Yesterday in Lake Worth Beach, the Stars and Stripes Flute Orchestra!

This is a short video from the concert in the City Hall Annex building. Enjoy!

Ending the Iguana Plague in South Florida: Everyone hope for a deep cold snap this 2019–2020 Winter Season.

Worth noting in Lake Worth Beach: This year is the ten year anniversary of the Great Iguana Crisis of 2009 which was no crisis at all for connoisseurs of fresh iguana meat on the grill! And yes it’s true, iguana does taste a whole lot like chicken.

Later in this blog post today is more about the 2009 Iguana Plague as reported by a Lake Worth blogger at the time, Mr. Tom McGow.

A freshly butchered iguana is delicious but a frozen iguana is a public menace. What happened in 2009 is iguanas sought safety in trees and other high perches to avoid predators and the dinner plate but when they freeze and lose their grip they fall to the ground creating a public safety hazard for people, pets and property.

As bad as the iguana infestation is this year in many areas in South Florida, next year could very well be much worse. Mother Nature in South Florida only has one long-term answer to solving the infestation of iguanas. And that is 2–3 days of very cold weather with overcast skies so the critters cannot warm their bodies up during the daytime.

When the temperature hovers near freezing on the first night it zaps the reptile’s energy but they can still hang on. On day two around midnight is when they begin falling out of trees which sounds funny but it’s not if it lands on your head or on your pets head. Or your car.

And then on Day 3 when the sun goes down it’s “Thump! Thump! Thump!” all night long. It’s not all bad though for those who enjoy eating iguana and below are a few new recipes. But for everyone else hope for the best.

Because if this weather prediction is accurate, well, we’re in for some deep doo-doo next Spring and Summer. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a mild Winter in South Florida. That is good news for iguanas and very bad news for humans.

This 2018 iguana infestation was big news in the Sun Sentinel, The Coastal Star, and other press outlets. This very serious problem was first noted in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in the Sun Sentinel in June 2018 (see news below). Reporter Dan Moffet at The Coastal Star broke the news about the infestation of iguanas here in Central Palm Beach County as well. Here is more helpful information:

Ways to eliminate iguanas, news from WLRN reporter Nancy Klingener:

According to the FWC [Fish and Wildlife Commission], iguanas are not protected in Florida — except by anti-animal cruelty laws. It is legal to shoot them on private property during daylight hours with the property owners’ permission — but everyone should check with their local law enforcement agency about local laws regarding firearms before discharging them. [emphasis added]


DO NOT HUNT IGUANA within municipal limits of Lake Worth Beach or in unincorporated areas in Palm Beach County with a shotgun, rifle, handgun, crossbow, bow and arrow, blow gun, or any weapon that fires a projectile unless you contact PBSO first (or your local law enforcement agency) and find out what the rules are. More helpful information:

• For the video, “How to Kill and Eat an Iguana” click on this link.
• Recommended on this blog is the grilled tail with Wicked Okra and crusted Sriracha and also quite a delicacy are Iguana Carnitas Tacos using other cuts of meat from this invasive pest.
• Here in the City of Lake Worth many iguana meat lovers call Hot n’ Sweet Mango Sauce “to die for”, an essential with any iguana dish.

The news about iguanas should be front page news in food section too if you happen to be a connoisseur of iguana tails and other prime cuts from the genus Iguana rhinolophus. Iguanas are referred to as Gallinas de Palo (“Chicken of the Tree” in Spanish) and they are delicious! Really. It’s true. Especially when cooked on a gas grill because “Nine out of 10 professional chefs” prefer clean Green natural gas to propane.

Iguanas, if you didn’t know, are not native to South Florida. You see them around because people buy them as pets and release them when the creature gets too big. The population of iguanas goes away after a deep freeze. Ergo, that sound you hear of something falling out of the tree and hitting the ground with a loud “Thump”.

