With the county on lockdown and the economy in the tank, there were businesses that were still on the move — and their final destination was Pompano Beach.

“A year ago, if you would have told me during a global pandemic I would have almost closed my business and opened a second business in the thick of it all, no way,” said Jessica Bruno, the owner of Fenom Salon.

A third-generation hair dresser, she first opened her salon in Aventura in 2011. She’s gained a loyal following of customers over the years, but two years ago she and her fiance decided to move from Hollywood to Pompano Beach. She was apprehensive at first, but now she can’t imagine living anywhere else.

With the financial impacts of the coronavirus hitting all industries, she considered closing her Aventura salon and opening one in Pompano. But because of it being so much more affordable, she decided to take a chance and opened a second location inside Sola Salons in Pompano Citi Centre at Federal Highway and Copans Road. She splits her time between both locations, but hopes to eventually be full-time here.

“I love my clients down south in Aventura, so it would be really hard to leave them,” Bruno said. “A lot of them had said they would definitely follow. I do have a lot of people that are moving up this way, as well.”

She’s not the only small business that decided to call Pompano Beach home. Austin Abel, the owner of Viking Customs, relocated from Fort Lauderdale in April. 

“It’s way more economical for business, especially for our business,” he said. 

At the motorcycle shop the team works on “anything with wheels,” he said, including custom and old school motorcycles, rat rods, hot rods, paint and body jobs – whatever is needed and it’s all done in-house. 

The business first opened its doors at the curve where Sunrise Boulevard and US-1 meet. While it was a beautiful space, it served better as a showroom. They heard complaints from customers that it was a difficult place to access.

A friend had a space in Pompano and Abel knew other people who did business there. For a month, the Viking Customs team gutted the interior of the new shop at 808 S. Dixie Hwy. Although the property is about 4,000 square feet smaller, it serves them better and has that industrial feel they wanted all along. It’s also much more affordable.

Big businesses are also looking to Pompano Beach. In April, the South Florida office of Marand Builders, based in North Carolina, moved from a rental property in Fort Lauderdale to an office they now own on Atlantic Boulevard just east of Cypress Road.

Francisco Alvarado, the president and CEO of the commercial general contractor, looked into cities as far north as Boca Raton to relocate, but Pompano Beach fit the bill. He has even bought a condo in the city. 

Alvarado calls Pompano a “gem in the rough” with far less congestion and huge potential for growth.

“Our lease ended, so we did not renew and we moved our offices completely to Pompano,” Alvarado said. “We are very happy with our investment.”

With COVID-19 impacting businesses, Bruno has been vigilant in keeping her work spaces clean and is only accepting one client at a time in her separate suite.

As an auto shop, Viking Customs was not impacted by the shutdown in Broward County. In fact, they’ve been busier than ever. 

“We’ve sold more bikes and had way more service than before,” Abel said. “I wish we had done it sooner.”

Originally published in The New Pelican.

With the coronavirus taking a toll on the economy, unemployment is at an all-time high in Florida. This impacts an unexpected population: pets.

Enter The Pet Project, which has stepped up to meet the staggering demands of people who are now unable to feed or care for their pets.

“A lot of times, people are in such dire financial straits that they’re having to decide between buying their own food and medication or keeping their pet,” said Tricia Blair, the assistant to the executive director.

Since 2002, The Pet Project has provided free food, litter and discounted veterinary services to those with limited incomes. This includes the disabled, seriously ill, or people who lost their jobs. The goal, they say, is for people to keep their pets  rather than send them to a shelter.

Prior to the pandemic, The Pet Project had 2,450 ongoing clients. Now, they are receiving up to 50 calls for help a day and their volunteers are assisting an additional 5,150 people.

The first Saturday of the month, food can be picked up at the organization’s Wilton Manors headquarters, 2200 NW 9 Ave. The second Saturday of the month, volunteers take food to the Pridelines Community Center in Miami. 

Due to the risks of the coronavirus, the number of clients who need deliveries made to their homes has also increased almost threefold from about 150 to 500. That includes JoAnne Perdue of Oakland Park, who was a volunteer and now a client of The Pet Project. 

