Gazette Wilton Manors
Volume 2 • Issue 2 January 21, 2015
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Page 2 Parking Funds Disappearing
Page 3 Real Estate Geek
Page 5 News Briefs
Page 6 Beer Week Coming
Page 7 Valentine’s Day “I Do” Ceremony
Seeking Money for Carriage House Residents offer to match community’s donations Page 4
Snack Bar at the Richardson Golf Course, c. 1950’s (WMHS)
Stonewall Pride’s Uncertain Fate Page 5
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Business
Parking Citations Down; City Loses Revenue City searches for ways to bring in more money By Michael d’Oliveira When it comes to parking, a betterinformed public has created a problem: less revenue for parking improvements. According to figures by Lanier, the city’s parking firm, the number of parking citations issued has decreased by almost half since the company was hired in 2010. The first year, 10,345 were issued. That number has decreased every year and in 2013-2014 it was only 6,922. Kevin Brady, Lanier’s general manager for South Florida, said the reduction is due to residents and visitors knowing the parking rules better than they did in 2010. Mayor Gary Resnick praised Lanier for reducing the number of tickets issued, as well as the number of complaints he receives about parking, “but, on the other hand, it’s less revenue to the city.” The city’s annual parking revenue is about $620,000. Of that, Lanier takes a management fee of $28,464. About $280,000 is spent on expenses. “We need to reduce the expenses on this contract,” said Mayor Gary Resnick. Officials asked Lanier and city staff to continue looking into ways to reduce expenses. Brady said Lanier does everything it can to reduce the expenses. “We’re trying to be good shepherds of the city’s resources.”
Brady said Lanier would look into ways of reducing expenses and present them to commissioners at their next meeting on Jan. 27. Lanier is seeking a two-year extension on their current contract, which expires March 31. One suggestion was to relocate the parking office from Gables Wilton Park at Wilton Drive and Northeast 21 Court, an estimated savings of about $40,000 per year, to a city facility. Another suggestion was to go after unpaid parking tickets from out of state visitors. City Manager Joseph Gallegos said the city could hire a collection firm. Firms exist, he said, which would only charge the city on unpaid tickets they collect. With the majority of the city’s $1.1 million parking fund already spent, borrowed specifically to pay for parking improvements along Wilton Drive, officials said revenue from parking meters and tickets will be needed to add more parking in the future. “We still have a demand we’re not meeting,” said Resnick about the need for more parking along Wilton Drive. “That’s what I thought we were doing [when we installed meters] to fund more parking,” Vice Mayor Scott Newton said. WMG
Correction By SFGN Staff
Gazette Wilton Manors
January 21, 2015 • Volume 2 • Issue 2 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com
Editorial
Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com Online Producer • Dennis Jozefowicz dennis.jozefowicz@sfgn.com Editorial Assistant • Jillian Melero JillianMelero@gmail.com
Correspondents
Michael d’Oliveira • Christiana Lilly • Denise Royal • Natalya Jones • John McDonald • James Oaksun • David Replogle
Staff Photographers
J.R. Davis • Pompano Bill • Steven Shires
Sales & Marketing
Director of Sales & Marketing • Mike Trottier mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Cindy Curtis cindy.curtis@sfgn.com Sales Assistant • Jason Gonzales jason.gonzales@sfgn.com Distribution Services • Brian Swinford Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.
Associated Press
Copyright © 2014 South Florida Gay News.com, Inc.
