Confused dolphins, toxic algae, pond scum and looming threat of BMAA: “[A]n arsonist in the human brain”.

Attention Treasure Coast!

Are you looking for some good satire? Does the ‘green algae’ got you down? Then please continue reading.

“Satire can always be found everywhere. A people without a love for satire is a dead people.”

—Quote. Dario Fo, 1926–2013. According to Wikipedia, Fo was an “Italian actor, playwright, comedian, singer, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, painter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature.”

Let’s proceed: Important information about MBAA for our good friends in the Treasure Coast.

The reasoning why you should plan your upcoming Spring Season in Palm Beach County!

Please start booking your events in Palm Beach County now. Why? Because no one can be too careful when it comes to β-Methylamino-ʟ-alanine, or just BMAA for short.

In March 2016 the “firebrand ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox” was a big story in The Palm Beach Post, news from reporter John Pacenti about blooms of cyanobacteria, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, amyloid plaque deposits, the research studying the diet of vervets (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), motor neuron disease and how all this could perhaps — e.g., feasibly, could be, may be, within the realm of possibility, and of course, weather permitting — that BMAA would perchance conceivably, hypothetically on paper, could possibly imaginably in a manner by supposition be due to BMAA.


“No one is claiming BMAA is the only cause,” [emphasis added] he [Cox] said. “There has been all kinds of hypotheses in the past. Aluminum, brain trauma. There are probably lots of different things that lead to these neurological diseases.”


It was BMAA in the St. Lucie River that possibly created that “spike in emergency room visits” and the public was forced to “evacuate waterside properties and escape to more distant lodgings” according to John Pacenti once again in a June 2017 report headlined, “ACLU: State failed to warn public of health dangers of toxic algae bloom”. Evacuate where? Possibly to places like the cities, towns and villages right here in Central Palm Beach County that had any hotel rooms available:


“The algae bloom in the St. Lucie River and its estuary certainly appeared and smelled toxic. It caused an overpowering, noxious smell, burning eyes, headaches, flu-like symptoms, respiratory problems, and rashes. The local hospital weathered a spike in emergency room patients. People were forced to evacuate waterside properties and escape to more distant lodgings.”


Do you live in Martin County? St. Lucie County? Are you frightened of BMAA? Are you considering an “escape to more distant lodgings.” Worried about “burning eyes, headaches, flu-like symptoms, respiratory problems, and rashes” too?

Please evacuate to vicinity of
Lake Worth Lagoon!

For example, former Post reporter Willy Howard (now a reporter with The Coastal Star) wasn’t all too concerned about health issues or the quality of the water in the Intracoastal when he went, “Paddling the habitats of Lake Worth Lagoon” to demonstrate how safe our water is in the Lake Worth Lagoon.

And start making plans for
Independence Day, July 4th, 2019 too!

And that ain’t no satire!

New news from Lake Worth Beach CRA: Vital tool called wayfinding signage.

Plus at the end of this blog post is information about an upcoming CRA event on April 9th called, “The Next Big Thing!”

Must RSVP by this Friday at 4:00.

Call 561-493-2550 (email below).

Now to CRA TODAY, the

latest news about wayfinding:

Wayfinding  =  Signage for people to orient themselves in Lake Worth Beach and then navigate from place to place.

News from CRA TODAY with links added:


In 2014, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and City of Lake Worth administrative staff embarked on a multi-phase project to bring new wayfinding signage to Lake Worth. Wayfinding signage is directional and informational but not advertising. An effective wayfinding plan can act as a vital tool of economic development in any size city. A highly functional wayfinding system makes the area “legible” and enhances a visitors’ experience as it increases their comfort, builds their confidence, and encourages them to discover unique events, attractions and destinations on their own.

Additionally, wayfinding is what people do when they travel to and through a city. Wayfinding plans involve the science and art of scripting an individual’s travel throughout that area. The broader goal of an effective wayfinding plan should be to help people discover all of a community’s distinct assets.

Some examples of wayfinding in Lake Worth Beach:

Northeast Lucerne and Old Lucerne are two of the six local designated historic districts in Lake Worth Beach. Click on this link for more information about the City’s historic preservation program.

News about wayfinding continues. . .


For many years, community and business leaders have requested a comprehensive wayfinding signage project to promote downtown Lake Worth Beach and the historic neighborhoods. Unfortunately, previous attempts to create and install comprehensive street signage in downtown Lake Worth have had minimal effects.

CRA staff, the City’s Community Sustainability and Public Services departments coordinated efforts to solicit a design firm to produce a comprehensive wayfinding plan which could be incorporated throughout the City. The City agreed to share its resources with the CRA to cooperatively solicit, and hire an experienced firm to create a wayfinding plan, which was presented to the community in January 2016.

After reviewing the plan and various signage design styles, and with additional input from the Lake Worth Historic Preservation Department, the CRA Board and City Commission ultimately selected the colorful ‘blue wave’ design that will be adorning all new welcome and directional signs in Lake Worth Beach. In 2018, a sign vendor was hired to further refine and fabricate the dozens of new signs that will be installed throughout the City.

This past February, installation finally began on 33 of the new wayfinding signs located mostly in the downtown and historic districts of the City. The CRA hopes to have another 35 new signs installed by the end of 2019 depending on FDOT clearance. The City and CRA will then evaluate all existing signage along our roadways and likely move forward with an option to install up to 50 additional directional signs in 2020.


