Final Order: Pembroke Pines VS. CCA - COUNTERCLAIMS DISMISSED!

BREAKING NEWS.  

DATELINE DECEMBER 15TH, 2014.  PEMBROKE PINES, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.

IN AN ADDITIONAL ORDER DATED DECEMBER 11, 2014, JUDGE CAROL-LISA PHILLIPS HAS DISMISSED ANY COUNTER CLAIMS THAT CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA HAD AMENDED AT THE START OF THE OCTOBER 27-29TH TRIAL. BY HER DISMISSING THE CLAIMS, THERE ARE NO DAMAGES AWARDED TO CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA. 

City of Pembroke Pines WINS Declaratory Action on Water!

BREAKING NEWS.  

DATELINE NOVEMBER 24TH, 2014.  PEMBROKE PINES, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.

IN A DECISION DATED NOVEMBER 20, 2014, THE BROWARD COUNTY 17TH CIRCUIT COURT, JUDGE CAROL-LISA PHILLIPS HAS RULED REGARDING THE CITY OF PEMBROKE PINES VS. CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF AMERICA DECLARATORY ACTION REGARDING WATER SERVICES. (ENTIRE DECISION BELOW)

Protected First Amendment Rights Confirmed by FEC!

Sorry we've been away for a while.  We know you've missed our witty posts...

We thought we'd bring you some recent information that we received from the Florida Elections Commission by way of a letter regarding a complaint against our PAC that was alleged by Mary Gay Chaples.  It would appear that Ms. Chaples is not a fan of our First Amendment Rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.  It does, however, fall in line with the Town Attorney's continued obstruction of Free Speech.  This is a common theme we are seeing with the Town of Southwest Ranches.

 

Also, it's worth noting that the complaint was notarized by Becker Poliakoff who represents the Town and was strongly supportive of Mayor Jeff Nelson's successful reelection bid.  Don't believe us, look at the Notary stamp and the registration address with the State of Florida.  You'll notice that it's the same address as the law firm of Becker & Poliakoff. 

 

 

 

The lines of ethics are blurred and not by the resident's group opposing the corruption and the prison....

Stay tuned as apparently the prison has new legs...  The Mayor and the Town attorney are apparently trying to "unring" the bell of taking themselves out of the running for the ICE prison to prop up their frivolous lawsuit against Pembroke Pines. Official FOIA requests prove the Town withdrew itself. (Page 7, Second paragraph)

How many people did Jeff Nelson tell during his campaign for reelection that he made the call to ICE to withdraw the Town from the Prison??  For the Town Manager Andy Berns to now flip-flop all of a sudden is just another legal maneuver to try and convince a Judge that they have any grounds at all to sue Pembroke Pines.  Now they think with the sequester happening, ICE is going to follow through with a new detention center??  Not gonna happen!! 

(Page 7, Second Paragraph)

ICE FOIA by notprisontown

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!

Plat Note Delegation Request Rigged??

More "inaccuracies" discovered at Town Hall...

At the December 15, 2010 meeting under Attorney comments, the Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff brings forward CCA request to increase the plat note on the prison parcel to allow 2200 prisoners from 1500 that the Town Council had originally approved in the 2005 agreement.  This wasn't on the agenda...  the public didn't have any clue it was being brought forward.

More loopholes to allow CCA to keep increasing and increasing the bed count so they get the most amount of profit.  WOW!  Once CCA got that 2005 contract passed, they knew it was just an easy plat note amendment away to keep increasing their profits. We already know from emails sent by Mayor Jeff Nelson that he is keen on getting more and more money for the Town regardless of the ill effects!

Resident Outrage on the Road Closures in Sun Sentinel

End Southwest Ranches blockade
Congratulations to the town of Southwest Ranches and more specifically the town council. For those of us who live in The Trails and Durango Estates in Pembroke Pines, you have closed off all roads leading to Griffin Road. First there was 199th, 202nd, and 205th Avenues, and now the road that we were taking to get to 208th Lane has been blocked. And just so you know, it has a lock and chain on it so no emergency vehicles can pass through there either.

