Archive Photo of the Week: the Andrades

Cassandra Andrade, recently ran for the Weston City Commission. Although she ultimately did not win her first bid for public office, she ran a great campaign. She is extremely well spoken--and had a great platform and message. Ms. Andrade is the daughter of prominent businessman, activist and former state Senate candidate, Fabio Andrade.

Photo: Mayor Tom Truex with friends, Cassandra Andrade and Fabio Andrade [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Christian Prayer Breakfast on May 5th

National Day of Prayer is this Thursday.

Davie's annual Christian Prayer Breakfast is at 7:00 a.m. at the Signature Grand on State Road 84 on, Thursday, May 5, 2005. I will be leading prayer for our Leadership and for the Media. Several area ministers will be praying for other areas of concern. Davie Councilwoman Susan Starkey will read Davie's Proclamation (this link is a PDF document) for the Day of Prayer. "Speaking Hands" and Mac McConnell will make special presentations.

This prayer breakfast is an awesome spiritual event. If you see value in praying with hundreds of local Christians from all denominations, then I urge you to attend.

Reservations, with payment are due on Monday, May 2, 2005. The cost of the Breakfast is $15.00 per person, or $150 per table of 10. For More information call 954-797-1222 or 954-797-1077.

Photo: National Day of Prayer Poster [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Sunday on the Bike Paths

This past Sunday afternoon was a perfect time to go bike riding in Davie. We rode out along Linear Park to Robbins Lodge. From there we crossed over the canal in back of the park, using the bike/horse bridge. Then we rode along the back side of Flamingo Gardens and up along Peaceful Ridge Road. From there we looped around to the new bike path on Hiatus Road, back to Linear Park, and back home. I don't know where you find a better set of bike paths in this area!

Photo: The Canal between Robbins Lodge and Flamingo Gardens. [*click* photo to enlarge]

More...

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Bulk Trash / Yard Waste -- Working on a Solution!

We had another lively discussion on the subject of bulk trash pickup at the meeting last night at Robbins Lodge. The majority of people who attended voiced concerns about the bulk trash pickup, and what they felt was a reluctance of Waste Management to remove certain yard debris. We received a lot of good suggestion from residents. Next step: Meet with the representatives of Waste Management to see how the residents' reasonable needs can be addressed. This is a priority issue, which needs to be resolved quickly.

Photo: Meeting at Robbins Lodge on April 27, 2005 to discuss Waste Management bulk trash pickup. [*click* photo to enlarge]

Time Flies (especially when you are having fun!) Yesterday was an especially busy day. I had two meetings with constituents and attended the Student of the Month program prior to the meeting on bulk trash. The Student of the Month ceremony, held at the Davie Police Station on Nob Hill Road, is one of my favorite Davie programs. We honor Davie students for outstanding achievement in their schools. I spoke on the importance of character.

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Meeting on garbage pickup / bulk pickup procedures

The Town of Davie will hold a public meeting to discuss the problems with regard to the collection of yard waste within the Town. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at 7 p.m., at Robbins Lodge, 4005 Hiatus Road, Davie. All residents are invited to attend and to give their suggestions.

Although the majority of residents appear to be generally satisfied with most aspects of the new "cart" system, there are significant problems for some residents, relating mostly to the pickup of yard waste.

This is an opportunity for you to explain your particular needs so that we can find answers to problems with the new system of garbage pickup. I am confident that a reasonable solution can be worked out. Waste Management has proposed options which would change the method of yard waste pickup, but some of the details still need to be resolved.

If you have any questions about the meeting, please call the Town of Davie at 954-797-1045 or 954-797-1042.

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Mayor Truex presents T-Ball Awards

I helped present trophies to children on a T-Ball Team and Rec. Baseball Team on Saturday.

Davie has great sports programs for our kids. The facilities are superb. But what sets our program apart is our Town Staff and our parent volunteers.

I believe that, after public safety, our parks and recreation programs are some of the most important services our Town provides. I support continued emphasis on our Town sports, recreation and park programs for our boys and girls.

Photo: Mayor Truex presenting a T-Ball trophy to a player at Robbins Lodge on Saturday.

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Davie Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

I attended the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon at Pine Island Park. Davie's volunteers save the Town well in excess of $100,000 per year with the volunteer time they contribute to Davie. Neither Davie, nor our society in general, could survive without our volunteers.

