Changes to Margate Civil Service Code make it easier to Promote, Demote, Hire and Fire City Workers
Passed on second reading and made law at the April 18th Margate city meeting, four sections of Margate City Code 16-1/4 have been revised to reflect new procedures that govern hiring, promoting and terminating city employees in Margate.
“We’re giving ourselves options not to have barriers so when people want to work we can put them to work,” City Manager, Yolanda Rodriguez told commissioners at the meeting.
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View revised ordinances.
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Margate CERT Grads among Youngest on Record
Wouldn’t it be nice if more 14-year-olds knew how to save lives? If that were the case, they would be like Patricia Swayze of Margate, a recent graduate of the city’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. CERT teaches citizens life-saving skills, such as how to treat for shock, excessive bleeding, CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) and respiratory aid.
“When disaster strikes I want to be able to help my community. I love helping my community,” Swayze told MargateNews.net.
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Snakeheads Invade Margate: Tournament Scheduled for 21st
Are they a nuisance? Yes. Are they a food source? Yes.
One angler describes them as bass with teeth, endlessly devouring native perch, largemouth bass and Florida softshell turtles. That same angler throws them on the grill, smokes, bakes and eats them.
“It’s practically all white meat,” said Dan Bieniek., a fisherman who once a month hunts the monstrous-looking species. “It’s firm, tasty and probably one of the safest fish to eat out of local waterways.”
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Margate Considers Cottage Food Law
Last year state lawmakers gave Floridians their blessing. Bake to your heart’s content at home, then sell your breads, spreads, cookies and pies direct-to-consumers at green markets, outdoor events, retail kiosks, festivals and fairs. You can even deliver.
No selling wholesale, mail order or over the Internet and yearly sales can’t exceed $15,000. You don’t need a license or permit to operate and your kitchen won’t get inspected by the state unless somebody complains. You don’t have to pay state sales tax on transactions and you can store your products right there in your living room.
House Bill 7209, which passed unanimously in both the Florida House and Senate last year, cleared the way for Florida cities to embrace the state statute, which establishes guidelines for cottage food manufacturing and labeling, sales, and fines for non-compliance.
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Help Me Howard Speaks to Margate Democrats
About once a year, Broward County Public Defender, Howard Finkelstein, aka, Help Me Howard, addresses Margate Democrats at a monthly Democratic Club meeting. Finkelstein (Circuit 17) is up for re-election in November, but the two-term protector of the underdog told 'Dems' that’s not why he was there.
“The people that you have voted for and put into office you see only every four years. They come out just to get your vote, and the four years in between you don’t see them, you don’t hear from them and that’s not what holding public office is all about,” Finkelstein told a group of about 40 at the February meeting.
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Potential Margate Business Owner Complains about Customer Service
Eight-year Margate resident and business owner Pamela Smith said she has opened businesses in Delray and Coral Springs and has never had such a bad experience than trying to open a business in Margate, she told Margate commissioners at the March city meeting.
“I wanted to share the lack of professionalism I experienced in so many departments. I was not treated kindly. The only department that treated me as if they wanted the business was the zoning department,” Smith said.
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Hebrew Academy Purim Parade Full of Love Laughter and Song
The holiday of Purim celebrates the bravery of the lovely Queen Esther who, together with her cousin Mordechai, saved the Jewish people from certain destruction at the hands of the evil villain Haman.
At the Margate Hebrew Academy they celebrate Purim to the max. Students, families, teachers and administrators all dress in costume and parade around the school parking lot singing and dancing then converge in the gymnasium where Rabbi Yossi Denburg ties the lessons of old with what’s happening in the modern Jewish world.
Rabbi Denburg shares meaning of Purim
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Cell Tower Companies Compete for Space in Margate
Two cell tower plans targeting private property in the city were approved by the Margate Development Review Committee (DRC) last week. Designs for both were in line with city zoning, engineering and building codes and the need for more coverage/capacity in the area was clearly laid out in local Radio Frequency (RF) maps, said Margate Cell Tower Consultant, Rick Edwards.
Now, Margate City Commissioners will decide in March which cell tower company can erect their structure and on which side of State Rd 7 just south of the Hess Station.
