The End of Urban Farming In WPB + Fines+ Election
Please read to the bottom of the page, surprise waiting!
This will be the last story on Henrietta Farms as Mr. Bosley has removed all equipment from the acre and a half piece of land the City leased to him seven years ago which allowed him to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in an effort to feed the poorest of the poor in the neighborhood. This picture of people hurt by the closing.
Below are excerpts from an editorial from the PB Post. Entire story can be read below.
“Find urban farm a new home” | Editorial
“Sadly the city, by executive authority of Mayor Keith James, has given urban farmer Stewart Bosley a couple of weeks to clear out.”
“The city chose not to renew the lease to explore other opportunities and land purposes that will address other long-standing, critical needs in the city,” said a statement from the Mayor’s Office. The city sees the acre and a half as a potential site for housing for downtown workers, or for transitional apartments for the homeless. It’s considering other possible sites for a community garden.”
The farm is closed Nov.2021 and the picture shows whats left. Nothing
In closing the book on Henrietta Farms I have a request of WPB Watch readers, an appeal.
Mr. Bosley is $50,000.00 out of pocket over the years to get the farm up and running and more dollars to break down the equipment and store it, and start over.
If readers would like to help, it’s the end of the year and if your looking for a worth while organization to make a donation, please consider Urban Growers Community Economic Development Corporation, it is a 501c3 tax deductible organization, and you will be helping a man who has spent his entire life helping others. Information you need if you decide to donate.
The 501c3 organization is Urban Growers Community Economic Development Corporation. EIN: 80-0814655 Henrietta Bridge Farm is their d/b/a.
mailing address:
Urban Growers CEDC
401 N. Rosemary Ave, WPB FL 33401
Heads Up.
A few months ago I gave readers a heads up that the City passed a new ordinance stating you must acquire a City permit before you plant or remove a tree. Along with our water bill we also receive an insert informing residents what a wonderful job our local elected leaders are doing along with all the events happening in the City. Everything but information on new ordinances we can use. Here is an example of the new ordinance, and the penalty for removing three trees.
Case # CE21100149
335 CLEMATIS ST
Owner: CLEMATIS VENTURES LLC
Code Officer: MICHAEL WILLIAMS – 822-1488
ORDERED: ONE TIME FINE OF
$7,500 FOR EACH OF THE THREE (3)
OAK TREES REMOVED FROM
PROPERTY FOR 94-448-d-1.
ONE TIME FINE OF $15,000 FOR
VIOLATION OF 94-448-d-3-b FOR A
TOTAL FINE OF $37,500
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Upcoming election!
District 1: Martina Tate Walker, who previously challenged Commissioner Kelly Shoaf Qualified 11/12/2021 in an attempt to win election.
Kelly Shoaf Incumbent-Qualified 11/2/2021- Withdrew 11/16/2021
Cathleen Ward-Qualified 11/16/2021
The last day to qualified for the election is 11/16/2021. Shoaf waited until the last minute to withdraw, and there was Cathleen Ward waiting in the wings to qualify. This is a prime example of why residents can’t beat government. This is also the third City Commissioner to not seek re-election under Mayor Keith James, the others were Neering and Ryles.
The end!
Homeless Take Care Of their Own
Panhandling can be seen daily in my neighborhood, and I will share 3 stories I was involved in, and thank Channel 12 reporter Albert Pefley for reporting on the story.
The first encounter was while traveling on Military Trail.
There was a young woman standing in the street, holding a sign “Homeless and hungry, please help, God bless you” I stopped and asked her how she became homeless, and truly can’t remember her response. I told her I was willing to drive her to a homeless shelter where she could receive help. Without missing a beat, she said she would never go to a homeless shelter, because she was raped in one. Now I take a good look at her. She was well dressed in clean clothes, and a smile that you knew her parents spent a fortune on her mouth with teeth any one would be envious of. I didn’t contribute any money.
On 45th. St. There was a young man holding a sign “Hungary, Will work for food. Thank you and God Bless.” I stopped and offered to pay him if he would mow my lawn, and explained I lived in the neighborhood and had a lawnmower he could use. His response ” I have been here all day in the heat, and am going to leave now. I didn’t contribute any money.
