Croissant Park Civic Association 'Small Business Night' May 28th, 2024 - Minutes

Location: Croissant Park Community Center

Board Members in attendance:

Pat Rathburn, President
Virginia Russell, Director
Rhonda Kramer, Director
Jarrod Gaylis, Director
Carlos Lang, Treasurer
John Marangio, Secretary
Absent, Michelle DiMaria, Vice President

Pat called the meeting to order at 6:40 PM and established Quorum was reached.

• Pledge of Allegiance.
• Approval of Minutes from the Feb 27th General Meeting.
• Pat introduced Officer Trujillo from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department with Crime Stats and Updates:

Review and discussion of automotive crimes from February 27th to the current date, including two auto thefts and six burglaries of vehicles. Emphasis on the ease of stealing Kias with USB cables and the importance of locking vehicles. Officer Trujillo reminded the community that Kia offers a club for security, and Hyundai Sonata has a fix-it solution. She encouraged owners to make sure vehicles are locked and use remote disabling features if available. The thefts have not decreased and occur in waves. Detectives have an idea of the groups involved, and investigations are ongoing.

Question for Officer concerning Catalytic Converter Thefts:
Inquiry about the status of catalytic converter thefts in the city, with a specific mention of five incidents at BGH.

Question from attendees re Homeless Encampment:
Discussion about a homeless encampment near Burger King on 17th Street and SE 5th Ave, including concerns about safety and drug activity. The officer will bring these concerns to her precinct. The issue will be passed to homeless outreach officers. Three more officers will be coming on board in the next two months to address such issues.

Pat provided an update regarding the 100th Anniversary of Croissant Park and the planning for an event on October 26th at Croissant Park, including considerations for alcohol permits, food options, and swag. Invited all interested parties to join in on the planning for this event.

Celebrating our local Small Business owners:
Introduction of various small businesses and their services, including a private chef, fitness center, a pet store, and a water aerobics instructor.

• Michael Nichols, Chef/Owner provided an overview of his culinary services and provided the attendees with samples of his baked goods.
• 
  The owner and representative of HIT Fitness introduced himself and provided a demonstration of Balance and Strength assessment and training.
  
• Susie Ludlow introduced herself as a water aerobics instructor and balance and strength trainer with classes at Hort Park in Shady Banks. She also provided coffee from Expresso Coffee on Andrews Avenue.
• A representative from Auggie’s Pet Supplies provided a detailed overview of their healthy pet food, treats, chews, toys, leashes, and other supplies for dogs and cats. She also provided handouts and samples for the neighbors in attendance.
  
• Pat Rathburn introduced her profession as an attorney focusing on Real Estate and Estate Planning. She discussed her relationships in the community and was thankful for her ongoing collaboration with local Real Estate Agents. Pat also discussed the differences between using an attorney and a title company for real estate transactions, highlighting the benefits of personalized service from an attorney.
• Rhonda Kramer introduced herself with an overview of her decades as a local Remax real estate agent sharing that homes that went for $68,000 now sell for $680,000 and emphasized the importance of supporting your neighborhood businesses to strengthen community. She then introduced her neighbor and fellow real estate agent, Jarrod Gaylis.
• 
  Jarrod took the microphone and introduced himself, his affiliation with Coldwell Banker, and his commitment to the community. Jarrod emphasized why local realtors are crucial for neighborhood development and understanding market dynamics.
  

The next presenter was Jeri Pryor, Chief of Staff for the City of Ft Lauderdale, District 4. Ms. Pryor spoke to the following items and topics:

• Announcement of a hurricane preparedness event on June 1st at the Museum of Art, organized by the City of Fort Lauderdale.
• Discussion on the city's budget process and the importance of community involvement in requesting funding for local projects like sidewalks.
• Discussion on the need for speed humps in the neighborhood and the city's preference for plastic road humps over concrete ones.
• Concerns about the color and quality of the water due to old filtration systems and the upcoming new water plant.

Pat Rathburn took this time to thank all of the Small Business Owners and encouraged the community to support our local vendors. Pat asked the audience for suggestions for future meeting topics, including inviting the new City Forester and discussing Croissant Park's 100-year celebration with the historical society. The focus turned to the neighbors and they were asked to present any questions, comments, or concerns:

• Concerns about short-term rentals (vacation rentals) affecting the neighborhood, including parking issues and garbage collection.
• Discussion about the restriction that Sober Homes cannot be located within a thousand feet of each other. Entities must be registered, and if they are not, they will need to obtain a license.  
• Concerns were raised about unregistered vacation rentals in the neighborhood. A suggestion was made to invite someone from the city to explain the registration process.
• Discussion on how to handle noise and parking issues caused by vacation rentals, including calling a non-emergency number for code enforcement officers.
  

