Florida Port Officials heading for California to drum up business

Florida ports ready and eager for more cargo to relieve national supply problems

Florida port officials will head to California this month to push for more cargo ships to come to Florida to help ease global supply-chain issues.

Members of the Florida Ports Council said they have already seen the state’s ports take in more business since they increased efforts in October to capitalize on congestion at the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. They said a trip to California during the last week of February to a major shipping conference known as TPM22 will be used to further “beat that drum.”

The Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council estimated waterborne trade at the state’s seaports fell 16.1 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic, a $14.1 billion hit.

“We’re going to put ourselves front and center into the battleground,” said Jonathan Daniels, chief executive and port director at Port Everglades and chairman of the Florida Ports Council, said during a “State of Seaports” address last week at the Capitol.

Read about it...

Deceit or an Honest Mistake

Who sent boat-lift surveyors to Lake Worth Beach park without city's OK? 'Innocent mistake' blamed

The Spillway controversy has been going on way too long--at least 8 years or so

"ON A WARM MONDAY afternoon in November, Lake Worth Beach resident Carl Schulte was walking his dogs through Spillway Park, a 4.5-acre public greenspace in the city’s College Park neighborhood, when he noticed something odd.

A surveyor with the civil engineering firm Engenuity Group was taking measurements at the north end of the park along the top of a grassy field that slopes down to the south shore of the C-51 canal, which separates Lake Worth Beach from West Palm Beach.

The measurements, the surveyor explained to Schulte and another visitor, were being taken as a preliminary step for a plan to replace the park’s north end with fishing and portage piers and a 30-foot high boat lift allowing small boats to get around the spillway’s flood-control structure."

'Wow,’ City Commissioner Christopher McVoy said when he learned the neighboring municipality had ordered the work. “Getting people to survey land that you neither own nor lease for a project that you’re pushing but has not been approved by the owner or the lessee, the optics don’t look good.’"

Read my post of 4-24-2015

Read Joe Capozzi's article

Development of Vacant Land on Dixie Highway

The Lake Worth Beach CRA recently announced an RFP for the development of a vacant, CRA-owned parcel on or adjacent to North Dixie Highway, between 17th and 18th Avenue North in the mixed-use, Dixie Highway area.

The CRA is seeking proposals for a mixed-use development that takes advantage of the Sustainable Bonus Incentive Program, allowing for additional height, density and intensity. It is the CRA’s intention to competitively select a Developer with the proven ability and interest to construct and own the property once developed. The CRA is interested in receiving proposals that provide the most transformative opportunity for the area and deliver the optimal return on investment. Interested development teams must submit qualifications, a design concept and a financial proposal.

Click here for full RFP

Heart of Palm Beach Report

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Nearly a year ago, there was a joint workshop with representatives from Palm Beach County and seven cities in Shelley's Vana's district. The purpose was to discuss major opportunities and impediments to economic development of her District that comprises 18-square-miles. The population is 62,790 people and includes all or a portion of seven cities, including Atlantis, Boynton Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Lake Clarke Shores, Lantana, and Palm Springs. About 60 percent of the land area is unincorporated county, with the remaining 40 percent falling under the jurisdiction of these seven municipalities.

John Prince Park was discussed:

• Address homeless camps at John Prince Park

• Redo John Prince Park based on the changing demographic of the area and potential opportunities for Intracoastal Waterway access

• Create a new Strategic Plan for John Prince Park.

• Gold Coast Builders wants to focus on improving John Prince Park

• Palm Springs said that John Prince Park is a real opportunity that could have a world class facility to attract tourism from all over.

Attendees from Lake Worth: Dolores Key, Economic Development Manager and William Waters, Director for Community Sustainability

Lake Worth's ideas for Economic Growth and comments:

Improve infrastructure within Lake Worth Park of Commerce

Have more community redevelopment; work with other cities to find grant initiatives; provide more housing availability; more business investment. Branding is important.