I saved the best story for last. Coming off 95 onto 45th. St. there was a young couple, well dressed. The man was holding a sign “Trying to make it home for Christmas” while the young lady sat on a suitcase. I had a flashback to the time I was traveling from one state to another in an effort to get home to my parents for Christmas, in a car that was not reliable. I stopped and gave the young man $25.00. He thanked me profusely, and I was on my way.
A few days later I saw them again, in the same place, he was holding the sign while she took her place on the suitcase. I pulled over, got out of the car and demanded my money back. The last time I saw them they were running down 45th, St, suitcase in hand. I learned my lesson, and also learned the truly homeless, (easily spotted because they have their worldly possessions in a garbage bag, and the lucky ones push a grocery cart) They have never asked anything of me. You actually have to buy them a sandwich and cold drink and offer it up. Most will accept, some have refused. When good folks realize they are contributing to the problem, and stop donating money, the problem will cease to exist.
City Commission Meeting 11/15/2021 My comments will be in Italic.
10.7. “Public Hearing and First Reading of Ordinance No. 4983-21 regarding the repeal of Sections 54-127(2), (3), & (5) and 54-147(a)(1) pertaining to panhandling or soliciting in certain public areas of the City.”
Panhandling is the way some folks earn their living, like a 9-5 job. What bothers me is the City’s attempt to curb panhandling in certain sections of the City, namely the downtown (Clematis St) and Northwood Village. I assume it is OK to panhandle in other parts of the City, and believe me they do. I believe panhandling and homelessness are two separate issues, but obviously I’m wrong. Advocates have made changes in panhandling, and I hope the fight doesn’t stop there, and homelessness situation is also looked into. Below readers will find a story by the Miami New Times concerning the homeless in WPB Fl. and I have included excerpts and the entire story can be found below.
“Because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court case and other court rulings, the city of West Palm Beach may join a list of other cities in the state that have had to throw out their ordinances that outlaw panhandling.
In the face of intense backlash from homeless advocates and civil-rights organizations, the West Palm Beach City Commission voted unanimously to criminalize certain homeless behavior in order to preserve the city’s “aesthetic beauty.” Please note the dogs food & water dish. They care for their own, loyalty is rewarded.
During the meeting, Mayor Keith James said the ordinance was not meant to target homeless people but merely meant to regulate behavior that harms businesses in downtown and Northwood. And he claimed the ordinance was perfectly legal because the regulation is limited to two areas of the city, allowing homeless individuals to move to other areas.
Commissioner Joseph Peduzzi, who began to question the ordinance during the discussion, pushed back against the mayor’s argument, saying that if homeless people are driven to other parts of the city, at some point they may have nowhere else to go.”
Another commissioner who challenged the ordinance, Cory Neering, said he has a family member who experienced homelessness in West Palm Beach and was unable to find space in any shelters in the city. Neering was concerned that people who couldn’t find shelter space would wind up getting arrested or fined because they had no choice other than to sleep outside.
But James resisted requests from commissioners to table the ordinance for further review, saying he wanted a vote on it right away. After a long period of discussion, the ordinance finally passed without the language prohibiting sleeping outdoors; the prohibitions on public urination and defecation and on panhandling remain intact.
Jackie Azis, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida, says that even without the outdoor sleeping provision, the ordinance violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because prohibiting people from asking for donations infringes on their freedom of speech.
“The concern is that the government cannot tell people what they’re allowed to talk about in public,” Azis tells New Times. “What they passed is the same as telling the community, ‘You can’t talk about politics in downtown.'”
Although the pandemic has left many people jobless and without their livelihoods this year, South Florida cities haven’t stopped trying to criminalize homeless behaviors or otherwise make life difficult for marginalized people. In May, Miami Beach passed a panhandling ban that was challenged by the ACLU. (The city quietly removed the ban.) In Fort Lauderdale, advocates alleged that the city built an unnecessary parking lot in order to drive out a homeless encampment.
