WMG Volume 4 • Issue 20 November 1, 2017
Wilton Manors Gazette
Community
City to Establish Public Art Committee By Michael d’Oliveira
Commissioner Julie Carson said the city needs Those who want to have an influence on the future of public art in Wilton Manors will have more art in order to become a “fully adult city.” Resident Constance Ruppender, founder of Art a chance with the city’s proposed public art Gallery 21, said she’s been trying to get the city to advisory committee. At their Oct. 24 meeting, commissioners form the committee for months. She said she’d like to see the city fund the announced a meeting to establish the committee. How the committee is funded, what the goals committee with impact fees paid for by new are and other topics will be discussed on Thursday, developers, the way other cities in Broward Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Woman’s Club of Wilton already do. Ruppender, who works for the Central Manors, 600 NE 21 Ct., the home of Art Gallery 21. Broward Water Control District, which also levies City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said that impact fees, said she’s never heard a developer complain about having to pay non-residents can join because a few thousand dollars extra. officials want to be able to tap “I’ve watched It’s not clear at this time how into as much artistic expertise and much impact fees would cost experience as possible, such as what other developers in Wilton Manors if artists or gallery owners who live cities are doing. the city implemented them. outside the city. But even a modest impact fee, Mayor Gary Resnick said he Wilton Manors said Ruppender, can provide a wants the committee to operate the has to stop lot of money for public art and same way as the Historical Society, dragging their she sees “huge” potential for a volunteer organization that is a public art in Wilton Manors. separate entity from the city and feet.” “I’ve watched what other cities not subject to state regulations. - Constance Ruppender are doing. Wilton Manors has He said he thinks the committee Wilton Manors Resident to stop dragging their feet.” would be much more effective in But beyond money, its mission. In a previous Gazette article (bit.ly/2ycHVsx), Ruppender said the committee needs people with art gallery owners expressed a desire to see more good ideas who are willing to do what’s needed to public art in Wilton Manors “It’s a gay community. make them happen. She offered Art Gallery 21 as It should be more artsy . . . Anything to make it an example because it took a lot of work to create look more cultural,” said Tom Rossetti, owner of and open. For me, this [meeting on Nov. 16] will be for the Rossetti Fine Art gallery on Wilton Drive. He added that he’d like to see city officials do more identifying people willing to do the grunt work. to bring more public art here “to make it feel more It’s about getting the right people on the bus.” WMG artsy.”
Photo courtesy of Art Gallery 21.
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Opinion
We Hold These Truths WMG Upcoming local elections By Sal Torre
November 1, 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 20 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 Copyeditor • Kerri Covington
Editorial
Art Director • Brendon Lies artwork@sfgn.com Digital Content Director • Brittany Ferrendi Webmaster@sfgn.com News Editor • Michael d’Oliveira
te o V
Correspondents
John McDonald • James Oaksun
Staff Photographers
J.R. Davis • Pompano Bill • Steven Shires
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created Lauderdale’s city charter, races with more than two candidates have a equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable primary election. This primary election will be held right after the fast Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” approaching New Year holiday, on January 16, 2018. If no candidate This is perhaps one of the best-known sentences in the English receives more than half the votes, the two-top vote-getters face off in language, a revolutionary statement of the times, written by a band the March 13 general election. City Commissioners Dean Trantalis of traitors to the Crown. Those revolutionary leaders were willing to and Bruce Roberts will be running for the office of Mayor along with sacrifice their comfortable positions, risk imprisonment and death to Charlotte Rodstrom, and possibly more candidates may file by the Nov. 13 deadline. fight for a cause in which they fervently believed. One main item of interest to residents of Wilton Manors in the Today we sit around complaining, posting our discontent on social media sites, about the era of Trump, gun violence, tax cuts for the Fort Lauderdale mayor’s race is our water and sewage rates. For wealthy, low wages for the working poor, the continued attacks on years, under Mayor Jack Seiler, the City of Fort Lauderdale neglected vital infrastructure, especially when it came to providing healthcare to all Americans, the growing opioid water and sewage, using the higher and higher epidemic, and so many other societal problems. For many rates charged neighboring cities to balance reasons, our elected officials are failing to do anything For many their own city budget shortfalls rather than to substantive about these growing problems. Perhaps it’s time reasons, our properly invest in maintenance and repairs. Fort to look to one’s self and ask, “What I am willing