Mobile home parks are PRIVATE PROPERTY! These places are owned and managed by private companies, and in some cases major corporations. When you hear of people from a mobile home park protesting at Lake Worth City Hall they are protesting against and targeting the wrong people.
Instead, they should be protesting right outside the management office where they live.
But because these mobile home park residents run into a brick wall trying to work out problems with the management company they then march to City Hall. And then the public thinks that the City of Lake Worth is the problem, which is wrong.
Two years ago The Palm Beach Post published a story about the Palm Beach Mobile Home Park that later had to be retracted. At the same time TV news organizations showed up interviewing people and everyone blamed the City for all the problems. And soon afterwards posted this:
It’s crucially important to remember this mobile home park is private property, including the roads, owned and managed by a company responsible for addressing the issues there. Everyone, including myself, wishes the best for every resident there. However, the City already has its hands full maintaining and fixing our own public infrastructure and to finally after many years get the Park of Commerce to contribute to our City’s tax base like it should have been doing all along — money that could have been fixing our potholes.
Many of the public in this City were surprised to learn there are four (4) mobile home communities within the municipal limits of Lake Worth with a total number of units at a whopping six hundred and sixty-five (665).
Learn more about this below, a little later in this blog post, data presented at a Commission Budget Workshop in 2017.
Crime is a major issue in some of these trailer parks. Last September there was a homicide in the Orange Grove trailer park located in the Lake Osborne neighborhood west of I-95 near John Prince Park. Now the latest is someone is shooting cats in the Palm Beach Mobile Home Park.
By the numbers, about mobile home parks (MHP) in this City of Lake Worth:
Orange Grove MHP (120 units) on north side of 2600 block on 6th Ave. South and sad to report the location of recent homicide; the third in the City this year.
Palm Beach MHP (335 units) on east side of Boutwell Rd. in Park of Commerce.
Holiday MHP (70 units) on 1800 block of Lake Worth Rd. (west of Tri-Rail Station).
Holz MHP (140 units) on south side of 1700 block on 12th Ave. South.
The data above comes from information provided by the City. For example, below is the MHP Rate Structure for waste and refuse collection.
The previous rate prior to 2018–2019 budget (click on images to enlarge):
Once again: None of these mobile home parks are managed or maintained by the City. They are all privately owned.
The current MHP rate:
The City of Lake Worth provides trash pickup. And the City provides water and electricity at an agreed upon rate. However, services such as sewer and road maintenance are the responsibility of the owner of the trailer park.
And as we once again approach the municipal elections.
Mr. Panagiotis Evangellos Nasios Tsolkas, also known as Mr. Peter Tsolkas, was the former leader of Everglades Earth First! (EEF!) and he used to like coming out with a communiqué every now and then for the citizenry of this City of Lake Worth.
For example, from Tsolkas’ 2011 treatise he was the:
Sierra Club, Loxahatchee, ExCom member
Everglades Earth First!, agitator
PBC Environmental Coalition, co-chair
Night Heron, steering committee member
Earth First! Journal, editorial collective
Lake Worth Community Relations Board, chair, etc.
And Mr. Tsolkas sums it all up this way,
“To put it succinctly, my agenda is putting an end to industrial civilization as soon as possible, and creating complete freedom and a society based on mutual aid rather than money: Anarchy. Some people believe in heaven. I believe making here and now better. Is that so hard to swallow?
In 2011 Mr. Tsolkas, “from the olive-laden hills of Kalamata” in Greece wrote, “please pass this on to whoever you think would appreciate it. Thanks, Panagioti”.
Without further ado, “Talkin’ strategy for funda- mental grassroots change in Lake Worth. . . to vote or to occupy?”
Excerpts from that rather long treatise follow:
So, election time is rolling around again in Lake Worth. I’m not around to be directly involved on this one. But I figure I might as well throw in my two cents from over here in Greece. Those who know me, or anything about me, know that I have an agenda. I should hope we all have agendas, otherwise the damn meetings could go on forever!
and. . .
More than choosing a side, I’d like to see the following few issues/goals come up for discussion in the midst of the political dialogues surrounding election time, in hopes that whoever wins, these things get traction. . .
In bullet list form, some of Mr. Tsolkas’ “issues/goals” six years ago:
Figure out what it would take to get support on voting rights for undocumented residents. For example, there are 6 municipalities in Maryland that have done this. . . . This could very well change the face of elections for decades to come in this town.
Decriminalize chickens too. This is not really a campaign issue. But since it has been brought up so much, I think the best approach may be just to scratch ‘chickens’ from the books altogether (the same way iguanas and beta fish aren't listed as prohibited nor allowed pets). Perhaps there's no need for a special ordinance about this, at least not right now. It’s not a problem. Let the city stay out of it, and let local food activists do their thing. If it becomes a problem — which is highly unlikely, since cities all over the country allow it without issue — revisit it then.
The Park of Commerce… I actually think [former mayor] Rachel Waterman was on the right track in proposing agricultural use for that land, during the debates over the summer (as awkward as it came across at the time). Local agriculture won’t make the city rich, but it is the most stable and long-lasting form of “commerce” (I hate that word) that the human species has managed to figure out.
Later in Mr. Tsolkas’ 2011 treatise, “Not to be doom-and-gloom”:
Not to be doom-and-gloom, but things are not looking up in the world of conventional economics. As I write this from the olive-laden hills of Kalamata, the European Union is on the verge of crumbling. The writing is literally on the walls of every city I’ve been through (usually with black or red spray paint. . .). And despite the state of the EU, the exchange rate for the dollar gets lower by the day. Which is another way of saying, things are worse here in the US. Globally, things are worse than we are admitting. . . . Surely you’ve noticed some signs of this yourself. Anyone else notice that Wall Street has been “occupied” all month?! Nearly 1000 people arrested in NYC amidst the growing rebellion against the dictatorship of the market. I hear the “occupy everything” fever might even be coming to Lake Worth.
