President Christine Brownlow called the meeting to order at 7:36 PM. She welcomed Anna Caldis, who sits on our Town Comp. Board as a volunteer and is serving as interim president for the revamping of the Deans Ranches Civic Association. Jim Starkweather led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Chris welcomed all residents, partners, Council, board members, and guests Carlos Martinez and Robert Lewin.
Davie Police: Detective Hobales said that there were not a lot of crime-related calls, although last Thursday, there was some activity with a couple of young men with hoodies who jumped a fence and were targeting a Mercedes Benz SUV and a Land Rover. Remember to lock your cars and remove your FOBs from your cars!! Mail theft is still happening. Do not leave your flags up on your mailbox with mail. If you see something, please use the app https://www.saferwatchapp.com/davie to report anything; it goes straight to dispatch. 911 non-emergency is still being worked on for staffing. Best number to call is 954-693-8200 which goes to BSO after hours.
Council comments: Mayor Steve mentioned Sandy Luongo’s passing. She had been with our town for almost 10 years and was such a great resource for us. We will miss her greatly. The first Farmers’ Market will be September 24. Also, the Mayor’s call will start again starting Wednesday, September 14. President Chris encouraged residents to attend this very valuable meeting. Chris also asked him about Airbnb, since some of our homes are being used for these, and some of this ongoing activity is protected by the Florida legislature. Residents, please call the police if you see illegal activity or hear loud parties in your area.
Vice Mayor Jablonski gave Public Works update.
As Chris introduced Councilman Bob Hartmann, she said that he is up for re-election this year and has an opponent. As a resident, she gave praise to Bob Hartmann’s contributions to the town and asked for residents’ support. This was not a comment from her role as President. Bob talked about some of the important items that would be covered in the July 28 meeting, including the RR+ ordinance, Waste Management (WM). We will continue with recycling and WM will provide more education regarding their services.
Councilman Jim Allbritton is looking forward to the Green Meadows Association revamp and revitalization. It’s a group with community interest at heart. He also recognized Ms. Anna Caldis in her new role as interim president.
Councilmember David Kuczenski congratulated Anna and encouraged her, also thanked Vilma who was his first Vice President when he was SRHOA president. David spoke to the waste company change and other of the Council’s meeting items for tomorrow’s meetings including budget items. Regarding signs, they are illegal, and need to be removed, including realtors’ signs on the swales. As a resident, David made a motion that Sunshine Ranches HOA make a contribution of $500 to the Green Meadows Civic Association to get things rolling. James Starkweather seconded. There was discussion, and Councilman Allbritton advised that there is still nothing set up yet, so if passed, it would have to be put in reserve. The motion passed unanimously.
President Chris proceeded to the next item of business, the 40-acre lot on Hancock and Griffin, and introduced Carlos Martinez, owner and developer, who was joined by Mr. Duran, his equity partner, and Robert Lewin and Courtney Crush. Chris prefaced this discussion by saying that if any resident had any conversation with any Council member where an opinion was expressed for anything coming up before a vote, please keep that opinion to yourself. Florida has a law called the Sunshine Law against this. For instance, Jason Halberg provided as an example: if Carlos Martinez had a conversation with a Council member, and an opinion was shared, he is not to provide that in this meeting.
Prior to speaking about the 40-acre lot, Carlos Martinez thanked Chris and Jason for their help in being a sounding board for what our community would like to see with this property. He summarized the last vote that was brought before the HOA some 5 months ago and was approved. Since then, there have been opinions on the zoning which restricted the project, so he put the property up for sale 2 months ago. He recently received interest from 2 separate parties interested in putting a home each on the property, one for 32.5 acres and the other for 7.5 acres; and if all approvals are met, he would proceed. Mark Fisher would like to buy 32.5 acres and had his attorney Ms. Courtney Crush representing him at the meeting, and Robert Lewin, a SR resident, is interested in 7.5 acres. Carlos assured us that he would stay on board as the owner/developer to get everything approved for the plats on both properties with the town. Each would have an entrance from Hancock. The 32.5-acre lot would have a future sub-division, in case the owner sells in the future, so it would be 3 lots in total.
Ms. Crush gave a brief overview of Mr. Fisher’s plan for his lot: a single-family home for his family, plus a private recreation building which would house a tennis court, which would be used for personal family use only, e.g., not for tennis tournaments. Several residents asked questions of Mr. Fisher’s intentions, and the board and residents asked questions and made known our interest in maintaining our rural lifestyle, with horse trails, low lighting, and lush landscaping. Mr. Fisher then joined the meeting and made clear his intentions to relocate from Bal Harbour in Miami to rural Broward. He talked about his family, children, and his intentions. Additionally, Mr. Lewin also provided his vision for the 7.5 acres: he is a long-time resident of Sunshine Ranches, and he wants to use the land to build a smaller residence than what he currently owns.
