Transparency? From the current Mayor and Council? Troubling - see the email I received today (Wed., 3-5-2025) from the Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance (PBNA)

I am posting an e-blast I received this morning from the PBNA.  Always an interesting read. As disclosed in the email, "The opinions expressed are those of Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance based on information we believe to be accurate." - note that the "we" refers to the PBNA.

CLICK HERE to view the online version of this e-mail blast.

PBNA Mission Statement Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance is an organization of Palmetto Bay Residents who are actively involved in our community. Their objectives are: Maintaining and improving the quality of life in Palmetto Bay; Keeping the community informed on important issues; and Encouraging residents’ active involvement in their government.

It's Time for Answers

Dear Neighbors, Our Mayor and her two sidekicks don't want you to know what's really happening in our village. Monday night, we learned of this new administration's new playbook, which is to hide bad news, make up fake problems to distract you, and shut down anyone who asks tough questions. They don't work for you. They rule over you. While you live in the real Palmetto Bay with rising taxes and traffic concerns, they're running a make-believe village where everything is perfect and they don't have to answer to you. It's time to speak up. Below is what they don't want you to know. The $200,000 Secret No One Was Supposed to Discover We are shocked to learn that the Village secretly hired lobbyist Jorge Luis Lopez, a hired gun, to fight against our own residents who are trying to buy land from Miami-Dade County. The Village recently spent over $70,000 on lobbying, on top of $130,000 previously spent that only came to light when the Vice Mayor exposed it. That's more than $200,000 of your money weaponized against your neighbors! No one on the Council voted for this. The contract was marked "confidential," and the village paid this firm to "watch opposition," meaning watch you and your neighbors. When asked why, they claimed it was "legal work" not needing Council approval, even though the manager himself called it a "lobbying contract" during the meeting. What an interesting way to hide this dirty work the village engaged in. Does this look like "legal work" to you?

We are deeply troubled to learn this and hope the village will provide residents with a full account of the lobbying work done to fight our own residents. Meanwhile, if you look at Councilman Cody's campaign finance reports, you will find a nice $1,000 check from the very same lobbyist, Jorge Luis Lopez. Mr. Cody claims that he returned the money "within minutes," but it is very interesting that Cody's own report shows that he spent $2,000 more than what he had received. How is that possible without some dark money? We deserve the receipts! Surprise! Council Members Are Getting $400 Car Allowances Your money is about to go into your council members' pockets. $400 each month for their cars, that's $24,000 total from your tax dollars. Did anyone ask you if this was OK? No. Did they announce this plan at a public meeting? No. Even the Mayor acted shocked when she ‘discovered’ she was getting this cash! What makes this truly awful is that they're thinking about raising your taxes at the same time. So they don't have money for your needs, but they found plenty for their own car expenses? While the Village Manager gets a huge paycheck of $200,000 each year, he also slips a nice little gift to council members. Conveniently, these are the very same council members who are now getting the $400 car payments that he instituted.

The Cat Feeding Ban That Makes No Sense In an ordinance no one asked for, Councilman Cody proposed criminalizing cat feeding and claimed that this compassionate activity somehow harms children. His silence spoke volumes when challenged to provide a single instance supporting this assertion. Cody’s proposed ordinance would impose punitive fines up to $1,000 on acts of kindness, misclassify domestic animals as wildlife, and address a "problem" that, by the manager's own admission, has generated no complaints. Here, we witness a policy crafted from made-up concerns that only exist in the imagination of those proposing them, instead of from caring to fix your problems. We have seen this same song and dance before from Mr. Cody and hope he will tackle serious issues in our community like traffic and maintaining our parks. "We Can't Talk About That" How Our Officials Responded When A Cyclist Died On Our Streets" Perhaps most troubling was how the Village handled questions about last week's tragic cycling death on Southwest 160th Street. The Vice Mayor tried to get basic information about this accident that happened in our community, but hit a wall of silence. It's been nearly 2 weeks, and our Village leaders haven't shared any official updates. When the Vice Mayor asked questions about making our streets safer at the meeting, the administration fought hard to shut down the discussion. They tried to hide behind vague legal concerns and the police investigation to say that they cannot share information with the public. When the Vice Mayor asked the police commander if public officials showing concern would hurt the investigation, the commander couldn't think of a single case where that's happened. Why the silence? Why not simply say, "We'll look at what happened and make changes if needed to keep our families safe?" The Village Manager wouldn't even promise that much. They seem more worried about looking good than fixing real problems that cost a life in our community. Keep up The Good Fight This is your Village. You deserve leaders who face facts instead of those who hide from them. Call your Council members today and ask why they're working against the people who elected them. Ask why they won't talk openly about making our streets safer. Our community works best when leaders remember you are who they work for.

Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance is a platform for and by the residents. Residents deserve to have their voice heard. Together, we can build the community for all of us and where laws are respected and all voices are heard. This email reflects the opinion of the Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance. Sincerely, Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance

Palmetto Bay Council may be contacted at the following email addresses below: Entire Council council@palmettobay-fl.gov Mayor Karyn Cunningham, kcunningham@palmettobay-fl.gov Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer, mmerwitzer@palmettobay-fl.gov Council District 1 Patrick Fiore, pfiore@palmettobay-fl.gov Council District 2 Steve Cody, scody@palmettobay-fl.gov Council District 3 Marsha Matson, mmatson@palmettobay-fl.gov Village Manager Nick Marano nmarano@palmettobay-fl.gov Village Clerk Missy Arocha, marocha@palmettobay-fl.gov

We recognize that not everyone may want to receive this information, and therefore, you can simply click the "unsubscribe" at the end of the communication and we will remove your name from distribution.

PALMETTO BAY NEIGHBORS ALLIANCE palmettobayneighborsalliance@pbneighborsalliance.com The opinions expressed are those of Palmetto Bay Neighbors Alliance based on information we believe to be accurate. Questions or your feedback may be sent to the email above.

A Vice Mayor who actually cares. Traffic circle safety - fighting distracted driving. Let him lead - his talents are serving our village

Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer - a product of our village who has worked hard to for his chance to serve - and who is making the most of it, when others on the council are more concerned about accumulating perks or taking selfies.

There are important safety issues that need to be discussed by our council. Instead, Palmetto Bay residents rarely find anything useful on village social media - its more targeted to photos of the mayor and selected council members taken at past village social events. 

Vice Mayor Merwitzer is focuses on village safety.  Past history has shown is interest for the people. This is a reboot of a blog post from August 14, 2017. 

Traffic Circle Safety - Please take the time to view this creative video by Mark Merwitzer, Jackson Ribler & Justin Merwitzer. Edited and produced through the talents of "Miami Hal" Feldman.

Our Palmetto Bay youth stepped up and prepared this outstanding video.  

This is outstanding work by Mark Merwitzer, Jackson Ribler & Justin Merwitzer. 

Edited and produced through the talents of "Miami Hal" Feldman. 

Drive safe Palmetto Bay.

Here are some stills from the effort, filmed Sunday, 8/13/2017:

We are looking forward to the 2025 growing season including Eureka and Meyer Lemons, Pineapples and possibly joining this year: Valencia Oranges.

2025 is shaping up as a bummer crop year for our mango trees. - so far.  Our home was built on a former commercial mano grove - hence the subdivision name - Clinton Groves. We grow the Haden and Tommy Atkins varieties.  

But we are hopeful that 2025 will also be the year of our citrus trees! Our Eureka and Meyer Lemons appear to be set to produce in good numbers.

We added a Valencia Orange tree.  (blooms are pictured immediately below). It is heavy with blooms this year - so fingers are crossed that we will see some oranges this year. 

We even have a couple of Pineapples growing, but I assume those will be later in 2026.

Stay tuned.

Is Palmetto Bay the "Village of Parks" or "Village of Perks" for village officials? $132,000 in part for "monitoring 'Opposition Activities'" (our neighbors). $400 a month car allowances. What else will we find if transparency is ever restored to Palmetto Bay?

 SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE - Per the Vice Mayor: 

A salary and insurance is apparently not enough for their part time service, per the Vice Mayor:

Your council members want to give themselves a $24,000 car allowance while considering raising your taxes. They tried to push this through without public input. That’s unacceptable. 

This reads like a enemies list - use of one's tax dollars against them.  What a tangled web the Mayor and council have weaved against some neighbors who have been pursuing a legal process in regard to the "Tanglewood" surplus property (located under the FPL power lines):

The county urged the village to negotiate a compromise, but instead, the village spent over $132,000 of your tax dollars on a high-powered lobbyist to fight these residents. Worse, the contract was marked confidential, despite being publicly funded, and included plans to monitor “opposition activities,” meaning our own neighbors.

Taxpayer dollars should never be used to undermine residents who follow the rules. 

Read the Vice Mayor's updates and get on his e-mailing list! 

Hello,

I want to share what I've been working on as your Vice Mayor and how it affects your daily life in our village. I recently had the pleasure of joining Michael Miller from the Community Newspapers to share with you what I have been working on. Watch my interview with Michael Miller to hear firsthand about our community’s progress and plans.

