Street Painting Festival, Sunday, February 25th, 2007.

Today begins the twenty-fifth annual Street Painting Festival!

A special treat today. Below is a look back to the festival thirteen years ago, the twelfth annual Street Painting Festival back in 2007.


With no further commentary or quips. . .

Enjoy.

Click on all images to enlarge:

Most significant political event of the year: Mayor Pam Triolo’s annual State of the City Address.

Save The Date:

Come and join Lake Worth Mayor Triolo next Tuesday evening (Feb. 26th) at 6:00 in Ballroom at Lake Worth Casino.

All elected officials, the entire City Commission, will be on the stage with Mayor Triolo at the State of the City Address.

The City administration and staff will be in attendance as well. In past years some elected officials would not show up in protest for the mayor’s State of the City Address which is very bad form. The State of the City is a show of unity and nonpartisanship.

The annual State of the City speech by Mayor Triolo should be about thirty minutes long. The City in their annual press release always says it will be about 30 minutes long. But due to the amount of applause it’s typically a bit longer.

Note FREE parking will be available starting at 5:30, seating is available on a “first come first serve basis” and the State of the City begins around 6:00. Admission to the event is also FREE. Mayor Triolo will discuss the present and the future for our City. There will be department heads and City staff attending to answer any questions you may have afterwards.

Make plans now to be in attendance at the State of the City Address. Expect a very large crowd this year.

Question: How does the mayor of Lake Worth, Florida get to and from capital in Tallahassee in an “MAU with FAU”?

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATON. The mayor of Lake Worth, Florida DID NOT take an ‘MAU’ [networking Multiple Access Unit ] to the capital in Tallahassee. She took an “MOU” which is a networking Mobile Operating Unit. A small but very significant difference in the Acronym community. Hopefully this explanation will satisfy Chris McVoy, PhD.*

Readers: The previous version
of this blog post.

 

Last updated on Friday, February 22nd, 2019 at 2140 hundred hours.

Let us proceed.

What do Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo, Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein and Director Gabriel Alsenas at SNMREC all have in common? And State Senator Lori Berman and State Representative Mike Caruso in the Florida House of Representatives too?

You see. There was a topic of discussion in Tallahassee last week. And another one this week. And more meetings coming up next month.

To get to and from Tallahassee where the capitol of Florida is located, Mayor Triolo used a “MAU [sic] with FAU” meaning a vehicle repurposed as a Multiple Access Unit (networking device) with someone from Florida Atlantic University.


Correction Worth Noting once again: It WAS NOT an ‘MAU’. It was an “MOU”.


And whilst on topic what does the 46th Governor of Florida and the Office of Policy and Budget fit into this topic today? And State Senator Wilton Simpson? The Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology in the Florida Senate? And a whole lot of other elected officials, staff and offices in the Florida capital too like the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy?

What do they all have in common? This story officially began just over two years ago. It was a meeting held in the ballroom at the Lake Worth Beach and Casino Complex on the morning of February 12th, 2017. There were many elected officials present including then-State Representative Lori Berman who would later succeed then-State Senator Jeff Clemens who was formerly a state representative during the former Gov. Ric Scott administration and formerly to that was the mayor of Lake Worth, Florida.

The last sentence above is a bit complicated but elections in Palm Beach County can be that way sometimes.

But Clemens’ indiscretions are old news. What the public focuses on now is Clemens’ bold decision ten years ago to disband the LWPD and merge with PBSO; that was truly significant.

And thankfully Mr. Mark Easton, the editor at The Lake Worth Herald, showed up at the Lake Worth Casino two years ago. Because no one else from the press or news media did. But a blogger also showed up at that meeting too and took some photos as well.

Would you like to learn more about what is happening up in Tallahassee?

Then please re-visit this blog some time time in the near future..

And once again, Thank You for visiting.


*Chris McVoy, PhD, is a former elected official in Lake Worth, Florida and was recently appointed to the prestigious Lake Worth Tree Board by Mayor Pam Triolo. Lake Worth is a tolerant City and welcomes FREE SPEECH even when those like McVoy promote Socialism and political repression in other countries. For example, in 2015 McVoy demonstrated his unwavering support for Presidente Nicolás Maduro and proclaimed it was good for democracy in South America.

Beach Bonfires at the Lake Worth Beach: Very last one of 2018–2019 Season is TONIGHT at 6:00!

Have you been to a Beach Bonfire yet? There is one this evening and after that no more bonfires at the Beach until later this year in November for the 2019–2020 Season.

What are you waiting for?

Below Palm Beach Post correspondent Sir Eddie Ritz reports on “Gooey marshmallows and chocolate” at the Lake Worth Beach!

Click on image to enlarge: 

 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye. Come Ye All to the Lake Worth Beach and Casino Complex. And this weekend is the Street Painting Festival!

FYI: The City of Lake Worth is your OFFICIAL news source for events, entertainment, and other fun stuff. To learn more click on this link for the City’s website “Special Events”.

In TGIF breaking news last year the Post’s Sir Eddie Ritz reported in the Post there will be Graham Crackers and “Gooey marshmallows” too.

The headline, “Light up the night at
Lake Worth Bonfire”:

“Looking for that perfect evening? Want the ambience of the ocean but maybe a little short on cash?” and, “Gooey marshmallows and chocolate nestled comfortable between two Graham Crackers will round out the night”!

Small business community. To succeed in Downtown Lake Worth. A case example: Artsy Fartsy Dècor & More.

Why did Artsy Fartsy go out of business in April 2017?

And why couldn’t Artsy Fartsy succeed on Clematis Street either as reported in The Palm Beach Post in February 2018?

