast on the City’s Government Access Channel, Comcast Channel 78, AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 and streamed online on the City’s website at 
http://www.hollywoodfl.org/146/Watch-Commission-Meetings [http://www.hollywoodfl.org/146/Watch-Commission-Meetings 

Doug Hewett named new Hollywood City Manager; Hardly Breaking News: New year of 2012 already showing that the old bad habits of Miami's local TV news operations won't die -apathy!

Looking west at Hollywood City Hall following the Hollywood City Commission meeting that led to the selection of Doug Hewett as the new City Manager. 

January 6, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier.

Continuing their policy of the new economic realism, wherein stories about celebrities, diets and/or plastic surgery for women, toys for affluent people and their over-indulged kids, and crime stories involving women in danger or peril -especially mothers!- are deemed more important than what happens in local government that actually affects everyone -in part because they have lots of South Florida advertisers who want the not-so-educated female demographic for whom that is 'must-see TV'- Miami's local TV news operations threw a collective wet blanket on the big news coming out of Hollywood City Hall late last Friday afternoon.

Hollywood, Florida's 12th-largest city, selected 40-year old Fayetteville, N.C. Assistant City Manager Doug Hewett to be their new City Manager on a 5-2 vote, following hours of presentations by the six final candidates on what their strategy/ideas might be in their first few weeks in the position if they were selected to get the city moving forward.

The hiring of a young, personable, savvy and very well-regarded public administrator, who over a few shorts days seemed to pick-up on the small nuances of what makes Hollywood and its neighborhoods and its civic activist community unique and very hands-on, after touring the city and talking with many of the city's most well-known involved residents and civic activists, is a move that represents the final piece of a puzzle that many Hollywood taxpayers and observers firmly hope will stabilize what had become a very rocky ship of state of late in 2011 after the dismissal of former City Manager Cameron Benson, with bitter cleavages emerging all over the city between political/neighborhood activists and Fire/Police union members and their enthusiastic/exasperating supporters.

As I've stated in this space previously, many of the latter are still visibly outraged over the results of the September public referendum that forced much-tougher financial terms on their members -roughly a 12% pay cut to prevent actual dismissals of Fire/ Rescue and Police- and as of this writing, there are at least two city commission candidates backed by the unions who've already filed their paperwork to put that lingering animus to work for them as they challenge incumbent commissioners  Heidi O'Sheehan from District 3 and Richard Blattner of District 4.

Owing to election changes necessitated by the successful passage of a charter issue by Hollywood voters, rather than having staggered elections this year, ALL six city commissioners and Mayor Peter Bober are up for re-election this November, with only Comm. Fran Russo publicly announcing that she will be not be seeking re-election in District 5, which consists of most of Hollywood west of the Florida Turnpike.

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/city_commission/hlwd_com.htm

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/EthicsCommittee/DisclosureSearchPage.aspx

http://www.hollywoodfl.org/election/2012/CampaignTreasurersReport.htm

For a few observers in the Hollywood Commission chambers who were really paying attention to the larger public policy picture last Friday -like your humble blogger, for instance- the real news of the day lay more in who was completely missing from the Commission chambers rather than the selection of the certain someone who might soon be calling it home.

That is to say, noticeable by their collective absence.

Indeed, as Sherlock Holmes is forever reminding us, the absence of evidence is, in fact, evidence of a sort.

Showing that the old bad habits of last year that we have remarked upon so many times here on the blog -and in animated conversations and emails with so many of you readers- that have left so many tens of thousands of concerned South Florida residents quite literally appalled at what passes for news coverage at Miami's English and Spanish-speaking TV stations, were, in fact, NOT left behind in the dust-bin of history after all, even while more traditional subjects are shunted aside, Miami's CBS4, NBC6, WSVN-TV 7 & Local 10 News were all no-shows at Hollywood City Hall.

As were their Spanish-speaking colleagues at local TV news outlets at Channels 23, 41 and 51, despite the fact that there are lots of Spanish-speaking residents in Hollywood.

But yours truly videotaped the entire proceedings, as well as Thursday night's public get-together of the six final candidates at Hollywood's Arts & Culture Center on Harrison Street.

