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 THIS MONTH SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch
SUNDAY - JULY 5, 2009 - From 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on the first Sunday of every month, the SunTrust Sunday Jazz Brunch fills the air with jazz music performed on four stages along the historic New River. Each month, bands perform a wide range of jazz in downtown Fort Lauderdale along the Riverwalk. Picnic baskets, blankets, chairs, dogs, children and people of all age groups blend into one large Jazz Appreciation Fest. July is National Parks and Recreation Month. ON JULY 5, 2009, Jazzberry Patch will be at the Esplanade, Alex G. at the Broward Center Peck Courtyard, Mantra will appear at the Connie Hoffman Gazebo and Bobby Banks Orchestra & Charisma Dance Team will be at the Las Olas Riverfront. For additional information or to have the 2009 informational brochure mailed to you, Click Here to e-mail your name and address to Stephanie Brady or call 954-396-3696 and leave it on the responding voice mail.
CLICK HERE for DetailsBroward County Budget Workshops and Hearings
Among other important issues, the Galt Mile Reading Room is STILL on the Budget Block - THE LEASE SIGNED BY THE COUNTY COMMISSION WAS DELIBERATELY INFUSED WITH A 180-DAY ESCAPE CLAUSE! To familiarize yourself with the issues surrounding the threatening Budget mechanics, residents can attend or watch upcoming Budget Workshops and the Budget Hearings at the BROWARD COUNTY GOVERNMENTAL CENTER (ROOM 422) - 115 S. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale. Budget Workshops will be held on TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2009 from 1 PM to 5 PM, THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2009 from 2 PM to 5 PM, THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2009 from 1 PM to 5 PM, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2009 from 1 PM to 5 PM and TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2009 from 1 PM to 5 PM. The two Budget Hearings are on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 at 5:01 PM (#1) and TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 at 5:01 PM (#2).
For additional information, call County Administration at 954-357-7350 or Commissioner Ken Keechl at (954) 357-7004
CLICK HERE to the Broward County Commission Meeting Schedule web page.Garage Sale for Homeless
The Coalition to End Homelessness will host a Garage Sale for Homeless on SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2009 at 5975 West Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The event is scheduled from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. LOAD UP ON GOOD STUFF WHILE HELPING A NEIGHBOR.
For more information, call (954) 792-4000, Click Here to e-mail or Click Here to web page. 31st Annual Bank of America Starlight Musicals
The Bank of America Starlight Musicals concert series runs through the entire summer EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT in HOLIDAY PARK, FROM 7:00 – 10:00 PM. The first concert is scheduled for JUNE 19 and continues through AUGUST 7, 2009. Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department proudly presents this concert series, celebrating 31 years under the stars. These FREE outdoor concerts provide a great way to enjoy the summer with family and friends. The series will feature an exciting line up of bands ranging from pop to country, rhythm and blues to tropical rock. The shows take place on the football field at Holiday Park, which is located at East Sunrise Boulevard and Federal Highway. Residents and visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, picnic baskets and coolers. Please note that pets are not permitted in the park. We look forward to seeing you out there this summer! RECYCLE! easily and proudly at Starlight Musicals. Recycling bins will be provided throughout the park. ON JUNE 19, 2009, enjoy Classic Rock by VIVA CLASSIC ROCK 'N' ROLL, JUNE 26 - Rhythm & Blues by VALERIE TYSON BAND, JULY 3 - Country Music by RODEO CLOWN BAND, JULY 10 - Classic – Contemporary Pop by MAGIC CITY BAND, JULY 17 - Blues by JOEY GILMORE BAND, JULY 24 - Tropical Rock/Jimmy Buffet by JIMMY STOWE & THE STOWAWAYS, JULY 31 - Ten-piece Show Band by HOT BRASS MONKEY‘S EVOLUTION, on AUGUST 7, CURBSTONE will play 50s, 60s, 70s & Beyond. Be there or be square - ITS ALL GOOD and ITS ALL FREE.
For more information, please call Debbie Bylica at 954-396-3622 or Click Here to e-mail.
Also call the Parks and Recreation Special Events Hotline at 954-828-5363 or CLICK HERE for DetailsJuly 4th Fireworks Spectacular
The City of Fort Lauderdale invites residents and visitors to celebrate America's Independence by attending a free celebration on FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM on SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2009. The festivities will kick off when the sun goes down. Watch the sky light up as the City of Fort Lauderdale presents its annual fireworks show at 9:00 PM The show will take place off of A1A and LAS OLAS BOULEVARD. Don’t miss this premier pyrotechnic event!
For more information about the City's July 4th fireworks spectacular, please call Stephanie Brady at 954-396-3696 (Click Here to email), call Debbie Bylica at 954-396-3622 (Click Here to email), the Parks and Recreation Special Events Hotline at 954-828-5363 OR Click Here to email. CLICK HERE to the JULY 4 FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR web page.Lauderdale-by-the-Sea July 4th Beach Blast
Everyone’s Invited to Join in the Town’s Fun-Filled Fourth of July Beach Blast!!! Join your town friends and neighbors for an entire day of good old-fashioned family fun! FOURTH OF JULY PARADE: 10 AM - Be in the parade! Join the fun! Build a float, decorate a vehicle, organize a group (Be Creative - Go Nuts). Anything goes! Decorate and win! best parade entry — 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place prizes. Kids, decorate your bike, ride in the parade & compete for prizes! To sign-up, call Parade Organizer Mark Conn at 954-772-8978. THE PARADE ROUTE: North on Bougainvilla from Town Hall to Pine Avenue, east to El Mar Drive, south down el mar, west on Palm Avenue & then north on Bougainvilla. BEACH BLAST: 11 AM - 3 PM - Right on the beach in the beautiful El Prado Park (at El Prado and El Mar Drive, right across the street [State Road A1A] from Town Hall). Hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers, potato salad, chips, flavored snow cones, soda and ice cold beer. GREAT ENTERTAINMENT! There will be a DJ and steel drum music under the tent! Tons of FREE Stuff for the KIDS - rides, slides and spins! A CLASSIC CAR SHOW: Motorcycles, Antique, Classic, Vintage, Custom, Hot Rods, Trucks, Foreign & Muscle Cars. Spyder mount climbing slide and dunk tank for the big kids. FIREWORKS SHOW! 8:30 PM - The fireworks will be shot off the beach this year at El Prado! - All FREE
For more information, Call Marc Furth at 954-772-3336, Ext. 0 or Click Here to web site. Click Here for info about CAR SHOW. Buckler's Craft Fair
The Craft Fair will be held at the War Memorial Auditorium, 800 NE 8th Street in Fort Lauderdale. The Bucklers Fair runs from JULY 25 to 26. On SATURDAY, JULY 25, its open from 10 AM to 5 PM. On SUNDAY, JULY 26, its open from 10 AM to 4 PM. Professional, award winning craftspeople from across the country exhibiting and selling items such as Country, Victorian, Folk Art, Primitive, Southwestern, furniture, wood items, toys, dolls, bears, clothing and accessories, jewelry, gourmet delights, homemade fudge, eclectic items and much more. The charge for admission is $6.00 per person ($5 admission) although children 12 & under are FREE. One paid admission good both days with handstamp. PARKING IS FREE!
For more information, call (386) 860-0092, Fax (386) 860-6157 or Click Here to email or Click Here to web site. Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
On TUESDAY, JULY 7th, stargazers will generally be disappointed. July's penumbral eclipse is only of academic interest since the magnitude is just 0.156. Although the Moon will be above the horizon from most of Canada, the eclipse is so minor as to be completely invisible to the naked eye.
For more information about the Partial Lunar Eclipse CLICK HERE to the NASA web page.Total Solar Eclipse
On WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, stargazers will luck out - on the other side of the world. To make up for the anemic lunar eclipse earlier in the month, a major total eclipse of the Sun occurs two weeks later. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow extends across India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean. The central path begins in India's Gulf of Khambhat at 00:53 UT. The Moon passes through perigee several hours earlier, so the path of totality is unusually wide. Racing inland, the shadow sweeps over the Indian cities of Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Varanasi, and Pata as its central duration heads towards the 4-minute mark. Traveling across Bhutan, the umbra clips Nepal, Bangladesh, and Burma (Myanmar), before reaching China at 01:05 UT. The duration of totality surpasses 5 minutes in Sichuan province where its capital city Chengdu lies within the track 85 km north of the central line. The umbra works its way across the rest of southern China where the major cities of Chongqing, Wuhan and Hangzhou stand in the eclipse path. As the Moon's shadow reaches the coast, China's largest city Shanghai (pop. ~19 million) experiences totality lasting 5 minutes at 01:39 UT. Around 70 km to the south, the central line duration falls just 5 seconds short of the 6-minute mark. Across the East China Sea, the umbra sweeps over Japan's Ryukyu Islands and Iwo Jima. Greatest eclipse occurs in the South Pacific at 02:35:19 UT. At this instant, the axis of the Moon's shadow passes closest to Earth's center. The maximum duration of totality is 6_minutes 39_seconds, the Sun's altitude is 86°, and the path width is 258_km. The remainder of the path makes no major landfall; it arcs southeast through the Pacific hitting just a handful of small atolls in the Marshall Islands and Kiribati (Gilbert Islands).
For more information about the Partial Lunar Eclipse CLICK HERE to the NASA web page.Fort Lauderdale Gun & Knife Show
The Sun Coast Gun Show will be held at the WAR MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM at 800 NE 8th STREET in FORT LAUDERDALE. The Fair is scheduled for SATURDAY, AUGUST 15 from 9 AM to 5 PM and SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 from 10 AM to 5 PM. The Ft Lauderdale Gun Show is a favorite for local gun collectors, hunters, and enthusiast. Dealers and private collectors from across the state of Florida exhibit at this show. You'll find a huge selection of guns, accessories, and many hard to find items. Make sure you do not miss the next Suncoast Gun Show coming to the War Memorial Auditorium. The charge for admission is $8 per person - Kids Free (12 & under). Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, call (954) 828-5380 or Click Here to web site. Dig The Beach Volleyball Series
We are crowning our Junior Champions. Our junior division athletes have been battling it out all year to be able to say that they are the best in there respective age groups. Not only that, but our Men’s and Women’s divisions are fighting over some crucial points as the 2009 Dig the Beach Series begins to wind down. This player driven tournament is scheduled for SATURDAY, JULY 25 and SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2009 at SOUTH BEACH PARK (1100 SEABREEZE BOULEVARD FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33316) from 8 AM to 8 PM. This is one of the largest stops in series history with teams flooding the beach…and not to mention some of the craziest night life South Florida has to offer! The beer garden is open! Sun, beach, ice cold Corona Extra’s and volleyball in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, what more could you ask for? Get ready for an exciting weekend filled with hot bodies, strong competition, and the fun atmosphere that is Fort Lauderdale. We go from outstanding daytime beach volleyball action to an awesome night time player’s party at Americas Backyard hosted by Corona Extra. Come and enjoy the greatest, biggest, outdoor party Fort Lauderdale has to offer. Be ready to party into the early morning hours.
For more information, call Troye Forte at 561-241-3801 or Click to E-mail.
Check Dig the Beach web page by CLICKING HEREPublix Family Fitness Weekend
This annual event is scheduled for FRIDAY, JULY 17, SATURDAY, JULY 18 and SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2009. Be prepared to sprint! The Fort Lauderdale race is one of the fastest of the season and makes a great race for both beginner and seasoned athletes. Featuring a swim in the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, a bike along famous Florida state road A1A, and a race to the finish set within the tranquility of HUGH TAYLOR BIRCH STATE PARK (3109 East Sunrise Blvd. Fort Lauderdale), this action-packed course is sure to once again be a fan favorite. After the race, kick back and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere that is synonymous with Fort Lauderdale Beach! Hungry for more; we’ve got you covered. Featuring four different ancillary events, our Fort Lauderdale destination has got it all! THE SWIM: The swim will be a fantastic 600 meter swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Once you finish the swim, you will run under A1A and into the park. We will allow athletes to set shoes at the finish of the swim to help them run across the concrete into transition. THE BIKE: Once on the bike, cyclists will head out onto A1A, where they can really turn up the revolutions on the bike. This course will take you out and back on A1A, heading south through many of the shops right on A1A, not too mention the great view and breeze from the ocean water. THE RUN: The run course will be fast and fun. This two loop 1.55 mile run will take you all around the park completing the 3.1 miles. With trees blocking out the sun and hiding opponents around corners, this one is sure to give athletes a tough workout.
For more information, Call 561-241-3801 or Click to email. Click Here to Publix FAMILY FITNESS WEEKEND web site. Southern Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower (SDA)
During JULY and AUGUST the Aquarid-Capricornid complex becomes active---a region which contains the northern and southern branches of the Delta Aquarids and Iota Aquarids, as well as several distinct radiants in Capricornus. The strongest activity emanates from the two Delta Aquarid radiants. The duration of the southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower covers the period of JULY 14 to AUGUST 18. Maximum currently occurs on JULY 29/30 (?=125°), from an average radiant of RA=339°, DEC=-17°. The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 15-20. The radiant does not attain a high altitude for Northern Hemisphere observers, but it is enough to produce a consistent show each year. Since the radiant is above the southern horizon, meteors will primarily be fanning out toward the east, north, west horizons. Few meteors will be seen heading southward, unless they are fairly short and near the radiant. The Delta Aquarids are better seen by observers in the Southern Hemisphere, both because of the radiant's higher altitude and because it is winter, with more transparent skies. Activity was first noticed from the region of the Delta Aquarids in 1870, when G. L. Tupman (Mediterranean Ocean) plotted 65 meteors during JULY 27-AUGUST 6. Tupman found the radiant to have steadily moved during the period of observation, with the position beginning at RA=340°, DEC=-14°, and ending at RA=333°, DEC=-16°. The characteristics of the Delta Aquarid meteors have not been well studied. Observers tend to lump the Southern Delta Aquarids and Northern Delta Aquarids into one shower and, to make things even worse, the Southern Iota Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids are occasionally thrown in as well. The few instances of specific Southern Delta Aquarid meteor details being obtained reveal an average magnitude of about 3, while very few meteors exhibiting trains.
