Randall Munroe

"Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go!"

Hello Sunny - What Ft. Lauderdale is doing to promote LGBT travel...

With a diverse, vibrant and hip scene, Greater Fort Lauderdale is Florida's LGBT mecca. There are so many ways to play with 150 gay-owned establishments from the beaches to downtown. Visit http://www.sunny.org/lgbt

10 Ways Bike Riding Can Save the World...

In light of yesterday's High Noon in Lake Worth radio show...

My guest Mike Budd and I discussed the impact of the Disney corporation has had on the communications industry as well as the state of Florida. Click title for link to the show if you missed it yesterday. This video is from the November 11, 1956 episode of What's My Line. There are lots of important people from the mid-Twentieth Century that were featured on the show and there are many episodes that are preserved on YouTube, if you are interested.

Long night expected Monday as West Palm commissioners vote on... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Last night, we happened to bump into someone who lives in the high-rise Portofino condominium, just north of Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach. He was up-in-arms about this project, saying that it is a grab by the church to start satellite congregations with the money they get from the sale of this land. He also thought that even with the reduced height and two, not one, tower, the project was still too big for all of downtown - which it technically isn't a part of - and would dwarf everything around it, including the Trianon building - the high-rise to the south. By the way, this qualifies as a high-rise building anyway you look at it as it clearly is above 6 stories. Click title for link to Elliot Kleinberg article.

Westward development marching onward as Highland Dunes wins... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Even with our new development regulations in place, Lake Worth is not an alternative to this scale of development project due to a number of factors. Land assembly is expensive here, there are few large lots and even our most dense residential category would not permit the addition of 2,000 units. Thus there is a impetus to look for cheap, easier to assemble land in the central and western portions of Palm Beach County. The unfortunate fact is that to truly be "sustainable," we would be putting the 2,000 households in the 2,000+ vacant or foreclosed structures that are already built here. But the system doesn't work that way. Click title for link to article.

Ringo Starr appeals for teens in 1964 photo to come forward and man says it's him | Mail Online

Found! This is a follow up to the previous post. It seems convincing to me. Interesting story. Click title for link.

Lantana Bridge set to reopen Nov. 16; party planned | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Big party planned by the Town of Lantana to celebrate its reopening. Will downtown Lake Worth miss the traffic? Did we do much to capitalize on this? John G's. will be happy. Click title for link to article.

Coastal Hazard Statement

Statement as of 3:54 PM EDT on October 25, 2013

... Rip current risk remains in effect until 2 am EDT Saturday...

* timing... this afternoon and tonight.

* Impacts... strong rip currents will create dangerous swimming
conditions.

Precautionary/preparedness actions...

There is a high risk of rip currents.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore... which occur most often at low spots or breaks in The Sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as jetties and piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards and the beach patrol. Pay attention to flags and posted signs.

If you become caught in a rip current... do not panic. Remain calm and begin to swim parallel to shore. Once you are away from the force of the rip current... begin to swim back to the beach. Do not attempt to swim directly against a rip current. Even a strong swimmer can become exhausted quickly.

This quote is floating around Facebook today...

The Delray Beach peeps are liking the favorable comparison to Ft. Lauderdale, by their Downtown Development Authority Executive Director.

Attorney General Opinion: Nothing Flagler Can Do About Divisive Vacation Rentals in the Hammock | FlaglerLive - Your News Service for Flagler County News Palm Coast News Bunnell Flagler Beach Beverly Beach and Marineland

Prospects for fix in the law are dim according to the article. Click title for link.

Thrasher now agrees that the law went too far, creating unintended consequences and conflicts that cannot be resolved through mediation. A legal fix is in order, he says. But the chances of such a fix passing the Legislature are very slim: the vacation-rental lobby is a powerful adjunct of Florida’s tourism industry, and lawmakers are reluctant to diminish a potential generator of tourism jobs and additional revenue from visitors. One supporter of the law claimed in that meeting in Bunnell last week that 43,000 vacation renters stayed in Flagler County in one calendar year, though the figure cannot be verified.

