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August 7 - August 13, 2015
The Town-Crier
www.gotowncrier.com
OUR OPINION
Preparing For Sea Level Rise Requires Action, Not Rhetoric While the politicians debate if and why the climate is changing, Florida needs action — especially regarding one key factor that could spell doom for our low-lying state: sea level rise. Last weekend, the third annual Sea Level Rise Symposium took place at the Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches, featuring a series of presentations, workshops and forums on topics ranging from new resiliency design strategies for southeast Florida and business planning for a changing environment, to mitigating the sea level rise effects on the Everglades and community disaster preparedness. But while a handful of experts are planning to make sure Florida stays dry, state and national leaders are more engaged in a war of words, when what is needed are concrete plans and action. And that should scare the heck out of anyone living in southeast Florida. Palm Beach County is caught in the crosshairs of this projected rise in global sea levels. And right now, the future doesn’t look pretty. A number of models have been created. Several of them are available online, and they basically tell the same story: a sea level rise of only a few feet would inundate thousands of acres of highly developed land and beach communities along Florida’s Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys. Significant flooding and environmental change would also be experienced in the Everglades. “This is not a future problem. It’s a current problem,” said Leonard Berry, director of the Florida Center for Environmental Studies at Florida Atlantic University and a contributing author of the National Climate Assessment, which found that sea levels have risen about
Selling Out The Public
Government of the people, by the people and for all the people of Palm Beach County is public consensus in policies of our national award-winning comprehensive land use plan. To establish the will of the people in due process, the public was required to be consistent in every word of every policy for the long-term funding of services, and protection of our natural and built environments against the Browardization of project-by-project western expansion. But politicians, who can’t be elected by the general public, only “allowed” each citizen two minutes to speak before dismissing public effort, public consensus, public policy, petitions, existing communities’ comprehensive plans, negative impacts, food and fuel farming, state enclave limits and permanent open space laws. Smart plans of the people perished. Now the costs and impacts of a developer-driven western population explosion under a few politicians and county staff are vague. So far, the public is denied permanent open spaces like the Northeast Everglades Natural Area in major projects, yet 2,000 housing units “removed” from a project can reappear in 2,000 acres of temporary “open space.” Why
8 inches in the past century. A recent Florida Atlantic University study estimates that just 6 more inches of sea level rise — which is very plausible within two decades — would likely inundate about half of South Florida’s flood control capacity. According to Climate Central, some 2.4 million people and 1.3 million homes in Florida sit within 4 feet of the local high tide line. Sea level rise is more than doubling the risk of a storm surge at this level in South Florida by 2030. The global average sea level has gone up about 8 inches since 1880. In South Florida, taxpayers are already paying the price for climate change as salt water pushes through porous bedrock into coastal drinking-water supplies, and rivers and canals choked by heavy rains have a harder time draining into the ocean. So what can we do to create action? That’s easier said than done. The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact “Regional Climate Action Plan” (www.southeastfloridaclimatecompact.org) developed 110 action items in seven goal areas. However, they require numerous governments — municipal, county, regional and state — to work together. Right now, unfortunately, that appears unlikely. Suffice it to say, the problems associated with climate change are numerous, and solving them will take time and money. But swift progress is needed, and that requires political rhetoric to turn into political action. In other parts of the nation, “climate change” and “sea level rise” are far-off worries. Here in Florida, it’s our economy, our homes and our very existence.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR would public servants turn their backs on the people, resources and character of Palm Beach County to replicate development of Broward County? Rita Miller The Acreage
Dump Trump? Not So Fast!
The unexpected rise of Donald Trump in the GOP polls has come as a great surprise to many, myself included. Donald Trump lives and breathes publicity and will say and do just about anything that will keep him in the spotlight, locally and nationally. (Just like the billionaire Richard Branson in England.) Most GOP candidates are distancing themselves from him because of many remarks that he has made. Some are suggesting that the Republican Party should dump him. He has suggested that he might run as an independent, which would be a gift to the Democratic Party. Many expected that Trump’s rise to the top of the polls could not be sustained, but not only has he remained on top, his lead is increasing. Some of Trump’s statements are outrageous and false, while others are true and seem to have struck a chord with many voters.
