Comment Up
Usually known as "Mr. Second,"last night Commissioner Amoroso was "Mr. No"
Amoroso was the only dissenting vote on the lease to Barry Freedman and BF Enterprises (Lake Worth T-Shirt Company), a store that was on our beach for 26 years. The voted ended 3/1, McVoy absent.
The recession caught up to Mr. Freedman for a short period and he got behind on his rent eventually paying back the City all that he owed. Mr. Amoroso held that against him saying he didn't want to "set him up for failure." No one can get in financial trouble even in a depression, not in this City--not on Mr. Amoroso's watch, after all he is a store owner and always pays his rent on time.
It was a long struggle for Mr. Freedman to get back on our Lake Worth beach where he belongs. He did have the Right of First Refusal that was previously ignored by this commission and now he will be paying the highest rent in the building. In January, he wrote a letter to the Lake Worth City Commission withdrawing his application to lease. Maxwell and Triolo held his former attorney's letter against him that chastised the trio for their discrimination and treatment of Mr. Freedman. They were personally offended, feelings that should not even come into consideration when an attorney's job is to help his client no matter what.Politics crept into the discussion last night, as it usually does, when Scott Maxwell rehashed and asked again about Suzanne Mulvehill's personal connection to Mr. Freedman's attorney and that he was also her attorney. Maxwell was taking a double political whammy by putting down Freedman and Mulvehill all in the same breath. Mr. Freedman explained how Mr. Connick was hired and advised the Commission that Mr. Connick was no longer representing him. The Mayor, with her common sense and business approach, had everything to do with the vote turning out the right way. She turned the tide and showed her leadership last night.
We are delighted that Lake Worth T-Shirt company will be back and operating in our new Casino. I called Mr. Freedman last night and he said, "I plan on having the best oceanfront retail store on the East cost of Florida...I will make them proud." We know that he will do just that.
19 comments:
A pompous pipsqueak on the dais.
Congrats Barry! Of course, you should have had your first-right deal in place long ago, and deserve the same sweetheart rate that Kilwins got. You were really jerked around. But please know that many Lake Worthians are happy to see you back at the beach!
On the upside, it was good to see the “holy trinity” divided for once. Hope to see more individual voting on the dais in the future. Thanks mayor, for doing the right thing.
Wait a minute... shouldn’t Andy have recused himself for conflict of interest? Doesn’t the first-term commissioner operate a business that sells goods (souvenirs) in direct competition with LW Tee? Was downtown’s most vocal business owner afraid of the competition? Or is that he only votes for his political supporters? Commissioner Amoroso doesn’t want to “set up Barry for failure”? --More like he doesn’t want to see his business competitor succeed.
Of course, I’m not counting Andy’s infamous “back room” that he closed during his campaign (but is now open for business again.) Andy, you’re welcome to be the king of LW porn –we don’t need those kind of “souvenirs” at our beach.
Hope everyone supports LW Tee's new shop and helps Barry succeed. I know I will. --Beth
Oh good! Dildos and porn are back on the shelf at Andy's?! Let's face it, you can't make ends meet by selling LW Heralds twice a day.
I thought it really stunk that McVoy did a no show last night. You know, he is not a good rep for us the people in this city, he won't even return my emails or calls, his non-responsive actions are not going to help him get re-elected if that is what he wants. He has been a real disappointment in regards to responsiveness to his constituents. McVoy please return all emails!
It' good that Barry made up the owed rent. Hope he knows how to stock and display the new store. I thought it was schlock the few times I entered. Would never purchase an eldub shirt. City should definitely write a contract that will reflect the economy in five /10 years time. As to the broker, he really is in the wrong business.
I have an L-Dub t-shirt from Barry's store! I was hoping that the CRA was going to use that name instead of LULA.
Unfortunately, Commissioner McVoy had to work last night.
Do you think he's smokin spice?
It's hard to take Andy seriously with the 'valley girl' speech pattern he has.
Ummm andy..once an a-hole, always an a-hole...no offense, just a Andy-hole...let's see...guy runs two stores on the beach for about 30 years...one a schlock soda, ice, and Frito/cigs/sunscreen store, the other a nice ladies sportswear T shirt store...he tries to hold it all together during the worst Recession in 80 years...at the same time EVERYNIGHT he works 10-12 hours for free at his mom's nursing home because he can't afford 24 hour nursing care, and she keeps falling and breaking bones...he makes up what he owes the city, and after selling his two antique cars and everything else he owns, probably hocked his bar mitzvah jewelry to come up with $47,000!!!! to put his faith and future back in the city he loves--Lake Worth...andy, you suck, and you are still an A-hole. Thank you Suzanne and decent people for having trust in the little guys.
PASSIONS RUN HIGH FOR BARRY! THANK HEAVEN YOU ARE BACK! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A WINNER IN OUR EYES!
That is good, glad he has a job now. Just wish he would return my emails, he never does, this does not make him look very good or interested in citizens and their concerns.
"Unfortunately, Commissioner McVoy had to work last night."
All I hear is sentiment and while it is WONDERFUL to have good friends and loyalty to them, it is sadly NOT what Lake Worth can afford now - no township can afford to be sentimental ever when it comes to any city's nuts and bolts....the budget.
