WMG Volume 7 • Issue 8 April 1, 2020
Wilton Manors Gazette FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT
We’re All Safer at Home, Not Stuck at Home Press Release
We hope you’re enjoying your Sunday in our Island City! Whether it’s enjoying a sunny day by your pool or catching up on work around the house, remember, we’re in this together. Activities You May Still Do:
Activities You Should Avoid:
• Travel to and from work if you are providing essential services
• Gathering with friends and family if there is not an urgent need
• Go shopping for groceries, pet supplies, and other necessities
• Getting within 6 feet of distance from others when you are outdoors for exercise or recreation
• Pick up items from the pharmacy • Seek medical care for you or your pet that cannot be provided virtually, as long as you call your doctor first • Order and pick up takeout or drivethru meals • Travel to care for or support a family member or friend • Take a walk, ride your bike, jog and be outdoors for exercise as long as you maintain at least six feet distance between you and others • Assist someone in going to get necessary supplies
• Going to a hospital, nursing home, skilled nursery facility, or other residential care facility to visit loved ones, with exceptions listed by each facility • Any type of travel except for picking up household items or medical care that is absolutely necessary Reminder About Common Areas Please avoid congregating around common areas in apartment complexes. If you would like to enjoy the community pool, be careful to adhere to social distancing guidelines. WMG
Wilton Drive. Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.
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OPINION
April Fools
April 1, 2020 • Volume 7 • Issue 8
This crisis is no joke
2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305
By Sal Torre
Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli piero@sfgn.com
Empty beaches in Fort Lauderdale. Photo via the City of Fort Lauderdale, Facebook.
Imagine waking up on Wednesday, April 1, to news headlines proclaiming COVID 19 to be a worldwide April’s Fool’s joke, a hoax of mass proportions. Unfortunately, what is taking place here in our Island City and throughout the world is no joke. The numbers of infected continue to increase, reaching too close for comfort as local death counts continue to rise. The weeks ahead will be an even greater challenge for many of us here in South Florida as the pandemic plays out its lethal curve. Thinking about April Fool’s Day, my thoughts turn to Senator Rick Scott. Many Floridians, happy to be rid of Rick Scott as our Governor, found it easy to forget that he currently serves as our junior Senator. Unfortunately the past few weeks have placed Senator Scott back in the spotlight. In a response to the COVID 19 crisis, the Senator released a statement calling on the federal government to begin checking the temperature of each and every individual before they board mass transit. Great Scott! Are you insane or just a fool? In the richest country in the world, without enough ventilators or much needed medical supplies, how the heck are you going to check the temperature of every person using mass transit? Does the Senator even have a clue how mass transit systems operate in cities throughout our nation? This is the same person who turned down billions of dollars of federal money to build a high-speed rail network throughout the state of Florida when he served as Governor, so perhaps such crazy behavior should come as no surprise. Then the crowning April Fool’s joke of all. Senator Scott proclaimed that the interest of working families here in Florida is his main priority after the Senate voted on the $2 trillion relief package this week. The press release failed to state that he was one of four Senators who tried to lampoon the whole deal over the unemployment
WMG Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com
Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Copyeditor • Kerri Covington
Editorial
Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com News Editor • Sallie James
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Sal Torre • James Oaksun
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compensation to those same working families. The hypocrisy that one of the wealthiest members of the Senate would look to deny needed assistance to working families at such a time is just deplorable. A working-class hero is not what I see when looking at our esteemed Senator. What is really deplorable is that Ricky had no problem taking billions of federal dollars when he made his fortune as CEO of a major hospital conglomerate, Columbia/HCA. This company was fined billions for having defrauded Medicare, Medicaid and other federal programs. Pardon the pun, but Rick got off ‘Scott’ free. Talk about a cruel April Fool’s joke. Leaving my political venting aside for now, I turn my gaze toward the brighter side of the street here in our wonderful Island City. Some things in life are worth waiting for, as proven by the wonderful artwork that surprised many Islanders this past week, popping up on six utility boxes throughout our city. The initial phase identified six utility boxes, two in each of the three neighborhoods of our city, each highlighting local fauna and flora. The owls by Rachael Richardson Park and the foxes at Richardson Park are my two favorites, with the flowering Jamaican Caper tree and
KEEPING OUR EYES ON WHAT IS GOOD AND WONDERFUL HERE IN OUR ISLAND CITY IS HOW WE WILL MAKE IT THROUGH TOGETHER.
the others equally spectacular. After a long and tedious process, this is a job well done! Thank you, Meagan and Todd, along with the Island City Art Advisory Committee, for the enormous amount of work required to make this initial stage a reality. Hopefully moving ahead, additional installations will be a bit easier. There is talk of the second phase, with the Wilton Manors Historical Society working with the arts committee on the selection of historical artwork. In this case, more is better, Seeing the artwork installed last week was the perfect ray of sunshine I needed to get me through a rough week. In these troubled times we have much to be thankful for. Keeping our eyes on what is good and wonderful here in our Island City is how we will make it through together. No one knows how the next few weeks will play out here in South Florida and throughout our nation. Uneasy and troubled about the unknown that lies ahead, I leave you with some lyrics to a song inspired from a scriptural passage, “Sometimes you’ve got to walk by faith if you can’t walk by sight. Even if you don’t know where you’re going, you hold on and keep moving, keep moving.” Even for those who are non-believers, have faith in your family, your neighbors, and this wonderful community we call the Island City, and soon these troubled times will clear away, and life will continue to be just better here. Be safe, hold on, and keep moving. WMG
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Wilton Drive. Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.