I am not a fan of Trump, however, I admire his intestinal fortitude and his fearless take-no-prisoners attitude. At a recent luncheon attended by one of our most honest, fearless and respected local politicians, he pointed out that Donald Trump’s popularity is based on the fact that he is financing his own campaign and not being controlled by special interest and big donors. Thus, he is able to say things that the other GOP candidates cannot say for fear of losing political contributors. This local politician went on to say that the other candidates in the race are puppets on a string. Trump is not, and voters are fed up with the corrupt politicians and are showing their anger and frustration by backing Donald Trump. Those were valid points that had not occurred to me. We should all wait and see how this plays out in the coming weeks and months. Anyone who thinks that decisions and votes made by politicians are not influenced by campaign contributions are naïve, and should look no further than the Palm Beach County Commission’s recent vote on the future of the Agricultural Reserve. Trump may be an imperfect example, but he is a politician unafraid to speak out on pressing issues. It proves that when you
have political confidence, you can become politically relevant. Alma Sato Wellington
Pick Lawrence Gordon For District 7
Regarding the District 7 race to replace Palm Beach County Commissioner Priscilla Taylor, so far, five Democrats have entered the race. It appears that crowded fields for elections at the local, state and national level has become the new trend, coupled with aggressive, record-breaking fundraising. District 7 is a Democratic stronghold with a very large minority population. However, don’t be surprised to see a Republican candidate enter the race. All five of the Democratic candidates have name recognition: Mack Bernard, Rubin Anderson, Clarence Williams, Cedric Thomas and Lawrence Gordon. My choice in this crowded field is Lawrence Gordon. He is experienced, hardworking, articulate, honest, knowledgeable and, above all, he is of impeccable integrity. My conversations with Mr. Gordon were quite stimulating. He is a candidate, if elected, who will hit the ground running, which is a
requirement for Riviera Beach at this moment in time. I applaud his wife, Salesia V. Smith-Gordon, for the good work she did on the ethics commission, and for gracefully stepping down in order to campaign for her husband. A number of county commissioners will be leaving office shortly, some due to term limits, like Shelley Vana, who will be running for Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, and others, like Taylor and Melissa McKinlay, who are both candidates for the U.S. Congress. The economy is in good shape and property values in Palm Beach County are rising; prices at the pump are falling. We have a new county administrator, Verdenia
Baker, poised to succeed her retiring boss, Bob Weisman, and a number of soon-to-be elected new county commissioners. It just doesn’t get any bigger than this. In the coming weeks and months, there will be an avalanche of campaign literature and advertisements, some of which will be misleading and relying heavily on the stupidity of some of the voters. With that in mind, I urge the voters of District 7, and all voters, not to be fooled, but to be informed. Get involved and vote for the best candidate in the field; the one who will best represent your interests. In District 7, that candidate, without a doubt, is Lawrence Gordon. Karl Witter The Acreage
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OPINION
Driverless Cars Are Coming! Are Humans Ready For Them? There have been public hints and tidbits of information floating through the media concerning “driverless cars.” Now, the University of Michigan has taken another key step to advance the concept. The university, in conjunction with the Mobility Transformation Center — a partnership between the school, the State of Michigan
Footloose and... By Jules W. Rabin
and the federal government, plus important technology and automotive-related companies — has built a $10 million testing ground. The site features a railroad crossing, intersections, roundabouts parking spaces, and brick and gravel roads. It also boasts movable building façades, fake pedestrians and a simulated high-
way entrance ramp. Other features, including a metal bridge and tunnel, are expected to be a special challenge for wireless signals and radar sensors. Other nations, like Japan and Sweden, have test sites like the University of Michigan. It is now state of the art. Ryan Eustice, a professor at Michigan, said that every
kilometer of testing at the new site is worth hundreds of kilometers of real world driving. “In terms of the weird stuff, we can pack it all in,” he said. Also, points out Peter Sweatman, the director of the Mobility Transformation Center, the site will feature a lot of snow on the ground in the wintertime to in-
sure cameras and radar used in driverless systems will still work in the snow. There are many interesting questions. What about dirty, mud-covered road signs? How will the driverless vehicle handle them? Let’s just say that a lot more testing is needed before you and I will be cruising down the road in a driverless car.
