Showing posts with label luxury real estate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label luxury real estate. Show all posts

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.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The very dangerous precedent for the future that the Hollywood and Miami Beach City Commissions are making by showing thru both word and deed, that their own land use ordinances mean nothing when The Related Group comes calling


Residents and stakeholders of #HollywoodFL and #MiamiBeach are quite rightfully fearful of the very dangerous precedents their two respective City Commissions are clearly making by showing thru both words and deeds, that their own land use ordinances mean nothing when The Related Group comes calling. 

Mean nothing, that is, IF there are deep-pocketed real estate developers interested in doing something the clear majority of the community is opposed to, but the firm is willing to ignore existing public sentiment against it because they have the resources not to care about the optics to others of ignoring the community's desires.

I've been meaning for the last few months to share my thoughts regarding this New York Times story by former Miami Herald reporter Patricia Mazzei, at bottom, involving The Deauville Hotel, 

The Deauville is a historic Miami Beach property and also is one that I had occasion to go to several times over the years while growing-up in South Florida from 1968-1979, before I left for college and the cream and crimson of Indiana University, Bloomington.

I hasten to add, in my case, I was always going to The Deauville to see people visiting from out-of-town, NOT to stay overnight and make myself known to room service. 

For me at least, the story on The Deauville, below, serves as a timely reminder that the worst thing about The Related Group's incompatible plan for 1301 S. Ocean Drive on Hollywood Beach isn't merely that Mayor Josh Levy's snarky, passive-aggressive, and decidedly anti-transparent approach led to approximately ZERO of the REQUIRED public in-person COMMUNITY meetings taking place. either before (or since) the first public Hollywood City Commission meeting, when the Hollywood public was NOT even allowed inside Hollywood City Hall to directly confront the very people trying to change the charm and ambiance of that part of Hollywood Beach. The most natural part of Hollywood Beach that remains..

FTszzsgXsAIZdpW.jpg

Nor was it even the City's thin-skinned Communications Dept. peevishly and repeatedly attacking and demeaning people like my friend, Cat Uden and I online in our individual efforts to let the larger Hollywood and South Florida community know via the South Florida news media what was REALLY taking place. 

That includes the continuing lack of good faith the City's elected officials had shown Hollywood's citizens and stakeholders, whom THEY work for.

As it happens, Cat and I both have strong backbones and thick skins, plus, we have the advantage of having the facts on our side, and if you didn't already know it, the City's elected officials and Communications Dept. really, really hate... facts.
So this discrepancy, this ability to use their own information against them, really burns them, as does our success in getting the facts out to the larger public and the local, state and national news media.
Especially self-evident facts that can be wholly substantiated by both contemporaneous photographs and video.

No, it's not even the fact that supposed nature-lover, water sports-loving Josh Levy would, if successful, destroy, FOREVER, for nothing more than money, a place with a certain and unique ambiance that the community places a very high value on maintaining for future generations - THE most natural part of Hollywood Beach.
FSLP8uDX0AA-Uw3.jpg 
vs.
 FTszzsgWUAE4Abf.jpg

It isn't even that both proposed projects are -coincidentally- the handiwork of The Related Group. That almost was predictable, given the landscape of real estate development in Florida in 2022.

No, what's the worst thing of all in the case of the Hollywood Beach project is the terrible precedent it sets for the future, since it would likely set in motion a constant game of musical chairs on the beach, as local Mom and Pop hospitality businesses owning smaller properties decide that if the city's elected officials are publicly declaring by both their words and their deeds that the city's own rules and ordinances don't mean anything -since Related wants to build a luxury condo tower there for multi-millionaires that's 5-7x's larger than what's currently allowed on that part of the beach- why should they stay on the sidelines and be played for suckers?

If you understand anything at all about human behavior and how things have traditionally operated in South Florida when it comes to real estate, then you know that I'm right.
The reason is simple.
Because, suddenly, as a result of what Hollywood City Hall will have done, there will be no incentive at all for the smaller and successful property owners to invest more of their money and time to improve their current low-scale site.
They'll simply wait the neighborhood out until someone comes in with such a huge offer for their property that they decide to seell.

When that happens, goodbye Hollywood Beach ambiance and charm.
Forever.


If you didn't know it or may've forgotten it, The Deauville is where The Beatles, famously,  stayed and performed in February of 1964 on CBS-TV's Sunday night blockbuster, The Ed Sullivan Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEzPROIIlk4

One last thing, and it's a sign of the times about journalism as it's practiced in South Florida these days. You know what I could not find?

