Great Lakes wetlands restoration efforts paying off as acreage grows | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Some good news coming from the Great Lakes - source to another inland body of freshwater, akin to Lake Okeechobee. Through a long term program of many states and Canada working together, acreage of wetlands along the lakes is increasing. This is especially true compared to other areas of the nation where the same sorts of natural areas are decreasing in acreage. Click title for link to a Detroit Free Press article.

Crews are building levees, canals and pumps that will regulate water levels and upgrade fish passageways in a 946-acre section of Erie Marsh, making it a better home for wildlife and limiting the spread of invasive plants.
It’s an example of decades-old efforts by government agencies and private groups to rebuild Great Lakes coastal wetlands such as swamps, bogs and marshes that have been depleted by development. A federal report released in November suggests the work is beginning to pay off.

West Palm Beach OKs development at President Country Club | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

More amenities for residents and tourists approved by the West Palm Beach City Commission tonight. Click title for link. From the article:

The President Country club’s north golf course — now known as the Patriot Golf Course — would convert to a 119-acre commercial zone with a three-story, 250-room hotel, 23 resort rental villas linked to the hotel, 94 single-family homes and a 15,000 square-foot spa.
The golf course development comes after the investor group paid $11 million in 2011 for the President Country Club and its two courses, which are surrounded by the Lands of the President, a mix of houses and condominiums.
The proposed resort hotel would include meeting and banquet facilities, pools and tennis courts, snack shops, delis and day care centers. The current golf clubhouse would be razed to make way for a new 20,000 square-foot one built at the south end of the property and linked to the remaining Eagle course.

Click here for link to some graphics that show what the project will look like. I remember some CRAZY ruminations during the boom period that this was the destiny for the Lake Worth golf course.

Old Florida Post Card...

Losing NYC Political Candidate Argues She Was 'Cursed' By Rival - ABC News

This story is clearly for the birds. Someone needs to get over it. Click title for link.

The image of a large chicken head, held up with wooden slats was part of the Los Muros Hablan, a multi-borough project, which Mark-Viverito was affiliated with.
Goodwin alleges that Mark-Viverito worked with her landlords at the Eastside Manager's Associates to put up an image on her east Harlem apartment building that would "inflict emotional distress" on Goodwin.
She also alleges the image can be interpreted as threatening or as a "curse."

POINT OF VIEW: Quiet zones good, but let’s think underground rail | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Bruce Helander suggests, in this op-ed appearing in the Post, to look at going putting the rails underground in anticipation of greater amounts of train traffic. This increase in traffic will be due to the All Aboard Florida high-speed project and the eventual transit traffic on the FEC railroad that will serve the eastern municipalities along the coast. He points out the traffic that would be blocked at the Okeechobee railroad crossing in West Palm Beach.

Such an undertaking would add an enormous cost to the overall project, especially given the north-south length of the run. The geometry and depth versus the water table would surely be another complicating factor. While it might be a partial solution to the increased congestion and noise, I don't think it is being looked at in any serious way due to the overwhelming cost considerations. Click title for link.

Now is an opportune time for serious analysis to be given to the practical safety and efficiency of an excavated track that could go under a major traffic artery. It might just provide an unconventional solution for and different perspective on the heightened inconvenience, decreased efficiency and diminished productivity caused by the amplified roadblocks we surely are facing. With a multimillion-dollar budget announced for this new rail service, it would be worth the effort to invest a modest sum for an engineering study that might just present a viable alternative.

I lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan during the mid-1980s and there was a pivotal community issue about bridging or submerging train tracks or a major road, a number of alternatives were being looked at, to alleviate what were consistent traffic snarls due to freight trains and automobiles both vying for access to downtown. Click here for one of the flyover proposals.

Patrick Murphy raises $500K for re-election campaign for 4th straight quarter - SaintPetersBlog

Congressman Murphy is doing well in the fundraising effort for his re-election campaign. His race, where he beat Allen West, turned out to be the most expensive of any Congressional race in the nation. Click title for link to SaintPetersBlog article. Here is a bit:

“The support for Congressman Murphy this past year shows that the American people were fed up with the partisan bickering and ‘my way or the highway’ approach taken by party extremists,” said Murphy’s finance  director Mandi Karp.  “His constituents continue to support his independent thinking in Congress and dedication to serving the residents of the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches.”

Independents approach GOP’s voter registration totals in Palm... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Perhaps the smaller rise in Republican voter registrations to Democrat registrations in Palm Beach County is due to some slavish devotion demonstrated by a local blogger to someone like former Congressman Allen West? Who knows. But it is an interesting assessment and report on where things stand right now in our County. Click title for link.

As of Friday, Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher’s office reported 250,947 registered Republicans in Palm Beach County — only a smidgen more than the 249,729 voters registered with minor parties or no party affiliation. Countywide Democratic registrations totalled 392,623.
The number of voters who aren’t signed up with a major party increased 5.4 percent in the county during 2013, while Republican registrations increased only 0.6 percent during the year. Palm Beach County Democratic registrations increased 1.1 percent in 2013.

