I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in voting. I am thankful to all service men and women. I am thankful for friends and family.
I am thankful for:
A wonderful home and community in which to live, having had two wonderful parents, my bond with my amazing sister, and the blessings of nature.
Amazing friends, incredible town staff, hardworking council, and dedicated police department, who care about the betterment and safety of our community. Congratulations Detective Jeff Hobales on 40 amazing years of service!
Generous neighbors, such as Cathy Falletta. Thank you for your $500 donation to the Town of Southwest Ranches Scholarship Fund!
Staying Connected
Vibrant community events which gather us together to fundraise for our parks and scholarship fund, and enhance our commitment to families and rural values:
December 10th @ Rolling Oaks Park: Chili Cook-off and Car Show sponsored by The SWR Parks Foundation and benefitting all our local SWR parks featuring classic cars, chili competition, music, vendor booths, kids-zone, and so much more.
December 11th @ Equestrian Park: Sunshine Ranches HOA holiday gathering with food, beverages, dj, petting zoo, police & fire demos, and so much more.
Mayor Breitkreuz’s next “Q & A with Mayor Breitkreuz,” will be on Wednesday, November 9th. The SWR Farmers’ Market continues to run each Saturday at Green Meadows Sanctuary.
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.
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.
As always be safe, be happy, and be loved.
Chris
I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU!
President Chris Brownlow welcomed everyone and called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM. Tommy Crivello led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. There are several guests for this meeting, Barbara Herrera from Waste Management and Carlos Martinez and Mark Fisher regarding the 40-acre parcel of land at Griffin and Hancock.
Davie Police: Officer Larry said that there were 160 vacation watches last month, which is great that so many are taking advantage of this service from Davie Police. There are still many car break-ins, none of which are forceful; they are all due to residents leaving their key fobs in vehicles. Detective Hobales advised that there were 149 citations in August, which doubled from July. September figures seem also to be high.
Council updates:
Mayor Steve Breitkreuz - Storm Water master plan meeting went well, and the plan was approved. This is the first comprehensive plan that our town will have for the drainage. This is important for future projects and support. We have a qualified engineer, and this is critical for future work. Traffic calming is always a challenge; we are trying new things, like getting extra support from Davie PD. Regarding the budget, it’s a testament to the administration in putting it together. Shout out to Emil, our Town Financial Administrator. At a high level, we are unique in that we are transparent in our waste and fire costs, which are outside our ad valorem costs; we don’t subsidize but we want full transparency with our residents. Our millage dropped again this year and we are one of the lowest in the county. Also, Mayor thanked everyone for their alertness and diligence in providing updates and preparation during and before Ian storm. Finally, a shout out to the Farmer’s Market, which started on Sat., Sept. 24, and will run every Saturday. Chris encouraged everyone to attend the Mayor’s monthly meeting.
Vice Mayor Jablonski gave an update on the program to reduce speeding in the Town with the radar guns, which has been working well. We have 2 speed trailers which will be delivered in November. Also gave a brief Public Works report.
Council member David Kuczenski provided his cell phone number (305-815-0990) and made the point again that he is always available. David spoke about the wall by CVS on which the Town painted a mural. It’s next to the park. SRHOA provided $1200 toward the project and the wall will be beautiful. Finally, we purchased License plate readers (LPR), which will record license plates as a safety issue. Cameras do not penetrate the steel so there is no facial recognition. LPR will be fully in place by end of October. Also, we had new guardrails installed at West Palomino at Thoroughbred Lane.
Councilmember Bob Hartmann spoke about WM change starting Oct. 1 which will give us better service. There are 3 town charter amendments on the ballot in November ballot; he encouraged everyone to be informed. He reminded everyone that he is running for re-election and he is very thankful for the many donations that he has received from residents and friends. He spent a few minutes speaking about his commitment to keeping our town rural, protecting agricultural and animal needs, keeping our taxes reduced, and keeping our families safe.
