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        <h1 align="center"><font face="Arial"><br>
        VICTORIA PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION</font></h1>
        </td>
        <td width="507" valign="top"><div class="banner-top-right"><br>
          <a class="white" href="/">Home</a> |
          <a class="white" title="News and Events" href="news_and_events.htm">News-Events</a> |
          <a class="white" title="Municipal Code" href="code/index.htm">MuniCode</a> |
          <a class="white" title="Victoria Park By Laws" href="bylaws.htm">By 
          Laws</a> |
          <a class="white" title="Victoria Park - In the News" href="in_the_news.htm">In the News</a> |
          <a class="white" title="Contacts" href="contactus.htm">Contact Us</a> |
          <a class="white" title="Search Site" href="search.htm">Search</a><br>
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        <a class="link2" title="VPCA Home Page" href="/">Home</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Archives" href="archives/">Archives</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Calendar of Events" href="calendar.htm">Calendar</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Community Bulletin Board" href="community_bulletin_board.htm">Bulletin Board</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Officers and Committees" href="officers.htm">Officers</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="History of VPCA" href="history.htm">History</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Join the Victoria Park Civic Association" href="join_vpca.htm">Join VPCA</a></td>
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        <a class="link2" title="Maps" href="maps.htm">Maps</a></td>
        <td width="9%" align="center" class="menu-spt">
        <a class="link2" title="Numbers and Links" href="links.htm">
        Numbers</a></td>
        <td width="9%" align="center" class="menu-spt">
        <a class="link2" title="Sponsors" href="sponsors.htm">Sponsors</a></td>
        <td width="8%" align="center" class="menu-spt">
        <a class="link2" title="Trash and Recycling" href="trash-recycling.htm">
        Recycling</a></td>
        <td width="18%" align="center" class="menu-spt">
        <a class="link2" title="Victoria Park Newsletters" href="VPnews.htm">
        VP News</a></td>
        <td width="10%" align="center" >
        &nbsp;</td>
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          <img border="0" src="images/VPCAlogo.jpg" width="300" height="305"></td>
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          <h1>
    VP - In the News</h1>

  <p class="text-j">If you've seen an online article that might be of interest to your neighbors, copy it and paste it into an email and forward to ........ &nbsp;&nbsp;We'll file it here for future reference.<br>
&nbsp;<div style="text-align:left; "><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
            <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Focus/inde" class="link" href="http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Focus/index.htm"><U>FOCUS ON FORT LAUDERDALE</U></a></FONT></div>
<div><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" HEIGHT="11" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"
></div>
<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <a target="TRLX_Middle" href="http://www.fortlauderdale.gov/Focus/2008/focuson-2008-3.pdf">
  <img src="images/covergraphic.jpg" alt="Focus On Fort Lauderdale" vspace="10" border="0" align="left" width="130" height="170"></a></div>
          <p class="b-text-j">Broward County's
          <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.broward.org/publicinfo/commun" class="link" href="http://www.broward.org/PublicInfo/Pages/CommunityUpdate.aspx">COMMUNITY UPDATE
          </a>Newsletter&nbsp; <br>
          <br>
          <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#009900" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><U>
          <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/re" href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html">
  <IMG SRC="images/043581f0.gif" border=0 ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="88" height="31"></a></U></FONT></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td width="1000" class="text-j" colspan="2" height="11">
          <p class="b-text-j">COMMITTEES<br>
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/aesthetics.htm">
          Aesthetics</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/children.htm">
          Children</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/crime_watch.htm">
          Crime Watch</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/history.htm">History</a> 
          -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/home_tour.htm">Home 
          Tour</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/membership.htm">
          Membership</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/planning-zoning.htm">
          Planning and Zoning</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/public_safety.htm">
          Public Safety</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/newsletter.htm">
          Newsletter</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/social_committee.htm">
          Social</a> -
          <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/traffic.htm">Traffic</a> 
          - <a class="link2" href="http://vpca.org/committees/utilities.htm">
          Utilities</a></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td colspan="2" width="1000">
          <blockquote>
          <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" height="1927">
              <tr>
                <td width="650" valign="top" height="1786"><blockquote> 
<p class="b-text-j"><br>
<a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#keeping_it_beautiful">Keeping it beautiful:</a> &nbsp;Victoria Park maintains a quiet charm with residents' help
The Herald &nbsp;Jan 22, 2005</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#halloween_spirit_lives_on">Halloween Spirit Lives On</a> Sun Sentinel October 31, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#planting_rejuvenates_community_after">Planting rejuvenates community after storm</a> Sun Sentinel December 4 2005</div>
<div>
  <h2><br>
  HURRICANE INFO</h2>
</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#get_money_back_for_some_purchases">Get money back for some purchases</a> Miami Herald &nbsp;November 1, 2005<br>
&nbsp;</div>
<div style="width: 570; height: 15">
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#much_of_wilma_s_wrath_rooted_in_bad">Much of Wilma's wrath rooted in bad practices</a> South Florida Business Journal &nbsp;November 11, 2005<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#storm_proofing_the_power_grid_too">Storm-proofing the power grid too costly, FPL-funded report says
  </a>Sun Sentinel&nbsp; January 22 2006<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#hurricane_aid_up_for_grabs__interested__">Hurricane aid up for grabs. Interested?</a> Sun Sentinel August 5, 2006</div>
<div>
  <h2><br>
  POLITICS</h2>
</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#political_group_forms_in_lauderdale">Political group forms in Lauderdale</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; Sun Sentinel August 21 2005<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#new_candidate_files_for_district_ii_seat">New Candidate Files for District II Seat</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;August 17, 2005<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#candidate_won_t_run_for_mayor___c_">Candidate won't run for mayor</a> &nbsp;C. Rodstrom seeks city's District II seat Sun Sentinel November 18 2005<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#7_vie_for_seat_in_lauderdale">7 vie for seat in Lauderdale</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;January 22 2006<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fort_lauderdale_commission_candidates">Fort Lauderdale commission candidates tout ability to bring change</a>&nbsp; South Florida Sun-Sentinel &nbsp;February 12 2006<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#backgrounds_of_the_fort_lauderdale">Backgrounds of the Fort Lauderdale commission candidates</a>&nbsp; South Florida Sun-Sentinel  February 12 2006<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#23_vie_for_7_seats_on_bench">Seven open judgeships in Broward County attract 23 candidates</a>&nbsp; MiamiHerald, August 20,2006<br>
  <br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#pinch_penny_cuts_proposed">Pinch-penny cuts proposed</a>&nbsp; Broward leaders started looking at how to cut $40 million from the county budget, but the spending plan is a work in progress&nbsp; Posted September 20, 2006 Miami Herald</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#broward_opts_for_smaller_tax_cut">Broward opts for smaller tax cut, despite surge in property tax collections</a>&nbsp; posted September 20, 2006 &nbsp;South Florida Sun-Sentinel</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#cost_cutting_imperils_fort_lauderdale">Cost cutting imperils Fort Lauderdale library</a>&nbsp; The plan to close a neighborhood branch would also displace ArtServe Miami Herald, September 24, 2006</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <h2>INSURANCE -- Homeowners</h2>
</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fla__homeowners_will_pay_to_bail_out">Fla. homeowners will pay to bail out state-backed insurer's $516 million deficit</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;August 18 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#keep_yourself_covered_where_to_turn">Keep yourself covered: Where to turn for homeowners insurance</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;SunSentinel &nbsp;August 21 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#rate_hikes_of_up_to_135_5__proposed_for">Rate hikes of up to 135.5% proposed for hurricane insurance in S. Florida</a>&nbsp; SunSentinel October 14 2005</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
&nbsp;</p>
<div>
  <h2>DEVELOPMENT IN FORT LAUDERDALE</h2>
</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#hyde_park_condo_tower_hearing_reset_for">Hyde Park condo tower hearing reset for Sept. 21</a>&nbsp; Sun-Sentinel August 17, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#condo_plan_stuck_in_park">Condo plan stuck in park &nbsp;Six years later, Related's project is still in court</a>&nbsp; South Florida Business Journal &nbsp;August 5, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#torrent_of_conversions_continues_in">Torrent of conversions continues in Broward</a>&nbsp; South Florida Business Journal &nbsp;August 26, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fort_lauderdale_s_condo_cap_forces">Fort Lauderdale's condo cap forces officials to choose 1 of 2 downtown projects</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;September 7 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#downtown_hitting_growth_limits">Downtown hitting growth limits</a>&nbsp; Miami Herald &nbsp;Sept. 27, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#2_fort_lauderdale_condos_approved_as">2 Fort Lauderdale condos approved as city reaches downtown housing limit</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;September 29 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#with_home_prices_soaring_and_demand">With home prices soaring and demand growing, $1 million doesn't go as far as it once did</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;October 2 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fort_lauderdale_approves_condo_retail">Fort Lauderdale approves condo-retail complex north of Holiday Park</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;October 6 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#downtown_promoter_alters_his_tack">Downtown promoter alters his tack</a>&nbsp; Official wants county complex built on 18 acres he owns outside business district. Sun Sentinel &nbsp;October 8 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fort_lauderdale_oks_3000_more_units">Fort Lauderdale OKs 3,000 more units for downtown;
  </a>&nbsp;15% to be 'affordable' Sun-Sentinel &nbsp;January 19 2006</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#architect_gets_resistance_for">Architect gets resistance for energy-saving plan to build windmill in Fort</a> <A HREF="#architect_gets_resistance_for"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">Lauderdale</A>&nbsp; South Florida Sun-Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;February 7, 2006</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
&nbsp;</p>
<div>
  <h2>REAL ESTATE -- General</h2>
</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#cuckoo_for_condos">Cuckoo for condos!</a>&nbsp; Get in early! Get out fast! Sound familiar? Everyone knows how the dotcom party ended. MONEY Magazine &nbsp;August 19, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#the_three_myths_of_condo_investing">The three myths of condo investing</a>&nbsp; Don't be sucked in by these three myths of condo investing.&nbsp; MONEY Magazine &nbsp;August 19, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#die_die_monster_home_die">Die, die, monster home! Die!</a>&nbsp; A backlash against the 'mansionization' of America. MONEY Magazine &nbsp;August 19, 2005</div>
</tD>
                    <tD  VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFF99 WIDTH="161" height="1786"><div>
                      <p class="b-text-j">INTERACTIVE TOOLS by</div>
<DIV ALIGN="LEFT">
  <p class="b-text-j"></DIV>
<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <IMG SRC="images/07496130.gif" border=0 ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="150" height="19"></div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/rea" class="link" href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/sfl-edge-n-homeprices,0,1158273.flash?coll=sfla-busrealestate-utility">See average home prices and median income by neighborhood in Broward County</a></div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/rea" class="link" href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/sfl-edge-n-downtown,0,834115.flash?coll=sfla-busrealestate-utility">Find out how 5,000 planned condos and apartments will change downtown Fort Lauderdale in an interactive map</a></div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/rea" class="link" href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/sfl-propertysearch,0,4956068.htmlstory?coll=sfla-busrealestate-utility">Monitor real estate prices in recent transactions in Broward County and Palm Beach County</a></div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
</tD>
</tR>
                <tR>
                    <tD  VALIGN=TOP height="109"><div>
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>
                                <tR>
                                    <tD  VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 45  WIDTH="71"><div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
                                      <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="mailto:web@vpca.org" TARGET="_top"    TITLE="mailto:web@vpca.org">To report broken links</A></div>
<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:web@vpca.org" class="link" href="mailto:web@vpca.org">click here</a></div>
</tD>
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                                      <p class="b-text-j">
                                      <IMG SRC="images/06b20200.gif" border=0 ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="32" height="32"></div>
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  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
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                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </tD>
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                <tR>
                    <tD  VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 32 ><div>
                      <p class="b-text-j">
                      <a TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/1713.pdf" class="link" href="http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/1713.pdf">McMansions: Supersized Homes, Supersized Regulations</a> &nbsp;PDF&nbsp; 
                      Texas A&amp;M &nbsp;January 2005</div>
                    </tD>
                    <tD  VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="161" height="32">
                    <p class="b-text-j"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" HEIGHT="34" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="161" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD>
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  <p class="b-text-j">
  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
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            <blockquote>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#shortage_of_parking_puts_families_in_jam">Shortage of parking puts families in jam</a>&nbsp; The Herald &nbsp;Aug. 07, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#fighting_the_battle_of_the_bungalow_">Fighting the Battle of the Bungalow
  </a>&nbsp; New York Times &nbsp;September 30, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#condo_conversions_can_leave_buyers_with">Condo conversions can leave buyers with structural, legal surprises</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;October 9 2005</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <h2>UTILITIES</h2>
              </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"><br>
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#pole_reliability_questioned">Pole reliability questioned</a>&nbsp; Miami Herald &nbsp;October 29, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <a TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS" class="link" href="#sewer_cabinets_set_for_removal">Sewer cabinets set for removal &nbsp;Unsightly boxes to be relocated</a>&nbsp; Sun Sentinel &nbsp;November 6 2005</p>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - Late May, early evening. Chris Cowen cools his heels in a Minneapolis restaurant, waiting for a table. His buddy Keith is 15 minutes late.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cell phone rings. It's Keith. Got a proposition for you, Chris: a one-bedroom condo under construction in Scottsdale, Ariz. -- 1,800 miles away -- for $135,000. The catch: Only 60 seconds to decide. Sight unseen. Over the cell. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It was a no-brainer,&quot; recalls Cowen, 32, who owns 28 condos (solo or with partners) in various stages of completion. Two months after his impulse buy, Cowen figures the unit's ultrafast appreciation has covered his $3,500 cash down payment 10 times over. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I've already made $35,000,&quot; he crows. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Know this guy? If you don't, you probably will soon, because condos are to the real estate boom what Internet stocks were to the 1990s bull market. And like the Internet day-traders before them, the new condo flippers, with their talk of instant riches and easy money, are about to become the life of every cocktail party. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">And why not? Condo prices have soared 80 percent in the past five years, making the same period's 40 percent rise for single-family homes look almost pokey. Developers are constructing new condo units at nearly twice the pace they were in 1999, and investors are literally lining up to buy one, two, three or more. In Miami, as much as 75 percent of some condo towers are investor-owned. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">No cash? No problem. Banks, with their loosened lending standards, no-money-down loans and teaser mortgage rates, are making it easier than ever to be a mogul-in-training. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Chris Cowen is betting his retirement that the wonder years won't stop soon. He cashed out his 401(k) to put $246,000 into a highly leveraged condo portfolio that he thinks could sell for $6.2 million. Estimated equity so far: $868,000. Cowen is so bullish, he quit his corporate job at Siemens to develop his empire full time. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Even if you make six figures, you still work for someone else, paying 40 percent taxes and putting in 60 hours a week. What do you get for that?&quot; he scoffs. </div>
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<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <p class="b-text-j">A volatile mix</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mix it all together -- rising prices, record levels of construction, fast-and-loose mortgages and swelling ranks of new investors -- and you get a market more volatile than Tom Cruise. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;To some degree, what's driving condo prices is sheer greed,&quot; says economist Gleb Nachayev of Torto Wheaton Research, which forecasts a relatively mild drop of as much as 3 percent for U.S. housing prices overall in the next year. &quot;Condo prices have increased faster than single-family homes -- and they will fall faster.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">As they did little more than a decade ago. Overbuilt and over-concentrated in city centers, the condo market collapsed in the early '90s, smashing overstretched owners in the process. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">No one knows when history will repeat itself. But c'mon: The easy money has been made. The right time to invest is not after a record five-year run-up in prices. It's not when the supply of new product is set to nearly double. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If you're really drawn to the market, you need a deeper understanding of what's driving prices up -- and what can drive them down. Above all, don't confuse what's worked in the recent past with what will work over the long haul.<br>
&nbsp;</div>
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<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <p class="b-text-j">The case for boom</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Condos still have plenty going for them -- namely, 76 million baby boomers. You know the demographic drill by now: As they become empty-nesters and retirees, they'll sell their rambling homes in the burbs and move into yard work-free condos (or at least purchase them as second homes). </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They're expected to continue flooding into aging-friendly locales like Arizona, Florida and Nevada, but they'll also be flocking to traditional city centers as downtowns become safer.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Don't forget the children of boomers, adds veteran condo investor and National Association of Realtors chief economist David Lareah. They'll need affordable places to get started, and many already see entry-level-priced condos and townhouses as a great way to build equity so that they can trade up. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's hard to concoct a scenario where condo prices collapse in most markets,&quot; Lareah argues. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A good condo pick that's soundly financed can be about as hassle-free as real estate investing gets. Gary Eldred, author of &quot;Make Money with Condominiums,&quot; notes that association fees typically cover the standard repairs you'd have to oversee on a traditional house. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Condos,&quot; Eldred says, &quot;are perfect for people who want a passive investment.&quot; </div>
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<div style="text-align:CENTER; ">
  <p class="b-text-j">The case for doom</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Even the best investments can get overvalued, however. Condo fans cheer the 15 percent average annual spike in prices these past four years, but fail to remember that number was about 2 percent in the '90s. Last year, for the first time, the median condo cost more than the median home -- $9,500 more. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Prices in some parts of the country look even more ridiculous when you compare them to the low rents that condos currently generate. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Minneapolis, for instance, the average downtown condo sells for just over $256,000, up 77 percent from mid-2000. But area apartments rent for a measly $915 average a month, down from $918 four years ago, according to Torto Wheaton Research. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Even with a 20 percent down payment, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage would cost $1,150 a month. This condo investor is $235 a month in the hole -- even before paying association fees and taxes.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Growing fears of overbuilding are also cause for pause. With so many condos being built today, one has to wonder: Who's gonna rent them? Apartment vacancy rates have been rising. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;My guess is construction is growing faster than demand in some markets,&quot; says Raphael Bostic of the University of Southern California's Lusk Center for Real Estate. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="the_three_myths_of_condo_investing"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>The three myths of condo investing</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Don't be sucked in by these three myths of condo investing.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">August 19, 2005: 1:28 PM EDT </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - The growth in condo-investing mythology may be more worrisome than the risk of overbuilding. Here are three whoppers that need reality checks. </div>
              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">MYTH: Get in early and you'll be guaranteed a profit.</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Remember the lust for Internet IPOs? Ordinary investors bid up the stocks of hot little companies that hadn't even registered their first sale yet. Today's version is a preconstruction condo, where investors jockey to get into a project not yet built, certain the units will jump in value when completed. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But getting in early doesn't guarantee riches anymore. That's because developers have caught on to the demand and are now selling preconstruction properties at market prices, says Kimberly Kirschner, a Miami agent who specializes in new condos. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Also, developers are requiring buyers to reserve their units earlier -- as much as three years in advance. That's an awfully long time to assume a hot condo market will continue to boil. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So when it comes to preconstruction, skip that line. Instead, buy an existing unit. While preconstruction purchasers can wait up to three years with very little to show for it at the end, you can collect 36 months of rent to put toward paying off your mortgage and building equity. If prices continue to appreciate, great. But that's a cherry, not the whole sundae. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">MYTH: Creative mortgages lower your payments and guarantee positive cash flow.</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">New twists on adjustable-rate mortgages and interest-only loans can make condo investing seem like a lark. But some of these things could slaughter you if prices fall when you have to sell.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The riskiest is called an option ARM, which features several payment choices each month, including a standard interest-and-principal payment, an interest-only payment and an interest-only minimum payment that's so low it doesn't cover the month's interest charge. The unpaid interest is rolled into the principal, meaning that -- yes -- you're charged interest on your unpaid interest. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale resident Bruce Palmer, 50, recently signed up for an option ARM that cuts his monthly payment on a $417,000 investment condo by $500. As a result, his two-bedroom in Fort Lauderdale should generate a profit of $350 a month. &nbsp;&nbsp;Palmer, a commercial pilot, says he sees the risk. Paying the interest-only bare minimum means his mortgage is growing, not shrinking. If local prices were to drop, his loan balance could exceed the condo's value. &nbsp;But Palmer is confident, building a war chest to snap up properties. &quot;If I could leverage more,&quot; he says wistfully, &quot;I would.&quot; </div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Gary Eldred, author of &quot;Make Money with Condominiums,&quot; worries about such sunny thinking. Most condo investors should avoid option ARMs, he says, and either put down more money to lower the monthly payment or consider buying -- gasp -- a less expensive unit. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Whatever your choice, Eldred says your expected rent should cover at least 70 percent of your total monthly costs. Tax write-offs on condo losses can help close some of that gap, he notes. (Up to $25,000 in losses, excluding mortgage-principal payments, can be charged against total income of less than $150,000.) </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">And he argues that rising rents should, over time, cover the rest. (With condo prices soaring, Eldred predicts that condo rents will follow as would-be buyers get priced out and rent.) More cautious investors would want their rent to cover 100 percent of carrying costs or more. </div>
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  </p>
              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">MYTH: You should buy in your backyard, where you know the landscape.</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Too few condo investors recognize one of the best reasons to buy: It can help diversify your real estate holdings so that your portfolio doesn't rise and fall solely on hometown economics and events. (Even if property is a relative bargain in your area, buying wisely elsewhere can make more sense than buying too much property locally.) </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">New York City attorney Richard Savitt, 40, never thought about all this 18 months ago, when he abandoned hopes of investing in Big Apple condos and bought in Philadelphia instead. &quot;We just thought New York prices were crazy,&quot; he explains. &nbsp;But it sure looks wise now. Savitt and four partners bought four one-bedroom condos, each around $300,000. Similar units now list for as much as $450,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">To help you determine where to invest, take the average price at which units are selling in a city and divide it by the annual rent the average apartment there generates. That will produce a price-to-rent ratio. The lower the better. Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia, for instance, still look relatively good, while New York City and San Francisco do not. </div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Minneapolis, Chris Cowen and four other condo investors who've become pals gather at a bar for their fortnightly meeting. Jahn Dyvik, a 42-year-old engineer who sold his Porsche Boxster to help fund more condo buys, says lower prices in neighboring St. Paul make that city the better bet. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The rest of the group is sticking with Minneapolis, where they think prices will rise faster. Two others have also sold their cars. All have home-equity loans. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where are prices headed? Cowen's not sure. The long-term case for condos looks good, but all the building out there makes him nervous. &quot;People have unrealistic profit expectations.&quot; &nbsp;Not him, of course. &quot;No one has a crystal ball. But the condos I've bought are going to go up.&quot; </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="die_die_monster_home_die"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Die, die, monster home! Die!</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Homes are bigger than ever. Now there's a backlash against the 'mansionization' of America.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">August 18, 2005: 4:08 PM EDT </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Les Christie, CNN/Money staff writer</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The American home is getting bigger. And fatter. And, to some, uglier. Now, towns are fighting back. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Chevy Chase, Md., an upscale suburb of Washington, recently announced a six-month moratorium on home construction to make time to examine how to deal with the proliferation of oversized single-family houses. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Call them what you will -- starter castles, McMansions, monster homes -- these houses have become increasingly visible in metropolitan landscapes. Many residents hate them. </div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Todd Hoffman, town manager, said that more than 500 Chevy Chasers, a significant number in a community of just over 1,000 homes, signed a petition expressing their &quot;concern about the effects of 'mansionization.'&quot; </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Folks in Chevy Chase aren't alone. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">New York city councilman Tony Avella from Bayside in Queens, led a rezoning effort last April that combats the trend. He said, &quot;Overdevelopment is the No. 1 issue in my district. It comes up more than education or police protection.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Los Angeles city council recently passed an ordinance that limits home size in the Sunlund-Tujunga area. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">New Canaan, Conn., enacted regulations this year that limit the height of new houses. Nearby Greenwich and Westport have similar rules under consideration. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Other opposition has surfaced in Boston, the Chicago suburbs and the Bay Area in California. </div>
