City Commission meeting tonight. Check this out on the City’s website, on the main page.

Click on image to enlarge:

The “Live Broadcast Channel” is now on the opening page of the City’s website. Stay tuned — the next Commission meeting is tonight at 6:00. Use this link for the agenda.

Sviatoslav Gerasimchuk has an idea for Lake Worth and kayakers everywhere.

This visionary idea for a kayak or boat (see video below) can be folded 20,000 times and damaged panels are recycled by sending them back to the factory:

HYPAR is a modular smartboat that can be quickly transformed from a kayak into a rowing, sailing or even a solar powered motor boat. Its innovative hull shape ensures great speed and stability while the groundbreaking folding design enables complete conversion from boat to backpack in less than 5 minutes. Portage and storage have never been so easy!

Mr. Gerasimchuk came across one of my blog posts about the Blueway Trail. How cool is that? Carry your kayak like a backpack to Spillway Park in Lake Worth and spend a few hours kayaking the Intracoastal and the inland Chain of Lakes.

Enjoy the video:

Shanon Materio’s father passed away.

“Thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”

Red & white signs. News you won’t believe. Did you see the article by Post reporter Lulu Ramadan today?

Unbelievable. This article by reporter Lulu Ramadan made the print edition today, page B1, above the fold. Without further comment, below is a blog post from November 28th, 2015:

More red & white signs:

“In Jewish law, when something occurs three times it sets a precedent,” New [Rabbi Ruvi New] said. “We were confident that the precedent would stand.” Use this link to understand the quote in context.

Below is a news segment from Brian Entin at NBC5/WPTV [now with News7/WSVN in Miami] from November 25th [2015].

A few in the community there aren’t happy about their soon-to-be neighbor, the Chabad of East Boca and My Israel Center, which has been a vacant lot for quite some time. The Chabad has a Facebook page if you want to send them a supportive message and welcome them to south Florida.

Here are two excerpts from the news segment at WPTV:

A Boca Raton Planning and Zoning committee member says he was attacked through social media and email for supporting plans for a Jewish synagogue and museum in Boca Raton.
     “It was disconcerting. It was something I had not experienced before,” board member Glenn Gromann said.

and. . .

     Neighbors who did not want to appear on camera told WPTV crews they are not against Jewish people, but instead, worried about too much development in the coastal area.
     They’ve placed [red and white] “save our beaches” signs in their yards.
     “Save Boca beaches from what? From the synagogue? From Jewish people? That sends the wrong message,” Gromann said.
     Chabad of East Boca Rabbi Ruvi New believes the plans for the new center could be connected to a hate crime over the weekend.

Here is the video from WPTV from back in 2015:

Flashback: Empirical evidence from a reporter in 2013 that a former Lake Worth commissioner with a PhD didn’t want to hear.

Below is some very interesting content from a blog post back in September 2013, following an article in The Palm Beach Post that appeared the day prior written by reporter Emily Roach. . .

There was a heady intellectual discussion at last night’s [Sept. 3rd, 2013] City Commission meeting from Commissioner Chris McVoy [now a former commissioner] about the potential, or lack thereof, of a hotel opening, operating and being successful in downtown Lake Worth. He was taking a defeatist attitude that since there isn’t one operating now, how could there ever be one.

Mentioned too was made about occupancy rates but he really had no data to go on, making assumptions out of thin air.

McVoy pleaded for someone to show him the numbers showing that occupancy in Palm Beach County hotels is up, even in the off-season and is predicted to reach record levels. Usually, this sort of increase in demand leads to increases in supply (number of rooms). From the article:

Meanwhile, hoteliers are feeling some ease in their finances, as rates and occupancy levels slowly rebound.
     “I think a lot of it relates to the economy in general,” said Murray, who also is general manager of the Best Western Palm Beach Lakes and Hawthorn Suites. “South Florida is kind of getting back on its feet.”
     Nearly 5.5 million people visited Palm Beach County last year, despite an economy recovering in slow speed. Visit Florida is predicting another record year for the state, and the Palm Beaches likely will ride that wave.

Commissioner McVoy, explain, why wouldn’t downtown Lake Worth be a good place for a new hotel? The very existence of our city started with and depended upon tourism for most of its history. The fact we don't have a working operational hotel now might make the point: the current obsolescence of the Gulfstream Hotel in the contemporary tourism marketplace.

That might actually be based on empirical evidence, like the historical record for example.

New blog policy: What to do if you see or hear a false news report about our City of Lake Worth.

