WMG Volume 5 • Issue 16 September 5, 2018
Wilton Manors Gazette Facebook.com/groups/WMGazette
Business
City Commissioners Debate Giving Pride Center $200,000 for Senior Housing Project By Sallie James City commissioners are mulling the Housing Finance Corporation, already idea of allocating $200,000 from Wilton secured by Carrfour. Carrfour has been building affordable Manors Affordable Housing Trust Fund for a proposed LGBT-friendly affordable housing in Florida since 1993 and currently oversees more than 1,700 housing units in housing project for seniors. The project, slated to be built at The Miami-Dade County. The proposed project Pride Center at Equality Park, at 2040 at the Pride Center would be its first in N. Dixie Highway, is expected to cost Broward County. Commissioner Scott Newton said the $15 million. The county will contribute $900,000 towards the project, according complex is a positive thing for Wilton Manors but he needs to Commissioner Julie answers to several Carson. questions. Wilton Manors “I haven’t really seen currently has $306,265 any plans on this,’’ in its Affordable Housing Newton said. “Do I have Trust Fund. questions? Absolutely. Carson said she has Do I want to see it move requested a copy of the forward? Absolutely. 65-year-lease that would It’s conducive to have a be signed by Carrfour project like that there. Supportive Housing Inc. I just need a few more should the Commission questions answered.” move forward with the Vice Mayor Justin project. Flipped echoed similar “I encourage my sentiments. colleagues to think about - Robert Boo The Pride Center CEO “I love the fact that this and give direction so it’s LGBT-friendly,” we can hopefully move Flippen said. “I support forward and give funding to help bridge that gap,” Carson said the project in concept. I have the same at the August 28 City Commission questions my colleagues raised with meeting. The Commission has taken no respect to the request for funding: we have never given any amount anywhere near action on the project yet. The complex will include lowincome housing tax credits from Florida Continued on page 4
The Pride Center. Photo by Brendon Lies.
“We are committed to being a good neighbor to all those around us.”
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Opinion
Giddy for Gillum
September 5, 2018 • Volume 5 • Issue 16 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
By Sal Torre Sitting at last week’s city commission meeting feeling frustrated and tired, the first news on the primary election made me sit up and feel a bit of wonderment. About two thirds of the way through the meeting, Mayor Resnick announced that the first round of election results were being posted on the Internet. Let me just take a moment to side track and wonder if the Mayor and others are routinely surfing the web as they sit upon the dais looking very fastidious maneuvering on their iPads. Perhaps they are shopping on-line rather than scanning the back-up material to the meeting. That material should be read and studied way before the meeting anyway, since they receive the information four to five days prior. However, I will remain thankful for the good news that the Mayor shared with those present that night. That good news was that Andrew Gillum was ahead in the early election results in the race for the Democratic primary for Governor. Wow, could it be? What happened to the favorite, Gwen Graham, or the wealthy businessman Jeff Green, or Philip Levine? We all had to endure weeks of expensive campaign ads flooding the airways, campaign signs littering every street corner, and mailboxes overflowing with more and more political flyers based on lies and innuendos. How could it that Gillum could be in the lead? My long-shot favorite racing past the finish line! I needed to know more. Not bothering to stay for the commission discussion on the Pride Center’s proposed project that will most likely deplete our Affordable Housing Fund, use a good amount of flex units, and create a challenge for surrounding residents to the already manic daily operations of the center’s campus, I gathered up my belongings and headed out the door. No need to sit around listening to the same old song and dance by Boo and associates labeling anyone who questions their secretive project as just another one of those NIMBY reactionaries when I could go home and find out more about this enormous upset in Florida politics. Let me just quickly say that the toned down version of the Pride Center’s 48 units of senior supportive housing project is a far cry from the originally proposed two phase construction of over 100 units. Having been reduced, having taken parking concerns into consideration, and having to deal with an overwhelming involvement by the surrounding community, this project has now reached a point that is much more acceptable to many in the community. However, there are still many unanswered questions and concerns that need to be addressed. Our Mayor and City Commission will have the final say. Election years have strange effects on our elected officials, so it will be interesting to see the final outcome. Now let’s move on to Gillum. I am still processing his election surprise. This young, progressive, community activist and Mayor of Tallahassee is now the Florida Democratic Party’s nominee for the office of Governor of the State of Florida. I was impressed with him early on in the campaign, listened to him speak at a Dolphin Democrats’ event, and longed for such a person to actually win and serve our great state after eight horrific years of Rick Scott. Many thought he did not stand a chance. Many thought that Gwen Graham was the favorite due to her family history, or that late comer to the race Jeff Greene was the best choice due to his ability to spend so much of his own money on the campaign. Philip
WMG Publisher • Norm Kent norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer • Pier Angelo Guidugli
Andrew Gillum. Photo via Facebook.