For more information, CLICK HERE to Meteor Shower Web Site. St. Lawrence Gallery July Events
The St. Lawrence Gallery will be hosting many evenings of art and socializing at at 3556 N. Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Wine and Cheese will be served and raffles will be held as you mingle. Watercolors of Marilyn Johansen JUNE 26 - JULY 10 Come join us as we celebrate for the FIRST time the watercolors of Marilyn Johansen! This is a three part series benefiting BACH, Pantry of Broward & Goodwill Ambassadors; "Best of the Artists' Series" (Presented by the Bonnet House) - Sandy Dolan, Karen Eskesen, Nia Nakis & George Rusovick - Opening Reception THURSDAY, JULY 16, 6 pm (exhibit runs JULY 18 - AUGUST 10)
For more information about St. Lawrence Gallery, CLICK HERE call 954-566-8011 or Click Here to email. Mid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration (Lammas)
The Mid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration will be held at 7 PM, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2009 in the UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH of Fort Lauderdale at 3970 NW 21st AVENUE (between Commercial Boulevard and Oakland Park Boulevard) in Fort Lauderdale. Bring canned or non-perishable food items, to be donated to the Cooperative Feeding Program of Broward County (or Cash Donation). The public is invited to attend the Mid Summer First Harvest Sun Celebration, which will conform to, and celebrate, the Ancient Tradition. Along with drumming, dancing and chanting, there will be a drum circle, and feasting after the celebration. Bring food and drink to share as well as your drums and percussion instruments for the feast and drum circle, to follow the Celebration. Feel free to come dressed in garb. Mid Summer First Harvest Cross Quarter is on AUGUST 6th when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Leo but it is always celebrated on JULY 31/AUGUST 1. The full moon in AUGUST is called the Corn Moon. This year the Corn Moon is 00 55 UT AUGUST 6, 2009. This is the time of year for a celebration and festival of the Mid Summer First Harvest. The early crops are being brought in and this is the start of winter storing and breads that are made from the early grains of barley and corn. The grinding of the grain represents the harvest and death (or transition), adding sprouted wheat and yeast represents resurrection, and the consumption of the food represents the cycles of nature and new life. The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it 'Lammas', meaning 'loaf-mass', a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar. Despite this time of celebration, it is time to consider preparations for the coming winter, against the coming darkness.
For more information, call 954-484-6734 or Click Here to email or Click Here to web site. Jazz On The Square - JULY 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 - Join us every Friday night from 7 PM - 10 PM for an outdoor festival of music and merriment sponsored by The Chamber of Commerce and THE VILLAGE GRILLE & VILLAGE PUMP! Commercial Boulevard and the Beach at Pelican Square. Phone 954-776-5092 for details or Click to Web Site. Additional information is available by contacting the L-B-T-S Chamber of Commerce at (954) 776-1000 or CLICK HERE to email. GMCA Presidents Council - The GMCA Presidents Council Meeting will be held on MONDAY JUNE 1, 2009 from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM in the L'HERMITAGE I CONDOMINIUM at 3100 NORTH OCEAN BOULEVARD in FORT LAUDERDALE. Many Thanks to DIANE BERGHEIM, President of L'HERMITAGE I CONDOMINIUM for graciously hosting this important meeting. Pio Ieraci will chair the monthly Presidents Council meeting. Check GMCA CALENDAR for important meeting information.GMCA Advisory Board
The next regular meeting will be on THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at NICK’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT - 35th Street & NORTH OCEAN DRIVE (A1A) in FORT LAUDERDALE. President Pio Ieraci will chair the monthly Advisory Board meeting. Check GMCA CALENDAR for important meeting information.Commissioner Bruce Roberts’ Pre-Agenda Meeting MONDAY - JULY 6, 2009 (6:00 PM) The meeting will be held at Cardinal Gibbons High School, Media Room, 2900 NE 47th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Two or more City Commissioners and/or Advisory Board members may be present at this meeting. All are welcome to attend.
CLICK HERE for Details or Check GMCA CALENDAR for Commissioner Roberts’ bi-weekly Pre-Agenda MeetingsFort Lauderdale City Commission Meeting TUESDAY - JULY 7, 2009 CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 100 N ANDREWS AVE, FORT LAUDERDALE. Conference Agenda - 1:30 PM, Regular Agenda - 6:00 PM. The City Commission meetings are generally held on the first and third Tuesday of the Month - aberrations due to holiday conflicts, etc. are posted. All are welcome to attend.
CLICK HERE for Details or Check the GMCA CALENDAR for meeting dates and times of Fort Lauderdale's City CommissionFort Lauderdale Planning & Zoning Board Meeting WEDNESDAY - JULY 15, 2009 CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 100 N ANDREWS AVE, FORT LAUDERDALE at 6:30 PM. The Fort Lauderdale Planning & Zoning Board Meetings are generally held on the third Wednesday of the Month - aberrations due to holiday conflicts, etc. are posted. All are welcome to attend.
CLICK HERE for Details or Check the GMCA CALENDAR for meeting dates and times of Fort Lauderdale's City CommissionCouncil of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations General Meeting TUESDAY - JULY 14, 2009 (7:00 PM - MEET & GREET, 7:30 PM - MEETING) at City Hall, 100 ANDREWS AVENUE. President Genia Ellis convenes the monthly general meeting of the Council of Fort Lauderdale Civic Associations. The meeting will be held in the 8th Floor Commission Conference Room.
CLICK HERE for Details or Check GMCA CALENDAR for information about the monthly meetings Ask Lori!
Read the JUNE 2009 question asked of Lori Parrish by a Broward resident - Broward County Property Appraiser LORI PARRISH answers questions posed about property appraisals (of course), Save Our Homes amendment ramifications and the ubiquitous “Homestead Exemption”. Located in the Broward County Property Appraiser page on the Galt Mile Community Association web site, Lori Parrish clarifies confusion surrounding the appraisal process and explains our rights in simple Q & A format.
CLICK HERE for Details!
CLICK HERE For Details!
Commissioner Teel's Budget Preview
APRIL 18, 2008 - Following the city’s humiliating 2003 admission that the former City Manager's budgetary practices compared unfavorably to those of Enron, rookie City Commissioner Christine Teel decided to ignore the recommendations of professional head-hunters charged with finding a replacement City Manager, voting instead for New Yorker George Gretsas to direct Fort Lauderdale’s fiscal recovery. Having shared this “baptism under fire”, the two neophyte workaholics hammered out a working relationship based on mutual respect and meticulous fiscal oversight. Since then, she has religiously kept constituents abreast of events affecting the city’s financial status. Her latest newsletter summarizes Fort Lauderdale’s assets and liabilities as part of a pre-budget season overall fiscal diagnostic. For this year's diminished tax revenues to underwrite the full complement of city services, the budget team must control pension and insurance costs while stretching resources.
CLICK HERE for Details!
 VOTE EASY VOTE EARLY DECEMBER 2008 - You do not have to wait until Election Day to vote. You do not need an absentee ballot or some special dispensation. Early voters can make known their will at a variety of different Broward sites. Nearby locations include the Main Library at 100 S. Andrews Avenue and the Fort Lauderdale Branch Library/Art Serve at 1350 E. Sunrise Boulevard, Room 130 in Fort Lauderdale as well as the Pompano Beach Library at 1213 E. Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach. Early Voting for the General Elections is OCTOBER 20 - NOVEMBER 2. Early voting hours of operations are Weekdays (Monday - Friday) 10 AM - 6 PM, Saturdays 10 AM - 3 PM, Sundays 1 PM - 4 PM. Registered voters can avoid the traffic and the lines that plague overcrowded polling places. If you bring a signature-bearing photo id and a previously marked sample ballot, you'll whiz through the experience. VOTE EARLY! TRAFFIC PLUGS JUNE 2009 - STREET CLOSURES - I-595 will have two lanes closed overnight from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. EASTBOUND approaching the I-95 Interchange Sunday night, June 28, and Wednesday night, July 1, and one lane closed WESTBOUND approaching I-95 Monday night, June 29, and Tuesday night, June 30. I-95 will have one NORTHBOUND lane closed north of the S.R. 84 Interchange Tuesday, June 30, between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. N. Andrews Ave between Prospect Rd and Commercial Blvd will be closed 24 hrs/day from 04/18/09 to 08/01/09. Granada Street will be closed from the west right of way of A1A to approximately 350 ft east (mid-block) until November 2009. NE 37 Street on the intersection of 3701 Bayview Drive (Under construction, local traffic only, closed to all others); Cordova Road will be closed between SE 15 Street and SE 17 Street (Road closed to all traffic, Detours will be set up to redirect traffic)
CLICK HERE for full details - YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
CLICK HERE TO READ GMCA PRESIDENT PIO IERACI'S PRESIDENTS COLUMN!
PEACE ON EARTH
MAIN PAGE
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS RELEVANT TO OUR COMMUNITY! READ THE GMCA'S CURRENT POLITICAL UPDATES FROM:
GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST FEBRUARY 24, 2009 - On February 18, 2009, residents along the Barrier Island shared a rare mass ebullience. When Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that local inhabitants no longer had to fear a potentially dangerous gas plant marring their eastern horizon, most of the population was understandably immersed in relief and gratitude. Not surprisingly, Galt Mile residents were also rightfully proud of themselves and their neighborhood. Absent funds and through sheer determination, they defeated a $110 billion corporate goliath with an intimidating history of international depredations. They also thwarted a regulatory bear trap designed to involuntarily force facilities like these down the throats of communities targeted by paying members of the industry “club” (most of whom – like Suez – aren’t U.S. corporations)! What's more, until their license application evaporates, the fat lady hasn't sung! We will, therefore, monitor this tricky doggie!
MEETING THE PLAYERS OCTOBER 29, 2008 - On October 22, The Galt Mile Community Association sponsored an event to assist local residents ascertain the electability of the current crop of aspirants to municipal offices most relevant to the neighborhood. Scheduled at the Beach Community Center, Galt Mile residents were afforded the opportunity to meet the four mayoral hopefuls and the three candidates vying for the District 1 Commission seat. Half of the participants enjoyed the politically competitive advantage of name recognition, enabling residents to measure promises against a track record. The others embraced the opportunity to introduce themselves to those they mean to govern. During the few weeks from the event's conception through the only date compatible with candidates' schedules and the Center's erratic availability, the scores of submitted residents' questions were sorted by category, weighted by volume and compiled to parallel community concerns. Check candidates' feedback about Beach Renourishment, City pension funds, a Galt Mile Master Plan, Turtles vs. People and other sticky issues.
BROWARD COMMISSIONER KEN KEECHL SEPTEMBER 14, 2008 - In his September 2008 Newsletter, Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl reminds his District 4 constituents that his platform’s planks include “lower property taxes; fiscal accountability; more open and green spaces; and yearly reserve funding for beach restoration.” He enumerates three of the challenges currently facing County government. As the County Commission continues squeezing the budget to help control property taxes, the accompanying resource shortage can be offset by broadening the tax base. Attracting new business to Broward will insure the uninterrupted delivery of County services while preserving residential tax relief. Drawing on new technologies, Keechl also supports the implementation of alternative water conservation strategies in preparation for impending growth. As usual, Keechl’s measures are viable, sensible and frugal.
CITY MANAGER GEORGE GRETSAS JULY 29, 2008 - In early July, Commissioner Christine Teel replaced the email she ordinarily sends to remind constituents about her regular pre-agenda meeting at the Beach Community Center with an announcement that on July 14th, “City Manager George Gretsas will be attending to present the City’s goals and objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Gretsas will discuss his plans for reducing costs, while improving the quality of life for the residents and businesses in the City of Fort Lauderdale.” Attending residents got more than they bargained for. As the audience filed in, they were greeted by City Manager George Gretsas, Commissioner Christine Teel, Fire Chief James Eddy, Director of Business Enterprises Cate McCaffrey, Building Services Manager Valerie Bohlander, Code Enforcement Manager Mike Maloney, Public Works Director Albert Carbon and the Executive Officer for Police District 1, Captain Raul Diaz. We were all treated to a special edition of "The George Gretsas Show".
REPRESENTATIVE ELLYN BOGDANOFF JUNE 17, 2008 - Last December, an article posted on the GMCA web site and reprinted in the January Galt Mile News exposed an obscure plan to offload liquefied natural gas near the Galt Mile beach. Shortly after confirming that a breach in the Calypso project’s delivery system would release an ignitable vapor cloud capable of a 2000 BTU conflagration, residents wondered why their public officials would expose them to this catastrophic danger. Surprise quickly turned to anger when they learned that local communities and their governments had been excised from the approval process 3 years earlier. In her Spring Newsletter, Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff explains her characterization of the project to the Governor, the only official in Florida empowered to stop Calypso. The Statehouse Majority Whip also considers pulling the plug on Calypso as the State's opportunity to step down its debilitating energy dependence by assuming a leadership role in the fast-growing alternative energy field!