If you see a false news report about our City here is what you do, please forward that information to:

• Mr. Ben Kerr, the City’s Communication Specialist
• 561-586-1631
• Email: bkerr@lakeworth.org

Another option is to contact your City commissioner or even the mayor if this topic is a concern of yours. Not satisfied with the response or received no response at all? Then go up the chain of command and contact the City Manager, Michael Bornstein.*

If all the people who say they care so much about the City’s image, e.g., crime, mayhem, fires, and vehicle crashes being reported as “in Lake Worth” — that happened outside the City in “suburban Lake Worth” — but won’t do anything to try and stop this nonsense, then why go through all the trouble on this blog?

For reporters who don’t know, here is The City of Lake Worth (click on image to enlarge):

For a reporter to find out if something is in the City, or not, takes only a few moments. It’s not magic folks: If one has access to the Internet, the numbers “00” and “38” are a good clue.

I’m much more concerned about other things now, like making sure the new City Commission in this City stays focused on what they said were their priorities, so they don’t get booted out of City Hall like what happened to another administration back in 2012.

So to all of you in the media who don’t care either of false news reporting about this City, you are now free to report all the false news you wish.

You don’t have to worry about having your news corrected on this blog. That’s up to the City now to address. And reporters don’t have to worry about being reminded on a blog how to properly be a reporter or journalist, a job that most people learn how to do in high school or college as an intern.

So. . . if there is an arson fire out near Wellington reported as happening “in Lake Worth” then the City will have to step up and address that problem. And the same goes for any reporter interested in overflowing sewage, a “toxic tide”, for example:

LAKE WORTH, Fla. - This story stinks. [yes, it did]
     Overflowing, fresh sewage pouring into a Lake Worth apartment complex parking lot.
     Tenants say it’s been happening for a year! A fed up renter called NewsChannel 5, saying nothing has been done about this health hazard.
     Around 6 p.m. every night, a toxic tide rolls in.

Jillian Brynne at CBS12/WPEC is now free. Remember her false news report about E. coli in the City’s water lines? Here’s another recent false news report: 

LAKE WORTH (CBS12) — Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Avesta Apartments in Lake Worth Saturday afternoon.

And Palm Beach Post reporter Daphne Duret is free to report all the false news she wants to as well:

Firefighters responded to the Avesta Costa del Lago Apartment complex in the 2500 block of 10th Avenue North in Lake Worth at around 4 p.m. after a report of smoke coming from one of the buildings of one, two and three bedroom apartments.

And finally, City residents are also free to write all the fake stuff they want too — even about a man getting killed last January — when that never did happen:

However, there is a solution to this problem, read about that using this link.

*Please note: Will continue to monitor media reports about this City and search for false news reports. Instead of reporting those on this blog, however, will forward that information to the City and strongly encourage everyone to do the same.

Having your own police department is not a deterrent to crime. It takes a community effort to lower the crime rate.

“I grew up here. You used to leave your doors unlocked, never any trouble. It’s a shame what has happened to our little town.”
—Quote from this news story in April 2016 following two homicides in Greenfield, CA.


If you didn’t know or just forgot, Susan Stanton, the former city manager for Lake Worth went on to become the city manager in the very small city of Greenfield, CA after being fired back in December 2011. Ms. Stanton had her own police department in Greenfield. You can read more about Stanton and when she tried to end the Lake Worth PBSO contract in 2011 (see link below) when things “came to a head” (an idiom).

The reasons why the Lake Worth PD was disbanded has been explained many times over on this blog. This has to be explained every now and then because there are so many new residents who have no idea what happened in this City back in 2008/2009. Still to this day the historical revisionism continues that tries to gloss over what occurred.

All these years since the LWPD was disbanded a crime will occur in the City of Lake Worth that gets much public attention and, without being stated outright, the underlying message from some quarters is questioning the capability of PBSO and whether we would be better off with our own “charming” police dept.

The debate about keeping PBSO in Lake Worth, for those of you not around at the time, came to head in 2011 when the last attempt was made to end their contract.

Back then the mantra was all about cost savings and very little about public safety. Ms. Stanton got her wish after all to have her own police department. Just this time in Greenfield, CA. You see, having your own PD isn’t the answer to solving crime in a community. It’s much more complex than that.

The City of Greenacres made the print edition in the LWVVSMCPE today!!!!!

The Lake Worth Very Very Special Monday Collector Print Edition (LWVVSMCPE) is out today — and there’s another story about Hoffman’s Chocolate — but this time about the store in Greenacres! The City of Lake Worth, by the way, has Kilwin’s Chocolate and they have two locations: One in the Downtown and another one at our lovely Beach.

Unfortunately today, if you live in Greenacres and hope to find the phone number for code enforcement, garbage pickup, street repairs, and the Parks Dept., well, you’re out of luck. Only the City of Lake Worth gets “GOOD TO KNOW” phone numbers in the LWVVSMCPE, so you’ll just have to learn how to save phone numbers or start using the Internet.