Stay tuned for more news and information about wayfinding in the coming weeks and months.


Without further ado. . .

“The Next Big Thing!”

This FREE event will be held on Tuesday, April 9th in the Ballroom at the Lake Worth Beach and Casino Complex from 8:30–10:00 a.m.

If you are an interested investor, developer, property owner or a LOCAL business owner you are all invited to attend this meeting for a discussion on small business and development opportunities.

Important. Must RSVP by Friday, April 5th: Contact Emily Theodossakos at the Lake Worth Beach CRA by calling 561-493-2550 or send an email to: ETheodossakos@lakeworth.org

Parking is FREE as well.

This event is being sponsored by the CRA, City of Lake Worth Beach and Retail Strategies. Mr. Clay Craft from Retail Strategies will have a presentation on strategically identifying retail opportunities and engaging local business.

Also in attendance will be consultant and author Angel Cicerone who will be the special guest speaker on “Keeping local LOCAL”.


Activating a downtown or emerging shopping district starts with energizing locally-owned retail and restaurants. While the focus in generally on attracting national brands, it’s the local businesses that create a true sense of community and sustainable success.


Hope you found this information helpful today and RSVP with Emily Theodossakos at the Lake Worth Beach CRA soon to make certain to have a seat for, “The Next Big Thing!”

Breaking news from The Lake Worth Herald and news about City’s official website forced to be taken down.

In Brief: What is happening in City of Lake Worth Beach is ‘legal extortion’ and Mayor Pam Triolo is angry as hell. She said, “I’m p■■■■d off !”

WARNING: Do not bring thumb drives to Lake Worth Beach City Hall. One City resident is advising others in the community to do just that but don’t do it. Please keep your thumb drives at home and use OldTimeSneaker.net instead.*

Lake Worth Beach Mayor Triolo is not

an elected official prone to anger.

She is a four-time elected mayor in a small town
known for tough small town politics and
she always manages a smile.

Would you like to learn more about this elected body? Too bad that part of City website had to be taken down too and not available for the public.

The reason why the City’s website was taken down is a terrible story about the modern legal system much like what happened earlier this year when all the successes in tackling the sober home crisis came under assault by one ruling by one judge in Palm Beach County threatening a ‘relapse’ after 2½ years of very hard work.

And now the 6 sq. mi. City of Lake Worth Beach is under assault once again. To find out how and why that is a YouTube video is below of the City Commission meeting from last evening at City Hall.

Support LOCAL small town journalism in Lake Worth Beach, nearby municipalities and in metro Lake Worth region in Central Palm Beach County.

LOCAL newspapers matter. This week’s Herald is in production; here are last week’s headlines. Consider becoming a subscriber to the Herald today. Print edition is still ¢50. Call editor Mark Easton at 561-585-9387 or by email at: Editor@lwherald.com

Here is the news from the Herald last evening:

Until the City’s website calendar of meetings and events is up and running The Lake Worth Herald has kindly agreed to include a weekly calendar of City advisory board meetings and City events every week from now until the City’s official calendar is back online.

This is what LOCAL and locally-owned community newspapers do!

Look for this news in this week’s Lake Worth Herald available by subscription ($25 per year) and at Andy’s newsstand called Studio 205.


Studio 205 is located at 205 N. Federal Hwy. in Lake Worth Beach. Call the proprietor at 561-533-5272 to see if this week’s paper is out. The parking lot for Studio 205 is located off 2nd Ave. North just about 100′ from the traffic light at Federal Hwy.†

To watch and hear the very sad news about why the City’s website cannot go public watch the YouTube video below and please listen very carefully to Lake Worth Beach City Attorney Glen Torcivia:





Please share this terrible news with everyone you know in your neighborhood and community.

And get ready to read the news in this week’s Lake Worth Herald.

Footnote Section.

*Per City officials please keep City Hall ‘e-clap’-FREE. In the meantime use what is called OldTimeSneaker.net

OldTimeSneaker.net can be defined as the old-fashioned way when people with mobility issues got around to acquire information prior to floppy disks, magnetic tape and 30-lb phones anchored to the wall with mechanical dials that kept falling off. What these people would do is put on sneakers, grab the walking stick and then head on out. For historical reference the song by Bad Company titled, “Silver, Blue & Gold” was available on Eight-Track.

†For some reason the proprietor at Studio 205 became news in The Palm Beach Post today for no apparent reason and many in the public are scratching their heads right now.

What the Post reported was a complete non-story about a truly non-event. To learn more about that silly news published in the Post print edition today click on this link.

UPDATE. Very important information.

This will be a brief short story.

Last evening was the long-awaited Second Reading of Ordinance No. 2019-04 amending “Chapter 23 ‘Land Development Regulations’ Section 23.1-12, ‘Definitions’, and Section 23.6-1, ‘Landscape Regulations’ and setting the Second Reading and Public Hearing for April 2, 2019”.

So what does all this mean to you? 

To learn more about what happened last evening click on this link for a blog post from yesterday.

Ordinance 2019-04 passed unanimously with no discussion at the Lake Worth Beach City Commission.

There was no public comment.

The public and City leadership is done with talking.

The process will begin educating the public about the newly adopted Landscape Regulations with a public relations campaign getting the word out. And maybe this public information campaign will be something like the highly successful information campaign in September/October 2018 when the City switched from single-stream recycling to double-stream recycling.

