Monday, September 22, 2014
Naked Politics | Miami Herald
Huge money being spent on television advertising in the Florida Governor race. Check this out. Click title for link.
Another week. Another $10.4 million thrown in the fire we call television advertising.
Florida’s governor’s race is now a $50 million-plus commercial spectacle, with more than 71 percent of that spending from Gov. Rick Scott.
During the week that ended Friday, Scott dropped an additional $8 million for current and future ads. That’s about a 23 percent increase for the Republican, dwarfing Democrat Charlie Crist’s ad-buy increase of 17 percent, or almost $2.5 million.
If TV ads decided the governor’s race, Scott would win in a landslide.
There’s more to an election than running commercials, however, just as there’s more to winning a war than just using air power. Like a military campaign, a political campaign needs infantry — the “ground game” or “field operations” of paid staff and volunteers who phone voters and reach out them face to face.
Lake Worth Auditorium built by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)
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| Credit: Florida Archives |
Our current City Hall was part of the Civic Center for Lake Worth and known as the "Municipal Auditorium." It had a larger auditorium, with a stage (parts of which still exist). It was retrofitted to become home for the city administration in the early 1970s. Eventually, I would like to see it returned back to a multipurpose auditorium.
Baseball stadium money to be debated again this morning by PBC... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com
The County Commission will be meeting on the matter tomorrow morning (9/23) at 9:30 a.m. Today's meeting is of the Tourist Development Council. Click title for link.
West Palm Beach mayor hints at Lake Worth site for baseball | West Palm Beat
Click title for link. It seems to me to be more of an endorsement of the John Prince Park site for a spring training facility if you read Mayor Muoio's Open Letter. Check this out.
An Open Letter From Mayor Jeri Muoio on Baseball
This week saw a flurry of baseball news here in Palm Beach County.
I am often asked about the city’s role in the baseball story.
Preserving major league baseball in Palm Beach County does have advantages for our region.
There is no doubt that a sports venue available for tournaments and other events would serve as an economic driver.
Regardless of where it may be located, a stadium would have a positive impact as visitors seek out places to stay and play in our area. This is why renewed talk of building a facility in Lake Worth is so appealing.
Several of cities have already passed resolutions supporting Lake Worth’s John Prince Park as the location.
It is critical to understand that our city is not involved in negotiations to build a baseball complex. The County and other countywide partners are working on how they would pay for it.
Not one single city dollar would be spent to build a stadium.
Yet our city remains involved because the city owns the land on which the teams want to build the facility.
The deal requires the city to donate the land to the county for free. Our one hundred sixty acre property located near Military Trail and 45th Street is a valuable city asset and something I have refused to simply give away without significant compensation.
Donating the land would remove it from the tax rolls since the county (not the teams) would own the land. (Palm Beach County government is exempt from paying property taxes.) West Palm Beach would never receive property tax revenue from a huge piece of property with tremendous economic potential.
We had originally proposed a trade with the county. We offered our 160 acres in exchange for 1.7 acres on a mostly vacant county-owned block in our downtown. We would have redeveloped the block into an economically significant project to revitalize the area across from the TriRail station.
That offer was rejected.
This past Friday, the city received an unsolicited offer from a private developer to buy our 160 acres near Military Trail and 45th Street and build a mixture of residential and nonresidential projects. The $14 million dollar offer also includes the construction of a 39 acre public park for our residents.
Once constructed, the project would produce significant annual property tax revenue to be used to fund a multitude of city services.
Because of the tremendous potential such a project promises, the only responsible choice is to give it serious consideration.
Yes, acceptance of the offer would take our land out of consideration for baseball. But it would not take baseball out of Palm Beach County.
The redesigned plans for John Prince Park in Lake Worth provide a renewed possibility that even the county itself says is a viable option.
As the expression goes, “timing is everything.” And perhaps it says something that the offer to buy our land came at the same time Lake Worth and its neighboring cities are putting forward a new plan for John Prince Park.
I continue to support the idea of keeping baseball in Palm Beach County.
But I have an even greater responsibility to preserve and protect the interests of the residents of West Palm Beach. If we can find a path that will uphold that obligation while keeping baseball in our region then it’s a home run for everyone.
An Open Letter From Mayor Jeri Muoio on Baseball
This week saw a flurry of baseball news here in Palm Beach County.
I am often asked about the city’s role in the baseball story.
Preserving major league baseball in Palm Beach County does have advantages for our region.
