My Croissant Park: March 2024

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.