Snowbirds

Canadian “snowbirds” flock to Florida, boosting tourism to pre-pandemic levels

Travel to Florida from Canada has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, but visa issues continue to complicate the state’s efforts to draw overseas visitors, according to tourism officials.

Florida attracted an estimated 1.44 million Canadians during the first quarter of 2023.

Florida drew an estimated 1.8 million overseas visitors in the first three months of this year, a 36 percent increase over 2022 but a decline from the 2.276 million visitors who traveled to the state in the first quarter of 2019.

Overall, Visit Florida estimates the state had a record 37.9 million visitors during the first quarter of 2023. That compared to 35.528 million in the first three months of 2022. Visitors from other states continue to drive tourism growth.

Read about it...

Why Snowbirds love Florida

Thank God for our beautiful south Florida weather!

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.

Lake Worth Beach Decal permits

Comment Up

50 spaces-----1,332 decals sold in 2013

50 spaces-----2,332 decals will sell in 2014?  More?

The question remains, how many Snowbirds do we have? Do they come to Lake Worth for the weather and the beach? If you can answer that in the affirmative, then you can see where opening up the decal parking to property owners, not just residents, could be a BIG problem during the Winter season, even if we have a commissioner who believes it is fair and there is no problem.

The commission will go along with this request as it has been said that they work as a "team." You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours.

It's on the Agenda tonight for discussion in order to move it forward to change our Ordinance. You can bet every little "entitled" out-of-stater or out-of-country property owner will be in the chamber along with a small vocal group who believes this commission can do no wrong, ever. It all should be about common sense, not someone's feelings of righteous indignation. I am rather sure if I owned property in Canada I would not get the same privileges to snow ski on their mountain top or the same rights as their citizens.

I have always said, it is all about he who screams the loudest.

Screaming Snowbird

It's about common sense - Snowbirds vs Residents

Comment Up

Recently we had a group of snowbirds from the Bryant Park neighborhood appear before the city commission to talk about what they thought "fairness" meant.  Delightful bunch.   "Fairness" to them meant that they should all get a beach decal sticker because "we pay more in property taxes than you do." They wanted free transportation and wanted the trolley back to take them here and there. One complained that they couldn't vote here.  The right to vote for local office is governed by local, state and federal law. We do not allow nonresidents (someone without a Florida driver's license and/or Florida vehicle registration or who doesn't have a voter's card) to vote based on property ownership. And if one of these snowbirds voted here as well as in their own state or country it would be deemed  electoral fraud. That's how far they took their argument for living here for 3, 4, 5 months of the year. They want the whole enchilada.

They were all there again Tuesday night probably at Commissioner Szerdi's suggestion and screaming at people during the commission  break with one Canadian nasty woman saying, "You (the city) would starve to death without us." They showed their arrogance and impudence and fit right into the squeaky wheel syndrome talked about earlier, (Szerdi is listening to them) by screaming in the hallway, "We pay more taxes than you do." So?  There are advantages of being US citizens and residents of Lake Worth, or at least there should be.

They are only property owners in our city, guests in our city if you will.  Most guests are cordial and play within house rules...not these people--rude and obnoxious and encouraged to be that way by a city commissioner who is siding with their complaint for "fairness."

**So, by using the description above, snowbirds are NOT residents even if they own property here. They just  seasonally reside here; they are property owners.

Many of these "snowbirds" are clever folks.  It's not only the weather that attracts them but they buy a property here to use for their low-cost vacation time.  In most cases, it is cheaper than staying in a hotel during the Season. In Lake Worth, they have manged to get good buys in property. They have money; they just want "deals." Early bird specials are the norm. A vast majority of them are Seniors and they can afford to pay the metered price of $2 an hour--they just don't think it's fair to make them. They come here to primarily use our beach.

Commissioner Szerdi truly believes that these property owners are being discriminated against and he believes in "fairness."  These people aren't even voters so he's not pandering for the vote.  The snowbirds don't understand that the situation at our beach changed after the beach redevelopment.  We used to have unlimited spots for decal permits and snowbirds paid double the price of residents.  Now we have to adhere to the Palm Beach County Bond Agreement.

The city sold 1,332 decals in 2013 for 50 resident spots and now some seasonal property owners want to hog these spots because beaching it is what they do best other than complain, and open them up for all the thousands of snowbirds who own property here. The next time you can't get a decal parking spot, call Commissioner Szerdi:
561.586.1734
561.231.4535 Cell
jszerdi@lakeworth.org

Snowbird Squawkers

Comment Up

Last night at the city commission meeting we had some unhappy "snowbirds."  They were unhappy that some services have been eliminated for Seniors. They were unhappy there was no more Bocce court at Bryant Park.  They were unhappy that they can't have a decal parking sticker as "we pay more taxes than you do."  They were also disgruntled that they can't vote here. That squawk takes the cake.

None with whom I spoke were United States Citizens.

It is a mystery why foreigners, or any snowbird for that matter, who have winter residences here want to change our rules--want to change county laws or even Federal laws for that matter.  The thought that occurred to me was what if I owned a condo in Canada, visited there during the Summer and told their elected bodies that they were unfair, I was picked on because, well gee, I couldn't vote for Stephen Harper or have the exact same advantages that their year round citizens have, they would think I was just another "ugly" arrogant  American who was out of her mind.

In our condo complex, it is all French Canadians and some Finns who break the rules. Rules are for "the other guy"--those people who live here all year round.

Snowbirds come down to Florida for a mini vacation. Those from a particular area ban together. They believe that the "resort" should look after their every wish and the hell with Florida statutes and the laws on the books. We have an owner who brought down his own satellite dish and installed it on our property, stealing a signal from some American company somewhere. Aside from that, it is against our rules. It's still there. He will drag out the infraction until he leaves to go back to Quebec in March.  We have another one who is renting his unit without paying the City of Lake Worth a rental fee. He ignores my requests to do the right thing and discards the application form. We have another one across the way who sells cars out of the parking area without a business license, etc. He now parks the car in our downtown with for Sale signs or at the county park on the side of the road.

Non-citizens understand our laws; they just don't want to. Now Commissioner Amoroso and Mayor Triolo want to look into the situation for these "poor" people who have to pay $2 an hour to park at our beach instead of being allowed to get a decal sticker. We have sold 1,000 decals for 50 spots. Commissioner Szerdi says he always finds a spot. And Scott Maxwell wants to waste more time with another workshop, the cure all to everything.

Just tell them "no" and get on to business.