Do you recall the ‘Recycle-Mageddon’?

This was the spin reported by some in the press and news media warning of chaos and people wandering about the streets in complete confusion. However, each and every week outlets like The Lake Worth Herald just kept funneling out the facts.

The TV news vans showed up anyway and reporters from the Palm Beach Post and Sun Sentinel but they had trouble finding anyone to interview. All was just fine. Because the news from journalist Katie Pyzyk at WasteDive had broken through all the noise and nonsense too.

And this City and The Lake Worth Herald and many others worked hard to get the word out. When October 1st, 2018 rolled around the change came and went and there was nary a complaint. Then came Tuesday then Wednesday then Thursday then Friday.

The first week went off without a hitch. or a recycling bucket if you wish. And the program has been working as it was intended all along.

The End.

Why look for the news in Lake Worth Beach when you can watch the news for yourself right now!

The video of last night’s Lake Worth Beach City Commission meeting is following this photo and caption.

Lake Worth Beach City Attorney Glen Torcivia had the honor of swearing-in District 4 City Commissioner Herman Robinson yesterday.

Click on photo to enlarge:

Later in the evening Vice Mayor Pro Tem Scott Maxwell was magnanimous and offered Robinson the position of vice mayor pro tem. Robinson chose to keep the City leadership as is with Maxwell in that requisite seat. District 3 Commissioner Andy Amoroso is vice mayor of Lake Worth Beach. The mayor of course is Mayor Pam Triolo.

Make no mistake. The positions of vice mayor and vice mayor pro tem are considered symbolic by many but they are actually very important in the process of governing. Several times in recent years due to scheduling or a trip to Tallahassee by the mayor the vice mayor took the gavel and Maxwell was vice mayor for the evening.

What follows is the YouTube video of the regularly scheduled Lake Worth Beach City Commission meeting last evening.

Just click on play and watch in segments if you wish.


FYI: The official City Seal will get the “Beach”. Just be patient. This will all take time and there is no rush.

Just enjoy the process
as Lake Worth Beach evolves!

Dumb news published in The Palm Beach Post and another “CORRECTION” too.

You will have to buy the print edition today to read the latest error and CORRECTION in the Post. Can tell you it has nothing at all to do with Lake Worth Beach.

The Post print edition is $2 now and a year all-inclusive subscription is $683.79. For more information about subscription rates send an email to:

subscriberservices@gatehousemedia.com

While Lake Worth Beach Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso was in City Hall last evening doing the hard work of government a beat reporter posted a really dumb news report about Andy. So dumb you won’t believe it. It’s a non-news story about a non-event in Lake Worth Beach.

That about sums it up, a story that should have been published in the “Comics and Puzzles” section because you will end up scratching your head and trying to figure out what the point is.

Have you ever been to Andy’s new location? All that information and a photograph of Andy smiling is below. Here are directions to Andy’s shop called Studio 205.

The address for Studio 205 is 205 N. Federal Hwy. The parking lot for Studio 205 can be accessed off 2nd Ave. North as well.

Click on map to enlarge, note that 2nd Ave. North

is a one-way street heading east.

Andy’s shop is the one with the white roof within the red box. The parking lot is on the west and north side of the building. Please follow the traffic signage and be aware of all one-way roads in the area.

Now briefly, back to the non-story in the Post today.

Not going to mention that silly news that somehow got published in the print edition of the Post today except to say it’s on p. 2 in the ‘LOCAL’ section on the right side of the page above the lottery numbers. Most newspaper readers don’t pay any attention to p. 2 in the LOCAL section anyway quickly turning the page for the community and business sections where the important and topical news is usually published. And most newspaper readers use smartphones and tablets to check their lottery numbers too. That technology became available some time in the 20th Century.

But what is worth noting is May 1st is the one-year anniversary of Gatehouse Media being the owner and publisher of The Palm Beach Post and the Post print edition is still printed in Broward County by the presses at the Sun Sentinel and once again an all-inclusive subscription to the Post is $683.79. All this information is located in today’s print edition on p. A2 below the latest “CORRECTION”, another error in the County’s paper of record.

But if you want to stop by and have a good laugh with Andy his juice bar, restaurant and newsstand is located at the corner of Federal Hwy. and 2nd Ave. North (see Andy smiling below). The phone number is 561-533-5272 and the store opens at 10:00 a.m. today. Andy is the one usually with the baseball cap on.

So. Why not stop by today or later this week?

Why? So when this week’s Lake Worth Herald comes out you know where to go!

Click on image to enlarge,
the Grand Opening last year and Andy is smiling.

Prior to opening up his new location for Studio 205 Andy’s shop was located on Lake Ave. Although this location is 400 s.f. smaller it’s much more functional Andy said.

News published in Palm Beach Post from 2015: “Greenacres begins the merge process with PBSO”.

Now fast forward to 2018.

“[T]here is no debate about the result. Overall crime is down, and available law-enforcement resources are far better.”

—Quote. Editorial, published in Palm Beach Post on March 10th, 2018 just prior to municipal elections in Greenacres. For more about quote click on this link.

Now fast forward to 2019. . .

What more have we learned about the PBSO merge with a nearby municipality in 2015? Not much if you only read the Post. If you only get your news from the Post you would know very little about this very important law enforcement, public policy and public safety issue.

Worth noting is Greenacres in both land area and population is larger than Lake Worth Beach.