I plan on posting the comments that I videotaped last Thursday night by CM-designate Doug Hewett and his presentation of Friday afternoon on my blog and YouTube Channel within the next few days.

I'll need to do some editing first and break up his presentation into 3 or 4 segments, since his presentation was the longest, albeit, also the most interesting one to listen to.

Former McKinney, TX City Manager Frank Ragan received the second-most votes last Friday afternoon and was a very compelling candidate, with lots of tangible qualities and talents that surely would've helped Hollywood, based on his impressive resume and facility for talking about his accomplishments without any un-necessary boasting.

He particularly grabbed the full attention of Hollywood Commissioners Linda Sherwood and Richard Blattner, who voted for him on the first ballot.


Yes, I wish he were already the City Manager in Hallandale Beach, where Mark Antonio will be leaving in June.

Above and below, Frank Ragan addresses the Hollywood City Commission and makes his formal presentation. On the dais, left-to-right, Commissioners Patricia Asseff, Beam Furr, Heidi O'Sheehan, Mayor Peter Bober, Commissioners Richard Blattner, Fran Russo and Linda Sherwood. January 6, 2012 photos by South Beach Hoosier.

Personally, I wish that Ragan was already in a responsible upper-management position in either Broward County or up in Tallahassee so he could positively effectuate economic development, trade and investment policies, since the record is clear that he has the ability to see opportunities that other smart people in those positions DON'T.

I can't recall the last time I heard someone who worked for Broward or in Tallahassee say something about those subjects that really impressed me in quite the ways that Ragan, a one-time Hoosier, did in his presentation Friday, a fact that seemed to be shared by Comm. O'Sheehan. 

Video of the 2009 Hollywood City Commission voting on $30k deal with State Sen. Eleanor Sobel; Sara Case was talking about budget problems even then!

September 20, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier.

Later than I had originally planned, I now finally have the link to the video from April 1st, 2009 at Hollywood City Hall that was the heart of the $30K deal for State Senator Eleanor Sobel that I have referenced twice within the past week, via a post of my own and one yesterday by Hollywood civic activist Sara Case at The Balance Sheet Blog, in light of her formal request to have the State of Florida perform an audit of the City of Hollywood.

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/pol-who-wanted-and-got-hollywood.html

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/hollywood-civic-activist-sara-cases.html

Me, I find her timing and rationale very, very curious, and that would be true even if I hadn't voted in the 2008 primary for Tim Ryan for State Senate, despite the nasty and untrue TV ads paid for by her shadowy supporters at 527s, and electioneering communication groups

A survey done by VancoreJones Communications in June 2008 described Democratic voters in District 31 as "the most angry, despondent and suspicious group we've ever polled.'' But on the plus side: "Despite being very opinionated they can be easily persuaded.''

Just like other 527's did the bidding of Alexander Lewy last year in Hallandale Beach against Comm. Keith London in Lewy's bid to get elected on his second try for office, where I wrote: "Not out of any great magnanimous desire to help the citizens of this city, mind you, but rather to help himself and take his first step in becoming a career politician."

History has proven me prescient.

http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/committee-to-protect-florida.asp

You may find it worthwhile to know that using Internet Explorer, you can't find the link on the city's website marked "Archived City Commission" meetings, but the video itself seems to ONLY play using Internet Explorer, since it will NOT work using Google Chrome.

I know that because I have tried and tried over the past few months to see several old Commission meetings that I wanted to reference in blog posts but was unable to.

Above, the webpage using Internet Explorer -list of files is invisible!

Below, the webpage using Google Chrome, a list of files.

Once you get to the blue-highlighted agenda item on the particular Hollywood City Commission meeting you want to view -or even the entire meeting if you choose- the link doesn't work using Google Chrome.

Consider yourself warned!

It's SNAFU!

And there is nothing on the city's website page that tell you that you have to use Internet Explorer to see video of selected agenda items.

A real conundrum that!

I'll be talking to the City Clerk's office about that next week.