to fight for Lauderdale needs new leadership that will finally and sacrifice to bring about the just world we deserve and elected officials address such vital issues. City Commissioner endowed by a creator to have as our right?” are failing to Dean Trantalis has made the issue of the city’s This past week we witnessed the growing split within do anything infrastructure a top priority. This is a huge the Republican Party, with speeches by former President concern, not only for the residents of Fort Bush and Senators Flake, Corker and McCain attacking the substantive about Lauderdale, but for neighboring cities like Wilton President and calling for an end to the insanity coming out of these growing Manors, that rely on this infrastructure to deliver the White House. Although I do not agree with their political drinking water and handle sewage in and out of beliefs, I respect their readiness to take a stand in defense of problems. our borders, at ever increasing cost. those beliefs. Commissioner Trantalis has been proactive So my fellow Manor-ites, what changes do you want to see here in our Island City that you are willing to fight and sacrifice for? on many other fronts while serving his city. When Mayor Seiler Voting for and demanding leadership from our elected officials is a made national news by shutting down areas that feed the homeless move in the right direction. Next year we will have elections here in our population, Commissioner Trantalis held a Town Hall meeting and city for Mayor and two City Commission seats. We are already hearing moderated a very heated debate within the city to hopefully bring rumors that our Mayor, Gary Resnick, is once again thinking about about a more positive response. When the city moved ahead with the running for reelection. This comes after statements made, beginning Vacation Rental Ordinance, it was Commissioner Trantalis who led the at his last re-election victory party back in 2016, that this would be his way once again in bringing together different sides of the debate. This last term. In the coming months, we will definitely hear more about is what a good leader does. He or she looks to engage, to listen, and to this race and those for the two City Commissioner seats held by Scott make the tough decisions at the end of the day. Dean Trantalis is the Newton and Justin Flippen. The June 2018 filing deadline may seem a type of leadership Fort Lauderdale needs and is the type of leadership long time away, but the discussion should begin now on who we would that would benefit our entire region here in South Florida. In our pursuit of happiness, let us never forget our individual like to see run in our city election. Elections in our neighboring city of Fort Lauderdale will be taking responsibility to bring about the change we need. By participating in place at a much quicker pace. Current Mayor Jack Seiler is term limited, our government, by being active members of our community, and by so our neighbors will be voting for his replacement along with open standing up for what is right, and by standing with those who do the seats on the city commission in just over two months. Due to Fort same, we will we make life just better here… WMG
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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 Sales Assistant • Tim Higgins Tim.Higgins@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping National Advertising Rivendell Media 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com 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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Show Me the Money
Real Estate Geek
Wilton Manors real estate prices By James Oaksun
In the next few weeks I will be rolling out my third edition of Broward’s Real Estate Yearbook. This publication – the only one of its kind and scope – provides a detailed view of pricing, sales and inventory trends in 35 distinct East Broward neighborhoods (not zip codes; there is a big difference). This year I decided to delay the Yearbook for three months – both to account to a degree for the impact of Hurricane Irma, and to give the most current information as we head into a new High Season. As a service to my loyal readers, in this and the next column I will look at the three Island City neighborhoods. First we will assess pricing trends, as that is always the first question (i.e., “What can I get for my house?” and “What’s it going to cost to live here?”) Next time we will look at sales volume and inventory. As a reminder, the three WilMa neighborhoods are West (everything west of Andrews), Center (Andrews to the train tracks), and East (east of the train tracks). These do not in any way correspond to zip code based numbers that “others” may employ. Also, I look only at single family homes – no townhouses or condos included. In addition – and a big difference with other “analyses” you may encounter – I look not only at median prices on a rolling six month basis (meaning, half the properties above and half below), but also the 25th and 75th percentile of prices, to indicate the range of values one is likely to encounter. Using
