Fried Chicken and Waffles at Metro Diner

This post has been updated

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Established in 1992 by the Davoli family with a single eatery in Jacksonville, Metro Diner will soon offer a warm welcome to Tamarac residents – along with indulgent comfort foods when they open their doors.

Opening July 25, this will be the second South Florida restaurant for the eatery that was once featured in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. Located at 5714 N. University Drive at The Shoppes on University near Planet Fitness, they are only a few miles south from their first south Florida location at The Walk in Coral Springs.

Serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner, the diner will indulge their taste buds with new twists on traditional dishes made-from-scratch and sip on beer, wine, mimosas and bloody Mary’s. 

“Guests feel at home when they come to Metro Diner because we welcome them as if they are coming to our own house,” said Tamarac Metro Diner Managing Partner David Ellis.

“As the Tamarac community grows, we look forward to expanding our South Florida footprint within the community, where our diners become regulars.”

Metro Diner makes sure that guests don’t have to go far to discover new delicious dishes by featuring daily blackboard specials with quality ingredients and a scratch kitchen where they make their own sauces, soups and compotes. In addition, Metro Diner hand cuts their home fries and cracks fresh eggs daily.

From its Fried Chicken and Waffles topped with house-made strawberry butter and signature sweet and spicy syrup, to its Charleston Shrimp & Grits, the large portion sizes enable every guest to enjoy a delicious meal at a great value, with most dishes priced under $15. The diner will feature seating for 127 guests inside and will be open every day 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Pre-Opening Charity Events

The Tamarac community is invited to celebrate the arrival of Metro Diner at special pre-opening charity events where all donations will benefit Kiwanis Club of Tamarac on Saturday, July 22 and Tomorrow’s Rainbow, Inc. on Sunday, July 23. Guests who provide a donation will receive a sneak peek of the new eatery and enjoy Metro Diner favorites. Reservations can be made for the fundraisers from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. by calling the charity reservation line at 754-444-6605.

Metro Diner is hiring over 100 Tamarac-area residents. Applications to join the Metro Diner team are being accepted for all positions including servers, hosts, cooks and kitchen staff. Metro Diner

Photo by Sharon Aron Baron

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Don’t miss celebrating Independence Day in Tamarac where the City will be hosting two exciting events the whole family will enjoy.

The Patriotic Splash Swim Party

First up is the The Patriotic Splash Swim Party starting at noon Tuesday July 4, at the Caporella Aquatic Center where residents can cool off while enjoying a live DJ, prizes, games and more throughout the day. Children (17 and under) are $3.50  and adults are $4.00. The Caporella Aquatic Center is located at 9300 NW 58th St, Tamarac, FL 33321.

Independence Day Celebration

South Florida’s “Heatwave” Photo by Munoz Photography.

Starting at 6 p.m. at the Sports Complex, the Tamarac Independence Day Celebration features a free outdoor concert with “Heatwave” who performs swing, rock, salsa, hip hop, funk and today’s hottest hits. As a sizzling 10-piece band, Heatwave has swept the scene in South Florida.

There will also be an entertainment area with rides, arts & crafts and games to keep the children busy as well as on-site food trucks.

Don’t forget to stop by the VIP tent and say hello to your mayor and your city commissioners.  It’s up close to the band.

So bring your blankets and lawn chairs to relax or dance the night away because the night’s not over until after the firework display kicks off at 9 p.m.

Parking

Parking is limited, so if you don’t want to get tied up in traffic, take advantage of the free shuttle from Tamarac City Hall at 7525 NW 88th Ave or the Tamarac Community Center at 8601 W. Commercial Blvd beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Sports Complex is located at 9901 NW 77th Street Tamarac FL 333121.

Last year’s Independence Day Celebration here:

Broward County Property Appraiser Martin Kiar will be the guest speaker at July’s breakfast

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Businesses large and small are invited to the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce wake up breakfast on July 6 to build relationships with other business leaders in the community.

Along with a delicious breakfast, the Chamber will present Tamarac’s firefighter of the year, along with guest speakers: Broward County Property Appraiser Martin “Marty” Kiar and Veronica Palomino USAF Veteran’s Liaison for Vitas Healthcare.

“The Tamarac Chamber encourages local businesses to come along this Thursday to meet like-minded people and promote your business,” said Tamarac Chamber Executive Director Peter Mason.