Traffic Safety in Your Neighborhoods When residents reached out to me about how rush hour traffic turned some of our quiet residential roads into dangerous shortcuts, I took action. The good news is that we're slowly making changes that work. I am exploring how we can remove these shortcuts from navigation apps and am working with our administration on adding traffic-calming measures to places that need them. Throughout my term, I want to do more than the old approach of adding speed bumps to streets and calling it a day. Your street could be next. Just email or call me, and I'll come walk it with you. Fighting Distracted Driving Distracted drivers put your family at risk every day. We've all seen it with drivers swerving between lanes while talking on their phone, or the near-misses when someone's texting instead of watching the road. These dangerous choices kill thousands each year and create those frustrating backups when phone-distracted drivers miss green lights. I refuse to accept this as normal. That's why I'm headed up to Tallahassee to fight for a complete ban on handheld phone use while driving, joining 31 other states that have already taken this life-saving step. Your safety on our roads matters more than someone's phone call.

Moving Palmetto Bay Forward Since the election, I’ve been honored to serve as your Vice Mayor, focused on improving our community’s safety, infrastructure, and overall quality of life. Sadly, a fellow council member is now making false claims that I’m not the legitimate Vice Mayor, despite our fair and square election win. To counter these unsubstantiated allegations, the village had to spend $6,000 of your tax dollars on an independent legal opinion that fully confirmed my oath was properly administered. Despite that, this council member continues to push this debunked narrative. Meanwhile, the real issues you care about are waiting. I remain ready to work with everyone to move Palmetto Bay forward. That’s what you elected me to do, and that’s what I’ll keep focusing on.

Looking Out for Good Government I love parks. Like you, I want more green spaces for families and neighbors to enjoy. But how we create them matters just as much as having them. Many of you have asked about a property in northern Palmetto Bay, and you deserve the facts. Nearly three years ago, local residents followed all the proper steps to buy land next to their homes, just as their neighbors did in 2018. But as they neared the finish line, the village sent Miami-Dade County a “poison pen” letter, attempting to derail the sale. The county urged the village to negotiate a compromise, but instead, the village spent over $132,000 of your tax dollars on a high-powered lobbyist to fight these residents. Worse, the contract was marked confidential, despite being publicly funded, and included plans to monitor “opposition activities,” meaning our own neighbors. Taxpayer dollars should never be used to undermine residents who follow the rules. Do I want more parks? Absolutely. But not through backroom deals and hidden spending. You deserve transparency and honesty about where your money goes. We can find new places to build parks, but once trust is lost, it’s hard to rebuild. So I ask: What’s more important, another park, or a government you can trust?

Protecting Your Tax Dollars Your council members want to give themselves a $24,000 car allowance while considering raising your taxes. They tried to push this through without public input. That’s unacceptable. This makes no sense when our Village is running out of money for basic needs like stormwater management and infrastructure repairs. I ran for office to serve you, not to pad my own pockets. Adding new benefits to council members while asking you to pay more would break your trust, and rightly so. I will be pushing to stop this proposal so we can focus on what really matters, like solving our financial challenges and protecting the services you count on. Your Voice Matters Every decision I make starts with asking, "How does this help our residents?" If you have concerns or ideas about improving Palmetto Bay, my door is always open. You can reach me at 786-309-6743 Also, if you want to discuss any of these issues in person, just email me. I'm here to help! -Mark

Michael Miller speaks with Mark Merwitzer, Vice Mayor of Palmetto Bay - Tuesday - 2-25-2025

A must view.  The video is just under 30 minutes. 

Thank you Vice Mayor Merwitzer for attempting to bring back transparency and accountability to the Village of Palmetto Bay.

Some highlights (or lowlights depending upon your view): 

$6,000.00 has been spent due to a council member's rampage. The $6K confirms the opinion of the Village Attorney.

Tanglewood property - a majority of the Village Council has restored transparency and accountability.  It was disclosed how the county was managing surplus land - in this case - the FPL Easement Land at SW 77th Avenue and approx. 140 Street.  Over $132,000 of village tax dollars were spent on lobbying for this property (against the residents/surrounding landowners). It is the Vice Mayor's opinion that (go to the 9:00 minute mark of the video) the procurement code was bypassed.  "monitoring opposition activities" were raised as part of the takes assigned the lobbying firm. Furthermore - an unknown person or organization paid for a "push poll" - incorrectly insinuating that the land was to be sold for private developers.  The surrounding residents are NOT private developers.

The Vice Mayor is committed to bringing back the Neighborhood Protection Committee.  I briefly served on this committee until I was removed.  The entire committee was eventually shut down.  This was unfortunate. 