Pat thanked all who participated in this evening’s General Meeting and Small Business Night and announced the next meeting is scheduled for June 25th at the Croissant Park Community Center at 6:30 PM.

 
The meeting Adjourned at 7:58 PM.

minutes by John Marangio
pics by Rhonda Kramer

Occasionally Annual Small Business Night

 Small Business Night in the Neighborhood

Tuesday May 28th – 6:30 PM

Friends and Neighbors-

The Croissant Park Civic Association is hosting its occasionally annual Small Business Night in conjunction with our May meeting. This was wildly popular the last time we did it, and this year, we have gotten even more interest and more small businesses signing up.

This is a great way for them to introduce their services to us and a great way for us to support small businesses in and adjacent to our neighborhood. I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of projects that need to be done, and I’m constantly reaching out to people in the neighborhood for their recommendations. Almost all of the businesses that will be attending are businesses one or more of our Board members uses regularly – so it’s not like opening the Yellow Pages ( for those of you under 35, the yellow pages was a book that the telephone company [ yes, the telephone company – Bell South – for those things called “land lines”] used to print and distribute every year to every house listing everyone's phone numbers and including ads for businesses) and simply turning to the page for “plumber” “attorney” or whatever. 

Think of this as Yelp without the nasty reviews.

Our Small Business Night promises to be a fun-filled evening with a diverse range of businesses. We have florists, several new restaurants, AC repair, realtors, attorneys for various specialties, gyms, and many more. And the best part? The restaurants participating may bring some delicious goodies, adding to the event's festive atmosphere.

There may still be time to sign up to present your business. If you are interested, please e-mail us at CroissantParkCivic@gmail.com.

Hope to see you next Tuesday night!

Pat Rathburn

President, Croissant Park Civic Association

February 27th, 2024 Minutes for the Croissant Park Civic Association General Meeting

Minutes of the Croissant Park Civic Association General Meeting

Called to order at 7:02 PM by Pat Rathburn

There were 23 meeting attendees, plus the speakers and police. 

The Board introduced themselves.

 

Pat Rathburn, President 

Michelle DiMaria, Vice President  

Rhonda Kramer, Director 

John Marangio, Secretary 

Carlos Lang, Treasurer 

Virginia Russell, Director 

Jarrod Gaylis, Director

 

January 30, 2024 Minutes - Rhonda made a motion to approve, which was seconded by Jarrod. The motion passed

 

Police Officers presented crime stats and fielded questions for Croissant Park 

Officer Trujillo 

Officer Hagerty

Officer Jackson

 

Crime report:

Stats provided: Zero crimes have been reported in the last 30 days. Report and follow up on a complaint noted at the last meeting regarding a crew house and noise code violations. Code enforcement contacted the home's owner, who was cooperative, and the noise compliance issues were resolved.

Golf carts -what is legal and allowed?

Difference between a golf cart and a low-speed vehicle:

A golf cart can go 20 mph, and a low-speed vehicle can go 25 mph. It must have seat belts and lights, go within the speed limit, and be of legal age. A golf cart must abide by the same rules and regs as a vehicle. Require insurance and a license

 

Pat provided examples of people driving golf carts without seatbelts. She highlighted some statistics citing the danger of these vehicles: 13,000 golf cart-related accidents.

Up until last year, they did not require a license. Now, a license or permit is required.

 

Questions and comments were taken from the audience regarding scooters and visually impaired crosswalks -SW 4th Ave, SW 17th St, SW 9th Ave, and SR 84 need audible crosswalks for the visually impaired.

The next Item on the agenda was a presentation by Representatives from Code Enforcement.

Inspector Rafael Santos was accompanied by Compliance Manager Katrina Johnson.

Inspector Santos is on duty in Croissant Park from Wednesday through Sunday. He said he drives past SW 4th Ave, Andrews Ave, and SW 9th Ave daily to assess for common violations,

checking for curb appeal, roofs, overgrowth of landscaping, and alleyway trash. Focus on Alley - these are shared between the two homes- shared 50%.

Violations of bulk trash and debris must be removed within 10 days. If not removed within those 10 days, the city will remove it and send a bill to the property owner. 

Beginning in May 2024, a new project in Croissant Park will beautify the area, house by house, looking and ticketing violations, including cars with flats, on jacks, etc. Cars on swales will also be cited.

Focus on Auto-body shops and collision shops to move vehicles to proper areas. Concerns should be addressed within 24 hours but at most 48 hours. The audience brought up some specific areas that would benefit from a visit. It also has a 24-hour number for reporting after hours.