Sun Sentinel reporters Ellie Rushing and Doreen Christensen broke the iguana plague story in June 2018. A pestilence that has now reached Central Palm Beach County. Click on this link to read about “Out of control iguanas infesting South Florida”, an excerpt from the Sentinel by reporters Rushing and Christensen:


South Florida’s not quite Jurassic Park, but it’s getting close.
     Packs of green iguanas are swarming seawalls, roaming yards and parks, and leaving a path of destruction and filth in their wake. Like a shot of espresso, the hot summer sun has stoked activity in the cold-blooded creatures, which experts say may be at record numbers.
     “This year is the most iguanas I’ve seen and I’ve been in business for nine years,” says Thomas Portuallo, owner of Fort Lauderdale-based Iguana Control. [emphasis added] He says the invasive lizards are out of control with “many hundreds of thousands” creeping around Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

The Great Iguana Crisis in 2009.

What happened during The Great Iguana Crisis here in Lake Worth Beach is the stuff of lore and legend. Jeff Clemens was the mayor of this City then and it was during this crisis when anarchist Cara Jennings (a former commissioner, 2006–2010) rose to the challenge that Winter ten years ago. It was bad. Real bad. Iguanas were everywhere. A true plague in every sense. Unless, of course, you’re an afficionado of perfectly cooked and seasoned iguana tail, legs, loin, strip, etc.

Back in January 2009 was a dangerous time for Lake Worth residents including a report of a Yorkshire Terrier being squashed by an iguana that froze and fell out of a tree. In a blog post written back then by the inimitable Mr. Tom McGow (see below), then-Mayor Jeff Clemens was quoted:


“We are in a state of crisis this morning,” stated Lake Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens. “We will be closing all city parks until this crisis has passed.”

Dateline: Monday, January 19, 2009,
City of Lake Worth, Florida:

     The chilly weather in South Florida this week was cold enough to force some iguanas to fall from trees.
     Experts say the cold-blooded reptiles go into a deep sleep when the temperature falls into the 40s. Their bodies basically shut off and they lose their grip on the tree.”

and. . . 

     “[Cara] Jennings has proposed shutting down the courts at the shuffleboard center and enclosing them as a haven for the iguanas. ‘I have already looked in to a State Grant Program to provide heating pads and lettuce for the Iguanas until this crisis passes’, commented Jennings.”


If you haven’t figured it out by now the ‘news’ above about Jeff Clemens and Cara Jennings was an excellent parody by the inimitable former blogger Tom McGow.

But in all seriousness, 2009 was a very bad year for iguana infestation.

So in preparation for this Winter it might be a good idea to find recipes ahead of time for cooking the “Chicken of the Tree”. For most people, if you recall, grilling is the preferred method.

If you’re interested in learning more about The Great Iguana Crisis click on this link to read the entire article by the inimitable Mr. McGow. . .

AND REMEMBER! If a very cold Winter is coming up and you have tall trees in the backyard keep in mind that highly unusual sound. . .

Thump.
It’s Dinnertime!

 The Iguana, genus Iguana rhinolophus.

The pest, or as some people call it, dinner.

Hope you found this blog post informative, helpful and entertaining as well.

Here are some recommendations on discouraging iguanas:

• Never feed iguanas.
• Keep a water hose ready and available to spray basking iguanas on pool decks or boats.
• A startling noise will also create an unwelcome atmosphere for a sunning iguana.
• Hang CDs near seawalls or dangle them like wind chimes from trees or prized plants. Their reflective surfaces often scare away iguanas.
• Protect plants with cages or screen enclosures.
• Use iguana-resistant plants such as citrus, milkweed, pigeon plum, oleanders, coonties, etc., in your landscape.
• Avoid planting iguana favorites such as hibiscus, orchids, impatiens, roses, garden greens, melons, etc.
• Remove protective cover such as dense thickets and piles of landscape timber or rocks.
• Fill vacant burrows with rocks.

This FWCC link provides additional information on removal, deterrents and prevention of iguanas.

Please feel free to contact the FWCC Regional office at 561-625-5122 to speak with a wildlife assistance biologist or an exotic species biologist.

Have a wonderful July 4th!

Prancing in Lake Worth Beach, begin the preparations!