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              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">What's the big deal?</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Are these new homes really so gargantuan that they should attract such fear and loathing?</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Back in 1950, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average new house clocked in at 963 square feet. By 1970, that figure had swollen to 1,500 square feet. Today's average: 2,400 square feet. One in five are more than 3,000 square feet. &nbsp;Oddly, as houses expanded, the number of household members shrank, from 3.1 people in 1971 to 2.6 people today. The average building-lot size contracted also, to about 8,000 square feet from 9,000 in the 1980s. So you're getting bigger houses on smaller lots with fewer people living in them. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Fueling the size craze is a long wish list of home features Americans desire. Some 87 percent prefer three or more bedrooms with 44 percent wanting at least four, according to the NAHB. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">About 85 percent of Americans want walk-in pantries. Seventy-seven percent desire separate shower stalls, 95 percent want laundry rooms and 64 percent home offices. More than a third crave media rooms. Then there are exercise rooms, sun rooms, and dens. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">No wonder new homes have grown. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">Where are they a problem?</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">It's not necessarily the size that matters -- location is a big part of it. Few people oppose McMansions in new suburbs with uniformly large homes, or to single monsters set apart on ample acreage. What raises hackles is Gulliver-sized homes on lilliputian lots. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many older, closed-in suburbs that are in demand for their easy commutes are already built out. Builders put in large homes on whatever shoebox-sized lots remain or knock down smaller houses and replace them with palaces. They fill in nearly to the lot line and build as high as regulations allow, dwarfing neighboring homes.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many of Avella's constituents tell him if the issue is not addressed, they'll move. It's not just the traffic and overcrowding that bother them, it's the inappropriate and out-of-character nature of the monster homes as well. &nbsp;In at least one case, according to Avella, someone supersized half of a semi-attached house, changing the once mirror-image building to an asymmetrical nightmare. </div>
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              <p class="b-text-j"></p>
              <p class="b-text-j">Is it always inappropriate?</p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">According to Wendy Gruel, the L.A. City Councilwoman who introduced the ordinance in Sunland-Tujunga, most of the time the issue is not about aesthetics. &quot;People feel they impact on the quality of life. They change the character of the town.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">People don't like neighbors peering directly into their backyard and even their bedroom. They hate losing light. All of a sudden you have this huge shadow on your house and yard. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In many older communities, such as Chevy Chase, residents want to &quot;maintain the look and feel of the town,&quot; said Hoffman. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There are also practical considerations. Chevy Chase has mature trees and lots of greenery. &quot;Some of that is lost as a result of very large homes being built,&quot; said Hoffman. &quot;With the tree loss and with more impermeable surfaces, there's greater storm runoff,&quot; which can contribute to flooding. Tree loss also makes streetscapes hotter in the summer. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Few think monster home bans should apply everywhere. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Gruel said a Council colleague told her that every community in her district wants an ordinance to combat mansionization, but in some cases, it's just not right. Most lots in Gruel's district are under 8,000 square feet. Neighborhoods with bigger lots don't need to regulate the home size as much because the monster homes have less effect on neighbors. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Michael Davidson of the American Planning Association said, &quot;Every community is different. Higher density can sometimes serve a neighborhood.&quot; Packing more homes on smaller amounts of land can free other acreage for recreation. And mass transit, a darling of urbanists, works most efficiently when there's a large population living along its corridor. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Communities have to address the issue case by case. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Nobody is against development,&quot; said Avella, &quot;but let it be appropriate, let it fit in with the character of the area, and let it be an asset, not a detriment.&quot; </div>
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  <h2>&nbsp;<A NAME="fla__homeowners_will_pay_to_bail_out"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Fla. homeowners will pay to bail out state-backed insurer's $516 million deficit</h2>
          </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Kathy Bushouse </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Business Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted August 18 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">It was more bad news Wednesday for Floridians already grappling with higher insurance premiums: Now they'll have to pay to help bail Citizens Property Insurance Corp. out of a $516 million deficit.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The state-backed, nonprofit company's board of governors voted Wednesday at a meeting in Jacksonville to tack a one-time charge onto all homeowner insurance bills. Anyone with a homeowner insurance policy will have to pay a 6.8-percent assessment to satisfy the Citizens shortfall, regardless of whether Citizens insures their houses, condos, townhomes and apartments.</div>
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For someone with a $2,000 annual premium, that means an additional $136. This is a special assessment that will be applied to whatever rate increases have been or will be approved by state regulators.</div>
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The hit will come when customers renew their policies. Once the change winds its way through a regulatory review, some customers could see the assessment as soon as two months from now. Others won't see it until next year.</div>
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">State law allows Citizens, the state's second-largest home insurer and the largest in South Florida, to assess all Floridians with homeowner or renter insurance policies to make up for its losses. The Citizens board imposes the surcharge. The state Office of Insurance Regulation does not approve it, but has 30 days to review the financial calculations, which have already been vetted by an independent auditor, said Citizens spokesman Justin Glover.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Citizens will then issue notices to all of Florida's private insurance companies to alert them of the assessment, Glover said. Companies will have 30 days after receiving that letter to pay their share of Citizens' shortfall.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Customers should know how much their share of Citizens' shortfall will be. State Farm Florida customers, for instance, will see a separate line on their insurance bills showing them how much they will pay toward Citizens' deficit, said State Farm Florida spokesman Tom Hagerty.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Citizens is Florida's insurer of last resort, covering homeowners who can't find private-market policies as well as the wind portion of insurance for coastal homes. The 2004 hurricanes caused an estimated $2.4 billion loss for Citizens. Of that, $1.8 billion came from the company's high-risk, or windstorm, account.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The company can't take money from other accounts to cover the loss.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">State legislators had the option of using additional sales-tax money generated by post-hurricane spending to offset Citizens' shortfall, but opted to spend the money elsewhere. Estimates show the state will realize $752 million more in sales tax money because of hurricane-related sales through June 2006.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There was an alternative here,&quot; said State Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, who has requested an audit of Citizens because of what he considers questionable claims paid by Citizens. &quot;The alternative was for the Legislature to buck up and take some of the bonus money that came to the state ... that could have been applied to directly reducing the Citizens' deficit.&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For those already hit with double-digit increases in their insurance premiums, the news that they would have to pay to cover Citizens' deficit proved immensely unpopular.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I just can't see why we have to pay for part of a loss from an insurance company that we're not even involved with,&quot; said Mike Boyd, a retiree west of Boynton Beach who is facing an insurance premium increase from his insurer, Nationwide Insurance Co. of Florida.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The assessments also meant another financial hit for Mark Walsh, 41, of Winter Park. His Central Florida neighborhood was hit by three of the four hurricanes last year, forcing him to replace his home's badly damaged roof. His insurance premium has increased by at least $400 since last year, Walsh said. &quot;Now I'm having another increase ... to bail this company out,&quot; Walsh said. &quot;When is it going to stop?&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4667.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">WHAT HAPPENED</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The board for Citizens Property Insurance Corp. approved a 6.8 percent one-time surcharge that will be added onto insurance premiums for all Florida home, townhome, condo and rental policies.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">WHAT'S NEXT</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">State insurance regulators have 30 days to review Citizens' financial calculations. Then Citizens will notify private companies of the assessment. The companies pass that charge onto their policyholders when they renew their policies.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">HOW THIS</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">AFFECTS YOU</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The surcharge is 6.8 percent of your annual premium. If you have a $2,000 annual premium, you'll pay an additional one-time charge of $136. You pay this regardless of whether you have a policy with Citizens. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="political_group_forms_in_lauderdale"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Political group forms in Lauderdale</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Organizers unclear about what its message will be to voters</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Staff Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted August 21 2005 </div>
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                                      <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale · A 
                                      political action committee has formed to 
                                      influence voters on major issues as the 
                                      city election nears. The PAC will be able 
                                      to skirt strict city restrictions on 
                                      campaign contributions, bringing in 
                                      unlimited dollars to spread its message.</div>
                                    <p class="b-text-j">
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  <p class="b-text-j">But the PAC's organizers so far have been vague about what that message will be.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Organizers of Friends of Fort Lauderdale PAC, a collection of business owners, residents, developers and other interested citizens, say it sprang from frustration with city problems and voter apathy.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PAC's &quot;agenda is about what is good for our city, what is good for our neighborhoods, what is good for our businesses,&quot; says the Friends of Fort Lauderdale Web site, www.friendsoffortlauderdale.org.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">All five members of the City Commission are up for election in 2006, with a primary in February and runoffs in March. Qualifying begins in January.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Elections Department records show those behind Friends of Fort Lauderdale Inc. are: Garry Johnson, a lawyer with Tripp Scott; beach businessman Tim Schiavone of the Parrot Lounge; Michael Kelleher, a beach development manager of Q Club Resort and Residences condo-hotel; and a former H. Wayne Huizenga and state Republican Party spokesman, Stanton B. Smith, who also had a business called JebWear, marketing clothing with the &quot;JEB!&quot; slogan popularized in Gov. Bush's campaigns. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Smith, a Wilton Manors resident, now has a public relations firm called SmithPenn. He said the PAC's inception also involved Ina Lee, a beach resident and publisher of Travel Host magazine.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">His business partner, Hollywood resident Tom Pennavaria, a lobbyist and former staffer for the state House of Representatives, said the PAC is &quot;not about what Fort Lauderdale used to be.&quot;</div>
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;If I was to give you Friends of Fort Lauderdale in a nutshell, several folks in our age group and the age group above us feel the city has a great deal of momentum going and a great deal of potential,&quot; said Pennavaria, 41, &quot;and they feel there may not be a whole lot of people paying attention to that. They want to create a group that keeps the city growing.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Smith said the group will do voter registration, candidate forums, and try to increase voter turnout, including discussing whether the city elections should be moved to a November cycle.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Smith said the PAC won't be &quot;campaign-oriented,&quot; and won't endorse candidates. But the group's general consensus is that the status quo of Fort Lauderdale leadership is lacking, he said. Crime is of concern, he said, as are parking problems and traffic.</div>
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PAC members' feeling about development -- a key issue in the 2003 city election -- is that &quot;growth vs. no growth&quot; is not a realistic debate, Smith said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It used to be that candidates ran on no growth at all and painted the developers as people that harmed the quality of life,&quot; he said. &quot;So it's how you can grow responsibility, not how you can stop growth.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PAC will be able to operate outside of the city's tight campaign contribution restrictions, which apply only to candidates, city attorney Harry Stewart said. The only part of the city's law that will pertain to the PAC is the prohibition on PACs giving money to candidates, he said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PAC will operate under state law, which dictates that a political committee supporting or opposing issues can take unlimited contributions. A committee that supports or opposes candidates, however, would be subject to a $500 contribution maximum.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">City officials in May 2002 voted 4-1, with Commissioner Carlton Moore dissenting, to pass a law setting a maximum $250 contribution and banning contributions from corporations or PACs, in order to dampen the influence of money in city elections.</div>
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Under the city's law, candidates can't receive contributions higher than $250, and they cannot take any money from corporations or PACs.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">As of June 30, the Friends of Fort Lauderdale had collected $1,627, plus $4,100 in &quot;in-kind&quot; donations such as goods or services, according to its required filing with the city.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">No money had been spent by the PAC.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many of the listed contributions were $25 checks or $10 checks, but one $1,000 check came from Schiavone's Lauderdale Lounges Inc.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some of the smaller contributors: District II candidate Jon Albee, mayoral candidate Dan Lewis, public relations consultant and Lewis campaign helper Kevin Boyd, Water Taxi operator Bob Bekoff, former city commissioner Jack Latona and developer Jack Loos.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The in-kind contributors included Johnson's law firm, which gave $2,250 worth of office space and expenses; and Travel Host magazine, which contributed $1,000 in design and printing services, according to the itemized report.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4541.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="hyde_park_condo_tower_hearing_reset_for"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Hyde Park condo tower hearing reset for Sept. 21</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun-Sentinel August 17, 2005</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A city Planning and Zoning Board hearing scheduled tonight for the controversial Hyde Park Market tower has been postponed a month.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The tower is proposed to go next to the historic Stranahan House, at 500 E. Las Olas Blvd. The hearing has been delayed to 6 p.m. Sept. 21 at City Hall, 100 N. Andrews Ave.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The developer requested the postponement, after learning that a Stranahan House attorney had questioned the timing of the legal notices, arguing they were posted one day late.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In a letter to the city, attorney Don Hall wrote that the developer, his client, followed the city's timing on posting the signs. Hall wrote, though, that in order to avoid another &quot;contentious issue&quot; with the Stranahan House, the developer would like the meeting postponed.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="condo_plan_stuck_in_park"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Condo plan stuck in park</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Six years later, Related's project is still in court</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Business Journal &nbsp;Ed Duggan</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">August 5, 2005 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">What could have been Fort Lauderdale's first downtown residential high-rise is still only a rolled-up drawing, while others have sprouted mushroom-like during the past five years. &nbsp;The project, on the site of a former Hyde Park Market next to Stranahan House, has survived a public referendum to turn it into a park, an eminent domain suit and a series of ongoing lawsuits. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Now, though, there's the mysterious $2 million donated to Friends of the Park at Stranahan House, a group opposing the 42-story mixed-use tower by The Related Group of Florida on land owned by the Rabina Group of Scarsdale, N.Y. Officials connected with the group's board of directors, a nonprofit formed in 2004, won't say who contributed the money. That means the public doesn't know whether the giver has motivations other than wanting a park, such as owning a rival project. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The controversy pits well-known Fort Lauderdale attorneys, preservationists and business people in the Stranahan House camp against the New York land owner and the region's largest condo developer, Jorge Perez's $2 billion Related Group. Both sides use strong terms to describe their opponents. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The attorney for the landowners, Donald R. Hall of the Fort Lauderdale office of Gunster Yoakley &amp; Stewart, said the Stranahan House supporters &quot;have adopted a scorched earth litigation policy.&quot; &nbsp;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Not so,&quot; said Neil Schiller, a non-practicing lawyer and outreach representative for Friends of the Park at Stranahan House, whose board includes former board members of Stranahan House. &quot;We just want the public to have input into the process that has been frozen out by backroom deals.&quot; &nbsp;When asked to explain the backroom deals allegation, Schiller provided a quote via an outside public relations firm: &quot;The public has never had the chance to be involved with the project and, unfortunately, we've had to resort to legal action on several occasions to open this up. Why isn't the public involved? Why is the city shutting out the public? This is all about the public's right to know and become involved.&quot;</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">What about the public's right to know the identity of who gave the $2 million? &nbsp;&quot;I can tell you that it was an anonymous donation and the requirement of the gift was that we not reveal the giver's identity. This is not an uncommon practice in the nonprofit world,&quot; he said in a quote given by the public relations firm. &nbsp;A likely source is a $2 million restricted asset listed by Stranahan House in its 2003 tax return, the latest available on the Guidestar Web site. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Birthplace of a city </div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The focal point is a 1.4-acre site near the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel, which takes U.S. 1 under the New River. It's a linchpin site that serves as the transition between the shops along Las Olas Boulevard and the office and residential high-rises to the west. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For decades, the Stranahan House has been largely hidden from passersby on Las Olas Boulevard behind a fence and the supermarket site, which has a loading dock area that interrupts Riverwalk from continuing on to the Stranahan House. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">When it appeared that the developer would get the green light on the original proposed 38-story building in 1999, Stranahan House backers paid for and circulated a petition for the city to acquire the property for a park. It garnered 8,800 signatures out of 80,000 registered voters and the Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted in 2000 to start an eminent domain condemnation suit to take the property from Rabina for a city park. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The city approved an $8 million bond issue as part of the parcel's estimated $20 million value at the time. Lynne Lawrence, senior VP of Rabina Realty, currently estimates the property to be worth $50 million Judge Robert Lance Andrews, in Broward's 17th Judicial Circuit Court, heard the condemnation case after Judge Leonard Fleet recused himself in August 2001. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ruling against the city </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">On March 21, 2002, Andrews ruled for the property owner and against the city, citing the city's own comprehensive plan that didn't list the Hyde Park site as historically significant and which has consistently confirmed the site's high-density use designation. &nbsp;In his order and opinion, Andrews said: &quot;Nevertheless, unlike other surrounding equally intense developments, defendants apparently suffer the misfortune of being targeted by a determined group, as a campaign against the permit was engineered by the board of the Stranahan House.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He also noted in the order that the site was only recently listed with the Florida Historic Board as a &quot;potential archeological site.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Andrews ruled &quot;there is no implicit finding of reasonable necessity&quot; for the city to take the property. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The City Commission, awash in budget deficits and fearing potential damages and costs for delaying the project, entered into a consent agreement with the developer. Stranahan House in May 2001 ceded authority to the city to act on its behalf in the acquisition attempt. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The consent agreement gave Rabina the right to build a 42-story mixed-use residential tower on a slightly slimmer footprint, moving a separate eight-story parking garage into the building, devoting additional park, garden and walkway space between the tower and the Stranahan House, and completing the existing Riverwalk through to Las Olas Boulevard. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Apparently, Stranahan House leaders weren't interested in being part of Riverwalk. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There were indications that the Stranahan House board resists granting an easement on their property to connect the Riverwalk to Las Olas Boulevard,&quot; Andrews said in his order and opinion. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If less than 312 units are incorporated into the revised project, the balance can be used in any other residential development in the city that the owner/developer designated, according to the consent agreement. There will still be two public meetings before final approval - one before planning and zoning, and the other before the City Commission. Fort Lauderdale City Manager George Gretsas said the approval process is under way - as the city previously agreed to in a consent order - and that he expected the site plan application would get to the City Commission in the early fall. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Related Group Senior VP Barbara Salk said the Stranahan House doesn't know when it has won. &quot;We have slimmed the building's footprint, put in beautiful gardens, incorporated the garage into the building and will complete Riverwalk, connecting it to Las Olas Boulevard. It will be beautiful and set the Stranahan House off like a jewel.&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Still, the fight continues, although Schiller said he is not at liberty to divulge the budget, supporters or financial benefactors of Friends of the Park at Stranahan House. He points out that his group has never sued the landowner/developer directly. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;This is an elite group of people who want to acquire this land for whatever their reasons,&quot; Hall said. &quot;Why didn't Stranahan House object to the zoning when it was first proposed in the 1990s?&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Schiller, who didn't represent the group at that time, couldn't give a reason why it didn't oppose the original zoning. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Perhaps someone dropped the ball at that time and we are regarded as a Johnny-come-lately, but this is the birthplace of Fort Lauderdale we are talking about,&quot; Schiller said. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In a last-ditch effort, the nonprofits tried to have the Hyde Park site given historic landmark status based on the contention that it was once a &quot;campground for the Indians&quot; who traded with Frank Stranahan. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Controversial meeting notice </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Attorney and Stranahan house board member Steve Tillbrook, of the law firm Shutts &amp; Bowen, along with Kendall Coffey and Mark Journey of Coffey &amp; Wright, and sole practitioner W. Tucker Gibbs - who represent both the nonprofits only in their litigation - even went so far as to send out a notice of a Historic Preservation Board meeting, according to news reports at the time. The notice looked as though it came from the city and was an attempt to have the application for landmark designation heard at a May Preservation Board meeting before site plans for the tower could be approved. Schiller said it was necessary to get it out in time for the May meeting because the city hadn't responded to them within the five-day period required in the code. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The city said it refused to consider the application because, after testimony from experts, Andrews in his order and opinion had already declared the property was not of historical significance. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Friends of the Park at Stranahan House has appealed that decision, saying Andrews decided something he wasn't asked to rule on. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">According to the consent order, the city must &quot;diligently expedite and cooperate&quot; with the developer &quot;in obtaining all necessary approvals and permits to accomplish approval of the site plan and construction of the development ....&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Only upon the approval of the alternate site plan, all permits and final certificates of occupancy will the city and Stranahan House be released from claims for monetary compensation or damages, interest, costs and attorney's fees, according to the consent final judgment. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;In my 34 years of practicing law, I have never had a client like Rabina who tried so hard to balance building a project with being a good neighbor,&quot; Hall said. &quot;But our patience is wearing thin.&quot; </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Appeal of judge's ruling </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Attorneys Gibbs and Journey said they think Judge Andrews was in error when he upheld Fort Lauderdale's refusal to let the request be heard by the Historic Preservation Board. They have a pending appeal to that effect. &quot;Our beef is with the city of Fort Lauderdale because they didn't hold public hearings for the original site approval and subsequent request for historic landmark designation,&quot; Gibbs said. </div>
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<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;If we win our legal challenges, the Hyde Park developers will just have to go through the regular hearing process like anyone else,&quot; Journey added. </div>
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<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The motto of the historic Stranahan House is &quot;where the old meets the new.&quot; &nbsp;In this case, they still haven't met. </div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">E-mail residential real estate writer Ed Duggan at eduggan@bizjournals.com.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="new_candidate_files_for_district_ii_seat"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel &nbsp;August 17, 2005</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Another candidate has opened a campaign account to run for the City Commission, in the district represented by Dean Trantalis.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Trantalis has announced he won't seek re-election in District II, which covers the central beach, parts of downtown including Victoria Park, and stretches north to the neighborhoods of Middle River Terrace and beyond.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Les Hollingsworth, a mortgage banker at HomeBanc Mortgage Corp. in Deerfield Beach, who is the outgoing president of the Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association, opened his account recently and has announced his intention to run.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Already in that race are attorney Bradford Cohen, redevelopment company president Jon Albee and accountant <A HREF="http://www.MikeIn2006.com" TARGET="_top"    TITLE="http://www.MikeIn2006.com">Michael Moskowitz</A>.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="keep_yourself_covered_where_to_turn"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Keep yourself covered: Where to turn for homeowners insurance</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Kathy Bushouse </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">SunSentinel &nbsp;Business Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted August 21 2005 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The bad news arrived in June in Al Safron's mailbox: Allstate Floridian Insurance Co., which for two years insured his condo west of Boynton Beach and his car, would drop his condo policy when it came up for renewal in October.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The notice surprised him. He and his wife had never made a claim, and Allstate Floridian had wooed them with lower rates than their previous insurer, Safron said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">His is a tale becoming more familiar to Floridians, with some insurers cutting their hurricane exposure in the state. In May, Allstate Floridian said it won't renew 95,000 policies and won't cover commercial buildings or condos. Nationwide Insurance Co. of Florida earlier this month said it won't write new homeowners' policies starting Sept. 1, and state regulators say the company may not renew some existing policies as well.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Other insurers, such as Seattle-based Safeco Insurance Co., are pulling completely out of Florida's insurance market.</div>
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<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Companies can decide not to renew policies for a number of reasons -- the company may no longer issue policies for a certain kind of business, or may not want to cover as many homes in a particular area.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So what do you do if you're one of the unlucky, and your insurer isn't renewing your policy or will no longer do business in Florida?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">First, don't panic. Your insurance company has to give you 45 days' notice that your policy won't be renewed, so you shouldn't suddenly find yourself without coverage, said Tami Torres, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Financial Services.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In some cases, your insurer will find another company to cover your home. That's what happened with Allstate Floridian, which arranged for all of its customers to be offered a policy from Universal Insurance Co. of North America.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;The bottom line is, we don't want anybody to be displaced in the market, particularly during hurricane season,&quot; Torres said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">If you're not sure whether your former insurer has lined up another carrier, check with the agent who sold you your old policy, Torres said.</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">You should also see if an agent can help you find coverage with another company. While bigger companies like State Farm Florida Insurance Co., Allstate Floridian and Nationwide don't issue new homeowners' policies in South Florida or, in some cases, anywhere in the state, there are smaller companies that do.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Typically, an independent insurance agent -- someone not affiliated with a company like State Farm or Allstate -- should be able to help you find this coverage, said Jeff Grady, president of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents.</div>