Also interesting commentary about the state backing away from involvement in local planning decisions.

Lighter, Cheaper, Quicker Urban Recreation Idea from Christchurch, NZ

In the wake of many earthquakes, a little fun for the residents and visitors there. People bring their own music on whatever has a earplug jack and plug into an amplifier and the rest just happens. Is that Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall, in one of the scenes?

Sign of good things to come...

We rode by today while on a bike ride. The deck is getting finished on the southeast side of the building. They said they plan on opening next Wednesday! Nice sign too.

Leaders from West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth and... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Glad to read this meeting finally happened and hope that it is the first of many more. Redevelopment and promotion of Dixie Hwy. would be a great project for Lake Worth and West Palm Beach to work together. Click title for link to Lona O'Connor's article. Here's the bit about the Lake Worth delegation.

Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo and City Manager Mike Bornstein explained their newly rewritten nuisance ordinances, which deal with squatters, another problem the four municipalities share.
Although the list of shared issues was long, Lake Worth’s Bornstein identified five major categories: jobs, public safety, code enforcement, infrastructure and planning. He affirmed the idea of regional approaches to all five.
“The lesson we’ve learned is that there is no magic blue line at the city limits,” said Bornstein.

As to Bornstein's last point - true enough, but not when it comes to our electric utility. 

Trans-state natural gas pipeline approved for FPL - Jacksonville Business Journal

Green light for the blue flame - a follow-up on the story posted yesterday. Click title for link to article.

Fukushima: 28 Signs That The West Coast Is Being Absolutely Fried With Nuclear Radiation… | UKIAH BLOG

Found this today. Depressing to say the least. I have heard that there are major issues in removing the fuel rods from Reactor #4. They have to be removed by hand, without touching each other and with a lot of human exposure to radiation. There are some 1,400 of these rods in just one of the reactors. I have not truth-tested these, but it appears to be well-sourced with links. Click title for link. Maybe that's why anarchists are shopping at Wall-Mart?

This Russell Brand interview is getting a lot of attention...Is it time for a revolution?

Mike Budd - Film and Media Expert 10/25 by High Noon in Lake Worth | News Podcasts

Join your host Wes Blackman as he welcomes Mike Budd into the High Noon in Lake Worth studios. Mr. Budd is a semi-retired professor of film and media studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where he taught for 32 years. He has published scholarly articles on a variety of topics - books on Disney, on commercial television and on the German silent film classic "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." In addition to teaching one course a year, he enjoys participation in community and political groups. Last year, he was active in the Occupy movement.

Click title for link to live show between 12 and 1 p.m. tomorrow or afterwards for the archived version of the show. Leave questions as comments below.

Swimming museum plans to leave Fort Lauderdale | www.palmbeachpost.com

This is the International Swimming Museum that is currently housed in the Ft. Lauderdale pool complex. They are looking for a new home and would prefer to stay in south Florida. Sounds like they have some interesting artifacts. Should Lake Worth make a run for this organization? Click title for link to article.

4 local establishments awarded perfect scores by state food inspectors

Congratulations to a business on North Dixie Hwy in Lake Worth! White Apron Catering is one of four Palm Beach County food establishments that received a perfect score by state inspectors last week. They are also in the select group of 24 statewide that received the honor. Click title for link to WPTV story.

Something to put a lilt in your step today!

Murphy brings a little bit of the Treasure Coast to the floor of Congress | Post on Politics

Representative Murphy takes the floor of the House to talk about our severe water quality and control issues here. He did much of his work that he reports on here during the federal government shutdown. It creates quite a contrast in leadership compared to the rest of his associates - and his predecessor, I might add. Click title for Post on Politics article.

Colorado prepares for all-mail election under new statewide rules - The Denver Post

Major changes coming to Colorado elections. Maybe such changes would help our election-challenged state. From the article, click title for link.