In conclusion from Mr. Tsolkas:
Ok. Well that’s all for now. . . . No wait. I’ll leave you with a particularly poignant letter-to-the-editor, printed in the PB Post a few month back. I think it gives a good kick in the ass to those of us engaging the political process as grassroots activists and visionaries, “Lake Worth selling out, losing its earthy charm”:
The 2011 Letter to the Editor published in The Palm Beach Post:
What’s going on in Lake Worth? An over-the-top noise ordinance, metered parking and now the banning of smoking at the beach and all parks (“Lake Worth moves to ban smoking at beach,” Wednesday story). I moved to Lake Worth from Homestead in 1985 to get away from narrow-minded people and their meddling tendencies, settling here mainly because of the high tolerance/population of hippies, students, gays and active, tranquil retirees. . . . But we started taking our city back. We had a couple of mayors and city commissioners who actually cared for Lake Worth and its residents. I guess with the economy going to hell it’s left us with a political vacuum, which has been filled by anal-retentive, politically correct yuppies. Where are the Anarchists when you really need them? —■■■ ■■■■■, Lake Worth, April 22, 2011”
Anyhow. . .
A lot has changed in the City of Lake Worth since 2011, for example we have a lot of new residents in this City and it’s very popular for a number of reasons, including the City’s “high tolerance/population of hippies, students, gays and active, tranquil retirees” and Millennials, Hipsters, and Apatharchists too!
As stated earlier on this blog, heading into the elections on Tuesday, March 12th, am going to pivot from Election Day next week and focus more on after the municipal elections this year and what we can hope to achieve in the year 2019 and beyond.
For Excerpts 1–3 from the mayor’s State of the City see that list at the end of this blog post.
Moving on to Excerpt #4 from the State of the City address titled,
“We are a Community of Neighborhoods”
The mayor continues. . .
As we work to improve the various components and pieces that make up this City, we remain focused on how we can improve conditions and your quality of life. So I will update you on some specific initiatives that are intended to make our lives better starting with the numerous infrastructure projects that are underway throughout our great City.
For over 40 years the condition of our roads, water, sewer and drainage systems were in a steady state of decline. I remember back fondly to the roaring debate over the potholes — I actually had a favorite one on K Street. The broken sidewalks, poor drainage, and dusty dirt roads like in a third world country plagued us. We also grappled with missing fire hydrants, poor water pressure, and discolored tap water.
While some investments were made in the past, the underlying true condition of these valuable assets was not addressed in a comprehensive way and things were just getting worse. Your Commission stepped up to the challenge of reversing decades of benign neglect which started with first clearly identifying the problems. Analysis of objective empirical data followed to create plans and the budgets. This resulted in executing contracts to putting these plans into action. All across our great City work is has been completed or is underway. We are following through on promises made and plans are not sitting on shelves in City Hall collecting dust.
The Neighborhood Road Program is one of the largest infrastructure programs of any city in the County and it is adding value to our neighborhoods. We are now entering Year 3 design work and $17.9 million dollars of the $40 million bond total has been invested so far. This has resulted in the rebuilding of 17.77 miles of the City’s roadways many of which you use everyday.
As we designed the Neighborhood Road Program we understood it was important to fix everything under the roadways so we would not come back and tear up new roads to fix pipes underneath them. The Water Utility Department, whose responsibilities include water, sewer and storm water drainage systems is facilitating significant investment into these systems. Throughout the City we are replacing our 50-year-old 2-inch steel water lines with larger modern piping as well as addressing leaking sewer lines. Our $10.62 million investment has replaced 10.8 miles of watermains and installed 60 additional fire hydrants just last year.
Another very important infrastructure effort is underway in the area west of I-95 known as the Park of Commerce. . . .
Tomorrow’s Excerpt #5 will address the Park of Commerce and more from the State of the City address.
And once again as noted in Excerpt #1 from last Tuesday,
It was a packed house for the mayor’s State of the City. And in attendance was journalist Julius Whigham II from The Palm Beach Post.
Click on the scene of the throng in attendance:
Use this link for more information about the State of the City address and the news report published in The Palm Beach Post the evening of February 26th.
Previous excerpts from Mayor Pam Triolo’s State of the City address:
Archery Tag is sort of like Dodgeball but with a bow and arrow with a tip of foam rubber and a set of rules. Break the rules and you get to sit on the sidelines and watch all the fun.
Want to learn more about this sport? Then contact Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO, at 561-586-1631 or send an email to: bkerr@lakeworth.org
And remember to say “Hello!” to Mr. Ben Kerr when you get there — he was a feature news story in The Palm Beach Post by long-time journalist Joe Capozzi last October — a must read for future All Stars of Archery Tag.
“Archery Tag provides a unique recreational experience and we here in Lake Worth are proud to be one of the first municipalities in South Florida to offer it. “One of the key benefits is that participants of all ages can take part and play together, at last week’s session [referencing game on Feb. 22nd] children were playing alongside adults and all were able to have fun.”
Without further ado, directions to Harold Grimes Memorial Park.
The actual street address for Memorial Park is 515 South A Street.
If you choose to drive and take 6th Ave. please pay attention to traffic patterns and signage near I-95. The best option for many would be taking A St. south or north to play Archery Tag this evening.
Click on map to enlarge:
And the most important thing to remember about Archery Tag: Follow the rules and have fun!
This is a terrible idea that just won’t go away as evidenced by the increasing number of shipping containers being stored and used in the City of Lake Worth’s Park of Commerce and staged around the City for current and upcoming infrastructure projects,
“Hmmm, those shipping containers would make good homes for people.”
These containers, if you didn’t know, are those large containers that
get placed on tractor trailers and trains for distribution of
commodities, products, etc. throughout the country. You’ll also see
these containers used by companies for storage, temporary and permanent,
on back lots and work sites.
Many who have recently relocated permanently to Palm Beach County— many of whom have struggled to solve societal issues, unsuccessfully, such as homelessness or vagrancy in other areas of the country — can and do suddenly become the ‘experts’ on how to solve those same vexing problems here in South Florida. For example, many of you will recall Mr. Snarky.