Before COVID-19, she would pick up food and litter for her Yorkie, Harry, and her tuxedo cat, Missy. Now, she stays home because her terminal illnesses put her at high risk.

“I used to go and get it because there was no fear of anything, because you just drive up and they put it in your vehicle for you. But now I have to have it brought to my door,” she said. “My friends get mad at me if I even [think] about going to the grocery store. They say ‘No, stay where you are.’”

Angelio Scicolone, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, has also been a long-time client of The Pet Project. He injured his back so badly during a work accident in 2002 that he has been unable to work and, because of his medications, stopped driving about a year ago. 

The organization’s volunteers have dutifully brought his rescued Chinese crested dogs their food every three months, and sometimes even some treats and toys. When his dogs’ veterinarian wanted them on a weight control diet this summer, The Pet Project has made special trips to get specialty food.

They’re so integral to Scicolone’s life, in fact, the executive director of The Pet Project, Sue Martino, is an emergency contact number and the organization is listed in his will to ensure his dogs are cared for after he passes.

“Not only does [The Pet Project] give me the security of knowing my dogs are well fed – because I would go hungry before they do – but it also gives me the security knowing that, God forbid, Sue would come over immediately and get them,” Scicolone said.

The 80 volunteers at The Pet Project are the worker bees of the organization. Not only are they handing out supplies and making home deliveries, but during the beginning of the pandemic, they closed down their thrift store, Hidden Treasures, to make renovations. Previously a drafty warehouse, volunteers remodeled and reorganized the shop. They’re also working to move some items online for people to purchase as a fundraising effort.

“[The coronavirus has] affected every aspect of the organization, as it did for everybody; we’re not unique in that,” Blair said.

Visit thepetprojectfl.org to learn more about The Pet Project, make a donation or volunteer.

Originally published in The New Pelican.

Carolyn Kelly was known for her sense of adventure and generosity, and even after her death, a scholarship in her name continues her mission to help others.

Kelly, who came out as transgender in the 1990s, wanted to make sure that underprivileged people could be afforded an education. Thanks to the Carolyn Kelly Memorial Education Fund, which awards $12,500 twice a year to a deserving scholar, her giving spirit lives on.

“Carolyn knew that there were thousands of transgender individuals who did not have the ability, whether mental, emotional, or financial to go through the process of transition to become who they really are,” said Joseph Audette, the director of marketing and outreach for the fund and a close personal friend of Kelly.

“It was her belief that if a transgender individual could obtain a higher education, be it through a university, college, or trade school, they could reach a point in their life to be able to become their true self.”

Kelly was a senior pilot for a major airline company when she came out as trans, at a time when American society was still trying to come to terms with someone coming out as gay. Her employers didn’t know how to handle the situation, Audette recounted, so they offered her retirement at full pay. She accepted the offer and used it as an opportunity to make investments, travel, dote on her beloved dog, Josie, and support charities such as Women and Kids in Distress, the Florida Humane Society, and the American Liver Foundation.

But she also helped her own friends reach their goals.

Audette recounted how he was looking to buy a house close to his girlfriend, now wife, 18 years ago, but unfortunately didn’t have the funds to make the down payment. He shared his disappointment with Kelly, who later made a proposal: she would provide the capital to him and he would pay it back at a generously low interest rate. He agreed, and he was able to pay her back in less than three years.

“Carolyn did not have to help me, but she cared about my girlfriend and me,” he remembers. “I thank Carolyn every day.”

Understanding the struggles that a trans person can experience, Kelly wanted to make sure that even after she passed that she could help people. She wrote the Carolyn Kelly Memorial Education Fund into her will. She died in Fort Lauderdale in 2016.

The scholarship is open to students attending a two- or four-year college or university in the United States who are transgender, women, underprivileged, or any combination of those. Seven students have received the scholarship and the next winner will be announced July 31.

Kelly loved the water, sailing the Caribbean multiple times, and Audette used a sailing metaphor for how the scholarship helps its recipients: You only need physical strength to hoist a sail or coil a line, but a captain’s license will give you a greater understanding of navigating the ocean and working a boat.