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April 1, 2020
NEWS
COMMUNITY
Stonewall Festival in June Cancelled
Deutch: Stimulus Offers Array of Relief, Assistance The congressman representing Wilton Manors held a telephone town hall Sunday
The congressman representing Wilton Manors held a telephone town hall Sunday
By John McDonald
By Sallie James
O
n Sunday, U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch reviewed the varied components of America’s $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill. In a telephone town hall, Deutch, a Democrat who represents south Palm Beach and north Broward Counties in Washington, outlined key parts of the stimulus package. Passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed by President Trump, the bill provides direct financial assistance of $1,200 to individuals with adjusted gross income of up to $75,000 and $2,400 for married couples with adjusted gross incomes up to $150,000. Those with children will receive $500 per child. “For a crisis of this scale, Americans simply need cash assistance now to help keep food on the table and keep bills paid,” Deutch said. “I have advocated strongly that this be more than a one-time payment since it is clear this is going to go on for more than one month. It’s a really critical first step and I’m glad Congress was able to come together to do it.” Deutch was joined on the call by Victoria Guerrero, South Florida Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Kathleen Cannon, CEO of Broward County United Way, Dr. William Jaquis, M.D., President of the American College of Emergency Physicians and Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, President/CEO of Children’s Services Council of Broward County. The congressman also answered questions from constituents. As of Sunday evening, there were 122,653 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,112 deaths in the United States. “Right now the only way to stop the spread of the disease is by social distancing measures,” Jaquis said. “We are quite a way from a vaccine and quite a way from having any really good treatment.” South Florida, Jaquis said, is on the upslope of the coronavirus curve. “The next few weeks are crucial,” Jaquis said. Florida had 4,950 cases as of Sunday evening with 60 deaths. Deutch said it is past time Governor Ron DeSantis took action. “There is still a significant step that I have urged him to take which is a statewide stay at home order, a policy that I believe is
Congressman Ted Deutch. Photo via Facebook.
imperative to stop the silent spread of this virus,” Deutch said. In Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, where outbreaks of the virus have occured, local officials have issued stay at home orders. “We need clear direction at the state level to help us maximize the effort to flatten the curve and prevent the huge crush on our health care system,” Deutch said. Deutch said he asked DeSantis to order all utilities in the state to suspend shut-offs during the crisis. Florida, Deutch said, should receive $8 billion in coronavirus relief with 45% going to local governments. The bill strengthens unemployment benefits, giving $600 per week to those who lost their job. “This is a big deal in Florida especially because our state level unemployment insurance benefits are shamefully low,” Deutch said. All federal student loan payments and interest will be deferred through Sept. 30. There is a prohibition of evictions through mid April and waivers and forbearance programs could be options for credit cards and automobile loans, Deutch said. The congressman also emphasized the need for quicker test results, more test sites and more personal protective equipment. . WMG
Last year about 40,000 revelers packed the streets of Wilton Manors to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. This year the streets will be quiet thanks to the spread of the coronavirus. The popular Stonewall Pride Parade and Street celebration, planned for June, was postponed this week as Florida coronavirus cases continue to climb and social distancing guidelines were extended through mid-April. If rescheduled in December, it would be one day instead of two. “We don’t know what is going on because it is hard to give a firm date,” said event organizer Jeffrey Sterling, CEO of the Wilton Manors Entertainment Group. “Pride of Americas and South Beach Pride also got postponed. We don’t know how this is going Stonewall Pride. Photo via the City of Wilton to affect Hialeah Pride.” Manors, Facebook. The Stonewall Riots helped launched the modern LGBT rights movement. If social distancing restrictions are relaxed go down. We will have to look at where we can by the end of the year, other popular events cut.” could also be rescheduled. But too many A 2017 study showed that most of events which share the same sponsors Stonewall’s festival-goers come from Broward, scheduled for the last quarter of the year Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe could be problematic: the pot of sponsorship counties, all areas with high numbers of cases funds is likely to be greatly reduced due to all of the coronavirus. About 5,000 people come the required business closures. from other areas, Sterling said. “Are we going to have less The festival costs about vendors? Probably. Everyone $500,000 to run, with is going to have less money,” approximately half coming IF SOCIAL Sterling said. “It would be a lot from in-kind donations and half DISTANCING different if we didn’t share the coming from cash, Sterling said. same vendors and sponsors. That The Broward Cultural Division RESTRICTIONS ARE is why I’m assuming we are going recently awarded the festival a to take a huge smack. Assume RELAXED BY THE END $40,000 grant for 2020 and also the worst and design something 2021, but where other funds OF THE YEAR, OTHER for that fits that model.We think will come from is unclear because attendance will be OK but we just of the economic uncertainty. POPULAR EVENTS think vendor-sponsor donations The Wilton Manors COULD ALSO BE will be down.” Entertainment Group handles Wilton Manors Commissioner about 40 events a year for RESCHEDULED. Paul Rolli said the huge events Wilton Manors, and so far, all brings an infusion of cash to events through April have been the bars and restaurants in the city, and canceled, with more cancellations anticipated. hopefully entices visitors to return. The Monthly cancelled events include Art longterm shutdown, however, leaves a lot up Walk, the third Saturday of every month; in question. Vibes on the Drive, the second Wednesday of “It’s no surprise. I just think it’s a natural every month; and Pride Skate Nights, the third following that Stonewall be postponed since Wednesday of every month, at Xtreme Action the shutdown has been extended,” Rolli said. Park. Other events include the Wilton Manors “One thing I am concerned about is where do Business Association’s health fair and Taste of we go from here? I expect property values will the Island. WMG
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April 1, 2020
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