Lil Timmy's Gotcha today - June 29, 2014 - Photo of the Day

It’s Lil Timmy's very first Gotcha Day! He is Meredith's loyal canine companion, adopted from the Miami-Dade County Animal Services.  

 Support your local pet rescue group. There are many more animals looking for a home where they help improve your own life. Don't take it from me, check out WebMD - 5 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health.

Another unwanted visitor making its home in Miami-Dade County: Invasive tegu lizards could affect Florida’s environment

Invasive tegu lizards could affect Florida’s environment - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com

It's here and its not playing nice with our local wildlife. As reported in the Miami Herald, 6/27/14: Invasive tegu lizards could affect Florida’s environment, by Janey Fugate,  The exotic animal trade has once again brought a potential threat to Florida’s native species. Large, scaly and voracious, the black and white tegu lizards endanger the population of alligators, crocodiles and turtles with their hunger for eggs.

This evidence of their harmful activity was published as part of a new research study performed by a team of scientists from the University of Florida, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, published this month.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/27/4205438/invasive-tegu-lizards-could-affect.html#storylink=cpy

FWC officials have asked Florida residents to report sightings of tegus to the exotic species hotline at 888-483-4861 and, if possible, to take a photo.

What can you do?  Are you interested in assisting the FWC in locating these pests?  No one is suggesting that you should go out on a hunt (I have set a new goal – Certified Python Hunter. Let’s join in the Hunt! Palmetto Bay has recently offered up fertile ground for such a hunt), but here is how you can pass on what you observe if you happen to run into any (information taken from the official FWC web site). You never know as I ran into a non-native recently in City Place in West Palm Beach.

Reporting by phone : You can call the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IVE-GOT1 (888- 483-4681). The hotline is answered part-time by a live operator and has a voicemail system that will prompt you for information about your sighting and your contact information if the operator is unable to answer the call.

Reporting with a smart phone : The University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health has developed free smart phone apps for both iPhone and Android phones. These are available at the appropriate app store by searching for ivegot1.

Reporting online : You can use the web form at IveGot1.org External Website to report. The form will prompt you for the information and has a map where you can select the location if you do not have the GPS coordinates.  You will need to create a free account the first time you report a sighting online.

Sending photographs : If you have trouble attaching photos to the IveGot1 online form or smart phone apps, you can send them to ExoticReports@myfwc.com.

CLICK HERE to view the complete information regarding downloading the app or how to otherwise assist in the effort posted on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/27/4205438/invasive-tegu-lizards-could-affect.html#storylink=cpy

Are Palmetto Bay officials serious? No one can give out free food at the 4th of July event? Another textbook example of bad leadership

Not again.  Say it ain’t so! Have current village finances sunk to the point to where everything forward will be on a pay to attend set up? Let’s hope not.  This is not a good way to run event sponsorships or encourage participation. Apparently no one or business can supply free food at the upcoming village celebration. This is bad policy. Someone needs to issue an appropriate clarification regarding this developing situation.

 

The situation is contained in the following e-mail that I was copied on. This is not the first time that there has been an active dispute regarding sponsorship and participation in village events.  Now it appears that certain government officials want to pick and choose, or worse, control who participates in village events.  How do I sign up to get on this “approved list.” 

 

Here is the apparent dispute summarized in the e-mail (note that I have also attached the actual e-mail in the embedded .JPEGs, page one and two - click "Read more" below to view the actual e-mail in .JPEG format):

 

Subject:		Confirming our conversation
From:		dmsinger@bellsouth.net (dmsinger@bellsouth.net)
To:		esilva@palmettobay-fl.gov;
Cc:		pfiore@palmettobay-fl.gov; jdubois@palmettobay-fl.gov; sstanczyk@palmettobay-fl.gov; tschaffer@palmettobay-fl.gov; jlindsay@palmettobay-fl.gov; dmsinger@bellsouth.com; EVE9621@aol.com; eugeneflinn@bellsouth.net; mark.auerbacher@bipc.com; malexander@palmettobay-fl.gov; jim@eyeonpalmettobay.com; esilva@palmettobay-fl.gov; AUSBLA@aol.com; ddelsalle@palmettobay-fl.gov;
Bcc:
Date:		Friday, June 27, 2014 12:27 PM

To memorialize our conversations over that last couple of days, I would like to confirm the following information with you. If no response is received I will assume you are in agreement with my assessment and recollection of the events.