But there’s a big problem with people living in shipping containers: it’s called the Building Code.
We’re prone to hurricanes in South Florida. By the time one secures a shipping container on a foundation, adds a sleeping area, bathroom, kitchen, water and utilities, one may end of wondering afterwards if hiring a developer to build more apartments to code would have made more sense.
All of this nonsense about using shipping containers as homes for people was fueled once again last year by an article that appeared in The Palm Beach Post. Here’s an excerpt:
During an affordable housing summit in West Palm Beach Wednesday, he [Craig Vanderlaan, executive director of Crisis Housing Solutions] told a ballroom full of county officials, lenders and developers that re-purposed shipping containers can be part of the answer to a problem they said has reached a crisis point.
Somebody or some group very soon here in the City of Lake Worth is going to fall for this. Again. Just wait and see.
This really bad idea gets recycled every now and then going back a decade or longer: groups of people here in the City of Lake Worth, for example, wanting to build small communities or find neighborhoods to place shipping containers for visiting fellow-travelers or as part of a neighborhood garden. The problem is there were some who actually believed it could happen. Before long somebody will throw out a line like this at a City meeting or write a Letter to the Editor at the Post:
But before you get all excited check the zoning code first before diving ahead. More likely than not this type of structure is prohibited where you live. For instance, you couldn't build this in Lake Worth or most other cities in the County.
No one is going to get approval to live in a shipping container here in a coastal city in Palm Beach County. Perhaps in the unincorporated County somewhere, but certainly not here in the little City of Lake Worth.
As stated last Tuesday on this blog, heading in the elections on Tuesday, March 12th, am going to pivot from Election Day next week and focus more on after this years municipal elections and what we can hope to achieve in the year 2019 and beyond.
To read Excerpt #2 about the City’s Strategic Plan, the key policy statements or “Pillars for the City” as the mayor called the plan click on this link to learn more.
Moving on to Excerpt #3 from the State of the City address titled,
“We are a Community of Neighborhoods”
The mayor continues. . .
On a larger scale, the Commission and I [Mayor Pam Triolo] also participate in the Palm Beach County, Florida, and National League of Cities organizations. It is through these important alliances with other Cities that we learn about cutting-edge ideas and best practices. Additionally, it is where the fight to protect our Home Rule from over reach and mandates by the state and federal governments.
Our City is fortunate to be served by nine citizen advisory boards. These dedicated volunteers give of their time and provide their perspective to help formulate policy and advise the Commission. Last year there were 73 meetings held by the Advisory Boards. We are so very grateful for the efforts and devotion of these Commission appointees. Thank you.
Volunteers make up an important part of City operations. Our volunteers donated a total of more than 16,640 hours, which represents $410,885.00 in value. We could not function without this significant help from our citizens.
All of this energy and effort put into our City government needs to be put into context in order to make some sense of why it is important. I’ll do so by quoting from an important policy document — the Comprehensive Plan — which sets forth our goals and objectives for our core responsibilities as a local government. It states that we will “Develop and implement strategies that reinforce Lake Worth as a ‘community of neighborhoods’ ”. [emphasis added]
Ergo the title of the mayor’s State of the City address,
“We are a Community of Neighborhoods”
And once again as noted in Excerpt #1 from last Tuesday,.
It was a packed house for the mayor’s State of the City. And in attendance was journalist Julius Whigham II from The Palm Beach Post.
Click on the scene of the throng in attendance:
Use this link for more information about the State of the City address and the news report published in The Palm Beach Post the evening of February 26th.
The candidate forum this evening is being held in the Ballroom at the Lake Worth Casino and Beach Complex.
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.
If the business community in this City is of importance to you then please consider attending tonight’s event 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”.
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 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 in this coastal region.
For the City of Lake Worth and the Town of Lantana to become stronger the LOCAL business community needs to be “Better Together”. The traditional small town chamber of commerce is a thing of the past, unfortunate but true.
Hoping to see a big turnout from the business community in the City of Lake Worth this evening.
Like helicopters and airplanes for example. Are you suffering from casadastraphobia in the Town of Lantana or City of Lake Worth? You have nothing to fear. But your friends on the other side of Lake Osborne do.
A little later on in this blog post are two maps.
Please Note: There is no ‘Lantana Airport’. That regional airport is called the Palm Beach County Park Airport (PBCPA) and is located outside the City of Atlantis in unincorporated Palm Beach County.
If you happen to be frightened of aircraft falling out of the sky don’t fear living in the Town of Lantana. And don’t fear the unincorporated area called Lake Osborne Estates either. The noise may be a bit bothersome though. The municipality you should avoid is that Great Walled City of Atlantis immediately west of PBCPA, a County-owned airport to the south of the County’s John Prince Park (JPP).
This airport (FAA Identifier: LNA) along Congress Ave. is about 200–300′ from Congress Ave (see map below). The area shaded blue is the Village of Palm Springs. East of the PBC Park Airport, across Lake Osborne, is the unincorporated area called Lake Osborne Estates and further east is the Town of Lantana(shaded red).
Click on images to enlarge.
Congress Ave. runs north-south; Lantana Rd. runs east-west).
The City of Atlantis is shaded Royal Yellow, immediately west of airport:
North of Lantana is the City of Lake Worth. Both JPP and the regional PBC airport are “unincorporated” or can also be called “suburban Lake Worth”.
Here are the municipal limits of Lantana (shaded):
As stated yesterday on this blog, heading in the elections on Tuesday, March 12th, am going to pivot from Election Day next week and focus more on after this years municipal elections and what we can hope to achieve in the year 2019 and beyond.
Moving on to Excerpt #2 from the State of the City address titled,
“We are a Community of Neighborhoods”
Mayor Triolo continues. . .
We also embarked on a Strategic Plan for the City last year, which is remarkable in and of itself. For the first time, we are in the process of developing key Policy Statements or Pillars for the City. These structured statements will establish a strong, concise, cohesive vision for the Commission and Staff to work together, discuss ideas, create the budget, develop work plans, and achieve and measure our results. Our Strategic Plan is an important part of providing clarity to City Staff at all levels so they can understand the relationship between what they do each day and how it fits into the bigger picture. Successful cities and businesses have been using this process for many years and last year we took a big step towards catching up.
and. . .
