Broward County

Sit On It and Spin: Brunch at Pier Top

The Dark Heart Of Broward

I've always felt that Broward County land heir and powerbroker Miles Austin Forman was nothing but a menace to society. But I might be wrong -- he may only be a part-time menace to society. So I'm laying down a challenge: Somebody, anybody, give me an example of something good Forman has done for t ... More >>

Stop Davie Commons!

I'm not sure why I feel the urge to communicate this. I didn't think I had particularly strong feelings about Davie Commons. One minute, I'm picking up my mail, which contained this lovely flyer from the Broward County Property Appraiser, and the next thing you know I'm running down the street, wavi ... More >>

And a Flying Car, Too!

I'm not sure why I feel the urge to communicate this. I didn't think I had particularly strong feelings about Davie Commons. One minute, I'm picking up my mail, which contained this lovely flyer from the Broward County Property Appraiser, and the next thing you know I'm running down the street, wavi ... More >>

Jury Finds Phallic Camel Responsible for Addiction; Cops Test the Crap Out of White Powder

A guy who smoked two packs a day died because he was addicted to cigarettes, a Broward County jury has found, and the ruling could clear the way for 8,000 more identical trials. The ruling comes as news to me, not only because I could quit smoking at any time but because I believed Joe Camel when he ... More >>

Best Of Readers' Poll: Best Restaurant in Broward

We need some help here, folks. So many great restaurants, so little time. From the tiny corner bistro where you've been a regular for years to the splashy newcomer cheffed by a big name, Broward County can grapple with the big guys when it comes to fine dining. So what's the BEST RESTAURANT in the c ... More >>

Best Of Readers' Poll 2009: Best Restaurant in Broward

We need some help here, folks. So many great restaurants, so little time. From the tiny corner bistro where you've been a regular for years to the splashy newcomer cheffed by a big name, Broward County can grapple with the big guys when it comes to fine dining. So what's the BEST RESTAURANT in the c ... More >>

Schools Chief Says Broward Pretty Much Colorblind, Tourism Types Fight Over Wet T-shirts

Fig. 1: A colorblind Broward County resident.Black History Month is "extra special this year," according to James F. Notter, superintendent of the Broward County public schools. This is true somewhat because of the whole first black president thing but also because it seems all that racism stuff is ... More >>

Get a Whiff of Good Times

Fig. 1: A colorblind Broward County resident.Black History Month is "extra special this year," according to James F. Notter, superintendent of the Broward County public schools. This is true somewhat because of the whole first black president thing but also because it seems all that racism stuff is ... More >>

The Art of Xpression

Fig. 1: A colorblind Broward County resident.Black History Month is "extra special this year," according to James F. Notter, superintendent of the Broward County public schools. This is true somewhat because of the whole first black president thing but also because it seems all that racism stuff is ... More >>

Don’t Just Nibble at Your Books: Feast!

Fig. 1: A colorblind Broward County resident.Black History Month is "extra special this year," according to James F. Notter, superintendent of the Broward County public schools. This is true somewhat because of the whole first black president thing but also because it seems all that racism stuff is ... More >>

Give Your Tree an Honorable Farewell

Fig. 1: A colorblind Broward County resident.Black History Month is "extra special this year," according to James F. Notter, superintendent of the Broward County public schools. This is true somewhat because of the whole first black president thing but also because it seems all that racism stuff is ... More >>

Mold? Rats? Yikes! Tear the Place Down!

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

America, Broward Feels Your Pain (and Takes a Cut)

Flickr user: laNDN Like any place else, Broward County has its share of conventional junkies, but our real addiction, it seems, is to the profits of the pain pill industry. If you have trouble wrangling a prescription in your home county or home state, Broward's the place to go.The first article in ... More >>

Builders Actually Started Work on Two Condos This Year

The Christian Science Monitor is the latest in a long, distinguished line of national media outlets that have come to South Florida to report on our very busted housing bubble. This story reports on day laborers, who are just about nonexistent at the places where contractors, who are out of work the ... More >>

A Peek at a New Broward-Based Reality Show

That's the trailer for Police Women of Broward County (Why not Al's Angels?), which makes its debut next Friday on TLC. Because if you're going to launch a reality series on cops, place your chips on the county that birthed the 20-year-old reality series.The cable network has video intros of the lo ... More >>

Broward, You Photograph Well

That's the trailer for Police Women of Broward County (Why not Al's Angels?), which makes its debut next Friday on TLC. Because if you're going to launch a reality series on cops, place your chips on the county that birthed the 20-year-old reality series.The cable network has video intros of the lo ... More >>

As Layoffs Loom, Broward Librarians Turn on One Another

Flickr: circulatingLayoffs make it hard to hold your tongue, even for otherwise mousy librarians.​Broward County Library staff is bracing for a round of layoffs next month, and in the meantime anxiety and suspicion is spreading through the ranks. Who among them deserves to be spared? And who deser ... More >>