It all begins at 7:30 a.m. and costs $15 for members and $20 for non members.  To RSVP go here.  If your business is not a member, you can join on Thursday morning said Mason.

Colony West Golf Club is located at 6800 NW 88th Ave in Tamarac, Florida.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Next month, Mayor Harry Dressler will be attending a two week program at the Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts to learn about taxation – coincidentally paid for by the very own taxpayers of Tamarac.

According to the Sun Sentinel, taxpayers will pick up the tab for the class ($12,000) + travel and other expenses (2,000) which includes an upgraded first-row seat on a JetBlue plane when he attends the class on August 21.

The question is why is Dressler, who is president of his own company that advises attorneys in security-fraud lawsuits, going? This appears to benefit his own personal business interests.

Why is the city not sending our finance director, Mark Mason, to this seminar instead?  Mason, a CPA, has been with the city for seven years and has worked with three different mayors.  Dressler, who will be term-limited,  may not even be with the city as long as a director, and therefore this type of excessive expense is not practical for an elected official of a small city.

But it’s not just the mayor.  All of the commissioners are travel-happy as well. The Sentinel reports that there are 30 trips planned this year in Florida and the US, and taxpayers will be picking up the estimated $80,000 tab.

The City of Tamarac has one of the highest tax millage rates in Broward County – exceeding Coral Springs and Parkland.  This type of excessive travel budget is not on par for a city this size with a lower property tax base.

Dressler said that [the class] will be helpful to learn about tax policy “and what the implications are ethically and practically to the people being taxed.”

He needs a $12,000 class at Harvard to tell him this?

When did our city start subsidizing our elected officials to further their higher education?  If Mayor Dressler wants his certificate from Harvard, then he should foot the bill himself, not from the taxpayers that voted for him.

Other commission members are attending meetings all over the country.  Eleven trips for newly elected Commissioner Marlon Bolton, a pastor, in a nine-month span budgeted costing more than $19,000. Who needs to travel that much to represent eastern Tamarac?  Do these commissioners now think their Fortune 500 executives now?

Commissioner Julie Fishman, the so-called “social media consultant” budgeted more than $16,000 in travel, including a trip to San Diego in October for a National League of Cities leadership summit. Fishman, must have thought she hit the jackpot when she won this election.  With no real job experience behind her, this must feel like the big leagues.

But how can both Bolton and Fishman even empathize with how much this costs the taxpayers when both of them don’t even pay property taxes in Tamarac.  Yes, both Bolton and Fishman don’t even own a home in the city.

Placko has traveled to Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., and later this year will head to Charlotte, N.C., for a National League of Cities event.  Why does she need to go to all of these places? Michelle Gomez, an attorney, reportedly planned on spending $11,000 in travel in Florida and out of state, including for meetings on behalf of the Florida League of Cities.  How many people do we need traveling around for Tamarac on behalf of Florida League of Cities?

There’s a point in which someone who is leading this city needs to put their foot down.  But how do you do that when you’re one of the ones doing the spending?

National Night out in Tamarac. Photo by Sharon Aron Baron.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Tamarac’s Captain Neal Glassman invites residents to come out and meet their hometown police department and help celebrate National Night Out Against Crime.

Held on Tuesday, August 1, at the Tamarac district office, National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community and provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

According to Glassman, the Broward Sheriff’s Office included in this free event will be live police demonstrations. Also, families can enjoy games, a rock climbing wall, petting-zoo, pony rides, a balloon-making clown, face painting, deejay music,  free raffle prizes and free food.

Tamarac’s District Office is at 7515 N. Pine Island Rd from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information about National Night Out, visit www.natw.org.

Karen Sweeting. From Facebook.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

A multi-vehicle crash involving five cars that took place in Tamarac left a 31-year-old resident dead.

Broward Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Investigations Unit detectives are investigating the fatal crash that took the life of Karen Sweeting, 31, just after 9 a.m. on Tuesday when Tamarac resident Pauline Madramootoo, 50, who was driving a 2012 Nissan Altima northbound on Pine Island Road in the right lane approaching N.W. 77th Street hit four other drivers causing a chain reaction.  The four other drivers including Sweeting, are Howard Meltzer, 54, of Cooper City; Virjen Sanchez, 41 of Opa Locka; and Sandra Carty, 62, of Sunrise were each waiting at the red traffic light in the northbound right lane.