The audience asked a question regarding the change to reporting where a name and address must be submitted with the report. It was noted that “a” name and address of the caller must be provided when a code violation is reported.

The audience asked about property that may be city-owned and has debris and litter on site. Katrina Johnson spoke about the need to clean up public areas and alleys used as dumps. 

Question from Pat Rathburn: How does code enforcement work with the city when there are clear code violations on construction sites? Do the inspectors address open permits at these sites to identify if construction is not reflected in the permit?

Question from Rhonda Kramer: The Lauderserve app has a feature that allows you to hold your camera in an area that needs to be reported. Ms Katrina Johnson stated that the app can be challenging to use. Ms Johnson stated that the Lauderserve platform will be replaced by a new version, which is more user-friendly and can address all items that need to be fixed or reported. This should be implemented in the next 30 days.

 

Joe Russell asked about the alley behind his home, which is used for refuse and dumping, and

asked what they could do to identify culprits.  There is a detective assigned to this type of illegal dumping. There is also a call center available that will be shared with the civic association. 

 

The suggestion from the audience is to have Croissant Park neighbors report any concerns or violations directly to the inspector. His phone number is 954-838-4771 - and his email is RSantos@fortlauderdale.gov

 

Some properties have ongoing liens and fines of up to $100 per day per violation. If the property is homesteaded, they cannot foreclose on it. There is a list of criteria, and the property can be taken for injunction review before a magistrate. The reality is that the property must have severe violations to be taken down this route.

 

Regarding Bulk Trash- Officer Santos stated he rides through the neighborhood one week before the day of scheduled pick up. 

 

The speakers were applauded and thanked for their time and presentations.

 

Pat asked the audience for future speaker topics to be shared with the board. Pat also

encouraged members and attendees to consider being part of the planning for the Croissant Park 100-year celebration to be held in the Fall of 2024.

 

Commissioner Warren Sturman arrived at the meeting at 8 pm following attendance at the Tree Ordinance meeting. He announced that Speed Bumps are available instead of Speed Humps; bumps are plastic and less expensive and are the option available for the time being.

Improvements along 17th Street will be reviewed at an upcoming meeting on March 13th, 2024, at 630 PM on the second floor of BGMC.

There was a question from the audience about the speed of cars on 15th Street and 9th Ave. Pat noted that this is one of the streets being assessed by the traffic committee. 

Commissioner Warren Sturman was applauded and thanked for attending this meeting and providing local updates.

The Pet Photo Contest votes were counted, and they showed that Cats Rule!!!  Goldie Johnson beat out nine dogs and one other cat to take 1st Place. There was a tie for 2nd Place.

The next general meeting will be May 27, beginning at 630 PM. All meetings going forward will begin at this time.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM.  

Minutes by John Marangio

Pictures by Rhonda Kramer

Website http://mycroissantpark.blogspot.com/
Email address is CroissantParkCivic@gmail.com 

 

 

Croissant Park Civic Association General Meeting - Tuesday, Jan 30th 2024

  

Minutes of the Croissant Park Civic Association General Meeting

Tuesday, Jan 30th 2024

Refreshments generously provided by My Market & Deli (229 SW 17th Street Ft Lauderdale) 

The meeting was called to order at 705 PM. 

President Patricia Rathburn welcomed the attendees and requested the board introduce themselves: 

Pat Rathburn, President 

Michelle DiMaria, Vice President 

Jodi Peraudd, Director 

John Marangio, Secretary 

Carlos Lang, Treasurer 

Virginia Russell, Director 

Joe Russell, Director 

Jarrod Gaylis, Director

Review and approval of minutes from the last meeting were moved by Carlos and seconded by John.

Police Officers presented crime stats for Croissant Park:

Officer Trujillo 

Officer Hagerty

Officer Jackson

12 crimes have been reported since the last report, approximately 90 days 

5 vehicle break-in, 4 of which were unlocked 

Auto thefts: 1 Kia Soul, 1 Hyundai, third car had key fob in car

3 larcenies reported - stolen Amazon packages 

1 criminal mischief 

A house in the 500 block at SE 12th Court had complaints of noise, and code enforcement was contacted by police officers.  This is a reminder to inform officers if the address is a Vacation Rental. These need to be handled differently, and code enforcement will need to be involved. It seems to be a crew house rental. If a property is a true Vacation Rental, then law enforcement has more rules to enforce, and they must also be registered with the county.
Noise Enforcement from 10 P to 7 A.

This topic then brought comments and discussion from the participants. One new member brought up concerns of excessive marijuana smoking near his residence, asked for guidance in making proper complaints. Officers responded to the parameters they must work within due to legal restrictions. Officers suggested members reach out to a landlord/tenant legal counsel.