 As an partner in a restaurant I would like to give away free food at the Village’s 4^th of July celebration.

 You have made it perfectly clear that giving away food will be and is not acceptable to the Village of Palmetto Bay.

 You have refused to give me access to public land to give way free food to the residents of Palmetto Bay.

 You have refused to let me use third party land to set up a 10 by 10 foot tent and give out free food to residents.

 You have advised another resident who is running for district one that it is not acceptable to give out free bottled water during the 4^th of July celebration.

 You have required that I fill out a special event permit to have access to 3^rd party land, which you could not confirm any other vendors are being required to fill out for this event.

 You have asked and accepted free food from my restaurant for the Downtown Development Task Force without me filling out a special event permit form.

 You can not verify if the Village of Palmetto Bay has filled out a special event permit form for the 4^th of July celebration.

 You have threatened to have me fined, removed or arrested if I attempt to give out free food at the 4^th of July celebration.

 There will be no other vendors or residents giving away any free items.

 You have informed me you have gone out of your way to contact a 3^rd party landowner to restrict my assess to his property.

As such you have made it impossible for me to celebrate the 4^th of July by restricting my rights to free speech and assembly within the Village of Palmetto Bay on the anniversary of the Independence of our County.

Congratulations.

Seen at City Place - West Palm Beach - Photo of the Day

Even progress won't stop invasives. They adapt. I was at City Place in West Palm Beach yesterday (nearby for business), but I did drop my daughter off to shop and then we had lunch together after I completed by mediation.  An interesting sight: a Florida Non-Native - We spied what we believe to be a Green-Legged Curlytail at City Place sunning himself at noontime. It is interesting that we found this little guy as we failed to find was the 150 foot tall buildings, but more on that in a future post.

I will be making a serious report at a later date regarding City Place. This is one of the locations we toured at part of a sustainability tour I participated in during my service as Mayor.  This is one of the visions that the original council and all the members/participants of the original PBay downtown charrette. 

Everyone should look at what City Place has to offer. And please, show me 150 foot tall buildings anywhere in the actual City Place, because I'm not seeing them and don't know why that level of upzoning has ever been considered by the current DRTF (and now in serious denial/retreat by certain current elected officials).

Photo of the day - free mangos

This is not a political statement, but someone looking to serve the market and keep their yard free of fallen fruit.  Great for those morning walkers. The mangoes were gone within two hours - and this home is not located on a busy street. Very generous of these neighbors. 

Prices are not settled. I have seen prices from $1 each to a low of 4 for a single $1.

Happy Mango season!

Mango season 2014! Support your local backyard grower.

The 2014 Mango season has arrived!  Many Pinecrest, Palmetto / Cutler Bay and other South Dade residents consider it has begin with the sighting of the first mango stand opening within our neighborhood.  Area youth (and some resourceful adults)  will again face the fierce competition in Palmetto Bay, which I have observed to be the epicenter of youth run quality mango stands! 

WHERE TO SHOP: Try driving 152nd street, 82nd or 87th avenues most weekends in the next few weeks and it is usually hard not to find an open home mango seller.  The sales market is very competitive in the area and enterprising kids as well as some adults have their stands that have actually built seasonal consumer loyalty.

Regardless, get ready for fresh mango, mango salsa, mango smoothie, mango salad, mango fruitcake, mango chutney mango jam! Support your local grower and South Dade agriculture!

I think we all should be permitted an agricultural property tax exemption on our homes! Support your home agriculturalist, buy local area mangos!

RECIPES FOR MANGOS

Food dot com has a listing of mango recipes including Mango Pies and Tarts, Mango Canning, Mango Desserts, Salads, Smoothies; well, you get the idea. CLICK HERE to view the online article.

TECHNICAL READING FOR MANGOS

Have a tree not doing well, or just trying to improve the production? I recommend the following online article (click the title to read) Mango Growing in the Florida Home Landscape published by the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.

Have a happy and safe summer 2014

Just in case you were wondering, the astronomical summer (Northern Hemisphere) begins Saturday, June 21 at 6:51 A.M. and ends Friday, September 22.

