Wilton Manors Gazette September 19, 2018 by The Gazette

WMG Volume 5 • Issue 17 September 19, 2018

Wilton Manors Gazette Facebook.com/groups/WMGazette

Business

Wilton Manors Approves Pride Center Housing Project But questions remain

By Sallie James

The Pride Center’s Lot Area.

An LGBT-friendly affordable housing contribute $900,000 towards the project if project for seniors will be built at the Wilton Manors also contributes, according gateway to the “second gayest city” in the to Commissioner Julie Carson. The project, which has been both sharply United States. Despite concerns about parking and criticized and resoundingly applauded, possible tax abatement issues, last still has unresolved issues. Wilton Manors week city commissioners unanimously Gary Resnick requested Carrfour explore the possibility approved the 48-unit housing of giving Wilton project. The complex is slated Manors residents for construction at 2040 N. some percentage Dixie Highway, where it will of preference as adjoin The Pride Center at far as occupancy. Equality Park. Coviello said that The project, to be built by determination will be Carrfour Supportive Housing subject to state and Inc., will include low income federal law. housing tax credits from City commissioners Florida Housing Finance also wondered about Corporation, already secured the possibility of by Carrfour. receiving a payment “We’re very pleased to have from Carrfour in lieu finally reached the finish of taxes if some of the line,” said attorney David units are subject to tax J. Coviello, who represents - Tom Green abatement because 34 Carrfour. Commissioner of the 48 units will City commissioners are still be set aside for the mulling the idea of allocating $200,000 from the Wilton Manors disabled. They requested answers on or Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the before October 9th. Carrfour President Stephanie Berman complex. The project is expected to cost $15 said all applicants for the affordable million. The county has said it will housing project will undergo a background

“How are they going to do parking with this when there are these events on the campus?”

check. Protecting children from sexual offenders become a hot topic in the city earlier this year after it became public that a registered sex offender was employed at The Pride Center at Equality Park. The man was subsequently arrested for failing to for failing to re-register as a sex offender. The facility has a playground that is used by children and will be in close proximity to the 48-unit affordable housing complex. “As we do in all Carrfour properties, we will be conducting sexual offender/predator

screenings on all tenant applicants at The Residences at Equality Park,” Berman said. The affordable housing complex will be designated as a 55 and over community. Restrictive covenants will run with the property, Coviello said. According to the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995, communities that wish to be designated as 55 and over must follow the 80/20 split meaning at least 80 percent of the occupied units must be occupied by persons 55 years or older. There are no

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September 19, 2018

9.19.2018 •

Opinion

Tennis Courts and Stipends WMG and Strip Clubs…Oh My!

September 19, 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 17 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943

By Sal Torre Last week marked the ten-year anniversary of the economic meltdown that devastated Wall Street and Main Street alike. Unfortunately, Wall Street is now steaming ahead while Main Street has been left behind, struggling to hold on. Articles in national newspapers document how the longest running economic boom currently has enriched just a few in our society, the very wealthy 1 percent. Ironically, over 50 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King advocated for organizing the working poor of our nation as a second phase of his fight for civil rights and voting rights. The push to incorporate union workers, working poor, and civil rights was King’s dream of creating a national movement to replace the self–seeking individualism of the rich with a concentration on the common good of all citizens of this great nation. Unfortunately, an assassin’s bullet ended that dream. So many years later, the gap between the wealthy few and the struggles of the rest of our society is even greater. We are not immune from this debate in our Island City, and recent budget discussions have made me think about how disconnected some in our society are from the day-to-day struggle of so many. Last week at our City Commission meeting and then at a special budget meeting the following night, our city’s officials debated spending $90,000 over three years to convert two tennis courts to clay. At the same meeting our officials discussed giving our parttime employees a $500 stipend to assist them as low-wage earners. I advocated giving them a living wage instead, to do something that will actually make a difference in their lives. A one-time stipend does nothing for their long-term daily struggle. Ironically, the cost of raising our city’s employees’ wages to match the Living Wage Ordinance of Broward County would easily be covered by the cost of what we are spending on making two tennis courts easier to play on for aging residents. How does one advocate for the working poor when in the same breath they advocate throwing away so much money on providing clay courts to so few of our residents? One justification is that our aging community requires clay courts. However, many younger residents do not want to play on or enjoy clay courts. Our city officials need to be concerned about the needs of all residents in our city, not just to those who fall into the AARP demographics. Mayor Resnick has been a strong advocate of clay courts for years. When voices of opposition started to rise from other commissioners last year, Mayor Resnick pushed the item through by softening the one-year hit and spreading the cost over three years. This year Commissioner Green has taken a very strong stand against this large expense, and I commend his actions! There is one more budget hearing for residents to voice their opinions before the commission votes to approve the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. That meeting is on Tuesday, Sept 24 at 6:30 at the Commission Chambers. There were plenty of other happenings at last week’s commission meeting. One event that is still on my mind was how Mayor Gary Resnick made such a big deal about a local business owner making a $5,000 donation to our city’s Leisure Services Department child care program. Yes, that’s a good amount of money, and such a donor should be recognized and thanked by the community. However, the Mayor went out of his way on this one. The donor even had a large over-sized check ready for the photo ops. What

Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli 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

Correspondents James Oaksun

Staff Photographers

J.R. Davis • Pompano Bill • 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 Advertising Sales Associate • Clark Rogers clark.rogers@sfgn.com 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. MEMBER

MEMBER

makes this whole scene a bit unusual is that the owner operates Johnson’s, the questionable all-male dancers’ nightclub right on Wilton Drive. He is also a very large donor to Mayor Resnick’s campaign for City Commissioner and has hosted a campaign event at his home. So, if you operate a questionable business in our community, have outstanding code violations, and want to send a message to city staff about how well you are connected to the elected officials, what better way to do it than in front of everyone at a City Commission meeting with a large check in hand. None of this might be the case, but appearances do matter, and this one is just a bit too much, even for Gary Resnick. Speaking of appearances, I recommend that everyone take a look at the Financial Reports of our municipal candidates running for election. They are posted on the city website. You can draw your own conclusions, but I would much rather vote for someone who has the support of many local residents donating what they can afford over someone who is collecting bags of donations from law firms, developers, and other entities located outside of our Island City. In closing, my hero of the week is Commissioner Tom Green for taking a firm stand over the money being allocated for the tennis courts. Standing up for your beliefs, seeking to assist the common good, and helping those in need will help make life just better here. WMG

Associated Press MEMBER

MEMBER

Eucalyptus Gardens in Wilton Manors, where local artists and eucalyptus trees intermingle. Photo credit: Brendon Lies.

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Real Estate

How Much Does Neighborhood Matter? By James Oaksun Of late, I have been shifting my professional concentration into specializing in prewar architecture – which in South Florida means pre-World War Two, not pre-Revolutionary War. There are some prewar homes here in Broward, although not as many as you would find in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach Counties. I was curious to see (roughly) how much people were willing to pay to buy prewar homes in different neighborhoods, holding all other factors constant. Interestingly I found that buyers were willing to pay substantial premiums for the privilege of living in prewar homes in the Victoria Park, Colee Hammock, and Rio Vista neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale, compared with Tarpon River, the original settlement area of Hollywood, and even Miami Shores. This type of analysis can be extended into the Island City. I have written before and at length on the severe allergic reaction I have to the valuation measure my colleagues in Realtor Land utilize, i.e., price per square foot. I do think if you’re going to use one measure only, that’s the best one to use. However, I don’t think it is very useful when drilling down further or making comparisons. The majority of single family homes in WilMa

were built in the 1950s – 73 percent according to the Property Appraiser record. Thus you could (theoretically; or I suppose in actuality if you had the resources) lift up a home in the northwest corner of Wilton Manors, plop it down in the southeast corner… and it would be the same as nearly all the homes around it. Thus any differential in aggregate value, when fully teased apart, has to do with the implicit “cost of entry” to the neighborhood. The attached map spells out the differences I found. I divided WilMa into the three neighborhood associations the city has established. Then I added a horizontal divider right down 26th Street to evaluate six separate areas. With the far northwest corner as baseline, I analytically estimated how much premium a buyer would be willing to pay in the other five sections of the city – holding everything else constant (e.g., square footage of home, lot size, pool or no pool, waterfront or no waterfront). Relative to the northwest corner, buyers are willing to pay more to live in all the other areas of the city – with premiums ranging from $50,000 in the southwest corner to $150,000 in the southeast corner. The premium in Center

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Wilton and the northeast corner is the same. Or, to paraphrase Julius Caesar, in considering WilMa valuations, “Wilton Manors est omnis divisa in partes quattuor.” Hopefully this information will be of value to those seeking to relocate into the Island City, as well as to those

September 19, 2018

estimating and reflecting upon pricing strategies here. WMG James Oaksun, Florida’s Real Estate Geek(SM), is Broker-Owner of New Realty Concepts in Oakland Park. In addition to having degrees from Dartmouth and Cornell, he is a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (GRI).

