Welcome to the Wilton Manors Gazette where we cover all things Wilton Manors and Oakland Park.
Juneteenth is America’s true Independence Day. It celebrates the day that news of emancipation reached Texas, the last state to learn of liberation. Though this is only the fourth year it’s been recognized as a federal holiday, it’s long been celebrated as a true day of independence. This year the celebration expands.
With its big picture windows and prime location on Wilton Drive by The Manor Complex, the former Wilton Collective building has been eyed by a lot of businesses interested in grabbing the spot. However, it seems the owner is not in the mood for a long-term commitment.
Police are going to have a better idea of who’s coming and going through Wilton Manors. At their meeting on May 28, commissioners voted 4-0 (Mayor Newton was not in attendance) to approve license plate readers (LPR).
When Wilton Manors’ police chief, Gary Blocker, announced in April that there were seven out of 32 open officer positions, eyebrows were raised. During a meeting between the city and the department’s union, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), it was revealed the situation is much more dire than first believed.
The proposed Wilton Hotel & Pool Club has taken a key step to becoming reality. During the city commission meeting on May 14, the panel voted unanimously to approve final changes to the plans and cleared the way for developers to proceed.
Funding cost overruns, lowering expectations for Stonewall, and giving the community more input. Wilton Manors’ city commission met for less than an hour at the meeting on April 23, but they took care of a lot of business.
Wilton Manors budgets for 32 sworn officers on the police force. By early summer, up to a third of those positions could be open. Chief Gary Blocker brought the crisis to the attention of the city commission and residents at the start of the City Commission meeting on April 23.
Wilton Manors proudly boasts, “Life’s just better here.” Now the city is showing the world what it has to offer. Hundreds gathered on the city’s Rainbow Bridge on April 25 for a video shoot promoting the Island City.
“My personal opinion is this was greed and not trying to do the right thing.” Wilton Manors Mayor Scott Newton was not in the mood for excuses, obfuscation, or evasion. Neither were his fellow commissioners.
A new, mid-rise apartment building will soon cast a shadow over the heart of Wilton Drive. But a fight for the city’s soul already casts a long shadow that extends well beyond the vaunted Drive.
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