City of Plantation Elected Officials Disconnected & Corrupt
City of Plantation City Council Disconnect
There is a serious disconnect between the elected officials of the City of Plantation and the residents they are supposed to represent. During the June 27, 2018 City Council meeting, residents of the Park East community attended and got up to speak their disapproval about the 311 North State Road 7, Wood Stone Plantation project. Wood Stone Plantation is a LLC for Parkstone Capitol who acquired the property seized through foreclosure in 2016. Disapproval of this project brought many long-term Plantation Park East residents to the City Council meeting for the first time. The City Council Members made it very apparent they cater to a developer and not the residents.
Agenda
Two items were on the agenda for this project:
14: Request for the assignment of LAC Units for 311 N State Road 7. Property located at 311 & 339 N State Road 7 and zoned SPI-2 (Healthcare Services) PP17-0045:
15: “Request to approve site plan, elevation, and landscape plan for 311 N SR 7. Property located at 311 & 339 N State Road 7. PP17-0045”:
Passed On First Reading
Maybe, just maybe, the City Council could have postponed the vote and ask Wood Stone Plantation to speak to the residents. They knew the residents were against the project and rushed the approval. Attending City Council Meetings for major projects concerning Plantation Park East multiple times, I have never seen one, with the amount of zoning and landscaping variances, be passed on the first reading.
Resident Letter
As a result of this vote, it motivated a resident to mobilize the residents to not be discouraged and to remonstrate with the elected officials and Wood Stone Plantation. In a letter left at my front door.
Impact Fees
Believe the corruption comes from the impact fees the City of Plantation will receive for the project. For each unit, the City of Plantation will receive $1,939.36! Total of $480,961.28! With no designation of what those fees will be used for! With the budget coming up and election in the horizon these fees will be going into the general fund instead of investing in the community. In the PDF from the Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Wood Stone Plantation Project Memorandum (Link Above) dictates the developer additionally pay for and upgrades or modifications to the water and waste systems.
“Those People”
At the January 14, 2016 City of Plantation City Council Meeting, Bob Levy was a City of Plantation Council Member. When Christopher Longsworth, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, INVESCA Development Group’s, Strata at Plantation project came up for consideration a few members of the community objected, Mr. Levy respected the residents and did not allow a vote on the project until the residents issues were at least heard and addressed.
The City of Plantation City Council has been biased in their foresight of the Park East community. From their numerous references from Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic and City Council Members of “those people” when referring to the community, to the Planning, Zoning & Economic Development board allowing a habitual offender of the City of Plantation Ordinances be allowed to be protected from being fined for well over a year before this resident had to show up at every city meeting City of Plantation City Council, Plantation Gateway Development District Advisory Board and Special Magistrate meeting since May 9th to today’s posting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I can only come to the conclusion that the corruption within the City of Plantation is rampant. The ability for a developer to have the Building Director tell the Landscaping Division not to bring violations to the Special Magistrate for a hearing for a year and a half is corrupt and could have continued if I had a resident not spent his own time to force the City of Plantation to do their jobs! For the City Council to allow a New York developer Wood Stone Plantation, Parkstone Capitol to have LAC units and every variance on first reading can only be corruption.
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