Margate Firefighter speaks highly of comrades
Besides the two Local 3080 bargaining unit personnel, he was the only firefighter attending fire union negotiations at City Hall last week. He drove from Lake Worth on his day off to support his union, he said, and when asked why this six-year Margate Firefighter (Firefighter X) commutes from Lake Worth to Margate to save lives, he said sure the pay and benefits are good, but more importantly in Margate “you know everyone you work with,” he said.
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42 Homeowners suing Paradise Gardens for Housing Fraud
In a 74-page lawsuit filed in Broward County District Court in April, 42 homeowners residing in the Paradise Gardens One Homeowners Association in Margate are suing their Board for Fraud, Familial Status Discrimination and 33 counts of Slander of Title for unlawfully perpetuating a 55 and older community.
Plaintiffs also seek Injunctive Relief against a 2006 revitalization they say is fraudulent. Plaintiffs' attorney said PG One submitted falsified documents to Florida's Department of Community Affairs, the state agency charged with approving community revitalizations.
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Illegal Immigration cost Margate households $678 a year each
The Florida Immigrant Coalition and the ACLU of Florida have publicly labeled Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigration as anti-American and anti-immigrant. American media has taken to ‘bleeding heart liberalism’ in reporting on new Arizona laws and the federal government says it doesn’t have the manpower or systems in place to detain or deport America’s estimated 13 million illegal immigrants.
So then, who is going to foot the bill for the $113 billion that illegal immigrants cost American taxpayers every year?
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Amber Leigh performing in Margate on July 4th
Despite the down economy and the costs associated with producing fireworks, Margate is sponsoring a “full-blown” July 4th celebration at Margate’s City Center the evening of America’s 234th birthday.
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Bulk Pickup is once a month in Margate, not once a week
It’s great living in a city that offers bulk pickup every month. That is unless your neighbors put their junk to the curb weeks before the pickup date.
As part of a 2009 deal with Waste Management, and the combined efforts of city officials and Margate resident Le Peerman, Margate now enjoys 12 bulk pickups a year, which could change if Margate residents abuse the privilege and make the city their own personal junkyard.
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Margate Resident asks for Police Protection
Margate resident John Gerundo said that bullying and drug dealing in his neighborhood is out of control. He said he and his friends are terrified to ride their bikes and that he came to city hall last week to let police know what’s going on.
"I want to let the city know we desperately need police surveillance in our neighborhood," Gerundo said.
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Reader Opinion.
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City gives Atlantic Palms another month to pay water bill
The 76-unit condominium complex off Atlantic Boulevard in Margate has been given a one-month extension to pay the city $19,000 in arrears owed for water. The city originally scheduled water shut-off for May, but concluded at a recent city meeting to continue service at the expense of taxpayers.
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East side Rock Island Road getting sidewalks
Margate city officials approved a motion last month to move forward with the Local Agency Program Agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation for the design and construction of a new sidewalk on the east side of Rock Island Road between Atlantic Boulevard and Royal Palm Boulevard.
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Margate Motorcyclist and Mom organizes fund raiser for Josie Lou Ratley
Biker and Margate mom Mary Becerra know what’s it’s like to shoulder the cost of health insurance for children, which is why she’s organized a benefit for Josie Lou Ratley and family at Mugshots Bar & Grill in Margate at 1047 N. State Road 7. The event, which takes place Thursday April 8 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., includes a raffle, silent auction, live music by Stone Mojo and eats. Bikers from all over the county are expected to attend.
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Do residential speed bumps in Margate save lives or impair emergency services?
President of Oriole Golf & Tennis Phase 1 Condominium Association, Richard Irwin, came before Margate City Commissioners last week requesting speed bumps be installed on select streets in his community. He said his Condominium Association will pay for the speed bumps and is seeking commission approval as soon as possible to slow speeding cars that threaten the well being of community seniors and children alike.
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Reader Opinion
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Time for Term Limits in Margate?
Unlike numerous other Broward cities, Margate has no set term limits for City Commissioners. Incumbents can run as many times as they like and, as long as they continue to win elections, they can spend decades representing Margate voters – as several current commissioners have.
