WMG Volume 7 • Issue 11 May 14, 2020
Wilton Manors Gazette FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE
COMMUNITY
16 Dead at Manor Pines; Residents Transferred Out By Jason Parsley Days after the state reported 16 closely monitoring the situation at Manor residents of a local nursing home had died Pines. He said the Florida Department of of COVID-19, all of the remaining residents Health, and the State’s Agency for Health who tested positive were transferred out Care Administration, which regulates and licenses Assisted Living Facilities, of the facility Sunday. “Nursing homes were simply not has been working closely with Manor prepared for this virus,” said Wilton Pines and both agencies have conducted Manors City Commissioner Gary Resnick. multiple site visits. “Additionally, Fort Lauderdale Fire According to WSVN 55 residents of Department, our contractual Manor Pines Convalescent agency, has been visiting Center in Wilton Manors “IT WAS and communicating with were transferred to local area Manor Pines staff to hospitals. FRIGHTENING TO review operating plans and “Manor Pines nursing GET A TELEPHONE home in Wilton Manors has CALL ADVISING ME concerns,” Rolli said. “That team has been providing been extremely hard hit,” THAT AMBULANCE updates regularly to city Resnick said. AFTER AMBULANCE staff.” Those relocated residents WAS ARRIVING AT Two weeks ago when the include all 48 who have MANOR PINES AND state released the number tested positive for COVID-19 of COVID-19 infections at as well as seven others who TRANSPORTING the facility, at the time 65, previously tested positive, PATIENTS AWAY.” SFGN interviewed Ralph but have since tested - Julie Carson Marrinson, president of the negative. WILTON MANORS CITY Marrinson Group, which “It was frightening to get COMMISSIONER operates Manor Pines and a telephone call advising seven other senior care me that ambulance after ambulance was arriving at Manor Pines facilities in Florida and South Carolina. Marrinson told SFGN at the time he and transporting patients away,” said Wilton Manors City Commissioner Julie was “absolutely” proud of how his facility Carson. “I was relieved to know that had handled the coronavirus crisis up to in an effort to reduce occupancy at the that point. “The Health Department and other Facility, the Health Department decided agencies have been here. They said to relocate patients.” According to Wilton Manors City everything is perfect. They have full Commissioner Paul Rolli, the city has been confidence that we are doing everything
correctly,” he said. “When you try to do the right things, for the right reasons, things work out. We are all tired. It’s been a long 4 to 6 weeks.” As for the high infection rate he attributed it to his facility’s high testing rate. “It is not a high infection rate,” Marrinson said. “It’s an accurate infection rate, because we tested everybody.” He added, “Ninety percent have no symptoms.” At that time only three residents had died, all of them after being taken to a hospital. Marrinson added that he decided to make sure everyone at the home got tested “because I have to take care of people. How am I going to find out if we don’t test? Isn’t that common sense?” More recently, but before the transfers took place Sunday, Marrison stressed to the Sun Sentinel his facility was on top of the crisis. “We’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing. We’ve tested everybody. I just don’t know what more to say. It’s a worldwide situation. I just can’t wait till it’s over,” he told the Sentinel. “We have two units that are completely isolated, and we have specific staff in each unit to make sure we don’t have any cross-contamination. Like the nurses in the hospitals, all of our nurses and aides and everyone else are heroes.” As for the seemingly high death rate, in a statement to NBC6, the facility appeared to attribute the deaths to the underlying conditions each of the victims were suffering from. “Manor Pines began testing all residents
Manor Pines Convalescent Center. Photo via Manor Pines Convalescent Center.
and staff in early April, whether they had symptoms or not. We’ve conducted over 900 tests, which is the reason our facility has been reporting a high-number of residents testing positive for COVID-19 … We’re saddened to confirm that 13 residents passed away at the hospital and three residents passed here at our care center, all due to chronic health issues contributing to their COVID-19 symptoms. Our dedicated caregivers at Manor Pines mourn for the loss of those residents, because every one of them is part of our family.” WMG Visit Facebook.com/groups/ WMGazette to join the Gazette’s community Facebook page.
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OPINION
Money Makes the World Go Around… By Sal Torre
May 14, 2020 • Volume 7 • Issue 11 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com
Photo via Pxfuel.
