Crimes of the Educators

Created equal signs are thrown in the street. Principal refers to public sidewalk as "his."

Lawyers say,  he also made “less than veiled threats,” “mischaracterized a public sidewalk as being school property,” “asserted a false right to ‘protect’ students from being exposed to speech he deemed inappropriate,” and “forcefully took … property … and threw it in the street,” the letter said.
“In the presence of many students, he thereby flouted and squelched our clients’ First Amendment rights,” it said.

This is what's being taught in our schools, folks.

The Selling off of America

Comment Up

OMG, for a second I thought the writer was talking about John Prince Park.

A massive land grab is in the works. State governments and industry are fighting for control of our public lands, and hundreds of millions of acres of critically important wildlife habitat could be at stake.

Special interest lobbyists are pushing elected officials to transfer our national public lands to the states, which could turn around and auction them off to the highest bidder for profit. This radical notion could soon become reality. Multiple bills in Congress would cede ownership or management of federal lands to Western states.

Tell your members of Congress: Hands off my lands!

Transferring public lands to states would jeopardize essential wildlife habitat and the species that live there. It could shut you out from the places where you love to hike, camp and enjoy wildlife.

Ultimately, these efforts sell out the American people by giving away our most cherished wildlife refuges, forests and other public lands for the short-term profits of a few drillers, miners, developers and other special interests.

Help keep public lands in public hands!

John Prince Park Preservation - Facebook

Comment Up

This is a brand new Facebook page for all of those of like mind who want to preserve our Palm Beach County park and it's environment and who reject any for profit corporation taking over any acreage there for free or otherwise.

Our public spaces are not for sale and not give-aways to corporate free-loaders.

If you agree, join...

John Prince Park Preservation

Shady stuff behind the scenes exposed before the election

Comment Up

The City can't manage it so they want to cement it in?

Although the city was keeping all of the proposals quiet (last month, I could not even get the names of any company that had made a proposal), some of it was exposed by fate when Commissioner McVoy was invited to attend a meeting at the Glasshouse by an owner in the Gulfstream Condo.  He heard the presentation by Hudson Holdings, that did make a proposal to Lake Worth to expand the casino area by building a 40,000 s.f. center totaling eliminating our pool. John Szerdi is employed by this company.

“It would make Lake Worth a destination for conferences. This will build the city’s tourism business. It’s a fantastic private-public partnership,” said Steven Michael, a principal at Delray Beach-based Hudson Holdings, speaking about our Lake Worth beach and casino.

Lake Worth falls for anything.  It fell for the song and dance made by Greater Bay (the flim flam artists)  and some of these same people are endorsing Szerdi and Jerome. Greater Bay cost us dearly and caused two lawsuits.

City officials say they’re just trying to find a way to make the complex generate money to pay down its debt.

Why don't they tell the residents the truth?  We borrowed from ourselves and have been paying the interest back to the utility from where it was borrowed.  It was John Szerdi and the rest of the commission who voted to delay the principal payment. It's not like we have a loan at a bank or something and we are behind.

Read about it...

Last night's meeting Lake Worth

Comment Up

Mathews Consulting Presentation
If you recall, they were hired by the city to oversee Mock Roos Engineers on the Park of Commerce project (the salvation of Lake Worth according to the "visionaries") and a firm that has worked for our city for 50 years. We are paying them $349,930 to ensure that everything the engineering firm is doing is right and on time.

Inmate Labor
Florida Department of Corrections will provide inmate labor in work programs under the supervision of the Florida Department’s staff. An inmate work squad consists of up to seven inmates plus a Florida Department of Corrections Guard/Supervisor. The work squad is available five days per week throughout the year except when a Department of Correction Guard is on vacation or sick. This service will continue to be overseen by the City’s Ground Maintenance Division. And get this--they have to use E-verify to verify eligibility of all persons employed during the contract term. Cost:  $23,957.08.

CRA Shuffleboard Court property Lease
We turned over control of our shuffleboard Court property to the CRA to be used for arts. We just can't get enough art or enough CRA. They in turn sub-leased the property to the Armory Art Center for one year. Because of that action, the lease with the CRA had to be amended. For various tuition charges, you too can become an artist.  Go with the flow.

Sun Recycling and our Landfill
Not once did the city mention the contract terms...out of sight for city staff and commissioners and certainly out of the minds of the residents. They bent over backwards in sending out surveys with self-stamped return envelopes. Only 10% returned them which showed that there was little interest or no problems left in the Osborne area. It is a landfill that was compromised--big time--by a firm whose operators had no conscience. 6,000 truckloads of construction material, some highly questionable, dumped on our property as a pretense to building a staging area for hurricanes.  We believe that the membrane was penetrated by these heavy trucks allowing gas to escape causing odors and sickness. We did find out that one commissioner, Andy Amoroso, has walked on the property without experiencing any odors or any problems. Sun Recycling got off the hook because of our lack of resolve. It was cheaper to forget about what they did, forget about the contract terms and move on. Anyone can come to Lake Worth and get away with just about anything because our legal team will find a way to appeasement.