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City News Shorts
Commissioner Complains about former Shell Gas Station
Margate City Commissioner David McLean asked city staff to put pressure on Margate’s first Mayor Victor Semet to clean up the fomer Shell Gas Station at the northwest corner of 441 and Atlantic Boulevard. McLean said Semet and his family own the vacated gas station and it’s unfair to home and business owners in Margate that the property sit there abandon and unkept.
“He has no lights on. It’s an abandon property. We gave him a chance to knock it down with a CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) grant. He did not want it and it sits there dilapidated and it makes our city look like hell,” McLean said at a February city meeting.
City Manager, Yolanda Rodriguez told McLean she would follow up with city code.
More News Shorts…
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Community Leaders Spread Holiday Cheer
Santa Claus played by Margate/Coconut Creek Fire Captain, Adam Sitman, landed his fire truck sleigh in a Paradise Gardens neighborhood last week to listen to wishes from Margate kids.
Sitman recently took on the job of union representative for the Coconut Creek/Margate Local 3080 and is a major player in fundraising and image building activities for the department.
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Margate Reclaimed Wastewater Treatment Facility to Break Ground in 2012
Construction for the core of Margate’s reclaimed water system is expected to begin in summer 2012. The $4 million plus facility was approved by the Board of Adjustment last week and includes building a dedicated reclaimed water treatment plant, storage tank, and dedicated water mains to convert wastewater to irrigate the city’s three golf courses.
The reclaimed water facility will be built on the west side of the city’s existing wastewater treatment plant located at 6630 NW 9th Street Margate. The structure is expected to be approximately three stories in height (30 feet) and construction will impact residents most living along the One Mile Canal on NW 69 Terrace between NW 8 Court and NW 7.
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Federal Money Flows into Margate
Receipt of a $3 million Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) grant to repair canal damage in the city caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005 was approved by commissioners at the November 16 city meeting.
Other grant awards include $95,000 from FEMA to install engine exhaust systems at city fire stations and $1.1 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program -3 (NSP3) funding to purchase run down homes in the city, refurbish and sell them.
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Margate People (and Police Canines) in the News
Though not as mighty as a conventional Margate Police Pension, retired Margate Police canines Alex and Dak will get annual food and medical benefits in the amount of $1,460 each for the next two years.
The 'Transfer of Personalty' by which a police officer brings a police canine home to live after retirement, originally provided for only $540 in food and $190 in medical care for one year.
Commending the dogs for years of service, Margate Commissioner, Frank Talerico motioned at the November city meeting to not only boost the dog's annual benefit, but to add a year of coverage to retirement. Commissioners unanimously agreed.
More news briefs…
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Margate Pays Tribute to American Vets
“What is a Veteran?” asked U.S. Army Captain Michael Buemi, the Keynote Speaker at Margate’s Veteran’s Day Celebration.
“Someone who at one point signed a blank check made payable with his/her life,” Buemi told a crowd of Margate veterans, residents and visitors attending the tribute at Veterans Memorial Park Friday.
Buemi spoke to how American Veterans have paid for freedom - not with money - but with duty, honor and courage; blood, sweat and tears.
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Sidewalk Construction Rock Island Road at Atlantic Boulevard
How can one find out why the road 'improvement' work at Rock Island and Atlantic Blvd? It seems to have come to a complete standstill. It's been months and still absolutely no progress. Was this just really poor planning on the city's part?
– Oriole Estates resident, Jerry Alexander.
Margate officials were told by project managers in September that mast arms for street lights might arrive by mid-October. Once mast arms are installed, sidewalk construction can be completed.
Read update...
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City to Hold Workshop Over Parkour in City Parks
Several members of the Parkour community in Margate addressed city commissioners during public speak at the October 17 city meeting. The extreme acrobats were told by city Parks and Recreation officials to abandon the practice of Parkour in city parks, pointing to costly liabilities the extreme sport of Parkour/Freerunning presents to taxpayers.
Margate resident and Hapkido expert, Phil Barrett, spoke on behalf of the traceurs, saying there must be a way to allow them to practice Parkour and at the same time alleviate city liability.