As we look forward into 2019, the City will continue spending time defining what it means to be Lake Worth. For years that has been more about stating what we do not want instead of being specific about what we do want. [emphasis added] How many times have you heard: “We do not want to be Delray”, or “We do not want to lose our charm” or “We do not want to see skyscrapers” or “We do not want to become boring and normal”? I understand that the intent of these cautionary statements are meant to avoid making mistakes as we perceive them, but you cannot build a vision based on what you do not want. Starting this year, I want to charge my fellow Commissioners and our Citizens to start making positive statements about what we want to be. Together let us set about the work of painting the canvas of our City and creating something that is truly extraordinary. Through working together and collective compromise, our successes with this amazing collaborative experiment called Lake Worth will be limitless.
And once again, as noted in Excerpt #1.
It was a packed house for the mayor’s State of the City. And in attendance was journalist Julius Whigham II from The Palm Beach Post.
Click on the scene of the throng in attendance:
Use this link for more information about the State of the City address and the news report published in The Palm Beach Post the evening of February 26th.
There is audio available from the December proceedings on the City’s website plus the minutes were approved for the meetings held on July 11th, August 1st. August 15th and August 30th. At the meeting in December present were the Chair of the EUAB, Dir. Ed Liberty from the Lake Worth Electric Utility (LWEU), Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso and Commissioner Herman Robinson, City Attorney Christy Goddeau, volunteer members of the EUAB, staff from LWEU and one person was in attendance to make public comment.
A theme from these EUAB meetings are the guidelines and rules to follow under the Sunshine and the public records law.
For example, City Attorney Goddeau, “[E]xplained that according to the Sunshine Law, members are unable to discuss City business outside of a public forum. And any conversation about City business posted on social accounts or sent through text must be kept by the member posting or sending the message.
Ms. Goddeau suggested messages be shared with City’s staff to ensure compliance of the public records law.”
Topic: Public safety and law enforcement in the City of Greenacres.
Note that in October 2018 was the ten-year anniversary of merge between former Lake Worth Police Dept. and PBSO (see video below).
Then. . .
On February 1st, 2019 was the three-year anniversary of the merge between the former City of Greenacres’ Police Dept. and PBSO.
Question for the public in Greenacres: Have you seen any news about this in the Post print edition, like maybe a feature story in the ‘LOCAL’ section? The answer is “No”.
Here is why.
Back in 2016 The Palm Beach Post pulled their beat reporter off the Greenacres beat to focus exclusively on the City of Lake Worth. Why? Know one knows why. It was never explained by the editor(s) at the Post.
For many of you hoping things would change after Gatehouse Media became the owner and publisher of the Post things do not look good for the public in the City of Greenacres when it comes to issues of serious public policy and public safety. And it doesn’t look good for the Village of Palm Springs or the Town of Lake Clarke Shores or the City of Lantana either when it comes to serious news about serious public topics.
All of these fine municipalities deserve feature stories in the Post print edition, don’t you agree?
To submit your comment and/or concerns to an editor at Gatehouse please click on this link and remember to include your name, email address and, “What newspaper are you contacting us about?” which is The Palm Beach Post.
Or if you wish, contact Gatehouse Media using this email: subscriberservices@gatehousemedia.com
In conclusion to the video from Oct. 9th last year.
The Choice: Appliances that use natural gas vs. appliances that use electricity.
Not everyone in South Florida is fortunate enough to have this choice like many in the public do in the City of Lake Worth and in many areas west of this City. For example, in Hurricane Season, it’s a very practical choice for many of the public: Go all electric for appliances or make the choice to switch some over to natural gas? Learn much more about this topic below.
No matter how small the digging project, you MUST call 811 before you dig to avoid hitting underground utility lines — which are shallower than you may think.
Don’t risk losing your utility services, injury or worse.
Before you pick up a shovel, pick up a phone and call 811.
FPU will come and mark our lines within a few business days — at no charge to you.
Just as Lake Worth Water Utilities (LWWU) services a large and growing area west of the City so does LWEU. For example, a large area of Lake Osborne Estates in suburban Lake Worth uses LWWU and in the future many of those areas will be annexed. To learn more about that click on this link.
Now to natural gas, electricity and appliances. . .
There are so many scenarios to consider. For example, those who choose to hunker in place during major storms a natural gas stove might make sense to boil water if a “boil water notice” is issued. For outside grills there may be a run on propane tanks prior to a storm but with natural gas that is not an issue.
And for a connoisseur of Gallinas de Palo (Chicken of the Tree) — and the fact that most professional chefs prefer natural gas — that next iguana you bang over the head may be the best one ever cooked with natural gas instead of propane. Bon Appétit!
And switching from appliances that use electricity to those that use natural gas, for most of the public, is a choice now.
LWEU rates are competitive with FP&L. But that wasn’t always the case. There was a time when switching to natural gas wasn’t a choice at all for many people. That is if they were fortunate enough to have gas lines from FPU available in their neighborhood or community to begin with (more information from FPU is at the end of this blog post).
Briefly, ‘back in the day’ when the LWEU rates were sky high prior to 2014 some electeds continued to hint they wanted the City’s already too-high electric rates to go even higher. That set off a panic in this City for both residents and business community as well because as other neighboring cities and towns were recovering from the Great Recession (2007–2009) this City continued to lag further and further behind.
The public who resided in areas with natural gas service lines, who were able to afford the initial investment, were switching over or “hooking up” new or pre-owned appliances to natural gas provided by FPU, e.g., emergency generators for electricity, stoves, cloth dryers, water heaters, pool heaters, gas fireplaces and things like outside lanterns as well.
Why did so many people switch over to natural gas? Primarily due to those terrible hurricanes back in 2004–2005: Frances, Jeanne and Wilma. Let’s take a little stroll down memory lane.