In the past, Coloradans had the option of voting by mail rather than standing in lines on Election Day. In this election, every voter in the state will get a ballot in the mail, with the option of voting in person.
Also, voters can register through Election Day, rather than facing a deadline of 30 days before.
Behind the scenes, Colorado will have a more efficient, more cost-effective and more consistent way of collecting ballots, McReynolds said.

Regulators expected to consider proposed new natural gas... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

More "beating hearts of development" on the way! Cool that you can log into a website and watch their meeting. Click title for link.

State Senator Jeff Clemens Receives Award from the Florida League of Cities

Ringo Starr appeals for teenagers he photographed 50 years ago to come forward | Mail Online

And speaking of pictures, Ringo is coming out with a book of previously unpublished pictures. Check the one with the teenagers taken in Miami during their stop there in 1964. Do you recognize anyone? They could have driven there from Palm Beach County. Who knows? Click title for link.

Earth First! Journal Announces the Back to the Presses! Fundraiser | Earth First! Newswire

Just trying to help one of our struggling small businesses here in Lake Worth - and a corporate headquarters to boot! Click title for link where they are seeking $30,000 before the end of the year so that they can resume printing of the newsletter. Click here for a nice family picture, including our former Commissioner with baby in arms. Charming!

John Burroughs

"To find the air and the water exhilarating.... To be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

Moonfest, West Palm Beach disagree if costume weapons are... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Sad commentary about our society that this is an issue at all. It reminds me of the zero tolerance policy of some school districts related to squirt guns, etc. Click title for link. Here is how the issue boils down.

Moonfest organizers and the city of West Palm Beach differ whether constume-related weapons should be allowed into Saturday’s event. Moonfest organizers claim differentiating between fake and real weapons has never been a problem for police or festival security.

Amazon announces warehouse locations in Lakeland, Hillsborough County | The Florida Current

Palm Beach County was in the running, but didn't make it to the finish line. The Business Development Board was hot on the trail of this prospect for a long time. Click title for link to article.

Border war: Boca vs. Delray. It's game on - Sun Sentinel

More than a little rivalry going on with our municipal friends to the south. They share some common DNA in that prior to the 1960s, everyone had to go to Delray for necessities since there was little in Boca Raton. Interesting. Click title for link to article.

Nice use of an otherwise utilitarian piece of equipment...

Riding my bike through downtown West Palm Beach today, I saw what I assume was a cabinet for traffic control equipment. They used the opportunity to showcase the history of their downtown through the application of various pictures from the past. This one happened to be at the corner of Datura and Flagler Drive. There were four different scenes - one for each side of the cabinet.

Imagine my surprise!

I bumped into an old friend that used to live in Lake Worth for many years and recently moved to the southern part of West Palm Beach. He shared what happened to him at the local Walmart on 10th Avenue North about two weeks ago. He was in the check out lane and he thought that he recognized the person ahead of him. He described her as somewhat disheveled with stringy hair, baseball cap and wearing denim clam-diggers. Maybe we can find her here?

She had a cart that was overflowing with "deals" as my friend described it. He said to her, "Don't I know you? Didn't you run for office in Lake Worth?" and she said yes. He then said "Are you Cara Jennings?" She answered that yes, she was indeed. They were chatting amicably and then he happened to mention that he had voted for her before and that he was a friend of Wes Blackman. At that point, he said, her demeanor completely changed and there was no more conversation. The lady in line behind him even was prompted to ask, "What did you say? She seems upset." He didn't elaborate.

I am surprised that Cara is a Walmart shopper for a number of reasons. Perhaps she is looking for better buys on food for visitors to the Canew?