average prices (or really average anything in respect of real estate) can on occasion be highly misleading, as outlier values can skew averages badly, especially in smaller datasets. I start with the second quarter of 2011. Generally speaking, that was the trough of prices after the famous real estate bust of 2006-2011. Darkness had descended upon the real estate landscape, and the expression from the investment world of “blood in the streets” was most applicable. You easily see in the charts here that the situation is now radically different. Homeowners/sellers are smiling again, and buyers may be kicking themselves over missing a great opportunity. Consider the overall change in median prices since 2Q11 by neighborhood:
West +60%
Center +119%
East +88%
In the more recent periods, however, only Center WilMa has seen the continued advance in prices, while West has flattened somewhat and East has actually dropped a bit. As I have noted previously, if you look at real estate prices in Broward over the last 40 years, the long term annual rate of increase has been about half a percentage point over the
underlying rate of price inflation. Consumer prices have increased by just over nine percent since June 2011 – 1.4 percent per year. While one can argue that 2011 prices were artificially low, other hypotheses need to be considered. WMG James Oaksun, Broward's Real Estate Geek(SM), is BrokerOwner 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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November 1, 2017
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Police
Community Health
Third Wells Fargo Robbery in a Year Prompts Increased Security By Michael d’Oliveira In less than one year, the Wells Fargo at Five Points has been robbed three times, including twice in the span of just one month – 11/02/2016, 09/07/2017, and 10/09/2017. The latest robbery of the branch occurred on Oct. 9 at 2:21 p.m. According to a statement released by the FBI, “The robber entered the bank and demanded money from a bank employee. There were no injuries. The amount of money taken will not be released at this time.” Now, Wells Fargo is taking additional security measures. A Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy was stationed inside the branch and an employee said a deputy would be in the branch at least until a new bullet proof glass shield could be placed between the bank tellers and customers.
By Michael d’Oliveira Photo credit: Brittany Ferrendi.
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If anyone has information as to the identity of the bank robber they are urged to call the FBI at 754-703-2000 or Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477. Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. WMG
Community
Still No Suspect in Vidal Murder By Michael d’Oliveira Over two years after the death of Henry Vidal, police are still no closer to solving his murder. In May of 2015, Vidal, 32, a popular bartender on Wilton Drive’s now closed B Bar, was found dead in his Wilton Manors apartment. As with all homicides in Wilton Manors, the Broward Sheriff’s Office is investigating. When SFGN previously discussed Vidal’s murder with BSO, a spokesperson said there was a person of interest who detectives were trying to interview. On Oct. 27, BSO detectives said they now know who that person is and they are preparing for an interview to determine if they are a suspect or not. Anyone with new information related to Vidal’s murder should contact BSO at 954-321-4210 or
City to Revise Marijuana Dispensary Regulations
Henry Vidal. Credit: Howard Glantz.
report anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers of Broward County at 954-493-8477 or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $3,000 for information that leads to an arrest. WMG
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
In the wake of Oakland Park lifting its moratorium on medical marijuana treatment centers and dispensaries, Wilton Manors officials have begun the process of revising their own ordinances. At their Oct. 24 meeting, commissioners directed city staff to draft an ordinance dealing with marijuana dispensaries. Last year, commissioners passed regulations dealing with the regulation of marijuana and dispensaries in the city. But City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the city’s regulations don’t match up with Florida’s SB 8-A: Medical Use of Marijuana, which was approved by Governor Rick Scott in June. Previously, City Attorney Kerry Ezrol advised the commission that any local regulations pertaining to dispensaries had to be in line with state law. If local governments choose not to ban dispensaries, they have to regulate them as pharmacies. Under the city’s current ordinance, dispensaries can
only be located on Oakland Park Boulevard, Andrews Avenue, and some parts of Wilton Drive and Northeast 26 Street. They also can’t be within 1,000 feet of a school, daycare center, house of worship, licensed rehabilitation facility, or another dispensary. At multiple meetings, commissioners have discussed medical marijuana. In addition to decriminalizing marijuana in 2015, commissioners have also talked about wanting to incorporate dispensaries into the city’s business community in a responsible way. They’ve also expressed a desire not to want to ban dispensaries and deny residents who need access to them for legitimate medical purposes. Commissioners reiterated that stance at the Oct. 24 meeting by saying they didn’t want to ban dispensaries outright. Mayor Gary Resnick said he wants the city to control where the dispensaries are located. WMG
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City
Some Residents Angry Over Lack of Debris Removal By Michael d’Oliveira