“College does the same thing,” he said. “From dealing with deadlines and time management to the presentation of reports and proper study habits, it prepares the student with real-life application of skills learned in the classroom.”

The next round of applications are due Nov. 1 and will be awarded Dec. 31. For more information about the Carolyn Kelly Memorial Education Fund, visit KellyTrust.org.

Originally published in South Florida Gay News

A transgender woman was shot and killed in Pompano Beach Friday night, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office is asking any eyewitnesses to come forward to help solve her murder.

Bree Black, 27, was killed Friday at 10:18 p.m. by 244 NW 12th St. in Pompano Beach, close to her home. While hundreds of people were in the street when police arrived, Homicide Sgt. Bryan Tutler said that law enforcement has little to go on right now.

“The witness accounts that we have are very basic and they’re coming from most people who got involved after the shooting, not people who saw the [crime] unfortunately,” he said in a press conference Monday.

Tutler, who was not at the scene, said that a lot of people were outside at the time of the shooting because of the Fourth of July weekend. By the time police arrived at the scene, Black was already dead and hundreds of people were congregating in the streets and sidewalk. However, no one has come forward with details about the shooting.

Law enforcement doesn’t know if the shooter was on foot or in a car, if Black and the shooter knew each other, or if she was specifically targeted for any reason, including being transgender.

“There’s nothing indicating an exact motive,” Tutler said.

During the press conference, BSO used female pronouns and her preferred name, Bree Black. She also went by the nickname Nuk, according to Tatiana Williams, the co-founder and executive director of TransInclusive Group, and she sometimes used they/them pronouns.

Williams was a part of the press conference and has been in touch with Black’s family. She said that although she did not ask about what they thought the motive was, no one brought it up with her. Right now, they are focused on “figuring out what they want to do,” she said.

“I was more concerned about what it is that they would need from a community perspective and how we wanted to present Bree,” she said.

Williams added the family wants to plan a vigil or memorial for her and details will be released soon.

Black’s death is a part of an epidemic of crimes against transgender people, particularly black transgender women. According to the Transgender Law Center, she is one of six black transgender women found dead in the last week.

She is the 21st transgender person killed this year, compared to the at least 27 total killed in 2019, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Compass in Lake Worth addressed Black’s death on Facebook, saying “These senseless acts of violence continue to plague of transgender community of color at disproportional rates.”

If you have information about Bree Black’s death, contact Det. Louis Bonhomme at 954-321-4377. To remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS (8477) or browardcrimestoppers.org.

Originally published in South Florida Gay News

For charities big and small, every dollar counts. And recently, the Our Fund Foundation received three legacy gifts totaling almost $10 million.

The donors — Kay Maunsbach, Frederick Emery and James Laird — were three long-time supporters of the South Florida LGBTQ+ community foundation who wrote the nonprofit into their will, continuing their support even after their death. 

“For people who have supported LGBT causes through their lifetime, to be able to do that when they’re no longer here and have a vehicle like Our Fund … I think it has to be really comforting for people to know that what they’re leaving behind is in such good hands,” said David Jobin, the president and CEO of the Our Fund Foundation.

Nicknamed the Stonewall Generation, by 2030 there will be about 7 million LGBT people older than 50, according to SAGE (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders). With many LGBT people not having heirs, leaving their assets to an organization or charity that is important to them is a great option. But for Miami attorney Liz Schwartz, clients don’t ask about estate giving often enough.

“Sometimes I see people straining to come up with the names of their distant family members to leave their assets to, and it’s so wonderful when they think about the meaningful nonprofit organizations and causes whose work they want to endow for the future,” she said in an email.  

If one does not have a will, it is up to the state to distribute the funds. Within the LGBT community, where many do not have beneficiaries or might be estranged from family members, their assets could go to places they wouldn’t approve of.

“It’s important to have a will so the money goes to where you want it to,” said Jeffrey Selzer, a Fort Lauderdale attorney. 

To draft a will or a trust, one will sit with their attorney to determine who and what will receive money upon their death. The charity can be the beneficiary of a specific amount or an account, like the balance of a retirement or investment account. The donor can also be as specific as they want by writing a letter of intent, requesting that the money go to a specific program or even create a new scholarship.