“Having been asked to leave the park I found a bit upsetting, I don’t think we should ban these athletes for being really good at what they do,” Barrett told commissioners.
Read more…
For background and pics read:
Parkour Progressing in Margate
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Soon to See More of These in Margate
These creepy looking critters are native to Florida parks and belong to one of the oldest genus of spiders known to man – Nephila jurassica. Because the Golden Silk-Orb Weaver, aka Banana Spider, Giant Wood Spider or Writing Spider loves the woods and swamps, the species continues to move east as Broward cities develop the west.
Commonly seen erecting huge webs in residential neighborhoods, shopping districts and parks in Coconut Creek, Parkland and Coral Springs, this tarantula-size arachnid is colorful and essentially harmless.
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Restaurants are Giving it Away!
Restaurants are in trouble. A poor economy and dwindling market share has resulted in a double whammy of too many restaurants and not enough customers. Pile on fast-changing eating habits and a new generation of value-based consumers and you’ve got mom and pop restaurants dropping like flies under a swatter.
More will close too, as market share garnered through coupons systematically 'eats away' at margins and spoils the ability to sustain operations. Moreover, the industry is perpetuating an irreversible trend of price-based competition to which only establishments with buying power and economies of scale will survive.
Click here to access 13 restaurant coupon websites guaranteed to satisfy your hunger for a deal – restaurants in Margate and from all over. Pizza, subs, Chinese, Italian, Columbian, Peruvian, Mexican, Cuban, Seafood, Steakhouse, Vegetarian…you name it.
Don’t wait too long to redeem your coupon. You never can tell when your favorite restaurant will be closed for business.
MANGIARE!
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City Assumes First Lien Priority on Former Palm Lakes Golf Course
It used to be a bustling 9-hole links and an amenity for golfers living at Palm Lakes Condominiums on Atlantic Boulevard and 76 Avenue. Now it’s a barren, arsenic riddled 16-acre grassy knoll neglected by owner, Eric Roth Nathanson.
Two years ago, Nathanson offered to give the city the 16-acre toxic swathe in exchange for rezoning two abutting acres fronting the road for commercial development. The city said no. They would eventually take the land anyway, posited Margate City Attorney, Eugene Steinfeld at the time, after liens on the land resulting from code infractions piled up.
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A Day We Will Never Forget
It was a crystal clear morning on September 11,
2001, when Leo Marchese went outside to smoke a cigarette. He was an employee of AON Insurance and worked on the 103rd floor of the South tower. He was taking a routine break outside when he heard the first plane crash into the tower. Debris was falling on top of him. The plane’s landing gear fell from the sky right next to him. As he ducked under the tower to avoid the falling hazards, confusion lingered and he asked himself, “Was this an accident?”
Covered in dust, it was almost impossible to get out of the city. A state of shock and distress took over.
Read more...
View YouTube Montage of the Margate Field of Honor Event
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Join Margate in Remembrance of 911
Sunday from 8:30 to 10:30 am. at Margate Boulevard and State Road 7 residents are invited to attend the city's opening ceremonies for the ‘Field of Honor’ exhibit, a weeklong tribute to American veterans, police and firefighters. The two-hour ceremony will include patriotic tunes by the Dixie Stompers, various speakers and salutations, and a flyover by U.S. fighter jets.
View YouTube Montage of Event
For an entire week, Margate will display hundreds of American Flags on 8-foot poles purchased by residents and businesses in honor of American heroes and loved ones.
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So you want to be a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader?
Bet you didn’t know Margate is home to one of the world famous Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders. Now you do. Candi (surname withheld) has lived in Margate for 15 years. In fact, she grew up here, attending Coconut Creek Elementary and Coral Springs Charter. The 23-year-old is a UCF grad, loves skydiving, paddle-boarding and you guessed it…dancing.
MargateNews.net caught up with Candi days prior to the Miami Dolphins Calendar unveiling scheduled for the Miami Beach Fontainebleau Wednesday. Forty-two Dolphin Cheerleaders in all compete for months in the calendar and the inside scoop is that Candi is a top pick for March.