Please don't tell me this is about anything except the detention center that is at the core of this issue. We all know that the detention center was planned and of course behind everyone's back, even the residents in Southwest Ranches. Had you driven up and down 199, 202, or 205 you would have seen signs that said "No Prison" in both Southwest Ranches and Pembroke Pines. How blind could you have been to the people who put you in office? You really wanted a prison in your backyard, well not really in your backyard, more like a prison that you got all the financial benefits from but in Pembroke Pines.

 To the mayor of Southwest Ranches —- that would be you, Jeff Nelson, the assistant principal at Cypress Bay — can you please tell me what lessons you are teaching your students when you do what you do and close the roads to your neighbors? The words that come to mind are isolationist and separatist. Does the Berlin Wall bring back memories of when you were in school, you know that wall they actually tore down not too many years ago? Shame on you.

Danny Zuccari, Pembroke Pines

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/fl-letters-friday-0907-20120907,0,3481431.story#tugs_story_display

Who owns Mayor Jeff Nelson??

You can tell alot from campaign reports.  Has anyone ever looked at one?  It basically shows who is supporting a candidate (or their own interests) when they donate to a candidates campaign.  We just had to look at one campaign contribution report to know who is trying to BUY the election in Southwest Ranches.  JEFF NELSON!  He's been a pro-prison advocate not even taking into account the negative impacts it would have on the town nor the financial implications and has this continued mantra with slogans such as "IT'S A DONE DEAL!" and "THEY CAN START BUILDING TOMORROW!"  We all knew better.  No business starts building anything until ALL CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED!   They were merely "pushing dirt."

An interesting tidbit from the last Jeff Nelson mayoral campaign was that he was actually a WALK ON because no one opposed him...  and he has been on the Council a total of 8 and a half years.  Do you believe in term limits?  He obviously doesn't!!  We all know better than to let this reign continue.

When we took a look at Mayor Nelson's campaign reports it was made clear who is pushing their interests.  In typical "Pay to Play" fashion we saw the likes of Leonard Samuels and Sam Poole of Berger Singerman (CCA's lawfirm) as well as other interested parties like Keith Poliakoff his lawfirm Becker & Poliakoff that are so obviously advocating for a lawsuit against Pembroke Pines for the non-existent contract from CCA so they can get more money in FEES.  Then there are the FIVE Bergeron companies listed as giving donations as they were wanting to make sure they get the trash and recycling contracts for the Town. (Sun Bergeron, Bergeron Land Development, Bergeron Sand Rock & Aggregate and Bergeron's Partner Southern Waste Systems) Almost all of the donors are contracts with the town or associates of Becker & Poliakoff and had a grand total of over $15,000.  We found it very interesting that there weren't many donations from THE PEOPLE in Southwest Ranches... We could count them on ONE HAND with one of them being a Becker & Poliakoff partner and founder of Southwest Ranches, Gary Poliakoff.  You can view the actual report for yourself here.

In the end...who do you want running YOUR TOWN?  Becker & Poliakoff, CCA and Bergeron??  Or do you want someone with YOUR interests in mind??  Think about it before you vote!! TAKE BACK OUR TOWN! Jeff Nelson - Campaign Contributions - TR F2-3
TR - Jeff Nelson F3

Letter to the Town Council on Suing Pembroke Pines

Poliakoff's Selective Truths!

Dear Mayor, Council and Administrator:

It is highly disappointing that the five of you recklessly voted to sue Pembroke Pines last night.  This was entirely based on the stated premise that you were doing so purely to recover financial damages allegedly suffered by Pines' alleged interference in your beloved prison.  This is a prison that required YOU to enter into a third party contract with ICE to OWN enforcement and removal so that CCA could exercise THEIR property rights, by the way.  There is NO established jurisprudence in the USA which supports an obligation of a municipality to enter into a third party contract (IGSA) so that a resident may exercise their property rights.  The property rights argument is specious and hollow in light of the NEED for an IGSA that Poliakoff HID from you for months.

