Gazette
Volume 2 • Issue 10 May 20, 2015
Wilton Manors
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Page 1 Mickel Field
Page 2 Beneath The Surface
Page 3
Real Estate Geek
Page 4 Pedestrians On The Drive
Page 4 Parking Problems
Community
Wilton Manors Police to Go After Dirt bikes, ATVs Residents up in arms over Sunday morning activity By Michael d’Oliveira A regular trip of noisy dirt bikes and ATV riders down Powerline Road has caught the attention of the Wilton Manors Police Department, which plans to issue tickets and hopefully discourage future rides through the city. “It’s incredibly disturbing to the neighborhood,” said Mayor Gary Resnick, who lives west of Powerline Road. Resnick said the group, which travels south towards Fort Lauderdale, comes through the city every Sunday evening. On May 12, Operations Commander Gary Blocker said police would be initiating an operation on Powerline May 17 and 24.
Per Florida law, it is illegal to drive dirt bikes and ATVs on paved public streets. “People have been screaming about it on Nextdoor,” said resident Kate Donohue, who lives east of Powerline. Nextdoor is a social media site that connects residents of specific neighborhoods. She said people have started calling it “The Blitz on Powerline.” Donohue and others also criticized the police for not responding fast enough. “Nobody has seen the police over there ticketing them,” Donohue said.
Mickel Field Set to Reopen July 25
On May 11, Nextdoor user George Tyssed wrote, “Well, once again the ‘outlaws’ paraded on Powerline on their dirt bikes and ATVs . . . non-street legal vehicles running right through Wilton Manors West without even being stopped . . . so it continues without any police stopping them. Every Sunday without fail they were an hour late but they still made it . . . like I said they are not punctual, but consistent . . . EVERY SUNDAY WMPD!” Chief Paul O’Connell said he’s optimistic the operation will be successful. If needed, he added, police officers will continue to address the situation. “These things take time.” WMG
Community
By Michael d’Oliveira
After months of construction, a grand opening date has been set for the renamed and redeveloped Mickel Park – Saturday, July 25 at 10 a.m. Once named Mickel Field, located on Powerline Road, because of its traditional use for the city’s once-popular youth baseball league, the facility was renamed Mickel Field and the small baseball diamond was removed to make way for new amenities. Officials decided to redevelop the park after years of no major improvements and declining use. The facility had also started to become more widely used by drug users, vagrants and prostitutes. It was also used by burglars more than once to stage break-ins to homes adjacent to the park. That led to residents demanding officials clean up and redevelop the park.
At a cost of $1.5 million, the improvements are funded through a $744,000 bank loan with the rest coming from general funds, impact fees and grants. The city is also spending $83,700 on a security camera system. The improvements include a walking trail, estate-style fencing, pavilion, concert performance area, volleyball court, additional bathroom, fitness equipment stations and shade canopies. Officials also want to convert the concession stand into a police substation and community meeting space. City Manager Joseph Gallegos said the city also plans to build a new playground and a splash park but those will have to be funded in future budgetsWMG
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Opinion
Beneath The Surface
By Sal Torre
Gazette Wilton Manors
MAY 20, 2015 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 10 2520 N. DIXIE HIGHWAY • WILTON MANORS, FL 33305 PHONE: 954-530-4970 FAX: 954-530-7943
PUBLISHER • NORM KENT NORM.KENT@SFGN.COM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER • PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR • JASON PARSLEY JASON.PARSLEY@SFGN.COM
Editorial
ART DIRECTOR • BRENDON LIES ARTWORK@SFGN.COM ONLINE PRODUCER • DENNIS JOZEFOWICZ DENNIS.JOZEFOWICZ@SFGN.COM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT • JILLIAN MELERO JILLIANMELERO@GMAIL.COM
Correspondents
MICHAEL D’OLIVEIRA • CHRISTIANA LILLY • DENISE ROYAL • NATALYA JONES • JOHN MCDONALD • JAMES OAKSUN
Staff Photographers
J.R. DAVIS • POMPANO BILL • STEVEN SHIRES
Sales & Marketing
Residents who attended the last City Commission Meeting experienced a very surreal situation. After entering and finding a seat, you realized something was very wrong — swarming termites. Sitting through the meeting brushing away termites or stepping on them as they landed by your feet was very unsettling. Termites go unnoticed for most of the year, doing great damage below the surface, only to be discovered once they begin to swarm. This experience started me thinking about issues in our community that we choose not to act on, pretending the problems will go away, unaware of the damage that is occurring out of sight and out of mind — problems that will only show themselves, just like termites, once tremendous damage is done. Two main problems that came to mind that night were the issues of pedestrian safety along Wilton Drive and unregulated short-term rentals popping up in our residential neighborhoods. These problems have existed for a while now, and public reaction arises when the latest incident occurs, only to return to complacency while the “termites” continue causing increasing damage to our residents, our business district, our public safety, and our community. The standard response of City Officials when it comes to public safety along Wilton Drive is to blame the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and state ownership of Wilton Drive. They claim that their hands are tied when it comes to crosswalks, traffic lights, and other tools available because the state dictates what can be done on a state road. Having served on the Wilton Drive Task Force several years ago, I understand the limitations and barriers that the city faces in implementing needed changes along Wilton Drive. However, the time has come to stop blaming the inaction of the state and start looking for solutions. Doing nothing is no longer an option. We can no longer pretend that this damaging reality will take care of itself if only pedestrians use the existing crosswalks, most of which are not where high pedestrian traffic occur. Unless the city takes action, residents and businesses will only be confronted with more tragic news of another accident, another death, another dose of reality. One just needs to look at the success of the City of Lauderdale-
