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MINUTES OF GMCA ADVISORY BOARD MEETING

January 21, 2016


The meeting was called to order at 11:17 a.m. by President Pio Ieraci at Nick�s Italian Restaurant.

Board Members present: Ieraci, Berkowitz, Hamaker, Nesbitt, Abruzzino, Adams, Bazerghi, Bendis, Cella, Citron, Friedman, Hashek, Katz, Kessler, Lewandowski, Madenfort, Mashaal, Matsas, Neill, Pohan, Sanders and Surdovel.

Guests present: ort Lauderdale City Commissioner Bruce Roberts� Staff � Commission Assistant Robbi Uptegrove; Fort Lauderdale Police Department Galt Mile Liaison Officer Tom Gestal.

Approval of Minutes - Minutes of the December 15, 2015 Advisory Board Meeting were approved.

Old and New Business/Guests

  • Pio introduced Robbi Uptegrove, representing Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Bruce Roberts::

    • Robbi distributed a monthly report issued by City Manager Lee Feldman about activities and events that impact District 1 residents. This new report was requested by Commissioner Roberts and will be issued each month.

  • Pio introduced FLPD Officer Tom Gestal, who shared the following information:

    • With Florida and New York leading the country in fraud incidents, the following helpful tips were provided to mitigate victimization, given the increasing use of skimmers surreptitiously installed in ATMs and other card reader devices (i.e. gas station pumps).

      • At gas stations, use pumps closest to the attendant

      • Avoid using debit cards when using card devices - credit cards have protection against loss provided by the issuing bank

      • If you notice any tampering with the card device, avoid using it

      • Remove hard drives before discarding old PCs and printers, as they contain personal information useful for identity theft

    • Requested that foot/bike patrols be increasingly implemented along the Galt.

Lawsuit - Sea Turtles vs GMCA

  • A frivolous lawsuit that named Sea Turtles as plaintiffs and the neighborhood association as one of many defendants (along with the City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, etc.) was dismissed.

Buses

  • Pio addressed the Broward County Transit (BCT) decision to return the Route 72 bus layover to Galt Ocean Drive. The buses have endangered residents; blocked traffic (including EMTs) on Galt Ocean Drive; blocked association driveways, damaged street lamps, sign posts, cutout pavers, curbs, sidewalk panels and other private and public infrastructure.

  • Since BCT Director Tim Garling had reneged on a promise to remove the layover from Galt Ocean Drive, Galt Mile Officials compiled and delivered photographic evidence of the damage to Commissioner Roberts, who offered to help resolve the threat.

Beach Renourishment

  • Sand is being delivered to staging areas at a rate of 175 trucks a day. It was requested that the contractor work six days a week.

  • On Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Pio, Nicole Sharp and Chip LaMarca plan to �walk the beach� and photograph the beach area adjacent to each association in order to assist association officials and project planners to minimize prospective adverse impacts from the placement of dunes and vegetation on each association�s beach.

Galt Mile Web Site � Newsletter � Eric Berkowitz

  • December 2015 Website Statistics: 609,613 hits, 18,663 Unique Site Visits (First Timers)

Articles posted during the past month include:

  • December 22, 2015 - Segment II: Sandman at Hand - For the past year, Galt Mile residents were repeatedly assured that the Segment II beach renourishment would begin following the November conclusion of Sea Turtle nesting season. It didn�t. For some veteran Galt Mile residents, nearly two decades of crushing disappointment replaced enthusiasm for the project with a numbing cynicism � on a hair trigger. Having grown accustomed to flimsy excuses, bureaucratic foot-dragging and political double-talk, leery Galt Mile residents attending a December 16 Segment II kickoff meeting seemed incredulous when project planners announced the January 4 start date. Working with the Feds, the State and 3 North Broward municipalities, Broward Officials finally pulled it off. During a Q & A, when Broward Beach Administrator Nicole Sharp divulged project details, even diehard skeptics conceded that the Beach is about to be fixed. See for yourself...

  • January 2, 2016 - December 2015 LaMarca Letter - In his December 2015 message to constituents, District 4 County Commissioner Chip LaMarca applauds Broward County Transit (BCT) for launching full-featured new buses onto local thoroughfares, describes how a burdensome access glitch to the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center will soon be corrected, advises pet owners to protect their furry companions against rabies, wandering off or getting snatched, and cites local photographer Fred Johnson for landing the cover page of the 2016 Florida Association of Counties Calendar. About buses - although we were promised that Buses from Routes 72, 36 and 11 would no longer use the Galt Mile as a depot, perhaps you noticed that Route 72 buses are again being stacked along Galt Ocean Drive. Is this a mistake - or did our Broward Officials play fast and loose with the truth??? We'll soon see.

  • January 12, 2016 - Banned Bus Booted Back to Galt Mile - On August 10, 2015, Broward County Transit (BCT) Operations Representative Oscar Correa told association officials that Broward County buses would clog Galt Ocean Drive throughout the A1A Greenway project�s duration - which he estimated at �two - possibly three years.� After three months of fomenting fear and frustration while chewing up public and private infrastructure, the neighborhood association and Commissioner Chip LaMarca negotiated their removal with Broward County Transit Director Tim Garling. In October, Broward County Transit (BCT) announced that the layover sites of four Broward bus routes would no longer obstruct Galt Ocean Drive. In December, one of the Route layovers was smuggled back to the Galt, reviving fears that Correa was right. What happened?

Other Business

  • Sun Trolley route modification details were distributed with a request that they be posted in each of our buildings.

  • Pio will inquire regarding if/when the next Galt Mile Food & Wine Festival is scheduled.

Treasurer�s Report - Fred Nesbitt

  • The Treasurer reported a balance of $16,267.44.

Adjournment - The next regular Advisory Board Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at Nick�s Italian Restaurant.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:59 p.m.

Ed Haskek on behalf of
Fern McBride, Secretary

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