Asking for records in the Ranches? Think Twice!

This is the perfect way to show people the administration of Mayor Jeff Nelson and what a hostile environment that has been created at Town Hall.

A member of our group went to Town Hall today to inspect some records and had an appointment with the Town Clerk to do so that she had made the day prior.  The right to inspect public records is protected in Florida by Florida Statute 119.  Immediately after she sat down with the Town Clerk to view records, one of Mayor Jeff Nelson's supporter's Dee Schroeder, (pictured below on right) enters Town Hall. 

Upon walking into the Town Hall, Dee Schroeder immediately starts berating the woman and asking why she "has to waste her tax dollars" on the Town Clerk meeting with her to inspect records and even went on to question the woman's parenting ability along with committing all sorts of character attacks.  She went on and on until BSO Commander Wally Haywood was called to come to the front as well as the Town Administrator, Andy Berns.  How could anyone put up with such a verbal assault?   

You can see some of the verbal attacks Ms. Schroeder has performed on others in the past on this Bob Norman video which include leaving harsh messages that appear to sound like a drunken dialer and an uncivilized person. She seems to patrol the streets of Southwest Ranches and turns in people for having small political signs on their property if she deems them inappropriate.

We have to wonder who exactly informed Ms. Schroeder of this visit?  How she could have known that this person was there?  Our only conclusion could be that someone from Town Hall must have leaked the information to her.  We do know that a certain employee at the Town is her close friend.  Ms. Schroeder had showed up the day prior as well and done the same thing to this innocent woman just exercising her protected right to access public records which forced the woman to have to leave the building.    She happened to be with her young daughter during this visit and the child was questioning what Ms. Schroeder was saying.  What possesses her to be such a nasty person towards people?  Why is she so hell bent on attempting to obstruct someone's access to records?

Could it be that having that access equates to "power" for her (information equals power), and she feels her "power" is slipping through her fingers with the major support that Mayoral Candidate Holly Hugdahl is getting throughout the community and by large voting blocks such as the Police Benevolent Association and The Hispanic Vote?  In addition to a most recent endorsement from Southwest Ranches Councilman Freddy Fisikelli... That must really hit the Jeff Nelson campaign pretty hard that they are resorting to such combative and desperate measures!!

Coincidentally, the Town is currently involved in multiple open records violation lawsuits, a couple of which involve a resident who filed lawsuits for being denied access and was told by Mayor Jeff Nelson at a Town Council Meeting that if they didn't drop the lawsuit the Town would go after them.  How is this promoting an Open Government?  How is this being a "self described activist for my neighbors"?  Do you have to live right next to him in order for him to take action??

VOTE AGAINST THIS TYPE OF BULLYING!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6th!!

Town Attorney pushes Code changes help CCA

We got more and more curious since our recent Plat Note Delegation Request Rigged article and started to go over some more historical footage of the October 2010 Town Council Meetings.  As we reviewed the meetings, it seems Mr. Keith Poliakoff, the Southwest Ranches Town Attorney, is constantly making last minute additions to the Agenda and pushing the Council to approve things in a rush.  It really makes you wonder, who is running our Town?

During the October 6, 2010 meeting, we observed near the end during the Town Attorney comments that the town clerk stopped taking the minutes.  The subject of CCA was brought up at time stamp 3:32:30 of the meeting.   Mr. Keith Poliakoff said that he met with CCA and that they said there were "unique housing opportunities within the town."  One would be think that they were talking about Section 8 low income housing. Certainly, most residents had never heard of CCA, never mind knew for what the initials stood.  Even when you spell it out -Corrections Corporation of America- unless you're in law enforcement, you wouldn't think they were in the business of prisons.

He goes on to tell the small audience that Council Members Doug McKay and Aster Knight had attended this meeting and hung out in the back of the room, but did not speak; they just "happened to be at the Town Hall".  We wonder if Mayor Nelson was at this meeting, as well, as he seems to sit in on all of the contract negotiations with Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff.   Does this go against sunshine meeting laws?  We'll worry about this later.

He continues to tell the Council that a lot of modifications to the 2005 agreement between CCA and the Town are required.  That the Town would "essentially be requesting a grant from the Federal Government" and that "we'd be bringing in a partner (CCA) who would actually be running our facility."  This portrays it that the Town would actually own the jail.  In addition, he adds that the Town would need to "take the security risk level out of the contract."  The 2005 contract did not allow for maximum security prisoners to be held at the facility in question.  Mr. Keith Poliakoff states that "when it's an illegal alien, they could be there for a multitude of reasons, so we would have to take the security risk out."

He instructs the Town Council, that the "Town had to write to ICE stating that they would be interested in the detention center."  In addition, "Everyone in the Town is going to have to contact Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to tell her we really want this."  It's interesting that he's said this to a near empty room.  So, does the council get to vote on them writing a letter?  No, Mr. Keith Poliakoff went ahead and wrote it for them.  We wonder, should and can that be done by the town attorney without direction from Council Members?