However, Mr. Brian Schlitz, the owner of Artsy Fartsy, explained nearly two years ago why he relocated from Boca Raton to the low-rise City of Lake Worth this way, two excerpts:


“Lake Worth is a very artsy, charming town and the perfect place for a specialized, fun décor store.”


And Mr. Schlitz continued,


“Lake Worth’s top business assets are the public officials in place.”

—Quote from the Lake Worth CRA News Blog in April 2017.


Could Mr. Schlitz be referring to City Manager Michael Bornstein and Lake Worth CRA Director Joan Oliva?


Now moving on . . .

Today at 4:00 is deadline to RSVP for a FREE event.

An event sponsored by the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

Why RSVP today and attend this exciting upcoming event? This is why, an excerpt from the The Palm Beach Post by a beat reporter who heavily promoted Artsy Fartsy Dêcor and More and that ultimately failed in Downtown Lake Worth proving that a regional newspaper is not the most efficient way to attract customers. The beat reporter wrote:


That brings me to Lake Worth. OK, work with me here. Imagine, if you will, the city hosted a show called “The L-Dubs” and handed out trophies to businesses on Lake and Lucerne avenues, the heart of Lake Worth. What’s that new Key West-looking business in downtown Lake Worth?

—This quote.about Artsy Fartsy Dĕcor and More, a ‘new Key West-looking business’ is from January 2017. By February 2018 Artsy Fartsy was out of business.


Promoting yourself as a ‘Key West-looking business’ selling repurposed beach riff raff in L-Dub is not quite the best approach to attract the sophisticated shopper or the Quirky LOCAL shoppers in the City either. 

Despite being heavily promoted often in The Palm Beach Post this business, Artsy Fartsy, ended up leaving Downtown Lake Worth.

Which leads into a FREE event sponsored by the Lake Worth CRA:

“Do you have a great product or service, but still not enough customers?”

“Join us to learn how to use market research to identify who your best customers are, where they live and how to market to them more effectively.”

This FREE event by the Lake Worth CRA:

Featuring Guest Speaker Deborah Lanford, MBA, Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) at Florida Atlantic University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

Please RSVP to Emily Theodossakos at the CRA no later than 4:00 this afternoon. Call 561-493-2550 or send an email to: etheodossakos@lakeworth.org

March 7th at 7:00: Candidate forum at the Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex.

This event is FREE. And parking is FREE. This event is sponsored by the Lake Worth Business Committee (LWBC) and the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce.

Did you know there will be no municipal elections in the Town of Lantana this year? At the end of this blog post is more about that latest development.

And whilst on the topic of the small business community below is very important information recently published in The Palm Beach Post by business journalist Jeff Ostrowski.


This news is. . .

Big News for
Small Business Owners.

Did you catch that news in the paper?

Would guess you probably did not because the editor(s) decided not publish it prominently in the print edition, not a feature story in the Business Section by any means and that news has quickly faded away in the online edition. But more about that later on.

If the business community in this City is of importance to you then please continue reading and learn why small businesses is this City are joining the LWBC and merging with a neighboring town which will make both of us “Better Together”.

A few members of the Lake Worth Business Committee, a recent meeting at TooJay’s.

And much thanks to reporter Jeff Ostrowski for making the case for business chambers of commerce merging with neighboring municipalities and suburban neighbors too.

The news from Ostrowski published by Gatehouse Media, the owner and publisher of  the Post is of utmost importance to the City and to our business community as well. The news was about one of the County’s smallest chambers of commerce that is merging with one of the largest. In a word, this is significant.

The fact that the City of Lake Worth and the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce was not mentioned one single time in the business news by Ostrowski does nothing at all to lessen the importance of what was reported. If anything, it should spur you to action, especially if you are a Realtor or an investor or even a potential developer.

For the City of Lake Worth and the Town of Lantana to become stronger our City’s business community needs to be “Better Together” with our neighbors and business community in the Town of Lantana. The traditional small town chamber of commerce is a thing of the past, unfortunate but true, as you will learn more about below.

Later in this blog post today is more information about the LWBC, which has partnered with the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce, news that has never been reported in The Palm Beach Post. Hope springs eternal now that Gatehouse Media is the new owner and publisher of the Post that local reporting of small chambers of commerce will get more attention.

However, the news by Ostowski in the print edition about Boynton Beach and Boca Raton may have caught your eye. Or maybe not. This news was buried on p. B7 below the fold near the gutter, what some refer to as the fold betwixt verso and recto, or the left side page and the right side page which together is called the spread.

Why is this important? Because it’s no mistake where news appears in a newspaper. Above the fold is what the editor(s) deem more important and below the fold much less so. From p. A2 going forward the eyes drift left to right on the spread and then to the next spread and the next.

Next time you pick up an actual print newspaper you can judge for yourself the priorities of your local or regional newspaper just by viewing each and every spread. Don’t bother with all the content. Just see where that content is on the spread.

The last news item on the pp. B6–B7 spread was an AP story about the “social media giant” Facebook. So if you were in a hurry you probably didn’t pay much attention to the headline,

“Boca Raton, Boynton Beach chambers of commerce merge”

The headline above was near the gutter below the fold.

Along with the story by Ostrowski was a photo of Mr. Troy McLellan who is president and CEO of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. But being a small business owner in the City of Lake Worth you say to yourself, “OK. That’s Boca. So what?”

Well here’s what’s what. Two excerpts from the news by Ostrowski:


The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce said this week that it is now part of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. The Boynton Beach group reported $202,000 in annual revenue, compared to $1.7 million in receipts for the Boca Chamber.