By-the-Sea. In this week’s Pelican Newspaper I had the pleasure of reading how the City of LBTS has an ongoing pedestrian/ bicycle safety project totally funded by the Florida Dept. of Transportation. This is on top of all the road improvements, crosswalks, public safety improvements, and narrowing of A1A that the City of LBTS has received from the same state agency that our city officials blame for inactivity. FDOT officials stated that the reduction in traffic lanes on A1A will reduce speed and permit more pedestrians to use A1A and visit area businesses — EXACTLY what we want on Wilton Drive! It’s time for the City of Wilton Manors to stop the blame game and take action. We can start by contacting the Chief Safety Officer of FDOT, Lora Hollingsworth, at 850-414-4177. Let her office know that we have a pedestrian safety crisis along our state roadway. Let her know that Wilton Drive is not a highway or a connecting roadway, but a thriving business district, an Arts and Entertainment District, with plenty of pedestrians and bicycles, and that the status quo means that we are at tremendous risk for more tragic accidents along Wilton Drive. FDOT has even more people to contact who are directly responsible for pedestrian safety along state roads. I am curious if anyone at City Hall has contacted any of them in the past year. Besides the Chief Safety Officer listed above, there is the State Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Coordinator, Trenda McPherson, 850414-4025. There is also an entire agency funded by the Florida Department of Transportation, the Florida’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Resource Center. I would even recommend reaching out to officials in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea to ask how their city has been so successful in addressing traffic lane reductions, pedestrian safety issues, and bicycle lanes with funding and cooperation from FDOT, when we are told by our city officials that nothing can be done because the state will not allow it. Pretending that you do not have a termite problem, not taking any corrective action, waiting until they once again swarm to do anything only leaves you with more damage and a bigger problem. It is past time for the City Wilton Manors to take action and stop turning a blind eye and blaming others for these problems. WMG
DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING • MIKE TROTTIER MIKE.TROTTIER@SFGN.COM SALES MANAGER • JUSTIN WYSE JUSTIN.WYSE@SFGN.COM ADVERTISING SALES ASSOCIATE • EDWIN NEIMANN EDWIN.NEIMANN@SFGN.COM ADVERTISING SALES ASSOCIATE • CINDY CURTIS CINDY.CURTIS@SFGN.COM ACCOUNTING SERVICES BY CG BOOKKEEPING South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.
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SouthFloridaGayNews May 20, 2015
Mining for Gems in Southeast Florida
Real Estate Geek
By James Oaksun In my last column I finished describing my five criteria for finding good values in South Florida real estate. In this column, I will name some names. Now, this does not mean I don't think other areas are worthy of consideration. Quite the contrary. I think there are many fine neighborhoods throughout southeast Florida, at all price points. What I'm trying to do, is give you a few places to look that you may not have considered, where property values run below those of other similar areas, and where I think there is prospect for appreciation. AREA ONE: Deerfield Beach, roughly ¾ mile either side of Hillsboro Blvd, between Federal and the Intracoastal • • • •
Community Redevelopment Nice newer LA Fitness Beach/water access at a lower price point Boca alternative – less than 10 minutes to Mizner Park
AREA TWO: Pompano Beach, roughly ¾ mile either
side of Atlantic Blvd, between Federal and the Intracoastal • Community Redevelopment • Shopping • Beach/water access
• New Whole Foods nearby • Walkability of Atlantic Avenue area • Closer ocean access than Coral Ridge at much lower price points AREA THREE: Hollywood, area bounded by Johnson Street, Dixie Highway, the Hollywood/Hallandale line, and 14th Avenue • • • •
Walkability Downtown historic area Older homes Proximity to very nice beach/boardwalk
AREA 4: Davie, generally speaking the area bounded by Rock Island Road, Griffin Road, Davie Road and Nova Drive • • • • •
Whole Foods Community Redevelopment Nova Southeastern University and Broward College Good schools 595/441 access
AREA 5 (WILD CARD): Hallandale, area bounded by Federal, Hallandale Beach Blvd, 14th Avenue and Moffett
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Whole Foods nearby Cheap property Community redevelopment Aventura alternative Nice beach
Check them out and let me know what you think. As always the market will tell us the answer. WMG James Oaksun, Broward's Real Estate GeekSM, is a Realtor with the Wilton Manors office of RE/MAX Preferred. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a graduate of the Realtors Institute (GRI).