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this, justin

Wilton Manors’ Big Ideas By Justin Flippen Vice Mayor Justin Flippen (right) speaking as Big Ideas panelist.

Recently, I, along with the mayors of Oakland Park, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, and Hollywood, participated in the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce’s Big Ideas Conference, held at the Riverside Hotel. It was a great opportunity to exchange and share our respective “big ideas” and vision for our communities’ respective futures. Joined by over 100 members of our local business, commerce, and civic community, including Assistant City Manager Pamela Landi, here are the thoughts that I shared:

BIG IDEA ONE: Leveraging Common Interests and Resources

We need to learn to get outside our box and our wheelhouse. Instead of competing for limited resources, the City of Wilton Manors is learning to find common ground and ways to collaborate to achieve shared goals with other cities and perhaps in the not too distant future, private entities as well. For example, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park are engaged in creating a joint climate action plan and hope to apply jointly for grant funds, use orders of magnitude to increase purchase

I’d like to envision and work towards a Wilton Manors that doesn’t give out speeding or parking tickets because we don’t need to.

Vice Mayor Justin Flippen (center).

power, and eliminate artificial perceptions of political boundaries. This is particularly important when the beneficiary of leveraging our common interests and resources is our mutual community at large.

balance protecting our neighborhoods and affording the right kind of modest commercial and residential investment and smart growth along our corridors and in the right places.

BIG IDEA TWO: When Resources Are Limited, Prioritize, and Don’t Dilute.

BIG IDEA FOUR: Through Increased Walkability and Other Incentives, Encourage Residents and Visitors to Reduce, and Aspirationally, Eliminate the Need to Get in the Car.

Wilton Manors (and every other city in Florida) is preparing for a reduction in ad valorem taxes. This will probably happen for two reasons. First, if Amendment Two, which creates an additional $25,000 homestead exemption, passes in November, it will result in a reduction of about $330,000 to Wilton Manors. This may not seem like much to others, but to our small city it’s a very big deal. For example, this equates to over 40 percent of the annual cost to run our library or 50 percent of the City’s annual EMS budget. Second, we’ve been riding a property value increase for almost a decade, and experts tell us that will likely come to an end soon. These two factors mean city governments will either have to raise taxes or tighten belts, and the latter is more likely than the former in Wilton Manors. So how do we decide how to allocate very limited resources? In Wilton Manors, we are spending money to make money. Our priority for the foreseeable future is to invest in economic development, and thoughtful commercial and residential development. This will increase our tax base, and increase visitors coming to our city to generate revenue.

Wilton Manors should be a city where you can live without a car and travel to desirable venues and locations nearby with a car service or mass transit, a city where the road is not just for cars, but for all users. With our close proximity to the FEC railway, mass transit available on all our primary corridors, designated bike lanes and sidewalk connectivity as well as miles of waterways available citywide, I’d like to envision and work towards a Wilton Manors that doesn’t give out speeding or parking tickets because we don’t need to, a city where parking problems are history because public and private stakeholders have worked together to solve them. These are just a few of my “big ideas.” I certainly have others, and I’m sure you do too. Please feel free to share your ideas – big or small – with me; for “life’s just better here” in Wilton Manors when we exchange, collaborate, and share. In your service,

BIG IDEA THREE: Don’t Overdo It! Know Your Brand, and Maintain It Carefully. Since we have heard over and over again from our residents that maintaining our small town sensibility is their number one priority, we recognize that not all development is good development. Figuring out the density equation and where it makes the most sense is a key factor to our future success. We have to properly

Justin S. Flippen, J.D. Wilton Manors Vice Mayor and “The People’s Commissioner” WMG