For the upcoming 2019–2020 Snowbird Season the L-Dub Prancers will once again form up near World Thrift located at 2425 N. Dixie Hwy., then prance south and tackle the two abandoned shopping cart obstacle courses to one of our treasured medical marijuana dispensaries, take a short break and a long deep breath, cross Dixie and start singing and prancing north past our one and only elementary charter school to Tacos Al Carbon for lunch and then spend the rest of the day shopping at World Thrift!

How cool is that?

For those of you unfamiliar with prancing:

What is this sport? It’s called “Prancercise”,
a novel way of prancing.

Please watch this instructional video.

Then there’s this variation on the theme:
 

Start getting excited about prancing
classes once again in Lake Worth Beach!

Today and tonight in downtown Lake Worth Beach.

Click on banner to enlarge:

What else is going on? For more news from Lake Worth Beach click on this link.

Lake Worth Beach press release.

Lake Worth Beach, Florida — The 18th Annual Great American Raft Race will take place in Bryant Park as part of the City of Lake Worth Beach 4th of July celebrations. This year’s theme is “As Seen on TV”. The race is preceded by a parade of competitors down Lake Avenue to Bryant Park starting at 11:00 a.m. The Great American Raft Race is organized by the Neighborhood Association Presidents Council and is an opportunity for local groups to take part in friendly competition and celebrate life in the quirky City by the Sea.

Please note that in order to accommodate the race the City will be closing down the Bryant Park boat ramps on Wednesday, July 3, 2019 at 9:00 p.m. and will reopen them on Thursday, July 4, 2019 at 10:00 p.m.

For more information please contact Ben Kerr, Public Information Officer at 561-586-1631; email: BKerr@lakeworth.org

The Palm Beaches [sic] Marathon: A 26.2 mile race yet to reach its potential.

The Palm Beaches [sic] Marathon will be held in early December later this year. This full marathon, the 26.2 mile race route has been slightly improved over the years but not by much. For example, there is no beach along the full marathon route. Not one single beach.

Should this race be called the Palms Marathon instead? There are plenty of beautiful palm trees along the race route but not one single beach.

West Palm Beach is the star each year for the Palm Beaches Marathon but West Palm does not have a beach. Lake Worth Beach has a beach but each and every year the full marathon falls short of our beach. What LWB should do is what the Town of Palm Beach did: tell the organizers of the Palm Beaches Marathon to go pound sand somewhere else. Later in this blog post is information about all that.

For residents and business owners in this City of Lake Worth that’s where you come in. Start lobbying now for a better presence and a better stage for our City in this year’s race and years beyond. Our City deserves an equal seat at the table, not just race infill or an afterthought.

The Town of Palm Beach rejected the Palm Beaches Marathon last year. They said it wasn’t “town-serving”. Our City of Lake Worth needs to demand this annual race serve our City better than it has in the past. How many in the public and those in the running community even know part of the full 26.2 mile marathon goes through this little City?

Several City neighborhoods are included in the race and all are east of Dixie Hwy. and the runners never even get one single glimpse of the Lake Worth Lagoon off the shores of LWB. Runners will see a lot of the Intracoastal in West Palm (No Beach) though. Ironic. It’s not called the West Palm Beach Lagoon for a reason.

Question: Did you know of all the types of races in the Palm Beaches Marathon event lineup (there are several of different length and skill level), the biggest and by far the most popular is the 26.2 mile race called a full marathon as opposed to a half marathon and other shorter races.

Organizers hope this annual event will some day rise to the level of the Boston and New York marathons.

But for this City the full marathon is basically race infill. Race designers picking the streets and turns to make it exactly 26.2 miles. The race does not make it to the Casino at the Beach. The race does not make it to either of our iconic Downtown streets: Lake and Lucerne avenues. The race doesn’t even come close to the Cultural Plaza. How sad.

Remember, last year the Town of Palm Beach rejected the Palm Beaches Marathon. Their elected leaders called it not “town-serving”. That’s right. Rejected. Get out of town.

So what are residents, business and restaurant owners in this City of Lake Worth to do? Here are several ideas:

Start contacting the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, your elected leaders here in the City of Lake Worth, and the good folks at LULA Lake Worth Arts and tell them you want the 2019 Palm Beaches Marathon to be more “town-serving” for our City.

