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The Town of Southwest Ranches, Corrections Corporation of American (CCA), and DHS / ICE want to build one of the largest immigration detention centers in the nation within walking distance of thousands of homes; thus, reducing the quality of our life and our community. We do not agree with the federal government privatizing our immigration detention centers throughout the nation when there is clear evidence that privatizing our prisons creates a clear public safety threat. For ICE to continue to privatize these institutions and bring this safety threat through their "secure communities Initiative" to our community is unacceptable. Depriving someone of their liberty is a non-delegable governmental function and privatizing of such a function is infecting our nation like a virus.

The Town of Southwest Ranches has now entered into it's THIRD Fire Contract within the last year now with the Town of Davie, costing taxpayers $120,000 in ramp up fees. They are now closing several roads in western Southwest Ranches charging the tax payers $80,000 for the gates. They have paid an unknown amount of money for lobbying with ICE regarding this prison. They have several lawsuits against the Town, 1- Involving Open Meeting Violations on a November 5th meeting concerning the ICE Detention Center, 2- Open Records Violations, and 3- The Town is putting together a lawsuit to sue Pembroke Pines for breach of contract because the City utilized their exit clause and cancelled for convenience their Fire/EMS contract which included water and sewer at the last minute for the CCA prison. In the contract it states that there should be no third party beneficiaries. CCA would be a third party in this instance.

CCA has also filed suit in Federal court against the City of Pembroke Pines saying they are denying them water however the City had never seen a water application. The City did file for a Declaratory Judgement in State Court but that has been put on hold until the Federal Court hears the suit from CCA.

Is ANYONE CONFUSED as to why the Pembroke Pines/Southwest Ranches Fire Agreement was cancelled? The Town Attorney Keith Poliakoff attempted to "slip" into the agreement a portion that guaranteed water for the prison at CCA's request. This is something that should have been brought up separately. CCA should have brought it forward on their own in a water application. This is sleight of hand that CCA and the Town attempted to do because they were so afraid of CCA being on the Pembroke Pines agenda.

As of June 2012, ICE put out a statement that the site selection was no longer needed due to the fact that the extra bedspace was no longer needed. READ UPDATE HERE!


Sunday, September 30, 2012

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!



So, during these Attorney comments from Keith Poliakoff at the December 15th, 2010 meeting he brings up the fact that CCA is applying for this plat note amendment increase to Broward County and they need to submit it quickly to have it coincide with their submission of their whitepaper to ICE so they can say they are able to accommodate the 2200 detainees mentioned in ICE's RFP.  There was no vote on whether to send the letter, there was only a three minute discussion and then they decided to have a public meeting on it the first meeting in January 2011.  However they still sent the letter dated December 16th, 2010.  What does a public hearing do after the letter has been sent?

The Broward County Senior Planner Evangeline Kalus submits in an email dated days before the December 15th Council Meeting to Keith Poliakoff asserts that this type of backtracking is not possible,
If they write a letter of no objection, then it’s no objection. They can’t take it back later.
But we find it rather curious that the Town's own contracted Planning Department (The Mellgren Planning Group) senior planner Jeff Katims opinion agrees with our assessment that the Town having a public hearing after sending a letter is rather moot in addition to calling Poliakoff''s advice to the Town Council into question that they would be able to object at a later date.
Keith, this is not the same as when the council issues a letter consenting to concurrent county review of a plan amendment prior to formal council action, whereby the town reserves the right to do whatever it wants at a later date.
However, Mr. Poliakoff keeps alleging to the Town Council during both meetings that it could be taken back later that they didn't have to approve the site plan.  HOW IS THAT?  Several attorney's we have spoken to say that once a plat note amendment is approved to increase whatever... it's done.  Just like Broward County's Senior Planner AND the Town's Planners say the Town can't object after it approves a letter of no objection.

Luckily for Mr. Poliakoff, it was approved at the January 6th, 2011 meeting. However we believe it to be based on the information the Town Council was given by Mr. Poliakoff and confirmed by Michelle Mellgren and CCA attorney Sam Poole (Who all gave money to Mayor Jeff Nelson's reelection).  It's surprising that Michelle would contradict her colleague Jeff.  We've got alot of Attorneys in the Town who can feel free to weigh in on this slight of hand by our Town Attorney with our Town Council.  This isn't a matter of perception.  This is simply giving inaccurate advice to our Council.  Who wants to call Broward State Attorney Micheal Satz? Feel Free!  (954) 831-7487

Sources are taken from the Town Video of Meetings dated December 15th, 2010 & January 6th, 2011. 
SWR_PlatNote_NoObjection_BrowardCounty_12-16-2010
No Objections Later
TownPlannerConfusion_JeffKatims_TMPG
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