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Your success in getting coverage will depend on your house and where it's located. For instance, some insurers may shun older or pricier homes, or beachfront properties.</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If you have no other options, you'll have to go into state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida's insurance company of last resort. State-backed Citizens insures people who can't find private-market coverage.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The drawbacks: By design, Citizens charges the most expensive rates in each market where it operates. Also, last year, the company was criticized for being slow in processing claims, problems that Citizens says it is addressing.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But Ron Kornbluh, president and principal agent at Brokers Insurance Group in Margate, said people have more choices for their insurance than they might think.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;If the house qualifies, there are private carriers out there willing to write policies,&quot; Kornbluh said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Like bigger insurers, the smaller companies doing business in Florida have to meet state financial guidelines, such as having sufficient money to cover losses. Many smaller companies also have an additional safety net of sorts from reinsurance -- coverage that insurers buy to help them pay for catastrophic claims, Kornbluh said.</div>
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<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If you want more information about a company before you insure your house with it, go to the state Department of Financial Services Web site at www.fldfs.com, where you can look up the company's license and general information about insurance coverage.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If you don't have an agent, you can find one through the Florida Market Assistance Program. This referral service helps Floridians find coverage by bringing them together with participating insurance agents. More information is available at <A HREF="http://www.fmap.org" TARGET="_top"    TITLE="http://www.fmap.org">www.fmap.org</A>.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">After exploring their insurance options, some homeowners find that not getting renewed by their insurance carrier proved to be a good thing, Torres said.</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Sometimes, we do get consumers who say, `You know what, I'm glad it worked out this way, because when I shopped around I got equal or better coverage, and I'm paying less money,'&quot; Torres said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">People like Safron hope their nonrenewal will have a happy ending. Safron said he's getting more information about what Universal Insurance will offer him compared to the deal he got from Allstate Floridian, but isn't sure what his other options are.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;If I can find a better deal,&quot; Safron said, &quot;I'll take it.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Kathy Bushouse can be reached at kbushouse@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4667.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="keeping_it_beautiful"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Keeping it beautiful</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Victoria Park maintains a quiet charm with residents' help</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY MARLA OXENHANDLER</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Herald &nbsp;Jan 22, 2005</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Almost 80 years ago, developer Alfred G. Kuhn envisioned an exclusive subdivision in Fort Lauderdale -- one that would take advantage of the lush tropical foliage, Lake Stranahan and the Florida land boom already underway.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">At that time, Kuhn offered a typical lot in Victoria Park for $2,000, while lakefront property or a lot on Broward Boulevard was selling for much more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Today, lots in Victoria Park, the neighborhood that he named for his daughter, are selling for $400,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In fact, Victoria Park's eclectic mix of homes has experienced such a strong resurgence that real estate agent Larry Wallenstein, who lives in the neighborhood, said the average price of a single-family home is $500,000 and a new, two-story house sold this year for a record $1.6 million.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The least expensive rental goes for $800 a month.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Proximity to Fort Lauderdale beach, the downtown business district and easy access to Interstate 95 have helped maintain the neighborhood's popularity.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">However, Wallenstein, chairman of the 2004 Victoria Park Holiday Home Tour, believes it is much more than that.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''It's the high level of civic activism that sets us apart,'' he said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While there is no homeowners association or monthly fee, the volunteer Victoria Park Civic Association is made up of more than 150 residents who are determined to maintain the neighborhood's beauty.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For example, the Aesthetics Committee focuses on developing the swales, the streetscape of the trees and recognition of residents' efforts through beautification awards.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">'We recognize residents for the best use of color and the best use of landscaping as well as for the `swale of the month' and the 'take a second look at renovation' project,'' said Jeanne Lalli, aesthetics committee chairwoman. ``This is very important because it sets certain standards in the neighborhood.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Other committees include: Planning, Zoning/Recycling, Public Safety, Home Tour, Children's Activities, Traffic, Membership and Welcome Baskets.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''One of the biggest challenges that Victoria Park faces is development,'' Association President Jan Idelman said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While she and the committee chairmen know it is inevitable, they feel it is critical to preserve the neighborhood's history.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Eight of the homes built by Kuhn still stand, as well as many built by other developers in the 1930s.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They exist among more recently built homes that were designed to have a ''vintage'' look.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We like to think of ourselves as an historic neighborhood with a very forward approach,'' Idelman said. ``Our Planning and Zoning Committees are very proactive. We work with the architect and developers to ensure that we have neighborhood compatibility -- anything new has to be consistent in appearance with the rest of the area.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The result is an eclectic mix of old and new single-family homes, townhouses and apartments that have attracted singles, couples and families.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Kathleen and John Schobel, who proudly displayed their circa-1936 home in the Victoria Park Holiday Home Tour, said they had searched all over Florida to find the perfect home to relocate to from the Northeast.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We loved Key West and thought that was where we wanted to be until we found our home in Victoria Park,'' Kathleen Schobel said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The periwinkle exterior is complemented by yellow- and white-striped awnings and a white picket fence.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Schobels also love the neighborhood atmosphere -- a friendly, warm family feeling they sensed from the beginning.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">That's why they didn't hesitate to agree when, as new owners, they were asked to be part of the Home Tour.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mark Schweizer and Bob Voelker felt the same way.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They readily agreed to display their trilevel residence, which Voelker, an architect, designed, inspired by the international style of the '20s and '30s.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We love Victoria Park,'' Voelker said. ``Everyone knows each other and we've met even more neighbors by participating in the tour. Even when I walk the dog at 5:30 a.m., there's always someone to talk to.''</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="shortage_of_parking_puts_families_in_jam"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Shortage of parking puts families in jam</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Tempers are flaring across South Florida as residents feel squeezed from a lack of parking spaces near their homes and condos.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY DONNA GEHRKE-WHITE AND DIANA MOSKOVITZ &nbsp;&nbsp;dgehrke@herald.com</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Herald &nbsp;Aug. 07, 2005</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Victor and Marlene Caceres know the math doesn't work: Their family has five cars -- and a two-car driveway. Luckily, their Pembroke Pines home is next to six guest parking spaces and their extra cars go there -- as long as other neighbors haven't taken the spots. ''It can be a hassle,'' Victor said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The hassle extends throughout South Florida, in new neighborhoods and old, in condo developments and single-family neighborhoods: We have more cars than we have parking spaces.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The number of cars owned by the average American household has nearly doubled since 1969. The number of households with at least three cars jumped nearly ninefold, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Household Travel Survey. That has brought a parking crunch to congested urban areas such as South Florida. Adding to the crunch are demographic factors -- families with multiple cars replacing one-car snowbird retiree couples in older neighborhoods and condo units, more adult children living with their parents, several generations of families sharing one house.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">CROWDED HOUSES</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida's skyrocketing home prices are adding to the squeeze, as larger families crowd into smaller homes and condos, homes are built on smaller lots and ever more garages are converted from parking spaces to bedrooms and apartments. &nbsp;''Everybody has a two- or three-car garage and what do they do? They make them into utility rooms, a place to put tools and other stuff,'' Victor Caceres says.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The result: Fights are breaking out over parking spaces, neighborhood associations are towing ''space thieves,'' and some condo communities have waiting lists for parking spots.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">VIOLENT TEMPERS</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Last month, an extreme argument occurred when Tulio Jesus Arias, 56, shot to death Eduardo Otero, 47, in Miami after Otero parked improperly at a crowded apartment complex, blocking Arias' car. When Arias tried to have Otero's Lincoln towed, Otero suddenly emerged -- hostile and aggressive, Miami police said. Arias pulled out a gun and shot Otero ''multiple times,'' Miami police spokeswoman Herminia Salas-Jacobson said. Arias was charged with second-degree murder.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Much more common, Salas-Jacobson said, are arguments over parking spaces. Bob Laguardia has seen such disputes at his Meadowbrook condominium in Hallandale Beach, which has 56 units with only one space each and just 16 guest parking spaces.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''It's all petty stuff, but it's important to the people who have a right to a parking space,'' he said. &nbsp;Adds resident Sandra Hammond: ``How can I holler at them when I can't even think of an answer?''</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Indeed, Robert Dunphy, a senior fellow and parking expert at the Washington-based Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit real estate research center, said parking is a nationwide problem. He praises South Florida leaders for limiting parking on some streets to residents only and requiring developers to provide more spaces. But South Florida cities can do more, Dunphy said, such as promoting more valet parking at condos, encouraging more circular drives at single-family homes and even creating public parking lots in congested areas, as San Diego did. ''You want the Goldilocks effect,'' he added. ``Not too little or too much parking but just right.''</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While illegal rental units are responsible for some parking woes, other problems are caused by the trend of more multigeneration -- and multicar -- families living together, including grown kids moving home.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">IN THE YARD</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Miami's Morningside neighborhood, Glover Clarke, her husband and three grown daughters have six cars. When the driveway is full, some end up parked in the yard. There's no other place, Clarke said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Pembroke Pines, the Caceres have five cars, including a new SUV as a family car, unmarked police vehicles for Victor and Marlene, both police officers. When Victor's mother and sister moved in, they each brought a car. Their homeowners association does not allow homeowners to park on the street or swales. That leaves the six guest parking spaces. ''Otherwise, I don't know what we would do,'' Victor said.Forget their two-car garage. Like many Floridians, the family uses the garage for storage, leaving even less parking space for cars than city planners had envisioned.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ditto for Henry Garcia's Miramar neighborhood. On the worst nights, streets are filled with parked cars, even though Miramar bans on-street parking. On weekends, he said, visitors knock on strangers' doors to beg for an empty space in a driveway. Garcia said his neighborhood was supposed to have guest parking -- but those spaces were turned into home lots. ''We're all jammed up,'' Garcia said. Things got better after offenders were cited for parking violations, Garcia said. But the crowding got to him. He just sold his home to build a new one in Homestead.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">`A LITTLE SPACE'</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''Let them turn this place into Metropolis,'' Garcia said. ``I'm going someplace with a little space.'' &nbsp;Last month, Dania Beach began requiring homeowners who convert their garages into living space to create another parking space elsewhere on the property.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  <p class="b-text-j">THE 'T' WORD</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Older residential neighborhoods in Miami Beach and Coral Gables near popular restaurants or shops have successfully petitioned their cities to restrict parking to residents. Now to park a car in 14 neighborhoods in Miami Beach, for example, drivers must have residential decals -- or risk being towed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Herb Frank is grateful for such restrictions. His Belle Isle neighborhood was the latest Miami Beach community to get decals that allow only residents and their guests to park there after 6 p.m. during the week and 24 hours on Saturday, Sunday and holidays. ''When you would come home in the evenings every spot would be taken,'' he says, by patrons of nearby restaurants and shops ``We couldn't find a place to park.''</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">CRACKING DOWN</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Meanwhile, others are demanding their cities get tough, especially against illegal apartments carved out of single-family homes that force tenants to park on already clogged streets. ''It's a huge problem, our No. 1 problem in the neighborhood,'' said Hugh Ryan, president of the Miami-Shenandoah Neighborhood Association.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some South Floridians are careful to scout out parking before they buy. Tired of the parking hassle she had encountered while living in Miami Beach, Chris Morales bought a condo in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood with an assigned parking spot.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In some areas, neighborhood leaders are pushing developers to add more parking. Victoria Park activists, for example, routinely ask developers to build more parking than Fort Lauderdale requires, in exchange for not protesting higher-density town homes. &nbsp;''When people spend $600,000, $700,000, $800,000 for a town house, let's face it, they're going to have more than one car,'' said Thornie Jarrett, president of the Victoria Park Civic Association.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ed Duggan </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Business Journal &nbsp;August 26, 2005</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The rush to convert rental apartments to condominiums in South Florida is hitting a crescendo with 25,860 units expected to sell or hit the market this year, according to conversion guru Jack McCabe. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;That's about a three-year supply in the pipeline,&quot; he said. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The 25,860 units rivals the size of some cities, such as the 25,022 total housing units in Hallandale Beach, according to the 2000 Census. It's also about 25 percent more than the units found in Jupiter and Aventura. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">About half of those new units are in Broward, where McCabe Research &amp; Consulting has just found nine more communities with a total of 2,646 units, which will be offered to buyers by the end of the year. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They include four in Coral Springs: Eagle's Nest, Coral Club, Summit Chase and Windsor at Coral Springs. Three communities are in Pompano Beach - Banyan Gardens, The Pointe at Crystal Lake and Sabal Palm - and two in Coconut Creek - Coco Parc and San Michele Evergreen Lakes. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Coral Springs, 37 rental communities with more than 3,500 units have been converted or have started that process since last October, said Jackie Foster, planning analyst in the Coral Springs planning and zoning office. That's up from just two communities in the previous fiscal year. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Broward County, 12,685 units have been sold or will be on the market this year, McCabe said. &quot;That's triple the number that were sold in Broward last year. Something has to give.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Speed to market and below-market pricing have been the sales secrets so far. That's what one local group is counting on. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">King of Prussia, Pa.-based Morgan Properties sold Eagle's Nest to Beach Hill Development Coral Springs LLC for $46 million, or an average unit cost of $174,242. The Miami office of CB Richard Ellis handled the sale. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The community name is being changed from Eagle's Nest to Atlantic Springs and a $3.5 million budget has been allocated for infrastructure improvements and unit upgrades. Prices are expected to start in the low $200,000s. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Two of the buyer's principals, Daniel Rotenberg and Gavriel Naim, converted the 399-unit Waverly at South Beach and turned Victor Posner's former offices on Collins Avenue into 239 residential condos. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The converters are looking for an estimated $71 million sellout over the next 12 months, Rotenberg said. &quot;The conversion market is still viable in select areas. Condos are a good alternative to high-priced housing.&quot; </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Staff Writer </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Posted September 7 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale -- After a five-year frenzy of condo development downtown, the city has hit its max. Two major high-rise projects are up for approval tonight, but under the rules, there's only room for one.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The city's land restrictions put a cap on the number of homes -- apartments, houses or condos -- that can be built downtown, and if one of the projects is approved tonight, there will not be enough units left for the other, city staffers have told city commissioners.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">One of the projects, by Ellis Diversified, would be the tallest in Broward County, at 48 stories, towering over Broward Boulevard west of the federal courthouse. The other, by Broward Groupe Pacific, would rise 31 stories in the same general area, a few blocks north of Broward Boulevard and west of Federal Highway. Neither project has an official name.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Jim Ellis of Ellis Diversified said he was told both projects would be considered at the same time, even though his is listed second on the agenda. But he wasn't sure how the evaluation would be done. &quot;If both projects are being reviewed at the same time, which we have been told is what the case will be, then it really comes down to what project do you like better,&quot; Ellis said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners have never faced a dilemma like this, and it's unclear how they will evaluate the projects. Planning Director Marc LaFerrier could not be reached for comment.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">If the housing allotment is used up, downtown residential development would pause until the state approves more. The county agreed recently that another 3,000 homes could be added, but state approval is pending. City officials had requested 13,000 and have embraced a denser downtown.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The two projects total 436 condo or apartment units. The available number, though, is only 256, according to a memo from city planners. Their memo said that approval of one of the projects would reduce the housing pool &quot;to the extent that there will not be a sufficient number of [dwelling units] available for the approval of the remaining project.&quot; &nbsp;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Though more could be available in March, city commissioners could put additional requirements and restrictions on them, such as mandates to make some more affordable. Commissioners can give units to either of the following:</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Broward Groupe Pacific's 48-story tower, which includes 255 residences, about 43,000 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet of ground-level retail, plus parking for 597 cars. The proposed tower would have two-story glass windows from floors 10 to 33 and single-story glass windows to the top. The existing buildings at 111 E. Broward Blvd. would be demolished, including three one-story buildings, three two-story buildings and three parking lots.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ellis Diversified Inc.'s 31-story condo with retail at 405 NE Second St., which calls for 181 residences and 4,386 square feet of retail space, plus 312 parking spaces. The Lauderdale Lumber Co. at the site would be demolished. Mike Parker of Lauderdale Lumber said his company has been there since 1937. If the project goes through, Parker hopes to find a more visible, larger site for the small business. &nbsp;&quot;It's a lumber yard in the heart of downtown,&quot; said Parker. &quot;It's getting difficult.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Both projects have been evaluated by school officials, who note that the middle school serving them, Sunrise Middle, is &quot;critically overcrowded.&quot; Other schools serving the area, Walker Elementary and Fort Lauderdale High, are both under capacity, according to the district's April projections.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Some call FPL too slow to trim trees near lines</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida residents and state regulators said Florida Power &amp; Light isn't doing enough to trim trees to prevent outages.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted Sept 20, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY JOHN DORSCHNER</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Last spring, Mike Uhorchak, a pharmacist who lives in Palmetto Bay, called Florida Power &amp; Light and asked it to trim the branches of a sprawling live oak hanging over the power line in his yard.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL never came. Hurricane Katrina did. Just as Uhorchak feared, Katrina toppled the tree into the line, and his neighborhood was out for five days.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">As yet another storm bears down on South Florida, more homeowners are wondering whether FPL's tree-trimmers are doing enough to trim vegetation that's endangering power lines.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So is the Florida Public Service Commission, which regulates FPL. A July report from the agency faulted FPL's trimming, noting that the number of outages caused by vegetation increased 23.8 percent from 1999 to 2003. And that doesn't include tree-related outages during hurricanes.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL responds that its reliability record is among the best in the nation. The company is always working to improve its performance, spokesmen said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Still, FPL acknowledges there's a reason why customers like Uhorchak gripe about feeling ignored. Two years ago, the utility adopted a formal policy to reduce the number of trees cut at the request of customers.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">METHOD</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The company now emphasizes methodically trimming along every mile of power line once every three years. If a customer calls about a tree that needs trimming and it's not posing an immediate danger -- sparking, for example -- crews will let it wait until it's up for regularly scheduled maintenance.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''From an efficiency standpoint, you get a lot better results,'' says Geisha Williams, the FPL vice president in charge of the reliability of the distribution system. ''It's the integrity of the line overall that matters,'' not one individual's backyard.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Over the years, FPL has steadily increased its miles of regular trimming. Last year's 9,289 miles represented a 29 percent increase over 2003, according to the PSC.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But, the commission's report noted, FPL only achieved that by adding crews in December. And PSC figures show the company spent less on its tree-trimming in 2004 than the year before. Its average cost per mile trimmed fell 25 percent, from $6,472 to $4,909.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">PSC watchdog Mike Twomey suggests FPL might have been inflating its trimmed miles right before a big rate hike request -- which was dropped after a settlement with the state attorney -- but doing a less thorough job of cutting back vegetation.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Not so, Williams says. ''2004 is a bit of an aberration.'' As three hurricanes -- Charley, Frances and Jeanne -- blasted through its operating area, ''we spent upwards of $90 million to trim trees during those hurricanes.'' That sum is not included in the standard trimming budgets.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The regular tree-trimming work -- more than 90 percent of which is subcontracted to Asplundh, a Pennsylvania-based company -- went faster than usual and cost less in 2004 ''because so many trees were gone or trimmed during the restoration,'' Williams says.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">STRATEGY QUESTIONED</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Peggy Arvanitas, a staunch consumer critic of FPL, suspects the company in the past intentionally minimized its tree-trimming, which comes out of its normal operating budget, so that it could spend more on tree-trimming after hurricanes come through. ''Then they dump the cost on the consumers,'' by getting the PSC to approve a storm-related surcharge added to customers' bills.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Williams says that's simply not true, but some South Florida customers report they heard similar reports from out-of-state crews who trimmed trees here after Katrina.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''They said this is FPL's idea of preventive maintenance,'' says Lauran Mehalik, a resident of the Croissant Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale who talked to a South Carolina crew cutting back vegetation after the hurricane went through. ``They said they [FPL] don't do anything about the tree canopy and then wait for a storm.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We get that often,'' says Williams. ``These out-of-state people think their utility is always better.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But, she said, a national survey by the Edison Electric Institute showed that FPL's reliability of service was in the top 25 percent of the nation. ``That is saying something, when you consider we're the lightning capital of the United States. We have year-round vegetation. We have more critters -- like squirrels and snakes -- crawling into our facilities.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">However, Edison Electric Institute spokesman Jim Owen says he couldn't confirm FPL's performance because the trade association doesn't release the data.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Owen says it's ''very difficult to make comparisons'' between utilities performance with vegetation management, because the kind and density of trees varies widely across the country and standards of performance differ.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">COMPARISON</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Perhaps the closest comparison for FPL is Progress Energy, which covers a broad swath of Central Florida. PSC research shows FPL consistently has lower average outage minutes per customer due to vegetation issues than did Progress Energy. In 2003, FPL's average customer had 35 percent less time lost to vegetation-caused outages than did Progress Energy's.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Williams insists FPL has given her adequate funds to do the tree-trimming work and doesn't wish for more, but when the utility made its case for a rate hike earlier this year, it proposed a considerable increase in tree-trimming expenditures -- a cost that would be built into its rate base.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charlie Beck of the Office of Public Counsel, the official state representative for utility customers, says that after years of 5 percent increases in spending on tree-trimming, FPL proposed a 17.7 percent increase in 2006. ''It seems they recognized they needed to do more,'' Beck says.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Some residents deter trimmers</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some cities are studying or have approved measures requiring their citizens to let treetrimmers do their work.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted Sept 20, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY JOHN DORSCHNER</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">While some customers complain FPL does too little tree-trimming, at least five towns in Miami-Dade and Broward are concerned that some of their own residents may be messing up power reliability by not letting the tree-trimmers do their jobs.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Pinecrest, Southwest Ranches and Palmetto Bay have passed or are studying proposals to urge or force residents to allow the utility's hired tree-trimmers to enter their property and cut branches or trees in danger of falling on power lines.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Most of the municipalities were contemplating such moves even before Katrina.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Coral Gables Mayor Donald Slesnick complains FPL has an ''antiquated system'' of lines and transformers that need updating, but also says that his city's possession of ''one of the great tree canopies in the United States'' presents problems.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Among the city actions:</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Key Biscayne: The village council voted earlier this month to threaten homeowners with a lien if they don't trim back vegetation near electric lines.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Southwest Ranches: A 2004 law makes it illegal to stop a utility worker from entering private property to trim or remove a tree.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Coral Gables: A resolution passed last week ''urges city residents. . . to permit'' FPL crews ``access to clear vegetation.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest: City leaders are waiting for a meeting with FPL before taking final action.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Marlen Oria, an FPL spokesperson, said that although the utility has the legal power to enforce tree trimming on private property, ``That's not something we like to do. ''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Not all political leaders believe new laws are the way to go. Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs said FPL hasn't approached her about any problems , and she wouldn't support an ordinance that gave FPL free rein to go on private property.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">She said when the state was dealing with the citrus tree problem, the workers let pets loose, tossed hammocks in swimming pools and destroyed orchids.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Growth limits in downtown Fort Lauderdale will force commissioners to reject at least one of three condo projects up for approval Wednesday.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted Sept. 27, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY SAMUEL P. NITZE</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale commissioners will face an unusual quandary Wednesday as they consider three new condominium projects: under a cap on the number of downtown residences, there's only room for two of them.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The crunch reflects an enduring residential building boom that began years ago with high-rise construction on the New River and has since spread north of Broward Boulevard.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In their push skyward, developers have consumed all but 256 of roughly 8,100 units allowed in the downtown core. The three buildings up for votes Wednesday call for 479 units combined, leaving commissioners no choice but to choose.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''This will exhaust what's left,'' said planning and zoning director Marc LaFerrier. ``There is just a lot of interest in living in downtown fort Lauderdale.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Up for a vote on Wednesday:</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• A 42-story, 255-unit tower proposed by Groupe Pacific for a site east of Andrews Avenue on the north side of Broward Boulevard. At 452 feet, it would be among the tallest buildings in the city.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• A 28-story, 170-unit tower proposed by Ellis Diversified for land now occupied by Lauderdale Lumber Co. a few blocks north of Broward at 405 NE Second St.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• An 11-story, 54-unit condo proposed by Downtown Lofts for land between Northeast Second and Third streets west of Federal Highway. The building would be the second phase of the NoLA Lofts (North of Las Olas) development.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">All three are mixed-use projects proposed for the downtown area's north end, where city leaders envision a walkable ''urban village.'' Each building would include retail space, office space, or both at street level.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">LaFerrier said the two larger projects will be considered first -- possibly together -- because they made it to the agenda first. The commission was scheduled to choose between them earlier this month but postponed the vote. The NoLA project joined the fray later.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If commissioners approve the Groupe Pacific tower, the other two will lose out, as a single unit will remain under the building cap.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If the commission backs the EDI project, 86 units would remain, enough to allow consideration of the NoLA Lofts application.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There may be opportunity for rejected projects to make a comeback later if, as expected, the cap is loosened in the coming months.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Last year the county approved an additional 3,000 downtown units, and the state is expected to sign off on them before March, LaFerrier said. The city had requested approval for 13,000 units, arguing that drawing a critical mass of people -- walkers, shoppers, diners, bus riders -- is essential to creating a successful downtown.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, the lone city vote against seeking the larger number of units, said the pending logjam isn't necessarily a bad thing.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''I think it's healthy to let the market absorb some of the units that we already have and some of the units owned by the flippers out there,'' he said. ``Then we can worry about piling more and more on.''</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Staff Writer </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Posted September 29 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE · A 28-story condo 