The editor(s) at the Post, other than a brief reference on the editorial page back in 2018, have thus far clumsily avoided updating the community about what happened and what is happening in the City of Greenacres following the merge with PBSO.

It is now over ten years since the merge occurred between PBSO and the former LWPD.

But hopefully that intransigence will end soon now that municipal election season is over and before the 2019–2020 Election Season heats up. But don’t hold your breath.

Soon after the merge between PBSO and the Greenacres PD, the Post pulled their beat reporter from Greenacres and began focusing all their attention on Lake Worth the City instead. You may recall the Lake Worth Very Very Special Monday Cursory Print Edition (LWVVSMCPE) began in late 2015.

And for over three years now on this blog have been encouraging the editor(s) at the Post to provide an update on the merge between the former Greenacres PD and PBSO. From a public policy and public safety perspective this would be very important information for policymakers and the public as well. But for some reason PBSO in Greenacres is not very worthy news.

Going forward this is a question that may eventually be put on the table by other villages, towns and cities in Palm Beach County: “Should we merge with PBSO or keep our own police department?”

For some municipalities this choice may make perfect sense. For others maybe not. But the public needs to be informed about the issue. 

What has happened in Greenacres since 2015 is most certainly a case example. 


“Training for the city’s officers should start after Thanksgiving, with them scheduled to shadow PBSO deputies in January.”

—Published in The Palm Beach Post, dated Nov. 12th, 2015.




So next Monday, for over three years now, will be another LWVVSMCPE published in the Post. And then followed by the same Special Cities for the rest of the week. All the very same Six Special Cities. For over three years.

Question: Aren’t you about ready for some serious public policy news from other cities in Central Palm Beach County?

Like maybe about PBSO in Greenacres?

Meet the Six Special Cities,
click on newspaper clipping to enlarge:

“IN YOUR COMMUNITY”?

But what if you don’t live in one of the Six Special Cities? On May 1st 2018 GateHouse Media took over at the Post. Weren’t they supposed to come in and shake things up at that newspaper?

If you live in the friendly, outstanding City of Greenacres, do you remember when you once had a beat reporter from the Post covering your local news and politics?

It’s true. It actually happened once upon a time. And the proof is below, excerpts from an article published in the Post on Nov. 12th, 2015. The process of amalgamating a local police department with PBSO is a timely process and began in 2015 in Greenacres and was completed 2½ months later, in February 2016.


Like a blended family, merging a city’s police force with a sheriff’s office takes work. “There are a ton of meetings going on almost daily,” Public Safety Director Mike Porath told the City Council at the Nov. 2 [2015] meeting.

and. . .

But, between now and then, Porath said the city and PBSO still need to iron out several details, including merging county and city public records into one database, settling on how the gun range will be managed and determining which city ordinances Greenacres will keep and which county ordinances it will adopt.


Sheriff Bradshaw and PBSO took over for the Lake Worth PD in 2008 and you can read about that using this link. Back then there remained some concern about PBSO by some in the community but former Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill put a stop to that nonsense — here is what she said about PBSO’s contribution to the City of Lake Worth:

“Fabulous. They’ve exceeded our expectations. The Sheriff has done a fantastic job and it’s unquestionable that we want them to stay.”

Of course, Mulvehill called PBSO “Fabulous” only after the public caught on the plan all along was to end the contract with PBSO.

The video below is a press conference in May 2011 by a former City commissioner, Suzanne Mulvehill along with a former city manager, Susan Stanton “IN FULL RETREAT” after the community rallied to keep PBSO in our City.

Note: At the 6:15 mark Yours Truly asks Stanton two questions; however, she dodges both of them.

About last night. An evening with Wes Blackman exploring the history of College Park in Lake Worth Beach.

I wish to say Thank You to everyone who attended the presentation last night on the history of the College Park neighborhood in what is now called the City of Lake Worth Beach.

The presentation last evening was sponsored by the College Park Neighborhood Assoc. and they were the most wonderful of hosts at The Beach Club last evening.

One of the slides from the presentation:

If you wish to see the invitation sent out which includes some history about the College Park neighborhood click on this link.

A photo taken from last night. . .

. . . as Commissioner Herman Robinson looks on. Herman (on left at table) is being sworn-in today, 5:30 at Lake Worth Beach City Hall, re-elected the commissioner in District 4.

If you want to watch the presentation for yourself email me at: wesblackman@gmail.com

Was very pleased to have commissioners Omari Hardy and Herman Robinson in attendance and other notable notables and so many people from so many neighborhoods here in this City and from outside the City as well.

I was approached by a man who told me he was visiting family here. He told me how impressed he was about the condition of the roads and other changes he’s noticed. And he went on to say that is one of the reasons why he may relocate here from Michigan some time in the future.

Hearing that story was the best of news of all confirming to me that Lake Worth Beach is on the right track.

Also worth noting about last night was a gentleman named Arthur Mondale. He approached and handed me his card and told me he enjoyed watching the presentation. Mr. Mondale is a reporter at WPTV (NBC5) and he was there last night to learn more about this City. Mondale is a multi-media journalist and he is not yet listed on the NBC5 website of staff reporters but will share that link with everyone when it becomes available but in the meantime for everyone on Twitter click on this link for Mondale’s Twitter feed.

For a talk about the history of the College Park neighborhood was told it was the largest crowd ever for a College Park meeting and that was very good to hear. It’s somewhat humbling to know all this mundane research I’ve been doing for all these years has become of much interest and am absolutely honored to share it with everyone.