LeMieux's Appointment a Milestone for Broward

As far as I can tell -- and I'm going by this list, the most immediate one available -- there has never been a U.S. Senator from Broward County. So what does it say about this county's history of incestuous, corrupt politics that the breakthrough would finally come not through an election but throug ... More >>

Man From Broward Found Dead in Tampa Bay Area

A 49-year-old man named Scott Michael Barry, whose last known residence was in Broward County, was identified yesterday as the man found dead this weekend in a Pasco County lake. From the St. Petersburg Times: Neighbors along Wagon Wheel Lane found the body floating face down in the lake Saturday mo ... More >>

Broward Republicans: Still Crazier Than Broward Democrats

Would you elect this man?​With an ethics scandal rocking the Democratic powers of Broward County -- and just a few days after a Democratic mayoral candidate for one Broward city was arrested for pulling a gun on his daughter, the Democratic mayor of Broward County -- the Republican Party may have ... More >>

See You Later Alligator Alley

Would you elect this man?​With an ethics scandal rocking the Democratic powers of Broward County -- and just a few days after a Democratic mayoral candidate for one Broward city was arrested for pulling a gun on his daughter, the Democratic mayor of Broward County -- the Republican Party may have ... More >>

Stonefox Closes the Alley

Would you elect this man?​With an ethics scandal rocking the Democratic powers of Broward County -- and just a few days after a Democratic mayoral candidate for one Broward city was arrested for pulling a gun on his daughter, the Democratic mayor of Broward County -- the Republican Party may have ... More >>

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

Would you elect this man?​With an ethics scandal rocking the Democratic powers of Broward County -- and just a few days after a Democratic mayoral candidate for one Broward city was arrested for pulling a gun on his daughter, the Democratic mayor of Broward County -- the Republican Party may have ... More >>

Man Shot by Police in Downtown Fort Lauderdale

Details remain vague, but Fort Lauderdale Police are investigated a shooting that occurred near the Broward County bus terminal downtown involving an off-duty officer. From the release:Preliminary investigation has revealed that a Police Sergeant was working an off-duty detail at the Broward County ... More >>

Love Police

Details remain vague, but Fort Lauderdale Police are investigated a shooting that occurred near the Broward County bus terminal downtown involving an off-duty officer. From the release:Preliminary investigation has revealed that a Police Sergeant was working an off-duty detail at the Broward County ... More >>

Manatees to Pythons: A Rough Weekend For Local Wildlife

Baby, it's cold outside.​Iguanas falling from the sky.Pythons slithering from the swamps and into suburban yards in search of warmth. It would make a great horror movie if it weren't true life. It's been so frigid in South Florida this week that 250 sea turtles in cold shock have already been pick ... More >>

Best of Broward-Palm Beach Readers' Poll: Best Restaurant in Broward

​Tell us what is the best restaurant in Broward County in the comments section below.Need some suggestions? Click here to view our restaurant guide with critics' picks.And click here for a master list of all Readers' Poll items.

Daybreak

Flickr: spitFIREdeez954A shot from Valentine's Day, somewhere in Broward County.​

Anti-Hate Group to Picket Islamic Group Fundraiser

FlickrAn anti-CAIR protester in Fort Lauderdale​You'd think an anti-hate group would show some love for people of a different race and religion. But this is the Orwellian irony of Americans Against Hate, which just announced that it will stage a demonstration outside the Broward County Convention ... More >>

Are There More Pain Clinics in Broward Than McDonald's?

C. Stiles​Everyone has heard some of the startling statistics about the scourge of pain clinics in South Florida: that a new clinic opens here every three days, that doctors in Broward alone dispense nearly 10 million Oxycodone pills a year, that more than half of the illegal prescription pills in ... More >>

Police Chase Makes Thrilling Video; But Was It Worth Danger to Other Motorists?

This was not the Crime of the Century: It was three young men in a stolen car who had plans to cruise the west suburbs of Broward County looking for stuff they could steal, then sell. So was it really necessary for police to chase the bad guys at speeds of over 90 mph on I-75?You can check out the v ... More >>

Women Helping Women

This was not the Crime of the Century: It was three young men in a stolen car who had plans to cruise the west suburbs of Broward County looking for stuff they could steal, then sell. So was it really necessary for police to chase the bad guys at speeds of over 90 mph on I-75?You can check out the v ... More >>

Schools on "Lockdown" in Broward. Why? (Updated)

At 11 a.m. today, all Broward County's schools went on lockdown due to a "credible threat" received by Pembroke Pines police. An as-yet-unidentified informant reportedly said that "something big" was going to happen at Broward government buildings, which include schools. (And one "virtual" school!) ... More >>

Dirty Developers Sue City; Ritter on Diplomat Tab: "I Don't Remember"