“IN YOUR COMMUNITY”: Don’t get your hopes up Greenacres. There are only 6 cities and towns that are truly special to the editors at the Post.

The LWVVSMCPE’s here! Again. Each and every Monday. But aren’t many of you interested in news from “flyover County”, that vast area between the City of Lake Worth and the Village of Wellington?

In case you didn’t know, the editors at the Post several years ago tapped Kevin Thompson to be the beat reporter for cities of Greenacres and Lake Worth, Suburban Lake Worth, and the Lake Worth Corridor. Did you know, by area and population, Greenacres is nearly the same size as Lake Worth? It’s true. But of course, for reasons unknown, the focus in almost totally on the City of Lake Worth.
 

Remember this “IN FOCUS: LAKE WORTH”? This RaceTrac isn’t in Lake Worth. It’s located in Palm Springs.

Here is more information to help the good people and all our good friends in the City of Greenacres: Do you know about the “5 Tips” to get your community event, business, or service noticed in the Post? Use this link to learn more. The expert at the Post, Business Editor Antonio Fins wrote, “. . . the trick is reaching to the right journalist.”

The Big Myth: ‘Overwhelming support’ to keep a hotel building height to 45′ or less in our Downtown Hotel District.

The latest appeal was denied by the court and there is nothing left in the way any more to build a hotel to 65′ next to the Gulfstream Hotel. However, the City is up against people with money to burn, so anything is possible at this point. We’ll likely hear more about this from the City Attorney at the City Commission meeting tomorrow.

Before the ‘overwhelming support’ to keep building heights to 45′ is debunked, to learn the facts about building heights in Downtown Lake Worth use this link:

Within the 12 block hotel district east of Federal Hwy, the limit is 45′ with one exception: Only a hotel of 50 rooms or more can go to the 65′ allowed in the Charter.

For example, that would be the block where our historic Gulfstream Hotel is located:

Can you see that little white dot? That’s the block where the Gulfstream Hotel sits. Per the Charter, a hotel can be built up to 65′ there, now a vacant lot.

So. . . how much support did the proponents of a 45′ limit have in the community, for example, JoAnn Golden a former commissioner here in the City? Let’s take a look back to when she was still on the dais:

In 2011 JoAnn Golden got clobbered by then-citizen Andy Amoroso, who continues as a City Commissioner to the present day.

Now let’s go to forward to the ‘overwhelming’ heights vote in 2013. The votes “Yes” are to limit building heights:

Note the voter turnout. Dismal:

Doesn’t look so very overwhelming, does it? So much for “rallying the troops” to limit building height in our Downtown, huh?

Remember, it was the so-called heights vote in 2013 that the state legislature deemed to be “null and void” (City Attorney Glen Torcivia explains this quite well in a video, use this link).

Then in 2015 these red & white signs (illegal per City Code) started popping up around Lake Worth and believe it or not, some still do to this day:

This is one version of the SRS sign. Can you guess who still has one of these signs up? You guessed right. 

You see, the story goes “at the door” if a hotel gets built to 65′ that would set the stage for the “vultures” to steal our BEACH! Silly. Now do you see how all this nonsense comes together? And sadly, this nonsense has been going on for nearly 5 years now.

Remember this handed out “at the door”? They said they were ‘concerned citizens’ who just cared about the truth.

Just one piece of propaganda used to confuse voters into voting “Yes” to limit building heights.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach Council receives two competitive grants, more recognition to continue their work.

For more information and media inquiries contact Judith Czelusniak, Public Relations: 561-471-1602; email: Judith@palmbeachculture.com

“Generous grants from the Willian R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust* and the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties† will bolster our ongoing efforts to ensure that Palm Beach County communities, schools and families are enriched by art and culture,” said Rena Blades, CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. “We are extremely grateful for this support.”

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is located in Downtown Lake Worth, 601 Lake Ave. Plenty of free parking nearby. Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00–5:00.

Lake Worth, March 22 – The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two grants to help support its work in making art and culture accessible throughout the county.

“The Kenan Charitable Trust is happy to support the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County’s mission to nurture and promote the arts and art education across Palm Beach County. We are especially pleased at the partnerships that the Council has forged among the arts, the hospitality industry and locally-based businesses to enhance quality of life in the county,” said Douglas Zinn, executive director of The Kenan Charitable Trust.

“The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is focused on its goal to endow the future of its local nonprofits. A matching challenge like this one provides our partners like the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County with future stability and a foundation from which to grow – one not contingent on the success of current or future fundraising efforts,” said Brad Hurlburt, president and CEO at the Community Foundation.

