Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts

Monday, August 19, 2019

So THAT just happened... for the worst. Broward County's 325-foot 911 Services radio tower at West Lake Park in #HollywoodFL just got the green light from an independent consultant. So now what? Don't hold your breath, Hollywood!

Today's blog post is the latest update to the neverending story regarding Broward County's longstanding effort to put a 325-foot high 911 emergency services radio tower and antenna in a very popular county park in northern Hollywood off Sheridan Street, West Lake Park
Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/mM7qZd1Hz6aBHqx2A

That plan has been almost universally opposed by the the city's residents and elected officials on largely environmental grounds and financial grounds, though there are clearly many Hollywood homeowners who are opposed to the radio tower being located there for strictly aesthetic reasons, too.
Which is their right, of course.


This blog post will cover what's largely taken place since my last blog post on this issue of May 6th, 2019, The West Lake Park Radio Tower issue is rubbing #HollywoodFL residents the wrong way, esp. people who don't see 325-foot tall radio antennas, even for 911 services, being compatible for a nature park. Especially when there's a better answer available. @SAVEWESTLAKE
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-west-lake-park-radio-tower-issue-is.html


The map above and the following infromation comes straight from Broward County's website:

Consultant Concludes West Lake Park is Best Site for 911 Tower Site

On June 19, Broward County and the City of Hollywood agreed to hire an independent subject matter expert to evaluate two proposed locations for a new radio tower in east Hollywood. The independent expert released his report earlier today and recommends the West Lake Park location (view site map) in lieu of the CIRC Hotel location. Per the terms of the agreement between the City and County, the independent expert’s decision is binding on both parties. Read Consultant Report.


Broward Comm. Beam Furr, a former City of Hollywood Commissioner -and a friend of yours truly- was very articulate and persuasive in pointing out these environmental and financial facts at a summer County Commission meeting, pointing out that having it placed atop The Circ Hotel at Young Circle on U.S.-1/Federal Highway is better for all Broward taxpayers because

a.) it would cost less, and, 
b.) there would be ZERO possibility of storm surge affecting the antenna tower during or after a hurricane, as would be more likely if it's located at West Lake Park.

As is commonly known, the whole Broward 911 communications system has been a fiasco for many years, with the murders at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywod International Airport in January of 2017 - I knew someone who flew out of the airport shortly before it took place- and the massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas H.S. having revealed the self-evident dangers of the County Commission being  behind-schedule on updating and improving the 911 system for what seems like forever.

That being the case, actually having the radio antenna located in a site that is both cheaper and safer made a lot of sense to me and most of the people I know, whether they were Hollywood residents like me or not.

But the rest of the Broward County Commission had little-to-no interest in listening to what Comm. Furr and the residents of Hollywood said, and to me seemed to have largely made their minds made up long before the meeting started, as evidenced by many their overly-dramatic self-serving, self-pitying, sanctimonious and sarcastic comments, especially those coming from Comm. Barbara Sharief and Comm. Michael Udine, the latter of whom I zinged on Twitter in late June, as you can see below.
Their whole Chicken Little "sky-is-falling" mindset was embarrassing, though predictable given where we are.

This all taking place despite the fact that it's clear to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention that the 911 radio tower antenna tower, no matter where it was located in the greater Hollywood area to cover SE Broward, would NOT be complete until... NEXT YEAR.

I heard one of the county's own experts say that right in front of me at the June meeting in Hollywood.

But to not real effect apparently.
People who know better still claim it will be done this year.
It's simply a preposterous claim, especially if we get anything close to a minor hurricane before the end of November now that we have moved into the heart of hurricane season, where 85% of them emerge.







Photo from @SAVEWESTLAKE









































 

Dave 

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Update re #HollywoodFL & #Broward: Growing citizen frustration with flooding in #HollywoodLakes, the city's #SUP experiment at #HollywoodBeach is nearing an end, so what's next?; practical efforts to improve beach conditions.

