The $50k Rothstein 'hot potato' check burning a hole in Steve Geller's CCE, Floridians for a Stronger Tomorrow

Above, photo I snapped of Steve Geller,

characteristically, deflecting personal responsibility
for the 2008 Primary debacle, despite all the

evidence to the contrary, being interviewed
by CBS4's Michael Williams in front of
Hallandale Beach City Hall, where Geller's
district office was located.

Ignore the info on photo, it was actually
taken on May 7th, 2008.

And why is that City Hall breezeway
ceiling STILL messed-up 18 months later?

Another Mike Good success story!

-----------

Broward Beat

Geller: Take My $50,000, Please!
By Buddy Nevins

Former State Sen. Steve Geller says he has a problem: He can’t figure out who should get $50,000 in tainted money.

The money is from suspected scammer Scott Rothstein. It was earmarked for Geller’s campaign against County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger.

Geller now suspects Rothstein stole the money. He wants to give it back.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.browardbeat.com/geller-take-my-50000-please/

-----------

In case you were curious after reading
Buddy Nevins' story, above, I've
included at the bottom of this post
the list of contributors to this CCE
of Geller's, which used a lot of
its money last year unsuccessfully

to try to get his brother, Joseph,
the former North Bay Village mayor,

elected to Dan Gelber's old
State House seat, when he
ran for the State Senate in
November and won.

Now, of course, having been elected
for four years and equipped with a
fall-back government job with nice benefits
that keeps his seat warm in case he fails,
and able to still charge taxpayers for his
flights home, Gelber is already running
for State Attorney General, which is

something he didn't tell the voters of
Miami Beach and environs when he
was running last year, promising to
use his best judgment on their behalf
in Tallahassee for the next four years
in a higher-profile position.

That is to say, once Gelber dropped
his already announced plans of running
for U.S. Senate, which is yet another
option he didn't care to mention to
voters last year when offering himself up.

At some point, I suspect Gelber's
love affair with himself, like most

examples of stalking, is going to
come to a very sad and predictable end.

If you were me, and a woman you were
very interested in romantically called you
up after you'd spent a fair amount of time
together said that she'd love to see you
again once she got back from a business
trip, you might say fine and that you were
looking forward to her return.

But you might have a change of heart
if she says that her trip is actually a
vacation with her boyfriend to visit
his hometown and spend some

time with his family.

You'd immediately think you needed
to consider other 'candidates,' no?

I would.

Perhaps sensing that voters would
not be interested in him if he already

had his eye elsewhere, as he did,
Gelber never gave South Florida voters

the benefit of having informed consent.

Yet counter-intuitively, Dan Gelber
seems to think that by being so open
about his promiscuous personal
ambition, and clearly not really

wanting to devote the time and
attention to the job he was
elected by voters to a year ago
-which, despite my warnings
to them last year, is abundantly
clear to my friends on Miami
Beach who voted for him-
since he plans on campaigning
for yet another year, he's somehow
free from criticism that he seems
to have a clear history of using
South Florida voters for props
(or pawns) for his personal
ambition, and of not being
honest with them.

But why should being so obvious
be judged a positive character trait

by voters?
Guess what, it's not.

And what has he actually DONE?

Admit it, you probably can't think
of even two things he's noted for.

Some brilliant argument that changed
the tenor of debate for the better

on an important issue in Tallahassee,
or some insightful solution to

a longstanding problem that he's
personally responsible for bringing

to fruition, that was popular with
both Democrats and Republicans.

Where's the defining moment when
he asked his own Dem supporters

to admit that they'd been wrong,
needed to be intellectually honest

and admit it and vote for the right
thing for the greater good?

Guess what, neither can he.
There aren't any.

The kicker is that THAT doesn't
seem to matter, as Gelber slowly
tries to become the latest governor
of this state without having earned

it by doing something previously
of any particular consequence.

That doesn't make him unique,
of course, just more transparent
than most.

Just like Steve Geller,
whom you all know I loathe,
he's personally implicated in
all the myopic bad decisions
of the past few years in

Tallahassee, large and small,
that have crippled this state
and made it a laughingstock
by so many different measurements.

Frankly, if it wasn't for his father,
a very well-respected Miami judge

-who has qualities the younger
Gelber clearly doesn't- most

people, and many in the South
Florida press in particular, would

have long since come to the
general conclusion that Gelber,
despite who his father is,
is clearly no different from the
dozens of other ambitious

yet thoroughly mediocre and
even unethical hacks populating
state, regional and local govt.,
seemingly intent on making things
worse for us, not better.
(Elected versions of Alex Lewy.)

Gelber is just someone from whom
much more was expected but who,
thus far, has produced no tangible results.

Week-after-week, month-after-month,
that solid criticism of him from the
South Florida media never ever comes,
does it?

It's the dog that never barks.
Which doesn't mean it's not a good dog,
just that it's NOT actually a WATCHDOG.

To me, this suggests that more than anyone
else, he's the male counterpart to DWS,
the South Florida media pet/demagogue
-whom I also loathe-, who is never
subjected to any sort of rigorous fact-filled

criticism -ever.
Why not?

Now there's a good question.

I'll be posting some things you may
find of interest on my blog this weekend,
and one of them will be on a force you
may not already be aware of that is
quickly taking over this area and which
the geniuses at HB City Hall and the
HB Police Dept. continue to ignore,

though their handiwork is right in front
of them: HGS.

Keep those initials in mind as you
walk, bike and drive thru SE Broward.

Folks, it's HGS' world, we just live in it.