SENATOR JEFFREY ATWATER MAY 21, 2008 - Armed with instinctive networking skills, unique fiscal expertise and a natural talent for achieving consensus, Senator Jeffrey Atwater has earned the gratitude of battalions of his legislation's beneficiaries and the respect of his peers. Unlike many legislators whose advancement accompanies a benign neglect of constituents, Atwater is always a phone call away. Named as the next Senate President, the District 25 Senator remained in constant communication with constituents throughout the legislative session. Now that the session is over, he issued a summary of the legislature's achievements. He reviews legislation designed to enforce insurance carrier accountability, a long sought after anti-gang bill, environmental regulations targeting Beach Renourishment and spending cuts created to relieve pressure on the Budget without sacrificing important programs.
What's New?
ASSOCIATIONS
All of the members of the Galt Mile Community Association are entitled to maintain a website that reflects the relevant features and qualities of their residences. This is the link to the websites of the individual Associations. Recently added sites include Caribé, L’Hermitage II, the current L’Hermitage Link Newsletter, The Commodore, The Royal Ambassador, Coral Ridge Towers South, and The Galt Merchants Association! In addition, 90% of the existing Association Sites have been recently upgraded. Check yours out! We’re delighted to see that the PLAYA DEL MAR website is BACK UP and RUNNING thanks to the efforts of Manager Keith Tannenbaum. In addition to their regular web site, PLAYA DEL MAR also installed a site restricted to Playa del Mar Residents! THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! ANOTHER SURPRISE! The CORAL RIDGE TOWERS EAST Web Site has also been reincarnated. CORAL RIDGE TOWERS EAST resident and Webmaster Warren Eisenberg has done a wonderful job in bringing an online presence back for one of the first GMCA member Associations to create a web site! In April 2005, CORAL RIDGE TOWERS ORIGINAL and RIVIERA both established web sites. PLAZA EAST and the GALLEON set up independent web sites and REGENCY TOWER'S web site was up and running again after an unexpected hiatus. In August, 2006, Director Jack Zink took the initiative to set up an independent web site for FOUNTAINHEAD. Also, PLAZA SOUTH has joined the club, kicking of its web site in June of 2008... congratulations! More good news! COMMODORE CONDOMINIUM has also created their own fully self-maintained web site.
Click to CONDOS
DIRECTORS
The Galt Mile Community Association is administered by a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board, and the Presidents Council (an assembly of the Presidents of each member Association). They are depicted and briefly biographied in this section.
Who Are They?
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| AERIAL VIEW OF THE GALT OCEAN MILE SHORELINE |
 June 23, 2009 - Last December, Broward Mayor Stacy Ritter proposed a resolution to form a Task Force Committee charged with ascertaining whether the deteriorating Broward Judicial Complex should be renovated, relocated or rebuilt. In his June Newsletter, Commissioner Ken Keechl reviews the interim findings of the “Broward County Courthouse Task Force”. Since the building skeleton is not capable of adequately housing a modern code compliant courthouse environment, gutting and renovating the existing structure was ruled out. Fitting another commercial space with the required structural elements was also declined. After carefully weighing the alternatives, the Task Force concluded that rebuilding a scaled down ediface where the judicial garage is currently located will address the County's need without straining the already burdened county budget. Keechl closes by promising to reveal how the project will not consume property tax dollars in his next newsletter. Dig in...
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FP&L Plans to Plug Public
 June 17, 2009 - Go ahead, open that email from Florida Power & Light. Are your eyes playing tricks or is FP&L really lowering rates? Unfortunately, FP&L is playing tricks. The email is part of a multi-million public relations campaign to whitewash an impending rate hike that would embarrass P.T. Barnum. FP&L is spinning that “the typical 1,000 kilowatt-hour residential customer bill would decrease by an estimated $4.92 monthly, or 4.5 percent, from $109.55 to $104.63 on January 1, 2010.” Actually, a precipitous decline in fuel prices requires that they pass through a roughly $17 monthly savings to customers. Simultaneously, they are asking for the largest monthly base rate hike in history - $1.3 billion - at least $12+ each month. What’s left? $4.92!!! However, the fuel price decrease could disappear overnight. The base rate increase will survive ad nauseum! The rate hike will increase the yield to FP&L’s investors from 10.8% to 12.5%. The national average is 10.5%. You can either help prevent this increase from passing... or you can load up your equity position!
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Crist Vetoes Association 'Glitch' Bill
 June 11, 2009 - Popularly known as the association “glitch” bill, Senate Bill 714 (SB 714) sought to reverse poorly drafted, contradictory, expensive and/or unworkable regulations. Since Governor Crist vetoed SB 714 on June 1st, unit owners must still purchase individual property insurance with at least $2,000 of “special assessment” coverage (despite the fact that such a product does not exist). Associations can still “force place” this coverage (and assess the cost to any unit owner). Unit owners must still name their associations as additional insureds and loss payees on their insurance policies. Unit Owners are still required to insure “improvements and additions” that benefit fewer than all the owners. A long anticipated extension of the $multi-million fire sprinkler retrofit, postponing an onerous assessment from 2014 to 2025, was squashed. The Silver Lining: When this issue is revisited next year, it will not face a Governor en route to Washington.
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Neighborhood Fights to Save Galt Library
 June 2, 2009 - The Galt Ocean Mile Reading Center serves as a portal to the world for literally thousands of local residents. Broward County’s Herculean budget deficit has placed the tiny storefront branch of the huge Broward County Library System on the chopping block. In a frenetic marathon to offset the Property Appraiser’s projected 15% drop in the County’s tax base, County Commissioners are gouging away at libraries, parks, animal shelters and other “non-critical” services loosely characterized as “quality of life” expenses. County budget director Kayla Olsen projected the shortfall between $135 million and $160 million. The Galt Mile Reading Center hosts 2,390 weekly visits by local residents who check out 1695 items each week. How many $millions will the County save by turning them away? NONE! The net annual savings would be $101,168. Either county bean counters lost a few beans or this is a budget season dog and pony show. Not surprisingly, several residents noted that “By canning one big shot, we can pay for the library for the next two or three years.” The question is... which big shot?
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$8$ Grand from Uncle Sam
 May 28, 2009 - Last year, the “Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008” provided for a first-time homebuyer tax credit of $7,500. Since the terms required repayment, the tax credit was essentially an interest-free 15-year loan. In February of 2009, congress passed President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package, increasing the tax credit to $8,000 and building in an incentive for making the first 36 mortgage payments. If beneficiaries of the $8,000 tax credit hang on to their new homes for at least three years, they need not repay the tax credit. If you recently bought or are considering buying a home - and don't exceed certain income limits - you have some money coming to you - if you know how to ask for it!
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Galt Mile Sun Trolley Adapts to Survive
 May 22, 2009 - On April 16, 2009, Sun Trolley Executive Director Les Hollingsworth updated the Galt Mile Community Association Advisory Board about an ongoing struggle to salvage the Galt Ocean Mile Sun Trolley route. Most of the Sun Trolley’s routes have already fallen victim to budget-based funding shortages. Despite the implementation of an aggressive marketing campaign, recruitment of corporate sponsors, cultivation of alternative revenue streams from advertizing and renting the Sun Trolley’s 14 flashy vehicles for birthdays, weddings and other private events - flat ridership plagued the neighborhood bus. Thanks to Hollingsworth and City Commissioner Bruce Roberts, the Galt Mile route survived, although in a markedly less robust format. Read on to review the remaining service...
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Senate Bill 714 - Omnibus Condo Bill
 May 16, 2009 - The 2009 Legislative Session was not technically over until Friday, May 8, 2009. However, legislative leaders decided to devote the final week to balancing significant inequities in the State budget and tweaking bills useful to that end. When the session functionally ended on May 1, 2009, community association bills that occupied legislators for the past few months simply dissolved. The single exception is SB 714, by Senator Dennis Jones, which whizzed through the House and Senate before being ordered to the Governor's desk. Having successfully navigated the Statehouse as HB 419 (originally filed by District 91 Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff), its provisions address a wide range of association issues including insurance, board elections, fire sprinklers ($$$), fire alarm systems, Timeshare Condominiums and back-up generators for elevators. The bill also reverses some lingering legislative flotsam with designs on the family cookie jar.
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2009 Galt Mile Food Drive Final Results
  May 11, 2009 - The 2009 Galt Mile Food Drive was over. In keeping with tradition, Cooperative Feeding Program Executive Director Scott Woodburn sent emails to the participants. The CFP sparkplug notified team captains, Association volunteers and other local program supporters that the recent drive was an unqualified success. Initially concerned about the economic downturn's impact on donations, Woodburn was understandably relieved by the final results. Lightning struck twice, as diminutive Edgewater Arms blew away the competition for the second year running. As if scripted by Rod Serling, the 86-unit cooperative more than doubled the total points output of second place Coral Ridge Towers South. Little Edgewater, the first high rise association on Galt Ocean Drive, also racked up more than 8 times the points per unit scored by runner-up Fountainhead (43 points/unit vs. 5.1 points/unit). Not lost on Woodburn was the community's overall contribution, more than seven tons of food that will help Broward families survive this nightmarish recession! See where your association landed in the final stats.
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Condo and Co-op Bill Survivors
 May 5, 2009 - Until a few years ago, Galt Mile residents demonstrated limited interest in what transpired during the annual Legislative sessions in the State Capitol. Instead of cloaking condo owners in protective anonymity, this lack of “political identity” has ironically made them a target in Tallahassee. Instead of addressing existing statutory shortcomings, lawmakers have filed truckloads of legislation that - more often than not - were repositories for ill-conceived, contradictory and poorly drafted regulations suffering a fatal disconnect from their stated objectives. As this year's session wound down, the few surviving association bills with beneficial provisions again became targeted by a stew of screwball regulations that transfer governance from homeowners to politicians. Not surprisingly, many of this year's bills were filed to remove or rebalance many of the costly and troublesome provisions passed during last year's end-of-session melee. Whether these bills are signed into law or fade away is up to you. Take a look and express your will! After all, its your wallet!
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Commissioner Roberts Goes to Work
 April 30, 2009 - In his first Newsletter to District 1 constituents, City Commissioner Bruce G. Roberts expresses appreciation for his seat on Fort Lauderdale's governing body. Observing that 4 of the 5 municipal representatives are neophytes, he postulates that the Commission's new complexion confirms an electoral apetite for change. Focusing on the City's budgetary bottleneck, Roberts explains that the Commission's first meeting directed "the City Manager to freeze current fiscal year expenditures, except for public safety, with the goal to carry forward savings into next year’s budget." Addressing a burdensome campaign stigma, Roberts promised to work productively with Gretsas with the understanding that Gretsas would address the new commission’s priorities. Since the election, both City officials have agreed to defuse any residual acrimony in favor of steering the District - and the city - through the ongoing economic crunch.
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Sprinklers in the Foyer?
 April 23, 2009 - Seven years ago, the Florida Legislature passed a clandestine bill requiring Florida Associations 75 feet above grade to retrofit full sprinkler systems by 2014 or install an “Engineered Life Safety System” with sprinklered common areas and unit foyers. Thousands of outraged associations characterized the new law as a $multi-billion payday for certain vested interests instead of effective fire protection. Following the 2004 and 2005 serial hurricanes, Florida Associations were forced to pay $millions for code compliant upgrades required by windstorm carriers, additional $millions for deductibles, uninsured losses and suddenly trebled insurance premiums. When the housing market collapsed last year, the recessionary impact on community associations was catastrophic. Many associations financed the crushing expenses to help keep significant numbers of mostly elderly fixed income residents in their homes. Statehouse Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff filed a bill, HB 419, that extends the retrofit deadline until 2025, affording unit owners an opportunity to amortize their association’s bloated debt service before paying another sizable assessment. If you perceive a benefit to delaying this huge expense, Read on...
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Keechl Puts Wolfe on Ethics Panel
 April 18, 2009 - “Government Ethics” is widely considered little more than a cynical oxymoron hovering between “Commercial Art” and “Military Intelligence”. To Commissioner Keechl, however, Ethics is serious business. It is also meaningful to the 57% of Broward voters who last November supported the creation of a “Broward County Ethics Commission” to formulate a Code of Ethics against which actions of Broward Commissioners can be measured. Since each of the Broward Commission's 9 Democrats appoint 9 of the 11 members, Keechl sought to provide balance by selecting Bob Wolfe, the Republican Media & Government Relations Director for the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office. Skeptics decry the selection of a majority of the Ethics appointees by Broward Commissioners as a conflict. Others contend that if Broward residents really wanted ethical representatives, they would have elected them. Hmmm...
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Foreclosure Fallout
 April 13, 2009 - Community Associations anticipating legislative relief may be headed for an exercise in disappointment. When tens of thousands of mortgages simultaneously turned terminally toxic, droves of homeowners abandoned their suddenly unaffordable properties to bank foreclosure. Under current law, a bank securing title to a foreclosed condominium unit pays only six months unpaid common expenses and regular periodic assessments or 1% of the original mortgage amount, whichever is less. Since the mortgage debt in these foreclosures exceeds the property value, every foreclosed home means more red ink in the foreclosing bank’s portfolio. The banks developed a “foot-dragging” strategy to delay taking title, further depriving associations of the minimal statutory relief. Cash-strapped associations must incrementally assess the shortfall to the full membership. The legislative leadership is freezing any relief bills that cost the banks more than currently provided for in the statute. The banking lobby, fueled by billions of dollars in federal bailout money, has pressured the legislators into preserving the status quo!
