Voice of Hollywood

24/09/2024

I don’t know is any neighbors in District 6 have spoke to candidate Claudia Villatoro yet. This woman is amazing, smart, full of personality, and a total breath of fresh air that understands the issues in Hollyood. Our current Commissioner who took over from the book stand Sherwood has done nothing in here 2 years in the seat and she has over 10 years experience as County Commissioners Beam Furrs chief of staff and has yet to fulfill her obligation to our residence. Her working for the county commissioner is still unethical and she has not once recused herself from any vote dealing with the county. I still have hundreds of neighbors that come to me for advice due to lack of communication with the commissioner and I send them directly to the mayor or district commissioner. If you live in the Washington area, you could find her community collaboration food bank seeking votes.
If you live by the turnpike between Pembroke Road and Sheridan Street, you know this area has been forgotten by Hollywood and the two commissioners threw it through the wayside. Beverly Park neighborhood will agree with this. Our leaders want to see the whole area knocked down and put up affordable housing that fattens the pockets of the city and add to the coffers. We saw this on Johnson street and 441 what they displaced 200 residence to build a low income house income property that from what I see by the cars do not seem very low income.
We need to choose somebody who is gonna stop this Construction that is populating our city, which is going to bring higher crime rates and higher taxes. I’m sure you’ll meet her in person as she’s walking around every day talking to resident door to door.

Claudia Villatoro is a candidate in Hollywood, FL, running for City Commissioner District 6. Click here to support her campaign.

25/02/2024

28/01/2024

“Down and out in Hollywood”
I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrases like, “Never judge a book by its cover”, “We are all god’s children”. I was also taught, Every person has their own story and journey that brought them to this point in time no matter how great or tragic. This falls true for our homeless population who are people too. Just like millions of Americans throughout the country people fall on hard times, or some may have a mental, or physical reason for being homeless. Whatever the various reasons these are people and we look down on them like garbage instead with an empathetic eye. We complain that they sleep on benches, alleyways, parks, and beg for money to get a meal. We think there is a solution and a place for them to go everyday and night, a beautiful place that can fit every person. They are called shelters and there is just not enough space for all homeless no matter what your being told. Even if there is room, some don’t go to shelters because of the rules. For example, not all their belongings are allowed inside so they would rather brave the elements then lose their worldly possessions.
59% of Americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. You can fact check that.

Cities around the country like our city are criminalizing homelessness, arresting them for loitering, harassing them, and bulldozing their camps destroying their worldly possessions. Hollywood and other cutie even go after charities that try to help. Remember, the homeless voice?

“We are seeing an increase in these laws at the state and local level that criminalize homelessness, and it’s really a misguided reaction to this homelessness crisis,” said Scout Katovich, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of sweeps and property seizures in a dozen cities, including Minneapolis, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Anchorage , Albuquerque, and Boulder, Colorado.
“These laws and these practices of enforcement do nothing to actually alleviate the crisis and instead they keep people in this vicious cycle of poverty,” she said.
This holds true in Hollywood as well. If you’re not living under a stone you may have noticed fewer and fewer homeless around our city and especially in the tourist areas like the beach and downtown. So where are they going? Has the county built a building that can house all the homeless?
Last time I checked there are not to many places to house the number of homeless in Broward county. There is a lack of existing shelters are what shelters are in place are extremely overcrowded. People like myself that are empathetic to the homeless population in our city are wondering where are they going?
Like the plot right out of a movie I’ve heard stories about vans and busses going around the city and county collecting the homeless and dropping them in a different location? This is called “Greyhound Therapy” and has been used by many cities in this country.

The city of Hollywood and county have a program, “TFFEH” Task force fore ending homelessness, and our leaders are proud of this type of initiative as are most cities around the country.
Our city is even boasting and gloating how they are tackling the homeless population with a joint effort by the police and the county with this program, but it’s all true?
Again there is a lack of placement options in our county and not enough space to handle the population.
Are they just putting a band aide on the problem because it’s an election year?

I have so many questions about this and are we depriving people from life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I watch so many Hollywood residents fighting for such petty issues like saving green spaces, NO more condos on the beach, and more low income housing for non-residents when there are so many larger issues that need to be tackled.
Fact: some of these LMI housing projects are adding to the homeless population by tearing down their homes in the name of progress.
I ask you the question. Why is no one fighting for the silent population, the homeless? Why are we not fighting for more shelters and actual programs that help put a cure to the issue.

I once asked the old owner of Sunset golf course if he would be okay with the homeless living on the property when it say dormant for years. He told me he didn’t object but couldn’t say yes do to insurance. One word of this and the usual suspects were up in arms looking for blood.
I saw then where their priorities were and to this day have zero nice things to say about them.

How about we try fighting for what’s really important in our cities and country. People!

