Category: Fort Lauderdale
-
Before Brightline became nation’s deadliest railroad, its owners rejected safety fixes
By Ann Henson Feltgen
FloridaBulldog.org
The owners of Brightline, the nation’s only privately funded and operated train, have been on notice for years that they weren’t doing enough to prevent fatalities on their tracks. -
Fort Lauderdale DDA’s decline: from nurturing the rise of the city’s center to installing a mural on a city parking garage
By Noreen Marcus
FloridaBulldog.org
A bill to prolong Fort Lauderdale’s downtown taxing district for 20 years beyond its 2030 expiration date failed this legislative session. Expect another try in Tallahassee, though critics wonder why the Downtown Development Authority is still around after 54 years. -
Legislators seek investigations of Marion Hammer’s failure to disclose large fees from NRA
By Dan Christensen
FloridaBulldog.org
Two state legislators filed formal complaints Thursday with the state, Senate and House oversight authorities seeking investigations into Tallahassee lobbyist Marion Hammer’s failure to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from the National Rifle Association. -
A Streetcar Named Devour: Downtown Fort Lauderdale officials invested over $18M in quiet bet on WAVE ‘Loop’ they pushed
By Noreen Marcus
FloridaBulldog.org
Downtown Development Authority board members Alan Hooper and Tim Petrillo invested more than $18 million in real estate beside or near a planned “Loop” route along North Andrews Avenue at the northern WAVE terminus, near high-end Flagler Village. The timing of those deals raises concerns about a possible conflict of interest that was not made public. -
As Republicans move to scrap blind trusts, Democrat agriculture chief Nikki Fried launches one
By Dan Christensen
FloridaBulldog.org
After years of embarrassing news about mega-wealthy former Gov. Rick Scott’s financial conflicts of interest, state Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing bills to repeal Florida’s controversial qualified blind trust statute. But that won’t affect the new blind trust quietly set up by new Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried. -
Has developer-dominated Fort Lauderdale DDA taxing district outlived its usefulness?
By Noreen Marcus
FloridaBulldog.org
Republican State Rep. Chip LaMarca, wants to extend the life of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority until 2050. DDA critics are not happy.
Support Florida Bulldog
If you believe in the value of watchdog journalism please make your tax-deductible contribution today.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax deductible.
Join Our Email List
Florida Bulldog delivers fact-based watchdog reporting as a public service that’s essential to a free and democratic society. We are nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan, experienced. No fake news here.