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Commissioner Roberts Clears the Air
 April 8, 2009 - Although contract negotiations are largely adversarial, when completed, the parties ordinarily acknowledge that each side was simply doing its job as they head for the exits - or the television cameras. Instead of leaving residual animosity at the negotiating table, police union officials decided to exercise a post-negotiation political agenda. Their well-publicized "PR" blitz to excise the City Manager en route to "revisiting" their contract became inextricably entangled with Bruce Roberts' campaign message. Whether or not the residents of District 1 support the City Manager or the police union concerning the adequacy and/or affordability of the City’s pension obligations, they uniformly expect their Commissioner to give their concerns priority. To elicit community support barely evident during the March 10th election, Roberts acknowledges that his first order of business must be to dispel constituent misperceptions about his agenda. How? Having built a sterling public service career on trust, he intends to stick with what works.
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Cutting FY 2010 Broward Property Tax
April 2, 2009 - When District 4 Commissioner Ken Keechl promised to squeeze the bloated County budget as a candidate in 2006, constituents grudgingly gave him high marks for playing the right music. With the new County budget on the table, Commissioner Keechl's April Newsletter reminds us that $90 million was cut from the 2007 budget and another $87 million was clipped from last year's product, running the two-year total to $177 million. Fast-forwarding to the 2010 budget and the current fiscal squeeze, his commission peers seem comfortable with increasing the millage rate enough to yield the same amount of taxes collected last year, cutting a respectable $45 million from the FY 2010 budget. Characterizing the millage increase as a tax increase, our irrepressible District 4 budget hawk prefers to freeze last year’s millage rate of 4.888 and shrink the County’s FY 2010 budget by an additional $135 million dollars. Keechl is targeting "a combined three year cumulative and recurring budget decrease of $312 million dollars."
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2009 Galt Mile Food Drive - Halftime Stats
 March 27, 2009 - Scott Woodburn, the Cooperative Feeding Program sparkplug that pulled together the Galt Mile food drive during the past three years, has again undertaken to sharpen competitive instincts and stimulate collections. On March 23rd, Woodburn sent an email to the Galt Mile associations participating in the current food drive. Emulating a race caller at the Belmont Stakes, Woodburn gave an engaging play by play describing the state of affairs as the Galt Mile donor associations rounded the halfway mark. See your association's rank at the halfway point! Opining that “The final place standings should be very close this year,” Woodburn issued a final reminder “Your donations will change lives. Your donations will save lives.” Point taken! One out of four Broward families go to bed hungry every night.
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George Gretsas - 2009 Update
 March 21, 2009 - On January 15, 2009, City Manager George Gretsas attended a meeting of the Galt Mile Community Association Advisory Board. Since board members traditionally inquire about the City’s fiscal health when afforded this opportunity, Mr. Gretsas created a comprehensive presentation summarizing Fort Lauderdale’s transition from a poster child for fiscal ineptitude in 2003 to a thriving metropolis in 2009. Longtime members of the Advisory Board who’ve witnessed the City’s remarkable reincarnation as well as Gretsas’ annual updates are acutely aware of the City Manager’s positive impact on Fort Lauderdale’s budgetary health. While he will have to make adjustments to accommodate the requirements of the new commission members, they will discover that he is an invaluable resource. Of course, they could replace him with a commission puppet and turn the budget into a pork buffet. After all, what happened in 2003 could never happen again – right?
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“Chepo” Vega Lays Some Groundwork
 March 12, 2009 - In early November, Commodore resident José “Chepo” Vega emailed a complaint to the Galt Mile Community Association about the “precarious” state of landscaping along Galt Ocean Drive. A few days later, he followed it up with a call to GMCA officials, exclaiming “While I was walking in front of my building, I saw someone walk into a low hanging tree limb. It could have blinded him. Why doesn’t the City pay attention to the landscaping on our block?” Chepo argued that if he knew who to contact about addressing this issue, he would gladly volunteer his time and horticultural acumen. Unlike many who impulsively make empty commitments to ephemeral crusades, Chepo picked up the ball and headed for the end zone. Using the Galt Mile Association to access the Parks Department officials with jurisdictional relevance, Chepo spearheaded a two-week landscaping project that cured two years of neglect.
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Commissioner Keechl on the Beach
March 2, 2009 - The Broward County Beach Renourishment Project has been underway for almost a decade. When the project encountered political opposition in 2002, hundreds of Galt Mile residents boarded buses to the Hollywood Beach Community Center in support of the Army Corps of Engineers renourishment plan. In April of 2005, the one year renourishment of south county beaches (Segment III) commenced, initiating rehabilitation of the devastated coast from the Broward/Dade County line north to John U. Lloyd State Park. Following a mandated 18-month monitoring period that ended in September 2007, Broward Beach Administrator Stephen Higgins estimated that the Fort Lauderdale beaches (Segment II) would begin to see new sand by the Fall of 2008. Blaming a lack of sand, the start date was revised to the Fall of 2009. Suspicious about the reasons given to justify these delays, GMCA officials asked Broward Commissioner Ken Keechl to investigate the County's dilatory progress. In his March 2009 Newsletter, the Commissioner updates the project.
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CRIST CUTS CALYPSO!
  February 24, 2009 - On February 18, 2009, residents along the Barrier Island shared a rare mass ebullience. When Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced that local inhabitants no longer had to fear a potentially dangerous gas plant marring their eastern horizon, most of the population was understandably immersed in relief and gratitude. Not surprisingly, Galt Mile residents were also rightfully proud of themselves and their neighborhood. Absent funds and through sheer determination, they defeated a $110 billion corporate goliath with an intimidating history of international depredations. They also thwarted a regulatory bear trap designed to involuntarily force facilities like these down the throats of communities targeted by paying members of the industry “club” (most of whom – like Suez – aren’t U.S. corporations)! What's more, until their license application evaporates, the fat lady hasn't sung! We will, therefore, monitor this tricky doggie!
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Mortgage Madness Grips Florida Condos
 February 16, 2009 - On January 2, 2009, President Charles McMillan of the National Realtors Association (NAR) expressed concern to Director James B. Lockhart III of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) about why he more than doubled fees for Fannie Mae mortgages, seemingly abandonning his obligation to promote affordable housing. Three weeks later, the other shoe dropped. Citing decades of capricious mortgage bank practices, Lockhart stunned local Associations by focusing an unprecedented set of tough new mortgage requirements on condominium buyers in one state - Florida. Despite nationwide abuses spanning the full spectrum of property ownership, Fannie Mae’s targeting of Florida condos spurred accusations that Lockhart was creating a sacrificial straw dog. How this came about - and what happens next - are byproducts of a financial bailout for institutions that invested recklessly in the securities and derivatives based on those mortgages. For those Galt Mile residents facing mortgage issues, also find links to sites useful for contending with mortgage payment problems and impending foreclosure.
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Commissioner Teel Hits 2009 Running
 February 8, 2009 - In her February 2009 Newsletter, City Commissioner Christine Teel recommends enjoying the wide range of activities available at the Beach Community Center, reviews a timely rescue of the Galt Mile Sun Trolley and credits a Galt Mile resident for grabbing a bureaucratic bull by the horns. She encourages Galt Mile residents to partake of the literally dozens of classes in Yoga, Pilates, Dance, Painting, Computers, Ping Pong, Bingo, Mahjongg, Bridge and Planned Day Trips to everywhere - at the Beach Community Center! Threatened with imminent termination, the Galt Mile Sun Trolley received an eleventh hour reprieve when the Commissioner funneled testimony from residents critically dependent on the service to Broward Officials. While notifying constituents about planned landscaping improvements for Galt Ocean Drive, Commissioner Teel applauds Commodore resident José “Chepo” Vega for helping the City address certain hardscape deficiencies ... about which he was initially a complainant!
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Snipes: Act before the Book Closes
 February 2, 2009 - On January 23rd, Broward Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda C. Snipes issued a press release alerting Broward voters to a rapidly approaching critical deadline. Dr. Snipes explained “The voter registration books will close at midnight Monday, February 9 for these upcoming elections. Anyone turning in an application to register to vote the first time in Florida after Monday, February 9 will not be eligible to vote on March 10 and will not receive a voter information card until after the election.” Fort Lauderdale is listed among the 11 Broward cities facing Municipal elections on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Although application requests will still be accepted after the books are closed on February 9th, they will not be processed until after the March 10th Election, leaving tardy applicants disenfranchised. If you need to register or change party affiliation, time is running out - and your vote has never been more important!
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Keechl: Courthouse - Rebuild or Repair?
 January 26, 2009 - On Sunday night, November 30th, a water main break sent gallons of pressurized water shooting into the first and second floors of the Broward County Judicial Complex in downtown Fort Lauderdale, forcing the cancellation of all business except for emergency proceedings. On December 18th, Vice Mayor Ken Keechl described the state of the Courthouse to the GMCA Advisory Board, “The 50 year-old structure is falling apart. Pipes are bursting on a regular basis, the elevators continuously break down and the building is rife with mold.” The dilemma facing the Broward County Commission is whether to replace or rehabilitate the deteriorating structure. In his January Newsletter, Vice Mayor Keechl expresses his preference for rehabilitating the dilapidated edifice, sparing Broward taxpayers the strain of coughing up the additional $350 to $400 million replacement cost while enduring the economy's spastic contractions.
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2009 Galt Mile Food Drive
January 20, 2009 - Early on Thursday, January 15th, Cooperative Feeding Program Executive Director Scott Woodburn and Fort Lauderdale Real Estate proprietor and CFP Board V.P. Domenic Faro headed to Nick’s Italian Restaurant. However, the food Faro and Woodburn were thinking about wasn’t on the menu. On arriving, they navigated to the back of the well-known eatery, where Domenic greeted about thirty of his friends and neighbors on the GMCA Advisory Board. When given the floor, Woodburn delivered his message. "Our 2008 Galt Food Drive, which included 21 Galt Condo Associations, was a huge success. Over 11,000 lbs of food and money donated and the Edgewater Arms was crowned Champion Condo Association. Once again we are poised to initiate the 3rd Annual Galt Ocean Mile Food Drive. The month of March has been designated the 2009 GALT Ocean Mile Food Drive month. A special “Walk against Hunger” will kick off the month long Food Drive. Hunger remains a real problem in Broward County as 1 out of 4 goes to bed hungry every night." Everyone understood - its time to get busy...
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Shale Gas Sinks Suez Spin
 January 14, 2009 - The Calypso gas works retained an army of lobbyists and public relations firms to help convince the Governor that the local population lovingly envisions a fossil fuel plant off their beach. Conspicuously absent from the full page glossies of hypnotically serene oceanscapes were the tri-weekly convoys of diesel guzzling LNG tankers surrounded by 8 to 10 support vessels (security is a courtesy of Broward taxpayers) plowing through the prime spawning and nursery area for sailfish, marlin, swordfish and dozens of other unique species verging on extinction. While marginalizing LNG plant catastrophes wherein hundreds died from 2000 BTU fireballs and fines levied by the U.S. Office of Pipeline Safety for a litany of security violations, Suez claimed that LNG imports will reduce energy prices. Last year, new technology provided access to previously irretrievable gas deposits locked in 24 huge shale beds across North America, slicing natural gas prices by 40% since July. A Navigant Consulting report estimates that the newly available 842 trillion cubic feet of domestic reserves can supply the nation for about 40 years at today’s consumption rate, obviating the need to import overpriced LNG.
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The '411' on FREE Directory Assistance
 January 4, 2009 - This unforgiving economic climate warrants due consideration of any strategy that can ease our fiscal stress. Regency Tower board member Iris Anastasi notified President Dott Nicholson-Brown about one such strategy she discovered while surfing the internet. Google has developed a technology that renders obsolete paying for directory assistance in order to contact a business. No - you don't need a computer, an internet connection, or even a dialpad - just a telephone - any telephone. With GOOG-411, you can find local business information completely free, directly from your phone by calling 1-800-466-4411 (1-800-GOOG-411) from any landline, cellular or VoIP (web-based) phone, anywhere, anytime. What's more, after telling them the name and location of the business, they will place the call for you. If you program the access number into your cell phone speed dial, you will no longer face juggling the phone and the steering wheel! THIS IS A NO BRAINER! Thanks - Dott and Iris!
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Christine Teel - Year End Galt Update
December 27, 2008 - In her December 2008 Newsletter, Commissioner Christine Teel reviews some “Galt Mile” challenges she confronted during the past year. Having uncovered an attempt by $105 billion French conglomerate GDF-Suez to install a fossil fuel plant on the Galt Mile beach - the Calypso gasworks - Commissioner Teel spearheaded pursuit of a veto from Governor Crist. The uphill struggle solidified an alliance with Senate President Jeffrey Atwater, Statehouse Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff, Broward Commissioner Ken Keechl and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Mayor Roseann Minnet. The Commissioner also updates efforts to rehabilitate the Galt Ocean Village Shoppes commercial district. Despite the untimely passing of civic sparkplug and Galt Merchants Association President Dr. Alex Leeds, improvements detailed in a 2002 development plan were finally actualized.
