Broward County Commission

Electronic Streetcar Coming to Broward County

Streetcars conjure up visions of San Francisco, New Orleans, Uncle Ben's Rice, and that Marlon Brando movie where he pleads for his wife to return to him after he beats her. But now, it will also conjure up downtown Fort Lauderdale and, also, the future, because the Broward County Commission has ... More >>

Hollywood Asks State for Permission to Ban Pit Bulls

As Broward County reels following yesterday's announcement that it may soon follow Miami-Dade's lead and ban the ownership of pit bulls, the City of Hollywood has asked the state for permission to take similar legislative action against the animal. Just in case the Hollywood City Commission decides ... More >>

Broward County to Consider a $3 Million Emergency Fix of Fort Lauderdale Beach Erosion

The Broward County Commission is considering an emergency fix to repair the sidewalks along A1A north of Sunrise Boulevard after Hurricane Sandy and ocean swells caused beach erosion that ultimately sucked portions of the street into the sea. The commission is looking for approval of $3 million for ... More >>

Broward Joins Miami-Dade as Only Two Counties in Florida to Pass Wage Theft Law

Earlier this week, the Broward County Commission voted for instituting a Wage Recovery Ordinance that would help unpaid workers recover their wages from employers that either didn't pay the salary promised, or didn't pay at all. The ordinance met with resistance from business owners who called the ... More >>

Synthetic Marijuana, Bath Salts Banned in Dania Beach

See also "Synthetic Marijuana Ban Seems Like A Good Idea, Probably Won't Do Much" and "Broward Commission Moves to Ban Bath Salts, Fake Weed"The Dania Beach City Commission on Tuesday evening cleared the way for a ban on selling bath salts and herbal incense, more commonly referred to as synthetic m ... More >>

County Commissioner Chip LaMarca Facing Foreclosure on Home

The Florida mortgage crisis has hit the Broward County Commission: Lighthouse Point Commissioner Chip LaMarca is facing foreclosure on his home after, records show, he stopped paying his second mortgage, per Gossip Extra."I've been on the phone with the bank and I'm hoping they'll work with me," LaM ... More >>

Broward Commission Moves to Ban Bath Salts, Fake Weed; Boca Lawyer Says They're Completely Different

Read Synthetic Marijuna Ban Seems Like A Good Idea, Probably Won't Do MuchThe Broward County Commission has started crafting legislation to ban "bath salts and synthetic cannabinoid herbal incense that mimic illegal drugs." A press release announcing the move included the token Rudy Eugene reference ... More >>

Broward County Killed 27 Pets a Day Last Year, Might Not Keep Doing That

The Broward County Commission passed a resolution Tuesday to pursue a strategic plan for instituting "no kill" animal shelters, which would greatly reduce the number of animals housed in the county's two shelters that are put down.Would it make that big of a difference? For the 9,672 animals Broward ... More >>

Save the Turtles: The Misguided, Misinformed, and Misdirected Battle for Hillsboro Lighthouse

​​All they wanted was some darkness for the baby sea turtles. But what started out as a simple request for protection of the endangered animals has ballooned into a yearslong battle among local advocates, the U.S. Coast Guard, and numerous agencies in which the original message has been lost in ... More >>

Who's Proposing New Broward County Commission Districts?

​Tuesday saw the first of two public hearings at the Broward County Commission about redistricting in the wake of the 2010 Census -- deciding how the county's nine commissioners will split up their constituencies in an attempt to meld geographical equity with a little well-intentioned gerrymanderi ... More >>

Are You a Lobbyist? Maybe, According to New Broward County Ethics Ordinance

​A town council member in Southwest Ranches has refused to talk to his constituents about town matters, citing a new ethics ordinance that was approved last Tuesday night by the Broward County Commission.Bill Di Scipio, a Southwest Ranches resident, had been trying to set up a meeting with council ... More >>