We had special guest Barbara Herrera from Waste Management, now WM, representative for SWR. This week is storm prep for WM and Barbara shared the Florida storm website for residents to use: wmfloridastorm.com. She introduced WM’s core services and gave a thorough presentation. Barbara’s contact is 954-856-7192 and bherrera@wm.com. We are to use the current recycling carts for recycling and should all be receiving a 96 gal. can for trash. Put carts on the curbside with the handle facing away from the road. Remember to bag your garbage and do NOT BAG your recycling. Tips for recycling: “When in doubt, throw it out.” Recyclable items are: only clean and dry paper and cardboard, plastic containers, aluminum cans and clean glass. Please do not contaminate. Do not recycle any tanglers, hazardous material or food! No diapers!! No plastic bags!!!
Final guest was Carlos Martinez, builder and owner of the 40-acre property on Griffin and Hancock which was formerly owned by New Baptist Church. He introduced Mark Fisher and his team. Mr. Fisher is under contract for a 32.5-acre parcel within said property and is looking for acceptance on a variance on the auxiliary (rec) building which is planned to be larger than the house building, and this variance needs to be approved by the Council or he would not be able to proceed. Mr. Fisher introduced Courtney Crush, attorney, and Jason Shlansk, planner, and showed the plans for the project. He stated he is going through all the efforts to respect our rural lifestyle and wants this to be in the best interest of the community. He clarified that this would not be used to host events, nor to rent to people. He is involved with sports, but this is a family home. Further, he is proposing to subdivide the 32.5-acre parcel into two plats with 1 single family home per plat along with an accessory use building (rec building) on the larger parcel.
Chris made a motion to support what Mark Fisher presented tonight per the visual presented at the meeting, including certain deed restrictions. Ed Gonzalez seconded the motion. Council people were not able to vote. Vote was approved unanimously.
Finally, Jason Halberg made a motion to approve up to $1500 and no more to fund the “Party at the Park” which will take place on December 11. Ed Gonzalez seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.
Next meeting will be held at Town Hall on October 26 at 7:30 pm.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:51 PM.
The Jewish High Holy Days conclude on the 5th. We hope you have enjoyed time with family and friends during this time. Halloween falls on a Monday this year, so please be careful and watch for our little ghouls and goblins as they trick-or-treat.
NEWS FOR THIS MONTH
By now, you should have received your new bin from WM and are receiving services. This note comes from the town’s administrator: We are continuing to update the solid waste FAQs as questions arise from the community. The latest draft is currently being updated. As we get closer to the October 1 implementation date, we will continue to promote this on our website. We will also make use of Constant Contact for email blasts, as well as our Facebook and Twitter accounts (which will include an imbedded link to bring people to our page). If you go to our website, you will see a “Quick Link” section entitled “Garbage and Recycling” that will always have the latest info. We will also include larger, easier to read maps and other graphics. Page link: https://www.southwestranches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/220831-WM-FAQ-1.pdf
Remember to 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. Our monthly HOA meetings are your venue for updates.
Sincerest thanks are extended to Cindy Samartino for her continual care and maintenance of the Sunshine Ranches entryways at both the Stirling/Flamingo and Hancock/Griffin main drives into our community.
Thank you, SRHOA members, for the gracious donation to the SWR Arts Board for further painting of the wall at Poliakoff Park (just behind the CVS). Our very own Laura Warren will continue her wonderful work on the panels.
We hope you enjoy this issue’s heartfelt tribute and collage dedicated to Vince Falletta, resident, pioneer, veteran, and founding member of the SRHOA.
As we approach the year’s end, we will plan another end-of-year meeting/holiday party at Equestrian Park. A soon as we decide on a date and time, we will let you all know.
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.
Mayor Breitkreuz’s next “Q & A with Mayor Breitkreuz,” will be on Wednesday, October 12th. The SWR Farmers’ Market is also running each Saturday at Green Meadows Sanctuary.
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.
As always be safe, be happy, and be loved.
Chris