Meet our new officers

President
Greetings!  My name is Craig Canning and I am the new president of the LICIA Association. A short bio…Born in Dobbs Ferry, NY in 1951. Attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio sporadically for 6 years and worked odd jobs sporadically while I was there. Migrated to Tucson for a while but was not able to adapt to dirt and cacti. Moved to Florida in 1976 and to 3404 SW 25th street 12 years ago. I've worked for the City of Ft. Lauderdale for 20 years and am currently the manager of their 2 water plants (Peele Dixie on 441 is one of them). I went back to school to get an undergraduate and graduate degree in Public Administration, which I enjoyed very much. I've been married to my lovely wife Nene for almost 4 years and have a terrific 15 month old granddaughter Sara Rose. I enjoy thinking about religion and golf and I collect small amounts of art, hand-painted dinnerware and depression glass. I hope to do a really good job for everyone during my tenure and pray that our neighborhood will always be a great place to live. See you at the general meeting Thursday, February 15th at 7:30 PM.

Vice President
My name is Jennifer O'Brien and it is my pleasure to serve on the LICIA Board of Directors as Vice-President this year.  My husband Chris and I live at 2347 Gulfstream Lane and are relative newcomers to the Isles. I was originally born and raised in Santa Monica, California. In 1989 I moved to Ottawa, Canada where I met and married my husband.  Chris and I said goodbye to dead car batteries and snow shovels in 1996 and moved to Fort Lauderdale where Chris started O'Brien Marine Service, Inc. and I became a legal secretary at a downtown law firm.  Although we are new to the neighborhood, the neighborhood is not new to us.  It was a first home for both of us and we spent three long years trying to find both an area and a house that fulfilled our wish list. We looked many places but seemed to return again and again to Lauderdale Isles, cruising up and down these lanes so often, that in retrospect, many of you probably thought we were casing the place.  In October 1999 we officially became residents.  Our instincts about what a terrific place Lauderdale Isles would be to start our family were confirmed for us even before we closed on the property.  When we arrived for our final walk through, the real estate agent for the seller said that, if we were interested, the neighbors across the street were having a party and they would love to meet us.  Well, not only do Midge and Terry Simonds throw a great party but, thanks to them, we got to meet many of our neighbors before even a single piece of furniture had been moved!  This sense of community and pride in our neighborhood is, what I believe sets us apart from other areas of Broward County.  In the next year it will be especially important that we keep this in mind.  With the Annexation issue virtually at our doorsteps it is absolutely imperative that we come together as a community and discuss our options.  There will be many concerns about possible changes to our special corner of the earth and many points upon which to negotiate.  The LICIA is full of people who want nothing more than to do what is best for our community.  If they don't hear from you how will they know what you want? The only way to ensure that your questions will be answered and your opinion will be heard is to come to the meetings (even if you've never been - I went to my first meeting in November 2000!  If you can't come to the meetings be sure to check out the website, add your name to the e-mail list or just pick up a phone and call us.  We have to do whatever it takes to keep this place as wonderful as it already is. I hope to see you at the General Meeting February 15, 7:30 P.M.

What a Meeting - the latest on the annexation contest
by Craig Canning

Well, if I wasn't there last night I would never have believed it took place At 2 P.M.Thursday, February 1st  the Broward Delegation on Annexation received a fax from the Town of Davie stating that they are interested in annexing our area. After much discussion, several phone calls and 2 votes (the first vote was negative), the Delegation gave the town of Davie until Friday February 2nd at 5:00 P.M. to get a consensus from the Davie Town Counsel that they are indeed interested in the Riverland area. They must contact the Executive Director of the Delegation (Sandy Harris) with a yes or no and then the delegation must advertise Davie's intentions for 30 days. In order to make this "legal" the advertising must begin this Sunday February 4th.. Very strange and a little complicated. As of today we don't know if Davie is really interested in our area and we won't know if they legally will be able to be included on the ballot until next week. Several of us spoke to have the election take place in March of 2002 instead of November 2002 but the delegation did not move on this issue. As a community we have welcomed the idea of multiple cities on any annexation ballot, but this is truly 11th hour stuff (it was actually 11:00 P.M.!!)

