At next Tuesday's City Commission: Ordinance regulating balloons and sky lanterns on City property—Up to 60 days in jail and $500 fine? Best way to help turtles and educate public?

[Already read this? Thank You for visiting and please scroll down. The latest is if Ordinance No. 2016-24 passes "as is", a violation of the ordinance falls under the "Code of Ordinances' general penalty section, section 1–6, and subject's a violator to a fine of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail. However, City staff can add a specific penalty provision to the ordinance if desired." To see this for yourself use this link and go to page 318 on the agenda.

For background on the "balloon" kerfuffle, false media reports, a video from the City Commission meeting where this discussion first popped (pardon the pun), and how the Loggerhead Marinelife Center got involved in all this, use this link. The original post from last week follows:]

There's no need to rehash all the important items that are being addressed and all the others that are looming on the horizon in this little, tiny City. However, imagine my surprise on reading this item on page 9 of last week's Lake Worth Herald, below the fold:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City Commission of the City of Lake Worth, Florida, will hold a public hearing in the City Commission Chamber, at or after 6:00 PM on September 6, 2016, on the following ordinance:
ORDINANCE NO. 2016–24 OF THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH . . . TO ADDRESS THE REGULATION OF BALLOONS AND SKY LANTERNS ON CITY PROPERTY

[and. . .]

At said meeting interested persons may appear and be heard with respect to the proposed ordinance. The proposed ordinance may be inspected by the public Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 P.M. at the City Clerk’s Office, 7 North Dixie Highway, Lake Worth, Florida.

Meanwhile the Casino complex is hemorrhaging money (and rain water too), the pool building is basically falling apart, deputies tasked with patrolling the BEACH will have a new ordinance to enforce (taking time away from other duties), and if matters weren't bad enough two commissioners want to raise parking rates (will raising rates work? "We'll have to wait and see", they say):

At a recent City budget workshop one commissioner's idea to fix all the problems at the Beach was to raise parking rates "and whatnot".

The City Commission, the majority them anyhow, are working very hard to address all these issues. But you can see how they can be portrayed by the troublemakers as out-of-touch, disconnected, and just "rearranging the deck chairs". Hopefully this item won't take up too much valuable time.

Check back later on for other interesting items on next Tuesday's City Commission agenda and other City meetings scheduled as well.