The Pelican has been flying around this city for a long time now. You would think he would “get it.” Even Retha Lowe finally got it the other night at the beach workshop. She said that the people want to keep the beach the same as it is now (meaning the configuration) and fix up the building and let’s do that and stop talking about it.
Take the Pelican for instance when he said--“It seems the debates always center on what a few citizens think is the right course…..” This is really an unfair statement. Unfortunately, most residents are too busy or not inclined to voice out. So, the “few” that he refers to, do it for them. I keep mentioning all the petitions that residents signed. Are they for naught? Should we all just roll over? If we had done that, you would be seeing Fort Lauderdale in Lake Worth and most assuredly a developer having flipped a beach lease to God knows whom.
We have other residents, who, because they DO get it, just want to see everyone fail at everything and want to be allowed to get their way as they have in the past. They are out there right now, plotting and scheming to turn the politics around in our city once again to favor them and the good ole boy network that was just overturned.The Mayor said the other night not to worry about a public/private partnership and was confused as to why some people even brought it up. I wore my No Beach Lease T-shirt. That was my subtle way of bringing it up although I was not thinking about that at the time…it was the only T-shirt I had that mentioned the beach. That idea is off the table he said. What then was Hedrick Brothers doing in the audience and meeting with anyone and everyone on our beach, behind the scenes, proposing and lobbying for that very thing with their plan? Not only do they continue with their mission, they are incorporating scare tactics about pilings, financing, whatever.
We Love Lake Worth and all the people who signed the petitions have always asked that we get the right to vote on OUR beach. The vote has always been about keeping the beach as is which includes the present zoning. Pelican says if we don’t get our way we flood the city with petitions--an exaggerated statement if I have ever heard one. There have been two petitions on the beach and one on the Sunset property. That’s it. So stop the land grabs and we will stop our petitions. And we will stop the law suits.
We are taking money from the County that belongs to us. This is not some loan. This is not some capital investment made by the County of Palm Beach to Lake Worth. This is OUR money. We are paying our portion, with our tax dollars, on the Bond. We have been paying on it for years and have yet to see the first red cent of the $5 million. The County wants this money to be used for public purposes and this is fair. PB County has no other “managerial” rights. Yes it is ours; our 19+ acres at the beach belongs to the City of Lake Worth. Just because someone swims at our beach, does not make it their beach. Just because the County will release bond money once we give them a plan does not make the beach theirs.
No one has a “win-at-all-costs attitude.” What we want is what has been there since 1922 and we don’t want developers and developer interests changing that. What we want is to have the City contract with someone to refurbish/restore the building. We do NOT want any more stall tactics. And what is this “false bravado” all about? Did you ever get out and talk to the citizens of this city besides your select few? Don’t you remember what happened in the last election? We stand behind our actions. The people spoke and threw out an incumbent because he was against what the majority wanted at the beach. Mary Lindsey aligned herself with David Vespo and got soundly defeated. Why don’t you get that, Pelican? Flying too high or is it more like birds of a feather?
The Commission voted 4 to 1 last month to go with restoration of the present building. Staff needs to follow direction. They did not do this. Staff did everything in its power to stop the process even presenting a Power Point with faulty information. Staff runs this City. Past Commissions have contributed to their own impotence by allowing this to happen and not screaming bloody murder. With the help of certain citizens behind the scenes--listening closely to a few on the P&Z and CRA Boards and a few other prominent citizens, Staff does what it wants, not what it’s been directed to do. It is high time that this Commission put an end to that.
The next time you hire a City Manager and City Attorney, make the contract short (one year), have a 120 - 180 day review and be sure that there is no confusion in the job description as to whom he/she follows and to whom he reports. No more management with its head in the clouds. This subterfuge must end. Good advice is what you pay them to provide but total sabotage is another. And to the P&Z member who said that we should work as a team—that is very good advice for even P&Z members to follow.