-----------

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/committees/ComDetail.asp?account=45389

Type:	Committee of Continuous Existence
Status:	Active
Address:	Post Office Box 220015 Hollywood, FL 33022
Phone:	(954)491-1120
Chairperson:	Steven A. Geller 100 West Cypress Creek Road Suite 700 Fort Lauderdale, 33309
Treasurer:	Charles Cassini 12121 NE 16th Avenue North Miami, FL 33161
Registered Agent:	Steve Geller 100 West Cypress Creek Road Suite 700 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309

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

Campaign contributions in chron order

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/TreFin.exe

Floridians for a Stronger Tomorrow About the Campaign Finance Data Base

Rpt Yr Rpt Type Date           Amount   Contributor Name               Address                                  City State Zip                           Occupation           Typ InKind Desc

------ -------- ---------- ------------ ------------------------------ ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- -------------------- --- ----------------------- 
2007   Q2       06/01/2007        20.00 TEXEIRA NANCY                  1326 NORTH DUVAL ST                      TALLAHASSEE, FL 32303                                         CAS                    

2007   Q3       07/17/2007     2,500.00 TITLE INSURANCE THROUGH LAWYER 6545 CORPORATE CENTRE BLVD               ORLANDO, FL 32302                        INSURANCE            DUE                    
2007   Q3       07/17/2007     2,500.00 FLORIDA ASSOCIATED GENERAL CON PO BOX 10569                             TALLAHASSEE, FL 32302                    BUILDERS             DUE                    

2007   Q3       08/20/2007     2,500.00 LAWYERS ACTION                 1224 GREENSWARD DR.                      TALLAHASSEE, FL 32312                    ATTORNEYS            DUE                    
2007   Q3       09/07/2007     5,000.00 FLORIDA POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSO 300 E BREVARD ST                         TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    POLICE UNION         DUE                    

2007   Q3       09/12/2007    10,000.00 PALM BEACH KENNEL CLUB         1111 NORTH CONGRESS AVE.                 WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33404                PARI-MUTUEL          DUE                    
2007   Q4       10/22/2007     8,333.33 HCA EAST FLORIDA DIVISION AND  101 N. MONROE ST., SUITE 801             TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITAL             DUE                    

2007   Q4       10/22/2007     8,333.33 HCA NORTH FLORIDA DIVISION AND 101 N. MONROE ST., SUITE 801             TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITAL             DUE                    
2007   Q4       10/22/2007     8,333.34 HCA WEST FLORIDA DIVISION AND  101 N. MONROE ST., SUITE 801             TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITAL             DUE                    

2007   Q4       10/31/2007    30,000.00 MARDI GRAS GAMING              831 N. FEDERAL HIGHWAY                   HALLANDALE BEACH, FL 33009               PARI-MUTUAL          DUE                    
2008   Q1       02/01/2008       500.00 CHIRO-PAC                      217 N KIRKMAN RD.                        ORLANDO, FL 32811                        CHIROPRACTORS        DUE                    

2008   Q1       02/29/2008     1,000.00 COMMITTEE FOR ACCESSIBLE GOVER 1224 GREENSWARD DR.                      TALLAHASSEE, FL 32312                    POLITICAL COMMITTEE  DUE                    
2008   Q1       02/29/2008    10,000.00 PPI, INC                       1800 SW THIRD ST                         POMPANO BEACH, FL 33069                  PARI-MUTUAL          DUE                    

2008   Q1       03/06/2008     5,000.00 ASURIAN INSURANCE              8880 WARD PARKWAY                        KANSAS CITY, MT 64114                    INSURANCE            DUE                    
2008   Q1       03/06/2008     8,333.34 HCA NORTH FLORIDA GOOD GOVERNM 101 N MONROE ST SUITE 801                TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITALS            DUE                    

2008   Q1       03/06/2008     8,333.32 HCA WEST GOOD GOVERNMENT ACCOU 101 N MONROE ST SUITE 801                TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITALS            DUE                    
2008   Q1       03/06/2008     8,333.34 HCA EAST GOOD GOVERNMENT ACCOU 101 N MONROE ST SUITE 801                TALLAHASSEE, FL 32301                    HOSPITALS            DUE                    

2008   Q1       03/06/2008     5,000.00 CALDER RACE COURSE             21001 NW 27TH AVE                        MIAMI GARDENS, FL 33056                  PARI-MUTUEL          DUE                    
2008   Q1       03/17/2008     2,500.00 RON BOOK, PA                   2999 N. E. 191ST ST, PH-6                AVENTURA, FL 33180                       ATTORNEY             DUE                    

2009   Q1       03/31/2009     5,000.00 HARTMAN AND TYNER, INC         PO BOX 2007                              HOLLYWOOD, FL 33022                      PARI-MUTUEL          CHE                    
2009   Q2       06/29/2009    10,000.00 HARTMAN AND TYNER INC          PO BOX 2007                              HOLLYWOOD, FL 33022                      GAMING               CHE                    

2009   Q3       09/29/2009     1,000.00 DAVID R CUTSIN AND ASSOCIATES, 6401 SW 113 PLACE                        MIAMI, FL 33173                          CONSULTING           CHE                    
2009   Q3       09/29/2009    50,000.00 ROTHSTEIN SCOTT                2308 CASTILLA ISLE                       FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33301                LAWYER               CHE                    

2009   Q3       09/30/2009     5,000.00 GREENSPOON MARDER, PA          100 W CYPRESS CREEK ROAD, SUITE 700      FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33309                LAW FIRM             CHE                    
                       ------------

                         197,520.00
24 Contribution(s) Selected

Hallandale Beach's latest money grab comes via usurpation of Constitutional Rights -taxing political candidates!

Just when you thought it wasn't possible
for the Great Minds patrolling the halls
at Hallandale Beach City Hall to act any
more legally or morally inappropriate
thru their longstanding stealthy and
anti-democratic behavior, reality
intervenes and slaps you in the face.
How low can they go?

Are you sitting down?
Please do.

Are you ready?
The city has decided they need
to start taxing political candidates.

Yes, it's true.

Could I make that up?

These geniuses have decided that this
small SE Broward city is so crucial
to the future of the Sunshine State
that they're going to tax political
candidates, by charging them a
$500 administrative fee for simply
exercising their First Amendment
rights, and posting political campaign
signs in the city.
Crist, Rubio, McCollum, Sink,
Gunzburger, Geller...

