Drew Martin: Spreading myths, mis- and disinformation for votes.

Drew Martin is running for mayor of Lake Worth. Yes. That Drew Martin. The same one who has been spreading myths that the City of Lake Worth removed mangroves along the Intracoastal, which is a very serious crime. No. The City never removed any mangroves at all.

Look. Almost everyone wants the renovation of the Gulfstream Hotel to begin and for a second hotel to be constructed on the vacant property to the west. And probably no one wants this to happen more than Mayor Pam Triolo.

But this is a very delicate situation right now as was first reported in The Coastal Star last November. And Mayor Triolo has to be very careful what she says. And so does every other elected leader, administration official, and staff member working for the City. There are two entities that are vying for control of the Gulfstream Hotel property. The last thing the City of Lake Worth needs right now is someone at City Hall saying the wrong thing and getting the City involved in this mess and maybe the City being sued as well.

The partners, owners, and interested parties entangled with the legal mess at the Gulfstream Hotel need to straighten this all out amongst themselves.

But Drew Martin doesn’t have the burden Mayor Pam Triolo has. Martin can say anything he wants whilst Mayor Triolo has to ‘bite her tongue’. Martin can say lie after lie and pretty much say anything he wants for votes. For example, Martin said,

“The City shouldn’t allow property owners to just sit on their property and not do anything with it.”

This ignores the fact that the building has a valid approval to renovate the Gulfstream Hotel and construct a new building on the western half of the property. When there is an internal legal squabble in the ownership of a property, the City can do nothing but sit back and wait.

And Martin said,

“I don’t know why they took out the pool. It was a popular place at one time.”

The hotel has been closed since 2006. Up until four years ago the pool was empty and unsecured, causing a nuisance and public health hazard to the neighborhood. It would not have taken much for some child or adult to enter that area and fall into the pool causing grave injury or death. It was also a serious nuisance due to mosquitoes and rodents as well.

Soon after the current owner acquired the property in 2014 the City made them take out the pool. Another pool at the Gulfstream Hotel is planned to be on the second floor above the extended kitchen that is part of the approved plans.

And Martin said,

“The current owners have owned the property for 10 years.”

Hudson Holdings bought the property in 2014 and we have the video on the steps of City Hall to prove it.

And Martin said,

“If it can’t be a hotel, it should be apartments and at least open the restaurant.”

The city badly needs hotel rooms so that ‘room nights’ are not lost to other cities around us during our festivals and other events. An assisted living facility would not provide the economic boost that a hotel would provide the downtown area.

And by the way, Martin is getting help from the editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post as well. Here are some excerpts from published ‘Letters to the Editor’:

“The Gulfstream Hotel should be taken back by the city. . .”

The City of Lake Worth cannot ‘take back’ a property it never owned.

“The Gulfstream Hotel and the seven years of neglect by Hudson Holdings, which is further delayed due to a lawsuit amongst the partners. A possible solution to look into could be eminent domain, where the city would take back the property. . .”

Once again, Hudson Holding bought the hotel in 2014. Four years ago, not seven years ago. And also once again, the City cannot ‘take back’ the Gulfstream Hotel, a property the City never owned.

“Some other points of interest that should be addressed are red-light cameras at intersections. Are they operational? If so, at what cost, and are they constitutional?”

The City of Lake Worth never had red-light cameras.

But did you catch the latest news about Artsy Fartsy!

Really now. Is anyone surprised
The Palm Beach Post is up For-Sale?

And was it true, as was reported in the Post in Jan. 2017, that the Gulfstream Hotel was sitting vacant because of Code Enforcement? No. That was absolutely false as well.