The Boca Chamber said the merger gives Boynton business owners access to a broader array of professional development courses.

“They just don’t have the resources to deliver what we can in Boca,” Boca Chamber President Troy McLellan said. “Their leadership said, ‘What’s our next step? What can we do?’”

To smooth the transition, McLellan said, Jonathan Porges, the chief executive of the Boynton Chamber, will stay on. The Boca Chamber also will keep the Boynton Chamber’s office space through the end of the year.

After the combination — which mirrors a national trend of consolidation among chambers of commerce — the Boca Chamber now has 1,700 members.


Ostrowski reports there are now five major business chambers in Palm Beach County: Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, Greater Boca Raton, Greater Delray Beach, Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, and Central Palm Beach County.

And in the article by Ostrowski is this line:


There are smaller chambers of commerce in Palm Beach and Wellington.


To become a force, to become “Worth Noting”, the Town of Lantana and this City of Lake Worth — and everywhere else in this coastal region of Central Palm Beach County — the business community needs to get more involved and more active.


Creating a new business chamber is a daunting task which can take many months if not years. And even then it may never become a success. For too long this City has been in dire need of a Chamber to represent the business community.

For small business owners in this City of Lake Worth you will meet the members, ask questions, and find out how the LWBC can help make your voice heard. As per the title of this blog post today, on March 7th at 7:00 will be a “Candidate forum at the Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex”. The LWBC will be there prior to and after this public forum to answer your questions and explain how becoming a member will benefit your business.

Briefly, here is a short sample of new and renewing members:

• Posh Properties: Jerilyn Walter
• Kiwanis Club of Lake Worth: Brian Kirsch
• Street Painting Festival: Nadine Burns
• The Related Group: J. Nicholas Dusseau
• Tacos Al Carbon
• Illustrated Properties: Sally Ott
• Palm Beach Yacht Center

The LWBC and all the members of the Greater Lantana Chamber in nearby municipalities and suburban areas are encouraged and excited to hear about what is happening in this City.

You may be interested to know with an additional $50.00 to your regular membership you can become a member with the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce located in Downtown Lake Worth.

This is important because the extremely popular annual Midnight Sun Festival celebrating our Finnish heritage will be held in Lake Worth’s Bryant Park once again next March. For more information about that click on this link.

Also worth noting the Town of Lantana WILL NOT be holding municipal elections in March.

The two incumbents — the honorable councilmen Malcolm Balfour and Dr. Lynn Moorhouse — were both re-elected without opposition.


Congratulations to both of you!

Two (2) pressing press releases from the City of Lake Worth (two links below).

Visitors, residents, business community, and information for the press and news media.

What you need to know about the Street Painting Festival this weekend.

For news from Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO, information about parking and traffic, click on this link. For a message from City Manager Michael Bornstein, “Dear merchants and business owners” including tips on Street Painting festival etiquette and proper conduct please use this link.

Ventusky. The most amazing weather website/app you’ll ever use.

A few days prior to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 stumbled across the most incredible weather websites ever called Ventusky.

You’ll never look at TV and press weather reports in the same way ever again. Ventusky is a,

“. . . [C]ombination of two words. The first is Latin word, Ventus, means wind, the second is English word, Sky.”

You can customize Ventusky to your liking for the time of day, shows estimated wind speed, waves, etc. You can choose what you want to see on the left side of the page using various tabs. It will ask to follow your location (“Search for location. . .”) and works on mobile devices as well.

Once you enter your location into Ventusky (e.g., your zip code) you’ll be blown away (pardon the pun):

“The Ventusky web application has been developed for you at our company, InMeteo, in collaboration with Marek Mojzík and Martin Prantl. We are a Czech meteorological company based in Pilsen. At our company, we focus on weather prediction and meteorological data visualisation. We have a wealth of experience in presenting weather data from our portal, In-počasí, which was founded in 2006 and is now one of the highest-traffic servers in the Czech Republic.”


This weather application is really amazing and encourage you to share it with all your friends and family.

Election Season 2019 in L-Dub: Campaign signs.

Very important: The ordinance about political campaign signs is not being enforced any longer by the Lake Worth Code Enforcement Dept.

Everyone is on the honor system. The unwritten City policy is:


Because the Silly Red Signs [see below] have been out there for nine years now, all political signs are allowed with no time limit or regulation whatsoever. The sign’s political message, no matter how silly or stupid, must remain untouched by the City.

Here’s one of those “Silly Red Signs” by the SRS platoon that first appeared on City right-of-ways in early 2009.

How much do you know about “Red
Sign Syndrome” (RSS)?

Here’s another version of the SRS; in total there were twenty-six (26) versions since 2009.

How much do you know about SSR, Sthaltus signentititis robrusistiticus?

To learn more about SRS, RSS, and SSR
click on this link.

By the way, did you know political campaign signs are protected Free Speech and that stealing or vandalizing a campaign sign is a crime? It’s true. Learn more about that at the end of this blog post.

The City of Lake Worth has had its fair share of political drama and hot-button topics the last few years. However, in the context of history — taking into consideration the last 25–30 years and following the Great Recession as well — in comparison, the last six to seven years has been a period of time marked by political calm and stability.

Remember: Signs don’t vote. People do.

But if you are a candidate and plan on putting out political yard signs below are some ideas, suggestions, and radical color designs.

Note the use of 5-pointed stars and the subdued greens and blues on white #5 non-recyclable Chloroplast.

Color progression is also very important. See how
the red pops to blue and then blends into the
green and then the blue again:

Silly Red Signs can mix up the color scheme. Have a sign with vibrancy! Draw the viewer in.