View the Old Farmer’s Almanac online for more information: First Day of Summer: The Summer Solstice

Do you have any great plans for Summer 2014?  Look back.  For our kids, the memories are just waiting to happen.

FWC News Release: FWC combats lionfish invasion with fishery management changes

FWC News Release: FWC combats lionfish invasion with fishery management changes

Lionfish are an invasive species that have a negative impact on native wildlife and habitat.  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) made several changes that will help combat the lionfish invasion in Florida waters.  Click the link at top of this page to view the official web page press release for all details. 

The approved changes go into effect Aug. 1 and include:

• Prohibiting the importation of live lionfish;
• Allowing the harvest of lionfish when diving with a rebreather, a device that recycles air and allows divers to remain in the water for longer periods of time; and
• Allowing participants in approved tournaments and other organized events to spear lionfish or other invasive species in areas where spearfishing is not allowed. This will be done through a permitting system.

See or catch a lionfish? Reporta sighting by downloading the new Report Florida Lionfish app on a smart device or by visiting MyFWC.com/Fishing and clicking on “Recreational Regulations” (under “Saltwater”) and then “Lionfish.”

Sunday - June 15 - Happy Father's Day, 2014

I want to wish a very Happy Father’s Day this Sunday to all fathers and grandfathers and those who fill the role of Dad, who live, work, play, or raise their family here in and around our communities. 

Father’s Day is a day to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. A special Father’s Day wish goes out to the families who are separated due to military service, especially overseas 

“Fun Facts” relating to Father’s Day: 

The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

Father's Day is the fifth most popular card-sending holiday, with an estimated $100 million in card sales. Husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons and sons-in-law are honored as well as father.  

Neck ties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, are the number one gift for Father’s Day. 

Fun quote:   

Stanley T. Banks; Father of the Bride (1991):
You fathers will understand. You have a little girl. She looks up to you. You're her oracle. You're her hero. And then the day comes when she gets her first permanent wave and goes to her first real party, and from that day on, you're in a constant state of panic. 

Happy Father’s Day!

June 14th is Flag Day. Fly it with pride. Happy Flag Day 2014.

June 14 is officailly designated as “Flag Day.” June 14, 1777 is the date that Congress officially adopted our nation’s flag.

The U.S. flag has been modified 26 times since its adoption in 1777. Today's 50-star flag, created in 1960, has been in use the longest. Check out: Flag Day 2013: 9 things you never knew about the American Flag for interesting reading/facts sbout this day and the American Flag.

Also see Time and date .com - Flag Day in United States

Presidential Proclamation --Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2014 | The White House

Presidential Proclamation --Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2014 | The White House

 

FLAG DAY AND NATIONAL FLAG WEEK, 2014

- - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 

Over farmlands and town squares, atop skyscrapers and capitol buildings, the American flag soars. It reminds us of our history -- 13 colonies that rose up against an empire -- and celebrates the spirit of 50 proud States that form our Union today. On Flag Day and during National Flag Week, we pay tribute to the banner that weaves us together and waves above us all.

 

For more than two centuries, Americans have saluted Old Glory in times of trial and triumph. Generations have looked to it as they steeled their resolve, and an unbroken chain of men and women in uniform has served under our flag. From the banks of Baltimore's Inner Harbor to European trenches and Pacific islands, from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, they have risked their lives so we might live ours. When we lay our veterans to rest, many go draped with the stars and stripes upon them, and their families find solace in the folds of honor held tightly to their chest. Because of their sacrifice, our Nation is stronger, safer, and will always remain a shining beacon of freedom for the rest of the world.

 

With a familiar design that has evolved along with a growing Nation, our flag stitches the ideals for which America was born to the reality of our times. It reminds us that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges. As we prepare to meet the great tests of our age, let every American draw inspiration from this symbol of our past, our present, and our common dreams.

 

To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as "Flag Day" and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as "National Flag Week" and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2014, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 8, 2014, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Have a happy Friday the 13th!

Read on to see one writer’s explanation, Why Friday the 13th is known as a day of bad luck, by Jolie Lee, USA Today, posted Friday, June 13, 2014: Everyone knows Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day. But why does it have such a bad reputation?

 
Note that it is also a full moon!