You are acting against the more reasoned advice from me, Mr. Falletta and Mr. Hughdahl to strenuously consider Poliakoff's deficient mathematics where he's convinced you all that your damages are $2MM a year.  I cited CCA's own public statements while YOU allowed him to get away with citing a contract that every one of you knew was obsolete.  Even Sam Poole said this was an embarrassing "marketing contract" that would have to be rewritten.  CCA has repeatedly claimed you would receive $400K for beds and $300K for ad valorem per year.

Well, let's do the simple math based on the existing "John Canada Marketing Contract" anyway.  Poliakoff claims that the receipts will be $2MM for the bed fee as well as ad valorem.  However, he's selectively ignoring germane parts of that very contract which says that the town owes CCA a $100k/year "maintenance fee" back which straight away reduces Poliakoff's amount to $1.9MM.  Do you allow your attorney whom we pay dearly for to hoodwink you so easily?

Next, the contract EXPLICITLY states YOUR obligation to help CCA maintain their AG exemption on the property.  This clause effectively eliminates the $350K Poliakoff cited from ad valorem taxes.  This now brings the total revenue potential down to $1.55 MM based on the bogus "marketing contract" that we knew was being rewritten as he stated so multiple times.  It is outrageous that you all lack the critical thinking skills to challenge these lies by Poliakoff.

Next, Poliakoff's $2MM was based on the estimate of FULL occupancy 365 days per year.  This is an inexcusable assumption which is just as much a pipe dream as anything else surrounding this prison.  You have not asked for ANY evidence as to how CCA will maintain 100% occupancy every day of the year.  I would think an 80% occupancy is aggressive.  I'll give you that optimistic assumption though so the $1.55 MM scales down to $1.24MM in lost REVENUE.

Now, let's look at the other side of the lost revenue.  What are the COSTS associated with this revenue?  We were told my Mr. Holligsworth that you are all businessmen and trustworthy.  Thus, you know that NET PROFIT = REVENUE - EXPENSES.  Poliakoff lied to you by omitting even the stated expense in the contract itself.  So, it's clear that you have blindly ignored the expense side of those sparking dollar signs you see in your eyes and your irrational hatred of Pembroke Pines AND of your own residents who oppose this prison.  There's no judge in the world that is going to let you get away with this fuzzy math, even if that judge has worked for Becker Poliakoff one time in his or her life.

No, you do not have the fiscal discipline to keep Poliakoff's spending in check.  You do not have the critical thinking skills necessary to analyze claims nor do you have the ability to listen to your reasoned residents or think through the ramifications of your actions (kids being picked up on Griffin road all due to your actions closing roads as a Christmas gift).  In fact, last night you shut us out of the process going forward and WE RESIDENTS on polar opposite ends of the prison issue are bringing you issues to look at and QUITE FRANKLY A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF POLIAKOFF'S HOODWINKING OF YOU ALL.  Steve, you shut us out in the NAME of openness.  That's an Orwellian perversion.

Steve, you often chide "bad government" and did so last night when you described your outrage at the school bus situation.   The fact is that YOU are government too.  The council's decision making has been based on woefully understudied facts or awareness of consequences.  You all don't even consider that there were expenses associated with Poliakoff's $2MM claim, for example.  You use your power in government to harass residents, break public records law,  and allow the Mayor and Attorney to personally call out residents and besmirch them with lies.  This is classic abuse of power and you are party to it.

Do the right thing.  Stop this enrichment of Becker Poliakoff now.  Our legal bills for our 2200 households are outrageous.

Here's one last challenge to YOUR repeated claim that the town's viability is and always has been dependent on the development of that CCA property.  If that's the case, why would you all hang your hat on a contract that explicitly deprives the School Board of ad valorem receipts through an abuse of an AG exemption?  But, funny, the Mayor announced that there would be an ad valorem roll back this year on the very eve of the defeat of the prison.  Your claims are specious and demonstrably so.  It doesn't make sense to reduce property taxes at the same time you just lost "$2MM a year" from the CCA deal.  Do you ever stop and think about the big picture of what you are saying?

Regards,
Bill Di Scipio

Do you think Keith Poliakoff is giving the Town bad advice?  Chime in on the discussion HERE!