Azis says the ACLU is prepared to challenge West Palm Beach’s ordinance in court and is eager to hear from anyone who is arrested or fined for panhandling once the new law takes effect.”
Mayor Keith James has stated, on more than one occasion, he is not criminalizing homelessness. What does he call making the act punishable by a fine of up to $500 or 60 days of jail time? Channel 12 also reports they have reached out to City Commissioners and Mayor James for comment, and have not heard back. I’m shocked! Not really, they are the government, and explain nothing. I Have a bed to sleep in, food in the refrigerator, hot water to shower with, and I thank God every day for my blessings. Other’s are not so fortunate. In closing I should inform readers at the time the ordinance was passed neither Commissioner Fox or Warren sat on the dais, but replaced Commissioner Neering and Ryles, who decided not to seek re-election, and broke my heart.
Update on contaminated water situation!
The contaminated water situation residents faced when we were not advised by the City for 8 days we were drinking and using tainted water.Mayor James denied being aware of the situation. City Administrator, Faye Johnson made no such claim, leaving Public Utilities Director Poonam Kalkat aware. There is no one that will ever convince me Ms. Kalkat kept the news to herself. She reports to Johnson who reports to James. Ms. Kalkat recently took one for the team and handed in her resignation letter. My opinion, wrong person resigned.
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/west-palm-beach-passes-anti-homeless-panhandling-ban-11787350
The end
Is the Internal Audit Dept. Needed?
The Internal Auditor is the best friend tax payers can possibly have.
They have the responsibility of auditing City Departments and find ways to improve the way business is done, find way’s to save the City money, and run more efficiently, while offering recommendations for improvement.
Internal City Auditors have the following responsibilities:
Evaluate financial documents, identify the financial risk and offer recommendations to reduce the risk, Identify accounting and financial record-keeping processes that can be improved, determine ways to cut costs, assess the efficiency and productivity of internal staff and make recommendations for improvement, and present findings to upper management in the form of reports and presentations.
You cannot fix a problem you don’t know you have, and the City of WPB has problems from the top down.
A little history:
Along with the Chief Internal Auditor there are five members of an audit committee who work with the IA. One member is appointed by the Mayor, and three are considered “Member -At- Large” who volunteer their time in an effort to assist the City. Presently the City is missing one “Member -At- Large” due to relocating to another city. The City Charter requires the audit committee members to reside with-in city limits, as the Charter also calls for the City Administrator to also reside within city limits, and she does not. The President of the City Commission (Peduzzi) acts as the Chairperson.
Chief Internal Auditors:
The first WPB Internal Auditor for the City was Imogene Isaacs, who devoted 22 years of her life to the City of WPB before being forced out by then Commissioner Keith James, when he accused her of leaking a story to the Palm Beach Post, concerning Bishop Ray of Redemptive Life, who as an attorney James previously represented Ray and the church.
WPB Watch posted a story in 2013 and can be read below, and I ask readers to read the memo James sent to Ms. Isaacs, which caused her resignation. Ms. Isaacs biggest complaint was her budget was cut severely enough that she didn’t have the money needed to hire enough staff to do a decent audit. After her resignation the entire audit staff resigned in protest.
https://wpbwatch.com/2013/10/redemptive-life-fiasco-caused-retaliation-on-wpb-auditor/
The second Internal Auditor was Roger Strout, hired by the City Commissioners in 2013. Mr. Strout gave excellent reports, easily understood, and also mentioned problems he had with some departments releasing documentation in a timely manner so he could audit a particular dept. He was very professional in his remarks, but you could hear the frustration in his voice. Just my common sense working here, but if there is a problem releasing documentation, my first thought is what are they trying to hide?
Mr. Strout had his “right hand man” who turned out to be a woman named Beverly Mahaso Esq. (identifies her as an attorney) CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) and when he retired from the City he stood at the podium and recommended her as his replacement. The City listened to him and offered her the position. She accepted, which brings us to the City’s third Chief Internal Auditor.
