GoFundMe to Help Save Deerfield Beach!

Today (12/20/1024) our small neighborhood group (Ric Jorge, Connie Montague, Bob DiChristopher, Cristina DiChristopher, Stefan Bolowich, & April Bolowich) had a 2 1/2 hour meeting with the legendary attorney Robert Sweetapple and his co-counsel Cynthia Miller, where they outlined all the many legal points we have available to us. The first few of the biggest issues are what we’ll lead with.

Now, brace yourself for the part you know is coming… we are very confident moving forward but it will cost $30,000. Yes it’s a lot, but spread out among neighbors, it’s a lot less painful.

When you contribute to the GoFundMe; it helps the win in the obvious way, by paying the attorney, but it also shows the 3 judges whom Sweetapple goes before, that the larger community supports this effort. The more people who donate, the better, even if it’s a dollar. Please contribute and share via email and via social media to help save the character of Deerfield Beach.

Allowing this pivotal change would set a precedent and forever change the face of Deerfield Beach along Federal Highway. Now is our only opportunity; if we give up, the AXIS Project would be the first of many apartment buildings that completely cut out local realtors- they do their own in-office ads and renting, like at a dorm. 

With this change comes five times the Floor Area Ratio and 5x the density. It’s extremely lucrative to the developer, and many powerful people in the city recognize that, for better or for worse. 

Fight for the better. Don’t allow our Deerfield Beach to become like New Boca and New Pompano. Help save Deerfield Beach!

https://gofund.me/acf251e7

When CFA is complete, you’ll be getting your chicken by making a U-turn >right here< on Federal Highway at NE 2nd St, to immediately dart across all 3 lanes to enter the drive through. We don’t need 400 rush-hour cars added to this mix. 

As the locals know, we have daily gridlock at this intersection. The re-zoning issue is about safety, not about an ugly vacant lot. The most recent neighborhood traffic fatality was earlier this year when our neighbor Dana was crossing US1 by NE 2nd St. Dana Blanton was killed on Federal Highway when he went through the windshield of a Cadillac walking home. May he rest in peace. 

We don’t need re-zoning that would allow 400 rush-hour cars added to this mix. 

Traffic is backed up on SB Federal Highway past NE 4th St. on a normal, non-holiday Wednesday evening.

Commissioner Parness had a legitimate question when he asked the people in attendance at the 11/6/24  commission meeting, “Who bothered to even attend the Broward County Land Use Amendment meetings?” It’s a very fair question. There are two reasons nobody in the audience raised a hand.

Broward County COVID-19 lockdowns began March 19, 2020 when the county issued a stay-at-home order shortly after Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in Florida on March 13, 2020. Travel outside the home was prohibited.

1. Nobody attended because nobody knew about it. We weren't notified, and no one saw a single sign. 
2. Even if people had known about it, attendance by the public was prohibited, not just by the state, but also by the county.

At some point in mid 2021, a developer stapled this paper to an invitation to help plan their new apartment building and mailed it to residents. 

That is how everyone learned about the zoning change.

FDOT traffic studies occurred during Covid lockdown too.

Let’s not forget that there is video of the developers’ attorney confirming the fact that this Broward County Land Use Change did not consider Chick-fil-A when determining approval.