Please check our web site http://www.licia.org for all the latest information on annexation. Dania Beach will be giving a presentation at a special general meeting on April 19th while Ft. Lauderdale will be presenting at our regular May 17th meeting. I hope to see everyone there!

Davie bows out!!
I  arrived at Mills Pond Park about 3:15 P.M. Sunday afternoon February 4th  and was able to locate Sandy Harris, the President of the Broward Delegation. She was with an aide to Senator Wasserman-Shulz, the senator from Davie. She said that the town of Davie was not interested in being put on any ballot relating to annexing the Riverland area in 2002, the town was not ready.

So... as of Sunday afternoon Davie is out, Dania Beach and Ft. Lauderdale are in.

I am including the e-mail addresses of our two state representatives who sit on the annexation delegation. Please write them to let them know how you feel...... Thanks!!

Senator Sanderson:   sanderson.debby.web@leg.state.fl.us

Representative Seiler:  seiler.jack@leg.state.fl.us

Mandatory Water conservation
by Elaine Peterick

In case you’re like me, I was ignorant of the many rules regulating water use that are now in affect, until a neighbor kindly informed me.

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) announced the elevation of the current water shortage emergency from moderate to severe, and mandatory Phase II water use restrictions became effective on January 17, 2001.  These restrictions apply to well water, canal or lake water, and municipal water.  For complete details, call 800-662-8876 or visit one of several websites:  www.sfwmd.gov ; www.co.broward.fl.us ; or www.licia.org 

Some of the rules for households are as follows:

¨    Odd addresses are allowed to irrigate lawns from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Wednesday and Saturday.

¨    Even addresses are allowed to irrigate lawns from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Thursday and Sunday.

¨    Low volume hand watering with shut-off nozzle is allowed 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. same days.

¨    New landscape (planted less than 30 days) watering is allowed 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Mon, Wed, Thurs, and Fri.

¨    Drip, trickle, and microjet systems that apply water to the root zone are exempt from water use restrictions.

¨    Car washing is allowed 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on landscape watering days; must use automatic     shut-off nozzle; the water must drain to a pervious surface.

¨    Rinsing and flushing a boat after saltwater use is allowed once a day for 15 minutes.

¨    Filling swimming pools is allowed if pool is not leaking more than one inch of water a day.

¨    Washing or rinsing sidewalks, driveways, or other impervious surfaces is NOT allowed.

One Way to Save Water
by Terry Simonds

We have been asked to conserve water. We are restricted to watering our lawn to two days a week. We can’t wash our car whenever we want. But almost everyone here in the Isles is throwing away hundreds of gallons of water every week, water that can be recycled. I'm talking about the water pumped out of our washing machines every time we do a load of laundry. (I’m not going to calculate how much this can be—you do the math.) It’s called gray water and it makes a fantastic fertilizer!

I re-plumbed the output from our washing machine so that instead of all of the water going down the drain it can be diverted to a container outside, later to be dipped out and used to water the plants in the garden. It may seem like a lot of effort for a little water, but, as the TV commercial says, “...if we all do a little we can do a lot.” For those of us on septic systems, this is a very effective way to prolong the life of your system. That can’t be all bad!

We almost lost Bailey
by Ollie Kollmann

Bailey is a neighbor’s 16 year old German Shepherd herd. Their yard men had left the back gate open and Bailey wandered out onto the dock and fell in. Unable to get back on the dock he started swimming up the canal. Now Bailey at 16 gets exhausted just navigating his back yard plus he has never been able to swim but that day he swam and swam desperately looking for a spot where he could climb out onto dry land. He was totally exhausted when he was spotted by a friend of ours who was just getting ready to pull her boat away from our dock. We dragged his shivering and exhausted body upon the dock. Bailey was saved.

Luckily it wasn’t Bailey’s time to move on to that big kennel in the sky, but he was one of the lucky few. Since we have lived here, we have seen three dogs drown in our canal and I have no idea how many others might have drowned in our area through the years. Every time we take our boat out we see dogs running up and down on their docks barking at the passing boats. How many of those fall in and if no one sees them, how can they get out? Do you have any ideas on how homeowners can make their docks safe for their pets. If so email them or deliver them to me (address on back) and I’ll print them.