NEWS
Wellington Council Set To Discuss Village Manager’s Contract By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council will review the employment contract of Village Manager Paul Schofield at its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 11. Schofield has gone through difficult times with the current council, with some members seeking to replace him two years ago. His current contract is up for renewal next month, although the contract signed in 2010 does not actually expire until Feb. 14, 2016. If the council wishes to, the
Bullying
Events At The Mall
continued from page 1 message, and it certainly resonates across every age and demographic,” she said. Stomp Out Bullying provides tools to help kids cope and overcome bullying. “It’s something that, as a community and a society, we have
current contract can be renewed for one year. Mayor Bob Margolis asked two months ago that Schofield’s contract be placed on a future agenda. In other business, the council is expected to consider a resolution approving the village’s Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office law enforcement services plan for the 2016 fiscal year. The PBSO and village are now in the fifth year of a fiveyear contract. Typically, the law enforcement contract is renewed every five years. The village is
currently in its fourth five-year agreement. Last year, the village added a detective sergeant, a detective and a road patrol deputy to the contract in order to improve the solvability rate in property crime and provide more traffic enforcement. At 2.4 percent, the crime rate for Wellington is lower than in the county overall, which is at 3.7 percent. The satisfaction level with the PBSO in a resident survey has been at 4.8 or higher on a scale of 5 from 2010 to 2014. The council will also consider
a request from the PBSO to purchase a narcotics detection canine using a portion of funds seized and placed in the Law Enforcement Trust Fund. Capt. Jay Hart made the request at the urging of Councilman Matt Willhite at an earlier meeting. “With recent case law narrowing the time to bring a narcotics detection canine to a scene, and the volume of quality cases being made, it is my belief that the acquisition of a narcotics detection canine is justified,” Hart wrote in a letter to Schofield.
to take care of,” Schloss said. “Many people experience bullying, whether they’re not personally being bullied, or they know a friend who knows a friend who is being bullied. Bullying is a global issue that needs to be taken care of.” Gialanella and Schloss will both be at the block party, along with a DJ and other special events and activities Aug. 29. The mall will invite teens to sign an anti-bullying pledge, and
they’ll receive a free bracelet when signing the pledge. Additionally, they will be registered to win a mall gift card. “Stomp Out Bullying is the country’s leading bullying and cyber-bullying prevention organization for kids and teens,” Schloss said. “It really does a great job at working to reduce and prevent bullying in schools and online.” The organization, founded in 2005, also focuses on reducing and preventing sexting, digital
abuse, homophobia, racism and hatred, in addition to working to decrease school absenteeism while deterring violence. “It’s a great organization and has so many things to it,” Schloss said. “It has help chat lines and really educates people on the issue.” For more information about Stomp Out Bullying, visit www. stompoutbullying.org. To learn more about the kickoff and block party events, call the Mall at Wellington Green at (561) 227-6900.
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The purchase of the canine is not to exceed $10,000, and the outfitting of an existing vehicle with a kennel, heat sensor, electronics and one year of cellular communication would be $4,500, for a total of $14,500. The council will also consider an addendum to the law enforcement service agreement increasing the total annual funding to $8,393,813 to pay for four additional crossing guards and change
one deputy to a K9 deputy. Also on Tuesday, the council will consider the authorization of a change order with Pirtle Construction for structural changes to the new Wellington Community Center, amend the existing contract by adding federal grant provisions, and adding exterior windows and doors. The cost is not to exceed $480,000 for structural changes and $333,984 to add the windows and doors.
Frozen Yogurt Fundraiser Aug. 22 For Taekwondo Tourney Fighters The World Taekwondo Center in Lake Worth will host a frozen yogurt fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 12 to 4 p.m., to support its tournament sparring team. A portion of the purchases made at Menchie’s in Lantana Square Plaza (6919 S. Jog Road) will be donated to the young martial artists. The money will be used to help with equipment and tournament training costs.
The sparring team last competed in June at the 2015 Sunshine State Games in West Palm Beach, where the team won five gold and three silver metals. The team’s next competition is the Taekwondo GrandPrix VIII on Sept. 26 in Sarasota. World Taekwondo Center is located 6680 Lantana Road in Lake Worth. For more info., call (561) 434-9700 or visit www. mytaekwondocenter.com.
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