What happened in the Town of Palm Beach last year? Why did they reject the race?

How we got to this point starting off with the news in the Palm Beach Daily News.

In August 2018 organizers of this marathon had a glimmer of hope the Town of Palm Beach would allow the race to enter the town according to journalist William Kelly at the Shiny Sheet. But those hopes were dashed on August 15th.


Deputy Town [of Palm Beach] Manager Jay Boodheshwar said marathon organizers must meet several conditions to receive a special event permit from the council that would allow bringing the marathon into town. Councilman Lew Crampton suggested last week that marathon organizers make a donation to the town in return for being able to bring the race here. [emphasis added]

and. . .

     “It’s not in the interest, I think, of our residents,” Lindsay [Councilwoman Bobbie Lindsay] said. “It’s a small town, it’s quiet, they’re here to have peace and quiet … it’s a drain on our police and also the rest of our staff.”


Here is more news from reporter Ian Cohen at the Shiny Sheet, more excerpts:


The Town Council on Wednesday [8/15/2018] voted 4-1 to reject a permit request by the marathon’s managing director, Kenneth Kennerly, to allow the annual race to run through about 1.2 miles of town.

and. . .

     “It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving. The president [U.S. President Donald Trump] will be in town,” Moore [Council President Danielle Moore] said. “This would just be another piece of a very complicated weekend in Palm Beach. It causes me great consternation to think about the things that could possibly go wrong.”


The Lake Worth Tropical Triathlon every year uses the Robert Harris (“Lake Worth”) Bridge and the Casino as part of the course for runners. So why can’t the organizers of the Palm Beaches Marathon find a route to include our Casino in this City?

In 2017 it was sort of like the organizers tweaked the race to make it exactly 26.2 miles and that was our City’s only role. The stars of the show, of course, were the Town of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach.

About the race two years ago from the organizers of the Palm Beaches Marathon:


“We [2017 Palm Beaches Marathon] have worked to improve the course from previous years, in order to make the route the best and most scenic as possible. The Marathon course will be a Boston Qualifier, and fast, flat and beautiful. For the first time in the event’s 14 year history we will be crossing into the Town of Palm Beach!”

Below is the Lake Worth leg of the
2017 full marathon race.

Click on image to enlarge:

Full marathon runners in 2017 entered the City, headed east on Duke Dr., then south on Lakeside Drive to 10th Ave. North. and then at the turn exiting the City on Federal Hwy.

In 2018 runners ran seven blocks further south prior to the turnaround. To see the 2018 map of the full marathon race click on this link.

The Palm Beaches Marathon in 2019?

Make your voice heard! Further on over the bridge to the Lake Worth Casino!

A Look Back: “Historical Overview of our Current City Hall (former Municipal Auditorium)”

It’s hard to believe sometimes . . . this blog began 13 years ago. Now and then, especially for new or recently new blog readers, I’ll go back and find a blog post about our City’s history that will surprise a lot of residents, especially all those who’ve come to call Lake Worth Beach “home” in the last 2–3 years or so.

Looking back through some of those early posts found this one about Lake Worth City Hall from August 2006. The current City Hall was once the City’s Municipal Auditorium, what you know now as the “City Hall Annex” at the Cultural Plaza was City Hall “back in the day”.

Enjoy this look back in our City’s history and how the current City Hall came to be, a blog post titled, “Historical Overview of our Current City Hall”.

Click on images to enlarge:

“Strong Towns” and the public narrative (storytelling) coming to Lake Worth Beach on Wednesday, June 26th.

To get registered for this seminar at the Casino and Beach Complex including ticket prices, guest speakers and list of sponsors, all that information is later in this blog post today. This all-day event (7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) will include breakfast and lunch and FREE parking is also available.

This event is called “Planning Challenges 2019: City Stories” organized by the Palm Beach County Planning Congress (PBCPC).

Excited to announce Daniel Herriges — a long-time contributor and content manager for Strong Towns — will be the keynote speaker at this event in Lake Worth Beach.