For example, Selzer said he has a client whom he helped draft a trust and letter of intent for her money to be used for a college scholarship for lesbian veterans. Together, they wrote up a mission statement and details on how she wanted the scholarship to be handled. When she dies, it can be distributed to universities for students to apply.

For those concerned about privacy, Selzer noted that trusts are considered private documents, even ones filed through the courts. People can also request in their letter of intent to make the donation anonymous. 

“Think about the impact you can make on the organizations which have made an impact on your life and those you love,” Schwartz said. “The current administration has gutted protections for the most vulnerable among us and the current occupant of the White House has now appointed 200 judges, and they serve for life. Supporting the next generation of our advocates and activists will be essential to continue fighting for full, lived equality.”

But remember, for charities, every dollar counts. Anyone can write a charity into the will or trust, not just the wealthy. 

Jobin said, “The fact is whether it’s the sale of your condo or your company, you’re going to leave something behind, and how thoughtful do you want to be about that?”

A local garden club is using their green thumbs to help the cities of Wilton Manors and Oakland Park turn their parks organic.

The Equality Garden Club, with help from Beyond Pesticides in D.C., is working with both cities on a pilot program to stop the use of harmful pesticides. They are currently studying the soil in four parks before making the switch, and the club is paying for more than half of the cost of the project.

“We wanted to put our money where our mouth was,” said Gary Petonke, chairman of the club’s Green Initiative. “We want to get that ground back to its natural state. Its natural state will take care of itself.” 

Beyond Pesticides has been training staff on making the switch from synthetic pesticides to organic means, and the club is analyzing the biology of the soil at Mickel Park and Colohatchee Park in Wilton Manors, and Wimberly Fields Park and Stevens Field Park in Oakland Park. Prior to the pandemic, the parks were used by families, athletes and pets — for dogs and small children in particular, they receive the most exposure to the pesticides since they are lower to the ground.

“You see these people putting the chemicals down on the ground and they’re in all this protective gear and face masks and everything else, and then in three hours it’s ok to go use it? I don’t think so,” Petonke said.

Petonke said when the club reached out to both cities, they were met with enthusiasm and excitement for the project. The project to study the soil and switch all the parks from synthetic to organic could take up to five years.

“This is an impactful way to continue the successful implementation of our Climate Action Plan with our neighbors in Wilton Manors. A win-win for our residents and our planet,” Oakland Park Vice Mayor Jane Bolin said in a release.

In the same release, Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Tom Green noted that the project complements the city’s goals for “environmental resiliency and energy.”

The Equality Garden Club has about 150 members, and prior to the pandemic, had about 80 people attend their monthly meetings. The club plays host to nursery rambles, potlucks, its annual Tropical Plant Fair, and also partners with local charities. 

For one, they planted a vegetable garden with Kids in Distress so kids could watch the growth cycle from seed to vegetable, then eat the food they harvest. The club is also working with Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami for the Million Orchid Project, a plan to repopulate Southeast Florida with 1 million orchids in five years. 

For more information about the Equality Garden Club in Wilton Manors, visit equalitygardenclub.com.

Originally published in South Florida Gay News

With masks on their faces and signs in their hands, a group of about 50 parents let the Broward County School Board know what they want for the fall: the option for face-to-face schooling five days a week.

The parents, who are part of a Facebook group called Broward Parents for the Return to School, gathered at 9 a.m. Tuesday outside of the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Building in downtown Fort Lauderdale, protesting for the hour before the meeting began at 10 a.m. 

“The virtual learning has been pushed, the hybrid – however that is supposed to look like – has been pushed. All we’re asking for is there should be an option for those families and teachers to go back 100 percent, five days a week,” said Jen, who asked that her last name not be used. Her children are going into second and fourth grade.

School Board members did not appear to use the front entrance where the group was, however, Kathy Koch, the district’s chief communications officer, addressed the media as parents yelled “five days face to face.”