Yard Yarns - Butterfly gardening
by Elaine Peterick

Since I want to talk about butterfly gardening, I will feature some of my  favorite, hardy plants that require minimal water, attract butterflies, and add color to your yard. Many of these plants are good choices for xeriscaping, and now is a good time to phase  drought-resistant plants into your landscaping. Did you know that nearly 50% of water usage by the average household is used for turfgrass?

Getting back to butterflies.  First, let me explain that butterflies need two types of plants: host plants on which to lay eggs and provide food for the caterpillars; and nectar plants from which adult butterflies obtain the sugary nourishment they need to survive and to fly. 

I have several favorite trees and shrubs that provide butterfly nectar.  First, our threatened citrus trees attract a variety of butterflies.  Next, the Firebush, which is a Florida native, has orange flowers that attract Sulphurs and Zebras.  An additional benefit is that pollinated flowers produce berries that attract birds.  For a lovely effect, I planted a Firebush near an old orange tree and used orange Heliconia between them. 

Another favorite is the Bottlebrush tree which has conspicuous, reddish, bristle-like flowers that attract many types of butterflies when in bloom. 

Jatropha is a small ornamental tree with lovely red blossoms most of the year.  It is dramatic enough to stand alone, or it can be used as an accent in a border. Ixora and Dwarf Poinciana are also good nectar sources. 

However, my favorite perennials for butterfly nectar are Pentas (the pink and red colors are best), Lantanas, and Golden Dewdrop. 

Most butterflies utilize only one plant species as a host - that's because caterpillars are finicky eaters. For example, Zebra Longwing and the Julia species prefer Passion-Flower vines. Giant Swallowtail butterflies like citrus trees and Wild-lime.  Cassia trees are host to several Sulphur species and the Sleepy Orange.  Likewise, Oaks such as Live Oaks are host to the White-M Hairstreak and the Horace's Dusky Wing; and Strangler Figs host the Ruddy Daggerwing.  If you like fresh herbs, plant parsley, fennel, and dill to entice Black Swallowtails, or grow some carrots.  I am particularly fond of the vibrant blue flowers of the Plumbago, which the delicate Cassius Blue uses for dinner.  The blue blossoms look lovely against its tangle of green vegetation that I let grow wild along a section of chain link fence. And if you want to encourage the regal Monarch, just plant some Milkweed in an obscure area. Some showy, less tolerant butterfly plants include Allamanda, Pink Mandevilla (which didn't grow in my yard), Bleeding Hearts, and Chenille.  You probably have other favorite butterfly plants, and if you are willing to share your knowledge, I'll try to include it next time. In addition, I have lists of butterfly plants that were provided by: Butterfly World, Broward County Parks and Recreation Division, and local butterfly organizations. If you would like a copy of them, just call Elaine at 797-7019.  Happy gardening!

Joan Sheridan will be the Site Coordinator again for our neighborhood at the Lauderdale Isles Yacht and Tennis Club. We need volunteers and boats to make this event a big success, so please call Joan at 581-0816 and offer your assistance. All participants will receive a free T-shirt (while supplies last), garbage bags, and a free bottle of boat wash (for boat owners). Volunteers are invited to celebrate their efforts at the "Trash Bash" from 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M., immediately following the Cleanup.  MIASF will announce the Trash Bash location soon. There will be complimentary lunch, refreshments, entertainment and chances to win door prizes.

Volunteers needed
This is your chance to join other volunteers in the Waterway Cleanup effort to make our community a more beautiful place to live. The cleanup is not only good for our environment; it's a fun event for the whole family to enjoy. If you have a boat, or plan to help out on shore, participating is easy. All you have to do is volunteer and show up. Community service vouchers will be given to all volunteers that need them for the hours they work. Please wear old clothes and sneakers. No one will be allowed to work if they are barefoot. It would be a good idea to put on sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun. If you have gloves or old nets, please bring them. Together we can make a difference!

SEE YOU SATURDAY, MARCH 31st.

Santa's tour of the Isles on Sunday December 17th was a lot of fun for the LIYTC Board of Governors as they helped Santa and his elves throw out candy canes & dog biscuits from the deck of the "Dry Martini" to the residents of Lauderdale Isles.  Thank You to Conley Smith for his remarkable seamanship in maneuvering the "Dry Martini" through the Isles for the 27th year!   Thanks to Santa who for the 10th year took his place on the bow and led the tour! We all enjoyed a delicious buffet at the club later thanks to Jane & Steve Hall.