There are 21 Departments in the City of WPB, and at one time or another they all will be audited. The IA just finished an audit on “Police Special Investigations” one area of the Police Dept; there are many more.
Audit Committee Meeting, Tuesday November 9, 2021.
Very upsetting meeting where I learned the Internal Auditor’s Office. is down to one Senior Internal Auditor. Last month they had 2, but one resigned due to personal reasons.
The Internal Auditors Office has been given only 3 staff auditors to do audits of the entire City and its been like that for years. So how many are needed to properly run the dept.? Certainly more than 3 especially with all the money the City is receiving.
Ms. Mahaso said she was concerned she would lose her last Senior Internal Auditor, and that should concern every City Commissioner and taxpayer of WPB. She said that she has been trying to promote the one person but it sounded like she must have hit some resistance. It was clear that this was an urgent matter. Some even called it an emergency.
The other interesting statement was Commissioner Peduzzi reported the IA Dept. reports to the Committee Members mentioned above because the charter calls them a management committee. According to the charter this is to ensure the independence of the audit function. But the City Commissioners appoint the Internal Auditor also in the charter. So between the audit committee and the commissioners, the Chief Internal Auditor should be able to go to them and get the support she needs to get the work done.
City Charter: Sec. 4.05. – Internal auditor.
“The city commission shall appoint a city officer with the title of internal auditor. The internal auditor shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, financial, compliance, and expanded scope audits following generally accepted government auditing standards. The internal auditor shall have access to all records and personnel.
The internal auditor shall be appointed by the city commission. Removal from office must be for cause by a majority vote of the entire membership of the city commission (three affirmative votes).
To ensure independence of the audit function and to coordinate internal audit work with the needs of the mayor and the city commission, an audit committee is hereby established. The audit committee is a management committee and not a public board, commission or committee as specified in Article III, Section 3.01(5) above. The audit committee shall be comprised of five (5) voting members; the mayor or designee, the president of the city commission and three (3) at-large members who shall be appointed by the city commission.
The at-large members shall be city residents with expertise in auditing preferably internal or management auditing and at least two (2) of whom shall be a certified public accountant or a certified internal auditor; appointments shall be staggered for terms of three (3) years. The president of the commission shall be appointed as chairperson of the audit committee. The audit committee shall perform an evaluation of the internal auditor annually and present such to the city commission.”
City of WPB Org Chart Effective 05.24.21-1
Readers look what I found on the agenda for the upcoming CC meeting
Resolution No. 299-21 amends the City’s Salary Plan as provided in Resolution No. 248-21, approved on September 20, 2021 for fiscal year 2021/22 by creating the job classification of Grants and Special Projects Administrator with the pay grade allocation of GM04 and providing a salary range of $84,249 – $130,164. This job classification is created to facilitate complex grant planning, budgeting, monitoring, reporting, procurement compliance and task management.
Previous new hire
“Mayor James Announces New WPB Assistant to the City Administrator Dr. Philip C. Harris
The City’s pay scale salary for level GM17. “Min. $121,330.00 Mid. $151,663.00 Max. $181,995.00” “Mayor’s Office Harris, Philip Christopher 101117. Assistant to the City Administrator. Admin, Clerical&Fiscal GM17 $152,000.” (Mid. Level)” Very generous Mayor and City Administrator with taxpayers dollars.
So Administration can create new positions for friends and family, but can’t take care of the employees they have. The employees they need. So where does that leave the Internal Auditor’s Office when they need positions and funds to pay staff? Who benefits from not having audits done?
The end
Tent Site
Cast of characters. Developer Charles Cohen, representing Cohen, Brian Seymour, Chief architect Kristin Hawkins of world-renowned Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, CRA Board who is made up of the 5 sitting City Commissioners, Planning Board, City Place South Tower Association, 1 & 2 City Plaza, Downtown Neighborhood Association, and lets not forget Mayor James in the mix.