There is no way to prove this and it is completely anecdotal but this City once called “Lake Worth” seems to be getting a whole lot more interest since becoming Lake Worth Beach and most of it positive.

People I’ve talked to that know a thing or two about social media and marketing and public relations are still a bit shocked that Question #1 passed on Election Day, March 12th. Because being surprised proves once again that gauging public opinion is not always accurate. The public can surprise the experts now and then. And that is exactly what Lake Worth Beach has done.

For some history is carved in stone. Others see history as a flexible thing subject to change while honoring history. And I think this City has done an exceptional job finding the middle ground.

And I see a long and bright future for Lake Worth Beach despite an occasional bump in the road.

Public meetings and proper etiquette. A refresher in Lake Worth Beach.

The City Commission meets tonight (Tues., April 2nd at 6:00) for a regularly scheduled public meeting in City Hall. In preparation for this public meeting are two scenarios.

One is the dreaded ‘open mic’ (Situation #1) and the other is from Mr. Joshua Borgmann about, “The 4 things you need to know for good meeting etiquette” (Situation #2). Borgmann provides a short video demonstrating these very helpful tips.


Without further ado. . .

Situation #1.

You’re in a very important meeting and a 10-minute break is called. But you might need more than 10 minutes. What do you do?

I hope this information below is helpful, especially for those who may find themselves in an awkward situation, so you don’t have to worry about ever reading a quote like this:

“We’re not running a cruise line here”.

—Quote by District 1 Commissioner
Scott Maxwell. 

This quote by Maxwell is from December 2016 at a City Commission meeting and was quite the moment. Towards the end of the meeting Mayor Pam Triolo called for a 10-minute break and everyone left the dais. After the ten minute break everyone returned, except for former-Commissioner Ryan Maier.

After a while, frustrated that Maier wasn’t answering the call to return over the loudspeaker, Maxwell said, “We’re not running a cruise line here”, to the City Clerk.

Maxwell wasn’t aware the mic was still on!

Oooops. Everyone in City Hall heard what Maxwell said including everyone watching the meeting at home Live Streaming. Eventually word got to Maier that the meeting was not over. Eventually he did return, without an explanation for his absence, and the meeting resumed.

So! If you think you need more than the stated break time make sure to let the Chair of the meeting know. And always check to make sure the mic is not on as well.

Situation #2.

Do you think you need a refresher about meeting etiquette, paying attention to the clock?

Below are some quick tips from Mr. Borgmann “so you don’t look stupid”! From Mr. Joshua Borgmann are these four very important etiquette tips:


“First, to be on time. [emphasis added] Second, make instructions. Third, have a strong agenda. And lastly, stay off your phone and sit at the appropriate height of everyone else in the meeting so you don’t look stupid.”

Enjoy the video and hope you found
this information helpful!

Where are we now with the new and revised landscape regulations in the City of Lake Worth Beach?

Thank you for visiting today once again.

As to the question, what is going on with the revised, reworked, rewritten, re-updated, re-looked-at, reconsidered and re-thought landscape regulations in Lake Worth Beach?

FINAL PUBLIC MEETING IS TONIGHT.

TONIGHT at 6:00 is Second Reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 2019-04 at Lake Worth Beach City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

And it will be a very bad sign going forward if the vote tonight is not unanimous by the City Commission.

And please. For everyone in the public thinking about showing up tonight at public comment and claiming they don’t know what is going on with the City’s Landscape Regulations I hope Mayor Pam Triolo has some very choice words for you.


But first. . .


UPDATE 1: Lake Worth Commissioner Herman Robinson will be sworn-in today at 5:30 for another term on the City Commission. This time a three-year term.

UPDATE 2: There is a Tree Board panel discussion coming up on April 11th. Cited in the press release is the International Society of Aboriculture and the mission, “Through research, technology, and education, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees.”

The City of Lake Worth Beach is very unique in that this City has its own Electric Utility and much has been learned about keeping the electric grid safe during major storms. And Lake Worth Beach is very palm tree friendly. It may be cool is some places to disparage the palm tree, which is not really a tree, but we really like them anyhow. Mr. Dave McGrew is the official horticulturist in Lake Worth Beach. McGrew will be one of the panelists at this upcoming panelists on the panel discussion and his experience during major storms will be a valuable one for discussion.

Now back to the public meeting tonight at City Hall.

Here was a very important item on the City Commission agenda on Tuesday, March 19th under Item 12, “New Business”:


Ordinance No. 2019-04 — First Reading — Amending Chapter 23 ‘Land Development Regulations’ Section 23.1-12, ‘Definitions’, and Section 23.6-1, ‘Landscape Regulations’ and setting the Second Reading and Public Hearing for April 2, 2019” [emphasis added]


The vote at the City Commission two weeks ago was unanimous to move the new landscape ordinances forward.

Looking back. How did we get here?

Recall that Hurricane Irma in September 2017 changed everything. Not directly, but indirectly, Hurricane Maria also in 2017 changed South Florida forever. And then Michael last year clarified things even further. Following Irma hardening the Lake Worth Electric Utility became a topic of great concern and at the City Commission too. And there is a thing called a tie-line to the grid. Stay tuned for more about that at a later time.