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Big League Dreams, Small City Controversy
Big League Dreams is a California-based company with which Margate commissioners approved a $450,000 licensing agreement in July. The agreement, fully refundable over the next two years, is to lock-in an exclusive with BLD to stop the company from shopping another location within 50 miles of Margate for its proposed Big League Dreams (BLD) Stadium concept, a sports park destination with a pro ball park theme designed for youth and adult fast/slow pitch baseball leagues and tournament play.
In Margate, the Sports Complex on Banks Road is being considered for a BLD stadium and would include a soccer component.
Read more…
For background, read Margate Approves Licensing Agreement with Amateur Stadium Company.
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Margate Motion Clinches Medium Division Swim Title
Swimming is good exercise. The sport builds character and allows athletes not only to compete against others but against themselves as well. Much like Margate Motion swimmer, Liam Quinn, 10, who shaved eight seconds off his own time to win the ‘butterfly stroke’ event at the South Florida Recreational Swim League Medium Division competition in July.
Margate beat six teams to take first place at the competition, winning relay, freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly stroke and medley events.
“I don’t think we could have done it without the coaches,” Quinn said. “They really take their time with us and show us how to do things right.”
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Tolls on State Road 7 in Margate Far from 'Near Reality'
Looking into the future of Mass Transit in South Florida isn’t easy. But in doing so something largely holds true: We just can’t keep widening roads so that 4,000 pound vehicles can each transport one or two people heading north, south, east or west. It’s just not practical, especially during peak hours.
If you’re a commuter, that’s you in the car, traveling all alone in a vehicle that holds up to five. Every day you see people just like you traveling alone too in the same direction in huge likewise modular contraptions that weigh more than 26 times a person’s body weight and convert otherwise breathable air into toxic fumes. Traffic then slows or comes to a halt due to congestion, an accident, or a motorist who embarrassingly runs out of gas. Now you’re upset. Now you’re going to be late. Everyone is to blame but you.
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Email from FDOT
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Caylee’s Law arrives in Margate
Let’s safely assume a few things to be true for a moment: Most parents don’t kill their children. Most parents report missing children to police. Most parents love their children and would do anything for their children. If these statements in large part weren’t true, we could then assume that most kids wouldn’t live to grow up, or at the very least be raised dysfunctional or dangerous. Though some are, it’s safe to assume the majority aren’t.
Why then has Senator Jeremy Ring D-Margate, Florida received more than 500 emails from constituents in his district encouraging the lawmaker to support a piece of legislation called ‘Caylee’s Law” that makes it a felony for a parent or guardian to fail to notify law enforcement of a child missing within 24 hours?
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Margate Grants Getting Scant Results
You would think during times of recession residents would be taking full advantage of home purchase and improvement assistance in Margate. They’re not.
The $300,000 in home purchase program (HPP) grants approved by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) in 2009 attracted no qualified applicants. Moreover, nine homes remodeled with federal neighborhood stabilization program (NSP) dollars and expected to sell by the end of May remain for sale, and only about 40 percent of home improvement grants made available by the CRA in 2009 have been allocated.
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Grass Carp: Good Eatin’ but not for the Table
A few years back circa 1997 the South Florida Water Management District released about 17,000 grass carp into Margate canals at various spots. The species were found to eat invasive hydrilla weeds introduced to the area in the early 1960s. Hydrilla weeds obstruct water flow and create stagnant pools of water that collect bacteria and smell.
Admirable fighters at the end of a rod and reel, grass carp in Margate are here to do a job - to eat invasive canal weeds that stop water from moving. They are protected by the state’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and are not intended as a food source for residents.
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Margate Youth Baseball League looks to upright self after two treasurers steal more than 100K
When Mathew Knemeyer took over as Margate Youth Baseball League president in 2008 he was faced with a treasurer that had been raiding league accounts for small amounts totaling more than $25,000 over four years.
After Jeffrey Herrington was removed as treasurer and arrested by police in 2009, highly trusted David Wade Elder replaced him, said Knemeyer. Two years later, Elder was found to have taken the league for another $84,000.
