Florida Power and Light would swap land deep inside the Everglades for a transmission line corridor along the edge of the park. - Sun Sentinel

FPL is looking to do a land swap for land it owns inside the national park for land along its edge to run powerlines and other transmission equipment. FPL seeks less land than it has now in exchange. The land that they control now is deep within the Everglades and turning it over may allow for improvement of water flow. But not all are convinced. Click title for link. From the article:

"We anticipate that the need for electricity is going to increase in South Florida, and the need for these transmission lines, poles and wires is part of that," said Bill Orlove, spokesman for FPL.
The park has not yet taken a position on the proposal. An environmental analysis by the park found the proposal would result in the destruction of 260 acres of wetlands, a "direct, long-term, major adverse impact." This would be mitigated by the enhancement of wetlands elsewhere, and the transaction would result in a net gain of 60 acres under the park's control.

Council seeks OK to add '6th penny' to tourism bed tax,... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

The Tourist Development Council is putting in motion the process for hotels to charge another one percent bed tax. This is allowed since Palm Beach County has one of the higher tourism rates in the state. But the certification takes some time so it is not immediate. Interesting how the proceeds are broken down. Forty percent of the funds raised go to support existing facilities like Roger Dean Stadium and the convention center. The other sixty percent is spread over many groups under the Discover Palm Beach County "umbrella." They include these groups, including Lake Worth-based Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Click title for link.

In Palm Beach County, tourism taxes are divvied up with 40 percent going to debt service and future expansion of the convention center and Roger Dean Stadium and 60 percent going to destination marketing, beach renourishment and convention center operations.
That 60 percent is used by Discover Palm Beach County, formerly the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Sports Commission, the Film and Television Commission, the Cultural Council and the county’s Environmental Resources Management Department.

Between the Breezeway, the Ixora and the Silver Lions Motor Lodge, Lake Worth probably contributes .02% of the total Palm Beach County draw. Remember, most everyone from out-of-town attending the Street Painting Festival this weekend will have to stay somewhere outside of Lake Worth.

Everybody loves their gas appliances!

You might have seen this on the news this morning...

These are pictures of the house at the northeast corner of South C Street and 6th Avenue South. As the sun rose this morning and while the house's inhabitants were asleep in their beds, a speeding SUV headed west on 6th Avenue South veered of the road and sheared off the structure's entry/porch. The only thing that stopped the forward motion of the vehicle as the tree above. It still had crime scene tape around it when we checked it out on our bike ride around 5 p.m. tonight. Note the lathe wall leaning up next to the western side of the house which was part of the porch 24 hours ago.

This is looking east at what was the path of the speeding vehicle. According to the people we talked to there, the driver didn't have a license, registration, insurance, had an open container in the vehicle and was arrested for DUI.

They were packing up by the time we were there. Apparently, the building official told them they could not continue to stay in the house until the extent of the damage is known and repairs to the structure can be made.

Click here for the WPTV story.

The Story of the “Tile Pixies” at The Gray Mockingbird Garden - The text from yesterday's ceremony

Once upon a time, Jill Karlin gave birth to the idea of painting a tile mural for the Gray Mockingbird Community Garden in Lake Worth. Her concept was to recreate a “Garden of Eden” theme with the “Tree of Life” as its focal point. As the mural evolved, the depictions included all of Florida’s flora and fauna.

The project moved along slowly, and soon took on a life of its own. Jill needed help. She put out the word and, as only a “woman’s call to arms” can achieve, local artists and volunteers answered the call. Most f us had never met before Over the months that followed more than thirty five people contributed to the making of the mural. Some only to paint leaves, others to do the tedious glazing of the 960 tiles.

Jill had opened “a door of creativity” for everyone, inviting them to bring their personality and artistry to the mural. One woman in particular had never done anything remotely artistic. Her forte was writing. Asked if she knew how to draw a “comma” she replied “Sure” She was promptly encouraged to pick up a brush, load it with green paint and make comma marks on the trees, Hence, her trademark “comma leaves” were born.