There is no doubt that a sports venue available for tournaments and other events would serve as an economic driver.
Regardless of where it may be located, a stadium would have a positive impact as visitors seek out places to stay and play in our area. This is why renewed talk of building a facility in Lake Worth is so appealing.
Several of cities have already passed resolutions supporting Lake Worth’s John Prince Park as the location.
It is critical to understand that our city is not involved in negotiations to build a baseball complex. The County and other countywide partners are working on how they would pay for it.
Not one single city dollar would be spent to build a stadium.
Yet our city remains involved because the city owns the land on which the teams want to build the facility.
The deal requires the city to donate the land to the county for free. Our one hundred sixty acre property located near Military Trail and 45th Street is a valuable city asset and something I have refused to simply give away without significant compensation.
Donating the land would remove it from the tax rolls since the county (not the teams) would own the land. (Palm Beach County government is exempt from paying property taxes.) West Palm Beach would never receive property tax revenue from a huge piece of property with tremendous economic potential.
We had originally proposed a trade with the county. We offered our 160 acres in exchange for 1.7 acres on a mostly vacant county-owned block in our downtown. We would have redeveloped the block into an economically significant project to revitalize the area across from the TriRail station.
That offer was rejected.
This past Friday, the city received an unsolicited offer from a private developer to buy our 160 acres near Military Trail and 45th Street and build a mixture of residential and nonresidential projects. The $14 million dollar offer also includes the construction of a 39 acre public park for our residents.
Once constructed, the project would produce significant annual property tax revenue to be used to fund a multitude of city services.
Because of the tremendous potential such a project promises, the only responsible choice is to give it serious consideration.
Yes, acceptance of the offer would take our land out of consideration for baseball. But it would not take baseball out of Palm Beach County.
The redesigned plans for John Prince Park in Lake Worth provide a renewed possibility that even the county itself says is a viable option.
As the expression goes, “timing is everything.” And perhaps it says something that the offer to buy our land came at the same time Lake Worth and its neighboring cities are putting forward a new plan for John Prince Park.
I continue to support the idea of keeping baseball in Palm Beach County.
But I have an even greater responsibility to preserve and protect the interests of the residents of West Palm Beach. If we can find a path that will uphold that obligation while keeping baseball in our region then it’s a home run for everyone.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Click here for link to the Residences of Lake Osborne Heights website...
Announcing the Pineapple Beach Neighborhood Association meeting tomorrow night, Monday, September 22, 2014 from 7-8 pm, South Grade Elementary School (716 South K Street). Networking starts at 6:30.
Jeff Perlman and Steven Michael, the new owners of the historical Gulfstream Hotel, will be our guest speakers. We would like to fill the room for this interesting and informative presentation. They will discuss the renovation plans and the future of the Gulfstream Hotel.
Jeff Perlman and Steven Michael, the new owners of the historical Gulfstream Hotel, will be our guest speakers. We would like to fill the room for this interesting and informative presentation. They will discuss the renovation plans and the future of the Gulfstream Hotel.
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| Purple area denotes boundaries of the Pineapple Beach neighborhood. |
Another John Prince Park protest, our Larry the Lenz is there...(re-post from May 22, 2014)
Stirred and shaken by this week's City of Greenacres resolution in favor of John Prince Park as a location for a spring training baseball stadium, protesters worked up into a frenzy rushed the area where the stadium is proposed. Here was the catalyst for their "action." Thanks Larry for all your Googling assistance.
Seeing the above, the protesters with fire and smoke coming through their nostrils, gathered en masse yesterday at the proposed site. Here are some of Larry's pics.
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| That Larry the Lenz, he's sort of a ham, is he not? |
Dalai Lama
"If your mental attitude is positive, even when threats abound, you won’t lose your inner peace. On the other hand, if your mind is negative, marked by fear, suspicion and feelings of helplessness, even among your best friends, in a pleasant atmosphere and comfortable surroundings, you won’t be happy."
Editorial: Leadership needed to protect, preserve local...
Strong editorial piece from the Palm Beach Post on how our neighborhoods are changing character after the Great Recession. Included in the discussion of sober homes, short-term rentals for tourists made possible through a matching process courtesy of the Internet and how many homes in existing communities are changing over to rental properties.
Fully 65 percent of all homes bought locally in the second quarter of 2014 were bought for cash, the highest rate in the nation. Nearly 10 percent of all home sales were to institutional investors like Wall Street hedge funds. And while the county once enjoyed a homeownership rate of 71 percent in 2005, that rate has slid to 58.7 percent as of December, according to The Post’s Kimberly Miller.
