Downtown Fort Lauderdale was crowded as we arrived to enjoy the annual St. Patrick’s Day festival and parade. Amidst the sea of green, families and friends gathered to celebrate, enjoy good Irish food, play the children’s activities, and most of all, check out the hour long parade down Las Olas Blvd.
We settled on Timpano’s Chophouse [...]

Don’t forget to spring forward late Saturday (or Sunday morning). Turn your clocks ahead one hour. (Yeah, I know it sucks.)
A soundly-sleeping Lauderdale Lakes woman can thank a smoke alarm and an astute neighbor who called 9-1-1 after firefighters roused her from her smoke-filled apartment this morning. A burning pot left on the [...]

In the two months since the earthquake in Haiti, Broward County Public Schools has taken in hundreds of students from Haiti. As of Friday, March 12, 2010, a total of 990 school age children from Haiti had registered in nearly 200 District schools and charter schools since the earthquake. Of that number, 813 have limited [...]

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) reported today that the Central and Southern Flood Control System performed well in handling the storm’s heavy rainfall. Some localized flooding remains as a result of significant precipitation and the District will continue to monitor conditions and respond accordingly.
District crews began working overnight to make room for and [...]

From the Governor’s Office:
Governor Charlie Crist recently joined state Representative Lake Ray for a town hall meeting in Jacksonville. The Governor took questions and listened to citizens voice their concerns about issues important to them. Governor Crist emphasized developing a world-class workforce, the environment, census participation and job creation.
“Florida families need to know that [...]

[ March 18, 2010; 7:00 pm; ] Hollywood residents are invited to participate in a Town Hall meeting to be hosted by District 1 City Commissioner Patricia Asseff in cooperation with the Hollywood Beach Civic Association, Condos of Hollywood Beach, Hollywood North Beach Association and the Hollywood Beach Business Association.  This meeting will take place at the Garfield Street Community Center,  2nd [...]

Three Florida men were arrested today on charges including obstruction of justice and money laundering as part of a joint U.S. and Italian law enforcement action, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.
Roberto Settineri, 41, of Miami Beach, Fla., and Daniel Dromerhauser, 39, of Miami, were arrested this morning on charges [...]

Two thieves in matching hats stole more than $6,000 in cigarettes in a daytime caper at a North Lauderdale convenience store – all while the clerk stood by unaware.

With surveillance cameras rolling, the brazen duo walked into Aunt Molly’s convenience store shortly before noon March 5. As one man distracted the clerk, his partner went [...]

The City of Fort Lauderdale reminds visitors and residents that the Fort Lauderdale St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival will be held on Saturday, March 13. The Fort Lauderdale St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin at 2:00 p.m. and travel west along Las Olas Boulevard from S.E. 8th Avenue to Huizenga Plaza. Residents and visitors [...]

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board recently voted 8-0, with one abstention, to extend the Certificates of Participation validation deadline contained in the purchase and sale agreement with the U.S. Sugar Corporation to acquire 73,000 acres of land for Everglades restoration. The Governing Board extended in Paragraph 4 the contract deadline for [...]

WHO: TOWER FORUM
WHAT: “The Great Recession: Why This Recovery is Different”
The economic recession that took hold of the United States in the fall of 2008 might be slowly starting to loosen its grip, but don’t tell
Tom Cunningham
that to people on Main Street who are struggling to run small businesses, make mortgage payments and put [...]

Governor Charlie Crist recently highlighted programs available to veterans and their families. During a visit to the Florida Veterans Resource Showcase, Governor Crist promoted military-friendly businesses and programs such as the Lifeline and Link-up Assistance Program and a subsidized interest rate program offered by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
“Our nation’s military families have made personal [...]

Continuing the message of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Bill McCollum today issued a consumer advisory warning Floridians about scams related to credit and debt issues.

Companies offering credit repair solutions or debt settlement were among  the top concerns reported to the Attorney General’s Office last year. The  Attorney General noted that, given the current [...]

Here’s the press release:
Tallahassee, FL – Legislation passed testerday that will improve safety of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists; prevent crashes; reduce the financial impact of injuries, death, and property damage caused by texting while driving; and authorize law enforcement to issue to issue citations as a secondary offense.

“I am thrilled that this issue is finally getting [...]

Governor Charlie Crist, as part of his continued focus on strengthening Florida’s economy, is hosting bill signing ceremonies in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Myers and Miami to promote legislation that provides tax relief to nearly 474,000 Florida businesses.
Passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature on the first day of the 2010 Legislative Session and formally signed [...]

The Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship will induct three local business leaders – Mitchell Berger, Mike Jackson and Don Taft – into its Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on April 14. The induction ceremony will be held at the Signature Grand in Davie beginning at 6 p.m. Attendance is by [...]

For the past 26 years, the Dr. Nan S. Hutchison Senior Hall of Fame has recognized Broward senior residents, age 60 and older, for their volunteer excellence, for five or more years, in the county. Since 1978, 324 elders have received the honor.
On Wednesday, March 10, the 2010 Hall of Fame Election Committee gathered, at [...]

TALLAHASSEE, FL. – Legislators from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties came together yesterday to form the Florida Legislative Haiti Relief Task Force. The group,
appointed by the respective county Delegation Chairs, will provide guidance and oversight to the State of Florida’s jurisdictional response to the earthquake which devastated
the neighboring island nation in January.The appointed members [...]

From the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation:
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is 11.9 percent in January 2010, up 0.2 percentage point from the December revised rate of 11.7 percent, and up from 8.7 percent a year ago.  January’s rate equals the May 1975 rate, the highest in the recorded series.  Florida’s unemployment rate remained higher [...]

Wilton Manors Police Department received a report of a stolen video machine from Mickey’s 19th Hole Bar & Grill at 2735 N Dixie Hwy creating loss in the amount of approximately $3,500.  Suspect posed himself as a video repairman, showed a fake work order and removed the machine from the premises.  The suspect, Mark Block, [...]

The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office hosts a series of community outreach events each month throughout Broward County. Deputy Appraisers will be available to assist with Homestead, Senior and other property tax exemption applications, as well as answer questions on property taxes. We are also accepting applications for Portability. The outreach program is designed to [...]

Stay up to date on Broward stimulus spending at: http://broward.org/Recovery/Pages/RecoveryActAccomplishments.aspx
Percentage of local stimulus funding received.
On February 16, 2010, President Barack Obama marked the first Anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is a combination of tax relief, financial assistance and infrastructure projects designed to cushion the impact of the economic downturn and [...]

From the Broward Teacher’s Union:
While School Board members meet today, Tuesday, Mar. 9, 2010, in a workshop at the K.C. Wright Building in Fort Lauderdale to discuss possible employee layoffs, district officials will head to New York City later this week on the taxpayers’ dime to recruit new teachers.
Broward Teacher’s Union President Pat Santeramo said [...]

Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, as part of his role overseeing the Governor’s Office of Drug Control, held a press conference last week with bill sponsors Senator Mike Fasano and Representative Marcelo Llorente and Director Bruce Grant of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control to express his support of their proposed legislation that will help to [...]

[ April 24, 2010; ] The City of Coconut Creek is pleased to announce that 700 trees will be distributed to city residents at the 10th Annual Free Tree Giveaway, which will take place on Saturday, April 24th, 20010, from 8:00AM until noon at City Hall.

Trees that are to be given away include: Red Maple, Pond Cypress, White Geiger, Blolly [...]