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
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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
Levine looked like a good choice to many. These front-runners spent millions on campaign ads, political flyers, and attack ads. The one likely not to be elected, Andrew Gillum, attended community functions, showed up at local events, went to churches, ran on a solid progressive success record, and had the power of youthful volunteers and believers that helped him to victory on Primary night and hopefully on to November’s Election Day. Bravo! Now the hard work begins. President Trump, Ron Desantis and the Florida Republican Party will not take this huge victory sitting down. The attacks and scare tactics have already begun and will only get worse before Election Day. As Desantis puts it, “Let’s not monkey this up,” is just a nice way of saying we don’t want this youthful black male progressive in charge. That’s unfortunate, because many Floridians are tired of the lies, tired of the false campaign promises, tired of the connection with Trump and tired of business as usual. This new wave of discontent, especially among younger voters, is shaking up the political status quo in a way not seen in years. It’s about time. Andrew Gillum needs our help getting to the Governor’s Mansion. I have already ordered my Gillum yard sign and donated to his campaign. Please check out his website at AndrewGillum. com, learn more about this amazing candidate, and become active in this election for our next Governor. We need a change. We need proactive new leadership to make life here in Wilton Manors and throughout our state just better here. WMG
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A brown anole, native to Cuba and the Bahamas yet invasive throughout Florida in cities such as — that’s right — Wilton Manors.
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POLITICS
BUSINESS
Wilton Manors State Sen. Farmer City Commissioners Debate Giving Pride Easily Wins Dist. 34 Dem. Primary Center $200,000 for Senior Housing Project Continued from page 1
By Chris Persaud
this to any organization. This would be a major, major grant for us so we need to do our due diligence to make sure it will be a benefit to our community.” Flippen said he would like to see the audited financial statements for both the Pride Center and Carrfour for the past three years before making a decision. Pride Center CEO Robert Boo said the project is the culmination of six years of planning. “We are committed to being a good neighbor to all those around us,” Boo said. Efforts to reach Boo by phone after the meeting were unsuccessful. The Carrfour proposal includes 48 affordable senior housing units, of which 34 would be set aside as housing for disabled seniors. All units would be affordable and available to adults age 55 or older.
Democratic state Sen. Gary Farmer easily won his primary battle against former state Rep. Jim Waldman, taking 70 percent of the vote. More than $200,000 was spent on attack ads calling Farmer “sexist” and “obnoxious,” but a poll showed that attack backfired, making Farmer more popular, Florida Politics reported. Outside groups also spent money blasting Farmer for voting against a school safety bill that included gun control measures, but Farmer said he did so because the National Rifle Association supported parts of it, the Sun Sentinel reported earlier this month. Farmer won the endorsement of LGBT rights organization Equality Florida. Farmer was first elected to the Florida Senate in 2016, where he also beat Waldman. WMG
• The 48-unit, four-story building would be constructed on 5.16 acres on the northwest corner of the property, with parking.
NEWS
Execution Ordered for Killer of Wilton Manors Couple By Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel Peter Avsenew, convicted of killing a Wilton Manors couple days before Christmas 2010 and stealing their car to escape to north Florida, who told a jury in January that he had no regrets and a judge in March that he had killed before and would again, has been sentenced to die. He is the first defendant in Broward to receive a death sentence since a new law was passed in 2017 requiring juries to be unanimous in finding an execution is warranted. Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes considered pleas for mercy from a courtappointed attorney who found Avsenew suffered trauma in his childhood — the murder of his sister and his alleged sexual abuse at the hands of his stepfather. Holmes could have overturned the jury’s January death recommendation, but Avsenew’s crime could be punished only by death, she decided. It seemed to be the result Avsenew wanted — after his conviction last fall for the murders of Stephen Adams and Kevin Powell, a Wilton
Peter Avsenew. Photo via BSO.
• Units would include a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments of varying sizes. • The project would include a club room, a library/computer room, a gym, laundry and an administrative office. • The main lobby would physically connect with the main Pride Center building.
Manors couple who took him in after he posted a sexually suggestive classified ad on Craigslist. Adams and Powell had been together for nearly 30 years. But Avsenew’s comments about them, in his letter to Holmes, were without mercy. “It is my duty as a white man to cull the weak and timid from existence,” Avsenew, 33, wrote. “Homosexuals are a disease to mankind and must be put down.” WMG
• The development would be managed by Crossroads Management LLC. Chris Caputo, the new board chair of the Pride Center, urged city officials to support the project. “I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is an exciting opportunity that I think is going to open doors to more opportunities like this,” Caputo said. James Carras, a Fort Lauderdale resident and chairman of the Broward Housing Council, which advises the Broward County Commission on affordable housing issues, also urged the city to support the project. “This is a great project,” Carras said. “The challenge is this is not easy to do.” WMG
The Pride Center property area.