Madramootoo’s Nissan first struck the rear of Sweeting’s 2016 Honda CRV which caused a chain-reaction collision involving all five drivers. The initial impact caused the front of Sweeting’s CRV to strike the rear of Meltzer’s 2010 Ford F-150. The F-150 then struck the rear of Sanchez’s 2009 Toyota Scion causing the Scion to strike the rear of Carty’s 1999 Acura RL.

Tamarac Fire Rescue responded and transported Madramootoo and Sweeting to Broward Health North where Sweeting died at the hospital approximately an hour after the crash. Madramootoo was treated for injuries which were not life threatening.

Sweeting was a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland and Florida A&M University.

An accident investigation is continuing.

Tamarac Garage Sale

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Proving as always that one person’s trash is another’s treasure, residents are now registering for the next city-wide garage sale in Tamarac.

Reserve your space during early registration until Sept. 1 and pay only $20. Late registration is $35 per space from Sept 2 to Sept 13. Also, add a refundable $30 deposit per vendor.

Sorry, no online sign-ups. You must go in person to the Tamarac Recreational Center at 7525 N University Drive.

The city-wide garage sale will be held Saturday, September 16th, from 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Tamarac Recreational Center which is located adjacent to the pedestrian bridge that runs above University Drive.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Tamarac’s Mayor Harry Dressler enjoys continuing his education which by all means should be commended, however, his latest trip to Harvard isn’t the first time he’s done so on the taxpayer’s dime.

Dressler graduating from Harvard’s Kennedy School in 2016. Submitted Photo.

As the mayor of a mid-size, mostly retirement city on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale,  Dressler is getting ready to head out on a two-week trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts to attend Harvard’s Kennedy School to learn about tax policy and what the implications will be ethically and practically to the people being taxed, ironically costing taxpayers $12,000.

But this isn’t the first time Dressler has taken a course at the prestigious school. Last July, he attended the “Senior Executives in State & Local Government” for three weeks at a cost of  $12,400.  In the course, participants “analyzed and discussed real-life situations selected to provoke insight into a wide array of strategic management and leadership issues.”  The aim was to get them to think through problem-solving methods and possible solutions.

Outward Bound Thompson Island.

But the best part, was at the end of the first week when participants participated in a one-day “experiential program” at Outward Bound in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. This program typically combines a challenging outdoor activity to enhance team building. 

You heard that right, taxpayers paid for an “Outward Bound” expedition for the mayor.

Sounds like summer camp for elected officials with no financial checks and balances who coincidentally don’t have anything planned on their summer calendars.  Too bad Dressler didn’t take that team building back to city hall where he’s generally loathed by his own employees.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Sell your treasures at the JP Taravella High School Garage Sale which helps raise funds for the drama department’s  upcoming productions.

Held on Saturday, September 9 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the west parking lot of the high school, the garage sale offers a great opportunity for Tamarac and Coral Springs residents or groups to make extra money while helping the school.

Spaces are $20 in advance, or $25 (cash only) on the day of the garage sale. Pre-payment can be made via paypal.com to Paypal JPT or at JP Taravella between 10 and 11 am

JPT Drama will also accept donations of goods that are no longer wanted and they will sell them.

For information, or to buy a spot, contact jptdramaboosters@gmail.com or call Elisa at 954-701-5312. JP Taravella is at 10600 Riverside Drive in Coral Springs at the corner of Coral Springs Drive and Riverside Drive.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

After the first week of school, children deserve to have a relaxing time at the aquatic center where they can watch Disney’s “Moana” at Tamarac’s Dive-in Movie event.

Produced in 2016, the film tells the story of Moana, the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with a goddess. When a blight strikes her island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, a demigod, in the hope of saving her people.

The show starts Saturday, August 26, at 8:00 p.m. Bring your favorite clear water inflatable. Admission is $3.50 ages 17 and under, $4 for adults. Snacks will be sold at the concession stand for cash only.

The Caporella Aquatic Center is at 9300 NW 58th St, Tamarac, FL 33321.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

After the Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime Suppression Team worked steady midnight shifts over the summer, car break-ins which have plagued the city, dropped even lower than the prior year.

Following a spike of 96 car break-ins in May, resulting in one-third for all crime for the City of Tamarac, BSO Captain Neal Glassman said that their crime suppression team, consisting of a sergeant and five detectives, drove down the numbers in June and July at a time when they typically go up.