Officers were thanked for their time and departed at 724 PM.

The next presenter was introduced by Pat. Kelly Brown (Property Appraiser Customer Service office) and Maureen Morrison from the office of Marty Kiar. They also introduced colleague Erica Terry, a specialist with the exception team who was available to help interested parties sign up for OWNER ALERT (title/deed fraud) along with business cards and a QR code. Ms. Brown’s contact is 954 357 6035 email is kbrown@bcpa.net

Abatement program review:
Prorated refund program of property tax due to the residence being uninhabitable (i.e., fire/flood, etc.)
Are properties entitled to refunds?  In some cases, yes. If a home was uninhabitable due to a catastrophic event for 30 days or more, then that portion of the property tax can be refunded to the owner in the following tax year.
This is directly related to the living portion of the affected property, and the refund is pro-rated.  File online at the office for the property appraiser. Documents must be submitted, and the application will be reviewed.
Forms for refund applications are available on the website for the County Appraiser.

Reviewed deadlines for filing exemptions, which are also listed on the website and the brochures provided at this meeting

Pat Rathburn provided a scenario to offer clarity to the members of this meeting.
Refunds are sent back to the entity that paid the taxes, either the owner directly or the bank if the mortgage is escrowed.

Jarrod asked how land vs dwelling values are determined - the answer was this is determined by the market.

An audience member inquired if the OWNER ALERT program was successful - this program was created to deter the theft of deeds due to fraud.  If any documents are filed to transfer ownership of the property, the office will alert the homeowner via email or text message.  (240,000 Broward County owners have signed up).
The owner is alerted and can respond if the activity is suspicious of fraud. This would be filed as a criminal act with law enforcement.

Discussed option to pay property taxes in 4 quarterly payments—these payments also have early paying discounts applied to them as well. Information at  Browardrevenue.org

Presentation completed at 743 PM.

At 744 PM, Commissioner Warren Sturman joined our meeting to provide an update and thanked Pat Rathburn for her leadership.
Dr Warren reviewed the following topics: His office started a series of workshops. One example was a Budget workshop to gather info to bring back to city hall.  These workshops provide a venue for citizens to voice their ideas and concerns to be brought back to decision meetings at City Hall.

An example of a recent budget change is sidewalk repair and replacement.

Other examples are biking paths and noise limits/Ordinances.

Water treatment plant updates and overhaul. (Should be up and running in 2-3 years).
Stormwater infrastructure planning.

Speed humps, 2 of the 5 slated for implementation, are cited for Croissant Park.

New contracts were signed with Police and Fire to increase recruitment.

The city has three new fire stations, all located in District 4.

Plans to provide EMS training for Police Officers so that they can initiate medical care when they are the first responders at the scene.

Commissioner Sturman thanked us for our time and departed the meeting at 755 PM.

DOT will re-design 17^th Street from Federal Highway to 9^th Avenue with sidewalks, bike lanes, tree plantings, and safety installations.

Pat provided an overview of the plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Croissant Park. She asked for involvement from attendees and members to assist with the planning and execution of this event. For more information and to help, please email CroissantParkCivic@gmail.com.

Pat also provided an overview of Green Your Routine, GYR, with examples of opportunities to raise awareness and funds for the association. Virginia Russel provided more details on GYR, explaining how volunteer work can increase our involvement and bring money to our association.  Examples: weeding in Snyder Park, Cleaning after Jazz Events, and Friday night Star Light clean-ups. Mills Pond Park Recycling Program Dates.
Virginia offered to communicate upcoming needs as new events are made known.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact Virginia Russell via CroissantParkCivic@gmail.com.

More information can also be found at Fort Lauderdale.gov, and look for additional GYR opportunities.

Michelle Dimaria reviewed her involvement with the Counsel of Civic Associations for the City and how our membership and presence bring information back to our association.  The example provided was the new sidewalk repair through public works money. Another example is that grant money is now available to install new sidewalks.

Carlos Lange reminded the attendees to share their thoughts and input to help our association continue to improve this neighborhood.

Pat thanked all in attendance, and the meeting adjourned at 8:13 pm.

Minutes by John Marangio, Secretary 

Croissant Park General Meeting - Pie Night - October 2023

 Croissant Park General Meeting October 2023

Greetings Croissant Park Neighbors,

—Fall is here at last with cooler temperatures! Holiday season begins any minute and we kicked it off with our ever-popular Pie Night Contest. We encouraged everyone to enter their homemade pie or just come to sample and vote for their favorite pie.