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Reader Emails
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Margate Youth Baseball Treasurer turns Self in to Cops
Margate Police have arrested Margate Youth Baseball League Treasurer, David Wade Elder, 42, of Coral Springs for misapproprating more than $83,000 from the League for personal gain.
An April 2011 investigation revealed Elder had been subverting funds since August 2009.
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Margate Hospital Ranked 13th in local MSA
Every year U.S. News & World Report Health ranks the nation’s hospitals based on a government-authored survey issued to almost 5,000 medical facilities across the country. This year, Northwest Medical Center in Margate was ranked high on the list for Diabetes and Endocrinology services in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The hospital received a ‘5-out-of-5’ ranking for patient safety and a “Much better than expected” ranking for patient survival, based on deaths of medically challenged patients within 30 days after admission when compared with number of deaths expected after adjusting for severity and other risks.
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Massive Pet Rescue Event Downtown Margate Saturday April 30
South Florida’s foreclosure crisis has left hundreds of local pets homeless. Populations at ‘no-kill’ shelters have risen between 10 and 25 percent, reports the Humane Society, and cash-strapped families with limited resources continue to leave their pets behind to fend for themselves.
‘God’s Creature Keepers’ at Cokesbury Church in Margate are doing their part this weekend to help out. The church is hosting a PET RESCUE event featuring more than 30 vendors of pet supplies, snacks, clothing and services.
Families can adopt a dog or cat and meet the folks who make it their business to care for stray pets, keep them alive and healthy and find them homes.
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City gets behind pet safety. Elementary school students sell artwork to help companion animals trapped in fires
Fire Departments generally aren’t allowed to spend taxpayer dollars on equipment that isn’t aimed at saving human lives. As a result, family pets die each year because fire rescue workers often lack needed equipment to effectively resuscitate dogs, cats, birds and other domestic animals trapped in fires.
“Unlike humans who instinctively run out during fires, pets instinctively look for a hiding place to protect them from the fire,” say experts at WAGN Enterprises, distributors of the Fur Life O2 Pet Oxygen Mask.
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Happy 50th Anniversary Dolores and Frank Schwartz
Like in a storybook tale of love, Dolores and Frank eloped 50 years ago on March 25, 1961.
At the time, Dolores’ parents didn’t approve of the marriage, so Frank took her luggage from the bedroom window and the Cherry Hill New Jersey youngbloods ran to Belaire Maryland to raise a family. Moving to Margate in 1973, Frank and Dolores now have three children and two grandchildren. The whole family lives in Margate.
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Will Margate's “Full Course Meal” stand up in Court?
Drinking until 2 a.m. during the week and 4 a.m. on the weekends is easy in Margate, as most establishments enjoy extended hours that allow them to serve customers to the wee hours of the morn, whether patrons choose to eat or not.
But Margate’s newest liquor law, which allows 4 COP SRX and 11C licensed establishments to serve alcoholic beverages two hours earlier at 10 a.m. on Sunday instead of noon, requires that patrons purchase a “full course meal” in order to be served a mixed drink, glass of wine or beer.
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Know when to rescue young animals
Every year hundreds of newborn wild animals are found by local residents. And contrary to popular belief, many don't need rescuing, say experts at the Sawgrass Nature Center.
The SNC invites the public to visit their website and learn when injured or orphaned native wildlife need care.
Read more...
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New Sidewalk Boosts City’s Walkability
It’s been awhile in the idea phase and is now a reality: a sidewalk connecting Atlantic and Royal Palm Boulevards running down the east side of Rock Island Road.
According to Margate Public Works Director, Sam May, the aesthetically pleasing design of the sidewalk is a brainstorm of Margate Parks & Recreation personnel. Finishing touches will include swinging benches scattered about the route and some minor landscaping, May said.
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Reader Opinion
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Margate Green Market quality and prices may beat local grocers
Sponsored by the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency, Margate’s Green Market sets up twice monthly at the northwest corner of Margate Boulevard and State Road 7.
With prices like “6 corn for a $1” Florida-grown tomatoes “$1 a pound” and a “bag of baby honey bells for $3,” buying fruits and vegetables at the green market has become a sound financial move for families when balancing food budgets, said Dennis Holste, assistant director to the MCRA.