It's purely numbers. What comes in, and what goes out.
But in LWorth it seems, there is a loud outcry for benevolence to legacies : give them a break...(ie:ignore their payment history, etc) - which while noble and nice, will nonetheless bring down the city.
And to the Andy naysayers, you must not know him to have the opinion that he is afraid of competition at the beach for his store....to the point that you believe that is his reason for opposing Barry's lease.
THAT is crazy. Period.
He was looking at the facts. That is all. Financial history. He is worried that Barry may not be able to keep up. That is a valid concern. Financially speaking, a valid concern.
If Mr. Amoroso had declared to the public that Mr. Freedman had a history of not paying his contracted amount of rent over the 26 years he was on the beach, then he should have said so. If Mr. Freedman was late all of the time...he should have said so. However, if Mr. Freedman became late during the period where the city, almost on a weekly basis, was threatening to demolish the building, sending him letters to get out because the building was being razed or any other claims, and then he became late, then that is another tale to tell and he should have mentioned it.
When I speak of "friends" I am talking about long term tenants there that all of us got to know very well and liked a lot. These are people who attracted people to our beach over all those years.
Dot Pickett who had been there for 34 years or so, closed down the shop because of the treatment by the city. They made it impossible for the owner to even buy inventory not knowing from day to day what was going to happen there. Many others became late as well during that recessionary and confusing period.
Barry Freedman and Vito paid up everything they owed to the City.
Also, I agree with you that Amoroso is not afraid of competition at the beach. Barry's store will be and always has been completely different than Andy's.
The City is protected by the Lease should Mr. Freedman get in financial difficulty again. I don't expect that he will. The circumstances will now be totally different.
For Amoroso to be worried about "financial history" without explaining it, is a bad excuse for turning him down. If you can't give the facts of the matter, then they have to be discounted. For him to worry that the city is setting him up for failure is condescension of the worst order.
26 years Mr. Freedman was there. And if God willing, 25 years more.
Let's say Barry had financial troubles in the past, the question is how did he come up with all the funds to back his lease proposal now?
Also, the issue of his lawyer being Commissioner Mulevhill's lawyer should be further disclosed. To date, no clear understanding has been presented.
You struck a cord with these comments, I see the same thing with certain people in this city, the city, codes, others turn the other way with certain people having to upkeep their property because they are famous or have a name here, they overlook slum owners conditions, just because though, it really is not fair, ALL owners in this city need to assume responsibility for their property and not use their names or fame to get away with things. Slum properties allowed in some parts of the city would not be allowed in others like College Park, Parrot Cove, or Bryant Park, plain and simple, but we have sentiment and over look some slum owners. This double standard bothers me.
"All I hear is sentiment and while it is WONDERFUL to have good friends and loyalty to them, it is sadly NOT what Lake Worth can afford now - no township can afford to be sentimental ever when it comes to any city's nuts and bolts....the budget.
It's purely numbers. What comes in, and what goes out.
But in LWorth it seems, there is a loud outcry for benevolence to legacies : give them a break...(ie:ignore their payment history, etc) - which while noble and nice, will nonetheless bring down the city.
And to the Andy naysayers, you must not know him to have the opinion that he is afraid of competition at the beach for his store....to the point that you believe that is his reason for opposing Barry's lease.
THAT is crazy. Period.
He was looking at the facts. That is all. Financial history. He is worried that Barry may not be able to keep up. That is a valid concern. Financially speaking, a valid concern."
Because of manipulation and poor project management by Ms Margoles and Mr Snitkin, the commission's options on the last un-leased unit at the beach were:
1. Shop the unit again when the timeline for build out has already been dangerously shortened for any business hoping to be ready by the grand opening date
2. Accept Fox's proposal for a lower lease rate and send another message to the world that you can push us around with impunity
3. Accept Freedman's offer in which he agreed to all terms of the lease with no changes to the city's language and completely eliminated the risk of loss to the city over the lease term by providing a security deposit equal to 12 month's rent that will be held for the term of the lease.
I think, from a business perspective, they made the right choice. It had nothing to do with "friends".
Anonymous at 8:55
I have no idea where Barry got the money. It's not my business. Why not ask him if you are so interested.
Some people get small business loans; construction loans, etc. Some people sell off assets they no longer need to raise cash.
You still want to go after Mr. Freedman? Why is that?
Ummm...so the same people who complained that after making his rent for 25+ years, Mr. Freedman supposedly fell behind, and then when possible made his back payments...are now saying he should be blackballed because he did not tell THEM how he put together the money for the new deposit?...I will make a guess because I have driven by his street hundreds of times going back 20 years or more...his pride and joy, restored, loved, and treasured antique Corvette, and vintage powder blue Lincoln Continental, always in his garage or driveway where he worked on them, are NOT THERE ANY MORE...I can make my guess how he got the money to pay the deposit..also as a "car guy" I guess the proceeds do not equal anything near what he spent over the years to restore them....if people posting hear only want big chain stores like J Crew, or Michael Kors on the beach, that is their right. Just say so. Admit that you have no respect for working class folks who try by blood, sweat, and tears to stay in business. On the other hand, maybe he secretly hit the Lottery or married a Kardashian.
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