Hallandale Beach Government Pays Millions to U.S. Post Office in Yet Another Land Deal

• What's important is that Hallandale residents have the facts at hand. Perhaps the city commission, the mayor and the city manager are not helping in that fashion, or not helping enough, but Commissioner London is continually pulling residents in the other direction in order to "divide & conquer," hoping that all of his continual negativity will help him electorally in the next election.  We need a positive, friendly society in Hallandale that encourages the buying and selling of properties and the investment and expansion of businesses. We also need to foster and encourage political participation so that a variety of residents can feel that they have the opportunity to run for open seats and to have a voice in government. Instead, Commissioner London sends out emails full of insinuations and negativity with no direct community involvement with the needy and the working classes, and if anybody questions his information, he cuts them off of his email list- sent from his city hall email address. He fosters outrage and suspicion from residents in the wealthier sections of town, including from his own million dollar plus neighborhood and from the beach condos. That's where the votes are, and that's all he ever really cares about at all. London may know a lot about water and trash and infrastructure and what have you at times, but his interest is never really the quality of life for Hallandale residents of all races and classes. His interest is only in his next election. Whatever mistakes the city makes, there is nothing much to be done about it if we don't have a variety of candidates of quality to choose from. Instead of cutting people out of the dialogue, every politician and every resident should instead be fostering participation and dialogue based on FACTS.  One fact is that Hallandale has had a more capable leader of the CRA since last January, and plans for land that is banked are in the works with the involvement of the commission and the city manager. Another fact is that the city of Hallandale can afford a lot.  London may believe that the city should have priorities other than buying properties, but that's his opinion, not an honest assessment that the city can't "afford" this or that. That's not the job of a city commissioner to be proclaiming to the public that the city is in trouble, can't afford its planned purchases and has no plan for this, that or anything. If Commission London has a plan for the city in any regards, it's well past time that he proclaims what the hell it is.  In the meantime, he should be portraying the city to the press and to the blogs as a place that has much potential and that can move forward from any past mistakes. If he wants instead to only be continually negative, then he should resign and just be an outside activist like Chaz Stevens and Mike Butler. The city shouldn't be paying anybody to portray the city in as negative a light as possible to every outlet in the press and on the net. If there is no other light in which to portray Hallandale Beach other than with negativity, then it is time to RESIGN from the commission and agitate to the public without that city paycheck and benefits package.

• The post office site is zoned as “community facility (CF)” to be used as a library, fire station, park, etc. Including it in the “Regional Activity Center (RAC)” weakens the CF zoning, but not fatally. The land with a CF zoning, with little chance of re-zoning it, should have very little value to commercial developers. With the stipulation that the buyer has to build a new post office building, within a half a mile from its current location, I do not think there is going to be a great outside interest in the deal. Since the City of Hallandale Beach has the “right of first refusal”, my offer would have been $1.00 and a new post office building, not to exceed two and a half million dollars. I hope the City did not offer more than it was necessary.     

• More like Glenn Close.

• Who says politicians aren't stupid.  One term & out and no pension & no benefits.

• Keith London is the Glenn Beck of Hallandale Beach.

• Stefan; It will be a great day for HB when Keith London kicks Cooper's ass up and down US1 in next year's election.

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