Crime and panhandling is out of control and gives the cities a bad image. This affects all the community, because it inhibits investment in the area.

Lake Worth has been building consensus from the community on redevelopment and has developed new land development regulations.

There has been $45 million in recent investment to the Lake Worth Park of Commerce.

Read the Heart of Palm Beach Report

Scott Maxwell, his Crazy Bat, Secret Meetings and $$$

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We already went round and round about this several years ago with the Astros and Nationals but Commissioner Maxwell who represents this neighborhood doesn't give a flying fig. He loves secrecy and intrigue and the hell with his neighbors. It's still, with him, all about the possibility that some $$$ might trickle to Lake Worth from all of this.  Just another one of his Field of Dreams. But what he is not considering, as it is not a priority, is the total ruination of a neighborhood.

This is posted as a reminder of the last behind the scenes discussions to screw this neighborhood and a beautiful Palm Beach County park that is deed restricted. Gosh, how soon everyone forgets.

Apparently a telephone survey went out yesterday on this. I have no details on it or who instigated it.

The PB Post said that there was a meeting on "Tuesday night at CityPlace that included officials from Lake Worth, Greenacres and the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, an influential group of business leaders that was a driving force behind the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches." Tuesday night is a curious date as Scott Maxwell was in a city commission meeting on Tuesday. At the end of the meeting when the city manager was asked if he had anything to report, he responded "no."

Palm Beach County is concerned about--"how to pay for the facility, which the Braves want to build in John Prince Park just west of Lake Worth. It could cost up to $100 million."

West Palm Beach south-end revitalization Dream

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Well, if we know anything by now, we know that former Lake Worth CRA member Shanon Materio who is a  commissioner in West Palm Beach, is all for revitalizing the Dixie corridor where she has a business as well as developing the area in the south end of West Palm Beach.

Last night Mrs. Materio along with former commissioner Kimberly Mitchell were at a meeting that lasted about 1.5 hours hosted by the WPB South End Neighborhood Association held at the South Olive Community Center in order to tell the neighbors what they have in mind for the south end of the city--create what they call a spectacular southern entrance to West Palm Beach. The Redevelopment Management Associates, hired by West Palm Beach as a strategic planning agency, conducted the meeting.

When they say "spectacular" they mean opening up the canal on both sides (Lake Worth as well as West Palm Beach) that would entail creating a boat-lift on the C-51 canal with little finger canals like the city of  Venice, Italy.  Once completed, it would become an anchor feature. West Palm Beach bought the old IHOP property in 2012  for $2.9 million which is at the most southern tip of West Palm Beach directly on the canal. WPB leaders bought it in order to eventually revitalize the south end.

Ms. Materio answered  a few questions from the audience. One attendee asked a question on the C-51 Canal and  stated that "7 permits are needed" but Materio said that it is a long way out and therefore that as well as environmental concerns are premature and don't need to be addressed at this stage.  As it is on the Lake Worth side, Materio said that Lake Worth had to be involved. Also it was mentioned by the consultants after Mrs. Materio had left the meeting, that she has been talking to Lake Worth about this project for the past two years.

A few Lake Worth residents were in attendance, one of whom was Commissioner Ryan Maier.

Reduced electric rates for new businesses in Lake Worth

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On CONSENT AGENDA:

The city plans on extending or continuing the Economic Development Electricity Incentive Rate Program (“Program”) available to qualifying commercial customers upon request throughout municipal boundaries of the City of Lake Worth.