Transparency alert! - Check out 17:00 of the video.  A journalist notified Vice Mayor Merwitzer that Palmetto Bay was the only municipality not to share wage and benefit information for elected officials - apparently the Village Mayor and Council Members have allowed themselves to receive a "car allowance" of $400 per month. Does anyone here recall this ever being disclosed publicly; including approving such a major perk during the budget process? 

2025 may be a big year for Palmetto Bay Mangoes.

The blooms on the family mango trees continue to look healthy. This should be a big year, assuming no fungus or foul weather including the heavy winds that often arrive in March. 

We will be looking for help in trades once again this year. Participants will once again be doing me a favor by taking the fruit I cannot use. Trades have historically included non-mango fruit swaps as well as mangoes in exchange for samples that included mango bread and jam, dried mango and chutney. I have received backyard Palmetto Bay home produced eggs. I am always open for new trades. This is our Palmetto Bay community!

Serious note - one of the best trades is simply seeing the fruit leave my yard without spoiling to be enjoyed by others. Mango trees can be quite overwhelming at times.

CLICK HERE to see prior posts on my "Flinn Family Mango Co-Op" including the rules and some recopies.  Mango season is approaching. Get ready to enjoy.  

 

Happy Presidents' Day - 2025

How do you observe this Federal holiday? Do you reflect upon legacies of past presidents, simply relax over a long weekend, participate in annual local community event, take advantage of any one of the numerous "Presidents Day" sales or none of the above? 

Presidents' Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February.  Sadly, by some, it is better known commercially as the Presidents' Day Sale where we celebrate and save with great deals! Providing for an extra 15 - 20% off plus free shipping (online)!

A short History of Presidents’ Day

Presidents’ Day was first celebrated in the 1880s, with the birthday of George Washington was first celebrated as a federal holiday.

Controversy: long weekends versus recognizing the actual date:

Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill in 1968.  This moved federal holidays to Mondays. The intent was to provide for long weekends.  There was opposition to this move, by those who believe that those holidays should be celebrated on the dates they actually commemorate (obviously - no longer relevant as Presidents Lincoln and Washington were told to share).

And then there was one national day for all presidents:

How many of us remember celebrating both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays as separate events?  Presidents' Day became the officially celebrated holiday in 1971, to honor the birthdays of both Washington (February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (February12).  Note that Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, but was never an official national holiday (I wonder which states celebrated?  Extra points awarded for those who can answer)

One step at a time – restoring some transparency and access to the Village. It is amazing how replacing a single council member can affect the entire village council.

Council Member Patrick Fiore found an ally in newly elected Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer.  Three votes were there last Monday evening (Monday, Feb 3, 2025) to restore the ability to submit public comment via e-mail.

If passed on second reading, Section 2-49(e) will be amended in its entirety to read as follows:

(e) Written communication. Interested parties or their authorized representatives may submit written comments to be provided by the Village Clerk to the Councilmembers prior to the start of the Council meeting. Written comments shall be read aloud for not more than one (1)  minute and shall be made part of the public record of the meeting.

The prior Vice Mayor was part of a coalition to remove the reading of emails from the public meetings.  Thank you Vice Mayor Mark Merwitzer for your energy and collaboration with Patrick Fiore to get this item through by the razor thin 3-2 margin.

The task is not yet compete.  This is an ordinance and it requires passage at a second reading. I am hopeful that Council Member Fiore will move this item forward at the March Council Meeting and that he is once again joined by Vice Mayor Merwitzer and Council Member Marsha Matson.

Cardinal feeding time at the Palmetto Bay Bird Feeder Cam

Looking forward to a chill weekend - figuratively as well as literally.  

The bushes are full of cardinals who are taking turns feeding at the Palmetto Bay Bird Feeder Cam.  

The real attraction is not the food in the feeder.  We have planted our yard with native plants that provide significant natural food sources and nesting opportunities for our native songbirds. 

A statement of protest or honoring the late President Carter – or is it simple neglect of following assigned Flag protocol? Flags remain at half-staff at Palmetto Bay’s Village Hall during the inauguration.

A faithful reader sent me two photos today of the flags at Palmetto Bay’s Village Hall that remain at half-mast on Monday, January 20, 2025.  The photos were taken just after 1 PM - during the inauguration of President Trump.

Interesting – so the fair question is whether this is simply laziness, ignoring flag protocol or is it an official passive aggressive statement of protest relating to the election?  I have not heard anything on the inside, I just place these though provoking photos online for my fellow residents to consider.

As reported in the USA TODAY:

Eight states, including Iowa, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Nebraska and Alabama, ordered flags at full-staff during Trump’s inauguration. In addition to the state buildings, the U.S. Capitol will have its flags at full-staff during the inauguration, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Tuesday.