New Year's Eve Party
The  year 2000 was ushered out and 2001 rung in by 68 revelers!  Everyone enjoyed the Hors d'oeuvres, champagne, entertainment, dancing, door prizes and fireworks!  We ate and danced until after 2 A.M. It was a great New Years Eve at the Club! A special thanks to Les Gore for his generous donations to the New Years Eve door prizes.

Upcoming Events
Sunday, February 18th is the Fleet Review where you meet the new board members and they tell you their plans for the following year Thursday, February 22nd at 6 P.M. is Art Koenig's "I'm Outtalk Here" retirement celebration Saturday, March 3rd is the Commodore's Ball with a fabulous menu, a great band, silent auction and door prizes!  Tickets available soon. This is going to be a great party - please invite your friends!  Tickets are $20 per person. (adults only) Saturday, March 17th is St. Patrick's Day.

Several of us attended and spoke at the January 31st marathon land grabbers hearing(6P.M. to nearly 12 A.M).. It was held at BCC North in Coconut Creek.  The Riverland area was 13th and last on a long agenda. 

The delegation was spurred on by land grabbers from Dania, Ft. Lauderdale and possibly Davie.  As a result, a bill was filed to force the Riverland area residents to select one of the above cities in 2002 with a forced in date of  2003.  Embracing a very narrow interpretation of the democratic process, legislators refused to leave the option of remaining unincorporated on the ballot.  However they did channel Dania's gotcha mentality into a more acceptable, though far from ideal channel. Their bill would allow our residents to select the city they are to be forced into.  Rep. Ryan from Dania was concerned about provisions if the vote was very close.

Several legislators including the delegation chairwoman lost their cool when addressing speakers.  One legislator spilled the beans. Despite the fact that we have been told constantly since the first annexation hearing that officials don't want to force anyone to be annexed. Senator Geller said he didn't care if people didn't like forced annexation, he's more concerned about the piecemeal annexation process and the passing over of some areas. Lobbyists kept pointing out how county taxes were going up as if the cities were taxpayer heaven. Therefore, their city should be allowed to grab the unincorporated area they want to protect its taxpayers.  They didn't mention how much the taxes, fees etc. were going up in their cities.

On Friday, February 2nd, I called every administrator in Davie to try and find out if Davie officials had changed their minds and were trying to snag us too. No one knew anything. and I was referred to the state legislative delegation office. I repeatedly got voice mail. I tried calling legislators that represent us. No one there knew anything either. I'll try again Monday.  Legislators wanted something in writing by Friday(2-2-01) at 5.  Most of the Isles speakers emphasized since they had been steamrollered into annexation it was only fair that they be forced into the city of their choice.  The legislators that represent our district agree as long as our choices are limited  to contiguous cities only. The matter still has to be passed by the full legislature before it becomes law.  If you have concerns about being grabbed by a city and not being given  the choices you would like, contact legislators in Tallahassee and let them know how you feel.

I've lived in Lauderdale Isles for 16 years.  Being in unincorporated Broward County has been fine. Our services have been for the most part adequate and our taxes and municipal services fees (effectively more taxes), until recently, have been less than what people pay in the various incorporated cities. But now we have or are rapidly approaching the reverse situation, and we're being warned by Broward County's State Senators and Representatives that the entire county will be incorporated and if we happen to be one of the last areas to be annexed, we'll be paying a lot more.

Plus the Broward County Commission has set a goal of 2010 in which to have all unincorporated areas annexed into cities.  This is a policy which the Broward Legislative Delegation is now carrying out.  Inevitably, we will be annexed. The annexation battle will go on.  It's all a matter of "where do we end up?"

We aren't going to remain unincorporated.  And we aren't going to form our own municipality. And if we don't do anything except fight to remain unincorporated, we will pay more than city residents pay in taxes and fees, and eventually we will be forced into a city on whatever terms our Legislative Delegation decides.