This issue and more will be before
the Hallandale Beach Planning
& Zoning Board at City Hall on
Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.,
before moving to the HB City
Commission in a few weeks.

Not that the City of Hallandale Beach
is calling it a tax, but that's exactly
what it is as you can see for yourself
here:http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentCenterii.aspx?FID=135
Political Signs Staff Report and Ordinancehttp://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1212

Call me old-fashioned, but I always thought
only the FL State Legislature had the legal
authority in this state to create a new source
of taxation, along with the Governor's signature,
NOT unelected City Managers, City Attorneys
and Planning Directors.

Just for the record, there was STILL
a very large political sign for failed judicial
candidate Mardi Ann Levy on State Road
A1A & Hallandale Beach Blvd.,
placed in front of the Beach One Resort
property, in mid-January, two monthsafter the November election, whichBernie Bober won.

I know that for a fact because I not only
took photos of it, but mocked it and wrote
about it on my blog,
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/name-changing-judicial-candidate-mardi.html

I also made a comment about it in response
to the Daily Business Review's Legal blogpost of June 16th, titled,
So, this is what the witness stand looks likehttp://dailybusinessreview.typepad.com/insidetrack/2009/06/so-this-is-what-the-witness-stand-looks-like.html

As unprincipled, obnoxious and plain
un-democratic as the idea is of charging
citizen candidates money in order to place
their campaign signs in one particular city,
that is far from the only troubling aspect
of this proposal to come before the P&Z
Board, as you can see for yourself at # 4
under analysis.
http://www.hallandalebeachfl.gov/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1212
Permits placement of political signs in public property if
determined by the City Manager to serve a public purpose."
To serve a public purpose?
Like what? To show City Hall's favoritism?

(Like maybe placing anti-Hometown Democracy
signs or perhaps Steve Geller signs on
city property?I mention the latter because of the foolish,
over-the-top performance last year exhibited
by the HB City Commissioners when Geller
was given the key to the city, and the commissioners
acted like small children at a birthday party
at the circus, excitedly putting on their "Geller"
caps and waving their "Geller" souvenirs
as Geller's staffers photographed the whole
embarrassing scene.
I said last year that it'd make a great YouTube
video because of how long it went on and on.)

Nobody has a problem with a prohibition on
political signs within a certain distance of polling
places, or on city property.
It's not just tradition and law, it's common sense.
But under what part of the Florida Constitution
does it give the right to an unelected City Manager
of a town, like Mike Good, to regulate political
speech protected by the First Amendment?

So he can personally decide whether or not signs
of his choosing ought to be placed on taxpayer
property?

It's preposterous on its face, made even worse by the
fact that he doesn't even live in this city.

And, if you keep reading the analysis, you'll see where
it even says the city wants to be able to regulate the
actual content of the political signs you place on
YOUR OWN PROPERTY.

Again, where is it written in the Florida Constitution
that a municipality like the City of Hallandale Beach
can regulate free speech by enacting a law that says
you can only have ONE sign regarding an individual
candidate in, on or around YOUR OWN PROPERTY?

Honestly, you'd think that a city that's so poorly-managed
that in the year 2009, it STILL lacks a single directional
road sign anywhere indicating where the City Hall or
Police Dept. HQ is located, would have more pressing
needs than trying to usurp citizens' constitutional rights,
right?

But then consider the locale and the likely source.The legal mind of Hallandale Beach City Attorney
David Jove.

The same person who for years has had no problem
in continually winking at the city's clear-cut violations
of the state's Sunshine Laws, with him present in
the room.

There are other things I could say about this but
consider the moral caliber of someone who might
well vote on this in a few weeks if someone in authority
doesn't do their job and stop this illegal outrage,
namely, Comm. William Julian.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows
full well just of some of the ethical, moral and legal
shenanigans Julian has gotten himself and the
city into, but he is also well-known by his reputation
for violating the city's extant laws against putting
campaign signs on city property.
The city ROW on Layne Boulevard and Diana Drive
are said to be among some of his favorite spots...

Comm. Julian is someone who should clearly
know better, but like the vast majority of people
at HB City Hall, he's a great believer in situational
ethics.

You see, his response at being caught red-handed
by a HB citizen putting his own campaign signs on
city property and the public ROW is classic
HB City Hall: "Everyone does it."
No, actually they don't.

Just Julian and City Hall's Rubber Stamp Crew,
plus their pals and cronies, always looking for a
favor or CRA handout -for old times sake.
-------------------------
October 2nd, 2008 photos of Dotty Ross campaign
signs all over Hallandale Beach Municipal complex
Why?

I'm told it was because she rented some space at
the HB Cultural Center?
So because of that, she gets to put campaign signs
on city property everywhere?

Between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., Thursday October 2nd,
out of curiosity, and with some time to kill before
meeting a friend in Aventura, I swung by the HB
Cultural Center to get a gander at the prep work
for the Dotty Ross fundraiser.

I was at the HB Park & Rec's front desk at the
Cultural Center when I personally saw a sweating
Comm. William Julian walk in wearing shorts,
a t-shirt and carrying some Ross campaign signs
under his arm.

After seeing that, though I had someplace to be,
I walked over to the benches across the street to
ponder my next move.

Of course!
Document the proof all around me,
and that's exactly what I did.
The two Dotty Ross campaign signs in front of the city's
Cultural Center building. fine, I'll let that one slide.

Of course IF City Manager Mike Good and his
staff have their way with their preposterous proposal,
it'd be against the law in Hallandale Beach for any
citizen to have two Ross campaign signs on your own
property, if you were so inclined.

But two next to the city sign on the
S.E. 3rd Street entrance?
I don't think so.

And near the city's electronic board on S.E. 3rd Street,
in front of the County Library branch?
That's ridiculous, but par for the course here.