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Vice Mayor Keechl Affirms Commitment
December 19, 2008 - The Broward Board of County Commissioners reshuffled their governance deck in November, seating District 3 Commissioner Stacy Ritter as Mayor supported by District 4 Commissioner Ken Keechl as Vice Mayor. In his December 2008 Newsletter, our County Commissioner assures constituents that the additional challenges companion to his new office will not distract Keechl from his District 4 responsibilities. He intends to press an agenda outlined by Mayor Ritter in her November 18, 2008 acceptance speech. To start with, the new administration intends to morph the Florida East Coast rail corridor into a vital countywide transportation center, create a trucking and rail shipping hub in western Palm Beach County to service Port Everglades and promote the greening of Broward County’s carbon footprint.
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Windstorm Self-Insurance Trust Update
 December 13, 2008 - Since Galt Mile Associations participating in the Palm Beach Windstorm Self-Insurance Trust averaged six figure savings during the Trust’s first operational year, they understandably want to exercise renewals. When the Palm Beach group was granted a license following the most exigent review ever performed by the Office of Insurance Regulation, Senator Jeff Atwater characterized the event as an, “historic moment.” Enigmatically, two Agency bureaucrats spent the next year erecting capricious obstacles to the Trust's operational efficacy, repeatedly trying to undermine the intent of the new law. Although legislators that learned about this subterfuge put the program back on track, there are residual concerns about whether those two bureaucrats are working for the people of Florida or the insurance industry! The Trustees scheduled a meeting for 1:30 PM on Thursday, December 18th, at L'Hermitage II for the purpose of providing a concise report on the Trust’s operations and clarifying all issues encountered with the Office of Insurance Regulation. All GMCA association members, including “window shoppers”, are invited to attend.
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Galt Mile Reading Center Shows a Pulse
December 4, 2008 - The Galt Mile Reading Center - a valued community “gem” - will soon be closed for approximately one to two weeks. A popular improvement project to expand the facility was repeatedly raped by Murphy’s Law during the past few years. Broward County leasing specialists rented space adjacent to the Reading Room to accommodate the expansion. Unfortunately, they forgot to check the premises. WHOOPS! The floor and one of the two ceilings were loaded with asbestos! If disturbed, the toxic cocktail would precipitate a virtual mesothelioma epidemic among Reading Center fans. After three years of paying $3500/month rent while debating an alternative strategy for safely utilizing the tainted space, a compromise renovation may actually be completed before the lease expires on June 30, 2009. If not for the Friends of the Galt Ocean Mile Reading Center and Broward Commissioner Ken Keechl, the project would still be at ground zero and the truckload of wasted tax dollars would remain a mystery!
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Beach Project Stirs Suspicion
 November 25, 2008 - Most Galt Mile residents understand that the impending beach renourishment project is the single most critical improvement impacting the future of this neighborhood. According to a 2007 report by Broward beach administrator Steven Higgins, the Segment II beaches along Fort Lauderdale and the Galt Ocean Mile should start seeing new sand by the late fall of 2009. In contrast to past projects that were largely neglected once completed, the County’s strategy included a maintenance component to ensure the ongoing health of the rehabilitated beaches, thereby postponing the need for (and curbing the expense of) future renourishments. Until recently, when Beach Administrator Higgins spoke about "patching up" erosion "hot spots" in the Segment III south county renourishment completed almost 2 years ago, he would intimate that the repair wouldn't interfere with the impending Segment II construction on the Fort Lauderdale and Galt Mile beaches. However, events of late suggest that south county political interests may have designs on the sand earmarked for our beach! A community meeting chaired by Mr. Higgins should clear up any confusion about the County's intention.
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Keechl Corks County Animal Abuse
 November 17, 2008 - In his November Newsletter, Broward commissioner Ken Keechl summarizes the outcome of his investigation into animal abuse in shelters operated by the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division (ACaRD). After reading the transcript of a damning whistleblower interview by WSVN investigative reporter Carmel Cafiero, Commissioner Keechl precipitated an authoritative investigation confirming that animal carcasses were left rotting in maggot-infested bags for days, food shortages are habitual, shelter employees set aside dogs with high resale value for friends and/or profit, workers are inadequately equipped to ascertain whether euthanized animals were actually dead before being tossed into a landfill, pharmaceutical stockpiles were left unlocked (in violation of state standards) and the hits just keep on coming! Commissioner Keechl's newsletter details the division's improbable transformation from a dysfunctional slaughterhouse plagued by institutional torture into a credible, effective and humane agency.
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Breakthrough Bodes New Flu Strategy
 November 11, 2008 - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Influenza is contracted by 5 to 20 % of the United States’ population annually. More than 200,000 victims are hospitalized from flu complications of which about 36,000 die. These mortifying statistics may change this year. A recent Harvard study links exposure to children to influenza contagion rates and symptomatic severity. Director Julie L. Gerberding of the CDC confirmed that although school-age children have the highest rate of flu infection, last year only 21% were vaccinated against the disease, allowing the flu an unchallenged opportunity to incubate and proliferate. Simply put, the chain of transmission in the vast majority of flu cases includes a school-age child. Immunizing that child should break the chain and, by definition, eliminate these cases. Known as "Herd Immunity", it seeks to immunize the most prolific incubators or "Vectors" of the disease - school-age children - bestowing an insulative benefit to the entire community. By prioritizing vaccinations for children through 18 years of age, the CDC is hoping to precipitate a significant lowering of infection rates for the more vulnerable elderly population... not to mention everyone else!
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Conservationist Condemns Calypso
 November 5, 2008 - At the May 20, 2008 City Commission Conference meeting, Suez officials made a futile attempt to deter the Commissioners from issuing a resolution opposing construction of the Calypso gasworks. Instead of responding to the safety concerns expressed by worried residents, Calypso Manager Dan McGinnis had officials from Nova Oceanographic Center discuss the environmental virtues of establishing an industrial complex in the marine ecosystem off the Galt Mile Beach. When suspicious Commissioners asked the Nova academicians their connection with Calypso, they admitted having been hired by Calypso to help elicit approval for their license application. A week later, Calypso officials moved a meeting scheduled for the Galt Mile to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Headquarters in Dania Beach, again claiming that Calypso was an environmental asset. Former IGFA President and conservationist Mike Leech just sent an email to Governor Crist explaining that Calypso will critically damage the prime spawning and nursery area for sailfish, marlin, swordfish, dolphin, baby sea turtles, and dozens of other important species. It would also kill millions of fish, sea turtles and zooplankton.
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Meeting the Players
October 29, 2008 - On October 22, The Galt Mile Community Association sponsored an event to assist local residents ascertain the electability of the current crop of aspirants to municipal offices most relevant to the neighborhood. Scheduled at the Beach Community Center, Galt Mile residents were afforded the opportunity to meet the four mayoral hopefuls and the three candidates vying for the District 1 Commission seat. Half of the participants enjoyed the politically competitive advantage of name recognition, enabling residents to measure promises against a track record. The others embraced the opportunity to introduce themselves to those they mean to govern. During the few weeks from the event's conception through the only date compatible with candidates' schedules and the Center's erratic availability, the scores of submitted residents' questions were sorted by category, weighted by volume and compiled to parallel community concerns. Check candidates' feedback about Beach Renourishment, City pension funds, a Galt Mile Master Plan, Turtles vs. People and other sticky issues.
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FDEP Flubs Galt Mile Beach Fix
 October 23, 2008 - Following clarification of the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) plan to prohibit cleaning the beach mechanically until marked turtle nests washed out by storms were located, identified and marked anew, most residents patiently awaited completion of this environmentally reasonable objective. After a week, beachgoers began complaining about the mounds of seaweed piled up along the beach, each housing a growing community of organic waste. After another week, the painfully slow nest-marking effort prompted more and angrier objections to the increasing health hazard posed by the oozing bacterial colonies steeped in trash. With the addition of a bona fide shipwreck decomposing along the beach, the dilatory progress overseen by the DEP and Florida Fish and Wildlife set the stage for an interspecies showdown, as a growing number of residents blamed sea turtles for what was actually some callous policy decisions made by certain local DEP officials. Ultimately, the City stepped in to restore sanity and finance evacuation of the king-size mess, without disturbing one egg.
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Illness Claims Dr. Alexander Leeds
  October 18, 2008 - On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, thousands of Galt Ocean Mile residents were stunned by the unexpected loss of an irreplaceable friend. Following a tenacious struggle with stomach cancer, Dr. Alexander Leeds passed away. It is unlikely that the colossal vacuum created by his untimely death will soon be filled... if ever. By cloaking a piercing intelligence and soft heart in a laid-back friendly demeanor, Alex naturally commanded the respect and trust of neighbors, patients and peers. As President of L'Hermitage II and the L'Hermitage Community, Alex deployed sensibility and sensitivity to balance the needs of his neighbors with those of the Associations. While developing and managing several medical practices, Alex also earned community-wide esteem as the "town doctor", fielding countless 24/7 calls for medical advice from friends and neighbors. As President of the Galt Merchants Association, this remarkable man was a tireless advocate for the community's commercial development. With loving wife and partner Marilyn, Alex was rightfully proud of a nurturing family in which he was the beating heart.
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Keechl: Budgeting for Tough Times
 October 13, 2008 - Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl recognizes that today’s prevailing pessimism is inversely proportional to the ebbing confidence we have in our economic environment. Taking solace in the cyclical nature of our economy, our District 4 Commissioner identifies a silver lining. Six months ago, his expressed plan to cut an additional $100 million from the 2009 County Budget elicited a benign skepticism from peers, bureaucrats and a host of overtly vested program beneficiaries. Incredibly, after reducing 2008 budget spending by $100 million, the County Commission knocked off another $87 million from this year’s product. Keechl’s satisfaction with the Budget reduction isn’t surprising, given its high ranking on his early 2008 wish list. Commissioner Keechl contends that the recession reduced the need for county government to rely on political will for motivation to exercise fiscal responsibility. Instead, the Broward Commission was forced to do what the rest of us are doing: learn to do more with less.
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The Galt Mile's Missing Master Plan
 October 7, 2008 - During his July 14th presentation at the Beach Community Center entitled “Goals and Objectives – 2008”, Fort Lauderdale City Manager George Gretsas thanked the thousands of residents who developed local Master Plans for Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. Adding perspective, he explained, “We must keep in mind that neighborhoods are the most important parts of the city and must reflect the vision of their inhabitants.” The Florida Department of Transportation is preparing to rehabilitate State Road A1A from north of Flamingo Avenue to just south of Oakland Park Boulevard. At a meeting scheduled with a consultant and GMCA officials to insure that the neighborhood’s character is preserved, opportunities to actualize several neighborhood improvements hit a brick wall. Meeting the expensive regulatory prerequisites for any of the prospective improvements exceeded the budgetary maximum allotted for auxiliary hardscape or landscape features. The cure - a Master Plan in which those regulatory underpinnings are already compiled. Unfortunately, painfully absent from Mr. Gretsas' impressive list of local Master Plans was the Galt Mile neighborhood!
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Commissioner Teel Sees Green
October 1, 2008 - Last year, the Broward County Commission wrestled with a litany of Land Use issues in an effort to control development. A significant change in County policy evolved from a campaign issue in the District 4 race. Commissioner Ken Keechl stopped a developer from turning the American Golf Course in Coral Ridge into a strip of high end McMansions. In representing the wishes of an overwhelming constituent majority to freeze the project, Keechl rode the wave to his present Commission seat. Once in office, he steered the County Commission to protect Broward's remaining Golf Courses from developmental mediocrity. In her September Newsletter, Commissioner Christine Teel picks up the ball and spells out the City's plan to incorporate the Land Use changes mandated by the County. The 18-step procedural maze offers 12 opportunities for public input. That means us!
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Turtle Nests Suspend Beach Cleanup
 September 26, 2008 - During the September 18th Galt Mile Community Association Advisory Board meeting, several members reported a sudden cessation of the City’s beach maintenance activities. The mechanical rake that ordinarily lumbers across the beach shortly after each dawn has been conspicuously absent. Several Galt Mile beachgoers reported hearing from City beach maintenance personnel that a suspension was instituted to “protect Sea Turtle nests.” To determine why the previously acceptable standard cleanup procedures suddenly constituted a threat to Sea Turtles and ascertain whether this policy extended to our individual beachfront associations, GMCA officials elicited a clarification from Beach Development Director Donald Morris.
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Fort Lauderdale Lifts Water Advisory
 September 24, 2008 - On September 23, 2008, the City of Fort Lauderdale issued a precautionary water advisory. While performing routine maintenance on aeration system blowers at the Fiveash Water Treatment Plant, almost a quart of lubricant was accidentally spilled into an open water basin, prompting the City to immediately shut down the Fiveash water pumps and begin water testing to ensure that water quality was not affected. The advisory stated “As a precautionary measure, customers are advised to use bottled water for drinking and cooking. Customers served by City water are advised not to consume or cook with any tap water (even if boiled). Tap water may be used for washing and bathing.” The warning also included Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, Port Everglades Authority, Village of Sea Ranch Lakes, Wilton Manors, and sections of Davie and Tamarac. On September 24th, The City of Fort Lauderdale Public Works Department lifted the water advisory for customers in Fort Lauderdale and the other communities. Laboratory results confirmed that City of Fort Lauderdale water met all primary drinking water standards.
