Drawing the Green Line - environmentally friendly and practical proposals for the Tanglewood (entanglement) Park

A great interview with Hal Feldman on the MiamiHal Show - talking transportation and parks - especially the last-minute proposed Tanglewood Park, rapidly becoming known as Entanglement Park.

This proposed park has become quite controversial as of late.  This specific area was discussed as part of the resident-centric Parks Master Plan process that I led in 2007.  A rendering of the proposed park was discussed on the show (and posted below).  There was no interest and the proposal was not moved forward in 2017.  Residents adjacent to this property then began a process directed by Miami-Dade County to purchase this land.  And let's be clear - this process has occurred before including two properties on the west side of 77th Avenue, across from this proposed park.  Current village officials then woke up, saw that they were far behind in the process and spent $25,000 (without a procurement process) to hire experienced County lobbyists to intervene in the process in an attempt to wrest the land from the residents who had in fact followed the process. 

Here is the video from the show:

 

Here are the photos used in the interview:

Here are photos that did not make it to the show - Google Earth overview and 2 photos taken by me of a park Miami-Dade County created in the Falls area.

Thank you Hal!

Update - offending item finally removed. What is up with the eyesores? Is there a permit? This really sets a bad precedent for our parks.

2:30 PM Update.  The advertisement sunshade and hand scribbled advertisement have been removed. Thank you! 

It is my opinion that this demonstrates that the item never should have been allowed in the first place. Why was it allowed and why did it take this blog post and social media promotion to get it removed? This is an excellent illustration of the readership of this blog and social media. It is my opinion that a positive result was obtained for this village.  I ask FOSDU (friends of South Dade Updates) to continue to keep me up to date, such as the updated pictures and I will continue to advocate for government lite and a positive Palmetto Bay. Here are the 'after' photos taken sometime after 2:00 PM, Friday, 5/24/2019:

 

(Current park condition pictured above with the sunshade / tent removed). Who does not agree with me, that Coral Reef Park appears much nicer for this Holiday Weekend?

ORIGINAL POST:
The sunshade tent has been observed at the Southeast corner of Coral Reef Park for the last few days. Is this how our parks will be maintained? I am a proponent of uniform rules, that no one group gets treated any differently, so I wonder if this will be the new method of advertising activities in our parks - stand alone, unattended shades and hand scribbled signs. 

I have questions on this boot camp:

• Who is going to be providing this service? Are they insured/are we indemnified?
• Was it properly bid out? 
• Did our local boot camps have an opportunity to bid on this service? 
• Will this add revenue to our parks, taking the burden of non-users or is this more money collected from residents to flow out of our village boundaries?

We don't want to be Coral Gables, and these photos shows that Palmetto Bay will never be mistaken for "The City Beautiful", at least under this current administration. 

The 'new way' appears to have started at the beginning of 2019 with the unattended (and unpermitted) sheds left out front of Village Hall and now stored at Palmetto Bay Park for all to enjoy (CLICK HERE to view the 'Red Shed' related posts).

Street by street? Hardly. This is all a political game of distraction while no one is watching the big issues. 2019 has seen a mid budget year park user fee increase (increased fees/taxes), dodging code rewrites and increased employees and recurring expenses in the face of a reduction in revenue.

The term "bread and circuses" comes to mind - and the 'circus big top' appears to be standing in Coral Reef Park.

Let's hope that this unattended 10'x 10' advertisement comes down by Tuesday. I cannot find where this structure is permitted in our Village code, especially as it relates to Park Regulations.

Coral Reef, Palmetto Bay and Perrine Wayside Dog Park recognized as Florida-Friendly Landscapes.

3 of our Palmetto Bay Parks are recognized as Florida Friendly Landscapes.

The conservation and protection of Florida’s water resources starts at home. Homeowners’ landscaping choices can affect the health of ground and surface waters and the natural environment.

Congratulations to our Village of Parks. Coral Reef, Palmetto Bay and Perrine Wayside Dog Park were recognized as Florida-Friendly Landscapes on June 18, 2018. 

Thank you to our Parks staff for protecting Florida's environment and enhancing the community by successfully implementing Florida-Friendly Landscaping practices and maintenance at these parks. 

Here's a guide to how you can make your own yard a "Florida-friendly" environment: https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/homeowner.htm

A big "Thank You" and another "Job Well Done" to our Village Management and Staff.

The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Homeowner program educates homeowners about how to design, install, and maintain healthy landscapes that use a minimum of water, fertilizer, and pesticides. The result? Low-cost, low-maintenance, attractive landscapes that add value to your community and reduce the chance of polluting the water supply.

Councilman David Singer & Mayor Eugene Flinn, Coral Reef Park, 1-15-18

Parks are my passion. I was honored to be the 2016 recipient of the Charles H. Crandon Award from the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, "For outstanding effort by an elected official to increase park, recreation, and conservation open space opportunities for the residents and visitors of Miami-Dade." The award was presented at the Great Parks Summit back in April 0f 2016.