The Tent Site is a piece of city owned property that has been dormant and a terrible eye sore for 24 years, until the Cohen Brothers has a vision to build “West Palm Point”
4/21/2020 Cohen Bros. signed a Ground Lease: “A ground lease is an agreement that permits a tenant (Cohen) to develop a piece of property during the period of the lease. After the lease period, the land and all improvements the tenant makes return to the property owner.(City) Ground leases may also be referred to as land leases since the landlord is leasing out only the land.”
Once the building is up and a Certificate of Occupancy is issued Mr. Cohen will pay the City $1,280,000/year. Due to the length of time it is taking the City to decide this project is worthy residents will lose out on millions of dollars in revenue.
Cohen and chief architect Kristin Hawkins presented the board with their concept for the project. It will include an elliptical tower with 23 floors of offices, rising beside a 10-story garage.
8/17/2020 City commissioners, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, voted unanimously for the West Palm Point project to rise on the 2.4 acre property at the corner of Okeechobee Boulevard and South Dixie Highway.
8/17/2021 Planning Board recommended approval.
Commissioner Kelly Shoaf has a problem with the project’s garage. She constantly states “Make it not look like a parking garage.” and unfortunately the other 4 bobble heads jumped on her wagon.
Cohen, along with his architect has been back and forth with the City trying to appease Shoaf and came up with ” living green wall.”
The garage stands alone, is 10 stories tall and as readers can see in the picture the seven bottom floors have living trees surrounding the garage so not a car can been seen, and is adorned with art and topped with a sky terrace with a reflective pool and landscaped seating areas. The architect will place Cysteine’s in order to water the trees. Click to enlarge.
Commissioner Peduzzi questions hurricane season. This building will attract big business who will pay top dollar for renting space and can you imagine the building and garage not being kept in pristine condition. If a tree is lost it will be replaced before the City wakes up. Going forward
11/1/2021 CRA Meeting scheduled for 4:00 PM followed by the City Commission Meeting at 
5:00 PM. Tent site was on the agenda for both meetings. For unknown reasons the CRA meeting was changed to 3:00 PM and many residents mentioned above from the immediate neighborhood planned to attend and speak for the project. Residents I spoke to were upset about the time change and felt their opinion didn’t count, especially the people from the Downtown Neighborhood Association who are pictured here, and loved everything about the project, and Mr. Seymour stated he was surprised when he received a standing ovation. You can watch the CRA meeting below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyByYP7Fog
The entire CRA meeting lasted for 1:47:26. I hope readers will take the time to view the meeting and listen to 2 speakers who did manage to make the time change. If you choose to watch the Tent Site presentation starts at 21:04, and Mr.Seymour begins at 25:28. Sherry Elias 1:19:31 tells the Commissioners what happens on the property weekends. Christopher Arlata starts at 1:23:16 and calls out the Commissioners for referring to the property as theirs. He doesn’t mince words.
Listen to the conversation between Commission Peduzzi and Mr. Seymour when the word litigation is used. Mr. Cohen, without a brick being laid has spent well in access of a million dollars to date. What was accomplished-nothing. Come back and “Make it not look like a parking garage.”
Buy the time the next CRA meeting rolls around (Dec. 21) Cohen’s Ground Lease will expire and he will have to request an extension. Is this what the City is waiting for, the lease to expire?
It’s the end of the meeting and Commissioner Peduzzi asks the City Clerk if there are any comments emailed to the City. Well, yes there are. In fact there are 77 comments to be read. Due to the amount the Clerk is advised to just read the names and addresses, and if they are in favor or opposed to the project. I listened and wrote every name and address down.
All 77 comments were opposed to the project, and if that’s not surprising to readers this should be. The vast majority who opposed live in my area, District 2, called the Villages and live many miles from the Tent Site.
The beginning of the City Commission meeting 5:00 PM Peduzzi asked Faye Johnson, City Administrator, if there were any changes to the agenda, and she stated no, no changes.
The Tent Site was the last item on the agenda, and due to no action being taken at the CRA, there was no discussion. People waited until 9:30 PM to discover their night was wasted.
The City can’t pass the smell test, and should hang their heads in disgrace the way they treat residents. All act like little demigod.