                      north of Broward Boulevard downtown, and an 11-story condo 
                      next door won the high-stakes competition Wednesday to be 
                      the last condos built downtown, for now.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">City commissioners approved in a 3-2 vote Ellis Diversified Inc.'s 28-story condo at 405 NE Second St., site of the Lauderdale Lumber Co.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners Cindi Hutchinson and Carlton Moore voted against it. Then they approved Downtown Lofts LLC's project, a second phase of the NoLA Lofts (short for &quot;North of Las Olas&quot;), in a 3-1 vote.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Moore told the NoLA developer that his vote was contingent on the developer contributing money toward affordable housing and parks. He voted against it.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioner Dean Trantalis recused himself, saying he had a &quot;perceived'' conflict because he might benefit from the project. He did not explain.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A dejected Broward Groupe Pacific left without its hoped-for approval to build a 42-story high-rise at 111 E. Broward Blvd. But not without a few comments from its attorney, Debbie Orshefsky.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We have a fundamental issue of fairness, due process, property rights. It's all rolled up into a ball. You know this,&quot; Orshefsky said when her client was bumped on the agenda in favor of Ellis Diversified, but before a vote was taken. &quot;You know how difficult this decision is.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Orshefsky said her client spent $10 million buying the land on Broward Boulevard west of the federal courthouse and working &quot;furiously&quot; with the city to get the plans in line with city rules.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">City planning director Marc LaFerrier said the city is no longer accepting developer applications to build residential projects downtown. The city's land rules put a limit on residential construction downtown, and that cap was reached Wednesday night before the Groupe Pacific project was considered.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Permission for 3,000 more homes downtown is expected to be granted in March, but the city will put new criteria on who gets to build.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="fighting_the_battle_of_the_bungalow_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Fighting the Battle of the Bungalow </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">New York Times</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">September 30, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By JULIA LAWLOR </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">SOON after Brian and Barbara Illencik bought their ranch house in the seaside resort of Ocean City, N.J., in the mid-1990's, they started a nightly ritual: &quot;We used to sit on the back porch and wait for the moon to go across the horizon,&quot; Mr. Illencik recalled. But five years ago, their moonlit reverie came to an abrupt end. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Just across from their backyard, a modest house was razed and a boxy three-story duplex arose in its place, blocking their view of the sky. &quot;Now we sit on the porch at night and wait for the guy in the upstairs duplex to turn on the bathroom light,&quot; Mr. Illencik said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Illenciks and their neighbors in Ocean City Homes, a suburban-style development of modest houses a short walk from the ocean, were taken by surprise when, in 2000, their long-settled neighborhood began to morph into teardown territory. Upset about the demolition of small houses to make way for tall, bulky duplexes, they organized and picketed construction sites, then herded into City Council meetings to urge restrictions on the size and height of buildings in their part of town. Eventually, new zoning rules restricted allowable height and size of houses, but not before several other duplexes had been built. &quot;It was a rude awakening,&quot; Mr. Illencik said. &quot;Nobody ever thought to check the zoning rules to see if we were safe.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Today, with the real estate boom turning coastal resorts from New Jersey to California into construction zones, a backlash is gaining strength. Longtime residents who don't want change are fighting back, and a particular focus of their wrath is the teardown. Homeowners fear oversize mansions squeezed onto tiny lots, blocked views, clogged streets and a loss of affordability for the middle class. In some places citizens rally to try to save grand Victorian houses; in many, they defend aging bungalows.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">On the other side of the battle are developers who want to get the most for their square footage, public officials interested in new tax revenue and newcomers in search of their own piece of the beach. &quot;When you pay $1 million for a property,&quot; said John Loeper, chairman of the Ocean City Historic Preservation Commission, &quot;it's hard to look at a 60-year-old building with inferior wiring and windows, no insulation, bad framing, and say, 'Let's save it.' &quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some owners who bring in the backhoes are even old neighbors themselves, replacing outdated houses. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Anti-teardown forces often learn about demolition plans before the wrecking crew arrives. They picket, circulate petitions and hire lawyers. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We're hearing about teardowns from more and more communities,&quot; said Adrian Scott Fine, director of the northeast field office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. &quot;Once it starts happening, it's really hard to slow down. Some local governments view it as progress; it's an increase in the tax base. But it's changing the character of the community.&quot; In some places, he said, &quot;the starter house no longer exists.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So many people have asked for advice on fighting teardowns that Mr. Fine has written a guide to methods that have sometimes stopped them, like demolition moratoriums and historic districting. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">On the rapidly changing 127-mile Jersey Shore, the pace of teardowns has accelerated in the last two to three years, said Ron Emrich, executive director of Preservation New Jersey, a nonprofit group in Trenton. &quot;There is not a Jersey Shore community that isn't having a problem,&quot; he said. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Beach Haven, the teardown of a large Victorian house to make way for duplexes prompted outraged citizens to form their town's first historic preservation advisory commission last year; it can delay a teardown within the borough's historic district for six months while a buyer is sought to restore the property.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Eighty-five miles to the south in Cape May Point, a committee hired a planning consultant last year to help it form a historic preservation commission. Joe Jordan, the chairman, said quaint cottages from the early 1900's were being smashed to make way for big new houses. Residents of West Cape May are trying to form a similar commission, spurred by the demolition last May of the Moffitt House, built in the 1700's. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Illenciks' town, Ocean City, is a seven-mile-long barrier island with a middle-class tradition and a population of 15,000 year-round and about 115,000 in summer. Some of its tightly packed bungalows, capes and old rooming houses are in disrepair, but many more are simply outdated. For at least the last seven years, according to data collected by the state Department of Community Affairs, Ocean City has given more permits for housing demolitions than any other Jersey Shore town; in 1998, 2001 and 2003, it had more housing demolitions than Newark, the state's largest city. Between 300 and 400 Ocean City buildings have been demolished each year since 1998. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many old houses were replaced by duplexes built as tall and as wide as the rules would allow - for example, a 1,950-square-foot duplex on a lot just 30 by 65 feet, said Jody Alessandrine, a City Council member. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We're getting $800,000 to $1 million of new revenue each year through taxing these new properties,&quot; Mr. Alessandrine said. But he said he feared that Ocean City was losing its sense of community. &quot;It's becoming more of a place to diversify your portfolio than to live,&quot; he said. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">HOMEOWNERS are fighting back neighborhood by neighborhood. Residents of the Gardens, an area of sweeping lawns and fairly large homes, pushed for regulations - enacted last February - that outlawed roof decks and reduced the size of new buildings in their area. But they were too late to block construction of more than a dozen houses that don't meet the new standards. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The 16-34 Community Association is fighting for similar controls in the area from 16th Street to 34th Street, which Kim Baker, a 16-34 homeowner and a retired historian and writer, said would become &quot;the duplex farm of tomorrow&quot; if nothing were done.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mr. Loeper, whose commission regulates 250 properties in Ocean City's historic district, sees development pressures as inevitable and opponents as lacking an understanding of history. &quot;They can whine about development all they want, but this has been going on since the island was founded in 1880,&quot; he said. &quot;Ocean City has always been developed and redeveloped.&quot;</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For people who want to move into the new and larger houses, the antidevelopment forces can seem oppressive. Todd Lukens, a medical device salesman from Glenside, Pa., agrees with much of what the Ocean City activists are saying, but as the owner of a tiny 1920's bungalow on St. James Place with no parking, an ancient kitchen and a tiny bathroom for his family of five, he finds himself at odds with neighbors who have pushed through new zoning laws. He would like to tear down the bungalow, which he bought five years ago, and build a three-story house with four bedrooms, three baths and a garage, but height restrictions prevent it. &quot;I think the antidevelopment groups have gone too far,&quot; Mr. Lukens said. &quot;It feels un-American. For the most part, I think the new homes look lovely.&quot;</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sometimes the forces of preservation score a spectacular success. The battle to save Ocean House, a rambling wooden seaside resort built in 1869 in the affluent Watch Hill section of Westerly, R.I., began when the community learned in March that an out-of-town developer intended to tear it down to build five houses to sell for $7 million to $10 million each. The feverish campaign of petitioning and publicity that soon followed had two goals: saving the building and preserving public access to the hotel's prime beachfront. After several standing-room-only town meetings, another buyer was found and promised, after finding the building too ramshackle to restore, to rebuild it from the ground up. Buoyed by their success, the activists have turned their attention to saving buildings along Watch Hill's main commercial street. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But often local homeowners find themselves in long, frustrating battles. In Rehoboth Beach, Del., a community association has been disconcerted to find its opponents turning the tactics of citizen activism to their own advantage. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rehoboth Beach was a Methodist camp in the 1880's and grew to a town of cedar-shingle houses and simple Cape Cods on 50-by-100-foot lots. Its small houses are now worth $1 million or more, and &quot;they are being torn down one after the other,&quot; said Tim Spies, who is on the board of the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;The typical developer mentality is 'any old house is nothing but trouble,' &quot; Mr. Spies said. &quot;You can get a permit and knock it down the same day. No architectural review committee. It's like the wild, wild West.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">After attempts to stop the teardowns failed, this year the association decided to push for a small change - a 500-square-foot reduction on the maximum size of a new house on a typical 50-by-100-foot lot (to 3,000 square feet from 3,500). The measure narrowly passed at a rancorous town hall meeting in May. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Immediately, a group of local real estate agencies responded with their own grass-roots guerilla tactics: they hired a lawyer and, arguing that the new rule reduced the value of residents' land, gathered signatures on petitions to force a vote on overturning it. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But when the referendum was held earlier this month, it was the preservationists who had cause to celebrate: homeowners voted by a solid margin not to overturn the new rule. The real estate lobby, for the moment at least, has given up the fight.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="with_home_prices_soaring_and_demand"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>With home prices soaring and demand growing, $1 million doesn't go as far as it once did</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Jamie Malernee </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted October 2 2005 </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The house is rather small: 1,450 square feet with an outdated kitchen, three cramped bedrooms and a dead roach lying on the tile floor.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The price is not: just under $1 million, thanks to its prime location on a deepwater canal in Lighthouse Point.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's a tear-down home,&quot; explains real estate agent Susan Nelson as she walks through the property that sits on an impressive 80 feet of waterfront. &quot;You can't find anything here for a million except a knockdown. That's what it's costing just for the dirt.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">There was a time when a $1 million house in South Florida was a mansion. Not today.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">If you have $1 million to spend on real estate and want to be in an established downtown neighborhood, like Coral Ridge, expect an older home that may need some updating. If you want to be on the water, you may have to settle for an empty lot. The further west you go, you'll get more land or more square footage -- but not necessarily both. You may not get that golf course view you expected or even a pool.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale Realtor Barbara Panton says she doesn't bother selling million-dollar homes anymore.</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;My main focus is on $3 million and up,&quot; she said. &quot;I do these [lower-priced] type of properties for friends.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">To the average South Floridian, it all sounds nuts. After all, a $1 million house, whatever the condition and size, is still pure fantasy to most people here. Assuming you have the $200,000 down payment, the remaining mortgage on a 30-year fixed loan at 6 percent interest is about $4,800 a month. Property taxes can reach about $25,000 a year, depending on the assessed value. Then there's insurance and the cost of any homeowner's association fees and maintenance.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">To comfortably afford all that, a family would need to make about $250,000 annually, said Lee M. Eisenberg, president of Leading Edge Mortgage Corp.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Only 2.2 percent of Broward households made $200,000 or more, according to 2003 census figures. Yet million-dollar homes now make up about 18 percent of homes for sale here, according to figures from the Multiple Listing Service database. So you would think it would take a while for a $1 million house to sell.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Nope.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">While summer months are always slower, several Realtors in Broward said it is not unusual for a million-dollar home in a desirable neighborhood to sell in two or three months -- sometimes faster. As of early September, more than 500 homes worth $1 million and up have been sold in Broward County this year, compared to only 82 that sold in all of 2000 and seven that sold in 1995, according to housing sales data provided by Realestat.com.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Everything I've sold close to a million sells in two weeks,&quot; said Liz Caldwell, a Realtor who specializes in western Broward County. &quot;There are no deals.&quot;</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mark Nestler of Nestler-Poletto Realty in Boca Raton, blames the market frenzy largely on his own generation, the Baby Boomers.</div>
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We have 8 million of them looking to make changes in their lives and buying second homes,&quot; he said. &quot;Now it is not unusual for our parents to have worked their whole lives and, when the time comes, to give [us] their inheritance, whether its $100,000, $300,000 or $1 million.&quot;</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Added to that are international investors and a generation of successful young professionals -- doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs -- who have no problem using creative financing to get into the house of their dreams while they think they still can.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;A lot of people are buying these million-dollar homes with interest-only loans,&quot; Caldwell said. &quot;They figure it will be $1.2 million soon.&quot;</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Of course, while there may no longer be &quot;deals&quot; in this market, there are some places where a million dollar house still looks like, well, a million dollar house. Especially if you're willing to move to western Palm Beach County.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">At the Aero Club in Wellington, a million dollars can get you a five-bedroom, 4,448-square house that backs up to the community's private landing strip.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;If they have a plane, they can park it right behind the house,&quot; said Roxanne Henry, the listing agent of one such property. &quot;It's exclusive.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">But head any further south or east, and lot sizes start to shrink as prices swell.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Horse-lovers will find $1 million will buy two and a half acres in Southwest Ranches, along with an eight-stall barn, two tack rooms, and a lighted riding ring with chute. The house is almost an afterthought -- a boxy four-bedroom, two-bath home with 2,400 square feet built in 1975.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If you care about good schools, not land, you'll also find $1 million isn't what it used to be in Weston. You can still get a lot of house -- 3,000 to 3,500 square feet with four bedrooms -- with high ceilings and a nice lake view in a gated community. Just don't expect certain amenities, such as wood floors, crown molding, stainless steel appliances or high-end fixtures, to be standard.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">In Parkland, many of the homes were built in the last few years, with extras like granite countertops, double vanity sinks and walk-in closets. But if you want to be in the Parkland Golf and Country Club, watch out. One of the cheapest models is just under $1 million for about 2,300 square feet.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;At a million dollars, you don't get exclusivity or a custom thing or any of that. In the country club, $1 million is the entry level,&quot; explained real estate agent Lea Plotkin. Miramar and Pembroke Pines offer more bang for the buck, but head any further east and prices jump.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Barbara Campbell, a longtime real estate agent who lives and sells in Fort Lauderdale's Harbor Beach, recalls selling waterfront homes there for $55,000 in the 1950s. Adjusted for inflation alone, those waterfront lots would now go for between $357,000 and $431,000 each, according to Consumer Price Index statistics. But add the boom in real estate values and a modest land-locked house is priced at just under $1 million.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's the lowest priced home in Harbor Beach,&quot; she said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In Victoria Park, a charming, 3-bedroom house circa 1939 with 2,352 square feet just closed for about $1 million. Nearby, a nearly 3,000-square foot new construction home is under contract for close to that amount. It would be priced even more, but until recently, the street it's on was considered sketchy.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Some people are asking for ridiculous amounts of money,&quot; said Marcelo Gutierrez, 39, who decided to cash in and sell his Victoria Park home. &quot;But if someone wants to buy it ... .&quot;</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">His three-bedroom house is also priced at just over $1 million, compared to the $710,000 he paid one year ago and the $480,000 it sold for in 2003, county property records show.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Broward County Realtor Marie Prouty recently had a client from Minnesota who decided not to move to Davie because he could not find a house on several acres in the million-dollar range big enough for his family of six.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;They were very disappointed. He ended up not taking the job, and part of it was the housing,&quot; she said. &quot;When an executive has second thoughts, it's difficult for everybody.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Because of such sticker shock, some say the million-dollar market is showing signs of cooling and may even slow down as interest rates rise and loans are readjusted.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;The mortgage people got into is going to catch up to them,&quot; said Judy Buchan, who sells in Hollywood.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Others counter property taxes are the more immediate obstacle.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Those who have lived on the waterfront for 15 years may pay only $10,000 to $12,000 in taxes&quot; for a multi-million dollar home, said Fort Lauderdale agent Daniel J. O'Flaherty. &quot;If they want to downsize ... the taxes on a new million-dollar home will be $20,000 to $22,000 a year. It's insane.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">As a result, fewer people are selling than normally would, Realtors say. So, while million-dollar homes are being snatched up at a record pace, partly because so many homes are suddenly worth that much, demand is still greater than the number of properties for sale. This, in turn, can boost prices even further, forcing even those at the million-dollar mark to hustle to get their dream house.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Tim Singer, a Fort Lauderdale Realtor, said he keeps expecting prices to stop skyrocketing -- and he keeps being proven wrong.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We keep looking at each other and shaking our heads,&quot; he said. &quot;And it keeps going up.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="fort_lauderdale_approves_condo_retail"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
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  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Posted October 6 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE · The wrecking ball 
                      will be busy across the street from Holiday Park.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Houses and apartments, a motorcycle shop, a pizza place and an office will be torn down to make way for a major development project approved 5-0 Wednesday night by the City Commission.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">As is the trend in Fort Lauderdale, smaller buildings will be demolished to make way for larger ones.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The project will spread across two avenues, refacing two blocks of Sunrise Boulevard with an estimated $38 million worth of concrete and steel.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">When complete, the smattering of one- and two-story homes and shops will have been replaced with Satori, a single development with heights of three, five, six, seven and nine stories, according to the building plans.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Where now are 61 residential units will be 281 condos, plus 13,253 square feet of store space.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The project sailed through the commission.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Is there anyone in objection to this project?&quot; asked Commissioner Carlton Moore.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">No one spoke.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Only Rixon Rafter, president of the Lake Ridge Civic Association, stood up.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">He said his association had worked with the developer for two years and &quot;we completely support the development.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The project needed a host of approvals Wednesday, including a plat approval, zoning change and site plan consent, as well as a waiver of the usual parking requirements.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The garage will contain 553 parking spaces rather than the required 609, but the difference will be made up with metered on-street parking on 11th and 12th avenues, according to the project records.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Though it's near downtown, the site is outside the zone where a temporary moratorium on new residential projects is in place because of city land rules.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Satori is proposed by Sunrise Investors LLP and Altman Development Corporation of Boca Raton.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="downtown_promoter_alters_his_tack"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Official wants county complex built on 18 acres he owns outside business district.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Buddy Nevins </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Political Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted October 8 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">The chairman of Fort Lauderdale's Downtown Development Agency, whose mission is to keep downtown &quot;the office and governmental center of Broward County,&quot; is pushing a plan to have the county build a $45 million complex on 18 acres of land he owns outside the downtown area.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The complex would provide office and warehouse space for two key government bureaus, the Elections Supervisor's Office and the Property Appraiser's Office. Initial estimates by county staff say at least 400 government jobs would be moved out of downtown to the new site west of Interstate 95.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The deal is scheduled to come before the County Commission on Tuesday.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">To push his plan, DDA chairman Charlie Ladd Jr. is using a network of lobbyists and campaign operatives, including the agency's own general counsel, who have political links to at least three county commissioners, the county property appraiser and the elections supervisor.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd is represented in his negotiations with the county by John Milledge, the DDA's general counsel, who also serves as the attorney for Property Appraiser Lori Parrish.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd said he sees no conflicts between being chairman of the DDA and working to move jobs and a government bureau out of downtown.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale disagrees. &quot;The goal of the Downtown Development Authority has always been to bring government downtown,&quot; Naugle said. &quot;I`m surprised the chairman of the DDA is working to move the property appraiser and elections supervisor out of downtown.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Other agency members are cool to the idea of two big government agencies relocating to their chairman's land west of downtown. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I find it unusual that the chairman of the DDA would be looking to move employees out of downtown without first discussing it with the [DDA] board,&quot; said Douglas Eagon, president of the Stiles Corp., a developer and a DDA member. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Eagon said his company was asked by the county if it had any land outside Fort Lauderdale for the elections supervisor and property appraiser. He said he declined to work with the county, believing it would be a conflict with the goals of the DDA and his company. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We didn't want to be part of a group that would move offices out of downtown,&quot; Eagon said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd defends his proposal, saying his land is unique because of its proximity to Interstate 95 and Tri-Rail rapid transit and its closeness to the downtown government center. The center on Andrews Avenue downtown is about 2 miles from the Ladd site along the city border. &quot;The county coming in there as an initial building will be a big boost,&quot; Ladd said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The Ladd deal comes at the same time both the county and the city of Fort Lauderdale are trying to plan a courthouse complex, a new county administration complex and a transportation system based on sufficient population density in the downtown area to insure the success of all, which will cost at least $1.5 billion.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd said his deal makes sense because he can customize the complex to suit the property appraiser and elections supervisor's needs.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Downtown is now a place where people want to live,&quot; Ladd said. &quot;Complementary offices on the edge of downtown will make this residential [development] more desirable and help downtown.&quot; </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">By moving the government offices to the land, Ladd is hoping to live up to a long-awaited development promise. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd and partner George Rahael purchased the land from the city of Fort Lauderdale's Community Redevelopment Agency for $6.5 million in 2001 with the promise that it would develop a 2 million-square-foot office park. At the time, the site contained a decaying strip shopping center anchored by a defunct Zayre's Department Store.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Ladd's company also bought nearby property, including more than 50 acres across the street on the south side of West Broward Boulevard, where a huge residential project is planned in the future. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;This [the new county offices and warehouses] will be a huge win-win,&quot; Ladd said. &quot;It will spark redevelopment in the whole area, get rid of the rest of the junk surrounding the Sheriff's Office and build a new office center.&quot; </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The 15-minute plan</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">The plan itself was publicly revealed on June 30 during a County Commission meeting to discuss a $9 million plan to renovate a vacant building for a new election supervisor headquarters. A warehouse has been sought since 2002 when the county started using electronic touch-screen voting machines. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">After only a 15-minute discussion the five commissioners at the meeting -- Josephus Eggelletion, Ben Graber, Ilene Lieberman, Diana Wasserman-Rubin and Lois Wexler -- unanimously changed direction and approved a suggestion by Eggelletion to combine the elections supervisor's headquarters with a new building for the property appraiser. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">There was no public discussion at the meeting. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Eggelletion could not be reached for comment, despite a message left for him at his office.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Eggelletion suggested the new building be located in his district on Ladd's land, at West Broward Boulevard and Northwest 27th Avenue next to the existing headquarters of the Broward Sheriff's Office. He said any garage could also accommodate the Sheriff's Office, which needs about 300 more spaces. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Pete Corwin, an assistant to the county administrator, warned at the June meeting that the new building would cost at least $42 million. Corwin said last month that those estimates could change because of potential skyrocketing construction material costs in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This week, the commission agenda had raised the estimate to $45.2 million.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">At Tuesday's commission meeting, the only competing site will be a 23-acre parcel owned by Tarragon South Development at Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 31st Avenue, but it's clearly not the favorite, according to interviews with commissioners. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Parrish said she liked the location and denied politics had anything to do with her decision.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Records show Parrish received at least $5,500 in campaign contributions from Ladd and Rahael's companies in her 2004 bid to become the property appraiser.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">She also said she OK'd allowing Milledge, her office's attorney, to represent Ladd because it will be the County Commission, not her, who picks the building site.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Also working for Ladd is lobbyist Judy Stern, according to Ladd and Snipes. Besides lobbying, Stern does campaign consulting. She worked on the elections of Parrish and Snipes, both say.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Stern also campaigned for two of the county commissioners who voted at the June 30 meeting, Wexler and Eggelletion, as well as Commissioner John Rodstrom. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom said he is not sure about adding another construction project to the county's already long wish list -- a $1 billion rapid transit system connecting Sunrise with downtown Fort Lauderdale; a $240 million state and federal courthouse complex across the street next to the existing state courthouse on Southeast Sixth Street in downtown Fort Lauderdale; a $120 million new government center, also in downtown Fort Lauderdale; and the new $35 million-plus uncompleted west Broward government center at University Drive and West Broward Boulevard.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There is a question of how are we going to pay for all of this, and do we really need it?&quot; Rodstrom said. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="condo_conversions_can_leave_buyers_with"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Condo conversions can leave buyers with structural, legal surprises</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Robyn A. Friedman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;Special Correspondent </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted October 9 2005 </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">In the sizzling South Florida housing market, developers have pounced on the condo conversion trend. The reasons: Transforming apartment buildings into condominiums is quicker and less risky than construction from the ground up. Home buyers also benefit because converted units are usually more affordable than new ones, and many are in choice locations.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">But while purchasers flock to conversions, many don't realize that the asset they're buying is different from a newly constructed unit and that their financial exposure for repairs and replacements can be much more extensive.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">That matters a lot in South Florida, where conversions are even more popular than in other markets where the trend has caught on, such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego and Orlando. More than 17,000 apartments in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties were converted to condominiums last year, according to Jack McCabe, a Deerfield Beach housing analyst. This year, 27,772 units have hit the market through Sept. 12.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;New condominiums are constructed with improved building materials and must conform to a more demanding construction code than in years past,&quot; McCabe said. &quot;An older apartment complex converted to condos has wear and tear and may have some inherent structural faults unknown at closing.&quot;</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The condition of converted condominiums varies widely. Many new apartments that have been converted to condominiums in the past few years were built under the latest building codes and have new building components, mechanical systems and interior finishes.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">But many older buildings have been converted as well. Some converters gut an apartment building, taking it down to its &quot;shell,&quot; and then rebuild it, installing new plumbing, roof and mechanical systems. Other developers do &quot;cosmetic rehabs,&quot; leaving the building components as is and merely sprucing up the property to make units more marketable.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Buyers really need to understand what they're buying,&quot; said James Helman, executive vice president of the Florida Division of New York-based Tarragon Corp., a developer and converter. &quot;Are they buying a fully renovated building that was taken down to the shell, or are they buying a building that someone just slapped some paint on and put in new window boxes?&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">What is disclosed</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Buyers do have some safeguards. Before developers can convert a building, they must submit a host of documents to the state about the condition of the apartment building and about the condominium they intend to create.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Developers must also provide purchasers with disclosure documents that clearly lay out restrictive covenants that will bind unit owners, such as a &quot;no pets&quot; rule.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">They must also supply a detailed analysis of the condition of the building prepared by an architect or engineer. That analysis must disclose the &quot;useful life&quot; -- or how much longer a system will last -- and the estimated replacement cost of 11 building components: roof, structure, fireproofing and fire protection systems, elevators, heating and cooling systems, plumbing, electrical systems, swimming pool, seawalls, pavement and parking areas and drainage systems.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Because condo owners must assume upkeep of the building, the disclosures help buyers understand their potential liability for repairs and replacements.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Where problems can arise: If the roof is estimated to be good for five more years, and the association has reserves to cover the cost of a new one, all is well. But if the repairs cost more than expected, condo owners can face a special assessment to help cover the expense. Special assessments are possible, but less likely in the early years with new construction.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">While all these responsibilities are laid out in disclosure documents, it's well known in the condominium industry that few condo purchasers actually read these materials.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's very common that buyers -- despite the fact that they're making the biggest investment of their life -- don't take the time to read about what it is they're buying,&quot; said Mark Grant, a senior partner at Fort Lauderdale law firm Ruden McClosky who specializes in representing condominium developers. &quot;The state requires a lot of disclosure, but they can't force buyers to read it.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">`Poor workmanship'</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Grant said while state law requires developers to disclose the condition of a building undergoing conversion, it doesn't require developers to actually make any repairs or do any upgrades. If a code violation results in a lien filed against the property, however, the developer is responsible for correcting the violation.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Mark Collins was thinking of buying a converted condominium in Fort Lauderdale selling for $279,000, but was wary about the quality of craftsmanship. The price of the two-bedroom unit was right, but the building was from the 1970s, said Collins, an administrative assistant.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He said it had wood laminate flooring that wasn't installed properly. &quot;All the units were redone, but it was poor workmanship,&quot; he said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Of course, problems don't always arise. &quot;Converters by and large do a great job,&quot; said Richard Horton, president of the Builders Association of South Florida. &quot;They do their due diligence before converting and end up with a building that is code-compliant and meets the needs of the buyers almost as good as a new building.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Still, reports of converted buildings with code violations have attracted the attention of some state legislators.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">State Rep. Julio Robaina, R-Miami, supports tougher laws for condo converters. He's heard of situations in Miami-Dade County where developers converted hotel units into residential condominiums without upgrading the electrical systems.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;A hotel room might not have had a kitchen, and it has low-voltage wiring,&quot; he said. &quot;Then a developer gets ready to put in major appliances, and all the wiring should be ripped out and upgraded. But they missed it.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Robaina thinks converters should be held to the same building code standards as developers of new construction. &quot;There are things behind walls that the naked eye can't get to unless the building is a brand new building,&quot; he said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Settling arguments</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Robaina was key in creating the office of condominium ombudsman, a position added by the Legislature last year to help mediate disputes between condominium owners and their boards. That position was filled by Virgil Rizzo, a retired physician and lawyer who owns a Fort Lauderdale condo.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Rizzo recommends that all condominium buyers consult an attorney before they sign a contract. Although he doesn't get involved in disputes between buyers and developers because those involve private contractual issues, he has heard of numerous problems in converted buildings. &quot;These developers are trying to make a buck as quick as they can,&quot; he said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Purchasers of converted condos aren't helpless, though, if a key component of the building fails. State law requires the developer to either set up a reserve fund or warrant certain parts of the building, such as the roof. If repairs on those items need to be done, the unit owners can look to the reserve fund, or the warranty.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
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  <p class="b-text-j">But many times the reserve funds are not enough to cover needed work. In that case, unit owners could be forced to come up with extra funds. Rizzo, the ombudsman, said developers often have insulated themselves if condo owners want to recover the outlay because the converted building belongs to a separate legal entity.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There are no assets, so even if you have a case against the developer, you can't collect,&quot; he said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Robyn A. Friedman is a freelance writer. She can be reached at rafriedman@att.net.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Make sure you don't get burned</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Special assessments to cover repairs and replacements of building components aren't the only potential surprises looming for buyers of converted condos. Other surprises that might pop up:</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&gt;Restrictive covenants</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Every condominium project has rules and restrictions that govern what unit owners can do. Got a pet? Make sure your building is pet-friendly. Want to rent out your unit? Confirm that the building allows rentals and the minimum term required.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&gt;Empty buildings</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">With speculators buying as much as 70 percent of some condominium projects, a purchaser might be in for a rude awakening when he realizes that the building is nearly vacant. Gone are the opportunities for socializing and making new friends; instead, the building might be frequented by real estate agents trying to resell units.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&gt;Too many tenants</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If speculators cannot resell their condominiums - as some analysts predict if the market becomes saturated - they'll seek to cover their monthly expenses by renting the units. In that case, a building in which a developer sold a large number of units to speculators and investors could potentially be filled with renters. That can create friction with condo owners in the same building and lead to maintenance issues.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="rate_hikes_of_up_to_135_5__proposed_for"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Rate hikes of up to 135.5% proposed for hurricane insurance in S. Florida</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Kathy Bushouse </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">SunSentinel Business Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted October 14 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">Palm Beach County homeowners who rely on state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for hurricane coverage could face major increases in the rates they pay, with premiums more than doubling in some coastal communities.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A first-ever analysis of Citizens' rates ordered by the Office of Insurance Regulation showed that the wind portion of premiums in Palm Beach County would have to increase from 76.5 percent to 106.5 percent in order for the company to charge actuarially sound rates -- in other words, a rate that is sufficient to cover the risk in a certain area.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">That means if you pay $1,500 toward the wind portion of your policy, and you live in an area where rates are recommended to rise by 106.5 percent, you could pay an additional $1,597.50 -- a total of $3,097.50 a year -- toward hurricane coverage.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The proposed increase is as high as 129.5 percent in Broward County and as high as 135.5 percent in Miami-Dade County.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">These latest suggested increases apply only to the hurricane portion of the premium, typically the largest part of a homeowner policy in Florida.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Separately, Citizens has another proposed increase of up to 32.5 percent in Palm Beach County for the fire and theft portions of homeowner policies.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">This proposed increase applies only to policyholders whose hurricane coverage comes from Citizens, the insurer of last resort in Florida and the largest insurer in South Florida.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The company covers the wind portion of insurance policies for all homeowners and renters who live east of Interstate 95, and also provides insurance to homeowners who can't get a policy from a private company.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Citizens released the analysis Thursday. The company's Board of Governors will review the report at a meeting next month and will decide whether to submit a request for higher premiums based on the findings, said Citizens spokesman Justin Glover.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We're going to let the board have that discussion,&quot; Glover said. &quot;I don't know what the board will determine.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Citizens is required by state law to charge the highest premiums in Florida. But Glover said regulators asked Citizens to do an actuarial analysis of its rates, rather than base them on private insurers' premiums, because &quot;Citizens' risk is not necessarily the same as private companies&quot; that won't cover coastal homes.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The board will receive additional information, such as the dollar amount that policyholders would see their premiums increase, &quot;to let them look at the whole impact&quot; should Citizens seek approval for higher rates from the Office of Insurance Regulation, Glover said.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Citizens also will be subject to a required public hearing on its rate increase.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">These latest proposed increases come on top of a 6.8-percent one-time assessment that all insurance policyholders are paying to bail out a $516 million deficit in Citizens' high-risk, or wind-only, account to make up for losses from last year's four hurricanes that hit Florida.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Every Floridian with a home insurance policy pays that assessment, regardless of whether Citizens insures them.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Someone with a $2,000 annual premium will pay an additional $136 to compensate Citizens for losses it incurred after the 2004 hurricane season.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The assessments and the possibility of higher rates comes at a tough time for Citizens, under fire for alleged bribery and possible conflicts of interest by former executives.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The company's former chief operating officer resigned amid allegations he took a motorcycle and money in exchange for claims adjusting contracts, while two other executives resigned after it was discovered they planned to create an insurance company to take policies out of Citizens.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While Citizens has a responsibility to ensure they can pay claims from future catastrophes, &quot;We are sensitive to the concerns of our policyholders who are struggling to afford the rising cost of insurance,&quot; Citizens executive director Bob Ricker said in a written statement.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We look forward to working with the Legislature and state policymakers as Citizens determines our appropriate rates.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="pole_reliability_questioned"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Pole reliability questioned</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A state study raised questions about the reliability of utility poles -- though FPL said they're not a problem.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald &nbsp;October 29, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY JACK DOLAN</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Blackouts caused by problems with utility poles increased 700 percent in four years for Florida Power &amp; Light customers, but the company took no action on a recommendation from state regulators this summer to inspect the poles more frequently.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Despite the rise in so-called ''pole outages,'' a July report by the Public Service Commission found that FPL had not documented any pole inspections in Miami-Dade or Broward counties from 2001-04. In North Florida, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, the company had documented inspections of only a small percentage of its poles during those four years.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">On Monday, Hurricane Wilma toppled or severely damaged 12,000 to 16,000 power poles statewide.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By comparison, Hurricane Charley, which affected more poles than any other 2004 storm, damaged 7,100 poles, FPL spokesman Tom Veenstra said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">`LIKE MATCHSTICKS'</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Even the thick concrete poles that support heavy transmission lines suffered in Wilma.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''There were pockets where they snapped like matchsticks,'' Veenstra said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PSC study found that in 2004, the average FPL customer experienced 69.4 minutes of power outage -- not counting those caused by an ''extraordinary event'' such as a hurricane.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Falling tree limbs and lightning strikes were the biggest contributors, but pole failures accounted for just under one of those minutes. That relatively small number nonetheless got regulators' attention because pole failures were almost unheard of in 2001.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&#39;&#39;We disagreed, respectfully, with that conclusion,&#39;&#39; FPL 
  spokesman Mayco Villafaña said. ``You&#39;re looking at a percentage that&#39;s going 
  up, sure, but it really hasn&#39;t moved the needle.&#39;&#39;</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">INFORMAL INSPECTIONS</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In defense of its pole maintenance program, FPL representatives said that while formal documented inspections are not common, line workers eyeball the poles every time they climb them. If there is a problem, the pole is repaired or replaced.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&#39;&#39;In the last five years, we&#39;ve inspected something like 
  469,000 poles,&#39;&#39; Villafaña said. ``Annually, only about 5 percent of them need 
  attention.&#39;&#39;</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Pole failures on Monday contributed to massive power outages across Miami-Dade and Broward.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Hundreds of thousands of FPL customers will remain in the dark this weekend as temperatures rise, and full power is not expected to come back until mid-November.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PSC report, which was prepared in anticipation of hearings on a $430 million rate increase requested by FPL this summer, was put on the back burner because the hearings never took place.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">AGREEMENT</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In a pre-hearing agreement with Attorney Gen. Charlie Crist, FPL agreed not to raise rates as long as it was not required to squirrel away cash reserves to help pay for hurricane recovery.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL has been allowed to impose a $1.68 monthly surcharge on customers to pay for clean-up from the 2004 hurricanes, and is expected to approach the PSC for permission to impose another surcharge for expenses caused by Wilma.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''If there is evidence that some of this damage was avoidable, clearly the commission has the option of telling them no,'' said Public Service Commission Chairman Braulio L. Baez, responding to questions about the July report.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">KEEP THE POLES</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Baez said FPL should keep all of the downed poles so that it can be determined whether freak winds or material defects caused their collapse.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While even some concrete poles failed during Wilma, the majority of those down are made of wood and are supposed to withstand winds of 119 mph.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Wilma brought sustained winds of 85 mph to Miami-Dade and Broward, according to data released Friday by the National Weather Service. Gusts peaked at 112 in Dade, 108 in Broward.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">MICROBURSTS</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL officials have speculated that tornadoes, or microbursts of extremely powerful downdrafts could be responsible for the widespread pole damage.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''Even some of those large, H-frame braces bent like pretzels,'' Veenstra said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">``This kind of stuff hasn't happened since Andrew.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Herald staff writer Jerry Berrios contributed to this report.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="get_money_back_for_some_purchases"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Get money back for some purchases</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FEMA will reimburse residents of disaster areas after Hurricane Wilma as much as $1,676.65 for disaster recovery items.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald &nbsp;November 1, 2005</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By DAN CHRISTENSEN</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Did you lose power when Hurricane Wilma blew through?</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rich or poor, you're probably entitled to free generators, chain saws and other disaster recovery items, courtesy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In all, you could take home up to $1,676.65 in free merchandise per household.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FEMA won't go to the store and buy you a generator. But if you apply online or by telephone, you'll become eligible to snag a reimbursement check from Uncle Sam for some or all of your purchase price.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">And what's to prevent a homeowner from trying to filch a second generator during the next hurricane?</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''Anybody who suspects fraud, we invite them to call FEMA's fraud hotline,'' said FEMA spokesman Jim Homstad.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The number is 1-800-323-8603.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Residents applying for help must agree that they're telling the truth or face criminal or civil penalties including a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment or both, according to the application they fill out.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Last year, FEMA paid $185.6 million to provide more than 220,000 generators for Florida victims of Hurricanes Charles, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, said FEMA spokeswoman Mildred Acevedo. FEMA's maximum reimbursement for a generator today is $835.97.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Residents in 13 Florida counties battered by Wilma, including Miami-Dade and Broward, are eligible for so-called ''other needs assistance'' that includes reimbursements for things like generators.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Reimbursements are based on price guidelines established for 5,500 watt generators.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Purchases of larger generators will be reimbursed based on a receipt of the actual cost, up to the guideline prices.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Keith Ashdown, a spokesman for Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington, D.C., non-partisan budget watchdog, criticizes FEMA for what he calls giving away too much money to people who don't really need the financial assistance.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''What they should do is have people prove their net worth and provide a sliding scale rebate,'' said Ashdown.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The government should get the generators back when the crisis is over, then figure out a way to make sure that it doesn't buy generators over and over for the same people during subsequent hurricanes, he said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">To qualify, generators and the other items must be purchased or rented within 30 days of the date of a governor's emergency declaration.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FEMA rules require that the dwelling where those items are to be used must be located in a declared area that has suffered a verifiable power interruption.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''The power must be out when they buy it,'' Acevedo said. ``FEMA has a record of when power was out in different areas.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FEMA usually won't pay for generators purchased before the emergency declaration for Wilma, she said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We don't pay for preparedness, but if you had someone who is handicapped, say, and they have to have certain medical equipment on for safety it could be. It's on a case by case basis,'' Acevedo said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Florida can make that decision because it pays about 25 percent of the cost of FEMA's ''other needs assistance'' provided for in its Individuals and Households Program, Homstad said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FEMA provides disaster assistance to individuals, families and businesses whose losses are not covered by insurance. FEMA won't pay to cover insurance deductibles, but will provide grants to help pay for temporary housing and home repairs and other ``necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Such expenses can be for medical, dental, moving and funeral needs.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The U.S. Small Business Administration provides low interest loans to cover some residential and business losses.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program also covers most people thrown out of work, including many who do not normally qualify for regular unemployment aid.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Scientists warn that increased hurricane activity, with ever-stronger storms can be expected.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''I bet the generator industry likes the current system, but we have some way to confirm that when it happens next year you aren't buying generators for everyone again,'' said Ashdown, of Taxpayers for Common Sense.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="halloween_spirit_lives_on"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Halloween Spirit Lives On</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ralph de la Cruz</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel October 31, 2005</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The scariest thing a child could probably imagine on Halloween?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Not having it.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Dad, the hurricane's going to take away Halloween,&quot; my son, Alexander, said with sudden alarm Friday.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">It took a few days for each of us to get a true sense of the breadth of Wilma's impact. Maybe it happened during the hour you spent in line waiting for gas. Or the morning when you realized there was no telling when you might have milk again for the cereal and coffee.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For kids, it must have happened when they wondered whether Halloween would take place.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Halloween is parentally spooky enough, even under the best of conditions: Hey honey, would you check the child molester and pedophile database before we go trick-or-treating?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But this year, our Halloween will take place in an area where a million homes are without power. A lot of people may be grubby, frustrated. Maybe even paranoid or armed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">It would be tempting to cancel the day. Official gatherings already have been canceled or postponed from Weston to Lighthouse Point, Hollywood to West Palm Beach.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Tempting, that is, if you're an adult.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For children, Halloween is one of the premier events of the year. Second, perhaps, only to Christmas. And unlike that Christian-based holiday, this is one shared by all children.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cancel Halloween?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I cut trees left and right trying to make it happen,&quot; said Christopher Lloyd, who had taken his soon-to-be two-year-old daughter, Alexandria, to a neighborhood Halloween event put on Saturday by the Victoria Park Civic Association in downtown Fort Lauderdale.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A breezy late-afternoon filled with quick-moving and unpredictable clouds set the proper Wilma-esque backdrop as about 250 children showed up along a three-block strip of Victoria Terrace.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I had thought everything would be canceled,&quot; said a grateful Jon Thibodeaux, who was there with his adopted son, Bradley, 7.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We had a Halloween party planned with some kids from school,&quot; said Jon's partner, Ron Braun. &quot;But we couldn't reach anybody by phone. So we were happy to hear they were having this.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We had to do something for him,&quot; Thibodeaux added. &quot;He's seven. You have to do Halloween when you're seven.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Victoria Park festivities were held despite a lack of power in the neighborhood.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Joy Urshalitz sat on a cinder block in front of the house she has occupied for 30 years, giving out candy. Behind her, a blue tarp provided cover for her generator, which she's been sharing with neighbors.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I've been making coffee for all the neighbors using my generator,&quot; Urshalitz said. &quot;I tell them, `When I unplug you, that means I'm fixing to start the coffee. And when your refrigerator comes back on, you know that coffee's done.'&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Urshalitz was almost giddy at the gathering of giggling kids and relaxed adults.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We've got great neighbors,&quot; Urshalitz said. &quot;But people are so busy, sometimes we don't see each other. Something like this happens and it forces you to come out and be together.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The association had considered canceling the event, what with power being out and people feeling overwhelmed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But the folks on Victoria Terrace wouldn't hear of it. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It took a street full of people who just weren't willing to let it be canceled,&quot; said Andrea Bamberg, co-chair of the association's children's committee.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Luckily the group had a community chest full of candy that everybody had been contributing to for the past three months. And neighborhood Realtors Keith Webster and Tim Singer chipped in money for pumpkins, balloon-making clowns and hay bales.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">When I walked by the bales, a group of 10 kids were sitting on them, all leaning one way for a picture, as if being blown by Wilma.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Most of them had been expecting to be at a 10th birthday party today for a friend. Now, it may not happen. But at least they had Saturday.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Were they worried Halloween wasn't going to happen?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Yeeesss,&quot; they all chimed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Well, all except for one highly optimistic 12-year-old.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I always thought I was going to go trick-or-treating,&quot; said Tucker Fisher.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Even after the hurricane?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;People still had candy,&quot; he answered with a simplicity that was hard to dispute.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There was much talk Saturday about how the kids needed Halloween this year to have a taste of normalcy.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But it's not just about the kids.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We've been beat up enough by this,&quot; said Victoria Terrace resident Margot Crawford. &quot;Time for some fun -- both for kids and adults.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We needed this after five days of being cooped up,&quot; added Jim Eden.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Today, some powered-up places such as Cooper City, Hallandale Beach and Lauderdale-By-The-Sea will follow through with official city events. Other malls and businesses, such as Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs, will host trick-or-treaters.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But a whole lot of us won't. Not because we don't want to, but because trick-or-treaters aren't likely to be stopping by a house still dark and covered with plywood.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Yet we need this Halloween to confirm our resiliency. To remind ourselves that, despite what we've been through -- what we're going through -- we don't really have it so bad.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">We need it so children are reminded that there are brighter days ahead. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So, I urge those who live in areas where the power has been restored to take up the spirit of Victoria Park.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Turn on your lights. Dig out the decorations and put out the candy. Open your doors to the Children of South Florida.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Turn the words of Sandy Carrier, one of the newcomers to Victoria Terrace, into reality:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Yes Virginia, there is a Halloween.&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ralph De La Cruz can be reached at rdelacruz@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4727.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