A slate of candidates in 2015: Gary, Frank, and Ryan! They all lost but got points for patriotism and
promoting “The American Way!”

And who knew that Mr. Ryan Hartman loved
the United States of America so much!

Note the mix of blues and red: Be patriotic! Show your love for the planet: Go GREEN! You may not win but you do get points for style!

Location. Location. Location.

Street corners (intersections) are the BEST locations.

Don’t have all the signs facing the same way.
Get them coming and going!

Important. Find a location with an unobstructed
clear view. Note the parked car:

Another tip: Write down the location of all your signs. You might need them again!

What if signs get stolen? Use this link for instructions on how to handle that issue. Good luck to all the candidates in 2019!

Saving Planet Earth, reducing carbon footprint, and values: Bourgeoisie in New York vs. bourgeoisie in South Florida.

If one is from the bourgeoisie class but also happens to be environmentally-conscious then the true value in property is to be found in South Florida. Why? It all comes down to how willing one is to reduce their carbon footprint. Sure, caring about the environment in itself doesn’t add value to property but you’ll never run out of things to talk about at parties.

Learn more below about the huge economic benefit of air conditioning homes in South Florida vs. the much higher cost (including destruction of the environment) of heating a home in the northeast.

And also below learn about the bastions of bourgeoisie in northeastern American cities who,

“[P]ut a moral value on the thermostat that doesn’t correspond to common sense.”

From an environmental perspective when a tourist visits South Florida to escape the freezing cold Winter what happens when their vacation is over? They return back to their home up north burning up more fossil fuels than had they just stayed here in Florida. You see — just by living in South Florida and doing nothing more to save the planet — one already has a smaller carbon footprint than those living in the northeast. 

Following is one of the most popular posts ever on this blog since the very first one back in May 2006. Why? Maybe it tapped into a slice of the Big Apple readership!

“Anti-AC sentiment persists in spite of basic facts, and without convincing evidence. It relies instead
on naked ideology and posture. To rail against the
air conditioner is a way for cosmopolitans to
claim their bona fides. . .”
—Quote from an article by Daniel Engber at Slate.

Engber takes on The New York Times for an essay they published titled, “Why is America so over air-conditioned?”

Seems some special enclaves in that city have their own “brrr-geoisie” and “thermal bigots” who think they have special status because they don’t use air conditioning — they rather use an array of fans throughout the house because they think they’re staving off the “engine of apocalypse” — Mr. Engber smacks them down convincingly. 

The little City of Lake Worth, and I bet every town and city in Florida, each have their own cabals of the bourgeoisie and ‘thermal bigots’ who have achieved special status for not having AC. Seems a very low bar for worship or adulation but that’s just me.

Air conditioning is no more a “gross indulgence” than taking a shower more than twice a week or using a modern toilet, but some ‘radical’ Millennials in this City would try to have you believe otherwise. 

So without further ado, a special treat from Daniel Engber, an article titled “Hot and Bothered: Air conditioning isn’t bad for you or even (relatively) for the planet”, and why Northerners should move to Florida:


     Summer cooling is no more damaging to the climate than the heating that we do in winter. In fact, it’s substantially less so, since the United States burns more fuel on radiators than it does on air conditioners. According to the most recent stats available from the federal government (which cover 2010), the average American household puts 40.4 million British thermal units into home heating, and just 9.3 million BTUs into home cooling. As I’ve pointed out before, this explains why the long-term shift in population from our coldest, Northern states into the hot and humid South has in sum reduced the amount of fossil fuel we burn to keep our houses at a comfortable temperature. [emphasis added] Simply put: It’s more efficient to air-condition homes in Florida than it is to warm the ones in Minnesota.
     Anti-AC sentiment persists in spite of basic facts, and without convincing evidence. It relies instead on naked ideology and posture. To rail against the air conditioner is a way for cosmopolitans to claim their bona fides, and to place themselves in opposition to irresponsible, American excess. When they proudly say they’d rather use electric fans, they show their neighbors that they’re tasteful intellectuals—right-minded and upstanding. That is to say, they’re members of the brrr-geoisie.
     They’re also victims of a blinding bias. The brrr-geoisie are thermal bigots: They put a moral value on the thermostat that doesn’t correspond to common sense. Heating, good; cooling, bad—that’s their moral calculus. Why discriminate among degrees? They have no cogent answer. It may be true that America is overcooled, but then again it’s also overheated. No one writes op-eds to make the latter point.

Now, for all you reading this who live up north, use this link to plan a trip to the City of Lake Worth.

Why don’t you come down and visit some time? You might like it here and decide to move here and do your part to cut down on fossil fuels and help to save Planet Earth. Please note this sage advice by one of our very own iconic City residents:

“Why would anyone want to
live in places where you have
to wear socks?”

Check this out everyone. . .

No socks!

Want to learn more about the City of Lake Worth? Click on this link for the City’s official website.

A special Thank You to The Lake Worth Herald and editor Mark Easton.

The Herald had news last week about Yours Truly, Wes Blackman, giving a presentation tomorrow evening at Lake Worth City Hall. And there was news as well in the Herald about the painting “The Black Diamonds at Jewell” on display at the Historical Society of Lake Worth (see below) and there was more news too from Janet Serrano about the 2019 Cottages of Lake Worth Tour held on January 27th. The event was a huge success.

Find out more details below about the presentation tomorrow evening and the painting on display at the Historical Society of Lake Worth.

The Historical Society of Lake Worth is located at 15 North M Street (the Lake Worth Public Library) and the Lake Worth Historical Museum is a short walk east to the City Hall Annex on the 2nd floor. For hours or to schedule a tour by appointment call 561-533-7354.