Message boards that are placed in communities and parks to remind residents not to become a statistic.

Two of the worst hit areas for car break-ins were in the Westwood neighborhoods, Hidden Harbour Apartments,  Springlake and the Woodlands Country Club.

The high numbers are far different from 2013 where one-third of all crime in Tamarac was the result of home burglaries. Now home burglaries are going down, and car break-ins have increased.

At the city commission workshop on Monday, Glassman warned that apartment and condo parking lots may be easy targets for those that come from out-of-town to commit crimes and said that as part of educating residents, they put message boards in parks and at the entrances of developments to get people to be aware, as well as to remind them to keep their vehicles locked and to remove their valuables.

“About half of our car break-ins involve vehicles that are unlocked,” he said.

He reported that a woman had $6,000 in jewelry stolen from a car that she left out overnight without locking it.

Residents are also leaving handguns inside of their cars and this year, there have been a total of 17 stolen from cars – the majority of which were left unlocked.

“In a normal year we have three, four, maybe five tops,” he said.

Vice Mayor Debra Placko was surprised that so many people who were arrested lived in the city. She said she always heard that it was ‘surrounding areas.’

That’s actually a very good number, said City Manager Michael Cernech. “What that says is that the people in your community are alright….it’s a good community.”

Glassman said that the numbers are consistent with last year: two-thirds of those that were arrested in Tamarac did not reside in the city.

City Commissioner Michelle Gomez felt the number of residents committing crimes was too large.

“A people like to say, it’s Tamarac, this is supposed to be a sleepy town.”

Glassman responded, “I would ask you to look at it this way, out of a population of 63-64,000 approximately, 126 were arrested in eight months of the year. It’s not a large number.”

Cernech said that if you look at crime stats and where we fall among 31 cities in Broward County, we are still one of the safest places.

“It’s a very small number, a small percentage of residents that you’re seeing getting arrested for crimes in this community,” said Cernech.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Commissioner Marlon Bolton made a surprising motion on Wednesday morning at the Tamarac City Commission: drop the $700 monthly car allowances.

According to several sources, Commissioner Julie Fishman who represents Kings Point allegedly had her new Kia Sorrento repossessed and has been riding a bicycle to work – all while continuing to accept her monthly call allowance. We contacted Fishman, and she replied that her engine blew out.  When pressed to find out where it was being serviced, she would not answer.

“I would like to understand more about the compensation process.  If we cannot justify our pay checks or why car allowances are necessary, I therefore here and now ask that rescind receiving them.” – Commissioner Marlon Bolton

Before Bolton proposed removing the car allowance, he first expressed disappointment that both Gomez and Fishman voted not to allow local high school Boyd Anderson to become one of the city’s charitably entities. Boyd Anderson high school is on the east part of Tamarac and students from both Bolton’s and Gomez’s district attend the school.

“It is sad that the commission did not see it fit to add Boyd Anderson High School to its list of charities today. We certainly see things differently.  Our community is changing, especially on the east side. Three communities: Hidden Trails, Manor Parc and Central Parc are going in and will undoubtedly change our community.”

He said that one of two things would happen: new families would converge on the community and they will be shocked to find out that their child will be assigned to Boyd Anderson High school, a school that has true potential but presently rated with a less than stellar grade or; families will choose not to buy in these communities out of fear that their child will not have a choice at a great school.

“It is true that when families are purchasing property, a part of their decision-making is based on whether or not that district is assigned to good rating schools,” said Bolton.

He asked who will give a lending hand to schools such as Boyd Anderson to change. “The teachers? principal? The school board? The parents? No, all of us, including the commissioners and community leaders.  We are a community of parents and not just that, we were elected to lead and effect change.”

He said this led him to another issue, and that was with their car allowances.

“Our yearly salary here is over $42,000, including a $700 per month car allowance.  This does not include added benefits including health insurance and life insurance. How many days are we obligated to be here each month? Once, twice?”

Bolton said that he couldn’t make a determination for each of the commissioners that the pay grade is too high or too low, but what he has noticed, is that at least one commissioner, Julie Fishman, is receiving a car allowance but does not actually own a car…rather a pink bicycle that does not need gas.