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<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="sewer_cabinets_set_for_removal"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Sewer cabinets set for removal</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Unsightly boxes to be relocated</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel &nbsp;November 6 2005 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale · Gigantic sewer 
                      cabinets that were built next to people&#39;s homes this year 
                      will be removed, city officials have decided.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There were only five of them, but they were hard to miss. The cabinets, nicknamed &quot;The Thing&quot; by some of their detractors, were 8 feet tall and 19 feet wide -- each one a gigantic metal rectangle with its own air- conditioning unit.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The sewer pump station cabinets housed electronics associated with moving city sewage, and their installation was part of a massive water-sewer upgrade, WaterWorks 2011, going on citywide.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Public Works Director Albert Carbon said work began in mid-October to dismantle one of the cabinets, on Northeast Second Avenue. The others, in Victoria Park, Dorsey Riverbend, Durrs and Flagler Village, will be removed in coming months.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The gigantic sewer lift station cabinets offended neighborhoods and public officials alike, and when photographs of them were publicized, they had no defenders.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There's no doubt these are big, ugly cabinets,&quot; consultant Tom McCormick of engineering firm CH2M Hill, said in July when the issue arose publicly. &quot;There's no way around that. No one's denying it, and no one's denying we have to do something about it.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Carbon's solution involves moving some of the equipment to an underground &quot;vault&quot; at each site and returning to the original, smaller pump stations with some additional metal appendages.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There are tradeoffs, though. According to a memo Carbon wrote to city commissioners, relocating the utilities underground &quot;will involve significant operational expense and risk.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Underground, the equipment is more likely to be damaged during flooding, which would result in longer losses of service. The underground vault provides limited access for maintenance, he warned. And the equipment might not last as long in the vault as it would have in the aboveground cabinet.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The relocation also will cost $260,000, a tab to be paid mostly by the two private consultant companies responsible -- Camp, Dresser &amp; McKee (CDM) and CH2M Hill. They've agreed to pay $125,000 each, according to Carbon's Oct. 4 memo. The cabinets themselves are worth $60,000 each and can be reused, he said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Construction has continued for months on the giant cabinets, even after officials realized they were untenable. Carbon said they were operating on expensive temporary generators and pumps and had to be completed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Now that they're built, they can be deconstructed.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Everybody's happy with the outcome,&quot; Carbon said. &quot;It took the time, but the outcome I think is going to benefit the community and show we can come through at the end.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Thornie Jarrett of Victoria Park, an electrical contractor, said the smaller stations are an acceptable alternative. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I think it's what should have been there all along, but I don't think we can complain about it,&quot; he said.</div>
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  </p>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="much_of_wilma_s_wrath_rooted_in_bad"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Much of Wilma's wrath rooted in bad practices</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Business Journal</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">November 11, 2005 print edition </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Leslie Kraft Burke </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If South Florida had properly planted and pruned much of its lush landscaping, experts say Hurricane Wilma's stunning damage would not have been so bad. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Flying tree limbs hit power lines, battered buildings and ultimately shut down businesses. Now, shredded trees and other foliage are the biggest part of an estimated $700 million-plus bill to haul away debris in the tri-county area. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;A lot of the damage to trees in particular did not have to happen. There are some very basic practices that are not necessarily new that would have prevented much of it,&quot; said Bob Dugan, a landscape architect and principal of Fort Lauderdale-based EDSA, a 45-year-old firm with such local clients as the Boca Raton Resort &amp; Club, the Harbor Beach Marriott Resort &amp; Spa, Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six and Nova Southeastern University. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best practices in landscape planting and maintenance at many local commercial and residential properties have often been sacrificed to save money and time, he said, adding that municipalities' code enforcement departments have found it difficult to keep up with the rapid pace of construction and its requisite landscaping. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">There will be a five- to 10-year setback for the region's tree canopy, Dugan said. &quot;As we replant, we can only hope that we will do better than the last generation in terms of employing best practices and the public enforcing them.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Florida Power &amp; Light Co. said after Hurricane Wilma, debris from trees caused many of the downed power lines and problems at the stations that feed them. A flying branch that takes out a main circuit can affect as many as 3,000 customers. When smaller lines, similar to those in backyards, are damaged, 150 to 200 customers may be affected, the utility said. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Replacement trees and ground cover are difficult to source and expensive to complete after the hurricane, according to Dugan, who added that installations being completed now will not have their choice of plant palettes, but will have to take whatever is available. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Nurseries from Palm Beach to Key West have a shortage of materials,&quot; he said. &quot;We have to look outside our region to source materials and will need to look throughout the state to make substitutions to finish some local projects already in progress.&quot; </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many of South Florida's trees pulled up by their roots during Hurricane Wilma had inadequate tree pits and were crowded into spaces too small for their roots to grow, he said, while proper trimming - by certified arborists - would also have limited damage and its associated expense and difficulties. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But there are other issues, as well. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;When you look at South Florida, you see a lot of high [population] density projects,&quot; Dugan said. &quot;There is less soil exposed on these and we have become 'hardscape happy.'&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Hardscape, which is considered any hard surface - such as sidewalk, parking lots and patios - often interferes with landscaping by cutting off roots of trees during construction phases, he explained. Also during construction, utility trenches are often dug by cutting across tree roots, instead of avoiding them by hand or directional digging, Dugan said. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The use of native plants instead of exotics is also recommended because they stand up to local conditions better. Some trees known for their complicated root systems - such as some types of ficus and black olive - have even been banned by certain local communities. </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Many of these practices are lessons learned about 10 years ago, according to Jorge Camejo, director of development services for the city of Boca Raton. The city reviews planned commercial landscape installations and those of multi-family residential developments. It also conducts inspections on a regular basis, he said. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Much of the foliage damage from Wilma was due to techniques that were used before best practices were developed, Camejo said. But, he emphasized, other conditions were strong contributors to local foliage loss. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;You can't blanketly say that poor installations were the culprit. There were so many factors,&quot; he said. &quot;Saturated soil conditions and roots pulled out by the force of winds caused damage to many hearty live oaks and sabal palms.&quot; </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While Dugan acknowledges that it is often slightly more expensive to plant landscaping with preservation in mind, he maintains that it must be done - particularly now. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Everyone will notice that next summer here is going to be a lot hotter without many of our trees,&quot; he said. &quot;It is possible to have wind-tolerant landscaping that doesn't make South Florida look like the surface of the moon. The light bulb that needs to go off in everyone's head is: plant for longevity.&quot; </div>
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  </p>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="candidate_won_t_run_for_mayor___c_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Candidate won't run for mayor &nbsp;C. Rodstrom seeks city's District II seat</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Staff Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted November 18 2005 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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                      <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE · Charlotte Rodstrom 
                      will not run for mayor after all.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom, wife of Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom, for months weighed running against longtime incumbent Mayor Jim Naugle. But Thursday she opened a campaign account to run for the District II city commission seat, a post she unsuccessfully sought three years ago.</div>
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<div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charlotte Rodstrom said she had considered running for the city's top spot only because she didn't want to run against District II incumbent Dean Trantalis.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Trantalis said months ago that he wouldn't seek re-election, but Charlotte Rodstrom said she still thought he might.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I wanted a seat at the table, and that was basically the only seat I thought I could have,&quot; Charlotte Rodstrom said of the mayor's seat. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;As a neighborhood activist, I'm sure she'll make a strong candidate,&quot; said Naugle, who said he stays out of district races.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">That leaves political consultant Dan Lewis as the sole opposition to Naugle, so far. Naugle is eligible for one more three-year term. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charlotte Rodstrom resigned her position on the city's planning and zoning board, per city policy. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">As in the 2003 election for District II, the race is lining up to be the most competitive of the five City Commission seats.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The district has been called the &quot;Bermuda Triangle&quot; of political districts, covering a wide span of active neighborhood groups, each with a different agenda. The district, which can be viewed online at www.fortlauderdale.gov, under the GIS map gallery, includes the barrier island from Oakland Park Boulevard south to Harbor Drive, and a large swath of the central city including Victoria Park, Lake Ridge, and Flagler Village.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Running in that race are: Jon Albee, a home renovator, insurance and real estate agent; Bradford Cohen, who was on the national TV show The Apprentice and is a lawyer; Les Hollingsworth, who works for a mortgage lending firm; and Michael B. Moskowitz, an accountant.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="planting_rejuvenates_community_after"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Planting rejuvenates community after storm</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Macollvie Jean-François </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Staff Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted December 4 2005 </div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale · Victoria Park 
                      residents joked about the whole deal with the impatiens 
                      Saturday.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">At the park where 1,000 of the red, orange and purple plants sat on &quot;Flower Power Saturday&quot; to kick off a neighborhood rejuvenation project, some could not resist a little dig at the shrubbery.</div>
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></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's ironic ... after a hurricane where everyone had their patience tested, to offer impatiens,&quot; resident Dan Lewis said. &quot;This is our way of saying `ha' to the hurricanes.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">For neighbors looking to get out into their community, it was a good enough ice-breaker.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They talked about the loss of foliage Wilma caused while they sat at picnic tables munching on hot dogs, sometimes shading their eyes from the sun by placing a palm over their foreheads.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">This time last year, they said, the live oaks, gumbo-limbo and palms did the job by forming a canopy. Now those left behind are mangled, tilting over or bare. Stumps and dark holes where trees used to be are a common sight at the park, on streets about town and on many properties.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some homes are still undergoing repairs, causing the Victoria Park Civic Association to cancel this year's Victoria Park Holiday Home Tour held the first weekend of December. All this told the group it was time to liven things up, so its members came up with Flower Power Saturday instead, to encourage residents to replenish their gardens.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Larry Wallenstein, a Victoria Park Civic Association volunteer, said Flower Power Saturday is the first of a yearlong Clean and Re-Green project.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Each month, we plan to do something different to recreate the foliage and the canopies,&quot; Wallenstein said. &quot;Victoria Park is about life.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Scores of visitors had bought half the impatiens by noon, Wallenstein said. A framed painting of a heleconia by a local artist had drawn a $325 silent auction bid by then. The residents also bid on four donated royal poinciana plants. All proceeds will go to the association.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward County master gardeners, who have received training on flora and fauna indigenous to the region, and an arborist were on site to answer questions about maintaining their gardens and trees. Organizers actually chose the impatiens because they are easy to grow in the winter and form wide mounds of great color, master gardener Lindsay Kaehler said. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We have to keep our city beautiful,&quot; said Max Fuller, who lives in a condo but bought a tray containing 15 for friends. &quot;The shade will come back.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">While it was a small affair compared with the annual home tours, some were grateful simply for the chance to be out on a cloudless day meeting neighbors.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Where could I spend a lovelier day?&quot; said Diana Schildt, lifting her face up to the sky. </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
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  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="fort_lauderdale_oks_3000_more_units"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Fort Lauderdale OKs 3,000 more units for downtown; 15% to be 'affordable'</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun-Sentinel Staff Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted January 19 2006 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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                <tR>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE · With a swift 
                      unanimous vote, the City Commission on Wednesday night 
                      made final its desire to welcome another major wave of 
                      residential development downtown.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners voted to send the state a request to allow an additional 3,000 units to be built downtown. Builders already hit the maximum residential development allowed in the urban core, and state and county approval is needed to expand that.</div>
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<div>
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></div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The 3,000 additional residences would bring an estimated 669 more cars to the afternoon rush hour and add students to schools that are already overcrowded, according to city documents.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But city officials are focused primarily on the cost of the housing, promising regional planners that a full 15 percent of the additional units will be &quot;affordable.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Next task: figuring out what &quot;affordable&quot; is, and how to provide it.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In the past, commissioners have accepted prices as high as $325,000 as affordable, with Mayor Jim Naugle dubbing it &quot;Lauderdale Affordable.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He reiterated that idea Wednesday, saying buyers should expect to pay more in Fort Lauderdale because of the high land prices and taxes.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;It's `Lauderdale Affordable,' it's a separate classification,&quot; he said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">City Manager George Gretsas said the city could have a policy in place in the first quarter of the year to protect the prices of 15 percent of the units.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I think the commission is committed to getting something passed,&quot; Gretsas said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The next move is a workforce housing workshop scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Abdo New River Room, 201 SW Fifth Ave. Public comment will be taken.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The high price of housing, especially compared to area incomes, is a crisis for the region and a major campaign issue this year in Fort Lauderdale.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In a study recently presented to the city, consultant Strategic Planning Group Inc. found the city will need anywhere from 1,800 to 6,400 more &quot;workforce&quot;-priced housing units by 2020.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Developers already have balked at the idea of a law that would put the financial burden on them. Members of the Downtown Development Authority said at a recent meeting they hope the city will subsidize the price difference.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners haven't decided whether each project that is approved will have to set aside 15 percent of its units as affordable, or whether 15 percent of the entire pool of 3,000 units will be earmarked for affordable housing projects.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Wednesday night's vote on the 3,000 residential units was the final move needed to send the matter to Tallahassee for approval. Then the Broward County Planning Council would give final sign-off and developers could once again submit plans for downtown projects.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Planning officials say developers are lined up with plans for hundreds more condos and lofts in the urban heart.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">State officials already had weighed in on the issue, commenting that 3,000 more homes downtown might not be enough, considering the heavy growth expected in Broward County.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="storm_proofing_the_power_grid_too"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Storm-proofing the power grid too costly, FPL-funded report says</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL funded study on system</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Marcia Heroux Pounds </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel Business Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted January 22 2006 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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                      <p class="b-text-j">It would cost more than anyone is willing to pay to strengthen Florida Power &amp; Light Co.'s electrical system to stand up to more hurricanes, according to state officials and an engineer hired by the utility to look at the issue.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;A widespread system hardening is just too expensive,&quot; said Richard Brown, author of a utility-pole report commissioned by FPL.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brown, a KEMA Inc. engineer and project manager for the FPL study, said in an interview last week that FPL probably should consider a &quot;targeted&quot; hardening -- or a shoring up that would involve more and stronger utility poles -- of the above-ground utility system. Author of the book Electric Power Distribution Reliability, Brown will teach a seminar on electrical system hardening in Tallahassee on Monday.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Florida Public Counsel Harold McLean said the state, its largest electric utility and electric consumers are going to face a difficult choice between reliability and significantly higher bills. &quot;You could build a system a hurricane could not shut down, but you would not want to pay for it,&quot; he said.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The KEMA study was submitted to the Public Service Commission recently as part of FPL's $1 billion bond proposal. The electric utility has proposed raising money through a bond issue to recover its losses from two hurricane seasons and rebuild a reserve fund for future storms.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But even if the PSC approves that proposal, that wouldn't cover what could be an enormous cost to strengthen FPL's electrical infrastructure.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brown said the cost of strengthening even new utility construction would be two or three times the cost of building to normal standards. A typical distribution system costs about $100,000 a mile; a stronger one would cost $200,000 to $300,000, he said. If lines were put underground, the cost climbs to five or more times, anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million a mile.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By using a &quot;toolkit of approaches,&quot; the utility can strengthen various parts of the system to cost-effectively harden the infrastructure, he said. &quot;There's always a cost vs. benefit tradeoff.&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The KEMA study said while FPL's utility poles exceeded industry standards, those standards may have to be even higher to withstand extreme wind if a cycle of hurricanes is expected to continue. Last October's Hurricane Wilma knocked out power to 3 million FPL customers, and in South Florida, thousands went without power for weeks.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FPL said while the study showed its electrical system worked well, the utility is evaluating whether &quot;we need to [upgrade] and what we need to do,&quot; said Pat Davis, spokeswoman for FPL. &quot;That's under evaluation.&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Any upgrade would be an incremental, long-term project, Davis added. She said it was &quot;three steps&quot; too early to talk about how an upgrade would be paid for, but that &quot;everything is built into the rate.&quot; In 2005, FPL agreed to drop its bid for a $430 million base rate increase after the Public Service Commission agreed to let the utility raise rates by 19 percent to cover higher fuel costs.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brown, who will be making specific recommendations to FPL along with the study, said he would suggest a targeted approach to strengthen the power transmission and distribution system, focusing on emergency operations and other changes that are most needed.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">McLean said the KEMA study, which calls for strengthening the system, had &quot;surprising results given FPL paid for it.&quot; The public counsel said he would be hiring his own experts to check whether the Miami-based utility followed required maintenance procedures on utility poles and other equipment.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He questions how much hurricane-recovery money given to FPL in previous years has been used to improve the system and whether spending much more will make a significant difference. &quot;That's something we intend to look at very intensely over the next few weeks or months,&quot; McLean said.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Two of Brown's recommendations may be more utility poles and larger poles. &quot;You would have to be three times as strong, three times as many poles in the ground,&quot; to build transmission-line strength, Brown said. &quot;Most of the force on poles is not from wind blowing on the pole but from wind blowing on the wires.&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brown also would recommend a stronger cable support system for wires. He said supports are currently used for corner utility poles, but not for a row of poles. But the problem with more wires and poles, he points out, is the &quot;visual impact.&quot;</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In surveying damage from Wilma, McLean said he saw what appeared to be brand-new utility poles broken by the force of that Category 2 hurricane. &quot;If FPL has to invest more money, their customers will pay for it,&quot; he said.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">And while Florida's homeowners and business owners want reliable power, &quot;I don't know if we know enough about hurricane damage to justify hardening it,&quot; McLean said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="7_vie_for_seat_in_lauderdale"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>7 vie for seat in Lauderdale</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel &nbsp;&nbsp;Staff Writer </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted January 22 2006 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">Fort Lauderdale · In the race for City 
                      Commission District II, the politically powerful in 
                      Broward County are putting their money in the campaign of 
                      Charlotte Rodstrom, developers and real estate interests 
                      are giving to Jon Albee, and lawyers are helping fund 
                      Bradford Cohen&#39;s run, according to campaign finance 
                      reports filed in City Hall.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The three were the front-runners in fund raising for the Feb. 14 primary election, according to the reports, which were for the quarter ending Dec. 31.</div>
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<div>
