Barry FreedmanB.F. Enterprises (LW Beach T-Shirt Co.)
Everyone at City Hall wants to forget that this is our beach; this is our Casino. None of them care diddly what we think or what we want. Just bringing up silly and wasteful expenditures such as a wind turbine goes on death ears. In fact, we are put down for not being forward thinking.
Tonight at 6pm at City Hall, the Commission has a special meeting to approve leases at our Casino and from the back-up, it certainly appears that City Hall will put the screws to our long time merchants, those who helped make our Casino great for nearly 3 decades.
During the past two weeks, leases were prepared and submitted to each prospective tenant for their review, modification and approval. All prospective tenants were given the same boilerplate lease and permitted to request revisions. As of October 14, 2011, the City had received executed leases from Kilwins, Lake Worth Beach Tee Shirt Co., NYPD Pizza, Mama Mia’s on the Beach and Lake Worth Pizza Department, and is finalizing lease terms with Fox Surf and Beach Shop and Johnny Longboats.
It was only a few months ago on August 4 that the commission, with McVoy absent, voted on essentially keeping NYPD and LW Tee at our Casino when they accepted the L.I's. Suzanne Mulvehill made a motion, seconded by Golden to accept the Letter of Intent from NYPD Pizza and the owner was so happy. Afterall, he had been a tenant of our Casino for 25 years just like the T-Shirt company. Another motion was made by Maxwell, seconded by Mulvehill, to accept the Letter of Intent from BF Enterprises (LW Tee) and have them work out their non-compete merchandise mix with Fox Surf. Also there was a request for casino business hours to be established within the months of September or October. The present closing time is 10pm.
Now I ask you, why would we prepare a Lease allowing Johnny Longboats a 2am closing? Is that a "boilerplate" lease? Are we that scared that we might not find a major tenant that we have to once again cave into someone's demand and do it the way they want it rather than the other way around? 2am closing is outrageous, not to even mention the cost of security and electricity that you, the taxpayer, will have to pay to have Longboats sell booze and play raucous music to 2am. At least the nearby residents and the turtles (we can't even pay for the lighting) will think it at least annoying.
The most disappointing thing is the non-renewal of our long time tenants, NYPD Pizza and Lake Worth Beach Tee Shirt Company. Barry Freedman, owner of LW Tee wanted the exclusive rights to sell name drop apparel. Fox Surf and Beach Shop wanted the same exclusivity. Other pizza shops wanted to come to our beach. What do do? The real estate broker did a credit check and our long-time tenants didn't pass their muster, not to mention that they will be making much more money in commissions on new tenants instead of leasing to the old.
Because the city manager is absolutely paranoid that this building might not pay for itself, she wants what she considers top notch tenants at the beach casino who have never been late on a rental payment. Loyalty to our long time tenants has been thrown out the window by this proposal in front of the commission tonight.
There is no such thing as loyalty in Lake Worth, not to our merchants and not to the people. The Mayor was concerned about "fairness" at the time we originally talked about the leases. The City's idea of "fairness" is not mine. I would suspect that NYPD Pizza and LW Tee would agree.
13 comments:
I totally agree with your definition of loyalty. Most residents don't even know about the meeting tonight. When was the meeting set up? When did it appear on the Agenda items? Shame on the CM and CC for trying to sneak this through. The people of LW will be heard one way or another.
So much for all the campaign monies collected by Commissioner Mulvehil and Golden for making sure the tenants who were there for all these years could remain there. Lots of broken promises and lies.It is truly a sad state of affairs.
This all stinks. This commission needs to set the city manager straight. Now, if these 2 tenants were deadbeat tenants throughout their 25 years at our beach, that is another thing. If they got behind during that last year when they knew they would be kicked out, etc., then let's take a look at that. In fact, if they owed rent, why didn't the city kick them out that last year if they had stopped paying? They did not have a lease and it would have been a simple thing to do.
The point here is that the commission accepted their Letter of Intent. Late rent payments were not considered. Now that this real estate broker will get paid 7% on new leases, it certainly is much more lucrative for him to push new tenants. We are talking about a lot of money here.
I guess we will hear all about it tonight.
I lurve NYPD, in fact I'd rather have them in their current location (much easier for pick up for me) than at the beach, but I can understand that they may want to go back to the Casino.
And loyalty should count for something, but what? If I were in charge, I would have developed a formula for screening would be tenants and points would be assigned for being a prior tenant. However, many other issue would be considered and weighted and if the final total didn't roll in favor of a former long term tenant than I don't think they should get priority.
We need to run this City with a focus on fiscal responsibility and I think that includes getting good tenants at the Beach.
Lynn what is the big deal about a 2 am closing time... It is way past your bedtime anyway. I think it is wonderful that if I want to have a late dinner or drinks at the beach, after 20 years of living in Lake Worth I will have that chance. It seems to me that Nothing is good enough for you. You would prefer to keep everything the way it was in the past.
You don't get enough sleep, guy! It is affecting your thinking. You bet it's way past my bedtime. When I was 20, 30 something, 2am was not unusual. Everyone is a little bit nuts in those years. Usually around early 40's you grow up.
You want a late dinner and drinks til 2am? You are among the minority that want to keep our beach anything but what it is.
Not only do I NOT want late closings at our beach, I want 10pm closing. I would suggest that they look for a restaurant that wants to be reasonable. We certainly are on the rents.
And then I would suggest that you go find some other place to eat and drink in the early morning hours. Must be plenty around, right?
I am sure there are plenty around, but you do not get it, Not at Lake Worth Beach. We were held hostage for years by Johnny G's closing after lunch, and only accepting cash. The times have changed and it is time for us who work late or want something different to have that chance.
Held hostage--awh gee. John G's has moved to Manalapan; they are still a cash business. They are doing so well down there that they can't even believe it...making money hand over fist...lines every day of the week.
Next--I do get it. I think it's you who does NOT. This is not about me and it certainly is not all about you looking for a place to hang out late at night. This IS all about what is best for our beach park. It is not a bar to 2am.
Times have changed to what degree? Kids want sports bars and loud music? they always have. There is the rest of the population, you know, the ones who actually have money to spend who would like something just a wee bit nicer than that atmosphere.
Leave our park alone. Find a late night place that you can be happy in.
Times have changed in that Lake Worth is no longer a sleepy little seaside town with the majority of the residents being retired, and looking to play at the shuffleboard courts.
LOL. I see you are in a little poissy mood this morning. Go get some sleep. You were out too late boozing it up.
If the city concentrated on bringing in the more affluent such as the senior population who actually have the cash to invest, they might get out of the problems they are in. Instead, they concentrate on affordable housing and want to give loans to deadbeats and the "it's all about me" generation.
I never said it was all about me, and btw I got 8 hours sleep last night. What I am saying is give something different a chance BEFORE you start knocking it...
Boy! Your last statement hits the nail square! What are the chances of the current administration doing ANYTHING that will attract the more affluent crowd?
I disagree however with your last sentence in that it is "us" that are the generation of "it's all about me". We, Lynn, you and I who have destroyed the economy for this next generation. Just what do they have to look forward to?
It wasn't my generation that destroyed our economy. It was Bush and Obama. Look to all the entitlement mentality--all the "me" people. All the crap of spending billions to fight wars that my generation never wanted. I came from the Viet Nam generation where people protested and wanted peace and prosperity and just be able to go to work and have a job--way before the government outsourced all of that.
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