MONTHLY RATE:

The rates and all other terms and conditions of the Customer’s otherwise applicable rate schedule shall be applicable under the Program. An annual credit based on the percentages below will be applied to the demand charges and non-fuel (base) energy charges of the Customer’s otherwise applicable rate schedule associated with the Customer’s new load:

Year 1 – 23.6% reduction on applicable charges from Year 1 and applied in Year 2

Year 2 – 20% reduction on applicable charges from Year 2 and applied in Year 3

Year 3 – 15% reduction on applicable charges from Year 3 and applied in Year 4

Year 4 – 10% reduction on applicable charges from Year 4 and applied in Year 5

Year 5 – 5% reduction on applicable charges from Year 5 and applied in Year 6

Park of Commerce - Lake Worth Commission's Pie in the Sky

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It's all about grabbing the cash anyway. Without saying a word, this commission, tells everyone--"It's my way or the highway." In this case it is a County Road. I can't even imagine anyone so arrogant to plow ahead after half the voters said "no." 

Lake Worth is signing an Interlocal agreement with Palm Beach County that will transfer county ownership of Boutwell Road over to the city so that we can develop and maintain it. This will be on the agenda this Tuesday night. To make matters even more insulting, they have placed it on Consent Agenda. They don't have to tell us one financial detail. Of course, we really don't have any money for the Park of Commerce but the city commission has miraculously found multi-millions somewhere probably in the capital improvement budget to devote to this project--a project that will NEVER pay for itself even if it does attract developers who build. It will take 50-100 years to recapture the cost in advalorem taxes. So who is really the beneficiary?

At least five years ago, the city applied for a Grant and was awarded one in August 2009 from the U.S. Department of Commerce in order to develop a Needs Analysis at the Park of Commerce. They "needed" to cement their case as this was their Field of Dreams. This was a matching grant, so $500,000 was spent on this "need." At the time, they told us that the vision of the City of Lake Worth is to "develop the Park of Commerce (POC) into the best area for business in southeast Florida. The City’s desire is for the POC to become a vital center for light industry and a major employment center."

Because of this commission's insistence to own the road and cater to development, its ownership must be transferred and the street  maintained by Lake Worth along with stormwater drainage. It will cost the City of Lake Worth taxpayers. Scott Maxwell, along with Triolo, Amoroso and Szerdi, believe that developing the Park of Commerce is our salvation. Businesses will re-locate here and all sorts of ad-valorem will enter our city coffers. This is a pipe dream and a lie perpetrated on the people.

The commission complains about our existing crumbling infrastructure.  They complain about pot holes.  They complain that the voters said "no" to grabbing the cash and putting every property owner in debt for 34 years. But then, they want to actually create a new paved road at 7th Avenue South when they can't fix the roads they already have and plan on spending millions of your money at the Park of Commerce. They complain that they have no money. They can't and never have taken care of what we already own--not once--anywhere in this 6 mile radius.

But the best commission bonus of all--the "visionaries" are getting their way by spending $6 million at the Park of Commerce...they originally wanted to spend 3 times that. We knew not to trust them with the cash and half the voters (plus 25) told them that.

110 North F Street

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Personally, I think the city has a lot of nerve placing many items that it does on Consent Agenda. This is one of them...it can't maintain one damn thing and their solution is to give all our buildings away to the CRA or to some non-profit and let the other guy maintain them and/or make the ad-valorem off of them and "scam" the government in the process. This commission says it is focused but their vacillation is costing you a lot of money.

What in the hell are we doing? This is all about obtaining grant money from the government which in this case is $500,000 max. When you're a poor city you make desperate decisions...this is just another one of them.  On top of that, the people have NO say on how our city should look even when they win an election. This was not my vision. And even if you speak to this item on Tuesday, it is a done deal...this commission does not care what you think.

Always talking about wasting money, even going so far as to vote nay on the Budget, Scott Maxwell, along with Triolo and Amoroso originally voted for the architectural and engineering work on our city owned building located at 110 North F Street formerly occupied by The Department of Health. We know of $40,000 that was 'burned" there, probably more. The goal was to use it for Utility Customer Service, Community Development, Code Enforcement, Planning & Zoning and Preservation Divisions.

