|
The historical content of the Galt Mile Community Association's Web Site is catalogued and chronicled in these archives. This content is comprised of articles and anecdotes that are no longer current, but may be useful from a historical perspective. The categories are chronological. Scrolling down delves deeper into the past. If you encounter any difficulty locating a particular story, report, or graphic, feel free to Contact us with your dilemma and assistance will be forthcoming.
 Please Note - Many of the links included in these articles from the past are no longer active.
2003
Update: Senator Jeffrey Atwater
 Florida State Senator Jeffrey Atwater addressed a September 18, 2003 Advisory Board meeting of the Galt Mile Community Association at Nick's Italian Restaurant. The Thursday afternoon luncheon meeting afforded members the opportunity to query the Senator about a variety of issues that affect our neighborhood, City and State. The Senator, accompanied by Legislative Assistant Michelle Mattox, fielded questions about shore preservation, fire safety, insurance and the political process.
 | | Senator Jeffrey (Jeff) H. Atwater |
Robert Rozema, GMCA President, alerted the Senator to our concern stemming from the severe tidal erosion that plagues our beaches. The GMCA played an integral part in the Florida State Cabinet's decision to include Fort Lauderdale in the permit sought by the Broward County Department of Environmental Protection to renourish the beaches from the Dade County line to Pompano Beach. A contingent of Galt Mile residents staged a successful demonstration at the May 13th Cabinet meeting to refocus the Cabinet's attention on the critical part that our beaches play in the State's economy and the lives of all Floridians (CLICK HERE for full story). Unfortunately, the Senator was in Rome at the time and unavailable to join the other Broward County, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale representatives that lent staunch support to the beach renourishment project. The Senator expressed regret at having missed the opportunity to support the project at the critical Cabinet vote. He explained that politics demands a clear vision of all sides of every issue. He recounted that Deerfield Beach, one of the offshore donation sites for the sand, has raised concerns about being left with a shortage of sand once the dredging operation is complete. It was pointed out to Senator Atwater that every environmental study precluded any possibility of damage to the Deerfield Shoreline and Broward County has guaranteed Deerfield that they would assume all responsibility for any possible adverse reaction suffered from the donation. The Senator also acknowledged that while the vast majority of environmental groups (including every major one) were clearly in favor of the beach renourishment, politicians generally retreat from involvement in any environmental controversy. The Senator agreed that there was no rational justification to allow the beaches that protect our infrastructure and underwrite the already shaky Florida economy to quietly disappear.
Senator Atwater identified the "Fire Safety Amendment" controversy as "an ongoing struggle that is far from settled". Referring to the secretive statute sponsored by the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the Plumbers and Pipe fitters Union that slipped through the legislature a few years ago, the Senator explained that two elements would conspire to perpetuate the controversy. One element is the media-fed scare tactics that the Senator called the "Towering Inferno Scenario". The second element is the huge amount of money at stake for the industries (and their lobbyists) that sponsored the original legislation. Again, the Senator exclaimed that the issue was a political mine field that intimidated any politician with a survival instinct. Howard Goldstein, president of Plaza East, asked the Senator how Condominium Associations should respond to the contradictory interpretations of both the legislation and the subsequent amendment. The Senator, a co-sponsor of Senator Geller's Amendment S 592 that supports the right to "opt out" of certain exigencies created in the original legislation, advised the attendees to "do nothing!" Senator Atwater was alluding to a recent Public Meeting conducted by State Fire Marshal Tom Gallagher's office wherein the State Fire Marshal's staffers admitted that "This law is in a state of flux. The Fire Marshal�s office, along with most local fire authorities, is awaiting clarification from the legislature." Politicians are aware that the media-driven scare tactics exploited by the sponsoring lobbyists bear little relation to reality. While our representatives support a more moderate "owner determined" engineered fire safety system (Geller's Amendment passed the House - 114 YEAS, 0 NAYS - and the Senate - 36 YEAS, 2 NAYS (Campbell and Dawson), and 2 Abstentions), they dread being painted as "soft on fire safety."