Nicknamed the “Tile Pixies”, fourteen women in particular became the core group who stayed the course on the project from beginning to end. Their work began at the Scottish Rite Masonic building. Eventually, the tiles were moved to Jill Karlin’s garage, and for countless days and nights these artists worked together in the heat of summer. Laughter, whirling talent and camaraderie was palpable every time they gathered. In the end, all the tiles, paint, and glazing were brought to the home of one of the “pixies” for the mural to be completed while Jill went to England for the summer. Months later, Jill returned from England to find that the pixies had all the tiles painted, glazed and ready for her to fire!

Bless the Pixies!

The finished mural is comprised of 960 6”x6” tiles....each one hand painted. It bespeaks
the energy, labor, creativity, love, dedication and personality each person brought to it.

Each drop of paint has a purpose.

The End.

The Tile Pixies
Aidana Baldassarre
Anna Muttart
Barbara DeClerque
Buttons Brokovich
Chris Gostling
Jeannie Fernsworth
Lee Krull
Mary Steffan
MaryJane Canova
Rhonda Hewitt
Ruth Lynch
Sibyll Hoch
Susan Ona
Ursula Fernandez

Those Who Lovingly Took Part:
Ana M. (Serita’s mom)
AnnaMaria Windisch-Hunt
Audrey
Bridgette
Debra Wynter
Doris Chafin
Greg Rice
JIF
Kaitlin Spinelli
Lenore Karlin
Lisa Freeman
Lori Rice
Mary Lindsey
Pam Nolan
Pam Triolo
Ron Cellilo
Serita M.(Ana’s daughter)
Skylar
Summer and Coral Hoch (Sibyll’s little daughters)
Tammy Pansa
Terry Brokovich
Toro

"Where the American Dream is Moving: The Importance of Cities in the 21st Century"

City of Delray Beach Town Hall Lecture Series

"Where the American Dream is Moving: The Importance of Cities in the 21st Century"

Leigh Gallagher, Assistant Managing Editor, Fortune Magazine

Monday, February 17, 2014
6:00 - 8:00 pm - Lecture with Q & A session
8:00 - 9:00 pm - Book Signing & Reception

Historic Crest Theatre, 
Delray Beach Center for the Arts / Old School Square 
51 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444

Leigh Gallagher, a co-chair of the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, speaks regularly at Fortune and other business and economic conferences worldwide and is a seasoned business commentator, appearing regularly on a variety of major network programs. She also serves as co-chair of the Fortune U.s. State Department's Global Woman's Mentoring Partnership and is a visiting scholar at New York University's School of Journalism.  Her first book, "The End of the Suburbs: Where the American Dream is Moving," was published in August 2013.

Thanks to the sponsors below, there is No Charge for this event.. 

Note: 2.0 AICP CM Credits have been approved.

If you are planning to attend and have not already RSVP'd and/or need more information, please email lgulick@tcrpc.org or call 772-221-4060.

This is the third of a series of lectures beginning December 2 and ending on May 7 featuring other well-known professionals in our field and is co-sponsored by the....

* City of Delray Beach
* Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority
* Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency
* FAU School of Urban and Regional Planning
* Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council
* Abacoa Partnership for Community
* Congress for New Urbanism Florida
* Palm Beach County Planning Congress
* Treasure Coast Section, Florida Chapter, APA 

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key: I Am Not A Shapeshifting Space Reptile

Many times a public official, especially during an election period, is asked to prove a negative. This is one extreme example, but this New Zealand official answered this sort of question in a very detailed way. Click title for link.

Jupiter to start $5.5 million in State Road A1A roadwork this... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

I think we can put the term "funky little fishing village" on the shelf as it applies to the Town of Jupiter. But, it is becoming a high value location for families and businesses to locate. And they are investing in projects that will make the quality of life even better there than before. Interesting to note that the article mentions 90 percent of recent electric line placement in the Palm Beach County has been through underground facilities. Click title for link. Here are some of the improvements on the horizon - think of it as part of Jupiter's 2020 plan.