April 1, 2009

6. R-2009-072 - Resolution - A Resolution Of The City Commission Of The City Of Hollywood, Florida, Authorizing The Appropriate City Officials To Execute The Attached Agreement Between State Senator Eleanor Sobel, State Representative Elaine Schwartz And The City Of Hollywood For Lease Of City Office Space And To Reallocate Funds For The Renovations For New Offices For Senator Sobel In The Old Library Building.

PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

September 20, 2011 photo by South Beach Hoosier.

State Senator Eleanor Sobel receives 5,000 sq. feet of improved office space, inc. electricity and water, for only $750 a month for a period of 40 months -the remaining period of her term at the time in 2009- paying no interest.

State Representative Elaine Schwartz is paying $500 a month in rent, which includes the costs incurred by Hollywood for past improvements from 2006.

Florida House and Senate legal counsel contacted City Attorney Jeffrey Sheffel and said that rules on limitations on member's office account expenditures are such that this matter needed to be done in the form of rent rather than checks for improvements.

Video is 23:47 minutes long

Entire agenda is at: http://www.hollywoodfl.org/Media/Archives/CCM/ccm040109/ccm040109_Indexed.pdf

Video for this item is at http://www.hollywoodfl.org/Media/Archives/CCM/ccm040109/ccm040109_Indexed.pdf

Upcoming early June posts at Hallandale Beach Blog

Have been very busy the last few days cobbling together some thoughts and observations -along with some helpful and explanatory photos and fact sheets- regarding the following recent public meetings I've attended, and some other stories I've been putting together over the last few weeks, ready to drop them here when the timing was right:

1. Monday's meeting in Hollywood of the South Florida Regional Planning Council regarding the Miami River, and residential development along the waterway at the possible risk of marine industries livelihood.

2. Monday night's presentation at the Hallandale Beach Cultural Center of the most recent edition of the evolving city Master Plan, as put together by the Miami Beach office of EDAW and ERA (Economic Research Associates) of Washington, D.C.
Coincidentally, ERA is located in the very building where I worked when I first moved to D.C. 20 years ago.

I was the last member of the public to speak at this forum and will discuss those questions and why I asked them soon in my post about the event.

3. Wednesday's Hallandale Beach City Commission meeting on installation of red light cameras at certain busy intersections (on private property), as well as the requirement of installation of external surveillance cameras for HB businesses operating after 11 p.m.

4. Thursday afternoon's Hollywood CRA/Zyscovich Plan Public Forum at Hollywood City Hall, on Young Circle/Downtown Hollywood zoning.

Owing to the necessary delay in getting the dozens and dozens of interested and opinionated residents into Hollywood City Hall under the new security protocol, the first time the city has had an event of great interest at city hall since it was implemented, I had the opportunity to speak for a few minutes with both Mayor Peter Bober and Commissioner Linda Sherwood (District 6) about some things going on in Hollywood and in Hallandale Beach.

I saw many familiar public policy faces there, including some who had also been at Monday's Master Plan meeting in HB.

I'll hope to post soon the exact info on when Thursday's public forum will be available for watching on the city's website, since anytime Bernard Zyscovich speaks, there's always a great deal that someone can learn about combining beautiful aesthetics, dynamic and intelligent planning, with some common sense, based on successfully learning the lessons of what has -and hasn't- worked in other cities in similar situations.

Though I wrote as fast as I could over the course of the two hours, just as was true when seeing Zyscovich at other forums in the area -and the Beach CRA forums on Johnson Street in particular- when someone that smart and insightful is ad libbing, it's hard to always concentrate on what you're writing while listening attentively to what he's imparting, because he really makes you think.
Which is to say, that I will be watching the video of the forum also, just to make sure my notes are correct.

5. The apparent move of the Baltimore Orioles' spring training games from Fort Lauderdale up to the Daytona Beach area, to take the place of the Dodgers.

Due to my deep dis-trust of the Orioles front office management, borne of my experience as a longtime Orioles fan since 1970, and former Mini-season ticket holder (20-30 games a year at Camden Yards), I've seen this particular move coming to fruition since last year.

I strongly suspect that I'll have a take on this issue, along with some facts, that you won't find anywhere else in South Florida, blog or otherwise.