 Update re #HollywoodFL & #Broward: Growing citizen frustration with flooding in #HollywoodLakes, the city's #SUP experiment at #HollywoodBeach is nearing an end, so what's next?; practical efforts to improve beach conditions.

CORRECTION: The Sept. 11th public meeting I reference below to Michelle will actually be held at the Washington Park Community Center at 5199 Pembroke Road, NOT at Hollywood City Hall.




























Manta ray welcoming me back to Florida this morning ❤️ Saw him breach and do a big belly flop. Only got a few hours of sleep after my flight but so worth getting up early anyway. Manta ray, black tip shark, lots of fishies, a fresh sea turtle nest, and friendly human neighbors too. I love that I actually see paddlers enjoying the ocean now. I used to be all alone. 😎 The @marinemegafauna says we have a manta ray nursery! So lucky. 🌊🌊🌊#loveFL #thankyouocean #mantaray #seaturtle #turtlenest #sup #paddle #standuppaddlingisnotacrime #shark #paddleboard #standuppaddle #optoutside #sunrise #hollywoodbeach #hollywoodfl #kayak #theoceanismyfavorite #goprohero7black #gopro @bogasup #meetmeatthebeach #hollywoodbroadwalk #ocean #beachlife #goodmorning @margaritaville_hollywood_beach #lifeisbetterinabikini @floridamantagirl #boardmeeting #mygym #savetheoceansdamnit #majesticseaflapflap

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Catherine Uden: "I continue to fight the campaign for beach access for water recreation in Hollywood (court date, motion to dismiss later this month)  wish me luck. Our 6 month SUP/surf/kayak trial period is up soon and we are hoping to make Hollywood even more paddle friendly. "










Surfrider Foundation National Summit in Irvine, California. Thank you so much @surfrider Foundation for my Wavemaker Award for my years as Chair of the Broward County Chapter and our chapter victories - I am very honored. Thanks to Holly Parker Curry and Marilu Cristina Flores for being such great Florida regional directors. I’m so happy Neil and my brother Brendan and my coworker Nancy Estabrook Downes could be at the party. I continue to fight the campaign for beach access for water recreation in Hollywood (court date, motion to dismiss later this month) �� wish me luck. Our 6 month SUP/surf/kayak trial period is up soon and we are hoping to make Hollywood even more paddle friendly. �� Congrats to Emma Kavanaugh and @stasurfrideryouthclub and @f1rstsurfshop on their awards! #ProtectAndEnjoy Congrats to so many dedicated chapter volunteers, and keep fighting the good fight! ������ #longlivethebeach #SurfriderSummit #surfridersummit2019 #surfrider @surfridermiami @surfriderpbc @surfriderfloridakeys @surfriderfl @oceana_socal @bnicholas1979 #teamuden #oceandefenders @sanuk @electric @pacificobeer #california #irvine @ucirvine #wavemaker #wavemakers #oceanconservation #standuppaddlingisnotacrime @surfriderbroward @the_dude_n_the_buddy @nancy_e_downes @h20mikeg @jayson_koch_realtor @hollypcurry @e.fn.mazzarella #cleanwaterhealthybeaches #volunteer #volunteers #volunteerism @guykawasaki @surfridersebastianinlet
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The NBC6 video that Cat references in her Instagram post above is here:



The Fight Over Shark Fins in Florida
NBC 6 South Florida
Published on Aug 5, 2019

The Fight Over Shark Fins in Florida
The shark population is being decimated by overfishing and a changing climate in the form of ocean acidification and habitat degradation.  In Florida, the fight against the shark fin trade is escalating: 
CAUTION: This video contains images some may find disturbing.

By Angie Lassman and Chris Clark

https://youtu.be/r1JZcPknT0g













------

 You don't need the sun�� to have #fun in #Miami/#SoFL����️��when there's a LOT MORE #amazing fun at night! ��





Dave