Chris asked for a motion to support going forward with Carlos and the intentions presented by the 2 potential new residents/owners. David Kuczenski went on record to state that because he is on the Council, he would abstain from the vote. Jim Starkweather made the motion to support the development of these properties. Vilma Lopez seconded. Ed Gonzalez asked for more drawings and information. Carlos said that if this doesn’t go through, he would continue with his plans to develop 2.5 acre lots and expressed his dissatisfaction with Council’s restrictions on his original plans. He would still need the HOA’s support. The motion was passed unanimously.
Next meeting will be held at Wunderbar on August 31 at 7:30 pm.
Meeting was adjourned.
President Christine Brownlow called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and Chris welcomed all residents, partners, Council, board members. Treasurer Jason Halberg advised that we had a quorum for the meeting, so he requested permission to make a motion. With the pandemic, we have been having Zoom calls, but we want to get together at a restaurant for some upcoming meetings. We would like to hold the August and September meetings at Wunderbar. Jason made a motion to approve up to and no more than $1000 for both meetings for appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages. David Kuczenski seconded the motion, which was passed unanimously. Jason thanked DaNell D’Alfonso, VP, for all her help in coordinating.
Davie Police: Chris advised Detective Hobales that one of our residents will be donating used horse tack to the Davie Police Department to use in case of large animal emergencies, i.e., if they need to pull a horse or livestock. This was in response to a notice we placed in the Waggler last month. Crime report: There was a large party on Stirling Road reported, a repeat offender. There was a suspicious incident on Holatee Road: some subjects were checking front doors for opened doors. BSO was in the area and dealt with the offenders. There were no other crimes reported. Crime usually spikes during the summer. Illegal fishing was witnessed by some residents; a concern is that adults are illegally fishing with cast nests and are taking turtles and other fish. Residents can report to Davie Police, non-emergency at 954-693-8200 and press “1” or use the mobile app https://www.saferwatchapp.com/davie/ but please do not put yourselves in harm’s way. Also, there is an app called At Risk Resident which can be used by the elderly population and people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions. This is a voluntary program. Last month, there were 164 Vacation Watch checks in the Sunshine Ranches area.
Sally Brokken asked about a reported incident on 136 Ave. of a truck and four-wheel drive that recklessly drove on the swale and messed up the grassy area in the swale, requiring Town to provide fill to fix it. Det. Hobales said that most of that swale is owned by Cooper City, not SWR, so it is not Davie’s jurisdiction. Chris asked Mayor Steve if he was aware of this, which he was not; Mayor will contact Andy Berns. There was a discussion about the bulk trash that gets put on that town swale, some of which is put out by residents on our small side streets that are too narrow for the bulk trash trucks. Jason pulled up the BCPA site which showed the parts of the swale owned by SWR and Cooper City.
Det. Hobales addressed USPS mail theft. Most of it occurs in the middle of the night and when residents put up the red flag on the mailbox. Mayor Steve encouraged residents to hold the mail if you go on vacation. They will deliver the day you return.
Finally, another resident spoke about a new Airbnb that opened up next to her property. Her concern and question were specific to fireworks, esp. the types that are loud and booms, and the danger that it causes for livestock and asked for help from the Davie Police. It was clarified that there are only 3 specific dates that people can use fireworks legally, which includes July 4. Our mayor is still pushing to get legislation passed in the future, but state laws prevail. A rich discussion ensued. Davie Police advised to call the non-emergency number, but the illegal activity needs to be going on while the police is present. If one does a video, it can be documented as an incident but would not be an arrest or warning. Regarding Airbnb, Jason credited David Kuczenski with a FB post about Airbnb’s global ban against parties greater than 6 people. Airbnb has a policy for neighbors to contact Airbnb about parties being held in violation of the rentals. No one can advertise a house for the purpose of a party; if there is a violation, there is a pathway for neighbors to file a complaint. More to come on these important concerns to our equestrian community.
Town Council Member Comments: Councilmember David Kuczenski spoke about the Council’s meetings in Tallahassee last year regarding fireworks and will continue to fight for legislation to help our town. Regarding Waste Pro missing trash pick-ups, David is happy to help pass info. Remember, residents get 1 bulk pick-up pile only; you can’t separate it into 2 piles! If you have excess bulk trash, you can either pay Waste Pro extra, wait till the next pick up, or take it yourself. Our Waste Pro contract ends Sept. 30, and Waste Management will take over Oct. 1.