Broward County Commission Drops the Bong-Hammer on Youngsters

superstoned.net​Thanks to the Broward County Commission, youngsters under the age of 18 now have to get permission from Mom or Dad to buy a "smoking device."All hope is not lost for the young potheads of Broward -- the commission didn't ban kids from buying apples.The ordinance, sponsored by Commi ... More >>

Broward County Commission to Oppose Everglades Drilling (Which Already Exists)

Flickr/boggerthelogger​In next Wednesday's meeting, the Broward County Commission will move to adopt language in its state and federal legislative programs "opposing any oil drilling or exploration in or around the Everglades."The legislative programs are a set agenda of issues that the County Com ... More >>

Broward County Passes Model Ordinance to Regulate "Pill Mills" That Don't Actually Exist

neglectedwar.comA pain management clinic, which doesn't exist in unincorporated Broward County​The Broward County Commission unanimously passed a new zoning and regulatory ordinance yesterday for pain management clinics in unincorporated areas of the county.This new ordinance requires all of the s ... More >>

Coffee Art: Osama Bin Latte

Ron Gunzburger's Facebook PageThis is the fine work of Rob Negron at the Brew Urban Cafe on Himmarshee.​Al Qaeda put out a statement on the internet today about Osama Bin Laden's death: "It [Bin Laden's blood] will remain, with permission from Allah the Almighty, a curse that chases the Ameri ... More >>

$610,000 for Courthouse Art? Better Be Good

An example of public art at the Broward County Jail on the New River. It's a 32-foot high coral circle (or rice cake, as some call it). Cost to taxpayers: $480,000. ​So the Broward County Commission is going to discuss putting $610,000 worth of public art  ... More >>

A High Schooler's Guide to Broward County Commission Politics

Photo: C. StilesKristin Jacobs had a score to settle with Sue Gunzburger.​I know that sometimes the politics behind Broward County Commission decisions can seem complex, but trust me: Anyone who has been to high school can understand the social dynamics at work on the county's legislative body.The ... More >>

Morning Juice: Heat Hit a Free Agent Lotto; Thief Lived by Gun, Died by Gun

​A look at the local news for Wednesday morning in South Florida:Within hours of announcing her resignation from the Broward County Commission, Diana Wasserman-Rubin was arrested and charged with unlawful compensation, based on her casting votes on grants for Southwest Ranches that were written by ... More >>

Morning Juice: Lamberti Stung by Minority Report; Miami Archdiocese Installs New Leader

​The news in Broward and Palm Beach this Tuesday morning:An internal report concludes that Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti's agency has neglected measures meant to increase diversity. The sheriff is already being criticized for steering layoffs toward jail staff, which is dominated by minority deputie ... More >>

Morning Juice: Ethics Reform on Track in Broward; Marlins Lose Heartbreaker

​Let's see what's happening in South Florida:Faced with two terrifying evils, members of the Broward County Commission appear ready to pass an ethics reform package they aren't sure they can work within, but it's still better than the other option of scrapping the reform package and facing the wra ... More >>

It Was a Good Day for Ethics in Broward County (Especially Deerfield Beach)

Slowly, the county's darkest, most ethically challenged corridors are allowing the light in. The Broward County Commission's giving grudging support Tuesday to an ethics reform package may have the most far-reaching impact on Broward residents. But right now, the city that's a shining example of how ... More >>

Morning Juice: Oil Will Ride Current to South Florida Coast; Circle K Killings an Isolated Event

​Here's what's in the local news this morning:If crews don't fix the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico soon, then scientists say it's "inevitable" that an ocean current will bring that contaminated water up Florida's east coast, through Broward and Palm Beach. [Palm Beach Post]Two forensic psycholog ... More >>

Morning Juice: Nova Professor Murdered in Home; FBI Agent Shows Salesman the Money

​The news in Broward and Palm Beach:A Nova Southeastern University science professor is believed to be dead following a home invasion early Tuesday morning. Police say a man and his wife were tied up by an intruder, who shot the man -- believed to be homeowner Joseph Morrissey -- and then set the ... More >>

New Pompano Beach City Manager Has to Make Condo Bust Go Boom

The Plaza at OceanSide at Atlantic and A1A in Pompano Beach.​"What is today -- Friday?" asks Pompano Beach City Manager Dennis Beach. "This is my fifth day on the job." Indeed, an eternity. Which is why Juice called to ask whether he had finally gotten 'round to addressing the massive condo vacanc ... More >>

The Art & Culture Center's Exhibition of Public Art May Piss Off More People Than It Pleases..

Honey, I Rigged the Vote: Broward Power Couples Screw Each Other; Then They Screw Us

Can Ritter and Klenet hold on to the top spot on our corruption watch list?​In light of the explosive findings Bob Norman's been posting over at Daily Pulp, it's time we identify a trend in Broward corruption: power-mad married couples, ruling the region like a king and queen, carving up our publi ... More >>

Morning Juice: Two Men From Broward With Radically Different Stories, Both Feeling Lucky

​Today everybody will be talking about 9/11 -- because we haven't talked about it enough these past eight years. Screw that. Let's talk about the local news.Congratulations to Sen. George LeMieux, a lesson to all you Broward schoolchildren that sometimes you only need one vote to win a major polit ... More >>

Broward Commissioners Silent on Dragon Boats

Flickr user: Newfie BulletThe commissioners chose lunch over dragon boats.​Members of the dragon boat team fighting to keep practicing in West Lake Park finally made their pitch to the Broward County Commission this week. But they were met with resounding... silence. The commissioners, who allowed ... More >>

Bitchin' Car, Al! But How Will You Explain It to Stacy?

​The Broward Sheriff's Office is rolling out a fleet of 2009 Dodge Challengers, but if this is the first you've heard about it, that's probably because they arrive amid a fierce round of budget slashing in other county agencies. Not exactly a climate for bragging about muscle cars.It's a little li ... More >>

Petition Circulating to Support Dragon Boaters

Flickr User: Newfie BulletMore than a hundred people have signed on to support the Blazing Paddles.There's still no word on when the Broward County Commission will discuss the fate of the Blazing Paddles dragon boat team in West Lake Park. But for those who have been following the boaters' saga--the ... More >>

Broward May Throw Bone to Private Sector

broward.org/animalRomeo: An orphaned mutt leery of the private sectorOne year ago, a study by a national consulting firm found that Broward County's Animal Care and Regulation Department was woefully short-staffed, making it impossible to guarantee service required by law for control of the local pe ... More >>

Broward Still Putting the "Ick!" in "Ethics" Reform

We're supposed to be happy that public officials in Broward are getting a primer on ethics. U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta will pay a visit to the Broward County Commission to stage an ethics tutorial (You had better be taking actual notes, Ritter, not doodles or love letters to a certain lobbyist). The ... More >>

Mold? Rats? Yikes! Tear the Place Down!

The courthouse must be replaced! says an unholy alliance of judges and downtown landlords

In The News: Airport, BSO Shooting, & Naugle

DeGroot On The Big Pump Thump

DeGroot DePants DeSentinel

Gonzo Gets Noticed

Mayor Al Engineers Another Deal

Turns out Deerfield Beach's honcho is into more shenanigans than we detailed last week.

Did John Gotti Do Anything Right?

Personal Best

Ben Graber

The Lobbyist

Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion quietly pulls political strings in Lauderdale Lakes -- and personally profits in the process

Broward Shell Game

It wasn't Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant who done the county wrong but the County Commission itself

Out of Touch

You press the screen. The machine tells you that your vote has been counted. But how can you be sure?

Poke-Mondo

Norton's going Japanese

Best Scandal

Josephus Eggelletion's credit card

Clock that Rocker

The South Florida version of The Chair

Undercurrents

Undercurrents

Undercurrents