In practical terms, this means neighborhoods where people once lived in the homes they owned, invested in their beautification, and knew their neighbors, are giving way to tracts of rentals owned by profit-focused absentee landlords, and sometimes crammed with the maximum number of residents possible.
Meanwhile, lucrative, unregulated sober homes, cloaked in the protection of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, are taking over entire streets. Some deliver what’s promised — a chance to take the final step from treatment to stable life. But many are owned by unscrupulous, greedy companies that flout communities’ zoning rules, advertise themselves to addicts globally, and drain families of assets while providing little in the way of real rehabilitation.
These over-occupied single-family homes are burdening local services like police, fire and garbage, without paying their fair share of taxes.
PBCHRC VOTERS ALLIANCE ENDORSEMENTS.
Absentee ballots are in the mail. We have finished our endorsements EXCEPT in the race for Florida Senate District 34 (incumbent Democrat Maria Sachs and challenger Ellyn Bogdanoff). We will interview the candidates in that race in October.
Here are the endorsements thus far (not all candidates will appear on your ballot). If you live in District 34, please do NOT mail in your ballot at this time. Otherwise, feel free to cast your ballot at this time.
NOT ALL CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR ON YOUR BALLOT.:
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 18) - Patrick Murphy
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 20) - Alcee Hastings
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 21) - Ted Deutch
U.S. Congresswoman (Dist. 22) - Lois Frankel
Governor - Charlie Crist
Attorney General - George Sheldon
State Representative (Dist. 82) - Mary W. Higgins
State Representative (Dist. 86) - Mark Pafford
State Representative (Dist. 88) - Bobby Powell
State Representative (Dist. 89) - Bill Hager
School Board (Dist. 4) - Erica Whitfield
County Commissioner (Dist.4)
CO-ENDORSEMENT
VOTE FOR EITHER CANDIDATE, NOT BOTH
Steven Abrams (Rep) or Andrew "Andy" O'Brien (Dem.)
County Commissioner (Dist. 6) - Melissa McKinlay
Port Commissioner (Group 5) - Peyton McArthur
Soil and Water Conservation District (Group 5) - Karl Dickey
In addition, PBCHRCVA urges YOU to vote YES on the following ballot initiatives:
Amendment 2 - Approving Medical Marijuana
Countywide Question 1 - Children's Services Council
Reauthorization
PLEASE RE-POST ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE REPEATEDLY BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 4. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO IS REGISTERED TO VOTE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This paid electioneering communication, which is independent of any party, candidate or committee, is produced, sponsored and paid for by the The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance.
Post Office Box 267
West Palm Beach, Florida 33402
Here are the endorsements thus far (not all candidates will appear on your ballot). If you live in District 34, please do NOT mail in your ballot at this time. Otherwise, feel free to cast your ballot at this time.
NOT ALL CANDIDATES WILL APPEAR ON YOUR BALLOT.:
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 18) - Patrick Murphy
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 20) - Alcee Hastings
U.S. Congressman (Dist. 21) - Ted Deutch
U.S. Congresswoman (Dist. 22) - Lois Frankel
Governor - Charlie Crist
Attorney General - George Sheldon
State Representative (Dist. 82) - Mary W. Higgins
State Representative (Dist. 86) - Mark Pafford
State Representative (Dist. 88) - Bobby Powell
State Representative (Dist. 89) - Bill Hager
School Board (Dist. 4) - Erica Whitfield
County Commissioner (Dist.4)
CO-ENDORSEMENT
VOTE FOR EITHER CANDIDATE, NOT BOTH
Steven Abrams (Rep) or Andrew "Andy" O'Brien (Dem.)
County Commissioner (Dist. 6) - Melissa McKinlay
Port Commissioner (Group 5) - Peyton McArthur
Soil and Water Conservation District (Group 5) - Karl Dickey
In addition, PBCHRCVA urges YOU to vote YES on the following ballot initiatives:
Amendment 2 - Approving Medical Marijuana
Countywide Question 1 - Children's Services Council
Reauthorization
PLEASE RE-POST ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE REPEATEDLY BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER 4. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO IS REGISTERED TO VOTE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This paid electioneering communication, which is independent of any party, candidate or committee, is produced, sponsored and paid for by the The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voters Alliance.
Post Office Box 267
West Palm Beach, Florida 33402
Eleanor Roosevelt
"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot."
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![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)