In the Jan. 7 issue of The Gazette, it was incorrectly stated that Lanier Parking receives about $307,000 from the city parking revenues. Lanier only receives about $28,000. The rest is reimbursement for parkingrelated expenses. The Gazette apologizes for the error. WMG
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Things Look Great, On Average
Real Estate Geek
By James Oaksun
Here in Southeast Florida, there is a little something for everybody. And that includes real estate. From Key West up to Jupiter, there are properties of all types and price points, from studio condos to grand oceanfront estates. Real estate is extremely location specific. Knowing what is happening in a particular city is not necessarily the only thing you need to know about that city. Whether a person is buying or selling, neighborhood specific information – including information about property types within neighborhoods – is critical. With that as preface, now that we have wrapped up 2014 there are going to be lots of numbers flying around on the condition of the real estate market in Broward County. Some of the information will be helpful; some less so. Typically there will be discussion with words like “average sale prices in Fort Lauderdale” (or whatever city) and year over year price changes on a more macro level. But if a person is looking to buy or sell, averages can be highly misleading. Frankly, I don’t like to use “average” statistics. They are sort of like the old saying about how if you have your head in the freezer and your feet in the oven, your temperature is fine “on average.” Instead I use “median” statistics – meaning half the sales are higher in price, and half lower. In addition I look what is called the “intraquartile range.” That’s the price range of the middle 50 percent of the sales, the broad center of the market. That is the relevant helpful information if you are buying or selling. Later this winter I will be offering additional information on these and many other statistics going back to 2010, on a variety of neighborhoods and cities in Broward County. But let’s get back to some real time data, starting with calendar year 2014. When
the average statistics start coming out they will probably show (by my estimates) that average sale prices in Broward County increased by somewhere around 10 percent for the year. That sounds pretty good – meaning the year was not as good as 2013, but better than 2012. Of course, that doesn’t mean that every type of property, in every neighborhood, increased by that value. I took a look, using Multiple Listing Service data, at changes in median sale prices for single family homes in select neighborhoods in and near Wilton Manors. The first graphic shows the result. Lake Ridge and South Middle River had very strong year-over-year growth. The other areas showed more modest gains, except for Wilton Manors east of Dixie, where median sale prices actually decreased by eight percent versus the fourth quarter of 2013. Finally recall my graphic from last time, which clearly illustrated the 2002-2006 price bubble and the 2006-2011 crash. Since the absolute market trough in 2011, prices in greater Fort Lauderdale have increased by roughly 33 percent (again, “on average”). People who had the wisdom (or luck) to buy in 2011 have made tremendous cash-on-cash returns, probably far in excess of other investment options of that time frame. But, here again, the price increase has not been uniform across neighborhoods, as illustrated by the second graphic. Middle River Terrace, the central and east parts of Wilton Manors, and Lake Ridge all far outpaced that rate of change. Single family home prices in Middle River Terrace nearly doubled! In my next several articles I will be discussing more information about valuation trends, and identifying some neighborhoods that I believe could outpace the market over the next few years. WMG
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Community
Residents Offer Matching Grant for Carriage House Donations By Michael d’Oliveira Resident Paul Rolli and his partner, Bennett Quade, could have just donated $5,000 to the historic Carriage House, located in Richardson Park. Instead, they’re going to try to double their money. Between March 1 to May 31, Rolli and Quade will give a dollar-
for-dollar match up to $5,000 for donations made to the Wilton Manors Historical Society’s [WMHS] Carriage House restoration project. The match program, titled “Make It Happen Open the Doors” will specifically be used to buy and install doors for the building that are historically consistent.
Snack Bar at the Richardson Golf Course, c. 1950’s (WMHS)
Floor Plan for the Re-Purposing (WMHS)
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“We’re more than a community. We’re a family. It’s nice to do something,” said Rolli, who also serves as president of the Central Area Neighborhood Association. Mary Ulm, president of the WMHS, said her organization was very grateful to Rolli for his “time, talent and treasure.” Built in 1925, the Carriage House is believed to be the city’s oldest structure. Originally part of E.J. Willingham’s nursery, the property was sold to George Richardson, Sr., who bought the 40 acresite in 1938 and turned it into a nine-hole golf course. To restore the building, a total cost of $165,000, the WMHS has embarked upon a fundraising effort. The city has budgeted $42,500. The WMHS has contributed $47,000 and raised about $26,000. The rest will have to come from private donations or grant money. In addition to the doors, the money raised will be used to install an air
“I promise to always treat you like family, never to embarrass you and to always keep you informed.”
“Broker Joe” Grano, REALTOR® Lic. Real Estate Broker/Owner/Success Coach
Since 1985
954-931-0031
First Atlantic Realty, Inc. 1881 NE 26th Street STE 212 Wilton Manors, Fl. 33305 J.Grano@FirstAtlanticRealty.com
www.JoeGrano.com
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conditioning system, add an outside bar, a paved courtyard and caterer-friendly food prep area. The WMHS also hopes to build a covered area on the backside of the building. A kick-off fundraiser for “Make It Happen Open the Doors” will be held on Sunday, March 8 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Richardson Park, 1937 Wilton Drive. There will be cocktails and a buffet. RSVP is required by Feb. 25. For more information, email makeithappenopenthedoors@ gmail.com or call 954-617-5889. WMG The Wilton Manors Historical Society is dedicated to preserving Wilton Manors’ past and documenting history for the future. For more, or to become a member or to make a donation to the Carriage House Restoration and Re-Purposing Project, please visit us at www. WiltonManorsHistoricalSociety.org. Photos property of the Wilton Manors Historical Society - permission required for reuse
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News
Community
Photo: TheManorComplex.com
Will City Take Over June’s Stonewall Street Festival?