And on S.E. 5th Street off U.S.-1, near the main city
municipal complex sign, and facing the entrance and
exit of the main HB branch of the U.S. Post Office?
Really?
And all of these campaign signs are on city property
But then if you're a regular at this blog, you already
know that more than is true in most places in South
Florida government, here, there are different rules for
different people.

If you're part of the Joy Cooper-Mike Good tag-team,
you do as you please, and everyone just looks the other
way.

Well, almost everyone!

HB Mayor Joy Cooper's faltering damage-control of budget facts while unelected Mike Good giveth and taketh from HB taxpayers. Mostly taketh!

July 3, 2009 photo by South Beach Hoosier © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

Below the Hallandale Beach Water Tower on State Road A1A/Ocean Drive, on the south side (right) is the "Community Center" that HB City Hall, thru their gross incompetency, has made impossible for HB citizen taxpayers to use now for 105 weeks and counting, as of August 22, 2009.
And where's the American flag on the Fourth of July weekend? 
Missing in action as it has been for months!


July 3, 2009 photo by South Beach Hoosier  © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved

This building underneath the city's iconic Water Tower, just steps from both the Atlantic Ocean and State Road A1A, was turned over to the City of Hallandale Beach on August 3rd, 2007, and yet STILL remains OFF-LIMITS to everyday HB citizens, taxpayers and residents, the true "owners" of the building, TWO YEARS later.
There has STILL not been a single public open forum held by the city to gauge how citizens want to utilize it best.
Instead, the building remains a veritable clubhouse for the cronies and pals of HB City Hall's elected officials and employees.July 3, 2009 photo by South Beach Hoosier  © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved


Below, a letter of mine that made the rounds on Monday to myriad in-boxes all over Hallandale Beach and media in-boxes all over South Florida.
------------------------------
Monday August 24th, 2009
8:25 p.m.

Fellow Hallandale Beach citizen taxpayers, once again, un-elected Mike Good is making deals and not just spending money poorly, as is his usual wont, but literally giving it away like he's a benevolent free-spending Santa Claus with an unlimited expense account.
And you're paying!
Without the proper amount of HB City Commission input or scrutiny or the public being told about it until after-the-fact.

And to show how serious City Manager Good is about public safety, especially on weekends when most HB residents use their boats -and he's back home with his family in Cooper City- he is proposing to effectively kill the HB Marine Patrol for lack of money, even though
that amount is actually LESS than the amount that he is giving away in his role as Santa Claus.

Giving away city funds to individuals whom the general public not only doesn't know, but who lacked even the common sense, class or gumption to show-up in person at HB City Hall before the City Commission and public to make their case.
Yes, yet another Mike Good back-door deal, to the tune of $25K.
And now, Mayor Joy Cooper, for the first time as as mayor, is asking the public to come to
her house Tuesday night to talk about the city's budget?

Even before you consider the sad-but-inescapable fact that an unelected person like Good and his staff and not the elected (Rubber Stamp) City Commission are driving the whole process, ask yourself this obvious question:
Why is Mayor Cooper inviting the public to come to her house at night, when she's someone who has personally always argued for keeping City Commission meetings in the day, even though common sense informs us that more citizens, taxpayers and residents could attend and participate if all the proceedings were held at night?
(So, having wasted months and months this year, when is the ONE-and-ONLY public budget workshop? During the day, of course.)
The sad but obvious answer is because Mayor Cooper is a thin-skinned hypocrite of the worst sort, which is the sort that NEVER EVER learns from history and experience, and almost always makes bad problems worse because she is unable to admit that she might've been wrong in the first place.
Hubris.

Consider OUR own collective history with her the past few years, where her illogical mis-steps, mis-statements and false assertions could literally fill a book.
(Or a blog!)

Aren't the pages of recent HB history replete with examples upon examples where she's shown that she doesn't care what actual HB citizens and residents think, as long as her close pals, cronies and supporters around the city, county and state -and at the local and state League of Cities- think she's doing a good job.
It's the appearance she's concerned with, not the actual results.

If you don't think her getting her own new office at City Hall for just under $4,000 back in January, when there wasn't anything physically wrong with her old one, wasn't proof, then why don't you ask her some time why she and her cohorts are keeping it a secret?

Her city hall is so incompetent that more than SEVEN MONTHS later, her name STILL does not appear on the building directory when you walk in downstairs.

These are the same geniuses I remind you, who left former State Senator Steve Geller's name on the directory for SEVEN MONTHS after Eleanor Sobel had been elected, and made it her district office, too.
Good luck to the hapless constituent looking for her office.

But to be fair, though it took HB City Hall employees over seven months to actually put Sobel's name on the directory, they did so.
One month before Sobel & Company moved out!

Of course, if Sobel and her staff were actually paying any attention to genuine constituent concerns instead of the frivolous ones she's been consumed with so far -tanning beds, tattoos and Shylock- something they've not seemed esp. keen on doing, it would seem, they'd have noticed it right away, the same way that you and I have, since the public HAS to walk right by it in order to get into the building.

But because the Cooper & Good tag-team don't ever learn from history or pay any attention to what's actually going on around them, there's still nothing on the directory about Joy Cooper new office.
Sh-h-h!! 
Top Secret!!
(Personally, I've got plenty of photos of all this chronic HB City Hall incompetence since Election Day, but you may want to snap a shot of your own on Wednesday on your way in.)

But if you think spending tax dollars for a new City Hall office for Joy Cooper when she doesn't really need a new one seems like small potatoes, consider for a moment the logic of ALL FIVE members of the City Commission of a town of under 38,000 going to Orlando on the taxpayers' dime two weeks ago, for the recent League of Cities confab,
There's your HB City Commission at work.