—The pie tables are set up, the Association members and guests are pouring in and we have an abundance of homemade pies, some yummy store-bought pies, and one pizza pie! Everyone gets to vote for their one favorite among the homemade pies.

—The meeting began at 7:10 with the Pledge of Allegiance and Board member roll call: Pat Rathburn, Joe Russell, Virginia Russell, Rhonda Kramer, Heather Cunniff, Jodi Perraud, Carlos Lang and Jarrod Gaylis. A quorum was established.

—Due to changing the day of the meeting so as not to interfere with Halloween, our wires got crossed with FLPD (our bad) and we did not get our crime report.

S

Patricia Rathburn presents the 2023
P.S. Joe Shover Citizenship Award
to Joe & Virginia Russell

—Croissant Park honors CPCA members with the P.S. Joe Shover Citizenship Award.  Joe was a beloved Croissant Park Civic Association leader for many years and created this award in 1999 to recognize neighbors who make Croissant Park a nice place to live. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 100.  The award reads:  To Those Who Best Exemplify Dedication, Activism, and Leadership in Protecting and Enhancing the Quality of Life in Our Community.  This year’s recipients were Croissant Park Board Treasurer Joe Russell and Secretary Virginia Russell. The Russells were instrumental in acquiring the new entry signs to bring back our neighborhood identity - this, along with their extensive volunteerism reflects the spirit of the award to a tee! Congrats to the Russells. (written by Rhonda)

—Croissant Park was established in 1924, as our new neighborhood entrance signs state.  We have decided to celebrate our 100th year in early 2024. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, we will commemorate with a cookbook.  Send us your best recipes and it may make it into the 100th Year Cookbook. Croissantparkcivic@gmail.com 

—Every October we vote on the slate of Board members for 2024. The nominees are Patricia Rathburn, Michelle DiMaria, Rhonda Kramer, Joe Russell, Virginia Russell, Jodi Perraud, Carlos Lang, Jarrod Gaylis, and John Marangio. The slate was voted on and approved by the membership in attendance.

New board members
Jarrod Gaylis & Carlos Lang

—Our guest speaker was District IV Commissioner Warren Sturman.  Comm. Sturman’s Chief of Staff Jeri Pryor and Community Affairs Officer Renee Manchoy attended.   Some questions for Warren included:

 1) plans for traffic calming, including much-needed speed bumps in Croissant Park.

2) Code enforcement - re

flood improvements.  

3) Infrastructure

4) A bond for sidewalk improvements. 

5) Bicycle Shareways. 

6) Henry Kinney Tunnel will hopefully open in Summer 2024!  

7) Is the $5 million set aside for the LauderTrail still available? 

8) Commuter rails to be expanded. 

9) FLPD has had trouble hiring due to a lack of a contract for years. 

10) There was much discussion regarding the length of time it took to declare a state of emergency during the April flood. 

Warren loves his new mug!

—Pie contest winners: second place went to Tami McClung with her Easy Key Lime Pie.  Pat Rathburn won a tie for first place with her Chocolate Tart Chocolate Whipped Cream, and Ginger Delight.  We were all winners to have the pleasure of judging the plethora of pies! We all went home on a happy sugar high!

—See you in 2024!

Minutes by Virginia

Pics by Rhonda

.

Neighborhood Meeting - Tuesday, October 24, 2023 PIE NITE!

Please plan on attending the Croissant Park Civic  Association meeting on Tuesday, October 24^th, at 7 p.m. at the Community Center

This is our 

Annual Pie Nite. 

Seeking Pie Night Competitors!

 

I was recently (jokingly, I think) accused of having rigged the last few pie night competitions so that I would win. Not True!! However, I will admit that it is not hard to win a baking contest when you are competing against Winn Dixie’s “finest” offerings.

 

We are planning a cookbook to celebrate Croissant Park’s 100^th Anniversary and are actively seeking recipes. Wouldn’t you love your award-winning pie recipe to be included?

 

We recognize that not everyone is a baker so are calling out to taste testers as well. We hope to see you at the meeting on Tuesday, October 24^th with either a pie or a hearty appetite (or both) in tow. Please don’t forget that our speaker is Commissioner Warren Sturman and that we are back to meeting at the Croissant Park Community Center.

Police updates and presentation and approval of a slate for the Board of Directors for 2024 and plans for our 100^th Anniversary party.

 

See you on Tuesday!

 

Bring your sweet tooth!

 

Patricia A. Rathburn P.A.

CPCA, President

500 SE 17 Street #312

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

954-764-6166

The Community Center is at 245 West Park Dr (south side of the school, next to the pools.  Everyone is invited. Pie !!!