City Lifts Water Advisory
Keechl Explores Broward Challenges
September 14, 2008 - In his September 2008 Newsletter, Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl reminds his District 4 constituents that his platform’s planks include “lower property taxes; fiscal accountability; more open and green spaces; and yearly reserve funding for beach restoration.” He enumerates three of the challenges currently facing County government. As the County Commission continues squeezing the budget to help control property taxes, the accompanying resource shortage can be offset by broadening the tax base. Attracting new business to Broward will insure the uninterrupted delivery of County services while preserving residential tax relief. Drawing on new technologies, Keechl also supports the implementation of alternative water conservation strategies in preparation for impending growth. As usual, Keechl’s measures are viable, sensible and frugal.
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“You Can Trust Us!”
 September 6, 2008 - When companies eat their own customers for breakfast and usurp human rights with such impunity that good will becomes an unaffordable luxury, flags should go up warning prospective customers that involvement will spell disaster. GDF Suez (they recently merged with French energy giant Gaz de France), the parent company of the Calypso gasworks, is a $105 billion French Conglomerate inextricably tied to the French government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A French court in 1994 ruled that a Suez subsidiary paid millions in bribes to a federal minister in return for the privatization of Grenoble’s waterworks. They were evicted from Argentina in 2006 for contaminating Buenos Aires’ water supply and are under indictment by the Wisconsin Attorney General for polluting Lake Michigan. Given that Broward residents are being asked to place the lives of their families and the resolution of an unlimited tax burden in Suez hands, the Galt Mile Community Association and the Central Beach Alliance decided to further investigate Suez record for keeping their commitments. Verifying how Suez expanded its water and sanitation services core business is elementally similar to a Stephen King novel.
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Frenna Search Ends in Tragedy
 | JOSEPHINE
FRENNA |
August 28, 2008 - Concerned about the prospect of foul play, scores of Galt Mile residents joined Fort Lauderdale Police to help locate a missing friend and neighbor, Josephine Frenna. Family members and friends were joined by the entire community in mutually nourishing the hope that the Ocean Club mother of a teenage boy was unharmed. That hope was dashed on Tuesday, August 25th, when a St. Lucie County medical examiner revealed that he positively identified a drowning victim as Josephine Frenna the previous evening. The stunned Galt Mile neighborhood exchanged prayers for expressions of sympathy and mournng for the close-knit family’s loss. Although the autopsy confirmed that there were no signs of a struggle, suspicious circumstances surrounding the tragedy precluded police from ruling that the death was “accidental.”
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Broward Delegation Calypso Workshop
 August 20, 2008 - On August 11, 2008, the Broward Legislative Delegation convened a “Calypso Workshop” at the Beach Community Center. Initiated by Oakland Park Representative Jack Seiler and Executive Director Sandy Harris in response to the hailstorm of antipathy and confusion about the planned gasworks off the Galt Mile beach, the event drew about 250 residents from surrounding neighborhoods. When residents expressed concern about the catastrophic threat posed by the accidental or intentional ignition of a highly combustible vapor cloud, a project official enigmatically stated "public safety is not an issue for this project." He claimed that French parent company SUEZ filed a security plan formulated in cooperation with local authorities. However, when asked, Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said that he had never been contacted by anyone about project security. When Senator Jeffrey Atwater asked who will pay for the huge security burden, lawmakers discovered that SUEZ planned to work out security details with local governments as a “post-licensing decision”.
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BCPA Expands TRIM Season Access
 August 11, 2008 - Now that the TRIM Notices have been distributed, Broward County Property Appraiser media liaison Bob Wolfe notified Galt Mile residents on August 11th that BCPA assistance with understanding components of this critical document has been expanded. The basis for upcoming assessments, the TRIM notice is often the key to successfully adjusting potential tax indebtedness. A longtime link between the Property Appraiser’s office and GMCA residents, Bob paves the way to receiving the answers to your inquiries. P.S. - Many of your questions have already been addressed in the “Ask Lori” section of the BCPA page.
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Gretsas: Goals and Objectives
July 29, 2008 - In early July, Commissioner Christine Teel replaced the email she ordinarily sends to remind constituents about her regular pre-agenda meeting at the Beach Community Center with an announcement that on July 14th, “City Manager George Gretsas will be attending to present the City’s goals and objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Gretsas will discuss his plans for reducing costs, while improving the quality of life for the residents and businesses in the City of Fort Lauderdale.” Attending residents got more than they bargained for. As the audience filed in, they were greeted by City Manager George Gretsas, Commissioner Christine Teel, Fire Chief James Eddy, Director of Business Enterprises Cate McCaffrey, Building Services Manager Valerie Bohlander, Code Enforcement Manager Mike Maloney, Public Works Director Albert Carbon and the Executive Officer for Police District 1, Captain Raul Diaz. We were all treated to a special edition of "The George Gretsas Show".
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Calypso Gasworks Info Consolidated
 July 22, 2008 - You have probably heard about the planned 18-story Calypso Gasworks that could soon adorn your ocean view. Calypso's parent company, a French energy conglomerate called SUEZ, submitted the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for approval on July 11th. After they hold a mandated Public Meeting, Governor Crist will have 45 days to approve or veto the project, depending primarily on what he hears from us. To help spin a significant boost to their balance sheet, SUEZ has sponsored a multi-million dollar public relations campaign contending that Calypso is safe. However, they neglected to mention that SUEZ was fined $220,000 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission a few years ago for “training violations” of personnel charged with managing public safety at their Distrigas LNG facility in Everett, Massachusettes. WHOOPS! Not surprisingly, after investigating the project, our federal, state, county and municipal representatives have condemned Calypso, citing its placement adjacent to the heavily populated beach as dangerous and irresponsible.
To assist residents interested in learning the facts surrounding this catastrophic threat to life and property, all of the articles about Calypso have been consolidated into a “Calypso Page” on the GMCA web site. The articles contain links to documentation from the Government Accountability Office, the Pentagon, the Congressional Research Service and the Energy Information Administration that clearly validate concerns about the project's safety, its cost to local taxpayers, why it was suddenly moved here and who actually benefits (CLUE: not one cubic meter of gas will be reserved for Floridians!).
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Comm. Keechl Reviews Shared Vision
July 15, 2008 - In January of 2007, newly elected Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl released a newsletter entitled “Our Shared Vision for Broward County”. It reviewed his first five weeks in office, expressed gratitude to his constituents (whether or not supportive of his candidacy) and issued a series of promises. His then proclaimed policy program entailed “lowering taxes, protecting our green spaces from development, lessening density on our beaches, and ensuring fiscal accountability”. A few months later, he added “enhancing Broward’s attraction to business, both old and new.” His July/August 2008 Newsletter holds a mirror to those nascent commitments. To match his promises against his achievements, read on...
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An Apple for the Judge
 July 7, 2008 - On Wednesday, July 2, 2008, the Third District Court of Appeal filed a decision that could overturn existing Association insurance policy for items and/or elements located outside association units. The Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes issued a declaratory statement contending that Associations must insure property that doesn’t belong to the Association. Known as the Costa Del Sol Declaratory Statement (DS 2006-024), authoritative characterizations of the Division’s controversial policy have ranged from “contradictory” to “a self-reinforcing delusion” since its 2006 inception. As an unfortunate consequence of this monument to illogic, hundreds of associations forced thousands of unit owners to subsidize the insurance costs of their neighbors’ personal outdoor furnishings. A local Association Attorney exclaimed, “At least I will no longer have to explain the inexplicable!”
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DTV: Congress Gives Viewers the Digit
 June 28, 2008 - On February 17, 2009, the era of analog broadcast television in the United States will end as the nation’s full power television stations complete their transition to an all-digital system. Digital Television (DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology that enables broadcasters to offer television with better picture and sound quality. It can also offer multiple programming choices, called multicasting, and interactive capabilities. If you subscribe to a cable, satellite or telecommunications service provider, the change will not affect you unless you have an analog TV not connected to the service. If not, you need to read about your options. Did Congress want to usher in the digital age? Not exactly...
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Galt Mile Loses James T. Gill
  June 22, 2008 - The Galt Mile Community lost a good friend whose contributions continued until the day of his passing on Monday, June 9th. At 99, James T. Gill outpaced peers half his age, effectively blending common sense with fiscal insights borne of extensive experience. He faithfully represented Plaza South Condominium in the Galt Mile Community Association as a longtime member of the neighborhood association’s Board of Directors. James masterfully balanced the needs of his association with those of the overall community. From the streets of Manhattan and educated in Columbia University, Jim flexed his familiarity with commodities to rise through the ranks of the Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company until he notched a Vice Presidency. Loved and respected, Jim used his heart and head equally when making decisions or friends. He will be missed!
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Bogdanoff Spring Newsletter: No Calypso!
 June 17, 2008 - Last December, an article posted on the GMCA web site and reprinted in the January Galt Mile News exposed an obscure plan to offload liquefied natural gas near the Galt Mile beach. Shortly after confirming that a breach in the Calypso project’s delivery system would release an ignitable vapor cloud capable of a 2000 BTU conflagration, residents wondered why their public officials would expose them to this catastrophic danger. Surprise quickly turned to anger when they learned that local communities and their governments had been excised from the approval process 3 years earlier. In her Spring Newsletter, Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff explains her characterization of the project to the Governor, the only official in Florida empowered to stop Calypso. The Statehouse Majority Whip also considers pulling the plug on Calypso as the State's opportunity to step down its debilitating energy dependence by assuming a leadership role in the fast-growing alternative energy field!
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SUEZ Bait & Switch Backfires in Dania
 June 8, 2008 - At the May 20th City Commission meeting, SUEZ North America Vice President Dan McGinnis promised to hold a meeting in Plaza South on Wednesday, May 28th wherein the Coast Guard would address the threat posed to concerned Galt Mile residents by the Calypso Deepwater Port gasworks. To discourage participation by the communities most threatened by a potential holocaust, SUEZ decided to “bait and switch” the venue to the IGFA (International Game Fishing Association) building, halfway across the county. Despite the single business day's notice, Commissioner Christine Teel secured a bus that conveyed scores of Galt Mile residents to the Dania meeting. They were joined by Senator Jeffrey Atwater, Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff, Broward Commissioner Ken Keechl, City Commissioner Teel, L-b-t-S Mayor Roseann Minnet and other local officials with the shared objective of preventing SUEZ from limiting participation to planted supporters with admittedly vested interests.
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Keechl Prepares for Budget Battle
June 2, 2008 - In our County Commissioner’s Spring Newsletter, Ken Keechl reminds us that beneath his mild-mannered public persona is a two fisted budget hawk. Commissioner Keechl illustrates last year’s forward progress and exhorts that we prepare for the likely service trade-offs of a lower tax bill. The Broward Board of County Commissioners sifted through their appropriations laundry list last year, weeding out questionable programs, unnecessary projects that were seemingly funded annually by force of habit and expenses that can only be accurately described as embarrassingly overt political pork. Trimming the second $100 million from the budget will entail an intimidating stroll through a political minefield by Commissioner Keechl and his peers.
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City Rips Calypso: Emergency Meeting
 May 27, 2008 - On May 20th, the City Commission of Fort Lauderdale held its usual conference meeting at 1:30 PM to review agenda items and their regular meeting at 6 PM. GMCA Advisory Board member Fred Nesbitt of Playa del Mar and Bill Claire of Plaza South attended both meetings. The motivation for their appearance was not some vague political objective. Along with several other Galt Mile residents, they were there because they were afraid. When the City Commission heard their testimony, they realized that their fears were well founded. They voted to issue a resolution opposing the Calypso project at its current location. They decided that barrier island residents should not have to live with prospective incineration by a 2000 BTU fireball from an ignited natural gas vapor cloud. They were also unwilling to see Fort Lauderdale rocketed to the top of Al Queda's hit list.
This nightmare will come true unless its stopped. A virtually unannounced meeting wherein the Coast Guard is supposed to address local concerns has been moved to the IGFA building in Dania - with one day's notice! Transportation to and from the meeting for concerned Galt Mile residents has been organized by the Galt Mile Community Association. Read on...
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Senator Atwater: Post-Session Update
 May 21, 2008 - Armed with instinctive networking skills, unique fiscal expertise and a natural talent for achieving consensus, Senator Jeffrey Atwater has earned the gratitude of battalions of his legislation's beneficiaries and the respect of his peers. Unlike many legislators whose advancement accompanies a benign neglect of constituents, Atwater is always a phone call away. Named as the next Senate President, the District 25 Senator remained in constant communication with constituents throughout the legislative session. Now that the session is over, he issued a summary of the legislature's achievements. He reviews legislation designed to enforce insurance carrier accountability, a long sought after anti-gang bill, environmental regulations targeting Beach Renourishment and spending cuts created to relieve pressure on the Budget without sacrificing important programs.
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Galt Mile Residents: No Calypso
 May 15, 2008 - On April 7th, a meeting of the Galt Mile Presidents Council was convened to inform Association officials about the planned placement of a “Deepwater Port” for the offloading of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) 7 to 10 miles from the densely populated Galt Mile beach. Representatives of SUEZ Energy North America, Inc. or SENA, developer of the “Calypso” project, were invited to explain the project variables and respond to questions raised by concerned community participants. The SENA spokespersons understood that association representatives would transmit what they learned to their association constituencies whose feedback would determine whether the project would encounter community support or opposition. Galt Mile residents subsequently clarified that they are understandably unwilling to risk their lives to provide this company with improved product distribution. In view of the horrific consequences attendant to a security oversight, an error in judgment or hurricane microbursts, no prospective benefit to the State can justify the potential for catastrophic property damage and loss of life.