Bruce and Shawn Chait paid off a who's who of Broward County public officials to get government approvals for their controversial housing development on two golf courses in Tamarac. ​The father-and-son team bought since-imprisoned Broward County Commissioner Joe Eggelletion a golf ... More >>

State Slightly Reduces Broward County Class Size Penalties

​After Broward County school district's appeal of the state-imposed penalty for violating class size restrictions, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Eric Smith recommended that the county's penalty be reduced by $74,000 to $2.9 million -- a slight break he delivered on Tuesday, though l ... More >>

Judges Go After Slacker Clothes, Banning Exposed Underwear, Shower Caps, and Slippers

Flickr.comHere it is, Broward County, Courtroom Etiquette 101. Your first lesson: Don't wear your shower cap to court.While baggy pants and wife beater-style tank tops have long been frowned upon by judges across South Florida, the state continues to lack any formal courtroom dress code. But t ... More >>

Gay, Bi, and Transgendered Students Get Protection From Bullying in Broward County

If Hogwarts were in Broward, Harry would be safe to express himself.​If RuPaul were still in high school, guarantee he'd want to be in Broward County -- now Florida's largest school district has added "gender identity and expression" to its nondiscrimination policy.With its unanimous vote Tue ... More >>

Broward County Will Reopen Four Parks After $100,000 Analysis Found That Closures Didn't Save Taxpayers Anything

​Broward County's ill-fated attempt to save money by closing parks midweek actually cost taxpayers $98,961, plus a year and a half of potential revenue that the parks could have brought in.  Next Tuesday, four county parks will reopen seven days a week, according to the Broward County Parks a ... More >>

The Wittiest (And Gayest) Bowling Roster Ever

This is not a SoFla bowler, but it's still a great photo.via Travis Geske for the Rochester City Newspaper​Sometimes, when journalists go bowling together, we find things -- just things -- random, funny, and worth sharing with you here. What made the cut this week? The world's most flamboyant and ... More >>

Gen. John W. Scott Reporting for Duty

There's a reason Notter is dancing.​-- Outgoing Superintendent Jim Notter will receive nearly $250,000 when he retires from the Broward school district for unused sick and vacation days, according to the Sentinel. He'll also be making $103,000 a year in his pension. Hey, the guy made $29 ... More >>

TODAY ONLY: One Dollar Subs at Jimmy John's!

flickr/sour_doll​An adequate lunch for a buck -- just for today. Today (May 19), at all locations in Broward County, Jimmy John's will offer any of their six eight-inch gourmet sub sandwiches

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 >>

Bad Drugs? State Slams GlaxoSmithKline With Lawsuit

Sick Pills​Now for some bad news. A popular antidepressant and antinausea med for cancer patients, as well as other vital drugs, might have been "adulterated" in the factory, according to a recent Broward County Civil Court filing. 

Broward County Unemployment Increases Above National Rate

galvestonmusicscene.com​The unemployment rate in Florida didn't change -- still at 10.6 percent for June -- but Broward County, among others in South Florida, posted growing unemployment rates.Broward County passed the national unemployment rate of 9.2 percent, increasing from 9 percent in May to ... More >>

Broward County Report: Rising Sea Level Could Flood Large Part of Fort Lauderdale by 2075

Broward County Natural Resources Planning and Management Division​A report prepared by the Broward County Natural Resources Planning and Management Division warns that unless several actions are taken, rising sea levels are likely to flood a small portion of Fort Lauderdale by 2040, and a much ... More >>

New Park Being Constructed Across Street From Stranahan Park Downtown

​Every Friday, volunteers with Food Not Bombs lug food over to Stranahan Park, where dozens of homeless people while away the day to the chagrin of police, local businesses, and (we're told but haven't confirmed) Broward County Library officials. Until recently, the cops had a mobile "Skywatch" un ... More >>

Broward County Fair: Time For Fried Food And Carnival Rides

Dan Rakofsky PhotographyThe fair - where you eat fried stuff then pay to get spun around.​The fair's in town. Time to load up on food you would never normally eat on the drunkest of escapades and then allow yourself to be spun high into the air in a giant erector set, operated by a guy who resembl ... More >>

A Mystical Land at the Fair

Dan Rakofsky PhotographyThe fair - where you eat fried stuff then pay to get spun around.​The fair's in town. Time to load up on food you would never normally eat on the drunkest of escapades and then allow yourself to be spun high into the air in a giant erector set, operated by a guy who resembl ... More >>

Fort Lauderdale's Sky-High Runway: Looks Like They're Actually Going to Build This Thing

Welcome back to "Holy Crap, That's Big," our blog series in which we look at humongous things going up in South Florida and the people behind them. Let this blog post serve as official notice that we are going to spend a lot of time puzzling over this huge pile of dirt for planes to drive on that al ... More >>