Strong Towns is “a nonpartisan organization where strong citizens from across the political spectrum can gather around the common goal of making the Strong Towns approach real in more places. We consistently find that our movement is uniquely politically diverse, and our readership consists of people identifying as broadly liberal, conservative, moderate, and everything in between.”

At this event on Wednesday the Palm Beach County Planning Congress will have master storytellers and a wide-ranging group of well-known planners and other professionals, community members and leaders including keynote storyteller Daniel Herriges from Strong Towns; the luncheon keynote storyteller will be Tony Garcia with Street Plans Collaborative; will hear stories by Caren Neile from the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at FAU and others throughout the day ending with a “Sidewalk Talk” along the Lake Worth Beach seawall.

About the Palm Beach County Planning Congress:

The PBCPC includes public and private sector professionals in fields of urban planning, water resources, transportation, education, local, regional and state planning, architecture, growth management and environmental law, engineering, landscape architecture, real estate, health and human services, and other related fields. The PBCPC meets on a regular monthly basis. To become a member of the PBCPC use this link.

The sponsors of “Planning Challenges 2019: City Stories” are:

• The host City of Lake Worth Beach
• Florida Atlantic University
• KCI Technologies
• Kimley-Horn
• Lewis Longman and Walker
• NZ Consultants
• Palm Beach County
• Treasure Coast Section – APA FL
• WGI

Event fee:

• For PBCPC members: $75.00.
• Non-members: $85.00.

For attendees purchasing tickets at the door on the day of the event the cost is $65 for those who become members of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress.

Click on this link to get registered for “Planning Challenges 2019: City Stories”.

Lake Worth Beach now has an official Facebook page!

For many of you this news will be hard to believe but it’s true. Below is a press release from the City including a link to the official page on Facebook.

This is what came to mind on learning the news about Lake Worth Beach now having a official presence on Facebook:

Here is the press release datelined June 20th:

Lake Worth Beach, Florida — The City of Lake Worth Beach is pleased to announce the launch of the official Lake Worth Beach Facebook Page. The City invites all who want to learn more about what is happening throughout the City to like and follow the new page.

For more information please contact Ben Kerr, Public Information Officer at 561-586-1631; email: BKerr@lakeworth.org


Here is more information Worth Noting about Lake Worth Beach: To become a subscriber and receive official updates and future press releases from the City use this link.

News from The Coastal Star: “South Palm approves merger deal with sheriff”.

Here are two excerpts from the story by journalist Dan Moffett:


After running its own police department for more than a half-century, the Town of South Palm Beach has decided to join forces with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

The Town Council voted 4-1 on June 18 to approve a draft contract for services with the sheriff that would begin on Oct. 1 and run for 10 years. Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan voted against the merger agreement, saying she wanted to see the final version of the contract before considering approval.

“I just hope everybody is happy with us moving forward in this town,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “It was a big step but I think it’s going to be good.”

and. . .

Council members credited Kellogg and Town Attorney Glen Torcivia, who oversaw Lake Worth Beach’s switch to the Sheriff’s Office a decade ago, with negotiating the 10-year commitment, an unusually long term for interlocal law enforcement agreements.

For Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, taking over South Palm Beach is a significant inroad into the county’s barrier islands. The sheriff has service contracts with 10 other municipalities, and one in the works with the newly formed Westlake community, but currently has only a limited presence along the coast.


To read the entire story in The Coastal Star use this link.

News from reporter Austen Erblat: FREE community event in Lake Worth Beach to discuss sanctuary city ban.

According to the Sun Sentinel the Florida Immigrant Coalition will be at the Guatemalan Maya Center this coming Friday, June 21st, from 5:30–7:00. This event is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. This event will also have free food and drinks available for attendees.

The Guatemalan Maya Center is located at 430 North G St.

Here are two excerpts from the South Florida Sun Sentinel:


Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning so-called sanctuary cities, an issue that brought activists and protestors to the Florida Capitol from across the state when it was being discussed in the state legislature.