News Briefs
Reliability of private organizations concerns city officials
By WMG Staff
By Michael d’Oliveira
Concerns over the reliability of private groups to organize the Stonewall street festival have city officials looking at the possibility of doing it themselves. City Manager Joseph Gallegos raised the issue at the Jan. 13 commission meeting, advising commissioners that the Wilton Manors Development Alliance [WMDA] is interested in helping the city to organize Stonewall in June. “I think long term, a city committee ought to be doing Stonewall,” Gallegos said. “Who knows what’s going to happen, but we ought to start thinking about that.” Jeff Sterling, president of WMDA, said his organization wants to help the city better manage resources when it comes to events inside Wilton Manors, including Stonewall. “This would also promote the continuity needed to alleviate the historical problems related to the loss of institutional knowledge caused by the repeated change of organizations running city wide events. Each time a new organization would step forward to work with the city, it would lack the ‘lessons learned’ from prior years and, as a result, inadvertently cause frustration for the city, sponsors, local businesses and residents,” wrote Sterling in a press release. Gallegos’ concerns come from Stonewall’s history. Over the last few years, at least four organizations have organized the event. Two of the groups, Pride of Greater Fort Lauderdale and the Rainbow Business Coalition, have since disbanded. Pride has been accused of owing tens of thousands to vendors and police officers it hired to provide security for the event. Another one, Wedner & Friends, which ran the event
Watch Commission Meetings Online Video recordings of Wilton Manors Commission meetings are now available online at the city’s website wiltonmanors.com. Commission meetings are also live streamed. “We’re pleased to be entering the 21st century,” said Mayor Gary Resnick. To view meetings online, visit the website and click on “Agendas.” WMG
Historical Society A bingo fundraiser will be held to benefit the Wilton Manors Historical Society [WMHS] on Monday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at Tropics Restaurant, 2000 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors. Participants can buy a three-round bingo card for $10. Winners receive Tropics gift cards. A 50/50 raffle will also be held. The winner will split the pot with the WMHS. The event will be presented by female impersonator Nikki Adams. Call 954-537-6000 to RSVP. WMG
Tennis Tournament The Wilton Manors Island City Open will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1 at Hagen Park, 2020 Wilton Drive. Participants can play in the following divisions of levels A, B and C: men and women singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The entry fee is $25 for singles and $30 for doubles. Cost includes shirt, awards and Saturday barbeque. Sponsorships available. Call 954-390-2132. WMG
in 2011, declined to do so in 2012. “I don’t want to be in a situation where the city doesn’t have an organization to do this,” said Mayor Gary Resnick. But last year’s organizers, Pride South Florida, said they are still very much interested in running the event again. Norm Kent, publisher of South Florida Gay News and The Gazette and co-chair of Pride South Florida, said his group would make a presentation to the commission at its Jan. 27 meeting. The commission may also discuss the issue at its next Island City Foundation meeting – 6:15 p.m. in the commission chambers before its regular meeting. “Pride South Florida, like every other group, lost a fortune,” Kent said. He added though that the organization was still able to pay all of its bills. This year PSF plans to downscale Stonewall to a less costly venture. Instead of closing Wilton Drive all day, Pride only wants to close it down for the length of the parade. “We just want to put on a two-hour parade. That’s the key [but] if they city chooses [to do it themselves] I suppose they can. Everybody’s entitled to build a better mousetrap.” Stonewall is a celebration and remembrance of the Stonewall Street Riots. Tired of harassment by police and an anti-gay legal system, members of the LGBT community rioted on June 28, 1969 outside the Stonewall Inn, located in the Greenwich Village, New York City. It is widely believed that the riots were the spark that united the LGBT community. A year later, the first gay rights protests were held in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. WMG
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Community
Celebrate Beer Week in South Florida By Natalya Jones
ADVERTISE IN THE
GAZETTE
It’s South Florida Beer Week (January 17-24), and you know what that means – a great abundance of delicious, ice cold brews that will make you proud to drink like a local. If you didn’t have a reason to be proud to be a Floridian, these beers will surely change your mind! Although we couldn’t find any local beer events in Wilton Manors, we found plenty of others around worth driving to. But be careful driving back – you don’t want to have too much fun, you know. Fort Lauderdale’s Riverside Market Café is not so much a café, but a hidden beer heaven. Located at 608 Southwest 12th Avenue, it looks like a sketchy old convenient store. And word on the street was that it is a renovated convenient store, so that’s not too far from the truth. Fast forward to the present day, and you’ll see it’s an underrated beer heaven due to its