School Buses and the Road Closures do not equal SAFETY

We weren't planning on blogging about this, but since we advocate for the community and this issue came up we felt compelled to let everyone know.  Since the road closures went up there has been alot of upset people on both sides, Southwest Ranches AND Pembroke Pines. The Town Council has said that they were closing the roads for "Public Safety" as they voted to close them at an emergency meeting without sufficient notice to the effected residents.  However, now the Broward County School Board has pushed the bus stops to be on a dangerously busy Griffin road.

Janine Stanwood from Local 10 did some coverage on it last night.
http://www.local10.com/news/Gates-keep-school-buses-out-of-Southwest-Ranches/-/1717324/16203062/-/uesd70z/-/index.html
And then John Turchin did another story today after hearing what the Town had to say.
http://www.local10.com/news/Southwest-Ranches-blames-Broward-for-bus-problems/-/1717324/16214212/-/13k8iqiz/-/index.html

What we can't understand is WHY wasn't the Town Council working with the School Board to make this transition painless PRIOR to school starting? They sent a letter... THAT'S GREAT!  But, what are they doing to be proactive for the children in the Community?? Are they THIS out of TOUCH?  This is just a continued "business as usual" of the Town not being IN FRONT of an issue and getting things done for the PEOPLE that live in the Town.  Is the Town just using the School Board bus woes in their favor??  For someone that is an assistant principal (Jeff Nelson), he sure has NO CONNECTION at the School Board for our Town.  Way to put children's safety first Jeff!  Is it going to take someone's kid getting hurt and then a huge lawsuit against the Town before people WAKE UP?!!

You can decide at the Ballot Box in November!  Make sure you are registered to vote!

Jeff Nelson breakin' the law...

Now that the primary is over, our elections are in FULL SWING! 

Setting a good example and abiding by the rules isn't something you would expect from Beavis and Butthead, however we should expect that from the Mayor of our Town, right?  Well, we aren't getting that from Mayor Nelson.  Not that we're trying to be picky, we feel obligated to point out how Mayor Nelson isn't abiding by the law of our Town.  According to the Town's sign ordinance (law) passed in 2010, campaign signs are NOT ALLOWED to be displayed until 60 day's prior to the election.   Don't take our word for it, download Ordinance 2011-01 for yourself HERE.  (Page 31, Section M-1-e)

It was passed unanimously by the Town Council on October 20, 2010.  Jeff Nelson voted on it, so you would think he had read it, right?  We understand how some people might not remember something they VOTED on, PASSED, and then SIGNED.   So, how could he have missed it in the Candidate Handbook that all candidates were given?  Surely he reviewed the requirements to refresh the old noggin'?

Our best guess is that Jeff Nelson didn't read the candidate rules either since the sign below has been up for the past several weeks.  It makes you wonder what other "rules" he skirts around for his convenience?  Also, if he didn't READ the Ordinance he passed, what other laws or documents has he NOT READ yet voted for?  Moreover, whose counsel is he depending on for the ordinance's contents?  This is worse than using "cliff notes" in high school.  This shows a complete disconnect for an assistant principal and the Mayor of our town to be taking the "easy route" and not doing what he was elected to do.

Maybe you should ask Mayor Nelson why he's "breakin' the law" next time you see him or you can feel free to email him... 

JNELSON@southwestranches.org 

 

(Picture taken on 8/15/2012) - See Green and White sign to the right of Korn's sign

The Nelson Vendetta

Do you know any of Jeff Nelson's history with Pembroke Pines?

Let us help you better acquaint you with the Mayor's past dealings with Pembroke Pines.  Jeff Nelson started working for the Pembroke Pines Golf course managing the pro-shop for $15,000/year in September of 1983 shortly after the City purchased the golf course and Nelson was later elevated to managing the entire golf course.   Since 1982, when the City purchased the golf course, it had lost about 2 million dollars during 8 of those years Nelson was in charge.  So, the City decided to privatize the golf course in 1993 giving up municipal management.