So, which will it be?  Dania Beach? Davie? Plantation? Or Fort Lauderdale? There is no question in my mind that Fort Lauderdale is the only logical choice. I truly believe they will treat us right and that we will work out a good deal with them. It won't hurt to listen to the other cities, but I will be pushing for Fort Lauderdale. I think it's best for our neighborhood, and I'm looking forward to it. Note: Randy Dunlap and I are spearheading a campaign to support annexation of Lauderdale Isles by Fort Lauderdale. Please stay tuned.

Annexation Quiz
1.         The name of which city is in your mailing address?
2.         What city do you drive through to leave Lauderdale Isles, whether you drive West, East or North?
3.         If you take a boat down the river, which city do you go through?
4.         Who do you pay your water bill to?
5.         If someone from "out of town" asks you where you live, what is your response?
6.         What city is the only logical city to be annexed into?

 If you answered Fort Lauderdale to all six questions, not only are you correct, but you are wise.

They gathered the material facts about costs and our choices. They reported back to our community with sufficient information to make an informed decision. A straw poll was mailed to all Lauderdale Isles residents by the City of Fort Lauderdale and 215 of the straw poll surveys were returned. Their results were: 78 people (36.3%) voted "Yes", 24 people (11%) voted "Not at this time", 55 people (25.5%) voted "Remain Unincorporated", and 47 people (21.8%) voted "Insufficient Info.".

We had all the facts we needed and a preferred choice was obvious. So what went wrong? Our community could have negotiated a "best offer deal" with the City of Ft. Lauderdale and submitted an annexation bill to the Legislative Delegation. If we had taken the necessary steps four years ago, Lauderdale Isles would be a part of the City Fort Lauderdale today. More importantly, our community would not be at risk of being shoved against our will into a city not of our choice. Some Lauderdale Isles residents stood firmly opposed to annexation and others were led to believe that we could avoid annexation altogether. Now that we've had a "wake up call" thanks to the City of Dania, we can clearly see the Legislative Delegation's intent to herd us all into some city without much choice. Now it is clear that clinging to the "remaining unincorporated" concept has backfired. We are the unfortunate victims of a tax "tug of war" between The City of Dania Beach, The City of Fort Lauderdale, (possibly Davie) and our neighboring voters that out number us at the voting polls.

Why bring up the past? Because it would be senseless to repeat mistakes we've already made.

Also, some of our new neighbors are just catching up on our history. The efforts spent fighting off annexation and clanking the anti-annexation bell have not only been a total waste of time, they have harmed our community. Now we are at risk of ending up in a city we don't want. Annexation was the cost savings brainchild of the Broward County Commission. Why fight the Broward County Commission? The Broward County Commission created the Ad Hoc Committee on Annexation Policy for the specific purpose of implementing a process to annex all unincorporated areas. That is exactly what the Broward County Commission intends to accomplish. Is there anyone in Lauderdale Isles that has too much recreational time? Does anyone feel the need to fight a political cause with absolutely no chance of winning? Volunteers? I didn't think so.

Now the City of Dania Beach (and possibly Davie) is grabbing for our tax dollars and they may succeed. Lauderdale Isles and the residential areas to our east are all in voting district 40Z (see map). Voting district 40Z is mostly waterfront community and as neighbors we have the waterfront lifestyle in common. The City of Dania Beach annexation bill, as amended, presents our voters with the choice of City A or City B, (and maybe City C) all lumped together at the voting polls with districts 38Z, 39Z, and 40Z.  We may get shoved into a city by the majority vote of our neighbors to our north in voting precincts 38Z and 39Z (see map). Since district 40Z is a unique waterfront community, our civic association has asked to be treated as a single voting district (40Z alone) but on January 19, 2001 the Legislative Delegation rejected our request.  

Looking to the future, we must have a solid voting strategy. If we are forced to vote along with 38Z and 39Z, then we need to make sure that every eligible resident of Lauderdale Isles is registered and casts their ballot. No dangling or hanging chads, Please!

The City of Fort Lauderdale Public Services      Dept. is replacing 14,400 feet of water mains in Lauderdale Isles. The project began in mid October on Whale Harbor Lane and is slated to be completed in 7-1/2 months. As of 1/29/01 the project is on schedule. The City has contracted with Miami-based GSE Construction Co. to do the work. This phase of the project will stop at Gulfstream Lane. Beginning in early 2002 phase II of the project will commence at Duck Key and move east to SW 27th Terrace. Water mains were replaced on Flamingo Lane several years ago.

