Tuesday's Commission Meeting

Now we learn that the public can no longer get the back-up...the city is NOT ADA compliant I am told and therefore they can't include the back-up with the agenda online. What in the hell difference does it make--if they can post an agenda, blind people can't read that either. This makes no sense and frankly the public is left out again. ZERO transparency in this city. The clerk's office will have a print-out of the back-up and we can go to city hall to read it.

Following the swearing in below at 5:30 after Tom Copeland makes his public concession (he already made it to the City Clerk's office so I don't understand the formality), the general meeting will begin with 19 items on the consent Agenda. Now what if someone can't hear this public meeting?  Is that affected by ADA as well?  Is the entire meeting still ADA compliant if people can't hear what is said?

New Business has Michael Bornstein's evaluation for his raise.

It gets more stupid by the day and we still do NOT have live video of the meeting.

Additions/deletions:

The following items have been added to the agenda:

2.      NEW BUSINESS:

B.     Candidate Tom Copeland’s concession

3.      SWEARING IN OF RE-ELECTED OFFICIALS BY THE CITY ATTORNEY:

B.     Commissioner Herman Robinson

4.      COMMENTS BY RE-ELECTED OFFICIALS:

B.     Commissioner Herman Robinson

Drug Rehab Homes in Lake Worth causing problems - Gun shots fired

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Reported by a resident in the ROLO Neighborhood who says that cars are "coming and going" all night long:

"Last night around 10 there was a shooting at the rehab house on Sunset. Looks like it was a drive by and there were probably 5-6 shots fired. The police were there investigating it. This is why these places should not be in neighborhoods. All they do is bring trouble and make our neighborhoods look bad. This would have never happened here if it wasn't for that house."

Sober homes are popping up all over Lake Worth.  This particular house is at 633 Sunset Drive.  The owner owns 20 properties in Palm Beach County and it appears that this property was bought during the downturn of the housing boom in 2007. We have become a dumping ground for those investors who bought cheap and now taking advantage of federal dollars to convert their properties to Sober Homes or leasing them out to those who are operating them as such.

When you have "recovering" drug addicts living next door to you, your chances of encountering problems are real. The federal government (ADA) needs to stay out of our business as it has brought an unwanted element to our residential neighborhoods and put recovering addicts at the mercy of profiteers who all have found our little city.

Last year, a sober home opened up next door to my cousin's house and she is selling because of incidents that are not being corrected. She has been a life long resident of Lake Worth, has owned her home for decades, and now is thinking of moving elsewhere. Unfortunately, these sober homes are everywhere and drug addiction is on the rise.

Read SB 326-Sober Home bill by Clemens

Service Animal bill - HB 71

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Remember this!

Often times you see someone who has a "service dog/animal" and you wonder about it.  But more than just being curious about the animal next to you as you are munching on your hamburger, you wonder about the owner...is he/she scamming the system? There are plenty of con artists who live in condos where no dogs or pets of any kind are allowed.  We don't even allow an itsy, bitsy turtle living in a bowl here.

Starting July 1, service animal owners cannot be asked about their disability or whether they are entitled to have a service animal, but they may be asked if the animal is a service animal and what tasks it performs to assist its owner.

CS/HB 71 - Service Animals

General Bill by Judiciary Committee and Smith (CO-SPONSORS) Albritton; Baxley; Harrell; Sprowls; Watson, C.

Service Animals: Requires public accommodation to permit use of service animal by individual with disability; provides conditions for public accommodation to exclude or remove service animal; revises penalties for certain persons or entities who interfere with use of service animal; provides penalty for knowing & willful misrepresentation with respect to use or training of service animal.

Effective Date: July 1, 2015

Last Event: Approved by Governor on Thursday, June 11, 2015 6:10 PM

Farmer Girl Restaurant and the ADA

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Helen eating the world's best soup with
 owner Pete Roubekas standing by

"South Florida has become the runaway national leader in federal disabled-access lawsuits that some say are accomplishing little more than providing quick cash to attorneys." 

Read more... from the SunSentinel and our own Farmer Girl Restaurant that was subject to one of these questionable suits.

ADA compliant?

Basically, a few Lake Worth restaurants have told the city to stuff it.

Non-accessible Sidewalk in Lake Worth is Vet's frustration

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The word is out--Call Channel 12 News if you want to get something done.

Lake Worth veteran in wheelchair takes the city of Lake Worth to task. After two years of dealing with a sidewalk with no curb ramp, he called Channel 12 to see if they could help. 

Read about it...

42 inches?

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This will be the exact same thing that will happen in our downtown with the ordinance just passed by the City Commission on ADA compliance of 42 inches instead of the 48 inches recommended by staff that allows those in wheel chairs, etc. to pass by with no obstruction.