Photo: Assistant Town Administrator Ken Cohen, Mayor Tom Truex, and other Staff and Council members serve lunch to Davie's volunteers at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Davie Superstars

Will Allen, director of the Davie Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Phillip Lloyd (retired Davie Firefighter) are two fellows for whom I have a lot of respect. They are pictured here working on the annual Nova - Davie Optimist Club "Spring for Lunch" fundraiser at the rodeo grounds, next to Davie Town Hall. The Barbeque ribs and chicken were delicious. Personally, I'd like to see Will do the barbeque once a month!

Photo: Will Allen and Phillip Lloyd, preparing ribs and chicken for the annual Barbeque at Davie's rodeo ground. [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Chris Kovanes selected as Town Administrator

Congratulations to Davie's new Administrator, Chris Kovanes , appointed by the Town Council on April 20th.

Although I strongly disagreed with the Town Council's decision to not conduct a fair and open search for qualified candidates, I wish Mr. Kovanes well, and look forward to continuing working with him.

Photo: Davie Town Administrator, Chris Kovanes [*click* photo to enlarge]

Also at the Town Council meeting, we directed the Town Staff to coordinate a workshop to discuss Sunrise Water. Before I was elected to the Town Council, Sunrise water was an extremely hot issue. The Town sued Sunrise and then settled before trial. The Davie Town Council decided back then to pursue an option of attempting to force Sunrise to sell us their water systems which serve Davie residents. I said at the time, the problem was largely created by Davie's politicians for political reasons. Nonetheless, we owe it to residents who receive water from Sunrise, to agree on some course of action.

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Davie Town Council Meeting, April 20, 2005

The Davie Town Council Meets at Davie Town Hall for our regular meeting on Wednesday, April 20, 2005. The Agenda is online.

Note the following items:

6.2 RETIREMENT PLAN AMENDMENT: Should be tabled, in line with discussion at workshop with Town Employees on April 19, 2005.

6.3 CODE AMENDMENT to allow Town Council Action in absense of Planning and Zoning Board or Local Planning action in certain circumstances. This ordinance resolves an unusual circumstance in which a Town Board could not make a recommendation because a majority had legal conflicts of interest and could not vote.

8.3 RECONSIDERATION OF TOWN ADMINISTRATOR SEARCH FIRM: based on a newspaper article and comments at previous Town Council meetings, it appears the search for a new Town Administator is going to be short-circuited, and the position filled without any sort of search for qualifed applicants. Qualified applicants can be located without a search. But I strongly believe the Town has an obligation to agressively seek out qualified applicants, including women and minorities. Based on a letter I received from the NAACP, they agree. In fact, the President of the Fort Lauderdale Branch of the NAACP wrote, "...in the interest of fairness and equality for all, the NAACP strongly encourages the [Town] of Davie to continue its process of advertising and interviewing for it's Town Administrator."

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Generations of Taste at the Old Davie School

I may be prejudiced, but I think my wife and mother-in-law are great cooks. Some of their best dishes were featured (together with about a hundred others) at Davie's annual Generations of Taste. This event is hosted by the Davie Historical Society at the Old Davie School. The room was packed, as always, for this event.

Photo: "Generations of Taste" at the Old Davie School [*click* photo to enlarge] More...

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Davie Town Council helps in Waterway Cleanup

The Town of Davie, with some help of our friends at the Central Broward Water Control District worked on our annual waterway cleanup day along the South New River on this past Saturday (April 16, 2005). Over 500 people participated in the event which was

• great fun
  
• an important opportunity to take care of the environment
  
• a good chance for kids to get service hours for school
  

Councilmembers Starkey and Crowley joined me in the cleanup event, together with a number of Commissioners from Central Broward Water Control District.

Photo: Pulling slimey stuff out of the South New River (C-11 Canal)--That's the Mayor, holding the bag [*click* photo to enlarge]

More...

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Davie PAL Golf Tournament

UPCOMING EVENT...

The Davie Police Athletic League is planning its Golf Tournament:

Date: May 13, 2005
Golf Format: Best Ball Scramble
Registration: 11:30 am
Place: Raintree Golf Resort, 1600 South Hiatus Road, Pembroke Pines, FL

[*click* on the photo at left for the Golf Tournament Brochure in PDF file format]

More...

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58th Avenue Park

Recently I met with the Davie Parks and Recreation Staff, and about 15 residents, to discuss the future of the new park on 58th Avenue. The Town had applied for--and received--a grant to construct a park with a small basketball court and a tot lot.