CALL TO ARTISTS

If you are a talented mural artist, looking for new venues and new challenges, then you may be ready to enter LULA’s Mural Project. LULA’s Mural Project is a multifaceted project designed to create commission jobs for artists, revitalize blighted buildings to strengthen the community and create art-based educational sessions through live art demonstrations. The Lake Worth CRA developed a strategic approach, LULA – Lake Worth Arts, to revive the district using art and culture as a tool for redevelopment. The mission of LULA Lake Worth Arts is to unify the existing arts community around a shared vision, implement goals for strengthening property values, improve access to the arts through educational programs and invest in partnerships that support a creative community in Lake Worth. A selection panel consisting of art professionals and the business owner will review the submitted images and select 1 qualified artist based on artistic design. The commission for this job is $1,500.00 to create a new mural on the side of the building located at 502 Lucerne Avenue in downtown Lake Worth. Dimensions are labeled on Exhibit “A”. The selected artist(s) will duplicate their submission on the east wall of 502 Lucerne Avenue. The theme is Tropical Garden. Please submit your most creative ideas. Mural artists are encouraged to apply for this commission exhibition. Submission of digital images of artwork and a non-refundable entry fee of $25.00 is required. Make checks payable to Lake Worth CRA. The submission period is October 15th – November 22nd, 2013. Late submissions will NOT be accepted. All submissions must include: (1) Copy of the following: Completed Application Form with an artist statement. Maximum 2 paragraphs describing the vision of submitted work and a signed Wavier of Liability and Indemnity. (1) Copy of a professional resume: Artists name on application form must match name on all materials submitted. Submission Fee: $25.00 per artist. Non-refundable by cash, check or money order made payable to the Lake Worth CRA (2) CD copies of up to THREE artwork images for submission. The CD must be sent using high quality resolution in either TIF or JPG format. The images must correspond to the ‘Image Register’ found on the application page. Examples: 1) Artist name/title of work.jpg 2) Artist name/title of work.jpg 3) Artist name/title of work.jpg Incomplete submissions will not be accepted For questions please contact Emily Theodosakos at etheodossakos@lakeworth.org Criteria for the LULA’s Mural Project/South Shores: • Artists that are eligible to apply must reside in Palm Beach County. • The call is open to artists over the age of 18 only. • All artists must sign a Waiver of Liability and Indemnity for the Lake Worth CRA. • The selection panel will review all complete artists applications. Art will be reviewed for concept, scale and originality of the artwork submitted. • Artists are responsible for the paint, brushes, ladders and all necessary tools and materials. Check List: (1) Copy of the following: Completed Application Form with an artist statement. Maximum 2 paragraphs describing the submitted work and a signed wavier of liability and indemnity. (1) Copy of a professional resume: Artists name on application form must match name on all material submitted. Submission Fee: $25.00 per artist. Non-refundable by cash, check or money order made payable to the Lake Worth CRA. (2) CD copies of up to THREE artwork images for submission. The CD must be sent using high quality resolution in either TIF or JPG format. The images must correspond to the “Image Register’ found on the application page. Examples: 1) Artist name/title of work.jpg 2) Artist name/title of work.jpg 3) Artist name/title of work.jpg The submission period is open October 15, 2013 through November 22, 2013; all submissions must be post marked or dropped off by 4 pm November 22, 2013. No exceptions. Please submit this application to: LULA Lake Worth Arts Lake Avenue Mural Project Lake Worth CRA 29 South “J” Street Lake Worth, Fl 33460 (561) 493-2550 LULA’s Mural Project/South Shores Application Form Please print legibly: Full Name_______________________________________________ Date__________ Mailing Address_________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________________ State___ Zip_______ Phone________________________________________________________________ Email Address__________________________________________________________ Website Address (optional) ________________________________________________ Image Register: 1) Artist name ______________________ Title _______________________ Description _______________________ 2) Artist name ______________________ Title ________________________ Description _______________________ 3) Artist name _________________________ Title ________________________ Description _________________________ Waiver of Liability/Informed Consent Form I, _____________________________, am aware that painting is a physical activity that may result in accident or injury. I assume the risk connected with the participation in a physical activity, and I represent to the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Worth, that I am in good health and suffer from no physical impairment which would limit my participation in the South Shores Tavern Mural Project (the "Project") taking place at 502 Lucerne Avenue, Lake Worth, Florida. I acknowledge that The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency ("CRA") and the City of Lake Worth ("City") has not and will not render any medical services including medical diagnosis of my physical condition as a pre-condition of my participation in the Project. In consideration of the allowance of my participation in the Project event being coordinated by the CRA: I agree that The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Worth, its officers, employees, staff, representatives, and agents shall not be liable for any claim, demand, cause of action of any kind whatsoever for, or on account of death, personal injury, property damage or loss of any kind resulting from or related to my participation in the Project, or any activity within or without the event premises. I hereby indemnify and hold harmless the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency, the City of Lake Worth, its officers, employees, staff, representatives, and all others from any and all responsibility or liability from injuries or damages sustained resulting from my participation in the Project, or any physical activity associated therewith within or without the event premises. I hereby agree to expressly assume and accept any and all risk of injury or death and waive all claims that may be brought by me or my heirs, executors, successors, assigns and administrators. I represent to the CRA and the City that I am not a minor. I have read this document fully and I understand its contents. I voluntarily agree to the terms and conditions stated above and without exception or limitation. _________________________________ ________________________________ Print Name Date __________________________________ Signature __________________________________________________________________________ Street address, city, state, zip __________________________ _______________________________ Telephone (include area code) Email -- Please print clearly