“I would like to understand more about the compensation process.  If we cannot justify our pay checks or why car allowances are necessary, I therefore here and now ask that rescind receiving them.  If we cannot do this here, I make a motion to have the topic work-shopped, where I can make alternative recommendations after hearing what staff and the commission has presented.”

Vice Mayor Placko and commissioners Gomez and Fishman were silent and no one seconded his motion to discuss it further. 

Mayor Dressler, was not in attendance and is currently studying at Harvard’s Kennedy Center.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

White supremacists chanting anti-Semitic lines like “Jews will not replace us” were on the minds of residents and elected officials at a recent Legislative Town Hall in Kings Point. Held on August 16, Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and State Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Coral Springs) spoke to the audience, which included both Democrats and Republicans.

Jared Moskowitz

State Representative Moskowitz, who represents Coral Springs and Tamarac said that something feels different in this country now. “There’s something going on in this country.  It feels different for some reason. We can say Donald Trump’s not my president, but I can tell you one thing that Donald Trump has done: he’s made Democrats miss George W. Bush.”

He said based on what he’s seen in the last couple weeks,  It’s no longer a reality show, or musical chairs, and it wasn’t funny anymore.

“It’s not funny when you turn on the TV and you see people with KKK shirts and white supremacists with torches chanting anti-Jewish slogans. You see that on TV on real time in 2017.  I don’t remember thousands of Nazi’s coming out with torches last year. If I did, I must have missed it.   Not only that, but the Nazi’s literally took the tactics of ISIS when they took that car and ran over that girl. It feels different.”

Moskowitz, whose grandparents escaped Europe and survived the Holocaust, couldn’t believe that people identifying as Nazi’s now feel comfortable identifying with them after they killed over 11 million people.

“When it comes to Nazi’s, there aren’t many sides. There aren’t two sides.  And the fact that some people showed up to protest the Nazi’s and it got violent, somehow they’re to blame for that? We fought a whole war…a lot of people died. This idea that they now feel comfortable to come out en masse and spread their message of hatred and bigotry. There aren’t many sides.”

In the Florida legislature, he spoke about medical marijuana and the special legislative session to address medical marijuana legislation.  After Amendment 2 passed by the voters Moskowitz fought against a bill that limited what voters wanted.  For instance, in the first bill, if a patient wasn’t carrying their medical marijuana prescription license and someone witnessed them using medical marijuana, they would be charged with a misdemeanor.  Moskowitz said this didn’t make sense because on the other hand, if someone had a concealed weapon and forgot their permit, it was only a $25 fine.

“So they wanted you to be guilty of a misdemeanor if you left your medical marijuana card home, but if you left your permit home for your gun it was only $25.”

Moskowitz also spoke about the importance of funding for the Low Income Pool (LIP) to reimburse hospitals for the costs of caring for Floridians who are uninsured.

Congressman Alcee Hastings

Alcee Hastings, who has been to Israel 18 times quoted Don Lemon of CNN. “There is no moral equivalent to someone who is a Nazi. There is no moral equivalent to someone who is anti-Semitic.  There is no moral equivalent for someone who is racist, pure and simple.”

He asked the audience to think about why people are mad because there’s a Robert E. Lee High School.

“Why are they mad?  How would you like to have a Hitler Elementary School?  How would you like to have a Goebbels High School?”

Hastings touched on the budget and how there were cuts to the Special Olympics, Meals on Wheels, pre-k, after-school programs and Head Start.  He stressed how important it was to elect new representatives in congress and in the senate in 2018.

Hastings responded to President Trump’s comments after the incident in Charlottesville. “What took place in Charlottesville was an act of domestic terrorism, not a two-sided affair. The president has lost all moral authority to lead this nation by continuing to stand with white supremacists.  President Trump is fueling the fires of hate.  This is completely outrageous and every single elected representative in congress, regardless of party, must hold him accountable.”

By: Sharon Aron Baron

The 2018 elections may only be a year away, but if you are even considering running for a seat on the Tamarac city commission, then you need to get your ducks in a row now because not only does it cost a lot of money, it takes time to knock on all those doors.

The City of Tamarac will have three seats on the November 2018 ballot including one for mayor and two for commission. If you are a civic-minded resident that truly cares about local government, this is the job for you.

These are lucrative part-time jobs as well, so it would be a shame if any of these candidates ran unopposed. For instance, a commissioner in Tamarac makes $33,000 and the mayor makes $38,000 plus each get a hefty $700 monthly car allowance, travel expenses, health and life insurance, and a host of other benefits.