Newspaper clippings, Lake Worth Herald, December 2005:
Click on clippings to enlarge:
For more about the Lake Worth Electric Utility, those terrible years from 2004–2011 click on this link.
Anyway. Enough of the history. Interested in finding out more about natural gas from FPU?
Very Worth Noting: There was an editor error in The Palm Beach Post yesterday (Mon., 3/4) on p. B3 ‘LOCAL’. It was misreported there will be a Beach Bonfire at the Lake Worth Beach this coming Friday. For safety of nesting sea turtles the Beach Bonfire Season ends in late February. However, there will be a Lake Ave. Block Party this coming Friday in Downtown Lake Worth. As noted in a press release dated Feb. 1st by Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO:
“Due to the event’s success the City will be expanding the event’s
pedestrian zone to include J Street between 1st Ave. South and Lake Ave.”.
Now to recent election information provided by the City.
Of note the most recent campaign treasurer reports for Feb. 9th–Feb. 22nd, called the G2 report, are posted on the City’s website. To look them over click on this link which also includes the March 12th sample ballot. Election Day is Tuesday, March 12th.
Of note is the race in District 4. Challenger Tom Copeland is surging once again taking in, by far, the biggest numbers on the G2 followed by incumbent Commissioner Herman Robinson. Going down to the wire it will either be a run-off election between Robinson and either Copeland or Richard Guercio.
Are you interested in watching the YouTube video of the City Commission work session last week on possible ways to use 2019–2020 proceeds from this Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding? If you are interested, that YouTube video is at the end of this blog post.
About all the scheduled upcoming public meetings and notable dates as well . . . Here we go!
TONIGHT: The regularly scheduled City Commission meeting HAS BEEN CANCELLED!
And then,
Planning & Zoning Board will meet tomorrow night, 6:00, in the City Hall chambers. To look over agenda click on this link and scroll down for March 6 “Agenda Package” to download.
The Lake Ave. Block Party is this Friday from 6:00–10:00.
Another popular Farmers Market will be held next Saturday.
Daylight Savings Time will begin on Sunday, March 10th at 2:00 a.m.
Then on Tuesday, March 12th is municipal Election Day in Palm Beach County!
Also on March 12th is a Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency meeting, 6:00, at The HATCH, located at 1121 Lucerne Ave. (stay tuned for agenda).
Then on March 17th it’s St. Patrick’s Day.
On March 19th is the next regularly scheduled meeting of the City Commission.
Now to the public work session held at City Hall (public comment was permitted by the mayor).
FYI: The deadline to submit the 2019–2020 CDBG application is on March 15th. Not very much time.
This video is ≈ one hour and ten minutes. Watch in segments if you wish. At one point a former commissioner in District 2 makes a cameo appearance at public comment.
“The hottest new event in South Florida is back! On March 8, get ready for another Lake Worth Block Party starting at 6pm in Downtown Lake Worth. Check out live bands, games, cars, bikes and so much more throughout Lake Avenue. Don't forget the fun continues through the side streets and on Lucerne Ave with all the downtown restaurants, galleries, boutiques and businesses taking part in helping to make this a fun night out for the whole family.”
And on the topic of change here in the City of Lake Worth what follows is a message from City Manager Michael Bornstein,
Dear Merchants and Business Owners, Downtown Lake Worth has been and continues to be a vital part of this wonderful community. As the geographic center and the historic place where people come to purchase goods and services, have drinks and a meal, or gather for community events, it has seen a lot of changes. These changes have mirrored the ups and downs of the larger economy as well as changes in business models, technology and the spending habits of customers. Additionally, there have been changes that are the result of the political cycles within the City itself. Currently, we are in a period of adjustment as buildings are being purchased and renovated and the basic infrastructure including the roads, drainage, sewer, water and electric utilities are all being fixed after decades of neglect. New businesses are joining our Downtown, while several long time ones are closing or are moving as a strategic business decision. It can be disconcerting to take all this activity into account and try and make sense of it without understanding the necessary next steps as the City of Lake Worth evolves. The Mayor and Commission have spent much effort and time creating a context for investment and redevelopment to happen. There has been a positive response with new people moving in and redevelopment underway, including planned infill and refilling vacant properties. With the same commitment they have demonstrated with fixing our aging infrastructure, they are also now grappling with issues such as parking, easy to use way-finding signage, improving the poverty rate, and continuing crime reduction. Much has been done and more is coming, but it cannot be successful without you.
Over the coming months, there will be opportunities to find out more about what is happening and planned. Please be sure that City staff has your email address so you can be kept apprised and be involved. Our upcoming newsletters will be tailored to our business community.
Best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Michael
This public meeting will be held in the City Hall Chambers by the City’s Dept. of Community Sustainability to discuss a proposed amendment to Chapter 15 of the City Code of Ordinances.
The proposed amendment addresses and sets forth shopping cart requirements and to find a way for business owners to retain shopping carts on their premises.
On this topic here is an excerpt from The Palm Beach Post from September 2018 when a City resident is quoted,
[H]e often speaks to the managers of Bravo and Family Dollar after rounding up carts himself to return them where they belong.
“It’s a bit tiring. . . . And one would think at their cost, the management would notice they have gone missing.”
The public and owners of retail businesses that provide shopping carts for their customers are encouraged to attend this meeting tomorrow and participate.
A public meeting was called due to consistent complaints from the public when shopping carts are removed from retail premises and left
abandoned on public or private property and constitute a nuisance, potential safety hazard and can also impede emergency services.
“Businesses will need to find ways to keep shopping carts on property and retrieve them when left elsewhere in the city”:
The ordinance will require business owners to create a plan to keep shopping carts on their property, such as creating a physical barrier, equipping shopping carts with a protruding arm to keep the cart inside the building, creating a system that would require a small deposit, such as a quarter, to use a cart, or using carts with a wheel-locking mechanism triggered by an electric barrier on the edge of the business property. Businesses will also have to post signs warning people that they cannot take shopping carts. Business owners will also be responsible for creating a retrieval plan. Once approved by the city, the business will have to implement the plan within 30 days.
and. . .