In a survey conducted by the district, 36 percent of parents wanted schools to fully reopen, 24 percent wanted fully online, and 33 percent wanted a hybrid model. Teachers and staff were also queried, with 37 percent wanting a hybrid model, 29 percent for fully reopening schools, and 25 percent fully online. Of students surveyed, 30 percent wanted to go to school and 29 percent wanted to stay online.

Deirdre, who also asked to not have her last name used, has children in elementary and middle school.

“We’ve gotten some backlash from parents who think we want to force them to send their kids to school. Absolutely not,” she said. “We 100 percent understand and we are on board if parents don’t want to send their children to school. They have had that choice on the table since day one and we stand with them as well.”

For Jen, who is an essential worker and the primary caregiver and provider for her two children, virtual schooling will be tough to manage. She says she has had to pay “a second mortgage” the last two months to find childcare while she is at work. One of her children was able to easily adapt to virtual learning, but her youngest struggled. 

“A first grader requires a lot more supervision in the e-learning,” she said. “You can’t sit them in front of a computer and tell them, ‘Go through your schedule for the day and do it yourself.’”

Some parents also referenced a recent recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is recommending that students physically attend schools in the fall.

According to a Distance Learning & Wellness Survey by the district, 52 percent of students found it “hard to get motivated to complete distance learning assignments,” 44 percent were confused about assignments and 67 percent “never or infrequently” get help from an adult at home.

For teachers, 82 percent used district-provided professional development and 63 percent felt confident using virtual learning tools

David Sangiao-Parga, a teacher and father of four, says he would like to see the option for parents to be able to choose to send their children to school full time or continue with virtual school.

“I understand this is an emergency situation for this past semester. You do what you can, but we’ve had months of time to prepare and to make accommodations to make sure that things are opened up safely and properly,” he said.

He suggested temperature checks and hand sanitizer in classrooms, as well as allowing teachers who are immunocompromised or not comfortable coming back to continue with virtual school. He also hopes that teachers would get the training and support that they need to succeed.

“When you have a teacher that doesn’t understand something and is cut off from being able to use the techniques that he or she may have used for literally decades, you’re essentially turning them into first year teachers again,” he said. “We’ve been given training for [Canvas Learning Management Platform] before, but like with everything else, a lot of it is just you go to a workshop for a day or you go online and do an online walk through.” 

Parents have received a second survey asking what they want for the upcoming school year: 100 percent e-learning, full face-to-face schooling, a hybrid model, or the Broward Virtual School program. The survey closes July 6.

The first day of school in Broward County is Aug. 19.

Originally published in The New Pelican.

In December of 2017, to allow a dealership to sell used vehicles in a zoning area that didn’t allow those kinds of sales, the city changed an entire chapter of its zoning code.

“This is a citywide text amendment [allowing this type of use in other parts of the city]. You can’t just have spot zoning,” said Lamar Fisher. He was mayor at the time and now serves on the county commission.

Fisher, Mayor Rex Hardin and Commissioner Beverly Perkins voted in favor of the changes. Vice Mayor Barry Moss voted no. Michael Sobel, now one of The New Pelican’s publishers and then a commissioner, also voted no.

Without the zoning amendment, the dealership, Avis Pompano Beach, 1150 S. Federal Hwy., could not have been opened in the B-3 zoning where used car sales are prohibited.

Also opposing the controversial zoning change was Commissioner Rhonda Eaton, a member of the planning and zoning board at that time, and the Community Redevelopment Agency [CRA]. According to minutes of the Aug. 23, 2017 planning board meeting, Eaton said Federal Highway is “plagued” by car dealerships and “this will only make the problem worse.” 

Sobel cited a Federal Highway study that advised against used car dealerships along that corridor. “This is contrary to all the visions of smart growth we’ve worked so hard to achieve and it’s taking one giant step backwards.”

Avis Pompano Beach is not located within the CRA but CRA officials objected because the original proposal would have allowed similar dealerships to open within its boundaries. The final amendment prohibits that. CRA officials claimed it was “not compatible with CRA redevelopment goals and urban design principles.” 

When Sobel said that the dealer had the option to open in other locations without the change, Rod Feiner, the attorney who represented the dealership, said the city would benefit from the zoning change. In the past, Feiner has also represented the city on zoning matters.

