The Bellaria - A Rope in the Sand

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The Bellaria

A handful of years ago, the developer, Gordon Dekelbaum of the Bellaria, a condo located just south of our Lake Worth beach, met with some citizens (radical activists interested in the poor and downtrodden) in Lake Worth. He wanted to spend his money and fix up the Lake Worth Beach for free, with no strings attached, by widening the boardwalk, planting tons of trees everywhere and ultimately doing what we are going to do at a cost of $5 million other than spending all of this money re-designing parking lots. He had a huge investment in the Bellaria and wanted the owners there to have magnificent views.

Our new beach design, with a price tag of $5 million dollars, was approved and supported by some of the very same people that turned down the free improvements offer from Dekelbaum.

What happened? Well, it was reported by someone at that meeting that he was insulted and not just a little bit. He was accused of being only interested in the wealthy at the expense of "ordinary" citizens. The activists wanted our beach park to be for the homeless and the poor and thought that by making it more beautiful and spectacular it would discourage them from coming to our beach. He walked out of the meeting. And who can blame him?

When these buildings were built, the units at the Bellaria sold from $2 million up to $5 million.

Recently the Bellaria Association just placed a rope above the high water mark telling the world that this sand is private property. To determine the high water mark" it is the highest level reached by a body of water that has been maintained for a sufficient period of time to leave evidence on the landscape." What happens in a hurricane and the high water mark moves up to the dune? Will that be considered an anomaly?

Do not put one little toe over this rope

It was reported that on the first day the Bellaria put down its rope in the sand, they had security guards making sure no one crossed it.