These items published in last week’s paper all are about City of Lake Worth history, which may or may not become “City of Lake Worth Beach” history on March 12th, Election Day. On renaming this City it does not look good for passage of Question #1 on the ballot in just twenty days. For an example of what critics are saying this was published in yesterday’s print edition of The Palm Beach Post that, “[C]hanging the name of town the [sic] seem to only promote fear and confusion.”

Fear and confusion?

If you have been attending candidate forums and public meetings, reading The Lake Worth Herald and the latest from Pelican Pete you would understand there is a lot of passion, care, and a deep commitment to this City. But maybe some are misconstruing the passion in this City with terror and bewilderment which are entirely different emotions. Or maybe it’s that some people just aren’t accustomed to life in a quirky little town.


Have you seen Question #1 on the upcoming March 12th ballot? See that ballot language at the end of this blog post.


Have you noticed much “fear and confusion” in this City? Actually this Election Season has been very civilized and respectful compared to past elections. Most likely any ‘fear and confusion’ is coming from somewhere out west in suburban Lake Worth or in the City of Atlantis which should come as no surprise to anyone.

Now to the news in the Herald, an excerpt about the presentation tomorrow evening, 7:00, at Lake Worth City Hall:


Wes Blackman Speaks on LW Beach History

By Marion Cone

Join the Lake Worth Historical Society for an illustrated presentation “Lake Worth’s Reach for the Beach: A Historical Perspective” by Wes Blackman, AICP.

The presentation will focus on Lake Worth’s beach [“Beach” capitalized is also acceptable], the evolution of the barrier island itself and how it has been developed for almost a century as an early and continued use for recreation, including boxing matches and as a tourist attraction. It will focus on the changes in the form of the land, the history of some structures such as the casino [now the Lake Worth Beach and Casino Complex] and others, and the hurricane damage and rebuilding.

It will also include the impact of changes in transportation including the first way to reach the island which was originally by canoe, then ferries, and eventually a bridge. Early on it was said a tall man could cross the lagoon by walking. Also interesting is how the road on the island changed from time to time. You may be surprised about what was then, and what is now.

Now to the painting called, “The Black
Diamonds at Jewell”:

Jewell Painting Loaned to LW Museum

The Historical Society of Lake Worth presented a painting entitled “The Black Diamonds at Jewell” to Librarian Vickie Joslin of the Lake Worth Public Library. The acrylic on hardboard painting by Florida artist Adal Rodriguez is a depiction of first-settlers Fannie and Samuel James in front of their home on the waterfront. During those early years Fannie served as the postmistress for the Jewell Post Office, forerunner of Lake Worth. and ran the post office out of their home.

According to Rodriguez the painting is done in a Caribbean-Folk style, typical of the islands. The painting will be on display at the Lake Worth Historical Museum through October of this year.


Vickie Joslin, MLS, is the Lake Worth Library services supervisor. For more information contact Joslin by email: vjoslin@lakeworth.org

And in conclusion am very much looking forward to the presentation tomorrow at Lake Worth City Hall. Spent the last week or so going through archives of historic postcards and old photos and had a great time doing so and was reminded about early parts of Lake Worth history that continue to surprise and amaze me.

And in conclusion, as to that ‘fear and confusion’ it IS change that has defined us. The public has always been engaged and passionate in this City. And many in the past who have had trouble adjusting to life in this City did move out west somewhere behind walls and high hedges.

Whilst on that topic had a good laugh when someone was confronted by a critic who cited a “City of Lake Worth” water tower and Lake Worth City Hall. In response to that critic a person said that water tower needs to repainted anyhow and Lake Worth City Hall used to be the City’s municipal auditorium. The critic went silent.

The word “Beach” is only one more additional word space and five more letters. Definitely nothing to create “fear and confusion”.

Just vote the way you think is best on Election Day. Yes or No. And no one should complain or be bitter on the evening of March 12th, because the public hath spoken.

Here is Question #1 as it will appear on the March 12th ballot:

NAME CHANGE TO THE
CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH.

IN ORDER TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF FROM SURROUNDING UNINCORPORATED AREAS, SHALL ARTICLE I, SECTION 1 OF THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH CHARTER ENTITLED “CITY CREATED” BE AMENDED TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE CITY FROM THE “CITY OF LAKE WORTH” TO THE “CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH?”

Tonight, 6:15, Recreation Advisory Board meeting at 501 Lake Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth. Attendees please be on time.

The agenda for tonight’s meeting is below.

And attendees this evening, always show proper respect to the Chair of this meeting and to the rules of order as well.

Worth noting is one or more members of any volunteer board or member of the City Commission can show up and speak at tonight’s meeting of the Recreation Advisory Board (RAB). This is a public meeting and all members of the public are encouraged to attend and speak at Public Comment if they wish.

PLEASE BE ADVISED.

On the agenda tonight will be a presentation
on proper meeting etiquette.

Everyone planning on attending this public meeting tonight of the RAB is advised to show up on time and watch the presentation on proper meeting etiquette at public meetings. No public comment will be taken on this agenda item. Everyone needs to be courteous and respectful to everyone else in attendance: the public, City staff, RAB board members and elected officials and former electeds as well.

Note that on January 31st — at a public meeting on 2019–2020 CDBG funding — proper meeting etiquette was not followed by some in attendance and this created unnecessary disruptions. Learn more about this topic below.