Right of Way at 1501 N. L Street
The City gave that away too on a Revocable Permit on the First Reading. It was said by the city manager that we don't understand rights-of-way. 

Beach Decal parking
As predicted, the city commission gave away the availability of use of our 50 decal spots to non-residents. Even after having made the motion to do so, the speaker for the out-of-country Snowbirds said that charging them more money than residents was "unfair." You can't win with people who want it all. And you definitely can't win with a commission that is confused about what is "fair" or the circumstances of today compared to the circumstances of yesterday.

Also it was said last night that residents who rent couldn't get a decal which is not the case. Then Juan Ruiz clarified by saying that they had to have a year's lease which is a requirement.  Also mentioned was that the decal could be pro-rated. When did that happen?  I talked to Juan this morning and he wants to change that stipulation and I agree. The city will bend over backwards for these non-resident property owners for 50 decal spaces. Unbelievable. There even was a person who complained that there was no handicapped parking in the resident decal parking area. WTF?

Parking spaces are always filled on weekends, according to Juan Ruiz Recreational Director.  Holidays, forget about it.  Spring Break--don't even go there.

Some interesting quotes from the beach decal discussion:

Remembering that we have 50 decal parking spots--

Scott Maxwell:  We need to take a hard look at costs...wants to significantly increase the benefit to the residents and ridicules the amount we have been paying. (We now know where he disappeared to for 45 minutes or so--he traveled to the ROLOH neighborhood association meeting, a rare appearance)
Pam Triolo:  Let's charge $50 for residents and $75 for Snowbirds.
Andy Amoroso:  I don't want any cap on the number sold because it would discriminate against your residents. (It was said that 1745 permits had been sold for 50 spots)
Mike Bornstein, city manager:  Sell as many as you can...it will be like a lottery ticket to find a parking spot. It will be car "bling."

In looking over my beach decal receipts, the following charges applied not including tax:
2006:  $10 for a resident---$30 for a snowbird
This continued until...
2009:  $20 for a resident---$60 Seasonal
This continued until...
2013:  $30 for a resident

Some of the required Documentation to purchase a beach decal:
For Residents: Fl Drivers License, FL Vehicle regisgtration, homestead Exemption card, Ad Valorem tax receipt, Utility bill and if a renter, a one year lease minimum.
For snowbirds in the past when we had an unlimited number of spaces:  FL Driver's License, Vehicle registration, Ad Valorem Tax Receipt or Mobile Home Registration.

Roadway and utilities master Plan Capital projects
There was some question as to whether this was the 2020 Plan. Answer-- NO.

Professional services agreement with URS Corporation Southern for engineering, design and construction services for the Roadway and Utilities Master Plan Capital Projects for a twenty-four month term with provisions for three two-year renewals. The initial work authorization is for engineering and permitting services for Year 1 Projects # 2, 4 and 7 in a lump sum amount of $681,807.

Agreement with Craven Thompson & Associates, Inc. for engineering, design and construction services for  the Roadway and Utilities Master Plan Capital Projects for a twenty-four month term with provisions for three two year renewals. The initial work authorization is for engineering and permitting services for Year 1 Projects # 1,3,5,6 and 8, in a lump sum amount of $467,185.

Time Settles Everything - The Sun never shined with Sun

The city states:  Since the official closure of the City’s landfill in 1993, the City has dealt with a variety of issues. The issues include matters related to a 2007 lease to Sun Recycling Systems (SRS) as a hurricane staging area, allegations of odors emanating from the landfill, and allegations of contamination. At this time, a report from Mock Roos & Associates conclude that the odor and contamination issues are insignificant. City staff would like to move forward with analyzing viable uses of the landfill including a possible photovoltaic array.

Residents near site complaining about illnesses they
suffered  because of the debris dumped on landfill--some of which had arsenic

Well, of course it wants to move forward and forget about this past nightmare.  This is the MO of our present administration.  It conducted surveys in 2013 and sent out 56 of them to property owners adjacent to the landfill. Only a handful of residents bothered to complete them and send them in to the city which is a typical response rate.  After all those years of total city silence to their complaints, the city is using that response against them. The city had Mock Roos do studies, a company that has made multi-millions off the city.  Now the city wants the commission, a commission that probably has never even been on the landfill property, to accept  Mock Roos’ reports and close the book on all prior issues. This will allow the city to move forward in its analyzation and pursuit  of viable uses of the landfill.

On August 3, 2010 Mock Roos's John Biggs said, "In my opinion, RSM should not have been placed on the site. Arsenic was found in the samples indicating higher levels than acceptable (1/3rd over threshold) in certain areas of the landfill for surrounding residential areas. He also said that it would cost $1.5 million to restore the property. Per the lease Sun Recycling had with the city, they were supposed to do just that. They never did.

