HBBA General Membership Meeting Minutes April 21, 2022
4-6 pm at the Garfield Street Community Center.
Opening of the Meeting and Welcome by Dan Serafini, President of HBBA. Pledge to the Flag
Introduction of guests and speakers by Dan Serafini: Vice Mayor Caryl Shuham, Sarita Shamah, Senior Project Manage Hollywood Community Redevelopment Agency, Assistant Police Chief Jeffry Devlin, Jaime Hernandez, City of Hollywood Emergency and Governmental Affairs Manager, Elaine Franklin, City of Hollywood.
Board of Directors Introductions – Dan Serafini, Debra Case, Ron Jakubisin, Jeff Hansen, Eduardo Fernandez, Rita Wells, Elena Hershey, Olga Cherkasova, Board Candidates Bob Weiser and Rachel Osburn all gave a short description of their position and associated business.
General Introductions – Dan Serafini asked that everyone introduce themselves and their business. There were more than 70 introductions.
Beach Ordinances on Disposables – Elaine Franklin gave a presentation of what materials can and cannot be given by beach businesses for take-out or to serve. The presentation is now on the HBBA website so that anyone can review and understand what the city requires.
Hurricane Preparedness – Jaime Hernandez spoke of the higher frequency of storms and that the National Hurricane Center is predicting an above average active season this year. He outlined common sense safety precautions and plans business need to have ready and what the city and beach are doing to make sure everyone is prepared.
Sheridan Street Bridge – Presenter had to leave before this item came up. Dan Serafini and board members spoke about the closure of the bridge for 90 day this summer and how it might impact traffic. Members asked why bridgework was being done during summer when there is still a volume of people visiting the beach. The bridge work is proceeding as fast as possible, but they have to close it to replace parts which will arrive in June that require disabling the bridge span and those repairs have to be done in order for the lesser invasive projects to continue. The Dania Beach Boulevard Bridge was under construction for 2 years and the Sheridan Bridge will take about a year with three months of closure.
CRA & Traffic. Sarita Shamah provide a brief update on the undergrounding of utilities. Some members noted that it has not been as disruptive as when the roads were resurfaced and things are moving quickly.
Safety and Police Report. Assistant Police Chief Jeffry Devlin introduced his beach patrol. There were 12 police officers and two new community resource officers attending. Community
Resource Officers are active on the beach and can now handle many of the low-level complaints like noise, trash and walking in bike lanes. They plan on expanding the hours and number of CRO’s in the future, as this helps police officers to focus on higher priority issues and deal with incidents and crime. Chief also introduced our new Marine Patrol Officer.
Members south of Hollywood Boulevard noted that in the past they had more interaction with the police. The office they spoke of has now retired and about half of the beach officers are new hires. They still have a few vacancies to fill. Chief Devlin responded to questions about how quickly the police can show up after a call is made and also how non-emergency issues are prioritized and handled.
Others in attendance voiced their concerns over issues that affect them and Chief Devlin took notes and promised follow ups. Members want a phone line and better communication with beach officers. For now, the non-emergency line is the best way to communicate.
The meeting ended at 6:20 pm and adjourned. Prepared by Ron Jakubisin