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Community
Community
Man Vows to “Block” Parking Problems Persist Latest solution: eminent domain Wilton Drive After By Michael d’Oliveira Pedestrian Accident By Michael d’Oliveira
A May 2 pedestrian accident on Wilton Drive has one man promising an act of civil disobedience. “The Drive will be blocked,” said Fort Lauderdale resident Andrew Brett at the May 12 commission meeting. He declined to provide details on when he would try and block the street. Brett said he was prompted to speak out because of the May 2 accident. According to the police report, two men were struck by a vehicle at the corner of Northeast 20 Street and Wilton Drive at 11:39 p.m. They were sent to Broward General Hospital but have since been released. The driver was given a ticket for an improper turn. Each pedestrian was given a ticket for failing to use a crosswalk. At the commission meeting, Brett accused commissioners of not doing enough to make Wilton Drive safer. Specifically, he criticized the commission for placing the traffic crosswalk signal in front of city hall instead of at Northeast 20 Street. He also stated this was the second time he has been before the commission to talk about safety on Wilton Drive. The first was after a pedestrian accident involving three of his friends. In a rare response to a public speaker from the dais, commissioners defended their past efforts. Mayor Gary Resnick and Vice Mayor Scott Newton said the city tried to get the Florida Department of Transportation [FDOT] to place the pedestrian traffic signal
at Wilton Drive and Northeast 20 Street but FDOT chose the other location. The street is owned and controlled by FDOT. Mark Plass, district traffic operations engineer for FDOT’s Fort Lauderdale office, said FDOT chose the location in front of city hall because it estimated that location would be used more by pedestrians. “Northeast 20 Street did not meet our standards. We thought it would be more useful in front of city hall,” Plass said. Newton defended the placement though. “It may not be the most convenient but it is a safe place [to cross],” Newton said. Other crosswalks have been added to the street in recent years and city officials were also successful in getting FDOT to lower the Wilton Drive speed limit from 35 to 30. Commissioners also voted recently to make it illegal for pedestrians to panhandle within 200 feet of intersections along Wilton Drive and other major streets in the city. The move was decried by some as targeting homeless individuals. Commissioners defended the move as a pedestrian safety measure. “We’ve done a tremendous amount,” Resnick said. On Walkscore.com, a site that rates how pedestrian-friendly cities are, Wilton Manors got a 71, one of the highest in Florida. Oakland Park got a 52 and Fort Lauderdale got a 54. Resnick suggested the city may go back to issuing jaywalking tickets. The city, he said, tried that strategy a few years ago but stopped after receiving a lot of complaints. WMG
As city officials plan to develop a parking master plan, Commissioner Tom Green has suggested the possible use of eminent domain to acquire land for parking. “It’s something we may have to consider in the future,” said Green at a recent commission meeting. “You always end up paying twice as much, but if there’s no other choice.” Green said he had “no specific plans. I just wanted a legal update.” Traditionally, eminent domain has been used by governments to force property owners to sell their land for a project that directly benefits the public good – roads, hospitals, water treatment plants and other structures. “To me, it is the general welfare of the city,” Green said. For that reason, Mayor Gary Resnick doubts eminent domain could work for the city’s parking problem. “I’m not aware of any city using eminent domain for parking . . . I don’t think it would be legal.” City Attorney Kerry Ezrol said more discussion needs to take place before the city could consider eminent domain. If used, he said, it would have to be as a last resort after negotiations have failed. “You can’t just go right into eminent domain.” No matter how the city acquires more land for parking, officials have at least $524,000 to buy land and develop it, as they did with the parking lot at Northeast 26 Street and Northeast 8 Terrace. Vice Mayor Scott Newton said it was essential businesses have enough parking. Although no plan has been formulated, Finance Director Bob Mays said it will most
likely be focused on Wilton Drive. “To my knowledge, it’s going to be in the Arts and Entertainment District.” Mays said the city is looking at properties near Wilton Drive, especially the north portion, but have yet to acquire a suitable parcel. Officials have tried to negotiate with the owners of the empty lot at Northeast 23 Drive and Northeast 11 Avenue, behind Bona Pizza, but the owners have not responded positively. When the parking master plan develops further, said Mays, ideas on potential parking lots and other solutions from residents and business owners will be welcome. “One of the things that is important to do is talk with the citizens. There will be lots of conversations going on. We’re not simply going to hire a consultant to tell us what they need.” Whatever residents and business owners suggest, “we’ll have to balance that with the realities we have with financing,” Mays said. As for one idea, proposed at various times by more than one commissioner, building a parking garage, Green said the city should think smaller. “The solution is not one big structure. Maybe we’ve got to have two or three smaller locations that are more convenient. People tend not to want to walk very far.” Green also hopes to expand the study beyond Wilton Drive. “As has been pointed out [by residents and business owners], we have not spent enough attention on Andrews Avenue yet,” he said. WMG
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