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Omnibus Condo Bill Becomes Law
May 8, 2008 - As the legislative session entered its final weeks, numerous community association bills containing provisions that impact condominiums were consolidated into an omnibus condominium bill, House Bill 995. An analysis by condominium, civic and neighborhood associations from all over Florida revealed that House Bill 995 and its sister Senate Bill 2084 were double-edged swords as originally drafted, combining critically important elements with provisions that were contradictory, expensive and destructive. To salvage the bills’ useful provisions, Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff, association experts such as Peter Dunbar and a statewide aggregation of civic leaders and association officials worked with bill sponsors Representative Julio Robaina and Senator Alex Villalobos to equip condo owners with tools to address unintended consequences, thereby enhancing the bills' flexibility. By opening the bills to corrective input, the sponsors substantially broadened support for the legislation, enabling its virtually unopposed passage and swift enactment by the Governor. For a comprehensive review of the new law's impact, Read On...
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Parking Ticket Amnesty Program
 May 3, 2008 - They are still there, hiding out in the back of the night table drawer. Right under the 20% discount card from Bed Bath & Beyond that expired in March. Remember those old parking tickets you never paid? They cost more now than when you received them... as indicated in the reminder notices with late penalties. That’s an extra 20 bucks... for each ticket. You planned on calling the City to report that the meter was out of commission when you got tagged. Fear not, this is your lucky month. The city has declared a parking ticket amnesty, offering drivers with unpaid parking tickets a deal. If you pay off all the outstanding tickets between April 1 and May 30, 2008 in the amount of the original fine, the City will waive all late fees. That’s right - all the penalties get wiped out and you can start with a fresh slate.
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Bogdanoff Prepares for Session Close
April 29, 2008 - As the legislative session winds down, District 91 Statehouse Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff annually morphs into the State’s busiest official. During her relatively short tenure, the “Majority Whip” has become a crucial component of the operational machinery that fuels progress in the Statehouse. Despite Herculean demands on her time, Bogdanoff remains in close and constant touch with constituents. Her April Newsletter summarizes some issues under the hot lights in Tallahassee. Since she was instrumental in correcting fatal flaws threatening to sink an omnibus condominium bill, it passed the House unanimously. She touches on the transition of Broward Community College into an accredited 4-year school, a global claim’s bill to address compensation for victims of wrongful incarceration such as Alan Crotzer, access to affordable healthcare for Floridians and the neverending Battle of the Budget.
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Homeowners' Bill of Rights
 April 24, 2008 - The Galt Mile’s District 25 voice in the Florida Senate, Jeffrey Atwater, has succeeded in passing a set of insurance guidelines that will solidify the industry’s accountability to its Florida customers. The bill represents another volley in the Senator’s struggle to revive a competitive Florida insurance market. The legislation, aptly termed the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights, was composed and filed following the refusal of certain carriers to comply with insurance regulations that were negotiated and enacted last year. Since some industry elements seem determined to test regulatory boundaries as a precursor to exploitation, such as submitting fraudulently engineered documentation to substantiate rate increases, the Senator’s legislation enhances the State’s enforcement capabilities. A review of the controversy precipitating his initiative follows Atwater's press release to constituents.
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Commissioner Teel's Budget Preview
April 18, 2008 - Following the city’s humiliating 2003 admission that the former City Manager's budgetary practices compared unfavorably to those of Enron, rookie City Commissioner Christine Teel decided to ignore the recommendations of professional head-hunters charged with finding a replacement City Manager, voting instead for New Yorker George Gretsas to direct Fort Lauderdale’s fiscal recovery. Having shared this “baptism under fire”, the two neophyte workaholics hammered out a working relationship based on mutual respect and meticulous fiscal oversight. Since then, she has religiously kept constituents abreast of events affecting the city’s financial status. Her latest newsletter summarizes Fort Lauderdale’s assets and liabilities as part of a pre-budget season overall fiscal diagnostic. For this year's diminished tax revenues to underwrite the full complement of city services, the budget team must control pension and insurance costs while stretching resources.
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Condo & Coop Bills Tour State Capitol
April 12, 2008 - The 2008 legislative session in our State Capitol is heading into the final weeks. Legislators file thousands of bills that presumably will either benefit some component of their constituency or contribute to the general welfare. If bills aren’t painstakingly researched and properly drafted, their unintended consequences are often far worse than the problems for which the legislation was designed. Some of the bills described by their sponsors as improvements to existing association law are currently being vetted by members of specialized committees in the House and Senate. Since they don’t have time to familiarize themselves with all the bills they are charged with reviewing, they often rely on their constituents for voting guidance. That means you! Check out some of the association bills that are still alive.
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Property Appraiser Extends Hours
 April 8, 2008 - On April 7th, Bob Wolfe from the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office sent this information to Galt Mile residents who may have missed the March 3rd deadline for submitting Homestead and other exemption applications. While there is a process available to apply for these exemptions after the deadline, it is somewhat complicated. Such residents may want to consider requesting assistance from the Property Appraiser to prepare the necessary petition for late filing. The Property Appraiser also extends assistance to residents expecting to take advantage of the recently passed Save our Homes portability provision. A representative from the Property Appraiser's office is scheduled to help Galt Mile residents at the Beach Community Center (3351 NE 33rd Avenue) from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM on April 25th. Check it out...
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Galt Mile News ONLINE 
 The “Galt Mile News”, the official newsletter of the Galt Mile Community Association, IS NOW ONLINE! The print issues of the monthly newsletter, distributed directly to each of the GMCA member Associations, are available in the “Newsletters” section of GMCA’s web site. Although each Condo or Coop independently determines how the thousands of monthly print issues will be internally distributed, as well as those distributed to the Galt Merchants, there is a chronic shortage of print copies! Snow birds also miss issues distributed while “out of town”. The Galt Mile News will be republished on the GMCA web site, every article and ad, one month after its initial print publication. If you miss an issue, you can find it here!
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Calypso - A Deepwater Port and pipeline is planned for installation directly of the Galt Mile Beach. Its purpose is to offload liquid natural gas (LNG) from tankers into the Calypso Pipeline which will make landfall at Port Everglades. Past incidents in Cleveland and Algeria in which the gas ignited destroyed entire city blocks and killed everyone within the heat flux perimeter. Only Governor Crist can VETO this potential holocaust. The articles about the Calypso Project on the GMCA web site divulge the catastrophic safety hazards, damage to the maritime environment and the mandated cost to Broward taxpayers.
CLICK HERE to when Commissioner Teel first revealed project in December 2007
CLICK HERE for what happened at an April 2008 Presidents Council Calyposo presentation in Plaza South
CLICK HERE for how the City passed an ANTI-Calypso Resolution in May 2008
CLICK HERE to learn what happened at the Dania Calypso Meeting
CLICK HERE to see what happened at the Broward Legislative Delegation Calypso Workshop in August 2008
CLICK HERE to review the world-wide damage done by SUEZ, the Calypso parent company
CLICK HERE to read the environmental concerns of authoritative conservationist Michael Leech
CLICK HERE to read about huge new domestic shale gas deposits
CLICK HERE to read how the Governor stopped Calypso
CLICK HERE to informative LNG Links
CLICK HERE for more extensive LNG Links
CLICK HERE to see Resolutions and Letters opposing the Calypso Project
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 Galt Mile Food Drive - Cooperative Feeding Program Executive Director Scott Woodburn told the GMCA Advisory Board "Our 2008 Galt Food Drive, which included 21 Galt Condo Associations, was a huge success. Over 11,000 lbs of food and money donated and the Edgewater Arms was crowned Champion Condo Association. Once again we are poised to initiate the 3rd Annual Galt Ocean Mile Food Drive. CFP Director and Committee Chair Domenic Faro, of L’Hermitage invites the entire Galt Ocean Mile Condo Association to join our campaign and participate in another exciting Galt Ocean Mile Food Drive." Our twenty-six member associations will again participate in a friendly competition to collect donated food and personal needs products for distribution and consumption by Broward families and individuals temporarily unable to provide for themselves. This year, we hope to collect enough to help aid the huge increases in the target population whose ranks were swelled by the blistered economy - GO GALT MILE GO!!!
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Please! - When you take your pet for a stroll down the Drive - please clean up afterwards. Its nothing less than inhumane to expect Fido to do all the work! Lets keep the Galt Mile clean!
 Free Turtle-Safe Lighting Review - MAY 2007 - On TUESDAY, MAY 22, Turtle-Safe Lighting experts from Florida Fish and Game will be offering FREE lighting reviews for Galt Mile Associations. They will make INEXPENSIVE suggestions and recommendations that will insure compliance with the City Ordinance WITHOUT sacrificing safety and security. Participation is voluntary. CALL MARIO SOTOLONGO at 954-828-6326 or CLICK HERE to email.
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 Ocean Rescue - Over the years, the Galt Mile has suffered its share of beach fatalities from Rip Currents! CLICK HERE to read about an unfortunate example. The CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE OCEAN RESCUE now maintains a web page that offers the current beach hazards, including Rip Currents, Marine Pests, Intracoastal conditions and the Beach Warning Flag daily designation. CHECK HERE before you - or the kids - go to the beach!
CHECK OCEAN RESCUE DAILY HAZARD REPORT or
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 CODE RED - The City of Fort Lauderdale has instituted the CodeRED® Emergency Notification System -- a high-speed phone communication service for emergency notifications. This system allows the City to telephone either all subscribers or geographically-targeted areas of the City in case of an emergency situation that requires immediate action (such as a boil-water notice, missing child, evacuation notice, utility outage, fires or floods, bomb threat, hostage situation, chemical spill or gas leak). It then delivers a recorded message to either a live person or an answering machine, making three attempts to connect to any number. ITS FREE!!!
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 Bus to Holy Cross - Car being fixed? Stuck in the house? You don’t have to hang about, waiting for someone to take you to Targets, the Beach Community Center or the Fort Lauderdale Beach area. For a quarter, you can comfortably travel to these locations all day during the week and on the weekend you can go downtown - for free - day and night! Now you can also ride to HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL in comfort and safety - FOR 25 CENTS! Starting APRIL 9, 2007, the Galt Ocean Mile Sun Trolley route will be extended to HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL all day Monday through Friday.
Read New Galt Mile Route Info
New Galt Route Map
New Galt Mile Timetable
Sun Trolley Cut Backs - On April 16, 2009, Sun Trolley Executive Director Les Hollingsworth updated the Galt Mile Community Association Advisory Board about an ongoing struggle to rescue the Galt Ocean Mile Sun Trolley route from budget-based funding shortages. Despite the implementation of an aggressive marketing campaign, recruitment of corporate sponsors, cultivation of alternative revenue streams from advertizing and renting the Sun Trolley’s 14 flashy vehicles for birthdays, weddings and other private events - flat ridership plagued the neighborhood bus. Thanks to Hollingsworth and City Commissioner Bruce Roberts, the Galt Mile route survived, although in a less robust format.
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 Flu Shots - Influenza Season has arrived - time to protect yourself! CLICK HERE to find out how.
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 Hurricane Watch - AUGUST 28, 2006 - Hurricane Ernesto is heading towards South Florida. Fort Lauderdale is under a declared Hurricane Watch. That means the storm could hit the area within 36 hours. Please remove everything from your balcony. By minimizing the potential debris available to the storm, we can minimize the damage to our homes. For Hurricane information, go to the HURRICANE PAGE. Available are up to the minute HURRICANE ADVISORIES and a huge section of useful HURRICANE LINKS.
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 CONDO - COOP BILLS
House and Senate Bills affecting condo owners, coop owners and members of Homeowner Associations have completed navigating the legislative vetting process. A sizable number of bills affecting Associations were consolidated into SB 714 by Senator Dennis Jones and SB 880 by Senator Mike Fasano. The Statehouse correlative of SB 714 was HB 419 - sponsored by Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff. Before being passed, scores of corrections and improvements were made to the bill until it was finally deemed acceptable for passage. Information about the dozens of changes to the CONDOMINIUM ACT are available here with links to source data. SEE HOW THESE NEW LAWS AFFECT YOU!!!
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 Foreclosure Fallout
Community Associations anticipating legislative relief may be headed for an exercise in disappointment. When tens of thousands of mortgages simultaneously turned terminally toxic, droves of homeowners abandoned their suddenly unaffordable properties to bank foreclosure. Since the mortgage debt in these foreclosures exceeds the property value, every foreclosed home means more red ink in the foreclosing bank’s portfolio. The banks developed a “foot-dragging” strategy to delay taking title, further depriving associations of the minimal statutory relief. Cash-strapped associations must incrementally assess the shortfall to the full membership. The banking lobby, fueled by billions of dollars in federal bailout money, has pressured the legislators into preserving the status quo!
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 IMPACT RATED WINDOWS - The recent intensification of HURRICANE SEASON presents a new threat to Galt Mile residents and Associations. Protecting ourselves and our homes from this threat has become an urgent priority. The Florida Division of Emergency Management admonishes, “The most important precaution you can take to reduce damage to your home and property is to protect the areas where wind can enter. According to recent wind technology research, it’s important to strengthen the exterior of your house so wind and debris do not tear large openings in it. You can do this by protecting and reinforcing these five critical areas: ROOF | STRAPS | WINDOWS | DOORS | GARAGE DOORS” The Galt Mile Community Association, in an effort to assist residents and Associations to better protect themselves, published a series of articles about IMPACT WINDOWS, the only glazing able to effectively withstand hurricane force winds and the associated debris. “Through a Glass Darkly” gives scope to the issue. “The Regency Tower Window Project” describes how a member Association successfully tackled the problem. A forum hosted by the Presidents Council about IMPACT WINDOWS is reviewed in the “GMCA Presidents Council Windows Forum”. An explanation of the Code and associated nomenclature is offered in “The Miami Protocols”. CLICK HERE to check out various links to WINDOW INFO. PLEASE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THIS CRITICAL ISSUE!