 | | Treasurer Tom Gallagher |
The Senator also spoke to the insurance industry's highly unstable approach to Florida underwritings. The industry is attempting to justify its volatile behavior as simply a reaction to topsy turvy actuarial fundamentals drawn from the unusual claims patterns that are supposedly unique to the State of Florida. Many insurance companies have recently declined to continue servicing certain key categories, opting instead to forego offering competitive coverage and sacrificing their "admitted" status. There is, for instance, a dearth of admitted carriers for such industry cornerstones as automobile insurance and malpractice coverage. If not for the State of Florida's self-directed disaster insurance (a seven-member Board of Governors and a technical advisory board ALL appointed by the State Treasurer (Tom Gallagher) for three-year terms, representing geographically diverse regions of the state), there would be NONE. It appears as if this threadbare system is one disaster away from non-existence. This issue was first tackled by Senator Atwater while serving in the Florida House in 2002. He successfully sponsored a bill designed to merge the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association (FWUA) and the Residential Property and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association -- the insurers of last resort for residents in hurricane-prone regions of the state -- into a new entity, the federally tax-exempt Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The industry is claiming that they need statutory protection from "frivolous litigation". The insurance industry has uniformly bemoaned having to survive in a "litigious" environment across the country. Not surprisingly, the industry feels that they could prosper if claims payments weren't judicially enforced. The obvious problem with this solution is that claims would be paid based upon the carrier�s ability to afford them, not on their merit. Who wouldn't enjoy a similar arrangement with FP&L, BellSouth, Visa and our friendly mortgage holder. Taking a stand on this dogmatic dilemma represents another recurrent nightmare to our elected "voices" in Tallahassee, squeezing them between the rock hard Insurance and Trial Lawyers' Lobbies.
The Senator deftly rewrote the meeting's agenda. In addition to exhorting his position on a variety of ongoing struggles, he took the opportunity to clarify the perplexing paralysis that seems to continually afflict Tallahassee. There was some confusion surrounding the Senator's purpose for responding in this manner. While some of us interpreted the Senator's message as �be patient�, others framed it as an admonition to �get use to it!� In any event, it appears as if the problems of shore preservation, fire safety and insurance instability are dwarfed by the psychological battering that our representatives are forced to endure. A simple solution for our legislators' job-related stress would be to allow them to vote yea AND nay on each issue. Perhaps a third voting option labeled "sometimes" could be affixed to a yellow light on the electronic voting apparatus.
Florida State Senator Jeffrey (Jeff) H. Atwater, a first term Republican representing District 25, staged an upset during his struggle for the Senate seat also sought by Bob Butterworth, the high profile Democratic candidate who resigned as Florida State Attorney General in a futile effort to fill the seat vacated by Debby Sanderson. Senator Atwater's Capitol office is located in the Senate Office Building (Room 212) at 404 South Monroe Street in Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1100. His Tallahassee telephone no. is (850) 487-5100, SunCom: 277-5100 and FAX no. is (850) 487-5296. His local District Office is at the Oakland Park City Hall on 3650 N.E. 12th Avenue in Oakland Park, Florida 33334. Local Contact numbers are Phone: (954) 847-3518, Fax: (954) 847-3519. The Senator's official Florida Senate web address is accessible by CLICKING HERE. Senator Atwater's E-mail address is [email protected]. Michelle Mattox, Senator Atwater's Legislative Assistant serving the Galt Mile Community, can be reached at (954) 847-3518 or Click Here to E-mail.
For complete contact information, go to Report Card.
Click To Top of Page
 The Select Committee on
Condominium Association Governance
 | | Chair - Rep. Julio Robaina |
The Florida Legislature recently gave birth to a new committee. The Select Committee on Condominium Association Governance has that �double-edged sword quality� that earmarks many Tallahassee creations. Actions implemented by this committee stand to influence various levels of, as the name implies, Condominium Association governance. Any committee is capable of producing positive or negative results depending on the committee composition, the input sources utilized by the committee and the political pressures and incentives manufactured by vested interests (lobbyists) and the media. Their focus could range from requiring greater transparency from Board Members (financial disclosure, term limits, etc.) to micro-management of the daily administration of private Associations (Big Brother).
The key in this case is input. Any actions taken by the Select Committee need to be grounded in data collected in a fair and balanced format. A credible cross section of anecdotal evidence will support a useful set of recommendations. If the venues chosen by the Committee invite disproportionate testimony from vested interests, pro or con, the decisions they ultimately arrive at will be, in turn, unbalanced. Unfortunately, it appears as if this is what�s happening.
 | Vice - Chair
Rep. Kenneth Allan Gottlieb |
The Select Committee has arranged a series of public hearings throughout the state to accumulate testimony relevant to Association governance. The first meeting was held in Miami-Dade County on September 24th with extremely short notice. The meeting was heavily attended by disgruntled unit owners complaining about �out of control� boards. The next meeting was conducted on October 28th in Bailey Hall/Broward Community College with only 7 days prior notice. Several building managers, condominium attorneys and Board members attended this meeting. When they attempted to voice support for well-administered Associations and point out that statutory controls for most of the complainants� problems already existed, they were summarily shouted down. It�s beginning to appear as if the Committee is primarily interested in accumulating the foundation they would need to justify micro-managing Condominium Associations. If the Committee concludes that the best way to reign in �condo board abuses� is to disenfranchise condo owners, the effects will be disastrous.