Question: Are you a big fan of Jon Smith Subs on Congress Ave. in the Village of Palm Springs? If you recall you were also impacted by Hurricane Irma. Not only were damaged trees and vegetation a problem getting to that popular eatery but a huge billboard fell on Jon Smith Subs too. They were closed for seventeen days.

The public road network was looked at after those hurricanes. Public safety and public health was addressed, access for emergency vehicles, communication network, underground utilities, and even the economic health of this City was looked at too.


FYI: If this topic is not of interest to you please take just one moment and scroll down to see a Tweet from the Tampa Bay Times, twelve-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize.


If you recall in October last year, as nicely and as curt as possible, the Lake Worth City Commission reviewed the revised, reworked, rewritten, rectified, and redacted landscape regulations. In other words, the regulations were overhauled. Again.

When this proposed ordinance was first presented to the Commission last year the electeds said, “Sorry, you need to get back to work.” They were given some spirited direction and the staff said “Thank You” and off they went.

Just last February the altered and adjusted and edited and fixed and changed and amended landscape regulations went through both the Planning & Zoning Board (P&Z) and the Historic Resource Preservation Board (HRPB) for review.

After some discussion last month both P&Z and HRPB said, “OK. We like it.”

This all began last October at City Hall. When the City Commission first got a good look at the newly-proposed landscape regulations one could say, “All hell broke loose.” The electeds told staff to go back to work and start all over again. Then in early January a proposed landscape ordinance came back to the Commission and the electeds on the dais said not good enough. Get back to work. To read all about that click on this link.

Worth noting also last February was the annual Tree Festival. The theme for this year’s festival was “Make Lake Worth Cool!”

On that point yes, everyone loves shade trees. Shade trees are not the issue. As hurricanes Irma and Michael have demonstrated the issue is public safety and where shade trees are located: away from power lines, roadways, sidewalks and underground utilities.

In short the issue comes down to, “Balancing shade vs. public safety in hurricane-prone South Florida”.

The Florida Panhandle never expected a direct hit.

No one does.

The math facing residents after Hurricane Michael is daunting. Can they afford to stay? Should they? https://t.co/8nZJzkrSQi

— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) February 2, 2019

Now back to landscape regulations.

For quite a long time the public in this City has been demanding understandable, concise, and palm tree-friendly landscaping rules. For those who enjoy palm trees the revised landscape regulations will offer some welcome relief.

Everyone takes a sigh of relief on December 1st when Hurricane Season ends. But if you’ve been following the updates you would know this year’s Vegetation Amnesty Week is from May 27th–31st. Because on June 1st begins another Hurricane Season.

If and when a new landscape ordinance is adopted it will need the approval of the public. And that will be a “Big If ”. It will all depend on how many onerous regulations are lined out. If not enough then all this could quite possibly go back to Square One once again.

And also “Worth Noting”.

All the City logos with a palm tree!

The revised landscape ordinance will restore honor to the palm tree! True. The palm tree is not really a tree. But the public loves them anyhow!

If a new landscape ordinance is ultimately approved by the City Commission there will follow a massive public information campaign to get the word out to the public and the business community.

Hope many from the public interested in this important topic show up at City Hall tonight for Second Reading.

A change of pace today. Bringing some unexpected soulshine to Lake Worth Beach and remembering Irma.

October and November are a special time in the City of Lake Worth. And hopefully this will be a special time later this year in Lake Worth Beach.

In October and November are a lot of very special events and just one of them is the annual Lake Worth Has Talent show held at the Lake Worth Playhouse to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. That event is the kickoff for the 2019–2020 Snowbird, Christmas and Holiday Season. It will be a Who’s Who and What’s What of Lake Worth Beach.

But in 2017 there was no Lake Worth Has Talent show. An L-Dub Film Festival scheduled for October 2017 was cancelled too. Planned events at the Casino and Beach Complex were rescheduled and a lot of people were busy putting their lives back together. City employees and our elected leadership and the administration were worked to the bone.

What happened is Hurricane Irma happened in September 2017.

Lucky him. Mr. Ed Liberty was hired in June 2017 to be the director of the Electric Utility. Talk of the unexpected and what would soon be churning off the Ivory Coast.

Not many people think much about things like the Lake Worth Beach Public Services Dept. But a whole lot of people were thinking about the Public Services Dept. in October two years ago. And a whole lot of people were thinking about the Electric Utility too.

The big news in August/September 2017 was about a marijuana dispensary on Dixie Hwy. It was front page news in The Palm Beach Post. But then came hints of an approaching storm.

Which delves into the unexpected soulshine today.

Have you ever seen the video of Jamie Brown and his rendition of Soulshine at the very first Lake Worth Has Talent show? See that video below.

It was this performance that brought the house down, a rousing standing applause by the crowd that stirred up the ghosts at the Playhouse too.

Who is Jamie Brown? He is the director of the Lake Worth Beach Public Services Dept.

For the time being the City’s website is shut down and will be relaunched soon. And there is a lot of complaining now which is typical anyway in every time of the year.

Today at 5:30 is the swearing-in of City Commissioner Herman Robinson and at 6:00 is a regularly scheduled City Commission meeting.

If you plan on showing up tonight and speaking at public comment please say something nice and positive about the City of Lake Worth Beach and the employees, staff, the administration and our elected leaders too.

None of them know what is going to happen when Hurricane Season begins and no one else does either. But everyone will have to work together if we do get hit by another major hurricane. Make no mistake. Irma was a major storm. But it was nothing like Wilma. Or Francis.