But if you think that's just too 'inside baseball,' let me return to one of my favorite and most obvious examples of the collective longstanding failure of the Cooper, Good & the Rubber Stamp Crew: the so-called "community center" under the HB Water Tower on A1A and Hallandale Beach Blvd..
The one that I've told you about so many times in emails and on my blog -complete with photos- that you and haven't been able to use for over two years now,

To quote myself, imagine what sort of hoops land-locked South Florida cities like Pembroke Pines, Coral Gables, Hialeah or Miramar would jump thru in order to have a nice two-story public building for their residents, just steps from the beach?
That they didn't have to pay for.I have and so have you.

Yet here in Hallandale Beach, under Cooper, Good & the Rubber Stamp Crew, we've had such a PUBLIC building for 105 weeks and counting.

You all know from the dozens and dozens of photos I've taken of it over the two-plus years, there is NOT now nor has there ever been so much as a sign anywhere on the building telling you that it
a.) belongs to the citizens of this city, or,
b.) WHEN it will be open for use by taxpayers like you and I, not just used by the PALs and cronies of Hallandale Beach City Hall, who think they're VIPs..

These are all things that I've told the city manger and his staff, in person, many times over the years, including LAST YEAR'S budget meeting..

Cooper's rank hypocrisy at asking the public to come over to her house Tuesday night, in an obvious PR stunt, when she's the person who has continually sleepwalked for months as other South Florida communities have made good faith efforts to host numerous public budget meetings involving their citizens and residents, knowing full well when the legal deadline is, could hardly be more self-evident.
Instead, Cooper chose to do NOTHING and took the summer off.

Now, with a deadline breathing down upon the city, she wants to invite you over so she can try to finesse you.
Beware, for if you let her, she may try to wave a magic wand over you when you're not paying attention so she can erase your common sense, curiosity and sense of propriety about how things are supposed to be done in a representative democracy that's actually accountable to the people.

Well, you can go to chez Cooper Tuesday night if you wish, but I'd really be remiss if I didn't advise you that I've already seen this movie before, a few times, actually, so let me give this SPOILER ALERT.

The shallow, thin-skinned witch and her coterie of dim-witted flying monkeys holed-up in their redoubt will NEVER ever admit they're wrong, and will only use the time to verbally attack the very people who HAVE actually been paying attention, as they have so many times before.

Yes, attack the very people who have been telling their friends and neighbors the true facts about what Cooper & Co. have been doing at HB City Hall and environs .
Or NOT doing.So, all these various elements, plus the mayor's strange attempt to engage in damage-control,
promise to make Wednesday a day to remember in Hallandale Beach.

Please make plans NOW to be there in person to speak your mind and bear witness to what
happens when the truth finally comes out, as it surely will.

And don't forget to bring as many of your friends as possible, along with your camera
or camcorder, too.

FYI: In the emails below, I've deleted some un-necessary graphics and made all the fonts the same so it would be more compact and, hopefully, easier to read.
Otherwise, it's verbatim.
And still hard to believe -but all-too-true.
----------------
From: Barry Webber
Subject: Hallandale Beach Marine Patrol
To: "Joy Cooper" <JoyCooper@aol.com>, "Bill Julian" <wjulian@hallandalebeachfl.gov

>, "Keith London" <bikerguy69@bellsouth.net>, "Dottie Ross" <dross@hallandalebeachfl.gov>, onevision4life@aol.com
Cc: "Mike Good" Office@hallandalebeachfl.gov>, "Tom Magill" office@hallandalebeachfl.gov>
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 10:06 PM

Dear Mayor and Commissioners, I have read the summary memorandum of the proposed 2009-2010 Fiscal Year Budget submitted by the City Manager's Office. I am once again extremely disappointed to see that they recommend elimination of the Marine Patrol. The recommendation is located in the first paragraph of page 6 of the document. I believe the recommendation is based upon incorrect information as well as a lack of historical perspective which I want to bring to your attention and to the attention of the City Manager. The memorandum states that "for the past several years the Police Department has operated a Marine Patrol with the assistance of a County-funded grant". In fact the City has participated in the grant program every year since the programs inception in 1994. The program was started fifteen years ago for the purpose of ensuring that the entire Intracoastal Waterway throughout Broward County would have sufficient law enforcement officers on the water to protect the public safety. At the time of the commencement of the program in 1994 the City did not have a Marine Patrol. The City applied for a grant for the purchase of the boat to be used for this purpose. The City was awarded a grant for the purchase of the boat and started it's participation in the program. It has applied for and received funds to operate the boat on weekends and some evenings, every year since that time, including applying for a grant for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. In this years application the City acknowledged that over the years since 1994 it has received funds for the purchase of the following equipment. 1) 23 foot Intrepid vessel 2) Twin 150 hp 1997 OMC engines 3) Twin 150 hp 1999 OMC engines 4) Twin 150 hp 2003 Yamaha engines 5) Construction of a boat dock with a boat lift 6) Construction of a Marine Storage Facility 7) Panasonic laptop computer which is currently used for warrant and registration queries

There have been a great deal of funds awarded to the City recognizing the importance of this public safety issue. Every single portion of the Intracoastal Waterway is patrolled by various law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction over their portion of the waterway. If the City of Hallandale Beach abandons it's waterways as proposed it will be the only portion of the waterway in all of Broward County which will have absolutely no law enforcement presence.

The budget memorandum states that the total cost to operate the Marine Patrol is $78,665.19 of which $39,680.00 is reimbursed by the County and the City expends $38,985.19. The City Managers office was apparently given inaccurate information. According to the Broward County department that administers the grant, the amount awarded to the City for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year is $52,416.00, not $39,680.00. I am sure that you will see that as unexpected good news, as the actual cost to the City will not be $38,985.19 as thought, but will actually be only $26,249.19 which is approximately the same cost as last year. The actual cost to the city will be $12,736.00 less than was thought. Since the grant is paying double what the City is paying for this important public safety service, the city will be losing the right to receive two dollars for every dollar it spends. I fail to see how this makes economic sense in this very difficult budget year. I can't imagine any situation where the City gets more bang for the buck for funds expended for a very significant public service to insure the public safety. The memorandum states that only two citations were issued in this fiscal year. I would bring the following to your attention concerning this issue.