Incidentally, his father Charles Nelson was a Pembroke Pines commissioner at the time and voted against the privatization.  Is this vote a surprise... but hey, of course he wouldn't possibly want his son to be out of a job.  If his son Jeff were out of a job, then he might have to move back home !! So, the City offered Jeff a job at another facility.  Jeff turned that down and decided to file a lawsuit against Pembroke Pines, instead.  He won the lawsuit and the Judge awarded him $282,000 for his nine years of service for letting a facility run at a loss creating a 2 million dollar hole.  WOW!  If we all could be so lucky!  But, in all seriousness, any business looking at any sort of loss is going to look at replacing the management.  The fact that he walked away with this hefty sum seems idiotic, but that was the judgement.

We don't know about you, but we think that this shows a pattern.  We believe Jeff Nelson clearly has it out for Pembroke Pines now given he has a history of suing Pines.  In addition to his demonstrated litigiousness he also seems to have established a pattern of not being able to manage money.  Why did the golf course lose so much money and what fault lies with Nelson for this?  Consider the financial decisions he's made FOR Southwest Ranches. These range from the purchasing of parks in the Town which at one point saddled Southwest Ranches with over $30 million in completely unfunded obligations, to possible vicarious land deals with Ira Cor, to Richard Rubin's grant writing with wife Diana Wasserman Rubin, or the Prison plans that were not made so public. Also, he was willing to recklessly increase the prison bed count to get increased profits while it isn't in the best interest of the surrounding schools nor residents who have kids going to those schools.  This really shows poor leadership, poor financial responsibility, and poor judgement.

He even lists his specialty as "School & Education" on his bio on the Town Website.  We don't see where he was using these skills when he said "the school board should have looked at what was zoned for that area"..  when asked about the prison plats close proximity to the newly built West Broward High school.  Perhaps Mr. Nelson should have warned Broward County School Board that they were going to build a state of the art $140 million high school 1.1 miles from an immigration prison.  Is this the man you want to be Mayor of OUR TOWN? Do you want someone that is supported by Lawyers, Lobbyists and Private Prison companies just so they can remain in power of the Town and get more $$?

Feel free to review the following references:
Pines Ordered to pay Ex-Worker Sun Sentinel May 3, 1996
City to appeal decision  - Sun Sentinel May 9, 1996
Jeff Nelson recklessly agrees to increase of bed space from 1500 to 2200!! -
Email between Keith Poliakoff, Sam Poole (CCA Atttorney) and Mayor Jeff Nelson
Cash Cow - Broward-Palm Beach New Times, Bob Norman
Ira Cor FBI Sting - Broward-Palm Beach New Times, Bob Norman
Jeff Nelson's Campaign Contributions

Jeff Nelson... Leadership of Southwest Ranches?

In addition to being the Mayor of Southwest Ranches, Jeff Nelson works at Cypress Bay High School where he is an assistant principal.  Cypress Bay High School is one of the many schools in Broward County.  The Broward County school system is in dire straights from a combined overspending and the decrease in tax receipts from falling home prices.  They have had to lay off teachers and do alot of cutting back on extras and certain enrichment courses in this tough economy. 


Why is this connection so important?  Well, while acting on the Town Council, Jeff Nelson was one of 4 votes approving a deal with the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in 2005 (Knight Absent/Abstained).  In this deal, it enabled the multi-billion private prison firm to claim an agricultural exemption that cost Broward County School's ALOT of money!  While the agricultural exemption is a legal exemption that many farmers use, in this incidence it clearly shows how developers abuse this exemption by renting cows to place on the property thus avoiding taxes.  The snippet from the contract is below.

Since the private prison firm purchased the property in 1998 and this marketing contract with the Town wasn't approved until 2005, it has been a total of 8 years since the Town Council had their hand in approving this "ag exemption".  So for 8 years, Jeff Nelson was party to helping a multi-billion dollar private prison corporation dodge paying much needed tax dollars for our schools and teachers.  Is this fair??  According to them they are taking a legal tax break and did nothing wrong.  Which legally they did just what the law required them to do.  But is this a justified use of the ag exemption?  News 10's Bob Norman did a great story on the tax evasion/rent a cow from Bergeron here.

Let's calculate how much the schools would have gotten if CCA didn't get the agricultural exemption.