Feiner touted Avis Pompano Beach’s plans to bring in quality vehicles, which he said were well maintained and actually closer to new. “They’re very much the equivalent of a new car . . . it really is new cars.”

Moss rejected Feiner’s attempt to repackage used cars as new.

“A used car is a used car,” he said.

Feiner also promised, and the zoning code requires, that each vehicle would be no older than two years and have less than 35,000 miles on its odometer.

Moss expressed concern that Feiner’s clients wouldn’t live up to their promises.

“If everybody did what they promised us they would do, we wouldn’t need to have a code compliance department,” said Moss. “Because there is what is said and there is what is done. And that concerns me.”

Ensuring compliance, said Feiner, would be a simple matter for the city.

But since the zoning change, obeyance and enforcement of the requirement appears non-existent. Multiple reviews of the Avis Pompano Beach website by The New Pelican showed that vehicles with more than 35,000 miles are available for sale. 

During the first review on June 1, 18 out of 70 cars listed at Avis Pompano Beach, 1150 S. Federal Hwy., had been driven more than 35,000 miles; one had more than 66,000 miles. The company does appear to be following the requirement that all its vehicles are no more than two model years old.

When asked about the requirement, the dealership’s general manager said he had no idea there were any restrictions.

“You’re telling me something new that I’ve never heard,” said Mark Cohen, general manager of Avis Pompano Beach. “That would be strange, if that’s what you’re saying.” He explained that most cars taken out of the rental fleet average around 35,000 miles, so it wouldn’t make sense to agree to that rule. 

Kevin Daly, of Daly Real Estate, which owns the dealership, said, “I couldn’t speak to that” when asked about the mileage. 

Hardin told The New Pelican in a June 11 email that the city’s code compliance office became aware of the mileage issue and visited Avis. 

“The local representatives were unaware of the ordinance requirements and quickly took action to come into compliance,” Hardin said. “That is an ideal result from code compliance activities. Code compliance, who is now busy with COVID-19 enforcement, will continue to monitor the situation to ensure continued compliance by the business, which has been very cooperative.”

But another review of the company website on June 12 showed there were still three cars over the 35,000 limit. One was listed at 47,676. On June 16, The New Pelican spoke with an employee about the cars. He said two had been sold but one, a Dodge Challenger with 38,503 miles, was still on the lot.

Also discussed in 2017 were plans for a remodeled showroom. Feiner said Avis would look like a new dealership and briefly held up a rendering that he said was in the agenda backup.

But the rendering is not in the meeting’s documents [available on the city website] and no renovation work seems to have been done.

The New Pelican requested a list of building permits from the city, pertaining to the dealership, and seven were provided – submitted after the new owners took over. All but two permits were expired, voided or withdrawn. The two that were approved were for a new sign and electrical work.

Originally published in The New Pelican

With beaches closed for the Fourth of July weekend and alcohol sales limited, communities are waiting for the day that things will open back up.

And so are municipalities.

Broward County conducted phase one of reopening in May, and cities and towns cannot be any more lax than the regulations set by the county. 

One resident in Pompano Beach recently contacted The New Pelican to express her frustration that city hall was still closed. 

“Cities cannot take action that is less restrictive than the county’s emergency orders. As such, it is up to Broward County to decide when and what can reopen,” said Scott Wyman, chief of staff to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis. “And, their decisions are based on what Gov. Ron DeSantis allows the county to consider.”

The closures and restrictions not only impact businesses, but also public buildings. City hall, libraries and more are closed to the public, although some staff are working on site. But there are online options for residents to pay utility bills or for businesses to apply for permits and licenses. Summer camps are also open to smaller groups of children, and some libraries offer walk-up and drive-up services.

Residents registered to vote have also received cards from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections to sign up for mail-in ballots. 

“The safety and well-being of our community remains our top priority and therefore, to help disrupt the spread of COVID-19, the City of Wilton Manors’ buildings remain closed to the public,” the city of Wilton Manors said in a statement. 

Visit broward.org/coronavirus/pages/emergencyorders.aspx for more information on the county’s emergency orders and openings.

Originally published in The New Pelican