The majority of the small group of residents on hand were in favor of a more "passive" park, with a path and some benches, without the basketball court and the playground for small children.

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Davie Dog Park Proposed

The Davie Town Council met on April 11th on for a workshop on a proposed Dog Park. The entire Town Council voiced support for the concept. The only issues are where and how. After hearing from Staff and the public, we discussed options. Staff discussed the open space at Flamingo and SW 14th Street; and a portion of Robbins Lodge as possibilities. We thought the site on Flamingo may be too far west (not centrally located), and Robbins may not be compatible with existing open space/equestrian use. Betty Booth Roberts park was suggested as another possibility. It may be too small. The Town Council and the residents who were present agree it would be best to see if the bond for park/open space is approved. If so, we would be able to buy land for a new dog park. If not, we would most likely have to return to a discussion of converting part of an existing park.

We decided to direct staff to do three things:

1. Amend the capital budget to add the cost of a dog park for sometime after expected implementation of the park/open space bond, if approved. If the Bond is not approved, we would try to purchase the land with the capital budget.
   
2. The attorney will draft the language of the proposed bond referendum in such a way that some of the money could be used for a dog park(s)
   
3. Any educational campaign in support of the park/open space bond would refer to using part of the money for a dog park.
   

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Town of Davie Family Bike Rally

This past weekend, we road in the annual Family Bike Rally through some of Davie's nicest bike paths. We started at Robbins Lodge Park on Hiatus Road; traveled west to Imagination Farms; and back to Robbins Lodge along Linear Park on Orange Drive.

Photo: Part of the Truex Family getting ready to start the Bike Rally. Note to kids: always remember to wear your helmet, while biking! [*click* photo to enlarge] More...

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Police Pension Board Meeting

I attended the Davie Police Pension Board Meeting on April 12, 2005. They handle the incredibly complex issues of predicting the future (both in terms of claims/distributions and in performance of investments). They also must stay abreast of ever changing law, and determine issues such as disability claims. This is an extremely important Board, which usually works without much notice by the average Town resident. My hat goes off to them.

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Garden Baptist Church

I had the honor of speaking last Sunday to Garden Baptist Church, in Hollywood. The Pastor, Rev. Harold Taylor, served for 37 years at First Baptist Church of Davie, before he retired. Since "retiring" from First Baptist Davie, he has been the pastor at Garden Baptist Church about 11 years.

Photo: Tom Truex speaking at the pulpit. [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Invasive Plant Research Laboratory dedicated in Davie

The Invasive Plant Research Laboratory was dedicated in Davie. I joined Congressman Clay Shaw, and other dignataries at the ceremony and facilities tour on April 8, 2005.

The new 17,000 square foot laboratory and containment facility will be used to study and understand the nature of invasive plants and biological control agents. Or, in other words, they look for bugs that will eat bad plants, but not good plants. Example: the Australian weevil that is helping to destroy melaleuca trees.

Photo: Invasive Plant Research Laboratory in Davie. [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Davie Garbage Contract

We discussed the Town of Davie's Garbage Service Contract with Waste Management at some length at our last Town Council Meeting.

Frankly, most of the Town residents seem to be happy with the new cart system. Bulk trash pickup remains a problem for some residents. A serious problem with a few. We have negotiated with Waste Management for a few changes in the current system, which would solve problems for some, but not all residents. At least one problem still needs to be worked out. Keep in mind that the new system is a dramatic change from the previous system. A few problems during the transition are inevitable.

I want to resolve the remaining issues as soon as possible. We are going to be scheduling a meeting with residents to address the remaining problems, prior to amending the contract.

Photo: Waste Management Cart: Most people seem to prefer them; but there are some real problems for some residents.

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Town Council Agenda will be on Thursday, April 7, 2005

The Davie Town Council Meets at Davie Town Hall for our regular meeting on Thursday, April 7, 2005. The Agenda is online.

Note, the following notable items are being added:

Item 8.2 Trust for Public Bonds -- proposal to seek approval of a new bond issue for open space land purchases and improvements. The amount may be in the range of $25 Million to $50 Million.

Item 8.3 Waste Mangagement. Discussion of proposals for Waste Management to pick up smaller yard waste. Waste management agrees to the concept of picking up all yard waste (i.e. small limbs, etc) once a month; rather than only large limbs weekly. There are some limits (e.g. normal yard and tree trimming, not lot clearing), and the new plan would probably not be implemented in all areas. This looks like a much better arrangement for residents.