PLAN DETAILS
— Parallel parking on staggered areas along both sides of A1A south of Saturn Street.
— Decorative pedestrian streetlights that will be about 15 feet high. Regular street lights are about 30 feet high.
— Burying above-ground power lines. The town will install a 10-inch-wide pipe for drinking water and new drainage.
— Decorative crosswalks, like the one at Ocean Way, will be installed.
— Four-foot-wide bicycle paths and 6-foot-wide sidewalks are planned for both sides of A1A.

Ethics Commission: Wildrick not allowed to vote on Royal... | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

This is the latest layer of complexity to be laid on top of the already controversial PUD-5 adoption in Palm Beach. One of the members of the Town Council, according to the Palm Beach County Ethics Commission, cannot vote on the zoning, and now the Comprehensive Plan, matter before the Town Council. He has recused himself from voting on the issue up until this point in time anyway. Both the Town Attorney and the Ethics Commission saw things in the same way. This applies to any future decisions. Click title for link to the Shiny Sheet article.

Town Attorney John C. Randolph had advised Wildrick in June that he believed the commission’s February 2013 opinion on zoning changes applies to voting on the comprehensive plan as well.
Wildrick recused himself from voting on the issue in November, when the council voted 3-1 to adopt a zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan amendment that would enact the new zoning model.
Opponents launched a petition drive that day, trying to gather enough signatures to call for a referendum. They collected the required amount — more than 800 signatures — and the Town Council voted to schedule the referendum. Voters will head to the polls March 25 to determine the fate of the new zoning model.

Floridians love water, but getting them to conserve it can be tough, survey shows | members.jacksonville.com

Water supplies, regardless of the amount of rain that Florida receives, will be under strain over the coming years with continued population increases. Florida is just about to become the third largest state in population, soon overtaking the state of New York. What sorts of regulations are effective and which are most palatable to the general population? That's what this article explores. Click title for link. In the end, government regulation and fines are one of the more effective means.

Conservation, experts say, is one way to delay a serious drain on Florida’s water resources.
Floridians want to help out and protect the environment, the study suggests.
But they simply don’t want dry, brown lawns, and they don’t want buzzers bugging them to get out of the shower.
The study showed 90 percent of respondents would wait to load the washing machine until it’s full, 54 percent would install water-saving shower heads, 42 percent would limit watering the lawn if it meant the grass would die and 29 percent would use a shower timer.
Sixty-nine percent said they would spend 10 percent more on their water bills to protect the state’s future water supply.

Video from Today's Celebration at the Lake Worth Gray Mockingbird Garden

MUST SEE!

Selected Pics from the Gray Mockingbird Community Garden - Unveiling of the Tile Wall

John Szerdi, City Commissioner, District #4

Jill Karlin Butler - Artist, Project Originator and Organizer

 Video on the way, complete with the unveiling, remarks by County Commissioner Vanna, City Commissioner John Szerdi, State Senator Jeff Clemens and Jill Karlin, originator of the idea for the tile wall.

2 local lawmakers pledge aid to fight costly citrus disease |... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Nice display of bi-partisanship in addressing the problem of citrus greening which is decimating the citrus industry throughout the state of Florida. If left unaddressed, Florida oranges might become a thing of the past. Click title for link.

Goodbye and thanks | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

The Shiny Sheet recollects the term of David Rosow, now a former Council member and past Council President, as he leaves office. His seat is now occupied by Penny Townsend who won the Town's first election for a Town Council position since 2010. They acknowledge that he could be abrasive with residents and fellow Council members. But, on the whole, they think he served the Town well. Click title for link.

These Are The States That Won't Be Ready For Future Climate Disasters | Co.Exist | ideas + impact

Interesting map showing the degree of "official" preparedness for the effects of climate change. Florida is a category 3 state according to this analysis, meaning that it is considered a factor but lacks a comprehensive approach to address possible outcomes. Check out the map. Yellow states indicate no mention or program at all. Click title for link.