Showing posts with label Lesley Blackner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lesley Blackner. Show all posts

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The only way to kill the real estate developer monsters in Florida is to drive a stake thru their hearts, er, wallets -Yes on Amendment 4. It's true!

Coming so quickly after my August blog posts comparing Broward Comm. Ilene Lieberman's efforts to already weaken the brand-new Broward County ethics rules to any number of famous hard-to-kill monsters that starred in classic Hammer Films, honored last year by the Royal Mail with stamps -Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy- I feel a small amount of gratification.
Perhaps those posts of mine found an unintended audience, and helped contribute a kernel to the idea below.


http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Ilene%20Lieberman
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/content1?catId=32300674&mediaId=76000716





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXuFEAx0eK4

http://www.youtube.com/user/FloridaHometown


Latest Amendment 4/FHD news stories at
http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/news

Why the lies about Florida Hometown Democracy? blog

http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/


http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/


http://floridahometowndemocracy.com/blog

Reminder: Amendment 4 Informational Forum in Hollywood on Wednesday, October 13th, from 7-9 p.m. at the Hillcrest Playdium, 1100 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood, FL. Free parking

See my post from last week on this meeting with lots of information on participants at:

http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/forum-in-hollywood-on-amendment-4.html

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Forum in Hollywood on Amendment 4 slated for Wednesday October 13th at the Hillcrest Playdium, hosted by HLSCA & HHCA

Received this bit of public policy news this afternoon that I wanted to share with you ASAP, so you can check your calendar and make plans to attend.

To be honest, until today, I'd never heard of the Hillcrest Playdium, but just hearing the name, well, it sort of makes me wish that Hallandale Beach had a Hippodrome of its own.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_of_Constantinople

As most everyone knows by now, I support Amendment 4, since the Diplomat LAC proposal in Hallandale Beach earlier this year made HB the poster-child for why this legislation is NEEDED.

----------

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Amendment 4 Informational Forum in Hollywood - Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

The Hollywood Lakes Civic Association (HLSCA) in partnership with the Hollywood Hills Civic Association (HHCA) will host a Forum on the upcoming statewide ballot question, Amendment 4. Amendment 4 would require city or county land use or comprehensive plan changes to go before the voters at an upcoming election.

Participating in the Hollywood Amendment 4 Forum will be following individuals:


For Amendment 4:
Bett Willett – Ms. Willett is the South Florida Coordinator for Florida Hometown Democracy, the grass-roots organization that was successful in getting Amendment 4 on the ballot. Bett is also a member of the Broward County Planning Council.


Tom Connick – Mr. Connick is a practicing attorney from Deerfield Beach and works closely with the Deerfield Beach Save Our Beach organization.

Against Amendment 4:
Mayor Frank Ortis – Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis is an outspoken critic of Amendment 4 and has a long history of civic service. Mayor Ortis was appointed to Vice Chair of the Broward League of Cities 2010-2011 Legislative & Advocacy Committee and has served as a Commissioner and Mayor for Pembroke Pines since 1996.


Cliff Schulman – Mr. Schulman is active with the “Vote No on 4” campaign organization.


Location for the Hollywood Amendment 4 Forum will be the Hillcrest Playdium, 1100 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood, FL 33021.

Time: 7 to 9 pm.


Free parking.


For information, call 954-923-1940 or
info@hollywoodlakes.com

-----

For the record, Cliff Schulman, mentioned above as one of the speakers who'll appear as an opponent of Florida Hometown Democracy, is considerably more than just someone who is "active" in anti-Amendment 4 activities.

Schulman
is a frequent visitor
before municipal and county government bodies throughout South Florida on behalf of his clients in his role as an attorney and lobbyist.
He was formerly the co-chair of the Environmental and Land Development Practice in the downtown Miami office of
Greenberg Traurig, LLP, down on Brickell Avenue.

Earlier this year, Mr. Schulman left for
Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske PL
. http://www.wsh-law.com/content/attorneys/s/clifford-a-schulman/

Tell me, would it ever occur to you to ask for increased density for a client, in this case, Publix, as a result of
development credits for underwater land?

Underwater
, as in the Intracoastal.
No, really.