Florida Statute already has an ordinance that penalizes people who take shopping carts off business property, Grimaldi [Police Chief Thomas Grimaldi] said. However, the Port Orange ordinance would also place responsibility on business owners to keep track of their shopping carts. Councilman Scott Stiltner said the ordinance is not meant to inconvenience business owners. He said it can prevent people from taking shopping carts but also keep carts out of ponds, lakes and wood lines in the long run.
Abandoned shopping carts left in drainage areas can also be a flooding hazard as well, trapping debris and impeding the flow of stormwater during emergencies such as hurricanes and strong storms.
The quote below from “Know the flow! Flood protection is a shared responsibility” is information about ditches or canals from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) on reducing the risk of flooding:
Fill material, yard waste, clippings and vegetation, sediment,
trash, appliances, garbage bags, shopping carts, tires, cars, etc.
should be completely removed.
Election Day is March 12th. To find out who all the candidates are on the ballot this year click on this link for the City’s website, these are the campaign treasurer reports that are required of all candidates.
And don’t forget, anyone who is elected or re-elected on March 12th or in the run-off election on March 26th will serve a three-year term.
Remember, by referendum in March 2017 the elected City Commission will now serve three year terms. Not two year terms like it used to be. In other words, make your choices wisely.
Of course, the Lake Worth Beach will be an issue. Again.
So in the spirit of the Beach and politics here is a BLAST FROM THE PAST:
“Hot, Hot Diggity! A blast from the past: Laurence McNamara’s HOTDOG”
Hope you enjoy another look at past elections in this Quirky City of Lake Worth!
Click on image for a detailed look at a High Output Transfer Driven Oxygen Generator (HOTDOG):
The hot dog is actually the tank filled with hot air sans nitrogen:
Classic image created by the inimitable observer of Lake Worth politics, Mr. Tom McGow.
By the way, we learned at a City Budget Workshop the cost to construct a new Palm Tran bus stop at the Lake Worth Beach went from about $25,000 to about $250,000 give or take a few bucks. And don’t expect any help from the County or Palm Tran. It will be up to our City of Lake Worth to come up with all the funding.
Maybe a tip jar would help!
Or better yet, how about a fleet of HOTDOGs! Once again, this City of Lake Worth has gotten an early Election Season start. But more about that a little later. How about this idea for a campaign: a candidate on the upcoming ballot could just change the lettering on a HOTDOG to read:
“VOTE ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■ FOR COMMISSIONER”
Without further ado, Mr. McGow’s observations from nine years ago:
Mayoral Candidate Laurence McNamara announced today that he has secured a 14 person mobility vehicle to provide transportation from the downtown area to the beach. [emphasis added] McNamara stated, “By dealing directly with the prior owners we were able to acquire a vehicle perfectly suited for our needs”.
Utilizing a state of the art High Output Transfer Driven Oxygen Generator the transporter actually returns oxygen to the atmosphere as it is driven.
The initial route for the service will be North Lakeside Drive to Old Bridge Park and the Casino.
“This is truly a win / win situation for Lake Worth”, said McNamara with obvious relish.
Hope you found this blog post today entertaining and informative. And don’t forget, Election Day is March 12th, in just eight (8) days!
And, as always, Thank You for visiting once again today.
There was a very long public notice published in the print edition of The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday, February 27th about upcoming public meetings by the Palm Beach County School Board.
How long was this public notice? It starts in the lower right column of p. B8 and ends on the second column on p. B9. Many items will be up for public discussion.
There is no reason to be upset. There will be plenty of time for public comment and public input.
Briefly. Here are just two of the topics:
NEW RULE NUMBER: 7.28 SUBJECT: Display of “In God We Trust" in each School District-operated facility. . .
And another topic is proposed new school boundaries affecting these elementary schools: Highland, Palm Springs, Barton, South Grade, Pine Jog and Melaleuca; and high schools Palm Beach Central and John I. Leonard.
If you have any questions contact the clerk of the School Board at 561-434-8136 or click on this link.
Besides the fact that West Palm does not have a beach, is it a ‘world class city’? West Palm declared itself a “Welcoming City” too. But what exactly does that mean?
Let’s tackle one very important topic:
On homelessness: First three sentences. Last three sentences. Source.
The first three.
As West Palm Beach we began a New Year, I was awakened by the cries of fear and panic from two of my constituents. A homeless, deranged person had attacked the woman and her dog, and a scary disturbance was unfolding on Flagler Drive. As the city commissioner for the downtown area, I am all too familiar with the homeless problem.
The last three.
We all know that the homeless problem has far reaching impacts on the economic health of our city. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. We have a problem.
The source.
—The six sentences above are from a Point Of View published in The Palm Beach Post on January 3rd, 2018. It was headlined, “Less talk, more solutions to downtown West Palm Beach homeless problem”. The author of this Point Of View was Paula J. Ryan. Paula Ryan is the District 3 Commissioner Paula J. Ryan in the City of West Palm Beach.
Paula Ryan is running for mayor of West Palm Beach.
An oft-asked question: Is “The Arts” the answer for this City or should the FOCUS be on the fundamentals? Later on learn more about FOCUS and FOCUSing.
When nice colors and shiny objects attract people to this City when they get here there in not one single hotel to stay in. So are all those nice colors the draw or the lure for West Palm Beach to fill more hotel rooms?
Perception is this City is not at the table, we’re on the menu oftentimes with silliness like a store called Artsy Fartsy in our Downtown. Before going out of business in early 2018 the owner was quoted in the Lake Worth CRA News Blog in April 2017 that, “Lake Worth is a very artsy, charming town and the perfect place for a specialized, fun décor store.” And then commented, “Lake Worth’s top business assets are the public officials in place.”
But is the problem our public officials don’t have all the tools they need to help the small business community?
As tourists and visitors flocked to hotels in Downtown West Palm and to the Town of Palm Beach for the recently past 25th annual Street Painting Festival here is another question: Is it time to begin re-FOCUSing on our Downtown and FOCUS less on colorful objects?