The staff liaison to the RAB is the inimitable Lauren Bennett, the director at the Dept. of Leisure Services. Bennett can be reached by email: lbennett@lakeworth.org

The RAB now meets bi-monthly. Tonight’s meeting will briefly address some topics from last December: Ethics training for board members, a new event called Archery Tag, Rec2Go, Rec Night Out and programs at Sunset Ridge Park.

To learn more about all these new, recurring and exciting programs the City has to offer click on this link for the Dept. of Leisure Services.

RAB agenda tonight.

City of Lake Worth Recreation Advisory Board meeting.

Leisure Services office at 501 Lake Ave.

Feb. 20th [TONIGHT] at 6:15.

• Roll Call.
• Agenda: Additions, deletions, reordering.
• Presentations (there is no public comment on presentation items): A) Meeting etiquette. B) Summer camp.
• Public participation of non-agendaed items.
• Approval of RAB minutes: Oct. 17th, 2018.
• New Business: A) Recreation survey. B) Ethics training. C) Mission and vision. D) Spring baseball. E) Sunset Ridge Park walking signs. F) Open play hours at Sunset Park. G) Adult soccer. H) Flag football. I) Jaguars call to help for board members. J) Archery Tag. K) Bryant Park playground. L) Youth running program. M) Public school packets.
• Unfinished business: Next meeting date, Wednesday, April 17th.
• Board member comments.
• Board liaison reports and comments.
• Adjournment.

Also Worth Noting:

On Thursday, Feb. 28th at 6:00 the City Commission will have a work session to discuss how to use proceeds from FY2019–2020 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. For background click on this link to learn more about the public meeting held on Jan. 30th at City Hall.

Pickleball!

News from The Lake Worth Herald:


The Village of Palm Springs now has Pickleball courts open for use by the public. The permanent Pickleball lines are located on the tennis courts at the Village Complex, 226 Cypress Lane.

Balls and paddles are also available for check out.


Worth Noting: If you happen to be a resident of the City of Lake Worth and you are upset about the recent crackdown on slumlords and are considering a move to the Village of Palm Springs, well, good luck with that!

Chalk Up! Street Painting Festival begins Saturday in Downtown Lake Worth.

And please remember to be grateful this weekend. Why?

Thank You City of Lake Worth and County CDBG: The 2019 Street Painting Festival and 2nd Ave. South!

This year’s Street Painting Festival will be one without a problem that has plagued the festival for 2½ decades: 2nd Avenue South.

It started a little early, but every year the Street Painting Festival season begins with the obligatory “airing of grievances” and this year 2nd Ave. South will not be one of them. The period for airing of grievances is normal and nothing to be concerned about, just the annual grumbling and complaints about parking in the Downtown neighborhoods begin.

In the not-so-distant future a new parking garage and other parking options will be coming to Downtown Lake Worth which was recent news in The Lake Worth Herald. But the airing of grievances will continue each and every Street Painting Festival but just about different stuff. It’s a tradition in L-Dub you see.

Briefly, for those unaware, the Festival Season in this City begins with the brief Festival of Trees in mid-February followed by the Street Painting Festival and then comes the Midnight Sun Festival the first weekend in March. Airing of grievances at the Midnight Sun Festival are strictly forbidden. The Finnish community will not allow it. Other small festivals follow until the Grand Finale: the Great American Raft Parade and Raft Race on July 4th where grievances are strongly encouraged.

Now back to 2nd Ave. South.

That roadway was in such terrible condition that Street Painting Festival organizers and visitors complained about it bitterly every single year. And so did the residents. And so did the boating community.

Plagued with potholes, broken sidewalks and terrible street lighting it was the bane of every Downtown event, especially so for large events like the Street Painting Festival.

But 2nd Ave. South has finally been fixed! Here is a Tweet by the City from last August:

Do you have lunch plans? Why not bring your lunch and enjoy watching the Mayor and Commission cut the ribbon for the 2nd Ave South roadway project. The ceremony will take place at the corner of S L St and 2nd Ave S at 1pm. All are invited! pic.twitter.com/W4clUmj7hs

— Lake Worth (@LakeWorthPBC) August 14, 2018

However, one thing this City will continue to be plagued with is unworthy news reporting and terrible headline editors at The Palm Beach Post.

Coming up to last year’s festival word got out that 2nd Ave. South was slated to be completely redone and then a beat reporter from the Post got the story mixed up.

Incomplete and confusing information published in the Post needed to be clarified by City Manager Michael Bornstein at a City Commission meeting. This was after receiving many public queries from confused residents and business owners in the Downtown who thought the streets were slated to be torn apart during the 2018 Street Painting Festival due to the Neighborhood Road Bond that passed in 2016.

Completely untrue.

The funding to fix 2nd Ave. South had nothing at all to do with the 2016 bond; it was a joint project by the City of Lake Worth and the County using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and would begin well after the Street Painting Festival last year.

Here is how all this nonsense began.

First came this headline in January 2018, another open-ended question that should always be avoided by headline writers:

“How will Lake Worth’s road repairs affect street painting festival?”

The festival in 2018 was not affected by any road repairs in the Downtown and the headline should have reflected the lead. And then in the follow-up this is what made the print edition:

“Lake Worth road project to cause ‘pain’ ”

“Pain”? It was because of nonsense like this that newspaper was put up For-Sale in October 2017 and in May 2018 it was bought by GateHouse Media.

The Post story and headlines last year prompted this clarification from City Manager Bornstein:


Just a point of clarification and I hope people understand, 2nd Avenue South is not part of the Neighborhood Road Program. It’s not part of the bond issue.


The 2nd Ave. South project was done using CDBG money. Not money from the Neighborhood Road Bond! And it was all coordinated to not interfere with the Street Painting Festival last year. But because of the Post once again the City was forced to scramble and get the facts out to the community.

