ALERT COCONUT CREEK RESIDENTS

There is a notice of a public meeting in the Sun Sentinel today, Section B page 5 and I am going to copy the BS word for word. It is designed to confuse you and convince you not to attend the meeting and challenge the ordinance:

"The City of Coconut Creek proposes to adopt the following Ordinance:

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA AMENDING CHAPTER 13, CODE OF ORDINANCES, ENTITLED "LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE," BY AMENDING ARTICLE 11 THEREOF, ENTITLED "SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS," BY AMENDING DIVISION 5 THEREOF, ENTITLED "SUBDIVISION DESIGN STANDARDS," BY AMENDING SECTIONS 13-237 AND 13-237.1 RELATED TO REGULATIONS FOR TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY  (sic); PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE"

Are your eyes crossed yet? Okay, read just the last phrase and let me translate it for you. This clause is setting the rules, fines and effective date for something they are calling "TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICES" which I bet are TRAFFIC CAMERAS and making these laws citywide.

The first reading of the ordinance is on March 10th at  7 PM and YOU need to call 954-973-6774 and find out what this TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICE is, what the fines are and what the fines will be for, get yourselves on the agenda and SPEAK.

First off, these cameras are in court and it has been shown that NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY RUN RED LIGHTS. They are throwing cases out right and left because "enhancement" software must be used to see what the license plate might read and they cannot prove where the photo of the license plate was taken. THESE CAMERAS ARE EXPENSIVE. WE ARE LAYING OFF SCHOOL TEACHERS, POLICE, FIRE AND EMERGENCY PEOPLE. WE ARE CUTTING OUR SCHOOL BUDGET TO THE BONE. ISN'T ANY ONE OF THESE JOBS WORTH THE PRICE OF THIS INEFFECTUAL BOONDOGGLE CALLED A TRAFFIC CAMERA?????

Our local governments are still on a spending spree. The implementation and purchase of these bells and whistles should have already been chopped on the block rather than necessary services. Let me ask you, what was the first thing you cut from your budget this year? Was it food or Cable TV? Do we want a cop or a traffic camera? The choice is obvious to the average person but apparently the local politicians are not average and I didn't mean that in a good way.

On the other hand, 76 Place is on 441 and under the jurisdiction of Coconut Creek. You will get a ticket at that light. There is no doubt if the camera is activated, you will be ticketed and you will have done nothing wrong. There are accidents at that intersection almost every night. George was almost killed at that intersection. WHY? Because the lights are timed wrong and the government disagrees with me. I saw a metro bus, doing less that the speed limit hit the final line going into the intersection with its front tires just as the light turned yellow. There was no way it could stop. If it had, it would have come to a stop IN THE INTERSECTION.  The light turned red before the last half of the bus crossed the first line on the other side of the intersection. It would have been ticketed for running a red light. This light has been this way since Hurricane Wilma and even before. You can stand there and see it is wrong with no stopwatch, no fancy electronic equipment. People are rear ended trying to stop because they don't know if the camera is active or not almost every night. These cameras are not saving lives, they are causing accidents. Time the lights and fix the system if you want to save lives and it will not require a SINGLE TAX DOLLAR, JUST LETTING THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY HAVE HIRED DO THEIR JOBS.

I am not a resident of Coconut Creek. Trust me, they do not want to see me at City Hall. They probably have my picture up somewhere on the "unfriendly list".  The Salamander actually sits in unincorporated Broward County. You are going to have to this yourselves. I have given you the ammunition. These cameras are not administered by the cities. A private company does the analysis and sends out the tickets. The city PAYS the fee for each ticket sent out and license plate analyzed whether it holds up in court or not.
Now, as my grandma would say: "A really fart fellow would know that it is in the company's best interest to send out as many tickets as possible and provide the most convincing statistics on making money. And a really fart fellow would know not to believe a word of it."  BOONDOGGLE!