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September 19, 2018

in memoriam

Photo

The Face of Sidelines Has Passed By Norm Kent Today, the editorial pages of WMG, the Wilton Manors Gazette, pays tribute to the life and passing of Jeanette Mojica, arguably the First Lady of the hospitality industry in our fair city. Known as the face and life of Sidelines for so many years, Jen did so much more than pour drinks for many of us. She poured her heart and soul into the lifeblood of the LGBTQ community. Of course, this is a loss felt most deeply by Lori Whitaker, her partner of many years. But this is a life we should all celebrate, because Jen’s energy and effusiveness rubbed off upon everyone she met. From hosting barbecues at Sidelines, to running charity tournaments for softball teams, here was a bar that embedded itself in our LGBTQ lives, socially and politically. Guided by passion and principle, Jean understood that a popular bar had the capacity to become a ‘home away from home’ for customers and consumers. Jen understood the meaning of running a ‘hospitality establishment.’ Sidelines welcomed everyone. It was a sports bar, and a place to watch championship basketball games, share birthday parties, and nights out. For a decade, it was a place that generated good times, and had a life of its own, once even rated in the Advocate Magazine as one of the top ten gay sports bars in the country. Sidelines earned the distinction and recognition it won. Under Jen’s stewardship, it gave back to all of us as well, sponsoring

athletic teams, donating time and money for pride festivals, and supporting so many political candidates, organizations and groups in worthy charitable ventures. We therefore say goodbye while saluting the good deeds achieved as much as the memories shared. Bars have been the venue and forum for the LGBTQ community to stand up and be counted. Like our lives and the liquor they pour, they have a shelf life. Jen was top shelf, facing adversity as an adventure to be challenged. Her life was one of dignity and demeanor, humor and healing. SFGN salutes a life well lived, generously supporting the LGBTQ community and the people who make our lives worth living. We will cherish her memory. WMG

Wilton Manors Officer Mike Haverman was honored on Sept. 11 with the David Dodson Memorial Officer of the Quarter Award for outstanding service. (Left to right: Wilton Manors Police Chief Paul O’Connell, Officer Michael Haverman and Assistant Police Chief Gary Blocker.) WMG

Photo courtesy of Dale Mack.

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Community

Corbin’s Campaign Literature Attacks Former Opponent, WMPD By WMG Staff Boyd Corbin’s race for mayor took a In Corbin’s campaign brochure circulated new turn last week with the publication of through Wilton Manors last week, he also a brochure one of his political opponents accused Blevins of “using the Wilton Manors has concluded is defamatory, and which police department to unsuccessfully become also contains numerous charges against the a false witness against me.” Corbin then Wilton Manors Police Department. added the police department had it in for him Last year, Corbin unsuccessfully tried to as well, claiming “the police department is get a permanent restraining order against encouraging perjury against him.” Doug Blevins, who had run against him in the In the same campaign mayor’s race in 2014. brochure, Corbin talked about However, after a bifurcated not only losing his circuit court “it was Corbin’s three-day trial, Corbin’s case against Blevins, but how allegations against Blevins were attempt to secure “officers abusing steroids... deemed to be unfounded by a gave him $500 worth of tickets a permanent circuit court judge. and 6 points against his driver’s The brochure Corbin restraining license.” circulated nevertheless states that Actually, it was the traffic order against Blevins’ “false allegations against judge who did that after he me were dropped by the judge.” me which was was found guilty, not a police “That is totally misleading,” officer. Nevertheless, Corbin’s dismissed as Blevins replied. “In fact, it was literature recommends the without merit.” Corbin’s attempt to secure a police should “go back to permanent restraining order reading parking meters.” - Doug Blevins against me which was dismissed Former Mayoral The brochure also candidate as without merit.” Court records complains that Manors police bear out Blevins. Corbin’s case have illegal window tinting against him was dismissed. on its cars, and “there are too many home “Corbin called it a waste of time,” Blevins invasions in the city.” said. “It was. Corbin totally wasted the court’s Corbin, who has himself previously been time over frivolous and deceitful allegations found guilty of illegally parking in disabled which were found not sustainable. Now he spaces in Pompano Beach, lambasted the is accusing me of lying? This time he is going police because “they have illegal window tint to have to explain his misconduct to a jury. I on their cars.” hope he has good insurance for libel.” Corbin initially gained notoriety at city

The brochure deemed to be defamatory.

hall, protesting the condition of Manors drinking water at commission meetings. He then drew the attention of law enforcement when he was arrested and prosecuted for an attempted aggravated battery, after allegedly attacking a performer outside the Alibi, while dressed in a Ku Klux Klan costume during a Halloween event. While the charges were eventually dismissed, his campaign brochure promotes the incident, stating he was “falsely accused of trying to light a drag queen on fire.” He accused the Manors police of suborning perjury, complaining that he will now permanently have a record of “violent stalking.”

