Barbara Cole by the Sea

Kitchen Closed/ Major Meltdown….

The kitchen is closed!….

unless a group specifically specifies they are in need of the Jarvis Hall Kitchen….

it will be lights out…and locked up tight!…

That Black and White way of Administrating reared its head at the end of last night’s commission meeting…

However did this town function over all these years with an unlocked pantry?………

No water for coffee ….no place to prepare….

not unless you fill it out on your application……well in advance….

The Meltdown….

with his fist pounding the podium…the assistant to the Town Manager…

lost his composure….

over what…you ask….as the hour approached midnight…..

paperwork and how it was filled out by the POA!…

It was enough to send any….government…rules…are …rules… die-hard into a frenzy!

The last of the scoops for the 5/13/ 08 commission meeting…

Black and Blue was how this writer felt as this meeting came to an end….

Agenda overview later…. of the non- scoop variety….

Funds…and Finances…

The President of the Palm Club….and the Mayor were late to join the bandwagon….

but join it they did….

Following the success of the Dodd/ Clottey campaign…

for paying down the debt….incurred from sewers and such…improvements… for the north end of town….

OUCH!….

in her presentation…after handing over he gavel to the Vice Mayor….

Mayor Minnet …was on a roll…making all who were on the same wavelength…surprisingly haoppy…

only…to hit the proverbial “bump” in the road…with insinuating fiscal irresponsibility on behalf of the current commission majority…..

( BCbythesea…opinion……she was alluding to cell phones/ health insurance…implementation…that she voted against….).

and imploring for “honest accountability” from the Town Administration…

This was met with a shot back from Comm. Dodd…. with Comm. Clottey reminding the Mayor of the campaign pledges….both made….

Unfortunately…this mis-step was not the only one….

The Town Manager responded back about pre- payment penalties…involved with a debt reduction using this fund…

Madam Manager…the Finance Director at the time…did not go into detail…. as to why the town would accept a loan with such a penalty attached….

A difference of opinion also ensued between Comm. Clottey and Vice Mayor McIntee over the role of who was in charge on such matters…. the commission or Town Manager….

BCbythesea opinion….this needs to be addressed…as previously posted…a full open accounting needs to be made of all funds under the charge of the Town Manager…

Whatever happened to another campaign promise…

a full audit?……….

Steering Off Course….

The Master Steering Committee was dealt a blow last night….

when a new member was made the new Chair of the committee!…

BCbythesea…means no disrespect towards the new Chair…the Vice Mayor’s nominee …. for the committee…

but after observing …(in previous post…)…the Master Steering meeting last month….this gentleman had absolutely no idea how this committee functions…

Taking the right of the committee to choose their own Chair was perceived as a pre-emptive move to further take a swipe at the previous Chair….by a few…who opposed her appointment….

This committee should be used to go over the history of this town’s many studies….somewhere up on the shelves… and make headway with a comprehensive vision to present to the commission and this town for its future….

BCbythesea… wonders which… will take place….

the previous Chair…Vice Chair…and members serving a second time will stay on to succeed in these ventures…and help the new Chair get his bearings…ASAP….

or….

a mass exodus….leaving more board member openings to filled once again….by the commission?………..

Next meeting of the Master Steering Committee….Mon. 5/19/08…6:30 pm Jarvis Hall…

(unfortunately…it will not be televised…. since TV coverage… was not reinstated….)

The Talking Points….

Did the NBCA send north end residents to the commission with planned “talking points”?

Repeated at  public comments….

the north end was “promised”…..”professional” protection….fire/EMS…..according to the annexation agreement….

3 times……. this was introduced….emphatically……with a warning…..for  “cause and effect” …for De-annexation….

BCbythesea opinion….the “cause and effect” proved be quite the opposite of their intention…….

as witnessed last evening from both elected official and residents in attendance……..

Back to the drawing board….. De-annexation Research Committee….

Performing Arts….No More!

Jarvis Hall enclosure…..No More!

The infamous …”Yanni Performing Arts Center”…No More!

( the name many alluded…. would be installed after completion……)

A FAUX PAS?…..

That is what one BCbythesea reader hopes this morning….

Change the zip code…

for the whole town!….

passes 5-0….

The reader called the Mayor…who reportedly responded ….”it looked good on paper”….

The Mayor had no clue what it would entail for all LBTS residents to change their zip code…drivers licenses…checks…bills etc….

If the north end thought the south end was ready to help them exit …to another municipality… in their De-annexation scenario….

this action would increase those petition signers……10 fold!

BCbythesea…opinion…. fully aware that this undertaking had a “remote” chance at best… by the postal authorities to succeed…

An immediate re- vote needs to be taken at the next commission meeting rescinding this action…

a re- worded resolution is required…. to continue to try and get those few areas in the north end on the current 33308 zip code …south end residents will not give up…

Homework should have been done on this one…..

Commission meeting 5/13/08

Friday Night Jazz on the Square….

Which is it?….

Was the Town Administration in receipt of documents after they made inquiries of the state…for permits….and kept mum?

Did the Town Administration….not let this patron of the town know the reason he was not getting an extension?

Dave Gatsby …at the podium remarked that he was made aware of the requirements that day….

he explained how the permit worked in the past…extensions… not… new permits…and following the protocol in place since its inception… thinking it was still appropriate….

BCbythesea has also learned that another restaurant was sent a fax with the same information during the day (5/13/08)…with the same “new” town requirements…dated 4/8/08!