There is a growing crescendo of voices calling for the opening of businesses and the end to COVID-related restrictions. As I ponder all that is being voiced, a jingle from the musical Cabaret keeps playing in the back of my mind. “A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound is all that makes the world go around, money money money…” Understandably, we all need to be very concerned about our country’s economy. Being out of work in an ongoing recession will be a lot worse than having spent the last few weeks home from work. Yet the failure of good leadership at the national level leaves many of us very confused, scared, unsure and wondering if you can ingest Lysol or bleach. Insanity has become the new norm. Workers in Florida cannot collect the unemployment payments owed to them for more than six weeks, and yet we hear wealthy out-of-touch business leaders complaining that workers would rather stay on the dole than return to work. Unfortunately, the reality is that many are standing in food distribution lines, frustrated at not getting needed unemployment funds from the state. “If you happen to be rich, you can ring-ting-a-ling for a maid, money money money money money, you can take it on the chin, to recover on your 14-carat yacht, money makes the world go around, the world go around...” Hopefully, the South Florida economy can start chugging along the track of recovery at a faster and faster pace in the weeks and months ahead. People want to get back to work, want to see their children in school, want to have a job, security, health care and the means to provide for their families. However, exposing workers to a virus that could kill them or a family member does nothing for our recovery. Money does make the world go around, and local leaders, small business owners and many workers understand the need to get our economy back on track. We must do this with the best information, scientific
WMG Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli piero@sfgn.com Associate publisher / Executive Editor • Jason Parsley jason.parsley@sfgn.com Copyeditor • Kimberly Swan
Editorial
Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com News Editor • Sallie James
Correspondents
Sal Torre • James Oaksun
Staff Photographers
J.R. Davis • Carina Mask • Steven Shires
Sales & Marketing For ad placement in the Wilton Manors Gazette, contact 954-530-4970
Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com
Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping
data, accessible testing, and assistance from our federal and state governments. Local municipalities and counties need to function with a balanced budget. Shortfalls in revenues for our Island City are projected to be over $500,000 for this fiscal year. That is a huge blow for a small city like ours. Thankfully, our budget operates mainly on revenue from property taxes. We might not see much of a decline in our property values before the tax rolls are closed in June, however, if we enter a harsh recession moving into next year, those declining property values will be waiting for us next budget cycle. Life will not just spring back to the way things were before COVID-19 shut our economy down back in March. We will not see a packed Friday night at Hunter’s anytime soon. Celebrations like Stonewall Festival have been cancelled, Wilton Drive is still mostly shut down, and people are not working. Optimistically, we will begin to re-open cautiously, people will start to return to work, our federal government will approve
LIFE WILL NOT JUST SPRING BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE BEFORE COVID-19 SHUT OUR ECONOMY DOWN BACK IN MARCH.
additional stimulus funding and COVID-19 infection rates will continue to decrease. In case you think we have nothing else to worry about here in our Island City, don’t forget that our Hurricane Season begins next month. State and local officials need to be very concerned as Hurricane Season progresses over the next few months. Speaking of money, many municipalities in South Florida have not yet been reimbursed by FEMA for monies owed from last season. As all this news swirls inside my mind, I take comfort that our city has great leadership, not just with our elected officials, but with our City Manager, new Finance Director, and an unbelievably dedicated city staff. As tough decisions will need to be made concerning budgetary issues, our dedicated city staff deserve and need our support. So, let’s hope our city can begin to re-open cautiously, that our small business owners can get back up and running, that employees can once again begin to get a paycheck, and that we can avoid a major recession that will cause further damage to many lives here in our Island City. Yes money, along with caring for our neighbors, protecting our city staff, practicing healthy personal hygiene, social distancing, and additional support from our federal government will make life just better here. WMG
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. MEMBER
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The boat ramp at Colohatchee Park. Photo via the City of Wilton Manors, Facebook.
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May 14, 2020
POLITICS
Doug Blevins To Run for Wilton Manors City Commission By Jason Parsley Doug Blevins, a long-time community activist and realtor, has announced his candidacy for the City Commission of Wilton Manors. This isn’t Blevins’ first time seeking office. He ran for Mayor of Wilton Manors in 2014 against Gary Resnick. Blevins lost. Blevins’ resume includes being president of the South Middle River Civic Association in Fort Lauderdale. “Doug took a fledgling neighborhood by enlisting old and new residents to help fight crime, drug dealers, blight and neglect,” reads a press release announcing his candidacy. “He was awarded Volunteer of the Year for District II in Fort Lauderdale.” Blevins has also served on several city boards and committees in Wilton Manors including the Board of Adjustment, the Budget Review Advisory Committee, Citizen’s Emergency Response Team the new City Hall Task Force, The Wilton Drive Task Force and currently serves on both the Wilton Drive Task Force and the Charter Review Board.
Doug Blevins. Photo via Douglas Blevins, Facebook.
Additionally he’s served three terms as president of Wilton Manors Main Street, and as chairman of the Wilton Drive Improvement District, which was instrumental in the narrowing of Wilton Drive. In the press release Blevins notes the city will face many challenges once the coronavirus crisis has passed. He believes he’s the man for the job. “After COVID-19, the city must think outside the box,” Blevins said in the release. “I am ready for that responsibility and challenge.” WMG
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