Mayor

Harry Dressler is currently mayor and rumor has it he’s running again in 2018.  He is self-employed and a resident of Woodmont Country Club. He won both elections unopposed for his city commission seat in district four back in 2006 and 2009.  After former Mayor Beth Talabisco’s suspension, although Dressler was not vice mayor at the time, he was nominated as mayor after the current vice mayor, Michelle Gomez, declined the position. Dressler then completed Talabisco’s term and ran for mayor in 2014 where he defeated Michael Gelin.   

Pros:  Intelligent. Firm grasp of issues and no legal controversies while he has been mayor.

Cons: Lack of humor, humility, and not communicative with constituents. His two trips to Harvard for continuing education classes costing taxpayers $12,000 a pop may also hurt him at the polls. In addition, residents may not forget when he kept quiet about the proposed charter school in the backyards of Kings Point residents.  He knew this all while courting them to get elected, then refusing to discuss with them at all by saying he legally couldn’t.  Dressler is also rumored to be a Trump supporter and Republican although he is registered as a Democrat and attends Democratic Club meetings to appease his voting base.

Also, running for the mayoral seat is Gerald Heller of Kings Point. Heller ran for the district 3 seat in 2016 in a multi-candidate race and lost to Julie Fishman.

Pros: He has over 40 years as a business leader and employer in Broward County and fought hard against the proposed charter school that was planned on public park land at the Tamarac Sports complex.

Cons: May lack the money and backers to carry him in a city-wide race.  At the age of 81, will Heller have the stamina to fundraise and knock on doors?

District Two

Michelle Gomez, is currently the district two commissioner.  So far, there are no opponents for this seat and rumors are flying that she is gearing up to run as mayor.   If she does, district two will have an open seat. 

Gomez is an attorney, who resides in the Woodlands Country Club and was appointed twice to fill in for former commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad after she was suspended. She was elected in 2014 when she defeated Stewart Webster. 

Pros:  Appears well-liked by some in her district and attends local meetings.

Cons: A former Republican that switched to being an Independent to run in her mostly Democratic district, Gomez is defensive and combative on the dais and never had the backing of fellow commissioners for items in her own district until Julie Fishman was elected. Gomez also has a hard time socializing with people that she is not familiar with. Although financially secure, she refused to give up her $700 monthly car allowance when asked to even consider discussing the item further.   

District 4

No word if Vice Mayor Debra Placko will be running again, but my guess is she will. Her district covers the Woodmont Country Club and the Sunflower-Heathgate area. Placko lives in Woodmont’s Palm Ridge community is retired after working at JByrons clothing store for 15 years.  She ran unopposed in 2014 and there isn’t any reason why no one is qualified to run against her.

Pros:  Professional and articulate as well as charitable.

Cons: Residents in Woodmont could be still angry after she turned her back on them by voting yes to putting the maintenance building behind their homes off a very busy street. Also, Placko refused to give up her $700 car monthly car allowance when asked to even consider discussing the item further. 

If you are interested in running for mayor, you can live anywhere in the city, however, if you want to run for city commission, you must live in either district two or four. Next, you will need to find a campaign treasurer open a campaign account. More importantly, you will need to contact City Clerk Pat Tuefel for filing instructions. 

Residents deserve a choice in selecting their elected officials. When no one files and runs against the current commissioners, residents do not get that choice.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

A pedestrian has died after being fatally struck by a truck in Tamarac on Wednesday morning.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, at 6:30 a.m. David L. Miller, 69, of the Westwood Community was standing on the center median of the 7000 block of Nob Hill Road while Johan Chotoo, 22, of Tamarac, who was driving a 2001 Dodge Ram, was traveling northbound through the intersection. Miller stepped off of the median and began to cross east across the northbound lanes of travel, entering the truck’s path. He was struck in the left thru lane.

Tamarac Fire Rescue responded and pronounced Miller deceased on scene. Chotoo did not sustain any injuries and remained on scene.

A Traffic Homicide investigatation  is ongoing.

Mosquito – From the CDC.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

A portion of the City of Tamarac along with four other cities will be receiving a preventative spray treatment to reduce mosquitos and their breeding sites.