The colorful four-page brochure illuminates Corbin’s background and where he grew up, saying that because “I am financially secure, I don’t need to steal taxpayer money or take kickbacks from developers.” Stated Blevins, “Corbin has a right to say what he wants. But if it is defamatory and untrue, and puts me in a false public light, I have a right to hold him accountable. The truth is alien to him, apparently. I suspect the voters in November will have to remind him again what the truth is.” In two previous runs for mayor, both of which he lost, Corbin garnered percentages of 4 percent, then 27 percent. WMG

Boyd Corbin at the Halloween event that gained him notoriety.

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BUSINESS

Wilton Manors Approves Pride Center Housing Project But questions remain  Continued from page 1

requirements for the other 20 percent. So a 55 or older community could theoretically designate 80 percent, or 100 percent of the units for persons 55 years or older. These communities can also mandate that all persons living in the household be 55 or older, or they can mandate that only one person in the household be 55 or older. It’s unclear what Carrfour’s affordable housing project’s specific rules will be. SFGN asked for clarification, but Carrfour they declined to answer at this time. It is also unclear what criteria will be used to determine if a potential resident is “disabled.” Carrfour has agreed to designate 34 of the 48 units for “lowincome seniors living with disabling conditions, such as physical illnesses or disabilities due to complications from HIV/AIDS.” Carrfour declined to elaborate at this time. “There’s a growing need for affordable housing in South Florida, particularly among underserved populations such as the senior LGBT community and those living with disabilities,” Berman said in a press release. “Beyond providing a place to call home, Carrfour will partner with The Pride Center to ensure that residents at The Residences at Equality Park have convenient access to community services, healthcare, financial planning, and social networks that combat isolation.” Commissioner Tom Green worried about inadequate parking at a site already plagued by a parking crunch but ultimately voted for the project. “When the Pride Center has meetings and when the Pride Center has the yard sales, the cars just go - there is no way they can be contained on the site,” Green said. “How are they going to do parking with this when there are these events on the campus?” Vice Mayor Justin Flippen said affordable housing has been part of the future vision for Wilton Manors. “This was an opportunity for us to truly transform plans on paper into reality,” Flippen said after the commission vote in favor of the project. A payment in lieu of taxes for affordable housing has never been done before in South Florida, he added. Carrfour’s affiliate Crossroads Management LLC will manage the

building and have a presence on-site. The property will be leased from the Pride Center under a 65-year, long-term lease and must be maintained as affordable housing for 50 years.

• Units would include a mix of studio, onebedroom and two-bedroom apartments of varying sizes • The complex will include a club room, a library/computer room, a gym, laundry and an administrative office • The main lobby will physically connect with the main Pride Center building According to the lease agreement, the Pride Center will receive a one time payment based on the maximum lease amount of $24,860 per unit, for a total of $1,193,280 for 48 units. The lease is for 65 years. After year 15, the building can revert to the Pride Center, subject to the lease, Coviello said. The 50 year affordability restriction comes from Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and will be memorialized in a recorded covenant running with the land, he added. WMG Jason Parsley contributed to this report.

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9.19.2018 •

f o t Bes 2018

The nominations are in...

VOTe fOr yOur fAVOriTes!

Vote for your favorite South Florida businesses

Throughout August our readers nominated their favorites in each “Best Of” category. Now, readers like you have until October 2 to vote for the finalists.

Visit sfgn.com/BestOf Best Restaurant Best Take Out Best Pizza Best Guest House Best Neighborhood Bar Best Nightclub Best Place To Shop 30

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Best Happy-Hour Best Pet Groomers Best Coffee Shop Best Drag Queen Best Movie Theater Best City to Live In Best Non-Profit

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September 19, 2018

Best Gym Best Live Theater Best Business Group Best Beach Best Hair Salon Best Spa ... And many more!