In Councilmember Gary Jablonski’s absence, David also highlighted some public works reports. Regarding the Farmers’ Market, we learned that Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was able to make a request for drainage and bathrooms to be provided for the area and obtained approval for $600,000 to be provided from Federal funds. Also, David gave TSDOR transportation roadway program, as well as the guardrail program, among others.
Councilmember Jim Allbritton addressed the resident’s concern about parties in Airbnb homes and asked for her to call Davie Police when there are violations. If enough complaints are issued and documented, the property owners of said Airbnb will need to meet with Code enforcement. Finally, the Traffic board compiled a list of 5 important items requiring $60,000 to implement. The funding is available; the first item will be to increase traffic monitoring and crime prevention via tag readers and increased police patrol.
Mayor Steve Breitkreuz said that we have some items on hiatus until September, specifically the mayor’s calls and the Farmers’ Market.
VP DaNell’s report: Working with Communications person Adrian on various programs, esp. with social media. If you have any ideas, please reach out to her.
Treasurer’s report: Balance $37,448.44 as of May 31, 2022. The largest portion of our budget is the production of the Waggler.
Finally, a resident asked for an update on the 40-acre property on Hancock and Griffin. The mayor stated that it is still owned by Carlos Martinez, who has listed it for sale and mayor believes that Carlos has a potential buyer, however it is not confirmed by mayor, who has been out on vacation; once this occurs, the mayor would want the SRHOA input. President Chris asked for the Council’s support in listening to our board. Jason reiterated the need to have encouragement by the Town to have buyers or developers reach out to the HOA, and asked the mayor’s support to ask Andy in the Town to promote communication to the HOA as a courtesy. Mayor stressed that this is a financial transaction between 2 individuals, not related to the Town.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:10 PM.
Happy summer to all! Soon, it will be time for back-to-school shopping, bus stops, and speed zones.
On August 31st, please join us at Wunderbar for the monthly SRHOA meeting…it promises to be a great evening of food, fun, and friendship. Guests from South Florida Water Management will join us.
Details will be provided during the month, so please check the SRHOA email and Facebook accounts.
NEWS FOR THIS MONTH
Senator Wasserman Schultz has secured $600,000 for the Town which will go towards improvements at the Green Meadows Sanctuary (pavilion, rest room amenities, etc.).
Thank you to all who have supported the town’s scholarship fund. Through our collective efforts, 19 students received $2,500 each towards the upcoming college year. Your generosity speaks volumes.
It is important we document complaints concerning Airbnb violations, loud party infractions, scam concerns, etc. DPD can use this information, along with the town, to put a stop to the problems. It is important we are diligent and persistent.
John Wegmann, son of our very own Marnette Wegmann, has qualified for the US Senior Amateur Golf Championship on July 14 at Eagle Creek G.C. with a 71. He can now go to the National Championship representing Florida. He was Co-Medalist in the event. Congratulations, John!
DPD would like to encourage us to download the Saferwatch app. This is a great phone application for promoting community and individual safety. For more information, please visit https://www.saferwatchapp.com/davie/
Finally, please keep informed with developments regarding the 40-acre property at the corner of Hancock and Griffin. Your SRHOA board remains diligent in providing you, our residents, the latest and most accurate information regarding future plans and construction.
REMINDERS
Support Southwest Ranches’ Certified Community Habitat status by certifying your own backyard through the National Wildlife Federation’s backyard habitat program…it is easy, plus you may purchase and proudly display a certification sign. Go to nwf.org/certifiedwildlifehabitat today to certify.
Plant of the month: Cassia
This yellow beauty provides nectar to a variety of pollinator species. The subsequent seed pods produced are beneficial to many varieties of birds.
Mayor Breitkreuz’s next “Q & A with Mayor Breitkreuz,” along with the SWR Farmers’ Market, will resume in September. We ask you stay connected for updates.
Remember, the Council meets face-to-face at Town Hall on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Occasionally, dates may change. Please check the Southwest Rancher and/or www.southwestranches.org for meeting dates, times, and agendas. Internet viewing is also an option, just go to your YouTube connection and type “Town of Southwest Ranches Official Channel.”
Please stay connected…join our SRHOA Gmail (sunshinerancheshoa@gmail.com), visit our website (www.sunshineranches.org), or view our posts at facebook.com/SunshineRanches.
We regrettably announce the passing of town employee Sandy Luongo. Knowing Sandy was definitely one of life’s many joys…she will be dearly missed.
As always be safe, be happy, and be loved.
Chris