A single local story where Cuban-American Alex Meruelo, owner of the Meruelo Group, the owner of The Deauville, was/is actually asked why he allowed the property to become so run-down that it was deemed unsafe by the City of Miami Beach. 
How do you explain that?
Exactly.
"Today, the Deauville is shuttered, enclosed by an ugly chain-link fence. Soon, it is likely to be demolished. Preservationists fear the hotel’s slow demise will set a troubling precedent in their efforts to protect South Florida’s history."


 

Miami Beach owes its iconic status in no small part to the preservation of its Art Deco district, known the world over for the string of pastel-colored boutique hotels. But it has not always been easy to preserve buildings elsewhere in South Florida.
In its heyday, the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach hosted the likes of The Beatles, Sammy Davis Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. Soon, the hotel is likely to be demolished, which historic preservationists fear will set a troubling precedent.
“Miami is a place where the land has always been more valuable than the building...There’s no shared history, and when you have no shared history and no shared culture, you have no shared commitment to maintaining that history or that culture.”
"The four-acre property, valued some years ago at $100 million, is owned by a corporate entity registered to the Meruelo family, which runs other hotels and casinos and also works in construction."

New York Times
A Grand Miami Beach Hotel, and Its History, Might Be Torn Down.
The Deauville Beach Resort played host to the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy. But it has been deemed unsafe after years of neglect.
By Patricia Mazzei
Published Jan. 17, 2022, Updated Jan. 20, 2022


FYI: "In the event of a total demolition, Miami Beach would be legally entitled to limit future construction to the Deauville’s same size."

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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Thoughts re #Entrepreneurs #Startups #Disrupt and ideas in South Florida and elsewhere: Bailey Roubos of Drone Hub Media and Rachel Zietz of Gladiator Lacrosse; online marketing of luxury real estate in Miami and South Florida

Thoughts re #Entrepreneurs #Startups #Disrupt and ideas in South Florida and elsewhere: Bailey Roubos of Drone Hub Media and Rachel Zietz of Gladiator Lacrosse; online marketing of luxury real estate in Miami and South Florida




For those of you who have asked since I tweeted my curious tweets of October 24th, above, no, I can't yet reveal the identity of the very successful New Jersey entrepreneur with interests on both U.S. coasts who recently visited Hollywood, and who spent many hours over several days asking me LOTS of pointed questions about the current Hollywood, Aventura and Hallandale Beach scene.
That includes questions about what I really thought about the local business environment, its general direction and any stories I'd heard about the amount of govt. red tape around here.

 As you might imagine, given what I have seen and shared with you here on the blog over the past nine years, and in many cases, tried to forget because it was so awful, I had to stifle the urge to laugh, since what he wanted was useful information and quality context.

 In this case, that even took the form of several personal tours of the area from State Road 441 to State Road A1A and everything in between, usually once a day, pointing out what was good, what was bad what was that rare great, and why that was necessarily the case.

 That also necessarily meant my pointing out the area's economic, transportation and Quality of Life problems that local politicians and bureaucrats have largely failed to solve or rectify, no matter what economic development consultants they hire to write a report and give some possible solutions.

 FYI: I highly recommend Chocolada, especially for breakfast!
I'd honestly forgotten how great it was finish off a terrific breakfast by dunking delicious cookies in coffee that tasted just right! Scrumptious!
Chocolada Bakery & Cafe, 1923 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood Florida (954) 920-6400 

http://www.hollywoodchocolada.com/
Last week, via my growing Twitter feed, @hbbtruth, https://twitter.com/hbbtruth 
I wrote that I'd been spending some quality time conversing with a fascinating forward-thinking entrepreneur who was from Ontario -with some Hoosier roots- whose firm aims high, goes even higher!
Yes, coincidentally, just in time for "the season," the annual invasion into southeastern Broward County of tens of thousands of Canadians, 99% from Quebec and Ontario, who find our South Florida sand, surf and sunshine hard to resist at this time of the year.

 Well, that entrepreneur of whom I spoke is Bailey Roubos, co-founder of Drone Hub Media, a full service media company specializing in Aerial Cinematography, who was in Miami for what I can only describe as some fascinating projects, some of which I should be able to discuss with you in greater detail in the future.
Including the one that made my jaw drop upon hearing about it.