PB County home sales down, prices stabilize

The Palm Beach Post reports that housing sales are down in September, compared to August, but higher than year-ago levels. Click title for link.

Parking lot to park next to Santa Monica City Hall...

Dangerous Minds | List of reasons for admission to an insane asylum from the late 1800s

Were these enforced today, there would be a waiting line outside of A.G. Holley hospital. Click title for link. Click here for information on ghost tours through the former asylum.

News out of Boynton Beach...

For those that seem to be confused about the CRA renting the shuffleboard court building...

The lease is for ONE year. They are using only the inside of the building. It will still be available for city meetings. This video is from the last (10/15) City Commission meeting.

South Florida switches from flooding fears to water supply worries - Sun Sentinel

Turning the spigot on and turning the spigot off. That's what water management is about in south Florida. Click title for link to a Sun-Sentinel article. Here's a bit - reminds us what we've been hearing all past summer.

To protect the dike, the Army Corps of Engineers has dumped nearly 500 billion gallons of lake water into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers and out to sea.
While that draining is good for protecting the dike, the deluge of lake water had damaging environmental effects on coastal waterways — killing fishing grounds and making water in some areas unsafe for swimming.
As Lake Okeechobee water levels dropped closer to normal ranges, the Army Corps of Engineers on Monday stopped dumping lake water into the hard-hit St. Lucie River and greatly reduced discharges into the Caloosahatchee River.
"It has really devastated the [marine] habitat," Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, said about coastal pollution from lake discharges. "People are still wondering, 'Is it OK to go out in the boat?'"
The Lake Okeechobee draining also wasted water that could otherwise have been used in future droughts to boost South Florida water supplies.

Town, county resolve dispute over landfills | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

The Town of Palm Beach can continue to use two dumping locations they own, without using Solid Waste Authority faculties. Neighbors of the sites have complained of dust and vermin caused by them, but the County has approved an agreement that lets the town continue its practice. From the article, click title for link.

The town hauls 13,000 tons of yard clippings and landscape leftovers off the island and to the sites each year. About 75 percent goes to the Skees site.
The town started dumping waste at the Okeechobee Boulevard site in the 1930s, long before the neighborhoods grew up around it and before tougher permitting requirements were enacted.
The Skees site, in an industrial zone, has been used since the 1960s.
The sites were permitted as a vegetation disposal dumps until 2006 when the classification changed to Class III landfill. That triggered different operational requirements for which the town had to seek variances from the state DEP.
On Monday, Burdick the agreement represents substantive progress. She said she would have preferred to see both sites closed, but that wasn’t possible because they predate today’s landfill regulations.
“Neither landfill meets the current code but because they are grandfathered-in, they will be allowed to remain,” she said.