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TALLAHASSEE ARCHIVES - Any legislation oozing out of Tallahassee that impacts our homes, rights or lifestyles is reviewed in the Tallahassee page. Each year, the info is placed in the Tallahassee Archives. To see what happened in 2008, Click Here. To see what happened in 2007, Click Here. To see what happened in 2006, Click Here. For 2005, Click Here. For 2004, Click Here. Same with 2003, simply Click Here. To go to the Tallahassee Archive Index, Click Here.
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2009 POLITICS - TALLAHASSEE - Every year, we send an assortment of well-educated men and women to Florida’s State Capitol to represent us. They speak for us, act on our behalf, educate themselves about importatnt issues, learn how to work together and try to execute productive resolutions. Sometimes, their reasons for being there differ from those given to their constituents prior to Election Day; when this occurs, its usually a good time to consider “changing the guard”. Legislation affecting Galt Mile residents oozes out of Tallahassee annually, often unnoticed. The issues surrounding that legislation will be explained in this new TALLAHASSEE POLITICS SECTION. Before next year's legislative session, the articles will be relegated to the site's archives, setting the stage for the new session.
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HURRICANE SEASON - BONNIE, CHARLEY, FRANCES, IVAN, JEANNE, KATRINA, WILMA! - We are in the midst of the GALT MILE's most active series of HURRICANE SEASONs. PLEASE go to the new HURRICANE PAGE. Available are up to the minute HURRICANE ADVISORIES and a huge section of useful HURRICANE LINKS. MOST IMPORTANT - GARY A. POLIAKOFF, a pioneer in the field of Condominium Law, has executed a DISASTER PLAN tailored to the needs of GALT MILE ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR RESIDENTS! BEFORE THE STORM speaks to the preparation necessary to avoid being victimized by unfortunate oversights - to the tune of $$$ MILLIONS. AFTER THE STORM addresses the steps necessary to successfully recover from disaster. DON'T PROCRASTINATE - READ IT! - DO IT!
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 ENTRY PASS - Armed with the knowledge that many domiciles are vacant during an evacuation, certain human insects will attempt to gain unobstructed access to the temporarily “easy pickings”. In response, police stationed at entrance checkpoints carefully scrutinize the identification of anyone attempting to return to the island, verifying credentials as either a resident or an owner/operator of a barrier island concern. If you can’t prove that you either live or work here, you won’t get in! CLICK HERE to learn how to get an ENTRY PASS!
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 HURRICANE FRAUD - Hurricane season, an annual source of emotional distress, brings out the best and the worst in us. There are several species of VAMPIRE that feed on the misery of the season’s victims. Two popular scams – “cleanup” and “emergency repair” - have developed into a cottage industry. FEMA and SBA impersonators are reviving old fashioned confidence schemes that have attracted the attention of Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist. These VULTURES are preying on people who've lost everything, towns desperately trying to right themselves and, quite possibly, YOU!
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 INSURANCE CYCLONE - Public concern about the season’s insurance impacts has sent bureaucrats scrambling from city hall to Tallahassee. Insurance lobbyists are gearing up for both overt and “under the radar” attacks on premiums, regionally and statewide. Carriers may threaten to abandon certain Florida insurance markets as part of their effort to force the Office of Insurance Regulation to float rates. Tallahassee wants to roll back the “Double Deductible” that Tom Gallagher terms “fundamentally unfair.”
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 WHEN THE BUDGET BURST - The City of Fort Lauderdale, despite benefitting from the highest per capita tax contributions ($570 per person) as compared to other large Florida municipalities, suffered a budget disaster. On December 16, 2003, the City Commission approved a financial package of cutbacks, layoffs, and program freezes designed by Acting City Manager Alan A. Silva as part of a two-year effort to help the City find its financial feet. How we were immersed in this mess is easy to follow but difficult to fathom. Mr. Silva put it succinctly, "We had been living beyond our means." Surprisingly, our elected representatives elected to ignore the wealth of danger signals that heralded our fiscal demise. Gulping down a bottle of aspirin, we documented the unfortunate experience. Check it out
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 A CHRONOLOGY - A 3 year period of gross mismanagement has transformed a city with an $18.3 billion tax base into a municipal basket case. Despite protests of surprise and shock by municipal representatives, the budget disaster we now face did not ambush Fort Lauderdale. City officials have had a ringside seat to a three year fiscal mismanagement spectacle. They were not, however, spectators. They were participants. The City's finance officials consistently warned of impending budget troubles. Memoranda went to Commissioners, the Mayor and their staff personnel. This is what happened...
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 GRETSAS Chosen New City Manager - At the MAY 17, 2004 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson moved to select Gretsas for the point position in the war to reestablish Fort Lauderdale’s fiscal credibility. Characterizing Gretsas as “a person who has fire in his belly”, Commissioner Christine Teel seconded Hutchinson’s motion. The former Executive Officer of White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino, Mr. Gretsas was never a City Manager...until now. City Commissioners are banking on his integrity and intensity, not his resumé.
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 Love Hits Treasury - In June 2004, City Auditor Renee Foley released a report concerning serious deficiencies in the City's Treasury Department. Her report concludes that, “No reliance could be placed on the systems to safeguard the city’s assets.” The City maintains no record of personnel who possess keys or the combinations to its safes. The current audit focuses on “severe deficiencies” in the way the Treasury Department tracks and handles money. City Auditor Allyson Love has been an extremely active part of the City's budgetary housecleaning effort. Her audits of the Parks Department and some questionable practices ascribed to a contractor doing business with the City have affirmed the City Commission's commitment to tightening fiscal controls.
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Sprinkler Controversy - The residents of the Galt Mile community are currently tolerating an exasperating and expensive ordeal that accompanies the massive renovation efforts required to bring their 20-30 year old buildings into the 21st century. The specter of another million-dollar project unceremoniously dumped on the top of this construction quagmire would have to be, at the very least, a clear and uncontested necessity.
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GMCA Fires Back - One of the country's premier legal condominium specialists, the well-known firm of Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., has offered to spearhead a lobbying effort to correct the critically flawed legislation that will result in your Association having to pony up over a million dollars to install a questionable "Fire Safety" system. Their success is contingent upon our willingness to help ourselves. Find out HOW!
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CHIEFS OFFER HELP - On October 30, 2003, Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshal Steve Kastner, Division Chief of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Prevention Bureau, and Chief Robert Edgar of the Emergency Medical Services Bureau met with GMCA Presidents Council Chairman Pio Ieraci and Advisory Board Member Eric Berkowitz to improve communications among the Fire Marshal’s office, the E.M.S. Division and the community. Marshal Kastner has invited the Galt Mile Community Association to request his official or unofficial input on any fire-related issue. He offered to provide timely advice to help any Association cope with the legislative confusion or the upgrading of their fire safety systems. He also agreed to suspend enforcement of the dogmatic provisions in the Fire Safety Legislation until the Legislation is claified in Tallahassee!
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TWO FIRE BILLS - While the opt-out provisions inherent in the Fire Safety Amendment are definitely a step in the right direction, they contain several irrational obstacles whose only discernible purpose is to increase our maintenance assessments in exchange for nothing. Two bills, Senate Bill 1938 and House Bill 747, have been drafted which will allow you to exercise your opt-out rights granted last session in an easier and more streamlined process. The deep-pockets lobbyists for the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union have launched a well-funded campaign to reverse last year’s achievements. A battle to defend that progress and retrieve control of our Fire Safety Standards is again underway!
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Broward Beach Coalition - The threat to our beaches has united concerned citizens, government, business, workers, and the environmental community in a partnership designed to alert our representatives to the disquiet precipitated by this impending disaster. The Broward Beach Coalition is a grass roots cross section of community interests that have conjoined to convey our concerns and the pertinent facts to the Governor, the Cabinet,and the community at large.
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Beach Victory - After over two contentious years of disappointments, delays, and deferrals, the Governor and the Cabinet finally issued the permit sought by the Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection to proceed with the Beach Renourishment Project.
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Final Environmental Impact Statement - The FEIS addresses all of the concerns expressed by an assortment of official environmental watchdog agencies in response to the original Draft EIS drawn in March, 2002. It finally establishes a timeline for the project's implementation.
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Final Record of Decision - That’s it - its official - the plan has the blessing of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, all of the environmental watchdogs with authoritative standing and the people that live on the beach. Broward County now carries the ball. They will implement the southern segment of the project first, monitor the effects for 18 months, and complete the northern portion when the southern portion receives a clean bill of health.
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County Celebrates Beach Renourishment Kickoff - On May 6, 2005, a long-awaited celebration took place in Hollywood. The immediate beneficiaries of the Broward County Shore Protection Project, the municipalities of Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach, joined Broward County in throwing a party to highlight the project’s commencement. Joining Broward County and local municipal officials, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Army Corps of Engineers, many civic and environmental groups (including the Galt Mile Community Association) that spent the past 5 years locked in a frustrating struggle to save Broward’s beaches were grateful to witness the project start.
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Cleveland Clinic - And then there were none. The Cleveland Clinic, along with the only emergency room on the Barrier Island, was gone. The Cleveland Clinic moved here via the acquisition of the old North Beach Hospital. Their stated intention was to "grow with the Barrier Island". They did. What happened?
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The 32nd Street Alley - STILL A MESS Despite repeated attempts by City Commissioner Christine Teel and others to bring the concerned merchants to the table to initiate a voluntary "clean-up" of the unsanitary state that persists, the lack of response has precipitated enforcement action by the City.
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AEDs - Sudden Cardiac Arrest - It happens quickly. Without warning. It can affect anyone - healthy adults, even teenagers. It cannot be prevented. There is no vaccine. Most do not survive. It's called Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and there's only one way to treat it. DEFIBRILLATION. An untrained eleven year old child recently saved someone's life using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). ANYONE CAN USE IT, SAFELY...and with no LEGAL LIABILITY!
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GMCA GRADUATES ITS FIRST CPR/AED CLASS The Galt Mile Community Association, having partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Department of Fire-Rescue to bestow certification training in CPR/AED for residents and employees of Associations that purchased defibrillators, graduated 15 students from REGENCY TOWER and SOUTHPOINT condominiums. Having several residents and/or employees certified in CPR/AED from each AED-equipped Association is not required but is recommended as part of a well-rounded AED implementation program. The free training is a LIMITED RESOURCE that is available on a first come, first serve basis to Associations that have already purchased and AED.
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Race with the Clock For years, the specter of a lawsuit delayed the acceptance of defibrillators by litigation-leery Associations. During the 2004 legislative session in Tallahassee, laws protecting Condo Associations, Cooperatives and Homeowner Associations from civil liability were enacted. The question confronting condo residents and their Boards is no longer, “What will happen to us if we purchase and install a defibrillator?” It is now, “What will happen if we don’t?”
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FLPD Crime Statistics - The Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) Crime Analysis Unit produces reports which depict our crime and service statistics. The reports are avaiable here.
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FLPD Crime Update - On November 17, 2004, Major Mary Negrey of Police District 1 sent a crime update for the Galt Mile neighborhood to Commissioner Christine Teel. She forwarded it to us.
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 FLORIDA Crime Statistics - FDLE's (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) system provides standardized reports on crime statistics based on data gathered from across the state. Reports that provide both summary and detail information are issued yearly. You can find data from 1994 up to the most recently released reports.
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THE HOMELESS - Fort Lauderdale Police Assistant Chief Chuck Drago suggests that the best way to contend with the recent infusion of homeless people permanently occupying the benches along Galt Ocean Drive is to stop giving them money.
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 ASK LORI! - Broward County Property Appraiser Lori Parrish responds to questions posed by residents about the value of their homes. Inqueries about the "SAVE OUR HOMES" amendent, the SENIOR EXEMPTION and the ubiquitous HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION are answered by the County's Property Appraiser.
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HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS - The Broward County Property Appraiser's Office will conduct special taxpayer sign-up sessions for the 2007 Homestead Exemption and Senior Exemption at City Hall, the Beach Community Center, and various Homeowners and Civic Associations this September, October, November, January, February, March and April. The Beach Community Center (3351 NE 33rd Street) sign-up dates are Friday 10:00 AM on September 28, October 26, November 30, January 25, February 29 and March 28th.
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GALT MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION - The Galt Merchants Association (GMA), an active member of the Galt Mile Community Association, was created to accomplish and promote a harmonious relationship between our residents and the businesses that service them. The GMA defines our residents' commercial needs and promotes those merchants who successfully satisfy them. The result is a highly diversified, competitive, and responsive collection of competent, helpful, and friendly vendors and service personnel. SEE WHO THEY ARE!
Go to Galt Merchants Association Website
NEW GALT SHOPPES DEVELOPMENT! - The Galt Merchants Association has shepherded its project to transform the Galt Ocean Shoppes into a unique tourist and shopping mecca through all the preliminary governmental and engineering hurdles. We now have a viable Master Plan designed to bring us the rest of the way!
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