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selection of more than 550 craft beers. All week long there will be events. For instance, on Monday, January 19th, the focal point of the night is Green Room Head High IPA. Travel down to Delray (1701 W Atlantic Ave.) to experience Saltwater Brewery’s take on this glorious week. There will be events all week ending on Friday, January 23rd. Also, since this is a brewery, all beers created here are original, unlike those mainstream beers like Budlight or Natural Light. Tell that to your hipster friends. For all you cheapos out there, this event is for you. Located at 950 North Congress Ave. in Boynton Beach, they will have more than 35 Florida beers on tap. No matter where you choose to go this week, just remember: have fun and be safe. Most importantly, drink like a local! WMG
Community
Wilton Manors to Host “We Do” Ceremony on Valentine’s Day By Michael d’Oliveira
Gay and lesbian couples who missed the mass weddings at Broward County’s Courthouse on the first day they could legally get married, Jan. 6, have another chance to tie the knot with a group of same sex couples. On Valentine’s Day, the City of Wilton Manors will host “We Do,” a mass wedding ceremony of 50 couples. The day will be divided into four ceremonies: 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Vows will be made inside the city commission chambers at city hall. Afterwards, marriage toasts will be given inside the Hagen Park Community Center. A deejay will provide music and gift bags will be given to participants. Partnering with the city is Petals Panache, which will provide decorations, and Broward 100, the county’s centennial celebration committee; the number of people married, 100, was chosen to commemorate the 100th anniversary. Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick will officiate. “For years, we have sent Resolutions to the Florida Legislature, filed briefs in court actions, worked with other cities and taken measures within our own boundaries to voice our support of legalizing same sex marriage, and now it will all pay off,” Resnick said. So far, said Patrick Cann, parks and recreation department director, 12 couples have already signed-up for the celebration. The city has been preparing, in anticipation of the legalization of same sex marriage, for months. In addition to purchasing new software to better keep track of rentals and special events at
city parks and facilities, the city has also invested money in new kitchen equipment at its parks to make them more attractive to possible renters. Last August, the city also hosted “Gay Nuptials A Wedding Showcase” at Hagen Park. Organized by Bobby Keyser, owner of Petals Panache, the event featured wedding planners, photographers, hoteliers and others who are part of the wedding industry. A similar event will be held on Sunday, March 22 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Hagen Park. “We want everyone to think of Wilton Manors for gay weddings,” Keyser said. “We’re going to be a heartwarming and welcoming reception from all over the world.” According to Cann, some same sex couples are already thinking of the city and contacting the city to inquire about booking weddings at city facilities. “We should be ready for them.” Couples that want to participate in “We Do” must RSVP by visiting wedo. splashthat.com by Friday, Feb. 6. Each couple must present a marriage license to Wilton Manors City Clerk Kathryn Sims no later than Feb. 9. WMG
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Calendar of Events Compiled from the Wilton Manors website Jan. 24 Wilton Manors Green Market Jan. 10, 11; 17, 18; 24, 25 & 31, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Wilton Manors City Hall / Hagen Park
Jan. 21 and 28 Brains and Balance Past 60 Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. at Hagen Park
Brains and Balance Past 60 is designed for the unique needs of active older adults who know the importance of staying mentally sharp and physically stable. Researchers no longer believe that falling or losing your mental capacity are inevitable parts of the aging process and this fascinating class series operates based on the premise that specific exercises will decrease the risk of falling while increasing mental acuity.
Wilton Manors Green Market every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.– 2 p.m. in the Wilton Manors City Hall / Hagen Park parking lot. The Market features Organic Produce, Regular Produce, International Baked Goods, specialty items, spices & herbs, soups, cheeses, coffees & tea, bagels, Nuts & dried fruits, baked goods, and various other international and local vendors. The Market gives residents and visitors to Wilton Manors an exciting shopping alternative and a chance to view, sample and purchase products. For more information on The Market or to become a vendor, visit GreenWilton. com or contact Frank and Ron at 954-531-5363.
Jan. 26 Chair Yoga Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. at Hagen Park
Come enjoy the benefits of Chair Yoga. Experience relaxation, improve your flexibility, reduce or even eliminate insomnia, arthritis and constipation. Photo: J.R. Davis
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