It's a case of the glitches dealing with growth management | The Florida Current

Another glitch growth management bill is being filed in the state legislature this year. Again, this is in direct reaction to the over-zealous attempt by some in instituting "Hometown Democracy" in 2010. Here's a good summary of what has happened.

The Legislature got involved after proposed the "Hometown Democracy" amendment to require citizen votes on changes to comprehensive land-use plans was voted down by 67 percent of voters statewide in 2010.
In 2011, the Legislature approved a sweeping bill scaling back state oversight of growth management while also prohibiting those referendums.
In 2012, the Legislature approved HB 7081, the first "glitch" bill exempting local governments with prior charter language allowing referendums. That led Yankeetown and a few other cities with charter language to drop a lawsuit.
During the 2013 session, the Legislature passed HB 537 after a circuit judge in Palm Beach County ruled that the 2012 law changes were broad and allowed Boca Raton residents to challenge an apartment complex.
HB 537 allowed votes that dealt affected five parcels or more. But Mooney-Portale said the requirement raises the question of whether any new development is allowed under the charter requirement for a referendum.

Click title for link to article. 

From a Delray Beach page on Facebook...

Height and Density issue in our downtown corridor.
The Planning and Zoning board at its November 18, 2013 meeting will address amendments to the LDR's section 4.4.13(D)..."Conditional Uses Allowed;" Section 4.4.13(F) "Development Standards," Section 4.4.13(I)(2) "Performance Standards" and Section 4.3.4 (J)(4) pertaining to density, height and the number of stories within the Central Business (CBD) District...

Contrary to what the advocates for height limits in our downtown tell you, Delray Beach really does not fit their definition of a low-rise city. They currently allow buildings up to 48 feet "by right", but can allow up to 60 feet as a conditional use. Apparently they will be re-examining this in the near future.

Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission - Locations

Fun site to check out. You will have to sign in and give your e-mail address to check out the database. You can search a number of fields, such as a particular city. There are many Lake Worth locations identified including the Gulfstream Hotel, 1000 Lake Avenue, Dave's Last Resort, etc. Maybe these listings will pay off one day and we will see Lake Worth in the movies or on TV again. Wasn't Body Heat shot here?

Worth looking at - click title for link.

Town to seek proposals to lease 2 properties in West Palm Beach | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

This is about the Town of Palm Beach getting ready to do something different with properties that it owns in the City of West Palm Beach. They are going out for proposals on a possible long-term lease. Click title for link to the Shiny Sheet article.

The City of Lake Worth has it own list of property consisting of miscellaneous lots. According to Hoyle, and the city's code of ordinances, the Planning and Zoning Board should review the list annually and make recommendations to the City Commission as to whether or not a property on that list should be declared surplus. Then the City Commission takes that recommendation and comes up with what properties should be officially placed on a surplus property list. The City can then prepare a request for proposal on the sale of any or all of those properties.

This process has not been done for the past few years. It is my understanding that the City Commission has reviewed this list in a work session, and the Planning and Zoning Board hasn't made an official recommendation on the list yet.

This is an actual picture of the City of Lake Worth's real  property list. It is made up of odd lots that have been picked up through the foreclosure process, code enforcement liens, etc. There are two that have structures on them. Some of them have title problems that make their sale complicated. But there happens to be one property with a historic building on it on the list.

That property is listed as #14 on the list. Here is what it looks like today. It is at the southwest corner of 5th Avenue North and L Street.

It dates from 1925 and is the work of noted local architect G. Sherman Childs. Here is a little bit about Mr. Childs.