Which delves nicely into this topic: Are you a subscriber to the City of Lake Worth’s email newsletter?

To see what you’re missing use this link for all the latest news. If you would like to become a subscriber to the “Worth Noting” newsletter click on this link.

Below is a press release from last year: the City of Lake Worth about the 2nd Ave. South project. 

The short quote above by Bornstein would have been all that was necessary in a story published in The Palm Beach Post last January. But instead the public was left scratching their heads because that Post story did not clearly explain the difference between the Neighborhood Road Bond and CDBG funds. They are two completely different sources of funding for infrastructure.

And one last thing. . .

Here is a verbatim quote by Lake Worth Commissioner Omari Hardy, his comments made at the City Commission meeting on January 16th, 2018 about the Neighborhood Road Bond that passed in 2016:


“You [Commissioner Hardy addressing Water Utility Dir. Brian Shields] and the rest of the team [Public Services Dir. Jamie Brown et al.] are doing a really fantastic job. There might have been some disconnects here and there but I think overall you guys are doing an amazing job and I’m really glad that you’re on board while we’re going through this.
     I want to thank the commissioners who have been sitting on this dais longer than I have for having the courage to go for this twice.* And I want to thank the voters who approved this. Because this is really going to transform our City.
     We talk about ‘curb appeal’ all the time. The street is the part that we have ownership of and we’re finally taking responsibility for that. So I appreciate everybody who was involved with the decision-making in this process and I appreciate all you doing such a great job in the execution of it.”


*This is in reference to the first Neighborhood Road Bond referendum in August 2014 that failed by just 25 votes. In November 2016 the second bond referendum passed “by a whopping 69%”.
     Commissioner Hardy is quoted above saying, “I want to thank the commissioners who have been sitting on this dais longer than I have. . .”.
     He is referring to Mayor Pam Triolo and two other members of the City Commission: District 1 Commissioner Scott Maxwell and District 3 Commissioner and now-Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso.

“I decry it as an evil thing, whipped up by the demagogues and carried on the hot and erratic winds of passion, prejudice, and hysteria.”

The quote above is from former Florida
Governor LeRoy Collins.

Leading up to the municipal elections here in Palm Beach County two years ago the editor(s) at the Post chose to publish this absurd letter with the unfortunate heading, “Ideological divide driving us to war?” Mind you, this open-ended question was published just two days prior to the run-off elections whilst the “hot and erratic winds” of politics were whirling in Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens. Here are two excerpts from that letter that somehow made it past the editorial board:

Our country is divided by deep-seated ideological beliefs.

and. . .

This divide is wide and growing wider. If a solution isn’t found, I fear we may be headed for another civil war.

Yes. Politics is very divided in our country. But America had a civil war once and the scars are still present everywhere. However. . .

Sixty-one years ago Florida was in full crisis.

A major one that could have sparked a second Civil War. It could have happened — but it didn’t — because of then-Florida Governor LeRoy Collins. In 1957 the Florida legislature wanted to declare the Brown v Board of Education decision “null and void”.

Gov. Collins stood up to the legislature’s ‘interposition’ which was “whipped up by the demagogues”. Gov. Collins did not agree with the decision by the Supreme Court but he rightfully saw the role of the court and each state’s responsibility under the Constitution.

Were it not for Gov. Collins would the history books have a chapter on America’s Civil War II? A frightening thought. But Gov. Collins did not cave in to the demagogues and we moved on as a society and most people can agree for the better.

Meet Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins:

Image from Wikipedia.

Here is an excerpt from the State of Florida archives, a quote by Gov. Collins*: 

“I feel that the U. S. Supreme Court has improperly usurped powers reserved to the states under the constitution. I have joined in protesting such and in seeking legal means of avoidance. But if this resolution declaring the decisions of the court to be ‘null and void’ is to be taken seriously, it is anarchy and rebellion against the nation which must remain ‘indivisible under God’ if it is to survive. Not only will I not condone ‘interposition’ as so many have sought me to do, I decry it as an evil thing, whipped up by the demagogues and carried on the hot and erratic winds of passion, prejudice, and hysteria. If history judges me right this day, I want it known that I did my best to avert this blot. If I am judged wrong, then here in my own handwriting and over my signature is the proof of guilt to support my conviction.

LeRoy Collins, Governor.

May 2, 1957.”

*From Florida Memory, State Library & Archives of Florida.

Everyone is talking about the Lake Worth Beach and the Gulfstream Hotel.

But what no one is talking about is that proposed new Dollar General store at 10th Ave. North and A Street.

Have you heard anything about that?

So. It’s your choice. What would you like to read about today? The proposed new Dollar General store or more information about the Lake Worth Beach and the Gulfstream Hotel?

If you would like to read about another Dollar General location here in the City of Lake Worth click on this link and then for further reference material read a sobering article by journalist Rachel Siegel at the Washington Post datelined February 18th.

You other choice today is to read about the Lake Worth Beach and the Gulfstream Hotel.

“I have to tell you, in 23 years I’ve never, ever seen so many people come out, leave their homes at dinner time to speak in favor of an application. It just doesn’t happen. People come to speak against, but people don’t come to speak in favor. So I am overwhelmed by the volume of people that have been here this evening.”

—Quote by a long-time and well-respected land use attorney in Palm Beach County at Lake Worth City Hall on January 5th, 2016.

You see, once upon a time a developer had their eyes on the Lake Worth Beach and the Gulfstream Hotel too:

To learn more about this topic and the quote above click on this link. To learn more about the mob that showed up at City Hall on February 7th in support of a new pool at the Beach use this link.