LIFT A CHILD
YOU LOVE
WITHOUT
THE HIP PAIN
Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
At the Oct. 24 commission meeting, way to collect debris on private roads. Mayor Gary Resnick proudly declared the “We pay taxes, we pay water, we city “on time and on budget” regarding the pay garbage, and recycling . . . Waste removal of Hurricane Irma debris from city management ought to be doing that [pickstreets. The mayor said it had taken just one up]. The city says we are a private road, but month for contractors to do the job. “Some it’s a public road. People come down here all cities didn’t even get started until then,” he the time and turn around,” said Steen. said, adding that some residents are taking City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said the cleanup for granted. the city unsuccessfully tried to get Waste But some residents haven’t taken the Management to include hurricane debris cleanup for granted because removal in its bulk trash they live on a private road pick-up. and have had to pay for their But, barring a change in own debris removal. Now, the contract with Waste they’re upset and asking Management, Henderson why the city is treating them said the city won’t direct like “second class citizens.” its contractor to pick-up Gregg Blankenship, who hurricane debris. Henderson lives on Townhouse Isle, said FEMA reimburses the says he pays his taxes and city 90 percent of the costs should benefit from the of debris removal. The services paid for with them. remainder is split between - Sandy Steen “They passed right over us . the city and state. “The Former Mayor . . we pay for bulk trash pickreason we didn’t do that is up. They’ve given people because debris removal in here a very hard time,” said Blankenship. storm recovery is paid for by FEMA. When “I guess we’re the underdogs.” we’re spending federal dollars, we have to But Blankenship isn’t alone. At a recent follow all of FEMA’s laws and guidelines.” commission meeting, some other residents “Private roads, including homeowners’ expressed anger and frustration over the association roads, are not eligible,” reads same issue. the FEMA Public Assistance Program and Former mayor Sandy Steen, who also Policy Guide. “What I think we can do in the future lives on Townhouse Isle, said residents on the west end of the street already paid is do a better job of communicating with to have the debris removed. She said the residents to encourage them to have a east end residents should do the same this contractor in place so it’s not a surprise [that time, but she’d like to see the city change the city won’t be picking up their debris],” its policy for future hurricanes and find a she said. WMG
“The city says we are a private road, but it’s a public road.”
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Community
Check out what’s happening
Around Town By Michael d’Oliveira
Island City Painters The opening reception of The Island City Painters exhibit will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Art Gallery 21, 600 NE 21 Ct., Wilton Manors. The free event will feature a chance to meet the artists: Rosemary Lisa Boyd, Monika Hurter, Barbara Pardon, Angie Riserbato, and Aviva Sasson. The exhibit will be open to the public until Nov. 25. Visit artgallery21.org for more information. WMG
City reduces permit fees Residents and business owners who sustained damage during Hurricane Irma can qualify for a reduction of 25 percent of the cost of permit fees. The fees are related to fencing, windows, doors, existing shed replacement, and re-roofs. Documentation of hurricane damage must be provided and the city will determine if a reduction is warranted. The reduction is valid until Jan. 31, 2018. Fees not eligible for the reduction are the Board of Rules & Appeals Fee, Educational Fee, Florida Building Permit Surcharge, Florida Building Code Administrators & Inspection Fund, and Technology Access Fee. WMG Photo courtesy of Pixabay.
5th Annual Hawai'i Festival Authentic hula performances, live island music, Polynesian vendors, aloha grill Hawaiian barbecue, games for children and more will be part of the 5th Annual Hawai'i Festival on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 3 to 7 p.m. at Mickel Park, 2675 NW 7 Ave., Wilton Manors. Attendees can bring lawn chairs and blankets. Additional parking will be available at St. Clement Church, 225 NW 29th St., with shuttle vans running every 15 minutes. Admission is free. WMG
Parking lot construction Construction of the city’s newest parking lot is underway. Located at Northeast 11 Avenue and Northeast 23 Drive behind Bona Pizza, the lot was purchased by the city to create more parking. When finished in an estimated 90 to 120 days, the lot will have 23 spaces. Before construction began, the unpaved lot was already being used for parking. Alternative paid parking is available at the adjacent city lot at 2309 N. Dixie Hwy. daily from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. WMG
Island City University Residents who would like to learn more about how city government and the police department work can join the Island City University Class of 2018. During this six-week course, students will learn about the various departments that help run the city. The nightly sessions will begin in late March. The deadline to apply is Jan. 29. For more information, call 954-390-2123 or 954-390-2128. WMG
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