In fact, it was Maxwell that made the motion back on June 21, 2011 --"I move to approve the transfer of $11,000 from the Project UT-EL 1112 to Project UT-EL 1010 and approve architectural/engineering services work order CPH Engineers, Inc. for design of Customer service and Building Department facilities at 110 North F street for an amount not to exceed $81,000," said Scott Maxwell. Read about it...

If there is anything good coming out of the city's "give-away" mentality, at least these buildings are three stories.
Concentrating on eradicating slum and blight should be the CRA's goal but not at the expense of turning over everything we own for development that no one has approved.

9. CONSENT AGENDA: (public comment allowed during Public Participation of
Non-Agendaed items)
D. (Added) Resolution No. 30-2014 - conditional conveyance of property located at 110 North F Street to the Community Redevelopment Agency

TITLE: Resolution No. 30-2014 – conditional conveyance of property located at 110 North F Street to CRA
SUMMARY:
This Resolution proposes to conditionally convey 110 N. F Street to the CRA for development of the “West Village”, a mixed-use redevelopment project.
BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION:
Currently, the City owns the property at 110 N. F Street (PCN: 38-43-44-21-15-012-0260) (a.k.a. the old Health Department building). The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency proposes to redevelop the property into the “West Village”, a mixed use redevelopment project which would include commercial, residential and office uses and a park area to be called “Luna Park”. Copies of the preliminary project drawings are attached.
The CRA is applying for a State of Florida Cultural Facilities Grant to assist with funding the project. The grant requires the CRA to own the underlying property. Pursuant to section 2-1(f) of the City’s code of ordinances, the City Commission at a scheduled public meeting by a simple majority vote, may waive the requirements regarding the minimum bid amount, method of sale and sale of surplus property and convey the property directly to the CRA. Since the CRA is still securing funding for the project, approval of this Resolution conditions the City’s conveyance of the property on the CRA securing sufficient funding to commence the project.

Minto West does not serve Residents

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Below is a Letter to the Editor written by Tony Foley that deserves our attention. His thoughts on huge density are "right on" but elected officials everywhere NEVER pay attention. Look what's happening in the Minto West project where residents in the area are rallying against--

Minto purchased the former Callery Judge Grove consisting of approximately 3,800 acres and renamed the property “Minto West” (this property is the former orange grove in the center of the Acreage). The property has a current land use approval for the construction of 2,996 single-family homes and 235,000 sq.ft. of non-residential.

However, Minto has filed a new land use amendment application seeking approval to build 6,500 residential units (single-family, zero lot line, townhomes and apartments), plus 1.4 million sq.ft. of non-residential (commercial retail, office, industrial), plus a spring training baseball stadium, plus a 3,000 student community college, plus a hotel. The residents want to hold Minto to the existing approval, with no increase in residential density or added institutional and private recreational. Do you think the Palm Beach County Commission will listen to the people?

The Letter:

Minto West does not serve residents

It continues to baffle me how elected officials, who, by the way, are here to “look out for our best interests,” ignore the mandate of the very people they are elected to serve. Clearly, allowing a ridiculous development like Minto West to even be considered borders on lunacy and outright irresponsibility.

I moved to North Palm Beach 14 years ago after living my entire life in western Dade County, Kendall to be exact. At one time, the lush farm fields and peaceful landscape were indeed a place to raise a family. However, the commissioners there, like the ones here, started dancing to the tune of wealthy, greedy developers who raped and pillaged the land, and today it is a concrete jungle with unbelievable traffic snarls.

I moved my family to Palm Beach to escape this nightmare only to see the same thing playing out here. Our irreplaceable water table and environment are being attacked, and mark my words, this scenario will end very badly for all of us. The developers will have moved on, leaving the rest of us in hopeless gridlock and despair.