TONIGHT. CCRT meeting, 6:00: Community and neighborhood news published in The Lake Worth Herald.

Car Pool Alert.

To see the most recent
front page news click on this link.

Have community news about an upcoming event or want information about subscription rates? Then contact the editor at 561-585-9387 or send an email to: Editor@lwherald.com

Does your neighborhood have a persistent problem with blight and slum? Is there a community problem making life unbearable and miserable? Then please make plans to attend a public meeting this evening.

Here is the headline and story in the Herald:


Community Revitalization Team Public Meeting

Join the Countywide Community Revitalization Team (CCRT) for a public meeting hosted by the Office of Community Revitalization (OCR) on Tuesday, Feb.19 [TONIGHT], beginning at 6 p.m. [emphasis added]

The meeting at Vista Center, 2300 N. Jog Road, West Palm, will address: What is stopping the community from becoming healthy? Why should you care? What are some solutions?

Debra Tendrich will discuss programming options for children and workshop opportunities for parents, along with a Healthy Advocacy Workshop for community leaders. This public meeting will also be an opportunity to network with county agencies, OCR partners, and other community leaders.

For more information contact Houston Tate at 233-5303 or via email at htate@pbcgov.org

Deep Green Resistance (DGR) takes an alternate view on “Green” energy.

And surprisingly it looks as if the City of Lake Worth and the Lake Worth Electric Utility (LWEU) are also taking an ‘alternate view’ of Green energy as well, specifically solar energy and the Residential PACE (R-PACE) program. A Lake Worth City Commissioner said recently the LWEU needs to “stop the bleeding” from this well-intended but deeply flawed program.

And the director of LWEU agreed.

Note that LWEU and FP&L are two entirely separate entities. No doubt FP&L has very deep pockets and therefore is more able to deal with fluctuations and the problems encountered with energy programs promoting solar than the much smaller LWEU is.

Learn more about all this following the information about solar energy from Deep Green Resistance, a radical environmentalist organization with a network in South Florida that is fed up with the likes of the Loxahatchee Sierra Club and EarthFirst! too.

Please Note. The video below may be disturbing for some viewers. You’ve been warned.

And remember, the First Amendment isn’t
just for people you agree with.


Very important: The following blog post is not an endorsement for DGR or for tactics such as “Decisive Ecological Warfare”. But for many of the public in places like Palm Beach County searching for new ideas, disturbed by western sprawl, and disappointed with the leaderless and languishing environmentalist community in South Florida then DGR may be what you are looking for.

Click on this link to find out more about DGR. One of the more outspoken members of DGR is Lierre Keith and over the years she has drawn a tremendous amount of traffic to this blog. Why? Perhaps because within the “radical space” Keith is a most unwelcome voice.

Once again, some may find the
video below very disturbing.

Others may find it provocative. Draw your own conclusions. The video was first posted on this blog in 2014 and many times since. At the 54 second mark in the video a member of DGR says:


“Today we’re going to introduce you to some ideas that you’re probably familiar with as environmentalists. But we might also be talking about some things that are surprising or even shocking to some of you.”



Two members [Max Wilbert and Cameron Foley] of Deep Green Resistance talk about green energy alternatives that have created unintended consequences, for example, they mention 1.2 million Tibetans forced to work in Chinese mines, massive strip mining operations all over the planet, pollution, toxic runoff, and enormous amounts of greenhouse gases produced by heavy-duty hauling and digging equipment and the machinery used for mining in the search for rare earth metals, copper, and for the production of steel, and bird deaths at California’s Ivanpah concentrated solar field project. Mr. Wilbert says in the video below,

There is no way to produce industrial technology without industrial devastation. Green technology requires global trade, global exploitation, global destruction of the land, air and the water. You just can’t do it any other way. It’s impossible.

Wilbert and Foley take a sobering view of modern-day environmentalism and call out some groups by name, including the Sierra Club. Although they don’t mention the Anarchist community (EarthFirst!) here in the City of Lake Worth by name, they do talk about their failed pipeline protest in Texas at the 44:00 mark and question whether protesting is getting results or just draining money and resources from other environmental causes.

Once again, Max Wilbert from DGR says in the video:

“. . . we might also be talking about some things that are surprising or even shocking to some of you.”

End of discussion about DGR and solar energy. Very interesting is it not? Has it changed your view of solar energy? If not, then maybe the information that follows will.

Now to Residential PACE program and the City of Lake Worth.

In the YouTube below at the end of this blog post you will see and hear Lake Worth Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso talk about solar energy and R-PACE program. And then a little later in that video Lake Worth Electric Utility Dir. Ed Liberty responds. Liberty is very worried. At this point there are 70–80 properties using PACE in the LWEU service area which includes parts of the Village of Palm Springs and suburban areas as well.

At this point the LWEU is paying 3× more for this energy than can be purchased on the open market. This energy will have to be subsidized by all the other customers of LWEU. Going forward it’s completely unsustainable. An excellent deal for R-PACE program participants but not such a good deal for all their neighbors up and down the street.

Sitting as the Board of Directors of the Lake Worth Electric Utility (LWEU) the Lake Worth City Commission met on January 31st to discuss very important issues with LWEU Director Ed Liberty. Also in attendance were Asst. Dir. Walt Gill, Jason Bailey, Clyde Johnson and others from the staff and organization at LWEU.

In the video below Lake Worth Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso brings up the topic of R-PACE and then LWEU Dir. Ed Liberty responds.

This discussion lasts only a few minutes
but is very eye-opening: