Hands off our Beach and Parks - VOTE NO Amendments 2 & 3

CBS 12

Protesters rallied in Lake Worth Beach against two ballot amendments they say would allow major development without voter approval

The demonstration, organized by Lake Worth For All, gathered between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. at the corner of Lake Avenue and Golfview Road, just before the bridge, with residents holding signs that read "HANDS OFF OUR BEACH & PARKS."

According to organizers, Amendments 2 and 3 on the March 10 ballot would allow the city commission to approve huge developments on the beach, in public parks, and in public spaces without voter approval.

Opponents say they are concerned the changes could impact access to public parking and local beaches, potentially altering the "hometown feel" of the town. [CBS-12]

Charter Amendments 2 & 3

Don't vote to take away your vote! No on March 10, 2026. Lake Worth Beach, Florida

Vote no on March 10 2026, Charter Amendments 2 & 3. Vote NO to keep your vote.

Lake Worth Beach City Commission is trying to take away the currently required citizen vote for long term leases of public property. The Beach, the golf Course, the parks.

Vote No on March 10th to protect our vote. Public land, Public Vote. Most of the parks that we have now were saved by an amendment that people put on our charter 22 years ago. We keep going through the same crap.

They have not proceeded in good faith. The presentations have been one-sided. Propaganda paid for with tax dollars. They hired consultants to create misleading materials. The ballot language does not say what we are voting on. The people were not allowed to speak at the public meetings, only to ask questions of consultant.

Lake Worth Beach Votes on March 10 to change our Charter

Lake Worth Beach: 5 Ballot Referendums To Change City Charter

By Joel Malkin

The City of Lake Worth Beach is looking to make multiple changes to its Charter. In our Election Spotlight, there are no races in the March 10th municipal election there, but voters will have five Charter referendums on their ballots.

1. The first one is called "Certification of Election Results." The city utilizes the Palm Beach County Canvassing Board and the Supervisor of Elections certifies election results that are canvassed, and the ballot question is whether the Charter should be amended to reflect that is the case. City officials say it would reflect current legal requirements.
2. The second referendum is "Lease Terms: City-Owned Property East of A1A." This one asks if the Charter should be amended to allow city-owned property to the east of A1A to be leased for up to 99 years for purposes other than lodging and residential uses. It's aimed at encouraging private investment in and redevlopment of the city's property in that area and to reduce the city's maintenance costs of city facilities.
3. Referendum 3 is titled "Lease Terms: Parks, Downtown, & West of A1A." It's also aimed at encouraging private investment and would amend the Charter to allow city-owned property WEST of A1A that is restricted in the Charter to be leased for up to 99 years. The city says it would help to revitalize public spaces among other things.
4. Ballot question 4 is titled "Filling City Manager Vacancies." It askes if the Charter should be amended to require the process for filling a permanent vacancy in the Office of City Manager be started within 90 days of the vacancy and continue in good faith until the office is filled. The city says it would prevent Lake Worth Beach from being stuck in so-called "leadership limbo" where interim managers may lack the long term authority to make major decisions.
5. And number 5 on the ballot is titled 'Repeal of Defunct Police & Fire Sections." It reads "In recognizing that the city no longer has a city Police or Fire Department and to eliminate any confusion, shall the Police and Fire Departments section of the Charter be repealed. The city says this is mostly about that section of the Charter being outdated.

Charter Referendum Guide

5 Amendments to our Charter on the 2026 Ballot

Town Hall meeting on Charter Changes

A prominent West Palm Beach political consulting firm has been tapped to help educate Lake Worth Beach voters about five referendums on the March 10 ballot.

Cornerstone Solutions, hired by Lake Worth Beach in December for $48,500, is a fixture in Palm Beach County politics. Among the firm’s clients: the West Palm Beach mayor and city commissioners and Lake Worth Beach City Commissioner Anthony Segrich.

A dozen people attended the first town hall, Thursday Jan. 8 at the Peniel Haitian Baptist Church of Lake Worth at 2000 N. D St. And some, including City Commissioner Chris McVoy and former Commissioner Kim Stokes, criticized the presentation.

McVoy, who cast the lone no vote last year to put the charter changes to voters, said he was concerned about a four-page brochure, created by Cornerstone for town hall attendees, listing several “reasons” for each of the five questions.

“The presentation has to be neutral and cannot advocate one way or another,’’ he said, referring to limits in state law. “I am alarmed to see in every case what is listed as the benefits of voting for it and there is zero about what the negatives might be. That may be a legal problem.

Read more on the Charter Changes

City of Lake Worth Beach Ballot March 8, 2022

WHEN IN DOUBT, VOTE NO

That's my position!

City of Lake Worth Beach Election
March 8, 2022

The City of Lake Worth Beach General Election will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, (with a Run-Off Election on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, if necessary), between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. for the following seat:

Commissioner District 4 Seat – Three Year Term
The following are the candidates for District 4:

Reinaldo Diaz
Craig Frost
Daniel Morgan

Click the link below for Candidate Information and Treasurer Reports.

Ballot Questions & Explanations:

Question 1

“SHALL THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH AMEND ITS CHARTER AT ARTICLE III, SECTION 2 TO PROVIDE THAT NO PERSON MAY SERVE MORE THAN A MAXIMUM OF TWELVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS AS A CITY ELECTED OFFICIAL AND THAT NO PERSON MAY SERVE MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE FULL TERMS AS MAYOR OR COMMISSIONER WHEREIN THE OFFICES OF MAYOR AND COMMISSIONER WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATE OFFICES FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH CONSECUTIVE TERM LIMITS?”

Currently, there are no term limits in the City’s Charter.  This question would allow a Commissioner or Mayor to serve only 2 3-year terms in a row, then have to wait for 23 months before running again for the same seat. A Commissioner could run for Mayor or a Mayor for Commissioner after serving 6 years, but the maximum time they could serve would be 12 years after which time they would have to sit out for 23 months.

Question 2

“SHALL THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH AMEND ITS CHARTER AT ARTICLE V, SECTION 4 TO PROVIDE THAT A CANDIDATE WHO QUALIFIES FOR A RUN-OFF ELECTION IS AUTHORIZED TO CONCEDE THE RUN-OFF ELECTION WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTION RESULTS THEREBY DOING AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR A RUN-OFF ELECTION AND ALLOWING THE REMAINING CANDIDATE TO BE DULY ELECTED?”

Concession is not addressed in the City’s Charter. In 2019, the candidate who was in second place after the general election conceded, but the City had a run-off election to ensure compliance with the Charter.

Question 3  VOTE NO

“SHALL THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH AMEND ITS CHARTER AT ARTICLE III, SECTION 1 TO PROVIDE FOR SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICT VOTING WHEREIN EACH COMMISSIONER SHALL BE ELECTED BY THE VOTERS RESIDING IN HIS OR HER OWN DISTRICT, AND WILL CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THE ENTIRE CITY AND WITH THE MAYOR CONTINUING TO BE ELECTED BY THE VOTERS OF THE CITY-AT-LARGE?”

District Commissioners are currently elected at-large, meaning that all voters in the City vote for each Commissioner. Many cities have single-member district voting where only the voters living in that district can vote for the Commissioner for that district. Each Commissioner would continue to represent the entire City and the Mayor would continue to be elected  at-large.

Question 4

“SHALL THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH AMEND ITS CHARTER AT ARTICLE III, SECTION 5 TO PROVIDE THAT WHEN THE CITY COMMISSION IS REQUIRED TO FILL A VACANCY ON THE COMMISSION BY APPOINTMENT, SUCH APPOINTMENT SHALL BE MADE BY THE REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION NO LATER THAN 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE QUALIFYING PERIOD FOR THE NEXT CITY ELECTION?”

The Charter does not specify a specific time for filling a Commission vacancy beyond the overall time between a vacancy and the next election. This amendment would add language that an appointment to fill a Commission vacancy would have to be made before the start of the qualifying period.

Shaping the Future of Lake Worth

City of Lake Worth March 8 election

The ballot questions along with the city's explanation arrived in our Utility bill.

There will possibly be changes to our charter regarding Term Limits, Run-off elections, Single Member District voting (which is a horrible idea), and Vacancy fulfillment on the commission

We will be voting on 4 amendments on March 8.

Click to read

Potential ballot questions for March 2022 Election

Discussion regarding potential ballot questions for the March 2022 municipal election

AGENDA DATE: October 19, 2021
DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

TITLE:

SUMMARY: The City Commission will discuss the ballot questions proposed by the Charter Review Committee.

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION:
At the October 5, 2021 Regular City Commission meeting, Sam Goodstein, Vice Chair of the Charter Review Committee, presented the following four ballot questions, which were approved and recommended by a majority of the committee, to be considered for the upcoming March 2022 municipal election:

1) term limits of two consecutive terms for a given seat (6 years)
2) in any election a candidate may concede without forcing a run off
3) change to single-member district voting, mayor at large (totally against this...because it cannot produce proportional representation. Commissioners in actuality represent all of us in this city)
4) allow election by plurality should the leading candidate get 40% plus 1 of the vote. The biggest disadvantage to this is someone can get elected with small amounts of public support

Conclusion:
Should the City Commission vote to have any of the ballot questions move forward, an ordinance will need to be prepared and presented at the November 2 and November 16 City Commission meetings in order to meet the Supervisor of Election’s deadline for the questions to appear on the March 8, 2022 municipal election ballot.

So, any of you who have questions or concerns, please contact your Commissioner. We know that anything passed by the commission will probably prevail at the ballot box as they have the resources to "educate" the public.

Quote of the Day - Pam Triolo

"...this was the will of the people.  It was a vote."

~ Mayor Pam Triolo

The mayor was talking about the state-wide vote on Medical Marijuana. The city attorney had suggested a moratorium for six months to a year. There are two facilities ready to open dispensaries in the city. The item will be on the next commission agenda scheduled for February 21 for public input.

This comment struck me as ironic when you consider the Heights Amendment that was won at the ballot box that allowed up to 45 feet in our downtown area. This "visionary" commission ignored the will of the people and to this day, it is still in legal limbo as they fight the very people they serve.

Respecting the will of the people lies at the heart of any democratic system. We didn't get that in Lake Worth on our Heights Charter Amendment.

It's not the Lawsuit holding up the Gulfstream Hotel

I doubt if there is one person in this city that would not like to see the Gulfstream Hotel renovated, rebuilt and opened. It has been way too long that this historic structure has been allowed to go to blight and decay by the past two owners. The hotel must be a special exception as it is not even being coded.

Through the years, we had these owners appeal to the city to get every waiver imaginable that they said they just had to have in order to make their business plan work. They brought in their design architects and their lawyers. It has all been a heavy duty body blow. Hudson Holdings even has a former commissioner working on its behalf as well as a local blogger who was the former chair of the Historic Resource Preservation Board. The company gave to majority commissioner campaigns.

The attitude was hell with the city and its Charter. The hell with the zoning--that can be changed with a 3 to 2 vote. And hell to the people. The city's Historic Board and the city commission listened to them, desperate for a promise that may never be fulfilled until such time the owners, Hudson Holdings, can suck the blood to the very last drop.

Then the city, along with three commissioners, dishonored the will of the people on the Heights Charter Amendment. They ignored the vote all for the developer and his promise to open this hotel and his need to do what he wanted even though he could have built a four story on the vacant land.

Then all of this catering to an investor/flipper/developer paid off in a lawsuit filed by three residents looking out for rights--your rights--my rights.

Hudson Holdings, if it was serious, could have demolished those out buildings eons ago. They could have started to renovate the hotel as promised when they first arrived on the scene. But then they saw $$$ in their eyes and knew how to jerk around elected officials. They haven't renovated the hotel--none of this has happened. Why? Well it's not the lawsuit.

On Tuesday night, our city attorney, Glen Torcivia, brought up the lawsuit stating that the Plaintiffs filed their appeal which means it goes to the 4th District Court of Appeals. That's a beginning of a process. Generally, a brief would be filed about two months. There will be a response filed by the city. Usually, 30 days after that, another response will be filed. So, you're looking at 4 to 6 months before you get a ruling, said Glen.

At 1:31:26 into the meeting Commissioners Amoroso asks,
"Is it true that in our Ordinance or somewhere that they [Hudson Holdings] can not move forward [with renovations, development etc.] as long as there is a lawsuit pending?"

Glen Torcivia: "No, No. They're free to move forward but from their perspective, there's a risk...There are plenty of cases that do move forward."

I love Thursdays!

Comment Up

I love Thursdays.  Why?  I get my Lake Worth Herald delivered and there is always, without a doubt, something that totally ticks me off that is either untrue or missing facts.

Today it is the recent ruling in the Appellate Court on the citizen lawsuit on the Charter Amendment. The article states:  A referendum put to the voters of Lake Worth regarding building heights was narrowly defeated in March 2013.  The city commission certified the results of the election that the PAC won by 55.86% that were never moved forward to Tallahassee by the City Clerk. That margin of win is not insignificant nor should it be described as "narrow." Politico has defined a landslide election as being at least winning by 10 percentage points.

The editor also states that the citizen's effort "would have resulted in thwarting the revitalization of the Gulfstream Hotel."  The truth of the matter is--NOTHING in the Charter Amendment EVER thwarted the renovation of the existing hotel.  And the owner, Hudson Holdings, could have built to 45 feet on the vacant property.

The Hotel District was designated AFTER the Charter Amendment.  HB 537 was signed by the governor three months AFTER the election.  And this law reverted back to 2011.

I still believe the people's argument was correct. And all you little political activists who were in the photo in front of the hotel cheering on Hudson Holdings and the City, some of whom actually work for Hudson Holdings, tell the owner to clean up his mess. Let's now see some results.

City of Lake Worth Wins in court on Gulfstream Height Amendment - The Will of the People is Moot

Comment Up

Court rules in favor of Lake Worth’s Gulfstream Hotel project

August 11, 2016 – Lake Worth, Fla. - The City of Lake Worth has prevailed in defending the zoning of the Gulfstream Hotel.

The three-judge Appellate Panel of the Circuit Court unanimously issued a ruling that states: “The Petition for Writ of Certiorari is DENIED.”

The decision is the Court’s rejection of an effort that would have resulted in thwarting the revitalization of the Gulfstream Hotel and the 12-block surrounding area known as Lake Worth’s Hotel District.

In February, the City was challenged by three citizens about whether construction of a 65-ft new building expansion of the Gulfstream Hotel was in compliance with Downtown height limits.

The ruling, allows the $70 million project, owned by Hudson Holdings, to move forward with their construction.

City of Lake Worth Mayor Pam Triolo said she is thankful for Judges’ decision.

“This community has longed for the reopening of our beautiful, historic hotel and this decision now clears the way,” said Mayor Triolo.

“The Gulfstream Hotel will revitalize the community and serve as a catalyst in our Downtown, to bring in much-needed tourism for our businesses and great lodging for the friends and relatives of our residents.”

Located in central Palm Beach County, Lake Worth is a dynamic, multi-cultural city with an individualistic style. People are drawn to the city by its acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles, historic districts, hip downtown and colorful arts