TONY FOLEY, NORTH PALM BEACH

Sylvia Moffett votes NO on Rybovich Village

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Last night, the West Palm Beach City Commission, that has never seen a development project it didn't like, voted to double the density on North Flagler Drive by voting for the Rybovich Village project.  The vote was 4/1 with Sylvia Moffett dissenting. She called the density “inappropriate.” “We’ve got several high-rises on North Flagler that haven’t done anything much for Broadway. If they stuck to the comp plan and did 32 (units) to the acre, they’d still get a pretty good return.”

Sylvia Moffett, District 1 Commissioner
Term 2014 – 2016
Phone (561) 822-1390 | Email smoffett@wpb.org
Commission President
Prior to her election as commissioner, Sylvia played an active role in her neighborhood serving as secretary and as president of the Old Northwood Steering Committee, editing the Old Northwood Newsletter, and representing Old Northwood to the North End Coalition of Neighborhoods.

Rybovich Expansion

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The Related Group and Rybovich companies will be building six towers at the Rybovich Marina with 1059 residential units, 15000 square ft of offices, and 10000 ft of retail space.

While most of us would like to be concerned with having fun with corn eating contests, Derby Day and other exciting ways to spend one's time, we, on too many occasions, have to literally "fight city hall" for not listening to the people or going against our best interests.  Elected officials think about ways to get more money, usually from you, or dreaming up give-aways for developers for ad valorem and compromising residential neighborhoods. West Palm Beach can't get enough of development.

I think West Palm beach has a secret desire to be Ft. Lauderdale. If a developer even looks its way, wow, they have an orgasm.  All the rest of you must watch out because the city will get its 22 stories right next to the waterfront and/or across the street from where you live and they will give waiver after waiver to allow it or in the case of Lake Worth, figure out a way to build $17 million in infrastructure on your dime to wishfully attract development or encourage commerce at John Prince Park or overturn a vote of the people.

Rybovich tried to block the activists in Riviera Beach by seeking damages for $10 million but the voters in Riviera Beach said no to Rybovich in 2010 when more than 4,000 voters in Riviera Beach  voted to change the city’s charter to prohibit leasing space to Rybovich Superyacht Marina for a new megayacht refit and repair yard. It took a lot of hard work by residential activists at the time as they said it was their right to keep all of the marina open to the public. I was right up there, banner waving with them on November 5, 2010. At the time, Emma Bates, whose Citizen’s Task Force had opposed the Rybovich lease proposal, said “I don’t trust Rybovich.” Huizenga eventually decided to build on land that he owns.

This time it's the Rybovich Marina 14 acre expansion that will be voted on today in West Palm Beach. They say that it will improve the West Palm Beach Broadway corridor as well as the Northwood area. The promise (we know promises are always broken) of improving the area is not why the West Palm Beach council will vote to give Rybovich nearly double the residence per acre density. It's all about $$$$.

When passed today, the project will be humongous. This will be a big revenue boost to West Palm Beach just in permitting fees of mega millions but will generate $5.8 million a year in taxes. Look for a possible lawsuit but the mayor is not worried.  Of course she isn't...elected officials never are... and it's the same all over especially in the corruption capital of the country...they work diligently and change ordinances to get their way.

Read about it...

Rendering for ballfield at John Prince Park

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A whisper away from residential homes

This is what Shelley Vana, Scott Maxwell, Pam Triolo, the rest of the Lake Worth commission, and Michael Bornstein want. The city even authorized paying two of our attorneys to sit at the meeting on April 18 to promote their point of view using taxpayer dollars to do it.

Our environment will be impacted big time. We will lose all of our wading and nesting birds as well as our quiet enjoyment all for a whim of Maxwell's for his dream of economic development. This commissioner has really sold his soul to the devil.

Lake Worth Commission on a Fast Train trying to steamroll through the city

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Yelling "all aboard and don't get left behind" to the developers, Mayor Pam Triolo of Lake Worth, and one who admits that Lake Worth is poorer than dirt, is pushing developers to think of Lake Worth when they’re looking to expand or develop. The commission is riding a fast train to fast track the Park of Commerce and wants $17 million of your money to do it, all to attract developers, as well as to get development of any kind in Lake Worth. They are looking at every square inch where that can happen and it can't come too soon for any of them.