We then viewed the October 20, 2010 meeting.   Again, this item is the last item on the agenda, Item number 11 which changes ULDC (section 55-080) where it discusses "Manufacturing and Industrial District" which Mr. Keith Poliakoff points out, "effects all the penal institutions in the Town." The changes were to delete the limit of beds and increase the square footage allowed. The full text with deletions noted in strike through is shown below taken off the agenda from October 20, 2010 meeting:

055-080 - (H) Penal Institutions and correctional institutions.
                       (1) The minimum distance separation is two thousand five hundred
                             (2,500) feet from any plot in an agricultural or rural district.
                       (2) The maximum size is seven hundred fifty (750) beds and one                              hundred thousand (100,000) square feet of gross floor area.
                       (3) The minimum plot size is twenty (20) acres.

Mr.  Keith Poliakoff then goes on to tell the Council that this change "gets away from the restriction on the beds and the square footage." Again he touts that the Council "would have to approve the site plan anyway," just like he did in the December 2010 meetings and "if it's not approved, it would prohibit us from applying for the ICE proposal."  We have to wonder if this this rigged too?  See Plat Note Delegation Rigged?  Emails dated September 30, 2012 between Sam Poole (CCA's atty), Michell Mellgren (Town Planner) and Keith Poliakoff show that this is being done at the instruction of CCA's attorney Sam Poole.  This email is very interesting as a normal homeowner has to wait an average of 10 months for a permit, yet CCA can come in and request the town code to be changed!!  WOW!

He then discusses the letter he received back from ICE in which it said that they (ICE) would like Southwest Ranches to submit a proposal to them.  We’re not sure, but since when do you reply to an RFP (request for proposal) and they write back a letter inviting you to give them a proposal. Wouldn't that have been what you were doing when you originally responded?  Mr. Keith Poliakoff then asserts his position that "this has to be adopted to make sure that we are in line for the possible GRANT OPPORTUNITY."  A GRANT OPPORTUNITY? Since when is an IGSA (Inter-Governmental Service Agreement) considered a GRANT OPPORTUNITY? Note, that such an important item is the last item on the agenda, that there weren't many people present and that there was NO PUBLIC COMMENT on this item or any real discussion.   It passed UNANIMOUSLY! Nelson, Knight, Fisikelli, McKay and Breitkreuz all voting “YES!”

The Town Attorney’s got more spin than any politician we've seen! Where does the Town attorney end and the Lobbyist begin?  Guess that comes with the territory, when you have a lawyer whose firm also doubles as a lobbying firm for your town. That one way to tweak the situation of the federal government wanting to put one of the largest immigration detention centers in the state (to possibly house the BULK of all the state of Florida's illegal immigrants) and he spins it as a GRANT OPPORTUNITY? We have to wonder if he's practicing as a lobbyist for CCA or as the Town's Attorney?  Where do his loyalties lie? 

With all that we have seen in the October 2010 and subsequent meetings, we have to wonder who exactly is running the town- the elected town council members or the unelected town attorney?  One way to start cleaning house is to vote on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Sam Poole RemovingBedLimit&SqFt

Pro-Prison Mayor Jeff Nelson says the prison is gone, but the Jail's NOT GONE!!

Wake Up People!!

We've warned you several times that this Prison isn't gone and that CCA owns the property and we should remain vigilant.  Well, do you believe us now??  You'll see in the document below from a firm that CCA hired to help them with the application of the well, Milian, Swain & Associates that CCA is moving forward with trying to get water for their property however SFWMD states there has to be need.  With the ICE facility "gone"...  we have been vigilantly keeping an eye on things.  

Follow the Money in Southwest Ranches with Mayor Jeff Nelson

Now that almost all of the Mayoral Campaign Treasurer Reports are in, we wanted to give you a break down on WHO is giving money to the Pro-Prison Mayor's reelection bid. 

Oops Mayor Nelson did it again...More Lies Uncovered!

Has anyone noticed an absent Mayor in our Town??  He was absent from the October 11, 2012 Council meeting saying he was out of Town and has had no response to the media with regard to the Sign Debacle going on in the Ranches.  We have to wonder if it is to keep him out of public forums so he doesn't get off his talking points too badly.  It's like listening to a robot that stutters (Uh, Uh, Uh.) when he can't remember what he's supposed to say.

Mayoral Candidate Holly Hugdahl Discusses Outrage of Requiring Permits to Excercise Political Free Speech

Listen to Mayoral candidate Holly Hugdahl's interview with Jimmy Cefalo this morning on www.610wiod.com. She discusses the Town Attorney's actions in directing Code Enforcement to cite residents who don't get permits for their small political lawn signs!

Is it Safe for Them to go Back Into the Water?

Top Ten Lies of Mayor Jeff Nelson!

We decided to bring a little comedy to you as the elections approach and we reflect on the fight in the Town of Southwest Ranches David Letterman style.....

We're going to highlight some of the big whopping lies that Mayor Jeff Nelson managed to tell everyone during the past year his constituents and their neighbors in Pembroke Pines fought the proposal to let a private prison firm, Corrections Corporation of America, build an Immigration Detention Center on their non-contiguous parcel of land.  Without further adieu we bring you the...

TOP TEN LIES OF MAYOR JEFF NELSON!