|
 |
|
If those few but loud disgruntled condo owners that have their �ear� become the primary source of information upon which they will ultimately act, the Select Committee could initiate legislation that would subordinate most or all Association decision-making to new bureaucratic layers of burdensome, questionable regulations. The increased costs related to belaboring activities such as negotiating contracts, enforcing condominium rules, filing liens or pursuing lawsuits would pass directly to the average owner�s maintenance bill. Should the Committee arrive at the conclusion that Condominiums are incapable of self-governance, they could reduce an elected board to little more than a rubber stamp.
Click on the Representative's NAME to send an E-mail. To get more information about any of the Committee members, go to their respective Web Pages.
Connie Mack IV's vacant seat in the Florida Statehouse will be occupied by the winner of a special January 6th election. The seven Republicans vying for the remainder of Mack's term (through the end of 2004) will face off in District 91's 77 participating precincts from Boca Raton to Port Everglades, roughly east of Interstate 95. The homogeneously Republican field obviated the need for the scheduled general election, as the winner of the Primary takes the $29,916 per annum Statehouse seat. All registered District 91 voters can participate in the January 6th election (despite their party affiliation). It is the only House district in Broward County that has a majority of Republican voters (53%). As both of Florida's legislative houses are dominated by the GOP, a Republican legislator will have an easier time eliciting state dollars .
Notice To Property Owner...familiar? You probably received a notification recently from the City of Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue that informs you of a �Notice of Hearing to Impose and Provide for Collection of Fire-Rescue Non-Ad Valorem Assessments�. The letter looks and reads so much like a bill that it's difficult to believe the admonition at the bottom of the letter that states �****THIS IS NOT A BILL****�. It points to the legislative underpinning (Section 197.3632 of the Florida Statutes) for annual assessments that the Fire-Rescue Department relies on to substantiate its budget.
City Commissioner Christine Teel�s District I Pre-Agenda meeting will be held Tuesday, September 2, 2003 immediately following the Alliance of District One Homeowners� Meeting at the Beach Community Center, 3351 NE 33 Avenue.
Il Lugano (
Although the 6:30 start time was observed, the Board didn't hear the Il Lugano review request until 10:30 PM. After the Item identification by Chairperson Barbara Curtis (The first female Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board), Developer Robert Couf's agent, Robert Lochrie, presented the project to Board members. P & Z staff was then questioned after updating the Board with the relevant facts, community input, pertinent legal standing, and possible obstacles. 
The proposed building will have five parking levels with one level below grade. There will be five stories of hotel rooms and four of multifamily residential units. A pool had been located on the north side of the site adjacent to the building. The applicant proposed to provide a 25-foot wide, 150-foot long strip of open space between the pool and the adjacent property. This area was to have been recorded as a pedestrian/utility easement for access to the water and for utilities. The neighborhood is characterized by a number of mid to high-rise multifamily residential buildings surrounding the Galt Shops retail/restaurant area of one and two story structures.
At the June 26th meeting held at the Beach Community Center concerning the 
Seasonal Tree Lighting - A Formula for Success
The problem is simple and straightforward. Community merchants and residents would like to adorn their streets with seasonal lighting during the holidays. Many neighborhoods do this every year. The City caucuses with Community Association representatives to imbue a "holiday spirit" throughout the "commercial" part of town. Each year they find a way to make it happen. Our community, for various reasons, has not been able to! Some link in the chain always breaks. The same group of disappointed community activists and unsuccessful City staffers annually departs the failed effort scratching their heads in defeat. It appears that this year will be different!
Galt Mile Community Association President 
Seasonal lighting is not an earth shaking issue. We can live without it. What is significant is the formula that was used to resolve community issues. When the parties are more concerned with contributing to the project�s success than with defending their "turf", the system works! Of course, inviting the right parties to the table makes a big difference. Christine Teel and her secret weapon, Pam Brown (of the City Commission�s administration), seem to have a talent for this.