1) Issuing citations is not the purpose of the patrol. The purpose of the patrol was articulated very well in the City's grant application. In the application which covers the City's portion of the waterway, which is described as Zone "X", the City stated the following: "High visibility in Zone "X" will serve as a deterrent to speeders and other violators. Continuous public contact, including boating inspections, educates the public and provides for a safer boating environment". 2) There is no question that City could write a great many citations. This is apparent to anyone who spends any time observing the Intracoastal Waterway. The Police Department however, knows their purpose is to discourage bad boating behavior and educate the boaters. 3) As part of the City's application they are required to provide information as to their activities on the water during the last full fiscal year. The City represented the following information on their application for the fiscal year 2007/2008. PUBLIC CONTACTS --------------1,410 SAFETY INSPECTIONS -------- 74 WARNINGS--------------------------- 250 BOAT ACCIDENTS ---------------- 0 CITATIONS --------------------------- 18 Obviously they are a very active unit and a very important presence on the water in this city. 4) Citations issued on the Intracoastal Waterway to enforce state statutes do not provide revenue to the City. The fines that are paid, are paid to the State of Florida. The EMLEG grant program was never set up to provide revenue from citations. It was created to assist law enforcement in providing for the public safety. Finally, the memorandum states that the boat is in need of replacement. Just last year, the Sergeant that is in charge of the Marine Patrol stated at a meeting of the City's Marine Advisory Board that the boat was in good condition and was only in need of cosmetic work. The engines were also operating well for the boats mission. There is no reason to believe that the boat went from good condition to needing replacement in less than one year. The City of Hallandale Beach has a responsibility to protect it's citizens and the boating public traveling through the City. I know that each one of you takes this responsibility very seriously and works hard to protect your residents. I would urge you to fulfill this responsibility and not leave the City's waterways totally unprotected. Please don't leave the waterfront residences of your citizens totally unprotected from water born criminal activity. Please don't throw away over $52,000.00 in this critical budget year and please do not tell your residents that they are not entitled to protection by their police department. The benefits provided by the Marine Patrol are great, the cost is small. I would urge you to provide for the Marine Patrol in the 2009-2010 budget. I would be happy to discuss any of these issues with you. My numbers are listed below. Sincerely, Barry Webber

Michael is the person behind the fact-based website, Change Hallandale Beach

http://changehallandale.com/ and the person who sent me the letter that Mayor Cooper was circulating

From: Michael Butler

Date: August 24, 2009 1:43:26 PM EDT

once again she's representing the city manager and his staff, not the residents.
if there have been so many opportunities to discuss the budget, why then does she have to have something at her private home?
why isn't this a public meeting?
why wasn't adequate discussion and time provided by the city at the official budget
workshop?
and if the city commission takes July off, then why wasn't the first budget workshop
scheduled earlier in August instead of the last week?
why is her meeting scheduled in the evening and not during the day like the official
workshops, which should be in the evening as well?
speaking of misleading the residents, why were Good's numbers wrong on the
marine patrol?
if the budget issues is so important, then why has she scheduled this meeting with
ONE DAY'S NOTICE?
NOW she decides the budget is important enough to have a meeting at her private home?

Begin forwarded message:

From: JoyCooper@aol.com

Date: August 24, 2009 1:09:14 PM EDT

To: JoyCooper@aol.com

Subject: (no subject)

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I have been writing articles on a weekly basis to keep everyone informed. Regretfully again Commissioner London has been sending out information that is not 1000% factual and are lies about commission actions.

This in not the time for politics it is time for work.

Since the budget is such an important issue in deciding our quality of life have decided to host a meeting at my home to listen to your concerns, questions and ideas.

301 Holiday Drive

from 5:30 to 6:30 PM

Everyone is welcomed this is not a formal meeting of the commission just a open forum

Please let me know if you will be attending so I can plan accordingly.

Budget workshops are scheduled for two days. Not one.

The discussion will be on the "CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET" The commission will work on the budget makes changes. The commission has had the proposed budget transmittal letter since Friday August 7th. This lays out the major changes and proposed cuts. After the commission workshops the budget then is published for full review. The budget then is reviewed at two public hearings in September.The Final Budget will not be adopted until Sept 24th, a month from today.

The tentative tax rate was set on June 17th which is and increase. This something that I have also written about.

The one good thing that he has done is sent out the budget transmittal letter for your review.

There is only ONE budget workshop scheduled for the commissioners and citizens to review the budget in detail, and it occurs on Wednesday August 26^th 2009. EVERY other municipality has already had the multiple meetings and budget workshops. While some may imply that previous meetings included budget review discussions, its laughable to assert that a budget was reviewed before it was available. In addition, to date, there have been NO public notices of the budget workshop in either the Miami Herald or the Sun-Sentinel.

Many cities take off in August, we take off in July . The suggestion that there has been any negligence on this matter is mislleading to you the residents and lying. It is also frankly an insult to our staff that has worked tirelessly over the months facing up to 25 layoffs and working to make cuts while preserving basic services .

As always please contact me at anytime with your questions and concerns!

Warm regards! Joy

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

Caution: facts ahead!

As you read this email from Commissioner Keith London to some of the city's citizens
and residents, keep in mind that the absurd situations he describes, which I've been a
witness to and described here in this space, is what passes for normal at Hallandale
Beach City Hall under Mayor Joy Cooper and City Manager Mike Good.