31/12/2023

Great story on channel 10 about affordable housing and infrastructure issues throughout the county.
For years I’ve been doing research and incorporating other city’s blueprint on a proposal to build tiny homes on City of Hollywood land Instead of Hollywood giving land away for affordable housing that isn’t guaranteed for any Hollywood residents. I propose a tiny home project and village for residents and those who work in the city.
This project can be funded by the COH with government, grants and subsidies, that will not only add affordable housing, but a new revenue stream for our city.
In a small portion of the old Sunset golf course, we could build one to 200 homes that would be fully sustainable for an estimated cost of 4 million. Seeing what Hollywood paid extra for sunset due to so-called community activists clouding the waters of the deal that could have paid for these homes. 200 tiny houses with a very small footprint that even if the city charged a base rent of $500 per month per unit would bring in 1.2 million in revenue per year. This project will pay for itself in five years which is better than any deal the city has made thus far with any developers.
We need leaders with a vision to bring Hollywood more growth without losing the Hollywood charm, and I think a tiny village inside city limits that is sustainable with the community garden, a park, etc. will be a huge positive for our city and a model for others to follow.
Or we keep letting developers build mega structures on free property with no upside for our residents. What are your thoughts?

16/01/2023

Our city went through the same issue with Commissioner Sherwood

On Friday night, the city of North Miami Beach received a legal opinion from an outside attorney saying Mayor Anthony DeFillipo has "automatically vacated" his seat by not residing in North Miami Beach, one of the requirements to hold office in the city.

20/10/2022

Why should I register to vote?The law does not require citizens to vote, but voting is a very important part of any democracy. By voting, citizens are participating in the democratic process. Citizens vote for leaders to represent them and their ideas, and the leaders support the citizens’ interes...

23/09/2022

Join the fight.

30/08/2022

Friends and neighbors our city is in trouble and needs our help. The current commission is breaking all the rules, disrespecting residents and giving public land away that’s not theirs to give.
We need your help to get a long time resident and educator Francisco Vargas into the District 5 seat.
We need change and in a hurry. So please get out there for the midterm elections and help our city by voting Vargas.
Campaign contributions would be greatly appreciated and anything would help our goal of getting the right person in that seat.

Why should I register to vote?The law does not require citizens to vote, but voting is a very important part of any democracy. By voting, citizens are participating in the democratic process. Citizens vote for leaders to represent them and their ideas, and the leaders support the citizens’ interes...

19/05/2022

Tell me if this makes sense to you.
I’m sure you heard by now Pinnacle is building on LMI housing the corner of 441 and Johnson street.
I’ve read a few post throughout social media about how happy a few of the Hollywood Commissioners and residents are so happy because there will be 100- 200 units available for new LMI residents.
Here is the kicker though.
They are displacing over 300 plus current residents, many are elderly from a trailer park in the second phase of their plan. I read some comments on another post saying they are trailer homes. So what! It’s still someone’s home that might not find another place.
This kind of progress is okay with residents but you frown on other projects. Who are we to pick and choose between what we think is right and wrong for Hollywood?

16/04/2022

The 1301 project on the beach and the witch-hunt that’s taking place.

After reading posts throughout social media and listening to the residents for months I have questions or points to make for the sake of information.

Why is it that most people against building a condo live in a condo themselves. Okay that was more of an observation.
Should every decision that is made by the city go to a citizen vote? If so, why do we have a commission of our peers elected by citizens to make these decisions?

What are you going to do when the mom and pop hotels start selling their properties (and it’s happening) and developers want to build in the heart of the beach?

The beach district also gets over 20 million a year from just the CRA to get rid of blight areas and beautiful the barrier island that have long been taken care of.
These are funds the rest of the city does not see a penny of and is in dire need of this funding to fix many issues throughout our city that plague us everyday.
Of the top of my head we have severe infrastructure issues that need to be addressed and have been on the back burner for decades. For instance; Sewer systems, storm water, speed bumps, sidewalks, etc. Where’s the help for these issues? Or does anything over the bridge not count as Hollywood to some.

There needs to be a balance THROUGHOUT our city and no saying to the commissioners go build in downtown Hollywood or “over there”. Because you know there are other residents in this city besides those who live on the beach and they are not happy with the amount of development going on in their neighborhoods but they are not picking up pitchforks and torches and going after the city leaders. Myself as a resident has always see eye to eye with commissioners or the Mayor and have been vocal on many issues I found as my opinion to be wrong, but I’m not looking for a head on a stick.

Gathering the masses to vote them out is a short term fix because in a few years the next set of commissioners get elected and could be pro development of this city and create utter chaos or the leaders you choose get in there to stop one project but can’t complete menial tasks or balance a budget and set us into further economic hardship.
A double edged sword!

I don’t know what the answers are or how to fix the issue so many of you are passionate about, but everyone needs to come together.