As of the first of February, here is the construction schedule (subject to change, I'm sure):

1. Contractor replaces the eight-inch service line on each Isle (Whale Harbor to Gulfstream) and installs new fire hydrants.

2. Contractor retreats back to Tortugas to begin trenching for the laterals (the connection from your meter to the service line), not Whale Harbor, for there is some work yet to be done on the latter. They will proceed east to Gulfstream doing the same. The laterals will not be immediately connected to your meter, however. First, a vertical pipe will be installed in the lateral somewhere near your meter, but between the meter and the street. The new main will then be flushed (see below), as will the laterals, to make sure all dirt and debris is removed from the pipes. Pressure testing will come next, and leaks will be repaired. Then the system will be chlorinated to remove bacteria and other nasty critters that may have managed to get into the pipes. Finally, the vertical pipe that has been sticking out of your yard to allow flushing of the system will be removed and the lateral will be connected to your meter. One last pressure test will be made to make sure the connection from the lateral to your meter is secure and then the trench from the new water main to your meter will be backfilled.

3. After installing the laterals, the contractor will restore any landscaping that was damaged and repair any surface that was damaged. They will then put a temporary asphalt patch on all trenches across the street.

4. After the water main replacement is completed, DOT will resurface our streets.

5. Somewhere in the process, the city will be installing all new water meters. This will not entail any trenching and will be performed at any time during the construction phase. They will read your old meter, install a new one (which is set to 00000 or will be read at the time of installation), and then flush the service line between the new meter and your house.

As you can see, the construction work is being done in several distinct phases. The City contractor is not responsible for completely restoring our streets. The schedule for DOT to repave is not yet available.

Should you encounter any problems with the construction, listed here are the names and numbers of those in charge and responsible for various phases of the work.

The construction foreman (George) has a cell phone (305) 970-1990 and is supposed to be on the job site at all times. He should be the first call.

If you are not satisfied with his response to your concerns call the City inspector on the job Chuck Noble, cell phone 683-0691.

If still not satisfied call the City engineer responsible for the project Karim Rahmankhah, cell phone 492-0339.

Flushing
We have been advised by the city that flushing of the system, originally scheduled to take place between 7P.M. and 7 A.M. will be done between midnight and 7A.M. The reason for this is that the pressure in the system has been reduced by the water company because of the water-shortage situation. During flushing of the mains, the pressure will drop dramatically, leaving practically no water pressure in our homes. When not flushing, system pressure should return to a somewhat normal, yet reduced, level. The contractor will make every effort to keep noise to a minimum during this process. Trenching, backfilling, and other noisy operations will not be conducted at night, but will take place during normal work hours.

State statute requires the contractor, water department, and the fire department to coordinate their water-pressure requirements so that fire protection here in the Isles will not be compromised at any time.

Water Quality
Be advised that our water may appear cloudy at times. This is because of sediments having been knocked off the inside of the old water mains along Riverland Road, which are not being replaced at this time, from the large volume of water used during the flushing phases. Always check your water before starting a load of laundry to avoid staining the fabric. In addition, be prepared to replace any water filters you may have in your home, for they will be trapping quite a lot of sediment in the next few months.

The City of Ft. Lauderdale wants this project to move forward without any problems. If you have any concerns or are not happy with the construction, do not hesitate to call those responsible for making this happen.

Annexation is on everyone's minds these days, and things are changing day by day. How can we keep up with what's happening out there?

That's easy! Subscribe to the Newsletter-EXTRA! e-mail list. This list is maintained by your civic-association secretary in a secure fashion and is not shared with anyone. Containing almost    names, the list has proven to be an effective and efficient way to disseminate information to our neighborhood.

To add your name to the list, visit our website at  www.licia.org,  click on any "Contact Us" link, and fill out the form. That's all it takes.

Stay informed! This is a very important issue and we must all understand the issues at stake in order to make the best decisions.

Last November 7 of 1,185 voters in the Lauderdale Isles precinct  40z, 64.14% made it to the ballot box com   pared to 66.23%  countywide.  Below is a chart showing how 40Z voted in comparison to the county.