An early coup for Bailey and #DroneHub, mentioned in this Toronto Star story last year,
concerned a beautiful Luxury Cottage in Muskoka, Ontario, an amazing property on Lake Joseph that seemed almost tailor-made to have his company wow people around the world with the amazing views of the intangible qualities the property and area had to offer. 
To me, it looks like luxury AND peace of mind meets serene location. 
I'm ready to visit!


 Dan Cooper Group - Luxury Muskoka Cottage. Uploaded June 29, 2015

 Toronto Star
The high-flying new world of real estate. Some realtors take to the skies with drones to showcase special homes and woo buyers.
By SUSAN PIGG, Business Reporter
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
https://www.thestar.com/business/2015/09/23/the-high-flying-new-world-of-real-estate.html

Now for most of us in chaotic, traffic-gridlocked South Florida, that amazing property on an Ontario lake seems like a slice-of-heaven. But as Bailey explained to me, and as the record shows in the video they did below, marketing luxury real estate to someone who'd live in and is attracted to the lifestyle of Miami requires a different kind of vibe than someone who wants to live on a lake in Ontario. 
And trust me, Bailey knows all about what helps his clients sell luxury in a very competitive Miami real estate market, where he who hesitates... loses.

Miami's Finest in Luxury - Julian Johnston - Million Dollar Listing. 
Uploaded December 22, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF_20ichV7I















Bailey Roubos, co-founder, Drone Hub, a full service media company specializing in Aerial Cinematography. @BRoubos, https://twitter.com/broubos

Canada (905) 246 - 8203
USA (605) 789 - 1383
Mailing Address: 6466 Brock Street, Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada, L2J 1W2
Talking to someone as friendly, curious and genuinely creative as Bailey Roubos, who thinks so much outside-of-the-box, you can't help but notice that when you listen to him speak about his work/ideas, #tech #innovation, no matter how well-informed you think you are, you'll find yourself soon absorbing information and insight from him like a waterfall.
But I like that, since I'm the same way about subjects I'm passionate about.

My biggest regret of many conversations this week with him is that I didn't think to video-record it as the ideas flowed! 
I could have kicked myself for not having done so.
Next time I talk to him, trust me, I'll be sure to have cameras rolling so I can share his many ideas & insight with you here.

Some of you reading this in Florida know from personal conversations we've had and many more of you elsewhere via emails, that I've been planning for quite some time to start using my YouTube Channel in more creative and productive ways, and, to be MUCH more pro-active about using it on matters involving technology and innovation.

Maybe the most important lesson of my meeting Bailey Roubos is... #JustDoIt!
In the future, my plan is to interview and video-record interesting people I know and meet who are doing interesting things, whether in South Florida or elsewhere on my travels, for people to enjoy via my YouTube Channel and here on the blog.

 -----

 Emon Reiser's recent article about the just-completed deal between South Florida teenager Rachel Zietz's Gladiator Lacrosse company and DICK's Sporting Goods caught  my eye, and not just because the latter is one of my favorite retailers, or because I love watching high-quality lacrosse. 
(Or because DICK's is now located in nearby Aventura.)

 Somewhere in storage, I still have some DVDs in a box of recent NCAA Men's and Women's Lacrosse title matches, as well as of matches involving the Florida Gators and Northwestern Wildcats Women's Lacrosse teams. Over the past dozen years, I've become a big fan of what head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has done with Northwestern's dynamic program after watching lots of Wildcat games on The Big Ten Channel over the years. 
(And I used to live in beautiful Evanston, home of NU, as well as in next-door Wilmette.)

 Plus, for years I always watched the ACC Championship for both Men and Women on TV and taped the matches for my three nieces in suburban Maryland.
All three nieces played (or are playing) both Youth League as well as high school field hockey and lacrosse at a high level in the best and most-competitive state for it, Maryland.
The youngest one of them actually played for the varsity as a freshman and scored a goal in the 2016 Maryland State Girls Lacrosse championship, which her team won.
A team called the... Gladiators. 
Yes, the Glenelg Gladiators.

South Florida Business Journal
Teen CEO seals deal with Dick's Sporting Goods
Emon Reiser, Digital Producer - South Florida Business Journal
Nov 1, 2016, 5:00pm EDT
http://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2016/11/teen-ceo-seals-deal-with-dicks-sporting-goods.html

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