You can do a search using the search engine to this blog in the upper left hand corner to review the many posts on 431 North L Street. Back in the mid 2000s, this was a notorious flophouse that had around 12 different living units on the property. There were ramshackle garage and out buildings that have since been torn down by the city and had little historic significance, but provided an attractive nuisance for the neighborhood. My first encounter with the building was when it appeared on the Nuisance Abatement Board agenda. It was through that action that the city was able to take the property.

These pictures will give you an idea of what it looked like back then.

For a long time, it sat unsecured and subject to the elements. Only after persistent prodding did the city finally board and secure the building - and tear down the accessory structures.

This property could really be a historic asset for the neighborhood and the city at large. The City Commission needs to declare this property surplus, put together a request for proposals and get this property into the hands of another entity. The original building plans, which are still in the city's file on the property, indicate that the building had four walk-up units. It has been chopped up into more units, but could be returned to the original configuration with some effort.

Prior to my presentation before the City Commission, the HRPB asked that I convey the board's wishes that this property be declared surplus. Even though it is outside the Parrot Cove neighborhood, I am including it in my talk tonight to garner support of the concept. Please communicate with our elected officials about the importance of the city getting this property in different hands.

And, from what I read, this property would be outside the limitation in the city charter about a referendum required for the sale of city owned property.

Editorial: To start cleaning up Lake Worth, outsource some of...

A must read - outsourcing o.k. according to the Palm Beach Post - no disagreement here. Click title for link. From the opinion page:

There are few issues in Lake Worth more pressing than the sad dilapidation of entire neighborhoods, which city officials for years have allowed to deteriorate into chaotic interminglings of orderly homes and abandoned, decaying buildings. Much of the blame lies with the city’s long-dysfunctional code enforcement department, but now the city manager is declaring “a new day in Lake Worth.”
The source of Michael Bornstein’s optimism is a plan to outsource all or part of the city’s code enforcement duties to a private firm. Outsourcing public functions is not typically a cause for exuberance, but Lake Worth is hardly a typical case.

EarthFirst! Art Auction!

Trying to help them out. They need $30,000 to publish and mail the first quarter 2014 newsletter. We are still waiting on the Summer and Fall editions for 2013. You're in luck if you have Grandma Lucy's quilt in the attic - they'll accept that too. Click title for link.

Yours truly speaking at the Parrot Cove N.A. meeting tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

A nightmare on YOUR street: The new site telling people whether someone died in their house | Mail Online

Seasonally appropriate story about an website's ability to tell you if your house was the site of a death. I have not tried out the service. It costs $11.99 for an inquiry. Click title for link to article.

No mandate for owner to fix Playhouse | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

MUST READ! Click title for link to opinion piece from the Shiny Sheet responding to Laurence McNamara's letter about the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. Those who know Mr. McNamara will be happy to know that a tiger does not change its stripes, regardless of municipal borders. Here is a keen observation:

It’s heartwarming to see that the fervent devotion of the Palm Beach Theater Guild has not wavered. Nonetheless, it’s becoming increasingly more tiring to hear the same relentless bleating of old rhetoric, half-truths, spin and talking points.
It is also apparent to me that Mr. McNamara thinks we either live in a welfare state or an oligarchy.

This is the same person who helped lead us down the road to "save the Casino building" and identified Straticon as the only firm that could "restore" the building. Read the depositions in the right hand column if you want a review.

Corps to suspend flows to St. Lucie; reduce flows to Caloosahatchee > Jacksonville District > Jacksonville District News Releases

The rainy season is over and the Army Corps of Engineers is pulling back on discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Click title for link to press release. Here is something from the announcement:

“Drier weather is now starting to take hold in the area,” said Lt. Col. Tom Greco, Jacksonville District deputy commander for south Florida. “Our focus is now shifting toward retaining water in the lake to ensure a viable supply for the approaching dry season, while still monitoring for heavy rain events that might force future adjustments in flows.”

Stumbled upon this video...

This company is putting together a documentary of the Africa U.S.A. park that was situated in Boca Raton. It's a pre-Disney look at what sort of attractions were offered for the tourism trade.