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Arguably Margate’s Oldest Resident*
Isabelle “Billie” Smith doesn’t walk with a cane. She doesn’t wear a hearing aid and she loves playing dominoes despite an acute case of macular degeneration. “I can still see black and white,” she said. Up until about the age of 100, Billie continued golfing, swimming, dancing and Tai Chi, but now settles for attending clubhouse events and watching reruns of Lawrence Welk on television.
“Every one of his shows was immaculate,” said Smith. “I can’t see the TV too well, but I love the music. And I remember how everyone on the show was dressed to the nines.”
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Margate “Civilian of the Month” helps clean up Southgate eyesore
Veteran Margate Code Compliance Officer, Therville Buchanan, was awarded “Civilian of the Month” in October for having an unregistered abandoned home on the 6500 Block of Southgate Boulevard declared an unsafe structure.
Buchanan has worked in Code Compliance since 1993 and is a recipient of the Superior Component Award and numerous letters of commendation, said Margate Police Chief, Jerry Blough, at the December city meeting.
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Margate Boulevard: New Road not Level
Road paving isn’t a perfect science. Consequently, motorists traveling down newly-paved Margate Boulevard between West River Drive and 66 Avenue had been feeling a rippling effect under their wheels lately.
To address the issue, the city has re-milled the road’s surface and applied a leveling course to fix areas that may not have bonded properly during recent paving of the street.
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Commission Candidate, Popovic, says bridge Winfield Boulevard and FireFighters Park
Margate resident and city commission candidate, Rich Popovic, asked commissioners at Wednesday’s city meeting if any road bond money remains now that the last leg of the $35 million dollar road bond approved by Margate voters in 2006 - the paving of Royal Palm Boulevard - was complete.
Popovic said if money was left over, building a bridge to connect the west end of Winfield Boulevard with Firefighters park would grant thousands of Margate residents in the Winfield part of town access to the city’s most prized public park.
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Margate to co-sponsor "Movies Under The Stars" event at Atlantic West Elementary
In response to a request by Atlantic West Elementary PTA heads, Michelle Chiever and Donna Chambless, for assistance in producing their “Movies Under The Stars,” event featuring “The Karate Kid” on November 10, city commissioners and staff agreed to fast track the function.
Chiever and Chambless appeared before commissioners a week prior to the movie date, which is typically not enough time for city staff to review permitting, occupancy and safety concerns. Regardless, the city will help the PTA move the event forward as scheduled.
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Are you a first time homebuyer who needs money to buy a house?
After offering $100,000 in first time home buyer assistance months ago to employees working for the city, county or hospital district - and not getting any takers, the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency offered grant awards to Margate businesses and their employees.
Almost a year later, and still no takers, the MCRA is now making first time home buyer assistance available to anyone whose total household income falls within the 80 to 120 percent median family income range for the Fort Lauderdale MSA, and who purchase a home within the boundaries of the Margate Community Redevelopment Area.
Read more...
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4G Broadband Coming to Margate
Broadband Internet provider Clear Wireless has been cleared by Margate’s Development Review Committee to add 4G (Fourth Generation) broadband apparatus to the existing Cell Tower in Margate’s Oriole Park. Three microwave type antennas and three panel type broadband antennas will be installed in coming months, along with an expansion of the compound area to support additional ground equipment.
The antennae apparatus was approved, contingent upon Clear Wireless providing needed landscape around the compound area for beautification.
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Margate offers first time homebuyers deal of a lifetime
In utilizing roughly $2.1 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) dollars to rehabilitate run down homes in the city, the Margate Grants Office announced that 12 homes will be available to qualified applicants in October to lease then purchase.
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Margate Firefighter speaks highly of comrades
Besides the two Local 3080 bargaining unit personnel, he was the only firefighter attending fire union negotiations at City Hall last week. He drove from Lake Worth on his day off to support his union, he said, and when asked why this six-year Margate Firefighter (Firefighter X) commutes from Lake Worth to Margate to save lives, he said sure the pay and benefits are good, but more importantly in Margate “you know everyone you work with,” he said.