Do you like magic? If you do, then you're in for a treat! The City of Fort Lauderdale is making some of your money disappear�a lot of it. The developer of the L'Ambiance Beach paid a voluntary contribution of $100,000 on May 15, 2001 to the City of Fort Lauderdale prior to receiving final DRC approval. The money was earmarked for future public improvements to be recommended by the community. The Galt Mile Community Association was supposed to have input into its ultimate disbursement. The Association's Presidents Council and Advisory Board repeatedly debated possible appropriate targets for the money. During the course of these discussions, the Association checked the status of the account. POOF!
Fort Lauderdale Assistant City Manager Greg Kisela addressed the Galt Mile Community Association at a June 19th, 2003 Advisory Board meeting. Mr. Kisela and District 1 City Commissioner Christine Teel were able to pencil in some of the details surrounding the unfortunate misallocation of the $100,000 voluntarily contributed by the developer of L'Ambiance prior to receiving DRC approval (
Miles Corner Finally Gets a Facelift 
The 
Adam Gosselin, E.I., FDOT's Project Manager, summarized the project to the audience as a "milling and resurfacing project". The absence of any drainage component in this project will expedite the construction, shortening the projected time to completion.FDOT intends to add landscaping to the target area, install new pavers on A1A, construct planter boxes along the street, remove the old parking meters, and close the dangerous street exit from the parking lot that's closest to the intersection of A1A and Oakland Park Boulevard. The milling and resurfacing of Oakland Park Boulevard will be done in 4 phases. In phase 1 the median will be excised and traffic will channel to the outer lanes. The north side of Oakland Park Boulevard will then be milled and resurfaced as traffic is routed to the south side of the thoroughfare during phase 2. The opposite will then occur, with phase 3 construction performed on the south side as traffic is diverted to the northern lanes. Phase 4 again routs traffic to the outer lanes as the median is reinstalled. Project Manager Gosselin admitted that the plan was extremely flexible but FDOT's current intention is to commence construction at the Bayview Drive end of the project and work their way east to A1A.
However, if you need to drive through the target area, you can 
The City of Fort Lauderdale schedules 
Did you hear about the "gift" that was deposited on the beach at Plaza South recently? It was a very large log (most likely a very ancient tree trunk) that travelled to our beach from some far-off country. All governmental agencies, state, county and for a time even the city denied responsibility for its removal.
Trees Replaced Along Galt Mile
A viscious early April storm literally tore trees lining Galt Ocean Drive "limb from limb". Roughly a half dozen trees were damaged during the squall. Broken branches and split stumps created road and pedestrian hazards. In addition, several trees were destabilized and posed a threat of imminent collapse.
The following day, the Parks Department received numerous reports from residents and Condominium Associations about the downed trees. Gerry McGinnis of the Fort Lauderdale Parks Department arrived with several crews to remove the hazardous branches. Proceeding north up Galt Ocean Drive, the crews cut the split trunks of all the affected trees to a safe height as a "temporary measure". McGinnis stated that his department was "doing work of an emergency nature" and he was responsible only "for the removal of the trees that posed an immediate danger to drivers and pedestrians". Mcinnis continued, "Replacement of the cut trees was the responsibility of a different department".
By dint of a landslide victory, Jim Naugle won a political triple crown. Garnering two-thirds of the vote invested Naugle with a clear mandate for controlled development in the City of Fort Lauderdale. In this fortuitous election primary, Naugle secured his fifth three-year term as the Mayor of our city, eliminated Tim Smith from politics, and rebalanced the City Commission that historically placed him on the losing side of numerous 3-2 votes that favored waiving city code limitations on unrestricted development. By winning 50% + 1 of the votes, Naugle eliminated the need to competitively persevere through the General Election scheduled for March 11th.
He also removed himself as a target of aggressive negative campaigning that, for some reason, seemed to become more malicious as the February 11th Primary approached. Even during structured Town Hall style debates, such as the one in the Beach Community Center on January 30th with Naugle, Smith (former District 2 City Commissioner) and Ingles (civic activist, minister, and a distant 3rd place finisher), Naugle was accused of succumbing to the interests of developers. The tactic seemed to boomerang because his accusers, as it turned out, were guilty of identical indiscretions. In that nearly every political plank in Naugle's platform seemed to be shared by all the other candidates, the election became a barometer of credibility.
Former Registered Nurse and community activist Christine Teel defeated incumbent Gloria Katz for the District 1 City Commissioner's seat in a seesaw campaign that was decided by the candidates' perceived positions on controlling development. Gloria Katz narrowly missed an automatic victory in the February 11th primary, securing 46% of the vote. A margin of 50% + 1 is required to sidestep the general election. She was favored to win the March 11th main event.