The Cultural Council presents exhibitions featuring Palm Beach County artists and provides additional programming at its headquarters in the historic Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. Building, an iconic Streamline Moderne former movie theater in Downtown Lake Worth. Also at the Cultural Council headquarters are the Roe Green Uniquely Palm Beach Store featuring products by Palm Beach County artists and the Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf Visitor Information Center, a VISIT FLORIDA designated Florida Certified Tourism Information Center.

*The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust is named for William R. Kenan Jr., a chemical engineer. As brother-in-law to Henry M. Flagler, Mr. Kenan established a strong interest in Florida and spent the majority of his later years in the state. Mr. Kenan also served for many years as president of the Florida East Coast Railway and the Florida East Coast Hotel Company. Following Mr. Kenan's death in 1965, a major portion of his estate was used to establish the Trust.
†The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is one of Florida’s largest community foundations, an organization created with gifts from generous people committed to local causes. The nonprofit organization has provided nearly $129 million in grants and scholarships over its 44-year history.

A 15-second message from the City of Boca Raton.

Only pointing this out because the little New City of Lake Worth, Florida, has a very nice Beach as well. . .

Beach Chair from BocaTV on Vimeo.

Sometimes the best way to get the word out is the old-fashioned way. . .

Click on image to enlarge:

“They suggest you use the Lake Ave. Bridge. . .”. And while you’re in our little New City of Lake Worth why don’t you hang out for a bit and stroll our Downtown?

“Thank You Friends”

Click on image to enlarge:

There are several ways to disburse campaign money left over after an election — Joe Russo let his supporters decide what to do — “Please support these great local nonprofits”.

Tomorrow: Lake Worth’s Finance Advisory Board meeting, agenda below.

To see this agenda for yourself and all other upcoming meetings and agendas use this link.

Finance Advisory Board
Monday, April 3rd, 6:00
City Hall conference room

• Roll Call.
• Agenda: Additions, deletions, reordering.
• Approve minutes.
• Unfinished business.
• New business: Neighborhood Roads Program update. Follow-up: Ken Oakes’ presentation to the City Commission on March 21st.
• Set next meeting date (May 1st).
• Public comments.
• Closing comments.
• Adjournment.

Note: One of more members of any board or commission may attend and speak at this meeting.

Just in case you missed this from yesterday.

Do you remember the celebration Día de Los Muertos, the “Day of the Dead”, last year in the City of Lake Worth?

This year the “Day of the Dead” begins on Tuesday, October 31st, Halloween Day.

The blog post below received a lot of attention yesterday. The title of the post was, “The City of Lake Worth and our good friends and neighbors in the immigrant community”.

If you’ve been thinking about volunteering for our immigrant neighbors in the City of Lake Worth below is the contact information for the Guatemalan/Maya Center. Without further ado:

There are two area centers that support the Guatemalan/Maya and immigrant communities: one is El Sol in Jupiter and the other is the Guatemalan/Maya Center (GMC; contact information below) here in the City of Lake Worth.

Although Lake Worth and the Town of Jupiter are not, and never were a “sanctuary city”, that doesn’t mean much hard work and outreach to the immigrant community has not been going on.

Here in the “Welcoming City” of Lake Worth there has been much outreach, e.g., the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association and the GMC worked together to solve problems such as crime, code enforcement, bulk trash pickup, and keeping the streets clear and well lit at night.

Shortly prior, the Post’s Kevin Thompson had an article about the Guatemalan/Maya community you can read here. And who can forget the Lake Worth CRA when they invited everyone to celebrate Día de Los Muertos, the “Day of the Dead”, last November here in the City of Lake Worth?

Would you like to volunteer time? The caption below has that information.

If you would like to volunteer for The Guatemalan-Maya Center use this link.
 
Or call 561-547-0085 and say “Bienvenidos!”. The address is 430 North G St.

In partnership with the City of Lake Worth, the Armory Annex, the Palm Beach Photographic Center, the Guatemalan-Maya Center and LULA, the CRA announced the Discovering Our New World—Immigrant Children’s Look at Lake Worth. Read more about that event using this link. This exhibit was later moved and displayed at City Hall:

The Armory Annex in Lake Worth reopens its doors to host Discovering Our New World. For this photographic exhibit the Armory is privileged to collaborate with the renowned Palm Beach Photographic Centre of West Palm Beach. The show is part of the Photographic Center’s Picture My World program.

For those of you in the Central American immigrant community (or those helping their efforts) in the City of Lake Worth, suburban Lake Worth (including Palm Beach State College) and Greenacres here is how you contact the Post reporter to tell your story:

Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573