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42 Homeowners suing Paradise Gardens for Housing Fraud
In a 74-page lawsuit filed in Broward County District Court in April, 42 homeowners residing in the Paradise Gardens One Homeowners Association in Margate are suing their Board for Fraud, Familial Status Discrimination and 33 counts of Slander of Title for unlawfully perpetuating a 55 and older community.
Plaintiffs also seek Injunctive Relief against a 2006 revitalization they say is fraudulent. Plaintiffs' attorney said PG One submitted falsified documents to Florida's Department of Community Affairs, the state agency charged with approving community revitalizations.
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Illegal Immigration cost Margate households $678 a year each
The Florida Immigrant Coalition and the ACLU of Florida have publicly labeled Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigration as anti-American and anti-immigrant. American media has taken to ‘bleeding heart liberalism’ in reporting on new Arizona laws and the federal government says it doesn’t have the manpower or systems in place to detain or deport America’s estimated 13 million illegal immigrants.
So then, who is going to foot the bill for the $113 billion that illegal immigrants cost American taxpayers every year?
Read more…
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Amber Leigh performing in Margate on July 4th
Despite the down economy and the costs associated with producing fireworks, Margate is sponsoring a “full-blown” July 4th celebration at Margate’s City Center the evening of America’s 234th birthday.
Click here to read more.
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Bulk Pickup is once a month in Margate, not once a week
It’s great living in a city that offers bulk pickup every month. That is unless your neighbors put their junk to the curb weeks before the pickup date.
As part of a 2009 deal with Waste Management, and the combined efforts of city officials and Margate resident Le Peerman, Margate now enjoys 12 bulk pickups a year, which could change if Margate residents abuse the privilege and make the city their own personal junkyard.
Click here to read more.
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Margate Resident asks for Police Protection
Margate resident John Gerundo said that bullying and drug dealing in his neighborhood is out of control. He said he and his friends are terrified to ride their bikes and that he came to city hall last week to let police know what’s going on.
"I want to let the city know we desperately need police surveillance in our neighborhood," Gerundo said.
Click here to read more.
Reader Opinion.
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City gives Atlantic Palms another month to pay water bill
The 76-unit condominium complex off Atlantic Boulevard in Margate has been given a one-month extension to pay the city $19,000 in arrears owed for water. The city originally scheduled water shut-off for May, but concluded at a recent city meeting to continue service at the expense of taxpayers.
Click here to read more.
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East side Rock Island Road getting sidewalks
Margate city officials approved a motion last month to move forward with the Local Agency Program Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for the design and construction of a new sidewalk on the east side of Rock Island Road between Atlantic Boulevard and Royal Palm Boulevard.
Click here to read more.
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Margate Motorcyclist and Mom organizes fund raiser for Josie Lou Ratley
Biker and Margate mom Mary Becerra know what’s it’s like to shoulder the cost of health insurance for children, which is why she’s organized a benefit for Josie Lou Ratley and family at Mugshots Bar & Grill in Margate at 1047 N. State Road 7. The event, which takes place Thursday April 8 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., includes a raffle, silent auction, live music by Stone Mojo and eats. Bikers from all over the county are expected to attend.
Click here to read more.
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Do residential speed bumps in Margate save lives or impair emergency services?
President of Oriole Golf & Tennis Phase 1 Condominium Association, Richard Irwin, came before Margate City Commissioners last week requesting speed bumps be installed on select streets in his community. He said his Condominium Association will pay for the speed bumps and is seeking commission approval as soon as possible to slow speeding cars that threaten the well being of community seniors and children alike.
Click here to read more.
Reader Opinion
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Time for Term Limits in Margate?
Unlike numerous other Broward cities, Margate has no set term limits for City Commissioners. Incumbents can run as many times as they like and, as long as they continue to win elections, they can spend decades representing Margate voters – as several current commissioners have.
Critics of term limits, mostly politicians, lobbyists and the special interests they represent, will tell you that the election process is the ultimate ‘term limit,’ in that taxpayers decide by majority vote who will and who won't be ‘termed out’ of office at election time.
Click here to read more.
