2nd Reading on Public Parking Garage

Opinion: Lake Worth Residents Deserve Answers Before Another Dollar is Spent on WMODA

By: Former commissioner, Kimberly Stokes

As Lake Worth Beach approaches another critical vote on the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts (WMODA) project, residents are being asked to trust that city leaders have everything under control. Yet after years of approvals, subsidies, and public investments, many basic questions remain unanswered.

On June 30, the City Commission is expected to approve the second reading of the project’s K Street Parking Garage, a vote that would move the development significantly closer to reality. Supporters portray this as the final piece of the puzzle. For many residents, however, this is precisely the moment when the public should demand greater transparency and accountability.

The city has already committed substantial public resources to support the project. In addition to millions in land donations, infrastructure incentives, utility improvements, and affordable housing subsidies, the city is now moving forward with a public parking garage that could cost between $10 and 14 million.

The garage is widely viewed as essential to making the WMODA development work, yet residents still have not been provided with a clear financial plan explaining the total cost, how ongoing operations and maintenance will be funded, who the garage is intended to serve, whether taxpayers will ultimately bear the cost for the garage, or if it will be paid parking, which the downtown merchants vehemently oppose.

Lake Worth Beach is not a wealthy city. Every dollar invested in one project is a dollar unavailable for roads, utilities, parks, public safety, or affordable housing. Before committing what could ultimately approach $20 million in public resources, residents deserve complete transparency.

Read more of Kimberly's opinion...

Liberals in Lake Worth Beach all up in arms!

No answers from LWB--Immigration issue was not addressed

It was last on the January 6 agenda and they ran out of time to discuss as all the liberals who showed up supporting illegal aliens.

People seeking answers about recent federal detentions of immigrants left the Jan. 6 City Commission meeting disappointed when commissioners spent the five hour session on other topics, including “tree abuse” and what trees should grow downtown.

Two advocacy groups, Lake Worth For All (Kimberly Stokes) and the Palm Beach Indivisables Immigration Coalition, have asked the city since December to request data from local and state police agencies that they say will reveal who has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforceent and what crimes they were accused of committing, if any.

Their crime is simply being an illegal and that's enough for detention.

Commissioner Chris McVoy proposed early in the meeting to push the immigration discussion almost to the top of the agenda, but none of the other three commissioners, or Mayor Betty Resh, backed his proposal.

“How convenient to put it at the end of the agenda,” McVoy said at the end of the meeting. “Something that affects real lives, real kids, real famil­ies and probably a quarter of our population . ... We put it last on the agenda knowing full well we won’t get to it.”

Kim Stokes, a socialist Democrat and former city commissioner and Lake Worth For All’s leader, said she was not surprised by the commission’s actions and fauled Resch and other commissioners for not raising the immigration issue earlier in the meeting, saying they “con­tinue to demonstrate how out of touch they are with the general public.” Only Democrats believe that, Kim.

Read all about it

Development Crowd Striking Again

The "FOR" Development crowd

Not all of Lake Worth Beach loves WMODA: Developer spends $6,000 to counter opposition's 'disinformation campaign'

Excerpt from Joe Capozzi's article

"Though WMODA’s rebuttals have been endorsed by the city, project opponents insist their concerns are backed by information in the development agreement, the public private partnership agreement and other public records.

Opponents say they’re just trying to protect taxpayers and promote a better quality of downtown development.

“This is a real David and Goliath situation,’’ said Kim Stokes, who lost a city commission reelection bid in 2024 to Commissioner Mimi May, a WMODA supporter.

“We don't have the money, we don't have the marketing, we don't have the professionals,’’ Stokes said. “We are up against an established professional large-scale development group with access to lots of funds who is willing to attack anyone who expresses concern.’’

Those attacks have extended to the dais where opponents say Mayor Betty Resch and Commissioner Sarah Malega have sought to silence Commissioner Chris McVoy, a vocal WMODA critic, at times leading to tense public clashes.

McVoy has been the loudest, and for the past month, the only voice of WMODA dissent on the commission. A majority — Resch, Malega and May — has embraced the project and its promises of long-term economic benefits, including $7 million in taxes paid by the museum and apartments over the first 10 years and millions in revenue from downtown visitors.

The CRA donated to WMODA 1.78 acres of prime downtown land worth $3.3 million (an amount opponents say is higher).

Read Joe's article

Our city has always been prime for developers and we, once again, have a city commission that loves development--parking garage, this project,  and there are even eyes on our golf course. They can't even find the money to clean our sidewalks or repair garbage trucks.

Democrats always know how to play dirty!

I am not MAGA!’ — Candidate’s ‘rookie mistake’ fuels partisan uproar in nonpartisan Lake Worth Beach race

"THE FAKE FLYER with the headline “Make Lake Worth Beach Republican Again” shows Mimi May, a political newcomer running for City Commission, smiling next to photos of former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The bogus ad was emailed last month to dozens if not hundreds of city residents, presumably by a supporter of Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Kim Stokes, May’s opponent in the March 19 election. Stokes, a registered Democrat, said neither she nor her campaign had anything to do with the fake flyer."

That's another thing, Democrats ALWAYS lie!

"May, a registered Republican who has insisted party affiliations should be off limits in the nonpartisan race, was not amused.

“Somebody sent this and that’s not OK,’’ she said at a candidates forum Feb. 19, her voice rising as she held the fake ad in front of 100 or so people in a room at The Beach Club.