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></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">History has shown that money doesn't mean a candidate will win a seat on the Fort Lauderdale commission. But Albee, Cohen and Rodstrom will have more money to use on fliers, signs or other methods of getting their names and platforms before the district's voters.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Seven candidates are in the nonpartisan race to represent what has been called the &quot;Bermuda Triangle&quot; of districts, an area that includes the central beach, near-downtown neighborhoods such as Victoria Park and more scruffy areas such as Middle River Terrace.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So far, the candidates say development issues and crime are at the front of voters' minds, as they crisscross District II knocking on doors and facing off at candidate forums. The candidate who took in the most contributions was Rodstrom, with Albee a close second.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom collected about $15,450 and loaned the campaign $100, according to her report. The donors' names are often seen on the campaign finance reports of county commissioners or incumbent city officials, and include lobbyists Ron Book and George Platt, engineering company owner Tom McDonald, insurance agency owner Jim McKinley, attorneys and political insiders Tom Panza, Justin Sayfie and Jim Blosser, engineer Bill Keith and Water Taxi owner Bob Bekoff.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The city puts a $250 maximum on contributions, but Rodstrom doubled her contributions in 12 cases by taking in checks from husbands and wives, meaning she got $500 from the Platts, the Beckoffs, the McDonalds, the Books and others, her reports show.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom, a retired flight attendant who resigned from the city's Planning and Zoning Board to run, is married to County Commissioner John Rodstrom. She has a marketing business named Fast Track Marketing.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom ran unsuccessfully for the District II seat in 2003. Though she has defined herself as the most &quot;anti-development&quot; of the group, she took in money from some developers this time, such as Anthony Mijares. More than half her checks were from outside Fort Lauderdale, and all but six of the 65 entries were for the maximum $250.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Albee, who narrowly lost the election for District II to Dean Trantalis in 2003, raised $14,315 and loaned the campaign $350. Unlike Rodstrom, who reported spending very little money by Dec. 31, Albee had spent more than half his fund.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Albee's donors included a variety of business interests, many of them with ties to the real estate or development business, including maximum $250 contributions from Jason Crush, husband of developer lawyer-lobbyist Courtney Callahan Crush; yacht broker Steven Hudson; architect Arthur Bengochea; land planner Marvin Sanders; CPA David Buck; landscape architect Frederic Stresau; attorney Richard Coker Jr.; Realtor Derrance Curran, builder Scott Strawbridge; Travel Host magazine publisher Ina Lee; developer Gordon Deckelbaum; hotel owner Jack Ireland; developer's lawyer Debbie Orshefsky; hotelier Romola Motwani; and developer Rene Lepine.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Albee owns a home renovation company and describes himself as a proponent of carefully planned growth and a strong supporter of private property rights. The overwhelming majority of his donations were from Fort Lauderdale addresses.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cohen, a personal injury and criminal defense lawyer, put $5,000 of his own money in the campaign, and then threw a $5,000 campaign party, according to his report. His fund contained $17,245, including his loan, and he had spent $11,039 of it by Dec. 31. Of his 51 entries, 22 were lawyers or members of the legal profession. One of his expenses was a mailing label list from the Broward County Bar Association. More than half his checks were from outside Fort Lauderdale.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charles &quot;Chip&quot; Burpee, a manager at Mangos restaurant who previously worked on political campaigns in other states and spent time working for former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, hadn't joined the race during that quarter so did not report contributions.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ryan Campbell, a county communications manager, raised $1,588 and spent $261. His money came from a variety of donors, some of them in the marketing business and most of them from Fort Lauderdale.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Les Hollingsworth, a mortgage banker who has been active as president of the Middle River Terrace Neighborhood Association, reported no contributions.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Michael Moskowitz, who is self-employed with a small credit card payment processing company, loaned his campaign $2,001 and raised $550, bringing his total to $7,193 as of Dec. 31.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Any candidate with more than half the votes wins; if no candidate gets more than 50 percent, the top two vote-getters proceed to the March 14 general election.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Also voting in the primary are residents of District IV.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A mayoral primary is scheduled citywide.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="#aaa_top_of_page"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">back to index.....</A></div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="architect_gets_resistance_for"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Architect gets resistance for energy-saving plan to build windmill in Fort</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lauderdale </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Robert Nolin</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Sun-Sentinel</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">February 7, 2006</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE * Kaizer Talib doesn't think he's reaching too high to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">unplug himself from the power grid -- just 55 feet.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">That's the height of the windmill he wants to erect at a home he's building</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">in Victoria Park. The windmill, along with solar cells, solar water heater</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">and other modifications, should allow the Fort Lauderdale architect to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">declare energy independence.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But getting it done is no breeze.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Talib's plan is generating static from neighbors and city officials leery of</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">a five-story structure in the neighborhood. He's got to convince them the</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">slender, mast-like wind generator won't be an eyesore.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He's determined to produce enough electricity on his own to completely power</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">a 4,500-square-foot, two-story house. It dovetails with his Buddhist</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">philosophy to promote the harmonious use of nature and his desire to leave</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">the world a little better.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;There will be resistance if you're going to be a pioneer,&quot; said Talib, 60,</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">who was born in India. &quot;It is the fear of the unknown. This fear can only be</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">removed by somebody coming forward and saying, `Let's do it.'&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The windmill is just one energy-saving device Talib envisions for his $1</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">million-plus home on Victoria Terrace. There's special insulation, and a</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">custom design that ensures open areas are shaded. He's putting a large solar</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">water heater on his roof, as well as photovoltaic, or PV, solar panels that</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">convert sunlight into electricity.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The PV panels will directly power low amperage items such as lights,</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">televisions and computers, and store the electricity in batteries when those</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">items are not in use.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The windmill's six-foot blades will do the heavy duty, propelling a turbine</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">that sends electricity earthward to run the demanding air conditioning</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">system and power-hungry appliances like refrigerators. Extra wattage will be</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">stored in batteries, and can even be sold back to Florida Power &amp; Light.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But first Talib must persuade Fort Lauderdale's Board of Adjustment to let</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">him build higher than the city's 35-foot limit in his neighborhood. Talib</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">said he needs the extra height for the windmill, which will be erected on</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">the ground near his front door, to catch stronger air currents aloft.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Yet neighbors, who haven't reviewed Talib's plans, fear a large, looming</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">presence over their narrow, leafy street. About 200 members of the Victoria</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Park Civic Association have voted to oppose the windmill, which will be</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">reviewed by the city board when it meets Wednesday.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;Most people figured it was going to be a 55-foot industrial-looking wind</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">generator and it was inappropriate for the neighborhood,&quot; association</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">president Thornie Jarrett said. &quot;I would applaud anyone who does anything to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">save energy, but not at the expense of the neighborhood.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Talib said the slim white windmill will hardly be noticed 20 feet above the</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">five-bedroom house into which he and his wife, Bettina Lambrechts, and</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">5-year-old daughter Sabrina hope to move into next month. &quot;It's not going to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">create a sore thumb kind of situation for the neighborhood,&quot; he said. &quot;I</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">have royal palms more than 55 feet tall.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In a hurricane, Talib has the option of lowering the windmill's pole, or</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">locking its blades in place. The rotating blades, he added, will make less</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">noise than a side-yard central heat and air compressor.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Quiet or not, windmills need air to spin, and that can be a rare commodity</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">in Florida, said Jim Fenton, director of the Florida Solar Energy Center in</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cocoa, a research institute for the University of Central Florida.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Talib figures all he needs is 6 mph worth of wind to keep the juice flowing,</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">and when there's no breeze he'll store up power from gusty days.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Still, Fenton predicts few windmills will crop up for home use, but solar</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">panels should eventually become common. &quot;Every roof in Florida is going to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">have PVs,&quot; he said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The solar cells alone could power just about everything but an air</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">conditioner, drastically reducing the power a homeowner now pulls through a</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">wall socket, Fenton said. But first PV cells and solar water heaters must</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">drop in price -- a homeowner could spend more than $20,000 on enough PVs to</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">power a house -- and Florida needs to offer incentives like rebates and tax</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">breaks on the devices, as some other states do, he said.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Talib is prepared to spend almost $60,000 on energy-producing features,</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">including about $25,000 on the windmill. He feels he's financially fit</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">enough to pay for energy freedom -- and figures on pocketing the roughly</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">$6,000 a year he would have paid in electric bills for his new home.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Should the city board deny Talib's windmill, his only option to contest the</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">decision is to sue in Circuit Court. Either way, Talib is content to see the</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">issue aired publicly.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;This is an interesting thing to bring forth for discussion,&quot; he said. &quot;We</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">need to promote alternate energy.&quot;</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="#aaa_top_of_page"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">back to index.....</A></div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="fort_lauderdale_commission_candidates"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Fort Lauderdale commission candidates tout ability to bring change</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Brittany Wallman </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Sun-Sentinel </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted February 12 2006 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">FORT LAUDERDALE · The seven City 
                      Commission candidates running in District II appear to 
                      agree on the main challenges facing the city -- crime, 
                      financial health, and development.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Now, they have to distinguish themselves among voters as the one with the right solutions.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The seven are on Tuesday's primary ballot in District II.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Any candidate receiving more than half the votes wins the seat. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters move on to the March 14 ballot.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The candidates have repeated their speeches to civic associations in the district. They have knocked on doors, posted their signs in yards and swales, and worked for the vote in the hot city race.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The result of the election could alter the City Commission, which currently has no majority &quot;voting block'' on the controversial topic of development, for example.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Here are the candidates, in a capsule:</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Jon Albee: He had his first run for office in 2003, in a group of six running for District II. Albee lost to attorney Dean Trantalis by just 50 votes. He walks a balance on the topic of development, a flashpoint for many residents weary of growth. Albee is in the business of home renovation, and previously worked for Glenn Wright Homes, whose luxury houses rankle some longtime residents because of their size.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Albee, the oldest candidate at 60, pitches his civic experience. He says he has the connections and knowledge to get things done &quot;behind the scenes.'' He is a Fort Lauderdale native.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He reminds voters that he helped save the Police Department's public safety aides from being fired during the 2003 budget crisis. He also sat on an ad hoc committee that convinced the city to offer 75 percent discounts to code violators with outstanding fines.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Albee said the current commission is too risk-averse and hasn't impressed him.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">This time he scrapped the whimsical campaign of 2003 and its funny slogans -- such as &quot;To Albee or not to Albee, that is the question'' -- and is running a serious, straightforward campaign with no slogan at all.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He had raised $23,193 by Jan. 20, much of it contributed by developers and their lawyers and lobbyists, and members of the business community.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charles &quot;Chip'' Burpee: Another Fort Lauderdale native, he recently returned to South Florida after working on political campaign issues in California for Grassroots, Inc. Burpee has a background in politics and worked as an aide to former Democratic Sen. Bob Graham.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He tells voters he is different -- right down to his green yard signs declaring &quot;It's about you.'' Burpee, one of four younger-than-35s in the race, said the city needs fresh ideas and passionate leaders.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I'm definitely running as the outsider, as the leader who wants to bring change,'' he said.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">His main issue has been the high price of housing. Burpee had raised $7,595 by Jan. 20.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ryan Campbell: A Fort Lauderdale native, his communications work at the county includes a detail at the Emergency Operations Center during hurricanes, which he said gave him invaluable experience.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Campbell thinks it's unfair that Fort Lauderdale has to support about 80,000 commuters each day without the benefit of any extra property tax dollars. He said his priority would be to try to get the city some compensation from the state for its commuters.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Campbell had raised $2,288 by Jan. 20.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Bradford Cohen: A brash move on the reality show The Apprentice got Cohen booted off Donald Trump's show. That aggressive confidence is evident on the campaign trail. His fliers tout &quot;special skills, energy and commitment.'' Hailing from Massachusetts, Cohen, an attorney, drives a yellow Hummer. Cohen said he's not a &quot;political monster.'' Cohen has never been involved in civic affairs, but said he was prompted to run by news reports of fraud and waste in the city's engineering department. His voter record is thin; Cohen has voted only twice in his dozen years in Broward County.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He said no candidates &quot;stirred'' him enough to get him out to vote.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;I've never been happy with the choices I had. If my choice is between two bad apples, I don't eat an apple.''</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cohen said he has &quot;fire in the belly'' and some of the other candidates &quot;with more time in the system'' don't.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cohen had raised $19,095 by Jan. 20, much of it from lawyers.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Les Hollingsworth: A soft-spoken campaigner, he is a tough community activist in Middle River Terrace, where he moved three years ago. Last year, he demanded that the city clean up illegal dumping that had gone unchecked in his neighborhood, or the garbage would be piled on City Hall's steps. The city cleaned up the vacant lot the next day, Hollingsworth said at the time.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He said the city focuses too much on the beach and downtown.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Great cities, he said, &quot;do not forget their neighborhoods.''</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Hollingsworth had loaned his campaign $1,381 by Jan. 20 and raised no money.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mike Moskowitz: A young certified public accountant, he started campaigning months ago, before Trantalis announced he wasn't seeking re-election. Moskowitz keyed in on the city's budget crisis, saying the commission needs someone with a financial background to avoid a recurrence.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Moskowitz has campaigned doggedly and written many position papers. He said he thinks development needs to be brought under control.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;A lot of people call development progress. I don't necessary believe that,'' he said recently. &quot;I think development is called development. Or sometimes it could be called overdevelopment.''</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He had raised $9,278 -- including $1,300 by Jan. 20.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charlotte Rodstrom: She is making her second run for the seat. Three years ago, Rodstrom placed fourth in a six-candidate race. This time, she says she has a better understanding of the job because she served on the planning and zoning board in the interim.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom is married to Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom and has used that connection, not just to raise money. At a recent campaign forum, she said the city needs better relationships with other governments. &quot;I personally can partnership with other governmental entities,'' she told a Victoria Park crowd, who chuckled in response.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rodstrom has softened her anti-development platform from 2003, but still voices strong views against the heavy density and continued intense development of the city.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">She had raised $22,350 by Jan. 20.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="#aaa_top_of_page"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">back to index.....</A></div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="backgrounds_of_the_fort_lauderdale"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Backgrounds of the Fort Lauderdale commission candidates</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel &nbsp;Posted February 12 2006 </div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
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                <tR>
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                      <p class="b-text-j">DISTRICT II, Fort Lauderdale city commissioner, three-year term, non-partisan.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
                    </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Pay is $30,000, plus $300 a month expenses.</div>
                    <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Jon Albee, 60: Single, no kids. President of BlueStream Builders home remodeling company. Lives in Victoria Park in the 1400 block of Northeast Fifth Street.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Web site: www.jonalbee.com</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: To me this has been a lackluster commission. However, three actions stand out: acquisition of South Side School, hiring of historic preservationist, authorizing employment of a city auditor reporting directly to commission. Worst: Cutting the budget far too deeply.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">More: We should take an immediate look at pension plans and begin funding any shortfall that is found. Also, set aside more money for neighborhood and business improvement grants. Less: Spend tax dollars wisely. For example, reduce the proposed eight-year fire station bond schedule to five, to save millions in interest.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">My top three issues: Reducing crime, housing for all, and utilities.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charles &quot;Chip&quot; Burpee, 27: Single, no kids. Manager at Mangos restaurant. Lives in Victoria Park in the 1600 block of Northeast Sixth Ave.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">www.chipburpee.com</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: The decision to restore funding to a police department which is trying to fight crime in a rapidly growing city. Worst: The lack of political courage that this city's leaders have consistently shown in confronting growth and development.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">More: Provide adequate funding to the police department in order to successfully fight the rising crime rate. Less: I would like to continually find ways to keep our tax rates low.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">I deeply believe the city needs new ideas and new leadership. We need to develop in ways that enhance our quality of life. We need to have a government that is fiscally responsible. Most importantly we need to keep Fort Lauderdale affordable for everyone.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ryan Campbell, 29: Single, no kids. Public communications project manager, Broward County government.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lives in South Middle River neighborhood in a condo in the 600 block of Northwest 19th St./Tennis Club Drive</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">www.electcampbell.org</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: Having code inspectors do a mass city violations report. The city must set an example. Worst: Past City Commissions have shown a lack of fiscal integrity and inadequate planning and vision by being reactive as opposed to proactive with regards to new developments.More: The city should increase the number of park rangers and public safety aides, to free up police officers.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Less: Identify where overhead cutbacks can be made with an innovative approach. Increase online services to reduce overhead and free up staff.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Three focus points are economic growth and redevelopment, beach revitalization, and lowering tax burden on residents through securing additional state and local grants to compensate for city services supplied to 80,000 downtown commuters.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Bradford Cohen, 34: Single, no kids. Criminal defense/personal injury attorney.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lives in Victoria Park in the 400 block of Northeast 12th Ave.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">www.cohenforcommissioner.com</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: Allowing police to hire again. A city is only as good as its police and fire departments. Worst: When city officials felt there was no need for concern, when the city was in a financial crisis.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">More: In the areas where we can increase productivity such as the idea behind the crime camera. With cameras in areas of high crime, one officer can monitor five or more areas. Less: Examine subcontractors' invoices and contracts.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">1. Protecting our property values/development: Ensure that current development &amp; infrastructure projects benefit our City.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">2. Preventing crime: Make it a budget priority and continue to introduce innovative crime prevention equipment such as crime cameras.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">3. Boosting revenue and keeping taxes down.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Les Hollingsworth, 59: Married, two adult daughters and an adult son. Mortgage consultant.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lives in Middle River Terrace neighborhood, in the 1800 block of North Dixie Highway.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">No Web site.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: Hiring city manager. Worst: The Stranahan House debate and cutting public safety positions.More: Increase police, fire-rescue and park ranger positions.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Less: Decrease taxes. Public Safety: Reinstitute community policing; implement Safir-Rosetti report. More: In the areas where we can increase productivity such as the idea behind the crime camera. With cameras in areas of high crime, one officer can monitor five or more areas.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Growth &amp; Redevelopment: Institute smart growth/redevelopment; cap downtown &amp; beach residential units until integrated downtown, beach and neighborhoods Master Plan is completed. Affordable Housing: Make affordable housing element citywide in smart plans.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mike Moskowitz, 27: Single, no kids. Certified public accountant who has a business processing credit card payments. Rents apartment in Victoria Park, in the 1900 block of Northeast Eighth Court</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Web site: www.MikeIn2006.com</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: Hyde Park Market land: the City did not have a leg to stand on, having lost their eminent domain condemnation lawsuit. The City fought unsuccessfully for 7 years. Worst: Hyde …: It should be a City park and a land swap should have been negotiated. At the very least the height should have been negotiated from 42 stories to 20.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
<bR>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">More: Neighborhood services should be increased. The city should hire more people to alleviate delays in neighborhood and business improvement grant projects, which are several years behind schedule. Less: The pension plans are fiscally unsustainable. I would consider reducing benefits or switching to a 401K plan.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">1. Preserving our City's history, since many decisions over the past 30 years have gone against history.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">2. Fiscal prudence. The City will have financial prosperity to look forward to.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">3. Controlling growth. Growth is within our control and not out of control.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charlotte Rodstrom, 53: Married, two adult sons, one 13-year-old son. Does publicity packets for race car drivers, under name Fast Track Marketing LLC. Lives in Nurmi Isles neighborhood on Nurmi Drive.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  <p class="b-text-j">No Web site.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best and worst City Commission decisions:</div>
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Best: Not leasing city-owned land to a developer. Worst: Entertaining the idea at all and costs involved. Best: Accepting 3,000 units with accountability. Worst: Wanting 13,000 units for more development.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Where should the city increase or decrease spending?</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">More: Increase in the area of code enforcement and police and fire, to bring the quality of all neighborhoods to a higher standard. Less: I would keep a watchful eye on spending and not decrease spending at the cost of our quality of life. [But] I would not approve another substantial tax increase.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Candidate's top issues</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">My top issues include managing our growth, protecting our neighborhoods and repairing the relationship with other governmental agencies. </div>