Because of the 2005 CCA-SWR Contract,
Broward County Lost $480,000 ($60,000 x 8 years)

VS. what CCA paid $24,000 ($3,000 x 8 years)
(numbers taken from Bob Norman's report above)

So, from where we are standing, Jeff Nelson was a party to $456,000 being ripped off the students of Broward County by voting for the Town to support this tax exemption.  How can any teacher or school employee support such a fraudulent use of the agricultural exemption??    Over the past 14 years CCA has owned the property, they have used this exemption to avoid paying net $804,000 (60,000 x 14 years - $36,000) total in taxes. 

What kind of leader is this?  We feel actions speak louder that words in this scenario.  Jeff Nelson may be an assistant principal, but he surely showed us who he advocates for with this vote, and it isn't kids nor the community surrounding the prison parcel. 

Do you feel Jeff Nelson should continue to be Mayor of Southwest Ranches??  We will leave you to make up your mind in November.

The entire CCA contract can be downloaded here.

The West Berlin wall erected in Southwest Ranches!

Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
                                                                                      -- President Ronald Reagan

As the Town of Southwest Ranches erects their wall on ITS border it shares with Pembroke Pines, we are sadly reminded of what this represents.  When neighbors are separated... this can't be a good thing.  Residents in the surrounding area have called it the Berlin Wall of Southwest Ranches!

This wall between the two municipalities creates a larger problem for the residents.  One that the Council doesn't see nor do they care to address.  Southwest Ranches residents can't travel south to Pembroke Pines to shop at the closest Publix nor take the most convenient route to take their children to the schools they have been re-districted to since they are now going to Pembroke Pines schools. In addition, their Pembroke Pines neighbors can't travel north to the Town to pick up their child's friend to go to an after school activity without going all the way around to HWY 27.  Buses do not pick the kids up in these neighborhoods because the children live within 2 miles of the school. So the burden to drop off and pick up their children lies on the parents.  When August 20th hits, families will really feel this in their their fuel bill as all this traveling around to HWY 27 or through 185th will become a real issue for their pocketbook in these hard economic times.

These gates are clearly a stop gap because the State separated the community into two different municipalities when the Town was incorporated in 2000 as a way to stop the traffic flow which has grown over the years. It makes as much sense as the prison parcel they decided to incorporate into the Town that was non-contiguous.  What was the State of Florida thinking?  We don't think they were thinking...AT ALL.  Mostly to blame for the traffic are the big trucks traveling down 199th to and from the businesses in Pembroke Pines such as the Mobile-Mini or the Car Auction that have brought down power lines in the area when they have gotten lost.  They just haven't gotten the memo that this is a residential street... which is now creating this headache for the electorate.  Also, don't order your pizzas people because I don't think they will be willing to deliver to the Ranches...
 
Instead of fixing potholes on 210th and 188th, they went on a spending spree.  They purchased these heavy duty gates for $88,000 and voted to have Davie for the Fire/EMS contract with ramp up fees of $120,000. They borrowed $90,000 to fix the road and drainage on 210th Terrace where only a handful of people live, $43,000 was also spent on guard rails from SW 195th Terrace to SW 198th Terrace -- ALL ON A LINE OF CREDIT.   Since May of this year, the Town Council has approved $343,000 in expenditures! NONE of this was budgeted!  Isn't it borrowing too much money one of the reasons that got us into this economic depression we are currently living through?  Though not purely indicative of taxation without representation, it does question the fiscal responsibility of the Town Council members.  (**Numbers taken from 5/10/2012, 5/24/2012 Council Meeting Agendas, Fire/EMS Contract with Davie)

As these gates cost the Town approximately $88,000 for the three gates on 199th, 202nd and 205th; these gates aren't going away any time soon.  Made of steel beams and cemented into the ground... no car would dare attempt to crash through these things!  You can view the images of the wall on 199th below. Did the Town of Southwest Ranches consider the MAINTENANCE COST of these new gates?

Where they once had said they would allow golf carts to pass freely, they must have decided against that with this type of horse/pedestrian/bicycle throughway. It was former Town Mayor, Mecca Fink, who was the advocate for licensed golf cart use in the Ranches and even went so far as to get the speed limits lowered to allow for them.