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Community
The
Good Luck Cat Café
Tucked into a thrift store on Wilton Drive, this adoption center has found homes for 121 cats since opening By Sallie James
Laura Summers.
Need a kitty fix but not ready to adopt? The trio morphs into a rolling, nipping, Searching for a fur baby but not sure where to 12-legged ball of fur. look? Or maybe you’re a volunteer who needs It’s hard not to laugh. somewhere special to spend time? The homeless kitties hail from Good Welcome to the Good Luck Cat Cafe, a Karma Pet Rescue and Lady Luck Animal unique pet adoption center tucked in the back Rescue, which place the animals at the of Boomerang’s Thrift Store at 2365 adoption center until they Wilton Drive. The volunteer-run find forever homes. All the “It gets people 501(c)(3) has placed 121 homeless kittens and cats available cats in forever homes since it for adoption have been into the store opened in June 2016 and is on track fostered in private homes and when it to do more of the same. and thoroughly examined gets hectic in “There is a huge overpopulation by a vet. The adoption center here, I get to problem with cats,” said volunteer never has more than 10 cats Laura Summers, a Wilton Manors and kittens at one time. go in there resident who runs the adoption The thrift store is open and get some center and coordinates 30 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondayskitty love.” volunteers who keep the doors Sundays. The Good Luck Cat open. “The problem is that everyone Cafe is open from 10 a.m. to - Matt LaMariana President of the thinks it’s someone else’s job to do 6 p.m. Mondays-Sundays. Animal Rescue Fund it. If everybody just took care of the Donations keep the place (cat overpopulation) problems in running. their own neighborhood …” The adoption center has a Facebook page A high-pitched yowl, followed by a hiss and an Instagram account, and volunteers interrupts the peace as two orange tabby hand out information cards at pet events to kittens chase each other across the floor. A get the word out. black kitten with gold eyes peers intently from Matt LaMariana, president of the Animal beneath a chair. Rescue Fund, which operates the thrift store, Then, POUNCE! is the reason the adoption center exists. He’s donated more than $500,000 to rescue groups over the years to give homeless animals a second chance, money raised by the thrift store he operates. LaMariana provides the 18-foot by 18-foot room that houses the Good Luck Cat Cafe so Good Karma and Lady Luck have a venue for adoptions. “It’s the best thing since sliced bread,” said LaMariana, as a black kitten crawled across his shoulders and nibbled his ear. “It gets people into the store and when it gets hectic in here, I get to go in there and get some kitty love.” Thrift store shoppers and random animal lovers stop in to cuddle kittens and “ooh” and “aah” over their crazy antics. Some people come by to de-stress. And others fill out applications to adopt. Summers is there through it all. Matt LaMariana. “This is my thing. I come here every day,”
confessed the AT&T retiree. “It’s a great day when someone comes by and fills out an adoption application.” The Cafe resembles a cheerful living room, with a comfy couch, a few tables and chairs, a wall of whimsical cat art and a television that plays a DVD of “cat TV” with images of chirping birds. The volunteers chose a homey decor for the Cafe so potential adopters could picture what their home might be like if they had a cat. Retired floral designer Tommy Carrigan, of Pompano Beach, visits the Cafe daily to play with the cats, sometimes for hours at a time. It’s become his home away from home. He loves to dangle cat toys in front of the kittens and watch them swat, claw and roll. “It’s very calming,” said Carrigan, who discovered the Cafe one day while shopping at
Boomerang’s. A small refrigerator stocks bottled drinks for purchase but otherwise the place is all about cats. Sometimes visitors learn of the Good Luck Cat Cafe on the Internet and arrive expecting some trendy eatery with lounging cats. What they get is lounging cats. Stacie Ferreiro and her husband Nick, both 23, discovered the Cat Cafe while browsing the thrift store one day and stop by regularly now to cuddle kittens. Both are allergic so they can’t adopt, but they enjoy the kitties for as long as their noses will allow. “We liked this thrift store and it does not hurt that they have these cats,” Stacie Ferreiro said. “They tell us it’s nice when people come in a love on the cats.” WMG
WHAT: Good Luck Cat Cafe WHERE: 2365 Wilton Drive (inside Boomerang’s Thrift Store) WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday through Saturday COST: Free but donations are accepted
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