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Post Office Almost Cancels Christmas
Using privacy concerns and high labor costs as a crutch, the U.S. Postal Service decided in November to stop answering letters addressed “Santa Claus, North Pole.” Members of Congress quickly intervened and the pseudo-government agency reversed its decision.
“We never wanted to spoil people’s Christmas,” an agency spokesman said. (NY Times)
Click here to read more.
Explore North Pole, Alaska on Google Earth.
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Hats off to the Red Shirts
You see them everywhere. D.E.E.S. and Public Works employees in red shirts maintaining and repairing all things that keep Margatonians safe and healthy. Sewers, water lines, medians, trees, roads, parks, pests and potholes – anywhere you go in Margate, you’re bound to run into a guy in a red shirt.
Click here to read more.
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Help Margate Clean up the Neighborhood
Due to the rising number of abandoned and foreclosed homes in the city, Margate Police are urging residents to report abandon and un-kept properties to the Neighborhood Policing Division at 954-972-1232.
Since the inception of the city’s abandon property ordinance, code compliance officers have identified almost 600 vacant or abandon properties in Margate and believe many more exist.
Click here to read more.
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Get Married for Free!
At a time when money problems are the number cause of divorce, it doesn’t have to be that way for weddings. Margate residents can get married at City Hall by none other than the Margate City Clerk, Leslie Wallace May, at no charge. Out-of-towners pay $10.
Click here to read more.
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Turning Margate into a Certified Wildlife Habitat™
Margate Resident, Ted Allman, has decided to take his yard to the next level. He’s joined thousands of wildlife enthusiasts across America creating a habitat for neighborhood wildlife in their very own yards.
Click here to read more.
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Palm Lakes condominium begs city to cut grass
What used to be a 16-acre nine-hole golf course in the back yard of the Palm Lakes Condominiums just west of the Publix on Atlantic Boulevard is unusable in many respects. The property is plagued with arsenic, the weeds are a foot high and the current owner refuses to maintain it.
“I’m really coming to beg, borrow and steal,” said Palm Lakes representative, Judy McKeone. “I need to bring some answers back to the people [residents].”
Read more…
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Vicious Dogs: Who owns them and why?
Florida Headlines in 2009 read:
6-Year Old Girl Recovering After Pit Bull Attack
Baby Boy Hospitalized After Family Dog Attack
Fort Lauderdale man pries open jaws of dog attacking little girl
Pit bull attacks 5-year-old boy
Click here to read more.
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Making 'cents' of the proposed FPL Rate Hike
Florida, Power & Light (FP&L) is one of five investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in Florida. IOUs are state-regulated monopolies that exist to make a profit for their stockholders while serving the public. Similar to any other publicly traded company, FP&L raises operating capital through stock sales, taxable bonds and operating revenues.
Of the five IOUs that serve Florida, FP&L is the largest, serving approximately 4.2 million customers, or roughly 62 percent of customers served by the five IOUs.
Click here to read more.
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Group Home in Margate Fails Inspection
Just days before 73-year-old Alzheimer’s resident, Anna Smith, went missing on June 13 from the Embassy Retirement Home in Margate, the assisted living facility failed its biennial inspection by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Embassy Retirement Home is one of several group homes in Margate licensed by AHCA. Every two years, Embassy undergoes an audit of resident and staff records and reports, staff standards and emergency management procedures in order to qualify for re-licensure.
This year, the home failed to meet re-licensure criteria and has until July 3, 2009 to make corrections.
Click here to read more.
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Group Homes in Margate
A move by Florida lawmakers to disband large, understaffed and under-qualified assisted living facilities in Florida has resulted in group care facilities popping up in single-family neighborhoods across the state.
Although one could hardly argue that mentally-challenged citizens, the disabled and elderly, and those recovering from alcohol and drug addiction deserve access to quality residential living...
Click here to read more. Article updated on June 8, 2009. See updated paragraph in italics.
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Margate Jobless & Foreclosures
South Florida’s ten percent jobless rate and the fact that one in every 254 homes in Broward faces foreclosure mean little to the average Margatonian. Most Margate homeowners still have their jobs and their homes and our city continues to move forward fixing roads, promoting community redevelopment and attracting small business.
Click here to read more.
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