Unbeknown to the residents, the city hired a consultant group to come up with different suggestions on development within the city. This was done to help out potential developers...we paid to give them a light-bulb moment. There was no mention of the name of the consultant or what this study cost. Consultants are something this commission has always panned excepting for when it comes to pushing their ideas. Last week the city entertained potential developers and entrepreneurs for a meeting at our Casino and presented six ideas for "transformation" projects.

One of those ideas featured today in the Palm Beach Post is a transient oriented development right at Lake Osborne that abuts the Tri-Rail tracks. We already see the deplorable affordable rentals, although they appear to be built well, that we suspect will ruin this neighborhood. From the photo on the TOD, it is humongous with 4-5 stories and it would mean buying out the mobile home park and other property near-by--or figuring out a way to grab it.

Another thing that was presented was — A "258-room, 103,200 square-foot, up to-6 story hotel, with 20,000 square feet of street-level retail, south of Lake Avenue and running down the east side of Federal Highway." Of course, there is no mention of the heights election where the people voted to keep our downtown area no more than 45 feet or 4 stories. The commission believes that it now can do whatever it wants in this regard.

Panama Hatties- A beautiful spot on the Intracoastal on the chopping block

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Panama Hatties
North Palm Beach has this--

Now North Palm Beach is going to get something similar to this-- What a shame--Click here...

Thank God our golf course in Lake Worth is deed restricted I hear!

Commission misleads public on benefits of Spring Training Stadium

...
Crane’s pronouncement is part of a master plan of Major League Baseball’s billionaire owners to justify the subsidy for a stadium by promoting a series of misleading information designed to deceive the public and the elected officials into approving the bond debt. It all began with the discredited Economic Impact Analysis foisted on the Florida Legislature and now to the county — the Bonn Report of 2009. Prepared for Major League Baseball by a non-economist, the incomplete data from the misleading report would be like your company counting gross sales without counting overhead. The report promises untold riches and jobs but omits serious economic realities while misapplying multipliers of spending growth. Dozens of independent economists have debunked it.

Read the article  at the Palm Beach Post which really points out the naïveté of elected officials falling into the trap and the big lie that ball fields will contribute to economic growth and employment.  

Villages of Lake Worth

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Affordable/Workforce rentals on their way --

some with a lake view

Villages of Lake Worth

216, 3 story rental units on 7.65 acres

Lake Worth and Boutwell Roads

Anything for a taxbase. The former commissioners, Jo-Ann Golden and Suzanne Mulvehill, rejected residential housing in the Park of Commerce. The very nature of the name of the park indicates what should be built there--commercial and industrial.  This present commission, that was allowed to slide back into office, changed the Comprehensive Plan to allow residential housing.

It has been proposed to spend $11 million on infrastructure at the Park of Commerce in order to attract businesses.  How many years would it take, assuming the park was completely developed, to pay the city back for an $11 million investment through ad valorem taxes?  How long, commissioners?

Lantana Chamber to have Sen Jeff Clemens

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Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce

Economic Development Forum Luncheon

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Old Key Lime House

11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

300 East Ocean Avenue

Speaker:
Sen Jeff Clemens

Creating Scandals instead of Jobs

"The moves by some states to outsource economic development functions to “public-private partnerships” have, by and large, become costly failures characterized by misuse of taxpayer funds, conflicts of interest, excessive executive pay and bonuses, questionable subsidy awards, exaggerated job-creation claims, lack of public disclosure of key records, and resistance to basic oversight." Read the Report here

If you want to see the troubling facts and inconvenient truths about how the redistribution of income and wealth in America is up, not down as is so often claimed, read the new Good Jobs First report. And take it not with a grain of salt, but a dose of aspirin, says David Clay Johnson of the National Memo.