Well, Mr. Schulman has.


To wit, whether
"submerged lands within an adjacent platted lot owned by Publix can be included for purposes of determining density and intensity of land use under section 265-5 of the City of Sunny Isles Beach Code of Ordinances..."

I have to admit, THAT is one lawyer who thinks 'outside-of-the-box'!


To see more on the particulars, see

http://www.3dca.flcourts.org/opinions/3D07-1895.pdf
and http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2007/04/greedy-developersjoe-martinezclifford.html and
http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/2009/07/r-allen-stanford-and-miami-based.html

Schulman
is also the Chairman of the Board of the Aventura Marketing Council (AMC).
http://www.aventuramarketingcouncil.com/

For more information on the individuals and groups mentioned above, see:

http://hollywoodlakes.com/news.htm

http://www.hollywoodcivic.org/modules/wfchannel/

http://www.hccacentral.org/


http://floridahometowndemocracyamendment.blogspot.com/


http://blogbybett.blogspot.com/


http://www.originalsaveourbeach.org/

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Government Reform in California and Gov. Charlie Crist's 2009-10 Budget and Policy Recommendations

Meant to post this last night after receiving it earlier in the day via the governor's occasional email, but had to get some sleep in order to be at the Transportation Summit up in Fort Lauderdale this morning at 8 a.m.  (I'll have more on that event on Sunday, along with photos.) 

Contrary to popular understanding and myth, or should I say 'misunderstsnding,' the word crisis in Chinese is actually NOT the combination of the characters "danger" and "opportunity."

That said, in California, according to yesterday's Los Anglese Times, the depth of public anger at the crisis in Sacramento over the state budget may well represent an excellent opportunity to get some much needed reform there, especially in limiting the power of partisan ideologues, by initiating "open primaries" for state legislative races.

See Ezra Klein's thoughts on the likely results of such an effort at The American Prospect:

Personally, I would greatly welcome such a reform-minded effort here in Florida -along with the passage of Lesley Blackner's Hometown Democracy effort which I've previously supported, see
http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/home2.html -as I believe they would greatly strengthen the hand of moderates in the legislature and begin to weaken the grip of conservatives and liberals from ridiculouly uncompetitive 'safe' districts, who rarely, if ever, have to be anything close to real Profiles in Courage, either in Tallahassee or back home in their districts.

The logical results of such skewed demographics and pandering to the base have been apparent across the state from Appalachicola to Aventura for quite some time.
I mean did you really think it's just a huge coincidence that the state is such a laughingstock nationally in so many areas?
Garbage in, garbage out. 

California's budget fiasco legacy could be reform
After the panic and embarrassment of the fiscal near-disaster, observers see an opportunity to finally fix how state government works.
By Michael Rothfeld and Eric Bailey
__________________________


 
February 20, 2009
 
Dear Friends,
 
Today, I unveiled my budget and policy recommendations for the 2009-10 fiscal year. My 2009 legislative priorities are aimed at investing wisely so that we can move Florida’s economy forward. These budget and policy proposals will make our classrooms world-class so that we train the best workforce possible. They will keep our air clean and diversify our energy. They will lower property taxes and ensure fiscal responsibility in local government. And they will help businesses thrive so they can create and retain the jobs that we need, now more than ever, to fuel our economy.
 
There is no doubt; these are historic times of economic challenge for our nation and for our state. But I believe that there are better days in store for Florida. Times like these provide a unique opportunity for elected officials to make government better, more efficient, and more accountable.
 
In developing my recommendations, my highest priority is to avoid further deficits – yet continue to move Florida’s economy forward. Now more than ever, we must create jobs for the hard-working people of Florida. Second, we must continue critical services to Florida’s most vulnerable – our children, elders, and persons with disabilities. And we must continue our investment in Florida’s classrooms and hard-working teachers, in public safety and in health care. The taxpayers of Florida deserve nothing less.
 
The $66.5-billion budget I propose includes $4.7 billion in federal stimulus dollars for 2009-10 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Without these funds, we would have had to tighten our belts another $3.4 billion. My budget proposal reflects Florida’s greatest needs – allocating $25.2 billion to Health and Human Services, $21.5 billion to education, and $10.3 billion to transportation and Economic Development. I also maintain my commitment to public safety, with $4.9 billion that will help keep criminals off the streets and our neighborhoods safe.
 
