Former commissioner John Szerdi was in office for two years and eight months. He walked into the position unopposed. Szerdi works for Hudson Holdings, a company that wants to grab our beach. At the Hudson Holding's meeting at our Casino ballroom, Szerdi first said that the beach was an Enterprise Zone. Later he said that the beach was an enterprise fund. And then again he insisted that it was an Enterprise Zone. When a resident questioned him about it, he told her she was wrong.
Our casino beach fund is not, according to the city, an enterprise anything. Therefore, the city must rely on funds from our operating budget to pay those expenses when there is a shortfall of revenue to cover the total costs. The only Enterprise Funds that the City of Lake Worth has are the following:
401--Electric Fund
402--Water Fund
403--Local Sewer Fund
405--Regional Sewer
406--Regional Sewer R & R
408--Stormwater Utility Fund
410--Refuse, Collection & Disp
480--Storm Water Utility Fund
Sources: Office of Financial Management; Municipal Accounts.
Please read my blog of May 27, 2015 on Enterprise and Special Revenue funds. Is it possible that John Szerdi really didn't know what he was talking about or on several occasions that night intentionally misstated the facts to confuse the residents (something he accused his opponents of doing when he lost his reelection) in his quest to make a point for grabbing our beach complex for his employer, Hudson Holdings?
8 comments:
I am an architect Serdi always went with the flow. He pretended to know a lot. I believe after listening to him that night that he sincerely did not know about enterprise zones or funds. He mislead the audience by ignorance. He even has fooled HH.
From what I understand Enterprise Zones were created during the Reagan years as a means to help disadvantaged blighted areas create jobs. They are due to sunset in Florida Dec.31,2015. There were mixed reviews on their effectiveness in Florida. About half did not seem to help with creating jobs in the area; but they are very helpful to developers in writing off taxes and costs for equipment and development. I believe they were mentioned and sounded like a lynchpin for development at the beach as recorded in the ITN audios. The idea that our beach (or any beach really) could be considered a "blighted" area is preposterous, especially since it is barely 2 years since a $13 million renovation. It is not listed on the county gov't site as being an enterprise zone. I do believe however I have heard the Mayor discuss that all of Lake Worth with the exception of College Park and one other area is classified as an "enterprise zone."
Is that why they now refer to the beach property as the BAC and it is a different color on their zoning map? Does the gang of 3 and Bornstein think they can create their own enterprise zones along with HH? And I don't even know how to begin to comment on Szerdi except he surely doesn't understand conflict of interest and I don't think he understands this either. Any mention of the beach as an Enterprise Zone needs to be killed and dismantled ASAP. Blighted Beach?? Puuullleeeaaassee...
How you can compare Szerdi mis-labeling a certain fund as enterprise fund or calling it a zone to the mass mailings of gloom and doom when the sunshine is blotted out by 60 foot tall buildings (right next to other 60 foot tall and higher buildings) that would necessarily hover over every single story home in Lake Worth (which is a flat out lie) is beyond me. What is your problem with Hudson hiring experts in their field for the industry they are in? They state they restore historic buildings and need planning services. We happen to have two very involved experts in that field as residents in our town. The fact they are not moving as fast as you want them to is irrelevant. The building sat vacant for 10 years and you want it up and running in months. You are unrealistic on many fronts.
When the rules don't permit your plan, what do you do? You make up new rules. This is done with the numbers as well.
Clearly these folks care not as to facts and instead make up their own zone, their own budget numbers to claim that the beach is failing or that the beach is blighted.
Sneaky, sneaky stuff going on with this group.
At their meeting last November, Steven Michael said they would have the hotel reopened in 14 months.
It's 9 months later and they haven't even started.
I believe their purchase was their way to get a foot in the door so they could lobby to get long term control and profits from building a new (unwanted) structure at the beach, destroying our ocean view as we cross the bridge, taking away sunlight at our beach park and destroying our Olympic pool, and offering a pittance ($500,000 a year) compared to what they would make if they are allowed to get away with their proposal.
Classic psycho-babble 12:59, well played anonymous, well done!
NOBODY ASKED for Hudson Holdings to come into Lake Worth . Oh wait, Mike Bornstein, a CITY EMPLOYEE and then CITY COMMISSIONER John Szerdi did!
After spending 1.6 million dollars to get rid of the last con men ,Greater Bay,how can these morons even think of fuc$ing us over again with Hudson Holdongs????
This majority Commission Pam ,Scott and Andy are either horribly stupid or corrupt. Or both. In any case, these mental midgets need to go!
Well said Katie, whoops I mean 6:51. You know who's seriously horribly stupid? People that continuosly use the terms corrupt and corruption without having any proof to back up their paranoid accusations.
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