Other recommended reading:

Rare spooky-sweet event: Full ‘Honey Moon’ coincides with Friday the13th, by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, The inside scoop on weather in the D.C. area and beyond

Today is the day! June 11 - Just One Day, a No Kill initiative where participating animal shelters nationwide take the pledge to not euthanize any savable animals.

Today, June 11th, is Just One Day, a No Kill initiative where participating animal shelters nationwide take the pledge to not euthanize any savable animals. Miami-Dade County Animal Services is a participating shelter. Animal Services is asking the community to help celebrate June 11, 2014 by taking advantage of waived adoption fees and rescue fees for all pets over four months old at the shelter located at 7401 NW 74th Street.

 

CLICK HERE to view the official Miami-Dade Animal Services page for full information.

 

CLICK HERE to read the complete coverage of this event in the Community Newspapers Miami. Adopters will save on the cost of adoption fees, but more importantly, they can save the life of shelter pet. Pet adoptions include spaying/neutering, age appropriate vaccinations and microchip. Adoption fees for dogs over 35 lbs. will continue to be waived until August 31, 2014.

Animal Services will also hold waived fee pet adoptions from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL.

Please share and let all family members and friends know about the wonderful opportunity to help save a life. Hundreds of dogs and cats are ready for adoption at Animal Services. For more information, visit animals.miamidade.gov

Update on America's Tall Ship Eagle - official public tour schedule for Miami

Thank you reader for providing a link to the press release from the US Coast Guard:

 

America's Tall Ship Eagle scheduled to visit Miami

Free tours offered June 14 - 16

Miami — The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, America’s Tall Ship, is scheduled to visit  Miami June 14 – June 16 as part of the crew's 2014 cadet summer training deployment, during which time the nation’s only active duty square-rigger will be open for public tours.

Public tours of the Eagle will be offered aboard the cutter, which will be moored at Museum Park pier in Miami, located at 1075 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132 at the following times and dates:
 ■Saturday, June 14 : 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
 ■Sunday , June 15: 1 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
 ■Monday, June 16: 1 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Tours are free to the public; however visitors will be responsible for local parking costs. 

Don't miss this opportunity to have a unique Father's Day weekend.

CLICK HERE to read the entire press release with additional information concering the Eagle and its tour.

A possible Father's Day destination? EYE ON MIAMI: The FEC Boat Slip in Bicentennial/Museum Park will...

EYE ON MIAMI: The FEC Boat Slip in Bicentennial/Museum Park will...: U.S. Coast Guard Tall Ship, Eagle, will be docked at the FEC slip that Beckham and investors want to fill in.

You can visit the ship after its arrival on June 14th at 10a.m. It Departs June 17th.

How about a family visit to this ship as part of Father's Day activities? You can demonstrate your support for local parks and enjoy a national treasure.

CLICK HERE to view official information regarding the 2014 Eagle Summer Training Schedule (official US Coast Guard Academy web site regarding Tall Ship Eagle).  The full tour is listed as well as interesting background information.

Photo of the day. Read this sign - or else!

As seen in Downtown Miami near the Arsht Center.

On this day in History - Early in the morning on June 6, 1944: D-Day.

Waves of allied soldiers landed at 5 beaches along the coast of Normandy, France.

This was the start of the liberation of Europe.  CLICK HERE to view History.com’s special on D-Day’s 70th anniversary, which takes a look back at the two American, one Canadian and two British landing points that kicked off the Allied invasion of Western Europe during World War II.

Utah Beach
Omaha Beach
Gold Beach
Juno Beach
Sword Beach

Thank you Eye On Miami - for the kind thoughts. Our family companion passes on.

Nancy from Eye On Miami felt our pain and posted a very nice tribute about Ginger, our family companion of 12 years: Saturday, May 31, 2014, The Flinn Dog Ginger Died Yesterday. By Geniusofdespair


Ginger was a very special dog who always stood by the family. She enjoyed starting her (our) day by venturingout and bringing in the morning newspaper. She was often the first who greeted me when I arrived home from the office or an event. I featured her in many past posts both on this blog and my Facebook page.

“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”
― Mark Twain

We are going to miss Ginger. Great dog. She was part of many great times at home in Palmetto Bay as well as traveling.  She enjoyed the Florida Keys and just hanging with us.