My recommendations include a significant increase in per-student funding: $183 more per student, for an average of $7,044 per student. That is increase of 2.67 percent over the current fiscal year.  The money we set aside for schools must be spent wisely. I want to thank Representative Robert Schenck and Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla for supporting legislation requiring our school districts to spend a minimum of 70 percent of operating funds on direct classroom expenditures benefiting students.
 
Strong universities are vital to creating the competitive workforce that will keep Florida’s economy vibrant for generations to come. I thank Senator Ken Pruitt and Representative Will Weatherford for supporting legislation that will clarify university governance and provide more teaching resources for Florida’s 11 universities -- while maintaining access and affordability for students and families. Under the proposal, each board of trustees may adopt a tuition differential beginning in fall 2009, with Board of Governors approval. Overall tuition cannot rise by more than 15 percent a year, and 30 percent of the revenues must go to need-based student financial aid.
 
Despite the economic challenges facing Florida, the Sunshine State has been recognized as a national leader in terms of our greatest resource – our workforce. To continue supporting Florida’s workforce, I recommend $2 billion in workforce initiatives, including over $800 million for career education and employment services that will create or retain 3,000 jobs. I also recommend $621.2 million for school readiness. This investment is expected to create or retain more than 12,800 jobs for child-care providers.
 
Continuing my commitment to public safety, I recommend $4.9 billion to maintain support for Florida’s increasing prison population and continue programs that reduce recidivism, prevent juvenile crime and keep violent criminals off the streets. My proposed budget also maintains funding to support local law enforcement agencies.
 
We must make every effort to preserve direct health care services to our children, our elderly, and our disabled populations. I am recommending an increase of $45 million for cash assistance and food stamps for families and their children, and $52 million to support an additional 46,000 children in the KidCare program.
 
We must continue our efforts, started in August with Accelerate Florida, to maintain Florida as a friendly place to do business. I am urging the passage of legislation sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz and Representative Trudi Williams that streamlines and reduces burdensome licensing requirements for contractors and other professionals.
 
Now more than ever, as families are faced with economic challenges, we must reduce the tax burden on Florida homeowners and business property owners. I propose a set of reforms that build upon previous legislation resulting in the largest property tax cut in state history.
 
I support the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Senator Evelyn Lynn and Representative Carl Domino that encourages homeownership and enhances the tax savings provided by Amendment One. It further reduces the growth cap on non-homestead residential and commercial properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. The amendment also grants a 50 percent exemption, up to $250,000, to homeowners who previously have not owned a home in Florida.
 
Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano and supported in the House by Representative Marcelo Llorente protects Florida homeowners from having to pay more in taxes when market values are declining. The proposal repeals the automatic three percent increase on the assessed value of homesteads when their market values decrease. In addition, legislation sponsored by Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera provides fairness for property owners who challenge the property appraiser’s assessment of their property value.
 
Local governments, like state government, must be accountable in how they spend taxpayer dollars. Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Haridopolos and Representatives Dean Cannon and Anitere Flores keeps our local governments accountable by limiting increases in local revenues to inflation and growth, based on the value of new construction. Only through super-majority votes by governing bodies can revenues increase by more than the cap.
 
I again call on the Florida Legislature to quickly approve the 25-year compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Over time it can provide billions of dollars to Florida’s schools – with $150 million guaranteed in 2009-10 alone. The tribe also reports the compact can create 45,000 new jobs. I am also encouraging the Legislature to support SunRail, the proposed 61-mile commuter rail system that would serve Orlando and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties.  A recently released economic impact study found construction and operation of the commuter rail project will infuse more than $1 billion over the next 30 years into Florida’s economy and create more than 13,000 construction and operations jobs.
 
I look forward to working with the Legislature on these proposals. Together, we can put in place new laws that strengthen our economy and make life better for Floridians. May God continue to bless the great state of Florida for now and into the future.
 
  
 
 
 
Click here to see the Governor's video message: http://www.clickcaster.com/charliecrist