The recent heavy rains in Broward are prompting the need for the Mosquito Control Section to spray some areas of the County to reduce the mosquito larvae population. The mosquito being targeted is the Aedes Aegypti, the mosquito known to carry and transmit the Zika virus.

Residents and business owners are being urged to survey their property to remove any standing water to prevent mosquito breeding, bites and diseases.

The Mosquito Control Section will perform preventive truck larviciding between the hours of 10 p.m.  and 6 a.m, weather permitting, between September 5 and September 15, 2017 in some areas of Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Margate, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach, Wilton Manors and the eastern portion of Tamarac (see map). More specific spray schedule information can be found here.

The spraying of larvicide using trucks is a proactive measure. There are still no active transmissions of the Zika virus in Broward County. The areas chosen for spraying are based on a number of factors including requests from the Florida Department of Health, population density, and the number of women of childbearing age in the community.

The mosquito larvicide to be used is VectoBac WDG. The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti, strain AM6552), a naturally occurring, biodegradable bacterial mosquito larvicide which is not harmful to humans, pets, bees, aquatic habitats or environmentally sensitive areas. It is certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and is registered for use by the US Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, VectoBac WDG has been reviewed by the World Health Organization and is listed as a recommended formulation for control of mosquito larvae.

People living in the area who have registered with the State will be alerted prior to spraying will be notified.

In addition to this truck larvicide spraying, the Broward County Mosquito Control Section continues to work closely with the Florida Department of Health and Code Enforcement partners in Broward’s 31 municipalities to eliminate mosquitoes and their habitats.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

For the second time in two days, a pedestrian was killed on a busy Tamarac road.

On August 31, around 9:18 p.m. Robert Whitson, 65, of Boynton Beach was driving west on West Commercial Boulevard near Northwest 31st Avenue when an unidentified male pedestrian entered the road from the sidewalk on the north side of the road.

Whitson remained at the scene and called for help. After Tamarac Fire Rescue arrived, they pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene. At this time, the Broward County’s Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services is working to identify him.

The investigation by BSO’s Traffic Homicide Investigation unit continues. Anyone with information can contact Det. Donnard Huneke at 954-321-4842.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

One man decided to celebrate surviving Hurricane Irma with a joyride in a fire rescue truck and was arrested as a result.

Eric Michael Blaise, 32, let alcohol do his thinking on Wednesday night when he decided to climb into the driver’s seat of a Tamarac Fire Rescue fire truck attempting to drive it away while the firefighters were busy on a call.

The crew was out before sunrise on a medical call when a Tamarac Fire Rescue Lieutenant heard the trucks air brakes release and saw someone inside of the vehicle. When Blaise could not figure out how to get the truck into gear, he fled the vehicle on foot. 

Blaise was positively identified, and a vest on him was identified as having come from the rescue truck. 

He was arrested and now faces charges for grand theft of emergency medical equipment and petit theft.

Credit: Offer Pop.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Tamarac residents are pretty tech savvy. When Tamarac Talk began in 2011, many Kings Point residents weren’t even on the internet.  Now pretty much everyone is and many can’t live without their smartphones. Some even Skype with their grandchildren online.  They could teach me a thing or two about computers.

Commissioner Marlon Bolton helped residents in his community and communicated with them on social media throughout Hurricane Irma.

The internet is where most of us got our information about Hurricane Irma.  Not the newspapers. Sadly, many of our elected officials aren’t as tech-savvy as our constituents are. Before, during and after Hurricane Irma, there were very few that communicated with their residents. And people are still suffering as there are some Tamarac without power today.  

The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board listed the best and worst in South Florida during Hurricane Irma and not one Tamarac elected official made their list.  

Fishman, a social media expert, hasn’t posted on Facebook in three months.

Tamarac is divided into four districts and each commissioner is elected for that particular area. This was the time for them to shine and step up to show they truly worked for the people in those communities to let them know they were in this together.

Only one Tamarac commissioner personally contacted his constituents before and after Hurricane Irma: Marlon Bolton.  Bolton, who represents the eastern portion of Tamarac not only sent frequent email bulletins to over 3,000 homeowners on his list, but he regularly posted on Facebook giving important information to his neighbors. If that wasn’t enough, Bolton was out helping neighbors install shutters and delivering flashlights and water. Prior to the hurricane, Bolton was on a conference call with Governor Rick Scott and mayors across Florida to learn last minute details for safety and recovery.  Afterwards, residents went to him to answer their questions about electricity, garbage and other items.  