The campaign initially appeared to concern itself with the issues that affect our community. The candidates seemed to have similar views regarding the main election issue, uncontrolled development. True to the unwritten rule of Fort Lauderdale politics, the campaigns turned negative overnight. With the help of a devastating article written by Sun-Sentinel political writer Buddy Nevins, Teel successfully painted Ms. Katz as a pro-development wolf in sheep's clothing. The article lambasted Ms. Katz for being the swing vote for a large development called the Palazzo to replace a parking lot on Las Olas Boulevard. What Mr. Nevins neglected to mention was that the vote was not between the development or leaving the parking lot, it was a vote to determine which of three proposed developments should be built on the site. As it turns out, the Palazzo was the "least dense" option. The two commissioners that voted against the Palazzo actually voted for a denser project. Katz returned the compliment by characterizing Ms. Teel as "Pinocchio" for deliberately distorting her voting record. After suffering through a month of recriminatory campaign mailings, the voters installed Ms. Teel as the District 1 City Commissioner.
Please note: Candidates for Mayor, Districts 1 and 2 City Commissioners will appear on the February 11, 2003 Primary Ballot (more than 2 candidates are running for the same office). Candidates for Districts 3 and 4 City Commissioners will appear on the March 11, 2003 General Ballot. If any candidate in the Primary receives 50% + 1 vote in the Primary, he/she will automatically be elected and will not appear on the General ballot. For questions or more information, please contact the City Clerk�s Office at 954-828-5002.
Assistant Chief Drago said that while some of the homeless people on our benches have impactive medical histories (primarily mental), there is a healthy percentage of them that are homeless by avocation. They "earn a living" by emotionally blackmailing sympathetic passers-by for assorted forms of sustenance. This includes food, clothing, and a surprisingly substantial amount of money. Drago explained that the most effective method of thinning the ranks of "homeless people that make a living at it" is to "stop giving them money". Apparently, word spreads that a certain area is ripe for donations. This attracts others who seek "profitable" locations, areas exposed to a substantial amount of sympathetic pedestrian traffic.
Update: Congressman E. Clay Shaw
Congressman Shaw is a longtime advocate of many of the issues that concern the Galt Mile Community. He fought vigorously to forestall the departure of the Cleveland Clinic (and their Emergency Room) from the Barrier Island and is participating in the search for an adequate replacement. He is an avid proponent of the Broward County Shore Preservation Project that is critically necessary to save our disappearing beaches. His support for Medicare, Prescription Drug Coverage, and issues that impact our seniors helped the Congressman garner a two-thirds plurality from the Galt Mile Community in the recent election.
The exuberance that accompanied the revelation that we were such a substantial provider to the city's needs faded as the irony attendant to these facts penetrated. Despite our comparable net worth to the city, the Galt Ocean Mile receives a small fraction of the political attention that is reserved for the more celebrated "business districts" of Fort Lauderdale. If we pack as much fiscal punch as the more prominent "Downtown" community, aren't we entitled to commensurate political resources? Sounds about right.
Update: Jitney Arson
She alerted us to some reports about "paint markings" (possible precursors to underground construction) applied to our recently renovated street by AT&T. In view of the fact that the expense for this renovation was satisfied by the residents through assessment, Tim Welch of Engineering informed AT&T of the need to exercise "extreme caution" and restraint in evaluating the necessity of construction excavations. He requested of AT&T's management to forward any design proposing excavation to his office for scrutiny in order to recommend alternatives to cutting the surface whenever possible. Thomas Carroll, Engineering Manager of AT&T, indicated that the markings were generated by various local companies to identify all utilities prior to construction. To reduce the impact to our street, the company will "direction bore" wherever possible. The specifications for the special concrete pigment and aggregate composition were sent to AT&T to utilize when excavation is absolutely necessary and restoration is appropriate. AT&T is currently installing a state-of-the-art fiber optic network throughout the City of Fort Lauderdale.
The Galt Mile Community Association has upgraded the Association�s web site and altered its format. More attention is focused on the issues that affect the lifestyles, homes, and finances of the residents of Galt Ocean Mile. The site is utilized to define and analyze our present challenges as well as impending difficulties that, despite their nascency, require illumination, informed diagnoses, and timely organized rejoinder. The web site, in conjunction with the Newsletter, disseminates the information necessary to adjudicate the critical factors and relative importance of these issues in order to better prepare the community to ultimately provide a well-coordinated unified response. The Association�s responsibility, as always, is to promptly and effectively deliver that response to our greatest political benefit.