Wrap up of the City of Hallandale Beach City Commission Agenda for Wednesday, August 19, 2009 1:30 PM Meeting

---

London, Keith <KLondon@hallandalebeachfl.gov>	Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 8:18 AM
To: "London, Keith" <KLondon@hallandalebeachfl.gov>
Everyone, The following is an update of the agenda items and other issues that were discussed at the City of Hallandale Beach Commission Meeting held Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 1:30 P.M. Highlights of this Wrap-Up Commission approves a 4 month lease of a city-owned property for $10. The subject was not on the Agenda, nor was any backup provided. Mike Good gives $25,000 of your tax dollars, without commission discussion or input. Follow up from the August 5, 2009 Commission meeting on Mike Good spending $300,000.with nothing in writing (see very bottom of this wrap up). Please remember to visit www.changehallandale.com for the latest updates on the city. New update on the City’s purchase of the property at 501 NW 1st Ave. REGULAR AGENDA CITY COMMISSION, CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2009 1:30 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER 5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (to be heard at 1:30 P.M.) History was made when the commission waited over 10 minutes for me to return to chamber from being sick for a vote on a 501 NW 1stAve (this was previously Commissioner Sanders' property, purchased by the City for $235,000). He Here are some of the facts: · The item was not on the agenda and NO backup material or documentation was provided. · There was neither public notice nor a competitive bid made for the $10 lease for a 4 month term, which commenced on May 21, 2009. · The lessee was given a open ended lease with no expiration date for the same terms. · The lessee was given $25,000, without public discussion, by Mike Good. o I want to note here that the City Commission has given the City Manager the authority to spend up to $50,000 without Commission approval. This authority is in addition to the City Manager's authority to spend up to $200,000 per unit for structures, without Commission approval. · The operator is ZAMAR OF MINISTRY AND PERFORMING ARTS, INC. not Zamar School of Performing Arts Inc. as is listed on the lease. · The operator’s license is inactive with the State of Florida Division of Corporations see document N96000002475. · This is the same property purchased from Commissioner Sanders for more than the appraised value, with no back up provided, and never appearing as a noticed agenda item. · The property was acquired in February 2009 for future affordable housing. Six months later we are leasing the property to a corporation whose license is inactive with the State of Florida (see attachment at bottom of email) · Passed 5:0. It has been my personal policy to never vote on anything without being given proper notice and appropriate backup. I restated my policy during this vote. But on the surface, this appeared to be a good cause. However, with a little personal research into the background,I've determined my vote was a mistake, and in future I will stick with my policy. (I am continually surprised how little basic research is conducted by this City Manager before approving large sums of taxpayer dollars). 6. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes - Regular Meeting of August 5, 2009 B. Vice Mayor Julian required an explanation of a Florida Statue (F.S. 286) because he did understand the intricacies regarding a commissioner and their voting requirements. He required an explanation regarding the difference between a conflict of interest, a recusal, and being absent from the room while a vote is taking place. The Assistant City Attorney, Melissa Anderson, provided a quote from the statue as well as a citing from a precedent setting case, but provided no written material. At the conclusion of the meeting I asked for a written copy of the Statue she quoted and was informed that it would take a week to produce (see email below). How this information that was cited verbatim at the meeting and then possibly take a week to produce is mindboggling. ----- Original Message ----- From: Good, Mike To: London, Keith Sent: Thu Aug 20 11:38:29 2009 Subject: RE: CR Legal Statue For Minutes and Case study 081909 Good morning Commissioner London, Your request has been assigned a CR#140/09, with a suspense date for a response to my office of August 27, 2009. As always, should you have any further questions, do not hesitate to give me a call. City Manager Mike Good From: London, Keith Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 4:50 PM To: Good, Mike; Rafols, Nydia M; Jove, David Cc: 'londonshow@bellsouth.net' Subject: CR Legal Statue For Minutes and Case study 081909 Importance: High Commissioner Request (CR) For Florida Statue and legal case Assistant City Attorney Melisa Anderson referred to at the City of Hallandale Beach commission meeting today 081909 Mike Good, Please provide me with a copy of the Florida Statue (section and subsection) that Assistant City Attorney Melisa Anderson referred to at the City of Hallandale Beach commission meeting today August 19, 2009; also provide the president setting Hallandale Beach case she referenced. Please include this complete email in my Commissioner Request and provide me with a CR number to track this request. Thank you, Commissioner Keith S. London 7. CITY BUSINESS (Voting on Items Deferred to Evening Consent Agenda to be Heard at 7:15 P.M.) Passed 5:0 A. Presentation by PFM Asset Management, LLC for the Investment Results for Surplus Funds for the Period April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009. B. Presentation by Principal Financial Group of the Quarterly Results of the General Employees and Professional/Management Pension Plans for the Period April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009. C. Consideration of City Nominations for Broward Pioneer Days Passed 5:0 D. Discussion of Creating an Abandoned Real Property Ordinance Staff will research the issue and bring back information during the budget workshop Passed 5:0 8. COMMISSIONER REPORTS 9. OTHER 10. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (to be heard at 7:00 P.M.) None 12. PUBLIC HEARINGS (to be heard at 7:30 P.M.) A. An Ordinance of the City of Hallandale Beach, Florida, Approving and Authorizing the Lease of up to a 90,000 Square Foot Portion of City Owned Property to Broward County for Library Purposes, Said Property Described as: All of Hallandale Lawn, According to the Plat Thereof, Recorded in Plat Book 7, Page 32 of the Public Records of Broward County, Florida, and Lot 1 and Lot 4, in Block 11 of the Subdivision 27, Township 51 South, Range 43 East, According to the Plat Thereof, Recorded in Plat Book "B", Page 13, of the Public Records of Dade County, Florida, and including Lots 11-15 Block 3 of the Unrecorded Plat of Federal Park Sub-Division, Said Property Commonly Being Known as the "Annenberg Tract," The following are some of the highlights of the discussion pertaining to this topic: · The building is owned by the City and the County operates the facility · Being part of a county system has many advantages (pick up and drop off of material at any location) · This item (lease) will be on the Broward County Commission Agenda on Wednesday, September 2, 2009 · I requested more computer stations at the library to decrease wait time · I requested the building have WIFI capabilities for those individuals with their own computers · I requested the contract provide for a minimum amount of hours the library stays open or the contract becomes void · I requested the library not close for more than 30-60-90 days or the contract becomes void · This item is scheduled to be heard for a second reading next month and I hope to support the continuation of the county system with some of the suggestions incorporated into the final version of the contract Passed 5:0 Follow up from the August 5, 2009 Commission meeting on Mike Good spending $300,000.00 with nothing in writing (see very bottom of this wrap up). Please see the information and exchange of communication between myself and Mike Good with regards to this topic I do NOT support spending $300,000 of the residents/taxpayers money without any written documentation and due diligence. REGULAR AGENDA CITY COMMISSION, CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 05, 2009 10:00 AM B. Consideration of Approval to Apply for Florida Department of Transportation County Incentive Grant Program Matching grant funding is $300,000.00 · This is funding for the construction/continuation of the SE 2nd Hibiscus roadway behind the FPL substation which continues behind the 1250 Building and then runs parallel to East Hallandale Beach Blvd. all the way to the entrance to Gulfstream on East Hallandale Beach Blvd. · In order for this project to become a reality, Gulfstream would have to give us land. · Mike Good has made CONTACT with Gulfstream but has NOTHING in WRITING and wants to spend $300,000.00 for a “maybe” at best. · This is the issue where the Cooper and Good want to give away/swap the Golden Isles Tennis Center for land development (ultimately a 450-500 unit high-rise condominium development) on the Saint Matthews property. Passed 4:1 London no COMMISSIONER REQUEST REQUEST #128/09 DATE: August 10, 2009 TO: City Manager Mike Good FROM: Commissioner Keith S. London THRU: D. Mike Good, City Manager The following information/action was requested by Commissioner Keith London as noted: RE: Roads, SE 2nd Street/Hibiscus Street – Request for Written Documentation Commissioner Request (CR) – SE 2nd/Hibiscus Street Request for Written Documentation/Repot 081009 Mike Good, Please provide me with a detailed and documented written report describing your meetings with any and all of the individuals at Magna Entertainment Corporation (MEC) or associated with MEC as it pertains to the SE 2nd/Hibiscus Roadway. This issue was discussed at the last (Wednesday, August 5, 2009) City of Hallandale Beach Commission meeting. You specifically mentioned you have met with Frank Stronach, Bill Murphy, and Don Cameron to discuss this issue. Please include this complete email in my Commissioner Request and provide me with a CR number to track this request. Thank you, Commissioner Keith S. London Please take the necessary steps to complete the request and submit a Summary Report to my office no later than August 18, 2009. DATE: August 10, 2009 TO: Commissioner Keith London FROM: D. Mike Good, City Manager < RE: Above Commission Request Commissioner London, As I have explained before, the above have been discussions not only with Mr. Stronach, Don Cameron, and Bill Murphy, but also with Father Quinn, representing the Archdiocese of Miami. There is no written documentation of these meetings. This CR is now considered closed. City Manager Mike Good Department Head Signature __________________________ Date _____________ Department Director/Staff Time to Complete: < City Manager/Staff Time to Complete: 15 Minutes **Time Certains are Provided as a Guide and May Not be Heard at the Time Specified** I welcome and will gladly add those individuals who may not currently be included on my email distribution lists. Please feel free to forward those email addresses and contact information to me. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you at the next Commission meeting. Best Regards, Commissioner Keith S. London 954-457-1320 Office 954-494-3182 Cell For all you who are unable to physically attend and participate at the City Commission meetings, these meetings are replayed on Comcast Channel 78 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday @ 12:00 P.M. and Mondays and Wednesdays @ 6:00 P.M. You are always welcome to contact me with questions or suggestions and I encourage you to contact the rest of the City Commission with your questions or comments. Mayor Joy F. Cooper 954-632-5700 joycooper@aol.com Vice Mayor William Julian 954-274-7230 becjuli@aol.com Commissioner Anthony Sanders 954-540-5100 onevision4life@aol.com Commissioner Dorothy Ross 954-457-1317 dross@hallandalebeachfl.gov City Manager Mike Good 954-457-1300 mgood@hallandalebeachfl.gov City Attorney David Jove 954-457-1327 djove@hallandalebeachfl.gov Other good contact information: Assistant State Attorney Michael Horowitz 954-831-7487 http://www.sao17.state.fl.us/ Florida Department of Law Enforcement FDLE 850-410-7000 http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/home.aspx Attorney General's Office 850-245-0197 http://myfloridalegal.com/contact Inspector Generals Office 850-414-3537 http://www.myfloridacfo.com/OIG/ Ethics Commission 850-488-7864 http://www.ethics.state.fl.us/ Detail by Entity Name Florida Non Profit Corporation ZAMAR OF MINISTRY AND PERFORMING ARTS, INC. Filing Information Document Number N96000002475 FEI/EIN Number NONE Date Filed 05/09/1996 State FL Status INACTIVE Last Event ADMIN DISSOLUTION FOR ANNUAL REPORT Event Date Filed 09/26/1997 Event Effective Date NONE Principal Address 2201 SW 42ND AVE HOLLYWOOD FL 33023 Mailing Address 2201 SW 42ND AVE HOLLYWOOD FL 33023 Registered Agent Name & Address BROWN, DEBORAH R 712 NW 9TH CT HALLANDALE FL 33009 US Officer/Director Detail Name & Address Title D BROWN, DEBORAH R 712 NW 9TH CT HALLANDALE FL 33009 Title D JACKSON, JOSEPH 708 NW 9TH CT HALLANDALE FL 33009 Title D LAMPKIN, LOWELL 401 NW 2ND AVE HALLANDALE FL 33009 Title D SCOTT, RANDY 2848 SW 4TH ST FT LAUDERDALE FL Title D BROWN, EVELYN 657 NW 9TH CT HALLANDALE FL 33009 Title D SIMS, INEZ 4431 NW 13TH ST FT LAUDERDALE FL Annual Reports No Annual Reports Filed Document Images