Even though Sun was required to restore our landfill to its original condition per the lease agreement, our city attorney, Christy Goddeau of the Glen J. Torcivia law firm, had recommended against the pursuit because of the cost which also includes attorney fees that they say we would never recover. It's just easier and cheaper to forget about it. The "bad" guys just keep on winning in this city and the city just keeps on minimizing everything, other than the Heights Referendum, that is.

This matter is on the Agenda tonight. The landfill is closed and the entire matter will be history. Time heals all wounds. Everything that Sun ever did is now minimized or reduced to little importance. Now this commission can feel free to accept any and all contributions from Sun Recycling companies without further scrutiny. Who knows, Sun might once again get our roll-off business.

Public Rights-of-Way Lake Worth

Comment Up

Harry F. Borders wanted this public right-of-way at 1501 North 'L' Street and paid $250.00 to the City of Lake Worth for a 20 year Revocable Permit for what he and apparently the city agrees is "an abandoned street." And when certain people want something, they usually get it. He spoke before the commission on March 4 and so did former commissioner, Nadine Burns, who never revealed her connection to the property, in support of Mr. Borders.

The property has an interesting history (particularly years 2005 and 2006 and 2012) that was not revealed at this public meeting:
AUG-2012* $89,000* 25431 / 0636* WARRANTY DEED* BORDERS HARRY F
FEB-2012* $10* 25158 / 1601* QUIT CLAIM* BURNS NADINE R
FEB-2006* $110,000* 19912 / 1954* WARRANTY DEED * PRIVEE DENNIS J JR
SEP-2005* $230,000* 19202 / 1708* WARRANTY DEED* BURNS NADINE R
JUN-2000* $89,000* 11867 / 0229* WARRANTY DEED* PENOVI A

Mr. Borders owns six properties in Palm Beach County and NONE of them are homesteaded. He said his son lives here (did anyone check this out?) and he wants extra parking and wants to plant a little vegetable garden. The City says he can only plant small shrubs with no deep root structure.  Mr. Borders is in real estate and property management and has lots of connections, one noted above in the history of this property. Andy Amoroso said that by giving Mr. Borders this property, it is a "win, win." How is giving public property away a "win?"

It pays to have friends in high places. The give-away of land owned by the resident taxpayers of this city is a form of corruption. It has happened for years and the city by its silence has allowed property owners to grab city owned land and use it as their own. The commissioners are voting on transferring legal rights to a private citizen on land that belongs to the people. It doesn't matter if the contract is for decades or permanently.

This right-of-way was taken over years ago and happening all over the city. This was originally put on Consent Agenda (mistake or just the city pushing something through once again?) but moved to New Business. It will be back in front of the commission on March 18 under Public Hearings. Every commissioner voted for it.

This could very likely put a damper on the Nancy Shepherd case that has been going on since November 2009 when the Shepherd's filed suit against the City of Lake Worth to "steal" the pocket park right-of-way next to their property.  This right-of-way-goes all the way up to the Intracoastal Waterway. The last docket entry was in October 2013 when the Shepherds served the City with a second request for admissions. No action by our city that likes to settle everything. Are they just allowing this case to die?
 

Shepherd case

Public Right-of-Way adjacent to 1902 Notre Dame Drive

Submerged Land in Lake Worth - Proposed Nature Preserve

Comment Up

The City of Lake Worth owns 13 acres of submerged land in the Intracoastal Waterway that has been referred to as the Steinhardt property although the Steinhardts never owned it.  They leased it from the City in 1967 and were given a 99 year lease in order to develop it.  Steinhardt wanted to build five, 10 story condos on three man-made islands. The city even applied for the permits on his behalf in order to push it along. And although the developer crowd still exists in Lake Worth today, this is one project that didn't get off the ground...errr, water. 

Nothing was done as they never could get the permits they desired.  There was a lot of hassle from government agencies. So, back in 2011, former commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill met with Palm Beach County officials to see about a grant-funded nature center. She put the bug in their ear and that's what's on the table today.

In June 2012, the corporation finally gave up its lease and said it wanted the property to be used as a conservation area. It was anticipated that Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management would restore and manage the property with us waiving all fees and keep it as a passive park. We will take care of Public Safety.  Before anything is restored or constructed on the property, the County will submit plans and get approval from the City. The property will be opened to the public and the city will be responsible for the opening and closing of the preserve. The $1 dollar a year, 99 year lease agreement provides that the upland area will be reserved for future public amenities, including parking. Nothing is said in the Lease about revenue that could be generated from parking (land is across from the beach property) or admission.

The most ridiculous request and made a part of this proposed lease is that the Steinhardt family wants the property acknowledged with their name.  They never owned it.
The suggestion is to call it Steinhardt Cove.

Now, on Tuesday night under New Business C, the city will present this latest scheme that has been obviously under discussion for quite some time. This has to be voted upon by the residents and the city/county has devised another plan by allowing this lease for the first ten years and then going out on a Referendum that they must do by City law for any lease of Public property that is more than 20 years. By that time, the citizenry will be used to the nature preserve and vote it in. Also, the voters might have more trust in the local government regarding  elections in general.

Previous blog on this submerged property