“On January 20th, the flags at the Capitol will fly at full-staff to celebrate our country coming together behind the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump,” Johnson said in a statement. “The flags will be lowered back to half-staff the following day to continue honoring President Jimmy Carter.”

Florida is one of the eight states listed in the USA Today article as ordering flags at full-staff during Trump’s inauguration - See: Which states will raise flags for Trump's inauguration? Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is one of Governors who specifically ordered that flags be raised for the incoming president.

"Hearts Around the World" A great Second Grade class project where you and your friends and relatives can participate - Mrs. Arrington's Class at Howard Drive Elementary.

 

Please ask any friends and relatives who are - or will be out of State - including out of the Country.

It takes a village. 

Thank you. 

Climbing the Rickenbacker (the William M Powell) Bridge - Sat. Jan 4, 20...

The actual climb starts at 3:42 of the video.

A beautiful day for a ride - Saturday January 4, 2025, was a special day to ride onto Key Biscayne - and climbing the highest point in Miami-Dade County. The fast descent is well earned reward for the climb.

Enjoying a white Christmas - Christmas Eve Day - December 24 2024

It is snowing (a light snow for this venue).  We are enjoying a white Christmas in Warrensburg, NY - the Adirondacks. Family time - Merry Christmas

A view of the Hudson River behind the Upstate NY home of the in-laws.

Update of Fairchild development / litigation. The loss in court in now complete – Village officials cave – and without argument – enter into an agreed final judgment in favor of the developer.

Palmetto Bay officials have surrendered and did not contest judgment against the village in the case of FAIRCHILD BAY SUBDIVISION LLC VS VILLAGE OF PALMETTO BAY, 2023-016828-CA-01. CLICK HERE to view the Order entered on December 5, 2024. 

I expected a Fairchild victory. The Order notes that “…in light of the recently entered opinion by this Court’s appellate division, quashing the Village’s rezoning denial at issue in this case. The Court has reviewed the Motions at a virtual hearing held on December 3, 2024…” but what is surprising is that “… the entry of this Final Judgment is unopposed.” (emphasis added)

When did Village Officials make the decision to accept judgment against the Village? No one knows. We will all have to wait until any shade session transcripts are released before the public finds out.

Village Officials have not released statements about this profound development.

Details are important. This judgment requires Palmetto Bay to take the following action:

PALMETTO BAY will adopt an Ordinance, approving the proposed rezoning of the Property from Agricultural (“AG”) to Estate Modified (“EM”).

PALMETTO BAY is directed, in accordance with applicable law, to properly advertise a rezoning and bring before the Village Council for final decision in the matter of rezoning the Property from Agricultural (“AG”) to Estate Modified (“EM”) by February, 2025.

PALMETTO BAY shall effect the rezoning of the Property from Agricultural (“AG”) to Estate Modified (“EM”).

HOWEVER, and one slight good point for village taxpayers, each side shall each bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs. (Taxpayers will "only" be responsible for the attorneys fees and costs paid to the list of lawyers who represented Palmetto Bay).

We will also now wait for the February zoning hearing to hear about the details.

THE BACKSTORY - PRIOR RELATED POSTS:

See November 19, 2024, Now armed with a strong appellate decision in their favor, is the stage set for victory by Fairchild Subdivision applicant against Palmetto Bay?

September 11, 2024. Fully unfavorable decision rendered against the Village of Palmetto Bay by the court in FAIRCHILD BAY SUBDIVISION LLC VS VILLAGE OF PALMETTO BAY, 2023-000033-AP-01

Appellate Court rules against Residents and Palmetto Bay in the bridge appeal.

The action of Miami-Dade County regarding the 87th Avenue bridge has been affirmed on appeal. 

The decision was released this morning deciding the appeal of Village of Palmetto Bay, Florida, et al. v. Miami-Dade County, Florida, 3rd DCA Case no.: 2024-0230.  This was a 14 page decision.  In conclusion, the panel ruled that:

... the County was and is the ultimate decider as to the necessity of the Bridge Project. Because its actions were consistent with the applicable regulatory framework, it acted within its purview in approving the construction. We therefore find no reversible error and affirm in all respects.

CLICK HERE to view the opinion released Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

I will post an analysis later this week, but I am posting the notification and link to the opinion to enable access for any interested readers. 

Best Christmas Commercials Ever Santa Riding A Norelco Razor

This commercial was once the official signal that the Christmas season had arrived.

This was long before the famous Christmas movie - Die Hard - was released.  The current signal is the fall of Hans Gruber from the Nakatomi Building, but that's another story.