Read Joe Capozzi's article

Lake Worth Commissioner Stokes wants to Halt Evictions

Commissioner wants to Halt Evictions in Lake Worth--

Renters who are behind on payments are breathing a sigh of relief this month as the CDC extended their eviction moratorium until the end of July.

But one Lake Worth Commissioner in our poor city wants to help tenants who still won't/don't/can't pay their rent.

Commissioner Kimberly Stokes wants to take money from Biden's American Rescue Plan and pay for those people who can't/don't/won't pay their rent and get them legal advice if facing eviction. While the intent of the CDC moratorium was to prevent the spread of Covid, there is no requirement in the order that the income loss be due to Covid. State laws may differ.

What about the property owners, the Lessors? What about their rights? They will still have to go through an eviction process that could be lengthy, costly and tied up in the courts.

PB Post article

Florida Housing Law

Lake Worth Beach looking for answers for poor performing schools

City of Lake Worth Beach starting Education Task Force

The Pandemic didn't help the students as they could not physically go to school for some time.  School performance grades were waived for the 2019-2020 school year.

School report cards for the 2018-2019 school year show 5 out of 7 schools in the City of Lake Worth Beach earned a "C."

Commissioner Kimberly Stokes does not think this is a fair representation of our schools and she is heading this new Education Task force.

Just concentrate on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic and perhaps they will learn something worthwhile. (NO CRITICAL RACE THEORY. No Marxist indoctrination please!) The Florida Board of Education has approved new academic standards opposing Critical Race Theory and there are Democrats who object.

The "unique issues and challenges" facing our schools is the language barrier...all the children of "immigrant" families, which dominates Lake Worth schools and where English is not the first language at home.

Read about it...

National Hysteria over Illusive Asian "Hate" crimes

Only one GOP Senator Stood up!

Indeed, there is some immense national hysteria over “anti-Asian hate crimes.” This issue seemed to come about almost overnight simply because there was some feverish attention from the liberal news media.

Apparently there were a few crimes against Asians that might have had something to do with the China virus. One crime was a mass shooting in Atlanta where 6 Asian women were killed by some sick pervert who had frequented massage parlors where they worked. It was not a hate crime but the warped media ran with that possibility.

And on April 6, this made-up hate crime affected Lake Worth when  Commissioner Kimberly Stokes, a Democrat Socialist, proposed the resolution against Asian hate. Of course, we have none in Lake Worth but Democrats love to tell everyone they are the great unifiers. Actually, they are the ones causing the riots and hate throughout the country.

"The measure, which would create a Justice Department position focusing on the issue and beef up state and local hate crime reporting, soared through the chamber by a 94-1 vote. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was the only vote against the bill." [Politico]

Political Points against Racism

'We are seen as the punching bag': County's lone Asian American politician fights back against racism

He will be speaking on Saturday afternoon at Lake Worth's Bryant Park.

"Hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities jumped by 150 percent in 2020, according to a study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, which based its numbers on police department statistics.

That increase took place while overall hate crimes fell by 7 percent, according to the study.

Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Ty Penserga, who was born in the Phillipines, even blames the rise in Asian hate on President Trump who insisted the virus came from China by calling it the China Virus or Wuhan Virus. The virus DID COME FROM CHINA!

On Tuesday, our newly elected Democrat socialist Commissioner, Kimberly Stokes, placed a Proclamation on the Agenda under Presentations denouncing racism against Asian-Americans. We don't have racism in Lake Worth. The number of Asians here is 0.09% of our population. But all this is about making a national progressive liberal Socialist political point, a feel good Proclamation.

We all denounce racism...period...and are sick of the constant reproachment from Democrats.

Read about it...

New Liberal Commission has first meeting

Now I don't mind one or two liberals but the entire dais? This is what happens when a city has liberal commissioners who set policy and their own agenda. We get to hear all the BS.

At 45:17 into the video, Kimberly Stokes brings up Atlanta, Asians, White Supremacy and Racism. We don't have these problems in Lake Worth. Please concentrate on Lake Worth issues.

Around 1:05 our new mayor wants a day devoted to "Diversity." Don't we have enough when 40% of our city is White? Now we have to honor the diversity? Why? She also mentioned that on April 3 on the steps of city hall at noon, there will be a Bangladesh Day and they will speak out against violence of Asians.

Do we have this problem in our city? Or is this another excuse by liberals to feature a situation that does not exist like systemic racism that Omari Hardy always insisted we had.

Socialists trying to take over our city government in Lake Worth

Democratic Socialist running for District 3?

Does this candidate want to end Capitalism!!?

This is what they stand for:

 We are the Palm Beach County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States. DSA’s members are building progressive movements for social change while establishing an openly democratic socialist presence in American communities and politics.

At the root of our socialism is a profound commitment to democracy, as means and end. As we are unlikely to see an immediate end to capitalism tomorrow, DSA fights for reforms today that will weaken the power of corporations and increase the power of working people. For example, we support reforms that:

    decrease the influence of money in politics
    empower ordinary people in workplaces and the economy
    restructure gender and cultural relationships to be more equitable.

We are activists committed to democracy as not simply one of our political values but our means of restructuring society. Our vision is of a society in which people have a real voice in the choices and relationships that affect the entirety of our lives. We call this vision democratic socialism — a vision of a more free, democratic and humane society.

We are socialists because we reject an international economic order sustained by private profit, alienated labor, race and gender discrimination, environmental destruction, and brutality and violence in defense of the status quo.

We are socialists because we share a vision of a humane international social order based both on democratic planning and market mechanisms to achieve equitable distribution of resources, meaningful work, a healthy environment, sustainable growth, gender and racial equality, and non-oppressive relationships.