About the video: Mark Easton was in attendance that Sunday afternoon. Easton is the publisher of The Lake Worth Herald and he had to quickly switch cameras to get this performance of the Blues classic, Soulshine.

Hope you enjoy this video from 2015 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, one of the performances at the Lake Worth Has Talent show:

FYI: “Soulshine” is a song recorded by The Allman Brothers Band and released on their 1994 album “Where It All Begins,” written by guitarist Warren Haynes with vocals by Gregg Allman. Song’s title originates from Haynes’ nickname, given by his father. Although never released as a single, it still remains one of the Allmans’ best known songs among fans and concert-goers.

“Marketing / Advertising / Reputation Mgmt. / Branding / Social Media”

Do you remember the all-day Visioning Session held at Lake Worth City Hall on July 24th, 2018?

Did you see the story about that public meeting in The Palm Beach Post? No you did not.

Because the Post never showed up. But thankfully The Lake Worth Herald was there, a lot of the public came and went all day, there is a video of that meeting too and there were a lot of photos taken.


See one of those photos below.


That photo is of a list of notes and the first theme/priority written down referred to adding “Beach” to the City’s name. And then later that question went to the voters by referendum. On March 12th the electorate said “Yes” and on March 19th Lake Worth Beach was officially ratified by the City Commission.

And all this officially began on July 24th at the Lake Worth City Hall at a public meeting.

It should be noted the editor at The Lake Worth Herald is still not at all happy about this City changing its name. And in a truly funny line last year he referred to the facilitator brought in to guide that Visioning Session as Carnac the Magnificent, the “mystic from the East who could psychically divine unknown answers to unseen questions”.

There were indeed a lot of unknown answers to unseen questions at that Visioning Session last year but “Beach” was not one of them. And the consultant brought in by City Manager Michael Bornstein was Mr. Kevin Knutson with plenty of experience: “Government management, strategic planning, finance, media relations, and communications leader with 21 years experience in high-performing municipal governments.”

Before we go forward there is an update.

If you did not know the official website for Lake Worth Beach is being reworked and will be relaunched hopefully sooner than later. Not even public meetings and agenda outlines are available for the public. A lot of people are going to be very upset about this.

The problem is in the meantime this void of information is going to be filled. And unfortunately some of the public will end up at the Lake Worth Wikipedia page and that is a real shame. There is some very accurate and helpful information on the page but also included is a lot of clever propaganda, mis- and disinformation. Will have more about this tomorrow but in the meantime don’t bother going to Wikipedia and fixing any of this. Because whoever is doing this will just follow behind you and change it back.

Someone or some group is very upset that this City renamed itself Lake Worth Beach. And unfortunately the Lake Worth Wikipedia page has always been a place for monkeywrenching of one sort or another. Wikipedia is a public page so be very suspicious of anything you read. And verify any facts you read too. The Lake Worth Wikipedia page is interesting and fun as well. And for that reason it is for “Entertainment Only”.

Now on to “Visioning”. . .

On July 24th, 2018 this City of Lake Worth, now called Lake Worth Beach, held an all-day “Visioning Work Session” at City Hall organized by City Manager Michael Bornstein with a consultant in attendance.

Yes, there was some blunt talk that day. Because that is what was supposed to happen. The elected leaders, administration and staff spoke openly about some very tough issues. Then out of that meeting something truly ridiculous happened.

On March 5th this year, exactly one week to the day prior to Election Day, came ‘Breaking News’ from Florida Bulldog headlined “Lake Worth uses cops, code enforcement in brazen effort to get rid of city’s poor”. This ‘news’ was supposed to rattle the City. It barely made a ripple.

This so-called ‘Breaking News’ in Florida Bulldog was so ridiculous it wasn’t picked up by even one single news outlet. Not one. The Palm Beach Post never even referred to it. No one even bothered to refer to it on Wikipedia either. But that story in Florida Bulldog is just one sample of the nonsense that has been reported about what happened at that public meeting at City Hall last July.

Although this meeting was well publicized and publicly noticed only the editor from The Lake Worth Herald was in attendance. No TV news reporters showed up.

No reporter from The Palm Beach Post showed up either.

If a reporter from the Post had attended this meeting they would have learned the City of Lake Worth was considering the idea of changing the name of this City to become the “City of Lake Worth Beach” (see image below).

Also at the table that day:

• Mayor Pam Triolo.
• Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso (District 3).
• Vice Mayor Pro Tem Scott Maxwell (District 1).
• Commissioner Herman Robinson (District 4).
• Commissioner Omari Hardy (District 2).
• Assistant City Manager Juan Ruiz.
• Director of Community Sustainability William Waters.

The consistent theme throughout the day was it’s time to look forward. It’s time to start ignoring those old tired footsteps from the past.

“Where We’re Going . . .
Themes  →  Priorities”

Branding/Name Change Add “Beach”?

Whilst on visions, let’s take another look back to the City’s Visioning Session last July and a “very difficult and public conversation about code enforcement.”

So. Did anything come from that Visioning Session last July on the topic of code enforcement?

One could clearly say the answer to that question is “Yes”. The slumlords have gotten the message loud and clear:


“[S]tep up and spend money to comply with basic community-wide standards, sell to someone who will, or I will authorize liens and foreclosures till their eyes bleed.”

—Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein as quoted in The Lake Worth Herald, article headlined “The Day Has Come For Slumlords in Lake Worth” published on October 11th, 2018.

“Florida Fears That Lake Okeechobee Is Dying”: An old recurring theme in South Florida that never gets too old for some.

“Lake Okeechobee, giant linchpin of the water resource network of south Florida and the Everglades, is dying, and the state government is mobilizing to rescue the lake and prevent what some experts fear could be an environmental disaster.”

—Dateline: Buckhead Ridge, FL, by New York Times reporter Jon Nordheimer, August 21st, 1986 . . .



However, thirty-two years later, an amazing thing happens when searching for current fishing conditions in Lake Okeechobee.

Public meeting this evening, April 1st, 6:30 at The Beach Club. Topic: history of College Park neighborhood in Lake Worth.

And the history of College Park has turned another page to the chapter titled. . .

In Lake Worth Beach.

Unique to College Park is the naming of each street after prominent American colleges and universities. From Wellesley to Maryland, from Holy Cross to Vanderbilt, and from Carolina to Notre Dame. College Park extends from the east side of Dixie Hwy. (US1) to the Lake Worth Lagoon and from the north side of Wellesley Drive to Spillway Park and the C-51 Canal.


Here is the announcement from the College Park Neighborhood Assoc. about the event from 6:30–8:30 at The Beach Club bistro:


We are excited to announce we have a special presentation on the history of College Park presented by Wes Blackman. Wes has been a resident of Lake Worth since 1992 and Wes has been active in historic preservation and planning in Palm Beach County for many years. He has also been the recipient of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award Outstanding Achievement in Restoration/Rehabilitation.


The Beach Club is located at the City’s municipal golf course. The address is #1 7th Ave. North.

The staff at The Beach Club is exceptionally courteous and they will have their full menu available.

The history of College Park is a very long one and just recently happened to come across new information which will surprise many of you.

And if you happen to be an investor, a developer or a Realtor you will be interested to learn about three contiguous vacant lots on Dixie Hwy. in College Park. That now vacant place was the former location of the Patio Coffee Shop which may once again be the location of another restaurant some day soon.

And there is the nearby Spillway Park too and the small boat traffic that once upon a time went back and forth from the Glades Region along the Palm Beach Canal past Lake Clarke Shores and into the Intracoastal prior to the S-155 being constructed. What is the S-155? It’s more commonly referred to as the Spillway water control structure that one can see between Dixie and Federal highways. There used to be a marina there once before. And bait and tackle shops all along Dixie Hwy. And boat lots selling all sorts of boats and motors too.

Once again this public event will begin at 6:30 this evening at The Beach Club bistro at the golf course in Lake Worth Beach.

Worth another look. Rising to the next level: Advice from a Delray Beach businessman.

I received the most unfortunate correspondence from a visitor to Lake Worth from a Delray businessman (see letter below). Hard to believe, but it’s been well over 3½ decades since our City of Lake Worth had a Downtown store for a man to purchase a quality pant for a business or professional meeting. Incredulous.

If you cover your eyes and throw a Bouncing Ball high up in the air over our Downtown, when it comes down and bounces around you’ll hit three or four stores that sell a women’s pant but if you’re a man in need of a business pant you are out of luck.

Read the letter below — from over 6½ years ago! — and ask yourself this question: How much of a future does our City really have if we don’t have a quality store for a businessman to buy a pant for a business meeting?


Dear Blogger, I was recently in your charming city and had a most unfortunate experience. I live in Delray Beach and have a small consulting firm. Received a message from one of your Lake Worth business owners about a project she was considering in the downtown. We set up a meeting at the restaurant Brogues Downunder for early afternoon, just a casual meeting we both agreed. I took the shuttle in downtown Delray Beach to the TriRail en route to Lake Worth and then the cab to your downtown.
     On the cab ride received a call that our meeting was now to include not just my contact but other Lake Worth residents with influence in your city. Now here I am dressed Florida casual with nice shoes, fashionable short sleeve shirt, and SHORTS! Exquisite shorts, Hilfiger, but still shorts. I was so upset I instructed the cabbie to hurry to the downtown area so I could purchase a pair of men’s business pants for the meeting. Just the thought of being at a professional meeting at Brogues wearing shorts was horrifying. Not having a suit jacket is one thing but not having long pants is downright uncivilized.
     I get to the downtown and I rush madly down your Lake Avenue looking for a men’s pants store. Then I traverse over to your Lucerne Avenue and cannot find a men’s pants store there either. I couldn’t believe it. Frantically I stopped a man on a Segway and he told me, “Sorry, Sir, Lake Worth doesn't have any men’s pants stores.” Appalling. With just minutes to go, now desperate, I happened on a store with women’s clothing and did what I had to do.
     The meeting went very well and your city is so charming. The people of Lake Worth are so nice and pleasant. Must say the potential of your city is limitless. Oh, and the Grilled Mahi at Brogues Downunder was the best Mahi ever. Superbly cooked.
     After the meeting went to a friends house to change back into my casual clothes and thought, hey, why don’t I take picture of myself first! What better way to show the need for men’s fashion in your fine city.
     So here is my picture attached.

Sincerely,
GRH

You decide. Is this acceptable?

If you think this is a big problem, contact
the City of Lake Worth’s Dept. of Economic
Development and the Lake Worth Community
Redevelopment Agency too and say, “We need a
store for men to buy a business pant!”