Black and White…administrating at its worst!…. done with “gloating” from the Administration is how many have described what they observed last night….. to BCbythesea ….today!

Fort Lauderdale….finds the “gray area”….to deal with the “open container” laws….as does other coastal towns …trying to make their town a destination of tourists and patrons….in these hard economic times…

enacting these Black and White procedures…with no offer of compromise… no help in the process…will send all our visitors scrambling their way….

Dave will meet with the the proper authorities to see if the permit is defined as temporary or permanent and make a decision following this meeting set for next week….

BCbythesea…hopes that a solution can be found within a higher level of government….to remedy the situation…with subjective terminology that allows the “gold standard” of Friday night special events in LBTS…to carry on….

The Development Report at the 5/13/08 LBTS Commission meeting was an eye opener….

(a sign of things to come…this evening….)

The Vice Mayor asked the Director of Developmennt about an incident involving a resident and having BSO protection present……at a meeting….

This homeowner was publicly accused of an illegal proposal to the Development office… asking them to “look the other way”…

This homeowner was publicly described as having “erratic behavior”… “hostile”…causing the Director to feel “brow beaten”…to be “intimidated”… “did not know if he was armed”….

The Town Manager added to the indictment…again… saying this resident had proposed an illegal act be implemented on the part of the town…

This was incomprehensible …. “character assassination”….with no opportunity for the resident to counter or defend himself…

BCbythesea opinion…. Just wrong on so many levels…….

Will legal action for this action be forthcoming?…………

Many scoops… from the Commission meeting… Black& White…to …Black Eyes!….

The agenda based…. overview from the Commission meeting…

Web Wednesday….

News…

There is much more later….

BCbythesea….will stir things up today….

5/12/08

The North Beach civic organization had their meeting in Jarvis Hall…

(scoop on announcement…De-annexation…in scoop category)…

It was attended by approximately 30 residents…

An informational presentation on condo insurance was given by Jerry Bookman…

He was an insurance agent …and is currently a consultant with …Risk Management Consultants…

“Insurance is the law of large numbers.” exclaimed Mr Bookman….

Here are a few highlights…

Associations should have a line of credit with a bank….

at least a million….should be on hand….

A catastrophic occurrence will require immediate implementation of contractors…for dry out equipment etc…requiring immediate payouts…in a matter of 2-3 weeks…. that 1st million could be required…

Insurance initial payout will take 4- 5 months…

Banks love condos for line of credit clients…due to collateral ability to assess….no better credit risk…

a special assessment does not need to take place until the line is used…and then only for what amount is required…

All condos should require all contractors to supply them with a certificate of insurance to do any work on the premises…

a check can be made for the validity of the certificate at….www.fldfs.com/wcapps/contractor/logon.asp

BEWARE. OF……mold specialists….

DO NOT HAVE A MOLD SPECIALIST AT THE START OF DISASTER CLAIM!

These mold specialists act as if they are doing the condo a favor by inspecting from the get-go…in reality they provide the insurance companies the opportunity to use the mold report as a way to negate a large portion of the claim …possibly in the millions…

A contractor can find mold as they work…a mold report is not required…fight it…. if it is presented that way…since it will be used against you…

Have the mold inspection…last…after all repair work is done…along with the air quality testing in order to return to occupy the premises…

At that time……. whatever needs to be done to pass…… will be done without additional charge.

Mr Bookman advised…send away the first appraiser…and possibly the second…make this a practice…due to who the insurance companies will send…and from where…. it is your right to ask for another appraiser…by the time you get further down the line of appraisers…the insurance company will know you mean business…

Do not allow condo property to be used for a “staging area”…meaning any equipment used or not used ….. will be charged to the condo…. daily…include …a provision… that you will only be charged for what is used…

Self Insurance…not recommended…due to the lack of funds available in the short term for a catastrophic event…usually takes 5 years for there to be enough savings…

also…

what is the liability….is it jointly or separately?

Where are the self insured properties…all together in one area or spread out?

No catastrophic event…will save… that’s a given…

Catastrophic event….will lose…”a crap shoot!”….

Citizens Insurance…..politicians not being honest about their ability to cover a catastrophic payout…

The speaker advised BCbythesea…Sea Ranch Club…to check out present…longtime insurance provider QBE for lawsuits against them for non-payment from Wilma…

Another shocker…in the new changes ….comes this ….

right now the condo law says that individual unit air conditioners/ condo roof air conditioners… are the responsibility of the unit owners…

the change in January….individual air conditioners/condo roof air conditioners… will be the responsibility of the association…including maintenance and repairs! YIKES!

Appraisals will now be required by condos every 36 months…Citizens Insurance…every 18 months…

NOTE: BCbythesea…question…..

was the appraisal blunder for Sea Ranch Club…found…. due to the required appraisal by Citizens with the change in windstorm insurance companies?….

All condos ….should ask their agents to provide them with a certificate of insurance….errors and omissions… malpractice insurance…

Finally…a majority of the unit owners can opt out of the new legislation…which usurps any condo documents…if not opted out…

A reversal to opt back in …can be done ….at any time…. with the same majority vote…

Condos do not need the permission of mortgagees to opt out…

All condo boards….management… counsel…..should take the time to compare their documents with the new condo legislation and point out any changes to the owners…

to decide whether to adhere to the state or opt out…. to stay with the condo documents…

Any further inquiries…contact your condo board members…managers…and of course Google…