Critics of term limits, mostly politicians, lobbyists and the special interests they represent, will tell you that the election process is the ultimate ‘term limit,’ in that taxpayers decide by majority vote who will and who won't be ‘termed out’ of office at election time.
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Post Office Almost Cancels Christmas
Using privacy concerns and high labor costs as a crutch, the U.S. Postal Service decided in November to stop answering letters addressed “Santa Claus, North Pole.” Members of Congress quickly intervened and the pseudo-government agency reversed its decision.
“We never wanted to spoil people’s Christmas,” an agency spokesman said. (NY Times)
Click here to read more.
Explore North Pole, Alaska on Google Earth.
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Hats off to the Red Shirts
You see them everywhere. D.E.E.S. and Public Works employees in red shirts maintaining and repairing all things that keep Margatonians safe and healthy. Sewers, water lines, medians, trees, roads, parks, pests and potholes – anywhere you go in Margate, you’re bound to run into a guy in a red shirt.
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Help Margate Clean up the Neighborhood
Due to the rising number of abandoned and foreclosed homes in the city, Margate Police are urging residents to report abandon and un-kept properties to the Neighborhood Policing Division at 954-972-1232.
Since the inception of the city’s abandon property ordinance, code compliance officers have identified almost 600 vacant or abandon properties in Margate and believe many more exist.
Click here to read more.
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Get Married for Free!
At a time when money problems are the number cause of divorce, it doesn’t have to be that way for weddings. Margate residents can get married at City Hall by none other than the Margate City Clerk, Leslie Wallace May, at no charge. Out-of-towners pay $10.
Click here to read more.
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Turning Margate into a Certified Wildlife Habitat™
Margate Resident, Ted Allman, has decided to take his yard to the next level. He’s joined thousands of wildlife enthusiasts across America creating a habitat for neighborhood wildlife in their very own yards.
Click here to read more.
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Palm Lakes condominium begs city to cut grass
What used to be a 16-acre nine-hole golf course in the back yard of the Palm Lakes Condominiums just west of the Publix on Atlantic Boulevard is unusable in many respects. The property is plagued with arsenic, the weeds are a foot high and the current owner refuses to maintain it.
“I’m really coming to beg, borrow and steal,” said Palm Lakes representative, Judy McKeone. “I need to bring some answers back to the people [residents].”
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Vicious Dogs: Who owns them and why?
Florida Headlines in 2009 read:
6-Year Old Girl Recovering After Pit Bull Attack
Baby Boy Hospitalized After Family Dog Attack
Fort Lauderdale man pries open jaws of dog attacking little girl
Pit bull attacks 5-year-old boy
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Making 'cents' of the proposed FPL Rate Hike
Florida, Power & Light (FP&L) is one of five investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in Florida. IOUs are state-regulated monopolies that exist to make a profit for their stockholders while serving the public. Similar to any other publicly traded company, FP&L raises operating capital through stock sales, taxable bonds and operating revenues.
Of the five IOUs that serve Florida, FP&L is the largest, serving approximately 4.2 million customers, or roughly 62 percent of customers served by the five IOUs.
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Group Home in Margate Fails Inspection
Just days before 73-year-old Alzheimer’s resident, Anna Smith, went missing on June 13 from the Embassy Retirement Home in Margate, the assisted living facility failed its biennial inspection by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA).
Embassy Retirement Home is one of several group homes in Margate licensed by AHCA. Every two years, Embassy undergoes an audit of resident and staff records and reports, staff standards and emergency management procedures in order to qualify for re-licensure.
This year, the home failed to meet re-licensure criteria and has until July 3, 2009 to make corrections.
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Group Homes in Margate
A move by Florida lawmakers to disband large, understaffed and under-qualified assisted living facilities in Florida has resulted in group care facilities popping up in single-family neighborhoods across the state.
Although one could hardly argue that mentally-challenged citizens, the disabled and elderly, and those recovering from alcohol and drug addiction deserve access to quality residential living...
Click here to read more. Article updated on June 8, 2009. See updated paragraph in italics.
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Margate Jobless & Foreclosures
South Florida’s ten percent jobless rate and the fact that one in every 254 homes in Broward faces foreclosure mean little to the average Margatonian. Most Margate homeowners still have their jobs and their homes and our city continues to move forward fixing roads, promoting community redevelopment and attracting small business.
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