Par 3 golf clubhouse opening to be ‘historic’ | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Do you think this $3.1 million building will have the problems that we have with the Casino building? Maybe someone should wander over there and look at the kind of materials used in the their construction. It might be handy information if the city gets to the point of suing for use of inferior materials. The architect for this project was Smith and Moore. The builder was Hedrick Brothers. Click title for link to article.

“It’s a historic occasion for the town,” Boodheshwar said. “The story behind the new building is something so unique and so telling of Palm Beach, we want people to experience this with us and have the opportunity to see the new clubhouse. We encourage anyone who wants to have dinner that night to make a reservation. Anyone who wants to eat there in the next couple of months should make reservations, because we really expect it to be very busy.”
The 154-seat restaurant, on the second floor of the Key West-style building, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and includes indoor and covered outdoor seating.
The pro shop will move into the first floor of the clubhouse. The balconies on the second-floor restaurant provide spectacular views all around, Boodheshwar said. Arlene Desiderio, owner of the clubhouse’s Al Fresco restaurant and bar, also owns Pizza al Fresco and Renato’s.

And what is happening with the empty second floor space? 

Ex-GOP power broker Jim Greer now on work release, selling recliners for $8 an hour - SaintPetersBlog

This was a significant fall from grace for a high-flyer in the Florida ranks of the GOP. It sounds like he is doing well, considering the circumstance. Click title for link to a SaintPetersBlog article.

With seven months left on his prison sentence for stealing $125,000 Republican Party of Florida, Greer is working at a local furniture store for $8 per hour plus commission, reports Rene Stutzman of the Orlando Sentinel.
It was a significant fall from grace, from prominent Tallahassee power broker to convicted criminal.

Latest update on the current controversy swirling through our downtown area...or the Facebook post that won't go away

A Look at 10 Historic Sites Saved, 10 Lost in 2013 - ABC News

Click title for link to an informative list put out by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. They used to issue an "11 Most Endangered" list each year as it related to historically important properties that were under threat of destruction or demolition of some kind. I believe they have gotten away from that program and instead are issuing lists such as this to highlight properties saved and those that have met a more sorry fate.

Fight over citrus canker payments may resume - Sun Sentinel

My tangerine tree received the telltale white spray mark around the base of its trunk. That's how far state workers got before the program was abandoned sometime back in 2006 or so. I remember them coming on my property unannounced leaving leaflets on my door about how any citrus I had was doomed. Seven years later, I can report that the tangerine tree is still alive and well and this year pushed out a solid crop of tangerines. According to this story, click title for link, others weren't as lucky and are still seeking compensation from the state. There is also talk about reviving the program.

From 2000 to 2006, Agriculture Department crews roamed Florida neighborhoods and cut down trees found within 1,900 feet of infected ones, in an attempt to halt a disease that threatened some of the state's most economically significant crops. But homeowners fought back in court, saying their private property was being sacrificed to protect a powerful agricultural interest. They won injunctions that temporarily shut down the chain saws and went to court to win compensation for trees that had been destroyed.

Editorial: PBC now has chance to figure out need for spring... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

County Commissioner Hal Valeche has a chance at calming the waters and getting information out to those that would be impacted by the baseball stadium, as well as keep looking for appropriate sites. The Post concludes in this editorial that the entire issue was not handled well by the Palm Beach Gardens city commission. Click title for link.

But the Gardens City Council largely mishandled the proposal almost from the beginning; for months, giving the impression it was hiding something before bowing to public — and political — pressure and handing it off to the county.
Now, Valeche has a chance to do it right.
While that doesn’t mean that a stadium won’t land back in Palm Beach Gardens, there is at least the opportunity now to ask and fully vet such important questions as: Does the stadium complex really need to be two teams?

Antique Row among Top 10 tourist shopping draws | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

West Palm's Antique Row is mentioned in the same breath as Palm Beach being a shopping destination for tourists. And, according to this Palm Beach Post article, tourism is up for the area and West Palm Beach is one of the top cities for travelers. What would it take for Lake Worth to contribute to the draw? The Cottages group is a good start, but what about tumbleweed-ready North Dixie Hwy? Adventure consumerism at World Thrift? Click title for link to article.

To be accurate, Palm Beach was the tony location that made the list. And Worth Avenue was clearly the top draw for the 80,000 people who voted in the survey. But Conde Nast’s Traveler website explained that West Palm Beach’s Antique Row Art and Design District helped bring in those on a budget and those ready to splurge.

A new attitude | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Editorial from the Shiny Sheet, about challengers for Palm Beach Town Council positions. They see it as a good thing and a natural part of the political process, which it generally is. Click title for link. Here is how the sum up their position.

Each of the announced hopefuls cited strife on the council as motivation for running. The reasons ranged from a noticeably terse tone that some board members had taken toward the public, to overly complicating issues, to discord between the board and some citizen factions.
Whether such statements ring true or are just campaign posturing is up to voters to decide. Regardless, the number of challengers makes it clear that residents are not as satisfied with the town’s elected officials as they used to be.