When everyone else had little fight left in them, an ill and frail woman took up the fight.

First an update. Per City Commissioner Andy Amoroso: Court sides with City, appeal denied over lawsuit filed to stop the Gulfstream Hotel redevelopment (which includes a new hotel to 65′). Question for City: recoup legal fees?


The news above comes on the heels of a blog post from last Thursday titled, “Loretta Sharpe. November 4th, 1938–January 26th, 2016”.

This will take only a few moments. It’s a short story about a woman and a hotel too, the Gulfstream Hotel. A story that’s legendary in Lake Worth.

It was Loretta Sharpe, in very poor health even then, who first stood up 4 years ago to fight against THE BIG LIE about building heights in Lake Worth. Back in early 2012 THE LIARS got such a huge head start confusing the public that no one thought it was possible to get the truth out.

Downtown Lake Worth? A stealth propaganda campaign had gotten a huge head start back in 2012–2013, month’s in the making. But Loretta saw a way to fight the propaganda. How? It was spectacular! 

How did Loretta do it? It all started with rallying the troops, “The Hanging of the Banner” from the Gulfstream Hotel (see video below).

Here’s the short version of the story: I got a call from Loretta in January 2013 and she told me there was a meeting at her house, she lived on South Palmway at the time, and my attendance was mandatory. When Loretta told you to be somewhere you better be there. She had ideas to talk about: one of them was hanging a gigantic banner atop the Gulfstream Hotel to win the ‘heights vote’. Everyone thought she had lost her mind. Including myself. But Loretta’s idea was brilliant and everyone noticed. . .

Loretta got fined by the State of Florida for that banner. And she paid it, all $200 of it, with pride and great fanfare.