Like murals on walls for example.
Why is it any more when the next and greatest idea comes along it oftentimes includes a new mural of some sort when everyone knows what is needed is a new hotel and a new parking garage? When those projects are complete hoards of people will fill the Downtown. And when the Gulfstream Hotel is renovated that will also draw big crowds.
But so often we hear, “Hey. Here’s a great idea. Let’s put up a new mural!”
Which begs the question. . .
Our ‘city says’ vs. ‘city hopes’.
It seems the default position always is “The Arts” will pave the way to the future. But has it? Will it? Time will tell. And the public needs to stay involved and watch what is going on.
A headline in The Palm Beach Post last October was “Significant changes coming to downtown Lake Worth, city says”.
This is about a press and news media presser held at the Cultural Council in Downtown Lake Worth.
Note that about this event the Post’s headline read “city says” in the online edition but in the very first paragraph of the print edition it read “city hopes” as reported by the beat reporter about that FOCUS presser.
Here is the first paragraph in the Post story in October 2018:
After 18 months, Lake Worth, the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County on Tuesday morning finally announced the launch of the Arts and Cultural master plan for downtown Lake Worth, an initiative the city hopes [emphasis added] will be key for economic development.
It’s a wonderful thing having artists in this City. But right now what we really need are drywallers, painters, electricians, plumbers, construction workers, masons and other trades getting to work. This City and the CRA and the Cultural Council have to do everything they can to get the Gulfstream Hotel renovated and open for tourists and visitors and get a new hotel constructed in the Downtown core. And then we can go about doing a whole lot of FOCUSing on “The Arts”.
August 2016: The most inglorious plague of mumbo jumbo all time at Lake Worth City Hall:
“We want a brand new reservoir in Palm Beach County and we don’t care what it costs” and. . .
“SEND IT [the water from Lake Okeechobee] SOUTH!”
Two and a half years ago was the most “inglorious demise” of Consent Agenda item 9C at the Lake Worth City Commission.
“Resolution No. 38-2016 - implement a solution to long standing water discharge issues plaguing the City”
“[P]laguing the City”? Our little City of Lake Worth?
This public meeting in August 2016 was a huge source of embarrassment for one particular City commissioner (now a former commissioner) and for the City of Lake Worth as well.
Maybe this was an attempt to influence policy on the issue of water discharges from Lake Okeechobee. Or maybe this was a chance for one commissioner to take to the soapbox and get his name in the newspaper whilst the issue was still “hot” and plaguing with flowcharts and a colorful PowerPoint.
Whatever it was, it failed quickly and ingloriously. Sadly too, a lot of people who drove down from Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie counties in support of this item never got a chance to speak. Instead, they were quickly and quietly ushered out of City Hall and told to go back home by the very same people who had invited them down in the first place. Hard to believe but it’s true.
One could say all those nice people from the inaptly named Treasure Coast got plagued by the plaguers here in the L-Dub. Is plaguer a word? If so, then plaguee is a word too.
How did this whole kerfuffle come to be? It’s actually very simple to explain.
In August 2016 then-Commissioner Chris McVoy, PhD (who in March 2017 lost his re-election bid to now-District 2 Commissioner Omari Hardy) requested that an item be placed on the City Commission agenda whilst there was the cry from some to “Send It [water discharges] South!” from Lake Okeechobee.
A little problem with this agenda item is McVoy didn’t give the mayors of Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay or Clewiston a courtesy call and say, “Hey, I think your cities should be wiped off the face of the Earth.”
Another problem with McVoy’s item on the agenda was this: septic tanks were not cited as a factor in the Treasure Coast algae blooms, just conveniently left out. And the dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee which needs serious repairs, the Herbert Hoover Dike, was also not cited by McVoy, another major factor just conveniently left out as one of his concerns.
Around the same time in 2016 the Palm Beach Town Council also dealt with this issue, but in quite a different way. They had a resolution about Lake Okeechobee and below are three short excerpts from this article by Aleese Kopf, now a former reporter at the Palm Beach Daily News (aka, The Shiny Sheet):
Town Council members agreed this week to adopt a resolution urging federal and state officials to spend more money on and speed up work to store, treat and move clean water to and from Lake Okeechobee.
and. . .
Specifically, the resolution urges lawmakers to speed up planning for water storage reservoirs south of the lake in the Everglades Agricultural Area, to speed up repair of the Herbert Hoover Dike and to eliminate septic tanks in the region. [emphasis added]
then this. . .
Council members unanimously passed the resolution. Council President Michael Pucillo said it’s worded in a way that is not “particularly controversial.” “We’re talking about expediting planning,” added Councilwoman Bobbie Lindsay. “We’re not asking them to buy land.”
Once again, here is the ingloriously deleted Consent Agenda item C at the Lake Worth City Commission:
Resolution No. 38-2016 - implement a solution to long standing water discharge issues plaguing the City
“Plaguing the City”?
The Commission meeting had barely started when, at the 2:00 minute mark, consent agenda item 9C is pulled from the agenda. That’s right. Gone. Erased. Deleted. Ejected. Expunged. Wiped out.
Which raised some interesting questions:
Why did McVoy put the item on the agenda in the first place?
A sizable group of people showed up (or were invited) to support the resolution. Did he wave goodbye to them on their way out of town back up to Martin and St. Lucie counties?
The vote was unanimous to delete it from the agenda. That’s right. McVoy voted to delete his very own agenda item! Why would he do that?
Below is the text of the brief that accompanied this item:
AGENDA DATE: August 2, 2016, Regular Meeting DEPARTMENT: Commissioner McVoy EXECUTIVE BRIEF TITLE: Resolution No. 38-2016 – implementing a solution to long standing water discharge issues plaguing the City SUMMARY: The Resolution urges the Federal and State governments to implement solutions and fix the problems of water discharge from Kissimmee River Valley, Lake Okeechobee, and areas west of the City into the C-51 Canal. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION: The current plumbing in South Florida allows for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to, at times of high water and for reasons of human safety, discharge waters from Lake Okeechobee into the Lake Worth Lagoon through the C-51 Canal. The discharged waters degraded quality and elevated nutrient status of Lake Okeechobee causes undesirable and widespread algal blooms.