What direction is our Town heading?? Backwards you say?  Where we barricade ourselves from our neighbors instead of coming to a peaceful resolution with the neighboring municipality because they disagree with the Town's prison plans that NO ONE wants.  They claim that the roadway blockade is a "public safety" issue because of all the traffic, but where was this concern for the public when it came to putting a prison so close to our schools and homes??  Again, what direction is the Town heading?  Who benefits from all this controversy?  Fleece Me, Please discusses who really benefits in the Town and it AIN'T the Taxpayers!

Who do you have to thank for this reckless spending??  Again, Follow the money.  The Town Council did publicly vote for it though.  They approved this gate installation and the money to pay for it.  If you wish to express your displeasure, I would suggest you attend the Town Council meeting and let them know your feelings.  The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 26th at 7pm.  If you cannot attend you can always email them and let them know what you're thinking.  Voice your opinion and let them also know in the next election they will pay dearly for not coming to a compromise.  You may want to ask them where the money is to fill in your potholes while you're at it since they seem to be in a money spending mood...

Southwest Ranches Press Release!

The Town of Southwest Ranches has released a statement regarding the cancellation of the ICE Detention Center.  In it, it blames the uncertainty of water and sewer services and the associated NEPA process that the government must have found it needed to complete before moving forward in the contracting process.  For those that haven't heard about the NEPA, it's basically an environmental study that is required when the government takes a financial action where it brings into account things like water use, public safety and other factors.

In addition, last month CCA had recently applied with the South Florida Water Management District to dig a well into the Biscayne Aquifer.  This is something I don't see the Town Council allowing to happen since the wells for the entire Town's population could be negatively affected by this rather large commercial well use of about 60 million gallons of water per year.  In addition, the letter back to CCA notes the continued "grazing land" or infamous "ag exemption" they had received for the past 12 years to avoid paying taxes on their prison parcel.  They still hold the Ag Exemption on the property even though the property appraiser says it was taken off. 

Essentially, they were not very forthcoming with the South Florida Water Management District that the permit was for a large commercial use and a prison of at least 1500 beds. Documents regarding the drilling into the aquifer can be found here.  (Application #120514-14).  The RAI letter from SFWMD to CCA can be viewed here, section 2.

According to the Town's press release, President Obama's announcement regarding a shift in DHS deportation priorities (something several members from RAID had warned the Town Council could happen) had nothing to do with it.  On Friday, June 15th the President held a press conference to discuss this change in policy stating,  

... deportation will no longer apply to immigrants who came into the country before they were 16 and are now younger than 30, have lived here for five straight years, have never been convicted of a crime or graduated from high school or got a GED.  Such immigrants will be allowed to apply for a two-year work permit that can be renewed unlimited times.  

This statement renders a new detention center unnecessary as it would pertain to approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants and ICE released a statement saying as much.  Shortly after the President's announcement the following statement was released by ICE,

 ICE has reevaluated its need for an additional detention facility in South Florida and has decided that it will no longer pursue a facility in the Town of Southwest Ranches. We are examining our options for additional detention space in the region and will make the appropriate notifications when a decision about the way forward has been made.

You can read the Town's full press release below:

Written by: Ryann Greenberg

Davie Fire/EMS Contract with SWR

The Town of Davie has just posted a contract with their agenda item to discuss providing the town of Southwest Ranches with Fire/EMS services, coverage that would extend to the plans the Town has for a future 2500 bed 500,000 sq. ft. detention center.  

See the excerpt taken from contract below.

  

Remember back in November when they said they were going to cap it at 1500 beds?  We didn't believe them, and now we see that we were right to not trust the Town and CCA capping the beds at 1500.  All the Town and CCA care about is showing them the money because their Town is drowning in liabilities for parks brought in from the Canada days...  

Now they have almost doubled this facility from 1500 beds to 2500 which would be 4.5 times the size of Krome brought into West Broward County.  Krome is a 500 bed facility.  To put this in terms that you might understand better we are going to do some Wal-Mart math.