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  <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="#aaa_top_of_page"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">back to index.....</A></div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="hurricane_aid_up_for_grabs__interested__"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Hurricane aid up for grabs. Interested? </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Steve Svekis</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Sun Sentinel</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted August 5, 2006</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">I may get storm shutters after all. After almost 14 years of watching hurricanes blast through the neighborhood, I feel as close as ever to being a temporary shut-in. Many issues have popped up as I have left my windows bare, a single projectile from storm damage. At times, I haven't had the money. Other times, I've been laughed off the phone by an installer when I asked if the job could be done &quot;soon.&quot; And, of course, there is all that time in between, with me polishing up the &quot;pro&quot; in procrastinator.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Well, the state may finally coax this important home improvement out of me.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Florida's Department of Financial Services (DFS) has opened up a pool of $242.5 million for state residents to aid them in making their homes more windstorm-resistant. The program is called the Florida Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program, and the department will be offering up to $5,000 in matching funds for any resident who applies and is approved.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">I had plenty of questions, so I contacted DFS public relations officer Jeff Takacs. Here's what I found out:</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Who's eligible for the program?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. Floridians who have a single-family home or residential unit as their primary residence and a homestead exemption are eligible for a state-sponsored inspection. The home/unit's insured value cannot exceed $500,000. Properties not eligible: mobile homes or manufactured homes, second homes, rental properties, apartments and businesses. Residential units can contain a maximum of four units, and owners must unanimously agree to apply for an inspection, the preliminary step in determining one's qualifications for getting money from the state.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. How and when can one put in for the initial application?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. The DFS will start distributing inspection applications this month. Call 800-342-2762 to ask for an application. They also will be available online at www.mysafeflorida home.com.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Who will perform the inspection?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. The state has put together a group of qualified inspectors who have undergone background checks and received training in strengthening homes. The DFS will let you know. The inspection will determine improvements that can be made and how much they should cost, and how much you may be eligible to receive from the state. It will also give your home a hurricane-resistance rating.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. What will this inspection be looking for?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. The inspector will rate the home based on seven key areas: roof deck attachment, roof water resistance, shingles/tiles, roof frame end bracing, rafter-to-wall-stud tie downs, shutters and garage doors. You will be given this report, rating your home, stating how much complete improvement would cost and providing a ballpark figure of how much in insurance premium savings would be gained. There is no requirement to implement any or all of the improvements on the report.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. What other factors will determine eligibility for state aid?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. Such factors as whether your home is in a vulnerable location, or if you have a policy through the state's Citizen's Insurance will be considered, but those factors will not be sole determinants. After the inspection is done, you then need to put in a second application to get the repairs done with the cost defrayment.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Can you explain the $5,000 in matching funds?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. You must match each dollar of approved state aid up to a $5,000 limit. If you have $15,000 of improvements to do, based on the inspection, and you agree to get all the fixes done, the state will require that you put up only $10,000. If your job is $3,600, you will have to pay $1,800.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Is this money distributed by the state up front, or do I have to pay the full amount to the contractor when the work is done, and then get the reimbursement later, mail-in rebate style?</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">A. The homeowner will only have to pay his or her share when the work is complete. The state will handle all of its payments directly with its approved contractors.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. How will the DFS ensure that people aren't fraudulently taking money for repairs that aren't done?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. As is the case with the inspectors, the state is gathering bids from qualified contractors and creating a pool to do the work. So, an attempt to pocket money with some under-the-table deal with the contractor would be very risky. Also, the state plans on inspecting at least 10 percent of the jobs after completion.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Can I apply retroactively for work done before this program's inception?</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">A. No.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. What if the contractor doesn't get the work done, or even started, by the end of the year?</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">A. The contractors, working in partnership with the state, will provide a workable timetable.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. How many people have put their names in to receive applications?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. As of Aug. 2, more than 15,500 have contacted the department expressing interest in the program.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. If I need to install shutters, will I only be approved for those bottom-of-the-line metal panels or will I be able to get approved for (more expensive) accordion or roll-down shutters?</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">A. You can apply for the upgraded materials.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Q. Do they anticipate exhausting the entire $242.5 million for this three-year plan?</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A. The goal is for that amount to be fully expended.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j"><A HREF="#aaa_top_of_page"    TITLE="VP IN THE NEWS">back to index.....</A></div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="23_vie_for_7_seats_on_bench"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>23 vie for 7 seats on bench</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Seven open judgeships in Broward County attract 23 candidates.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">BY NIKKI WALLER AND AMY SHERMAN</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted by MiamiHerald, August 20,2006</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The Legislature created six new judgeships in Broward courts. Those new seats, along with the retirement of Broward Circuit Judge Miette Burnstein, have drawn 23 candidates in seven races.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">County Court judges earn $137,020 annually and serve a six-year term. Once elected, they rarely face opposition in subsequent elections. Broward Circuit Court judges also serve six years. They earn $145,080 annually.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">CIRCUIT COURT GROUP 6</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Charles Kaplan and Kenneth Padowitz, the candidates vying for the seat vacated by retiring Judge Miette Burnstein, have long careers in public and private practice.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Before moving to private practice five years ago, Padowitz, 45, spent 16 years in the Broward State Attorney's Office, where he was best known as a prosecutor in the first Lionel Tate case, in which the conviction was eventually overturned. Padowitz estimates he's presented 250 jury trials, including 35 first-degree murder cases.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Padowitz frequently appears as a legal commentator on national news shows and Court TV; the TV appearances help him connect to voters, he says. He's loaned himself $101,000 for his campaign and has raised roughly $100,000 more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Kaplan, 43, has presented cases before 45 Broward judges. He was a sex-crimes prosecutor with the State Attorney's Office before becoming a defense attorney in 1995. He has twice been elected president of the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and has chaired the criminal defense section of the Broward County Bar Association.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Kaplan has raised $83,000 so far, and has loaned himself $50,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">CIRCUIT COURT GROUP 58</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The four candidates --Mardi Levey Cohen, Jim Lewis, Marina Garcia Wood and Jordan H. Jordan -- are all attorneys.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cohen, 45, worked for the state Attorney General's office in criminal appeals and spent several years as a defense attorney before becoming a prosecutor with the Broward State Attorney's Office in 2002 -- a position she left in April to run for the bench.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cohen, who has argued three cases before the Florida Supreme Court, pitches herself as the most well-rounded candidate on the ballot.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">So far, she's raised $44,000, including a $30,000 loan to herself.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lewis, 49, became a criminal defense attorney 14 years ago, after 12 years as a prosecutor. Lewis is known for creating the ''wrestling defense'' in the case of 12-year-old Lionel Tate, who killed a playmate.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If elected, Lewis would push for a second drug court and urge more use of mental health court. He'd like to balance the court schedule, which skews to the morning.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lewis teaches in the law school at Nova Southeastern University. He has loaned his campaign $40,000 and raised another $30,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Wood, 35, is a magistrate who hears cases of neglected and dependent children. She's also been in private practice for 12 years, mainly practicing family law.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Wood, a native of Cuba, grew up in South Florida and later founded the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association. During her time as a magistrate, she says she's earned a reputation for patience, preparedness and and good listening skills.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Wood has loaned her campaign $83,000, and raised about $30,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Jordan, an attorney and author of How to Raise Millionaire Children did not return the Miami Herald's calls for comment. State campaign-finance records show he has lent himself $6,000 and raised roughly $3,300.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">CIRCUIT COURT GROUP 57</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The candidates include the mayor of Pompano Beach, and a veteran attorney from the Dade public defender's office.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">John Rayson, 57, served several terms in the State House of Representatives before becoming mayor of Pompano Beach. An attorney with 32 years in private practice, Rayson says the circuit bench would be the next logical step in his public service.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Rayson has raised more than $65,000 but decided against putting his own money into the campaign.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Michele Towbin Singer, 45, served as an assistant public defender in Miami before resigning to enter the circuit court race.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">She estimates she has tried more than 100 cases.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Singer volunteers at Virginia Shuman Young Magnet Montessori school in Fort Lauderdale, and is involved at Temple Beth El synagogue in Hollywood,.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">She's loaned her campaign $25,000, and has raised $7,000 more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Samuel Lopez, an attorney in private practice, declined repeated interview requests from the Miami Herald. State campaign-finance records show he has loaned himself $110,000 and raised about $6,000 more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">COUNTY COURT GROUP 29</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The three candidates vying for the bench, Jill Levy, Nicholas Lopane and Stuart Yanofsky, all say they want to improve people's understanding of the court system.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Levy, 36, a part-time traffic magistrate at the Hollywood courthouse, got her start as an intern with the Miami public defender's office, and focuses on pro bono work in her private practice.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''I was appointed to become a magistrate because I have judicial temperament, judicial ability,'' she said. Levy also said she's qualified to handle the sheer volume of cases that come through county courts.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Levy has loaned herself $410,000 for the campaign. She says the number is so large because she'd rather meet voters than raise money.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">As a magistrate handling cases for abused and neglected children, Lopane, 40, said he's used to making decisions that affect people's lives.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lopane wants to make the courtroom more user-friendly, offering more convenient hours in civil and family court.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Lopane sits on the board of HANDY, Helping Abused and Neglected Dependent Youth, and in May founded the Fighting Chance Boxing Club, a boxing and fitness club for youths in foster care. Lopane ran unsuccessful for circuit judge in 2002.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He's raised $35,000 for his campaign so far, and loaned himself $35,000 more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">An attorney with his own firm in Hollywood, Yanofsky, 42, handles mainly personal-injury cases and boasts that he's handled everything from traffic tickets to Florida Supreme Court cases over 16 years.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He's loaned himself $14,000 and hasn't raised much more.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Yanofsky, who's an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University's law school, says he'd dedicate his judicial career to helping people navigate the court system with ease.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">COUNTY COURT GROUP 30</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A longtime general magistrate in Broward, Alan Marks, is running against solo practioner Robin Sobo Moselle. Both have lost a previous judicial race.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Marks, 58, has been a general magistrate hearing officer in Broward since 1996. Marks previously worked as an assistant public defender and in private practice in criminal defense, family law and other areas.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Marks was elected to three terms on the Port Everglades Authority in the 1980s. He is a former president of the Soref Jewish Community Center and has been active with the We Care food bank and the Knights of Pythias service organization.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Marks raised about $48,000 in addition to a $10,500 loan to himself.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Moselle, 41, has run her own law firm for about 10 years, specializing in commercial litigation and collection law.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Moselle has served in leadership roles for several community organizations including Legal Aid, the Broward County Bar Association and United Jewish Community of Broward County. Moselle served as a special public defender in dependency court and represented clients in mental health court.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Moselle raised about $12,000 and gave her campaign a $100,000 loan.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Both candidates live in Plantation.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">COUNTY COURT GROUP 31</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Five attorneys are competing in a race where two of the candidates have loaned more than $200,000 to their own campaigns.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Michael ''Mike'' Doddo, 60, is a solo practioner who handles criminal and civil cases and represents four police departments. In the past Doddo, of Cooper City, has been a pro bono attorney for the St. Vincent DePaul Society, which feeds the hungry</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Doddo has raised about $16,000 and loaned his campaign $95,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Doddo says he has ``34 years litigation experience in all courts, federal and state.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Arlene Simon Campione, 48, is a senior attorney for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A former nurse who lives in Hollywood, Campione is a board member of the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention and has been a board member of United Jewish Communities.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Campione has raised about $13,000 and loaned her campaign $250,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Ellen Feld lost a race for county judge in 2004. The 48-year-old Hollywood resident works for the firm Bell and Bell, focusing on civil and criminal litigation. She is a teen court judge volunteer, past student advisory chair at Davie elementary and a member of Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Feld raised about $11,600 and loaned her campaign $205,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Feld highlights her ``23 years experience of helping people through the judicial process, including thousands of hours of litigation and case management skills.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Christopher ''Chris'' Neilson, 51, is a solo practioner with a general practice including personal injury, civil and juvenile cases. He is a former assistant attorney general and a former police officer in Hollywood, where he resides.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Neilson has served in leadership roles for the Broward County Bar Association, the Florida Bar and the Hollywood Rotary club.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Neilson raised about $11,000 and loaned himself about $50,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Michael Mermer, 50, is a solo practioner mostly focusing on traffic and criminal cses. He has walk-in law clinics and takes some cases pro-bono.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Mermer raised about $1,000 and loaned his campaign about $16,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''I work 18 hours a day. I take cases at little to no cost helping people in the community,'' said the Coral Springs resident.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">COUNTY COURT GROUP 32</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Four attorneys including a Broward magistrate are competing for this seat.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Garrett Elsinger, 35, is a solo practioner focusing on criminal defense. He is a former felony trial unit supervisor at the Broward State Attorney's Office. He is a board member of the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Elsinger raised about $15,000 and loaned his campaign $5,400.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''I believe I have the most jury trial experience in the race,'' said the Weston resident.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Brenda L. Di Ioia, 41, has been a Broward magistrate for 13 years. She works in traffic court and in a division to enforce sentences. The Davie resident was previously a solo practioner focusing on family law and appeals.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Di Ioia is on the board for Kids Voting, vice president of her homeowners association and a Cub Scout assistant den leader. She raised about $30,000 and loaned herself about $175,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Terri-Ann Miller, 51, is a self-employed attorney focusing on criminal and family law. Miller was disqualified -- she says wrongfully -- from running for Broward judge in 2000 while serving as a Miami-Dade judge. She lost a Broward judicial race in 2002.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miller is a pro bono attorney for Legal Aid and a Florida Voting Rights attorney.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miller, a Hollywood resident, raised about $1,500 and loaned her campaign about $28,500.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miller said what sets her apart is the ``width and breadth of my experience in life and as an attorney.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Randy Fleischer, 46, is a solo practioner focusing on employment discrimination, labor and civil rights. The Davie resident serves on Broward's Democratic Executive Committee.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In 2000, the Secret Service investigated alleged threats he made toward then-candidate George Bush. Fleischer denied the allegation and said he was cleared.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He has also served on the Broward County Human Rights Board and the school board's district advisory council.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">He raised about $9,000 and loaned himself $11,000.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="pinch_penny_cuts_proposed"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Pinch-penny cuts proposed</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward leaders started looking at how to cut $40 million from the county budget, but the spending plan is a work in progress.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Erika Bolstad</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Posted September 20, 2006</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">In an effort to lower the tax rate and offer homeowners some savings on their property tax bills, Broward County commissioners took a stab at slashing $40 million from their $3.1 billion budget Tuesday.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Red pencils in hand, they made tentative plans to turn up thermostats, curtail library and park hours and permanently cut dozens of vacant county jobs.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''It's never easy to cut money from the budget,'' Broward County Mayor Ben Graber said. ``Everything's going to have an impact, and we have to decide which impacts we can live with and which ones we can't.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">One cut -- raising the temperature from 72 to 75 degrees in the county administration building in downtown Fort Lauderdale -- would save about $360,000 a year.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But the county also considered more substantive budget trims, including a possible $10 million savings if they allow the Broward Sheriff's Office, rather than their own construction office, to oversee construction of a new jail in Pompano Beach.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">They're also thinking about trimming as much as $16 million by forgoing a contribution this year to a redevelopment fund that helps cities.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">PARKS, LIBRARIES</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">And they're pondering an estimated $3.6 million in trims that would come from curtailing hours at parks and libraries, a move that gave commissioners serious qualms. After debating it, they decided it should be based purely on the number of people using the facilities.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''Those are the two services we're noted for,'' said Commissioner Ilene Lieberman. ``If it makes sense because maybe people don't go in the library after 6 p.m., let that be the driving force. But to simply cut hours, I'm not willing to do that.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The board spent nearly five hours going over reductions recommended by their county administrator and the budget director. At the end of the day, though, it was difficult to tally up their total trims. Some ideas will come up for discussion again next week, when they're expected to set a final tax rate and vote on their final 2006-07 budget.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">EXTRA PRESSURE</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">County leaders are under increasing pressure this year to trim property taxes. Thousands of people in cities across the state have complained about the big side effect of the once-hot real estate market: higher property values that equal higher property taxes.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Combined with skyrocketing hurricane insurance premiums, high gas prices and stagnant wages, the increases have moved residents across Florida to urge school board and municipal leaders to roll back tax rates.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The proposed Broward County tax rate is about $6.19 for every $1,000 of assessed value, a decline from $6.78 last year. The county's proposed tax rate would save the owner of a home assessed at $193,180 about $60. The commission is likely to further reduce the tax rate at Tuesday's meeting, although property owners without homestead exemptions will still pay more than last year.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Because commissioners are asking voters on Nov. 7 to approve a $500 million bond issue for a new courthouse, and a one-cent sales tax hike for transportation improvements, they want to try to offer some tax relief.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If voters approve the two ballot issues, the increase in their tax burden would offset the lower property tax rates being considered.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">SPARRING WITH PARRISH</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">During their five-hour meeting, commissioners sparred the most with their former colleague, Lori Parrish, now the Broward County property appraiser. Parrish, who has urged taxpayers to challenge the tax rates set by local governments, is largely credited with drawing hundreds of angry residents out to protest at recent budget hearings across the county.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Tuesday, the commission exacted a little revenge by putting Parrish's $17.8 million budget under scrutiny and asking -- unsuccessfully -- for further trims on her part.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We don't spend any more than we need,'' Parrish said. ``I cut the biggest part of my budget before you ever got your document.''</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">POSSIBLE BUDGET CUTS</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward County commissioners need to find $40 million in budget savings. Items considered on Tuesday include:</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Allowing the Broward Sheriff's Office to administer the planning and construction of a $72 million jail in Pompano Beach. Savings $10 million.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Withholding contributions to the redevelopment fund that cities can access for neighborhood projects. Savings: $16 million.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Closing the Fort Lauderdale Branch Library and consolidating it with the Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Savings: $430,000.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">• Cutting more than a dozen jobs -- most of them now vacant -- in county departments, including county records, information technology, emergency management, urban planning, legal and trauma management. Savings: More than $1 million.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="broward_opts_for_smaller_tax_cut"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Broward opts for smaller tax cut, despite surge in property tax collections </div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Scott Wyman</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">South Florida Sun-Sentinel</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">posted September 20, 2006</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The price of heftier tax relief for Broward County homeowners proved too daunting Tuesday for county commissioners when they saw such a step would mean major cuts in services to the neediest residents.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  </p>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners wanted to trim the proposed $3.2 billion budget for county government operations by $40 million after public outcry over skyrocketing property assessments. The initial budget unveiled this summer called for property tax collections to increase by 7 percent.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Saving $40 million would have required an across-the-board cut in library hours, less bus service and the end to a county program to help single mothers collect child support payments. It also would have meant a rollback in aid to cities to redevelop blighted areas and a reduction in assistance to help families on the verge of becoming homeless.</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioners settled on numerous smaller cuts that likely amount to less than half the savings they wanted to find. Some libraries in Broward likely will close earlier and regional parks will no longer be open on Monday mornings</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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  <p class="b-text-j">The exact cuts and how much will be saved will be spelled out next Tuesday, when commissioners meet to have a final public hearing on the budget and approve it.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;We are taking a gigantic leap into the future to reduce the dependency of the public on government and its bureaucracy,&quot; Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion said.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Residents who own their own homes would have seen an average savings of $61 on their tax bill this fall under the county's initial budget. That's because they benefit from the state's Save Our Homes tax break that caps the amount property values can rise in a year to no more than 3 percent. Others, including landlords, business owners and snowbirds, would have still seen a tax increase because property values rose about 20 percent over the past year.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">A $40 million budget cut would have saved an extra $43 on the tax bill for the average homesteaded property owner. That's based on a home valued for taxes at $193,130, the average this year of a single-family residence.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">County administrators wanted half of the savings to come from the three constitutional officers who have their agencies funded through property taxes: the sheriff, the property appraiser and the supervisor of elections. But they found little will among those officials to make extra cuts.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes' staff said she actually needs an extra $100,000 because the U.S. Justice Department has threatened to sue the county over not providing enough help to Spanish-speaking voters. Property Appraiser Lori Parrish told commissioners that if they didn't like her budget, they could challenge it with Gov. Jeb Bush and the state Cabinet.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The contentious debate came after administrators and budget analysts spent the weekend looking over spending plans for each county agency to come up with last-minute savings.</div>
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The thermostat in county buildings will be raised to 75 degrees from 72 degrees to save $360,000. Commissioners asked staff to find times when libraries are little used and cut there. They also agreed to close a branch library on Sunrise Boulevard and return the building to the city of Fort Lauderdale.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">Commissioner Kristin Jacobs had objected to deep cuts and said the county had gone far in providing tax relief. She said the steps that the county has taken go farther than other counties in Florida and most cities in Broward this year.</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&quot;To do what we've done, a 9 percent cut in the tax rate in one year, is really amazing,&quot; she said. &quot;And I'm not willing to do more at a loss to the community just to have something sexy to read in the newspaper the next day.&quot;</div>
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  <p class="b-text-j">&nbsp;<A NAME="cost_cutting_imperils_fort_lauderdale"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="images/1x1.gif" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="1" height="1"
></A>Cost cutting imperils Fort Lauderdale library</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The plan to close a neighborhood branch would also displace ArtServe</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Miami Herald, September 24, 2006</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">By Amy Sherman</div>
  <p class="b-text-j">
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<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">An old Fort Lauderdale library may close its doors soon, displacing a popular arts program and several other nonprofit groups that use space in the building.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward County library administrators have proposed closing the Sunrise Boulevard branch to save about $400,000. But shuttering the library would be a loss to neighborhood children who walk there to do their homework, to community groups that rent space there and to the Fort Lauderdale arts scene.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''It's just very easy to go there,'' said Mark Ketcham, who said he or his partner walk to the library, 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd., a couple of times a week to check out DVDs and CDs. 'I always thought, `Isn't it cool these kids have a place to go use computers?' If they had one at home, they wouldn't come to the library to use it.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">From the outside, the building looks like an ordinary library branch. But inside, the nonprofit ArtServe uses about half the building to hold exhibits, dance classes and other arts programs.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Some of the programs are shows of professional artwork; others, like the classes, are for community participation. Gallery exhibits are free to visitors.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">ArtServe also rents office space at low cost to about a dozen small nonprofit groups that promote everything from ecology for children and jazz music to historic preservation.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward County Library Director Robert Cannon said the county will find another space for ArtServe, but he wasn't sure about the other groups. Cannon said ArtServe should move to the downtown library about two miles away.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But ArtServe wants to stay put.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''We are already established here,'' said ArtServe Director Maureen Kohler, who said the organization has been in that location for about 12 years.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But if the county closes the site, ArtServe will consider the downtown library among other options but would not shut down, she said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Pam Dearden, executive director of Gold Coast Jazz Society, said it would be a struggle to find another site for her group to rent at such a low cost.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Dearden, 52, said she used the library to do her homework when she was in high school.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''It was the only library around,'' she said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Cries from property owners to lower their taxes led county officials to come up with a list of millions of dollars to try to trim from the $3.1 billion budget.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The County Commission will vote on proposed budget cuts to libraries, parks and other services Tuesday. Cannon also proposed cutting hours at several libraries to save about $3 million.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">County Mayor Ben Graber said the most common feedback he's received from taxpayers is to cut taxes.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''The majority of e-mails coming in is for cutting the taxes, regardless of what we cut,'' Graber said. ``In terms of saving things, I haven't heard that much.''</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">County Commissioner John Rodstrom, who represents the area that includes the library, said he needs more information about how much of the building is used as a library.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">''If it's an art gallery that is costing us 300 grand a year, that may be an issue,'' he said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">The library is one of the least-used in the county.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">It received about 146,000 visits in the past year, and patrons checked out 85,000 books, Cannon said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">ArtServe received about 33,000 visits.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">If the commission approves closing the library, the branch will shut down within a month, Cannon said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">But ArtServe would remain for several months until it finds a new home, he said.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Broward has leased the building from the city of Fort Lauderdale since 1980 for $1 a year.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">ArtServe subleases from the county for a nominal fee.</div>
<div>
  <p class="b-text-j">Should the county close the branch, the City Commission will discuss how to use the building. Mayor Jim Naugle said he wants it to remain a county library.</div>
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