Does anyone remember seeing any “widespread algal blooms” in Lake Worth back in 2016? No. Has the water been “plaguing” us? No. Not exactly the language or terminology one would expect from a PhD.
Now think for a moment about what if: What if this former commissioner had spent more time focusing on things that were actually ‘plaguing’ us like potholes and broken sidewalks in 2016? He might have actually gotten re-elected in 2017. But instead McVoy got booted out of office due to his very own plaguing. The public you see, the plaguees in August 2016, had enough of the plaguers.
It happened in the late afternoon on January 20th, 2013 on the top floor of the Gulfstream Hotel.
Here is a little background. . .
Back in 2013 the situation was dire. The ‘heights vote’ on March 12th, 2013 was later declared “null and void”. But the “Yes” crowd from the inaptly named ‘Respectful Planning Lake Worth’ (RPLW) had been on a seemingly unstoppable campaign to misinform and confuse the public.
Here are some of the images they used to frighten the public:
Knock Knock. “Did you know your elected officials want to raise building heights all over the downtown?” Click on images to enlarge.
To learn more about that ‘overwhelming’ heights vote in 2013 that wasn’t overwhelming at all click on this link.
Another one:
Gulfstream Hotel takes center stage with more tall big white boxes.
And another one. . .
Something had to happen. Some way to convince the public to vote “No”.
And something did happen. And it almost worked. But what did happen was
the public started paying very close attention to what was happening.
Question 1 was moving municipal elections from November back to March. Question 2 was the so-called ‘overwhelming’ heights vote:
As reported by Post reporter Lona O’Connor: “On July 2 [2013], interim city attorney Glen Torcivia told commissioners that a new state law appears to nullify the election. At that meeting Laurel Decker, one of the organizers of the March 12 referendum, vowed to take the city to court.”
And they did take the City to court. And then they lost again.
Now back to the greatest political feat ever in this City of Lake Worth.
A true tour de force at the Gulfstream Hotel later on in this blog post. And also below is a lesson for everyone planning a run for elected office. Proofreading your election material is very important as well. For example:
“Please Vote on March 23th” and “For a ride to the pools call. . .”
Yes. The instructions above did make in onto an election mailer here in the City of Lake Worth, delivered to every single super-voter (one who votes in every election).
And there also is encouragement and forewarning below for everyone who is planning to run for election in the future. Losing an election can be devastating but if you are passionate about something keep moving forward, act like the election never happened. For example, let’s examine the case of someone who suffered a devastating election loss thirteen years ago.
Rest In Peace: Loretta Sharpe, November 4th, 1938– January 26th, 2016.
Loretta Sharpe was one of a kind. Raised in New England she grew up in an era when political entertainment was an art form in the tradition of politicians like Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill.
Loretta Sharpe was involved in City of Lake Worth politics for a very long time. And one of Loretta’s passions was the historic Gulfstream Hotel and the now vacant lot to the west where she envisioned a brand new hotel. Loretta would be thrilled to learn that Hudson Holdings is gone but the City’s approvals remain in place.
By May 2013 Loretta was very ill but that didn’t slow her down a bit, especially when it came to political causes important to her. For example, for many years she fought to get the roads and potholes fixed in this City, especially in areas west of Dixie Hwy. She went completely all-in to get the August 2014 Road Bond referendum passed but it failed by just twenty-five (25) votes. Following that loss — one that struck many of us supporters of the bond very hard — and in one of the lowest moments in Lake Worth politics Loretta’s name was put on a bullet by a self-described conservative blogger.
Yes. That really happened. Ask someone you know who was involved back in 2014 trying to get that bond referendum passed.
Maybe that bullet was a warning: don’t try and put another referendum on the ballot again. But if that bullet was a warning, it backfired in a big way. The ballot referendum on November 8th, 2016 passed by a whopping 69%. Sadly, Loretta was not here to celebrate.
Even after a very long illness and many trips to the hospital, it still came a big shock for everyone to hear of Loretta’s passing.
Because this City meant so much to her Loretta tried to get elected to the City Commission back in 2005 (see image below) but came in third in a three-person race. But politics was in her blood and she never gave up. The meetings at her home on South Palmway were the stuff of legends. And if Loretta was angry, everyone knew it. And sometimes it was just for show. If you knew what to look for she had that little wink of an eye. And. . .
Loretta will always be remembered for the greatest political stunt in the history of this City: “Hanging of the banner” from the Gulfstream Hotel (see video below). Excerpt from mailer below: “There is no area of Lake Worth Ms. Sharpe has not ventured, and no issue on which she is not informed.”
A political mailer from 2005.
Click on image to enlarge:
Loretta lost this election. Maybe a more experienced proofreader would have helped:
“Please Vote on March 23th”
“For a ride to the pools call. . .”
Now to the greatest political show in this 105-year-old City.
It was back in May 2013, even though in very poor health, it was Loretta Sharpe who first stood up to fight against THE BIG LIE about building heights in Lake Worth. Back in early 2012 THE LIARS got such a huge head start confusing the public that no one thought it was possible to get the truth out: excerpt for Loretta.
And it all started with rallying the troops, “The Hanging of the Banner”.
Here’s the short version of the story: I got a call from Loretta in January 2013 and she told me there was a meeting at her house, she lived on South Palmway at the time, and my attendance was mandatory. When Loretta told you to be somewhere you better be there. She had ideas to talk about: one of them was hanging a gigantic banner atop the Gulfstream Hotel to win the ‘heights vote’. Everyone thought she had lost her mind. Including myself. But Loretta’s idea was brilliant and everyone noticed. . .
In Memoriam.
Oh — and by
the way — Loretta got fined by the State of Florida for that banner. And
she paid it, all $200 of it, with pride and great fanfare. After sending the check off to Tallahassee she had a big party. She was expecting a $500 fine.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