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Tallahassee update on Slot Machines

Tallahassee update on Slot Machines

The news from Tallahassee on slot machines is a mixed bag.

I spoke at the Senate hearing on Tuesday in the capital. The Senate approved a bill would authorize Las Vegas style slot machines to be operated at all times of day and night. The bill, pushed , as always by Senator Geller, use the sweetheart deal written by the multibillion-dollar gambling industry itself. It is calculated to maximize profits for the gambling interests, while doing very little to protect residents of our county, or insure that much of the gambling proceeds actually filter to schoolchildren.

Fortunately, the bill being proposed by the House of Representatives, is apparently much more reasonable (I have not read it myself yet). It would restrict the hours of operations, type of slot machine, and other reasonable regulations. I have been told it is very possible the Legislature may actually approve "class II" only slot machines. While the matter will likely be decided in court, approving via "class II" slot machines would keep the new pari-mutual machines on par with the existing Indian casinos.

Finally, the State Attorney General, Charlie Crist, issued an opinion recently stating that the constitutional amendment authorizing slot machines is not "self executing." What this means, is that if the Florida House of Representatives and Senate cannot agree on legislation to implement the slot machines, the gambling interests would not be able to automatically place slot machines in their establishments, in the absence of new state statutes.

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Broward Day's in Tallahassee

I attended Broward Days in Tallahassee this year. This is the annual opportunity for leaders in Government and business to meet State Leaders.

Photo: Florida Representative Mike Davis, Davie Town Council Susan Starkey, Representative Susan Goldstein, and Mayor Tom Truex [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Firewall Ministry

I met with the Board of Directors of Firewall Ministries to discuss upcoming programs and events in Palma Nova mobile home community. Firewall Ministries is a community-based, multi-service organization that seeks to enhance the lives of people through programs designed to develop spirit, mind, and body.

Firewall's program revolves around the development of personal relationships and trust with youth in the target area, since that is the key ingredient in providing any service to an "at-risk" population.

Firewall carries out two weekly youth meetings that mentor and work to instill positive character traits and behaviors. They do this through a dynamic presentation that includes music, video, situational dramas, life application object lessons, and team building activities. They interact with over 100 youth every week.

Photo: Firewall Board of Directors [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Boys and Girls Club, Ranch Roam

We attended the annual Ranch Roan charity event for the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County this weekend. The event raises money for clubs in Broward County -- including the two locations in Davie.

Photo: Riding the bull at Ranch Roam [*click* photo to enlarge]

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Speaking at Gardens Baptist Church on April 10, 2005

Coming up...

Rev. Harold Taylor asked me to speak at his church, Gardens Baptist Church, this coming Sunday, April 10, 2005. I will speak at their 11:00 Worship Service. The church is located at 3210 Southwest 59th Terrace, Hollywood, FL 33023 [*click* on the address for a MAPQUEST(r) map and directions] -- a few blocks Southeast of the intersection of Miramar Parkway {Hallandale Beach Blvd} and US 441.

My topic is "W.W.J.D. (if He was mayor)" . The service is open to all. Please join us if you are not otherwise committed.

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Rick and Rita Case celebrate the opening of their new Hyundai dealership

Rick and Rita Case celebrated the opening of their new Hyundai dealership in western Davie. Dignataries from the local area attended (including Davie officials pictured below); as well as officials from Hyndai.

Photo: Grand Opening Celebration for Rick Case Hyundai. From Left: Councilwoman Susan Starkey, Rick Case, Rita Case, Mayor Tom Truex, Councilman Mike Crowley, Police Chief John George, and Fire Chief Don DiPetrillo. [*click* photo to enlarge]
More...

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Davie's D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) strudents graduate

I attended D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) graduations this week at the David Posnack Hebrew Day School and Hawkes Bluff Elementary.

In my opinion, this is one of the most important programs which the Town of Davie sponsors. The D.A.R.E. program, taught by Davie Police officers, helps students learn to make positive choices in deeling with with peer pressure, drug use, alcohol abuse, tobacco use and violence.

Photo: David Posnack Hebrew Day Schools has an elementary school campus at 5810 South Pine Island Road.






Photo: Hawkes Bluff Elementary is located at 5900 SW 160th Avenue in Davie. [*click* photo to enlarge]

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