Mayor Harry Dressler’s recorded voice was heard prominently on the Code Red messages that were put out by the city.  Hearing his voice was a relief for residents who received them and they contained important information.  Problem is, not everyone is on the Code Red system, so many residents didn’t get the alerts. Dressler doesn’t use social media, and the communication he sent out was prepared by city staff who did an amazing job before and after the hurricane.

This is Debra Placko’s last Facebook post where she found time to post about a ball (paid for by the taxpayers) but not about Hurricane Irma.

No other communication went out to citizens in the various districts in Tamarac. Elected officials certainly have the resources to send out items and manage their own social media profiles. Take Julie Fishman who is a social media expert (her bio). According to residents from Kings Point, she never sent any information to them before the Hurricane. For someone in social media myself, this would have taken a few clicks.  But where was Julie Fishman?  No one knew.  Pretty much everyone has a smartphone, but Fishman was nowhere to be found on her Twitter or Facebook page.  How is this being a good public servant? 

According to residents, Vice Mayor Placko visited a few homes in Woodmont, but did she stay in contact sharing resources during the storm?  No, said several in her district that I contacted.  Placko hadn’t Tweeted or posted on Facebook since the AFL/CIO Ball September 2. Surely if a Hurricane was coming your way, you’d have something – anything to say on your Facebook page.  

Residents in the Woodlands Country Club said Commissioner Michelle Gomez was seen on her golf cart checking on neighbors after Hurricane Irma – neighbors she knew well. Gomez is another commissioner that doesn’t utilizes social media tools to connect with her district, never posting on Facebook or sharing information via Twitter.

During every city commission meeting, the mayor and commissioners spend upwards of 45 minutes speaking about what they’ve been doing in their districts and what events they’ve attended. Problem is, they think their residents are listening. Typically there are 25 people in the audience and 20 of those are city staff. If these elected officials continually believe they are reaching their voters with this obsolete method, their political future could be in jeopardy.

Other local politicians that hit the mark during the storm?  Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine, who covers Tamarac, Coral Springs and Parkland, who was giving everyone up-to-date information with the county and the local level along with using photos on Facebook and Twitter – with thousands of views.  Other notables: Coral Springs Vice Mayor Dan Daley who posted videos with answers to questions and was actively answering every one of his resident’s questions on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo by Tracy Olson.

This article has been updated since publication

By: Sharon Aron Baron

The mayor and commissioners in Tamarac regularly attends dinners, balls, galas and other events outside the city that they serve and the taxpayer is footing the bill. Several years ago, the Broward League of Cities suggested ending this practice, however, Tamarac isn’t listening and commission members are continuing to get tickets gratis with your money.

No real connection has been made on how attending fundraisers and formal dinners helps the constituents they serve. However, schmoozing with other elected officials and lobbyists does help their own future political aspirations.

Left: Tamarac Commissioners Julie Fishman and Michelle Gomez and Vice Mayor Debra Placko attend the AFL/CIO Labor Ball on the taxpayer’s dime.

I don’t believe the citizens of Tamarac have any problem if their representatives want to attend any event on their own dime. Actually, if they did pay it would show that they truly cared about the cause.  What I don’t understand is how they don’t feel guilty about using other people’s money to attend these events. 

I wanted to find out the exact figures this year, so I sent the city clerk a public records request to find the total cost to the taxpayers for events in 2017.  

A few days later I received a response.

To find the totals for these expenditures would take 28 hours and cost $724. 90. I don’t know how quickly most people work, but I’m figuring they must be checking their phones and eating while they’re pulling this information.  How can it possibly take one person over 3 full-time work days to find these expenditures – clearly a line item in accounting.  I’m no accountant, but in two minutes, I can pull what I spent on food alone for the past five years on Quickbooks.

Then again, maybe they don’t want you to know. This is what government does when someone requests an item that they typically don’t want to disclose. They make it so expensive for the consumer, that most will back off and will not request the information.   Even us.

But residents in Tamarac still have the right to know.

UPDATE:

A half hour after this was published I received an apology from the city clerk’s office that the request amount was in error:

I appreciate the note and the new updated amount, however, I hope it didn’t take this article to make them realize this.  I will pay for the records and will keep you posted.