DeSantis ran for governor on the issue of promising to ban so-called sanctuary cities, which aim to prevent local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials if they arrest immigrants for low level or nonviolent crimes. Some critics have called the bill unnecessary since Florida did not have any sanctuary jurisdictions, according to the Department of Justice.


and. . .


Now a group of organizations led by Florida Immigrant Coalition, who led the opposition efforts to the state’s senate and house bills in Tallahassee, will host a community awareness event to educate South Florida communities on what the bill means for them.


Click on this link to read the entire article in the Sun Sentinel.

It is worth noting the City of Lake Worth, now called Lake Worth Beach, was never a so-called ‘sanctuary city’ and the Town of Jupiter was also mistakenly confused as a sanctuary as well because that municipality is home to the El Sol Neighborhood Resource Center.

About the reporter at the Sun Sentinel:

Austen Erblat is a reporter covering various communities in Broward and Palm Beach counties for the Sun Sentinel Media Group. He has covered music, politics and environmental issues for regional and national papers, magazines and blogs. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University, where he was news editor and managing editor of the student paper.


To follow or send a message to Erblat on Twitter use this link.

Lake Worth Beach City Commission meeting last evening.

The meeting starts off with a legislative update from District 89 State Representative Mike Caruso:




Worth noting tonight is a meeting of the City’s Recreation Advisory Board at 501 Lake Ave. in the downtown. The meeting begins at 6:30 and is open to everyone from the public. Tomorrow evening (Thurs., 6/20) at Lake Worth Beach City Hall is a Commission Budget Work Session which begins at 6:00.

To look over the City’s official calendar use this link.

Lake Worth Beach press release:

Books and Bubbles: Literacy in the Laundromat

Healthier Lake Worth Funds Unique Project Developed by the Lake Worth Beach Public Library

Lake Worth Beach, Fl — The Lake Worth Beach Public Library is pleased to announce that Healthier Lake Worth has chosen to fund its groundbreaking Books and Bubbles program. This project seeks to encourage literacy in the City of Lake Worth Beach by bringing Storytime events and books to families who are not currently library users while they wait for their clothes to wash and dry in local laundromats.

“These funds will enable us to purchase start up materials and books to give to the families who attend the programs – thank you, Healthier Lake Worth!” said Children’s Librarian Cindy Ansell as she accepted the $3500.00 check.

The impact of this program is 2-fold. The families who attend the programs will be encouraged to develop early literacy behaviors and the volunteers who attend the training session will be provided with a way to positively change their community for the better.

In August, the Lake Worth Beach Library will begin training volunteers on how to present a Books and Bubbles Storytime program. The program will consist of reading simple books and singing songs to familiar tunes. Each volunteer will wear an apron which will identify them as a Books and Bubbles volunteer. Volunteers will begin visiting laundromats in September.

For more information about this project contact Cindy Ansell at 561-533-7354.

“A love letter to Lake Worth” by Rena Blades.

This was a letter from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County published in March 2017 by The Palm Beach Post in a first-of-its-kind “Special Keepsake Series”.

The Cultural Council is located in the downtown in Lake Worth Beach.

Featured in this Special Insert two years ago were Mayor Pam Triolo, “[T]his City is on the road to recovery and renaissance”, a feature story on City Manager Michael Bornstein, a full-page story on the historic cottages in Lake Worth, local artist AnnaMaria is quoted, “True [local] artists need to create. True [local] artists have a passion that must be expressed.”

There was a feature story about the Lake Worth Beach and Casino Complex, “The crown jewel of city amenities, home to a beach, a pier, restaurants, a casino building, and an award-winning wedding facility.” But there was no mention of a municipal pool at the beach in Lake Worth and hopefully that community eyesore will be removed in short order.

That Special Insert published in the Post was an incredible piece of work led by editor Jan Tuckwood and photojournalist Bruce R. Bennett.

And also in that Special Insert was another feature story. One by Rena Blades herself, the past president and CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

Click on newspaper clipping
from the Special Insert to enlarge:

Rena Blades left the Cultural Council in January 2018 to start Delos Consulting. To meet the current administration at the Cultural Council use this link.