SRHA General Meeting Minutes June 29, 2022
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.