The average Walmart store is approximately 97,000 square feet, while Walmart's larger stores, referred to as Super Centers, carries a square footage of approximately 186,000.  - Ask.com

So we are bringing a facility approx 5 times the size of a regular sized Wal-Mart.   Or, if that doesn't make sense, try 2.5 times the size of a Super Wal-Mart!   Filled with 2500 Detainees, that ICE will be letting out of this facility through the Alternatives to Detention plan ICE uses, laid out in a previous post called, We agree! It's Not a Prison!

How do you like THEM apples? 

If not, email the Davie Council and make your voice heard by asking them not to allow this to happen.  Email your Officials.  Better Yet, ATTEND the Davie Town Council meeting located at 6591 Orange Drive on Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:30 pm.  Pembroke Pines said they didn't have a vote on the Detention Center yet they were called on it for providing Fire/EMS and Water/Sewer for it in the Fire/EMS Agreement.  Politifact did a nice article on that.

Do they not realize how secure communities and this detention center will ruin our community? 

Download the entire Davie Fire/EMS contract here.

CCA rebuttal 7.pdf

Elementary School Student Opposition Artwork

A couple of weeks ago I received an image from a nearby elementary school in Weston, Manatee Bay Elementary.  I guess they were drawing about things they didn't need and the student felt the urge to express their opposition and draw about the Southwest Ranches ICE Prison.

It says "NO JAIL!  People need new homes, But people don't need new jails! We need to bail the jail! Do the right thing!" It pictures a person behind bars wearing a striped jumpsuit saying "Let Me Out!"

Isn't it sad that children have to draw about this?  There is a petition circulating at this elementary school with over 100 student signatures that was presented at one of the Southwest Ranches Town Council meetings so that must be how the word is getting around to all of the students.  It's good to see these children are expressing their first amendment rights just like their parents are.

Will this simple message of how we don't need more prisons in this country and how it's unacceptable that the amount of prisons in this country has grown exponentially get through to our lawmakers??  It is a sad state our country has come to where we lock people up for profit instead of educating them...  Instead our legislators are busy accepting special interest money for their reelection campaigns.

Our founding fathers would be so proud of the country they helped create.  Are you?
If not, get involved in this non-partisan issue effecting our community and start making a difference... Take Action!

By: Ryann Greenberg

ACLU sounds off on Southwest Ranches Prison Plans

Throughout this fight people have taken sides or decided not to depending on how vocal or politically involved they feel they should be.  Today, the American Civil Liberties Union has taken a side in the fight against this prison in the Town of Southwest Ranches. 

They published an Op Ed piece in the Sun Sentinel today (4/21/2012) calling on leaders to stop the project.  The ACLU argues that,

Privatized incarceration presents a grave threat to human rights.   

This part will continue to fall on the deaf ears of the town council and "leaders" in Southwest Ranches who seem to not care about the proliferation of private prisons and the violence that goes on inside them.  I think the more poignant statements that they may/may not actually listen to is when they combat CCA's claims that this will bring jobs and growth.

CCA claims that its prisons "can mean a real difference in the quality of life for local residents." But new prisons, whether public or private, deliver few benefits. A 2010 study by researchers at Washington State University and Ohio State University noted "the failure of prisons to spur growth."
Two weeks ago, the government announced the deal was off, only to backpedal hours later. What that dance means is anyone's guess, but this much is certain: the project should be stopped.

The town's ardent prison supporters keep claiming that this prison will create growth, jobs or even lower taxes...  I think that this argument can finally be put to rest.  What we see is a new town that has over committed to parks, museums and similar liabilities.  Combine this with much needed road and infrastructure improvements and you've got a hole in a budget so huge you're looking for anything to fill it.  Is this poor budget management on the Town Council's part?

Another reason why the Town should not be obligated to this prison scheme comes directly from CCA attorney Sam Poole. He said that the "Town is not obligated to enter into the IGSA with ICE" (public statement made at Country Estates HOA Meeting on April 2, 2012).   CCA is free to exercise it's property rights, however bringing the Town into a deal for them to exercise those property rights should never have been on the table and is in no way apart of CCA being able to exercise those rights. 

For what possible reason could there be now for the Town to sign the IGSA with ICE?  I will leave you with your own conclusions...

This article was written by Ryann Greenberg