About the OSOBs

OSOB Inc. Purpose

Original Save Our Beach, Inc.
A Not-For-Profit Corporation
P.O. Box 493 Deerfield Beach, FL 33443
E-mail: OSOB@originalsaveourbeach.org

ORGANIZATION OFFICERS

TREASURER - JIM MCGEARY

SECRETARY - JOANNE CARRIG

 

 

Vote Yes for Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment 4

www.floridahometowndemocracy.com

Only after the last tree has been cut down.
Only after the last river has been poisoned.
Only after the last fish has been caught.
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

                        Cree Indian saying

There are some misconceptions about the Original Save Our Beach which need correcting.  The majority of people in Deerfield know that the OSOBers are not against development; in fact we are for development that stays within the land use codes and zoning regulations.    We fought hard for the prior building codes to be reinstated after a former commission eliminated them.

 

The codes are what keep Deerfield Beach the city the residents want to have.  75% of the voters agreed with reinstating the codes and putting the height limits into the City Charter. 

 

If a person has a hardship, and cannot utilize his/her property because of that hardship, a variance can often be granted.  However an owner of a property cannot claim a variance because they want to build taller and fatter than allowed by code.  They are entitled to reasonable use of their property but, they are not entitled to crowd their neighbors by building out to the sidewalk. 

 

 (A variance is a waiver from the requirements of the Land Development Codes, where specific enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship. The variance requested should be the minimum variance that would make possible the reasonable use of the land, building or structure.  Seeking a variance is asking for something special.  A hardship generally occurs when the physical characteristics of a property are such that it cannot be used for any purpose permitted by codes.  A hardship may be created by the surroundings, shape or topographical conditions particular to that specific property.  However, the hardship cannot be self-imposed, or the result of the property owner’s own action.)

 

Except for unashamedly greedy projects, the OSOB committee favors developments which meet code; we encourage business growth and redevelopment.  However, development which ignores the will of the residents and the codes is wrong.  Above all, to us, the quality of life of the residents is paramount.

Our tactics are simple, find out what the residents want and work toward making that happen.  We depend on volunteers to get the message out.  We attend commission meetings and workshops to keep up with what is happening in the city.  We pay attention.

 

The OSOB committee fought for the residents of Deerfield Beach and opposed:

The 7 story, 240 room hotel - condominium complex planned for the main beach parking lot; voters agreed, wanted the parking lot kept, and voted it down.

The Ocean Park mixed use development project also planned for the main beach parking lot, again voters voted it down.

The Ocean Plaza beach-front project which needed several variances to be built – So this property could be built the commission eliminated setbacks and other codes.  This building and another on the SW corner of Hillsboro and A1A were built during the time the codes were eliminated and the OSOB referendum reinstated them.

J.Bs and Ocean’s 234 being allowed to get away with no onsite parking.

The giant restaurant planned by Pete Boinis for our city owned pier. 

The designation of our entire 28 acre beach area as an Regional Activity Center (RAC) which would allow much higher density and commercial development on the entire beach. The Broward County Commission agreed that this is a bad idea and banned RACs on any barrier island.

The changing of the Crystal Lake Golf Course land-use category from recreation to residential to allow a large housing project.  As a result of residents’ outrage county wide, the Broward County Commission added a provision to its land use code which “strongly discourages” golf course conversions.

The proposed Deerfield Station plan for the Transit Oriented Development zone by the Tri-rail station, the plan, which has a mix of commercial and residential buildings has the right idea for the site, however it is much too dense.  A scaled way down version of the plan would be an asset to the city.

 

We have the right, given what has happened to those now empty big developments and the traffic on the S curve, to shout: “We told you so!!!”  However we savor our small victories for the people. I guess we should remind people more often of what Deerfield would look like if residents didn’t band together to make themselves heard. 

 

One resident sent a letter to the County Planning Council during the discussion of the RAC for the beach; he started it off saying what almost every resident of Deerfield Beach says about why he moved here:

“As a resident of Deerfield Beach I am very concerned about preserving the character of our local beach area. The City Council is seeking to have a portion of the beach area designated as a Regional Activity Center. I am not a member of any organization to preserve the beach or a lawyer, politician or developer. My interest in this purely personal because the reason my wife and I decided to locate and live in Deerfield was the fact the beach area was not a solid mass of high priced condominiums or bars and restaurants.”  

The OSOB is made up of people who moved to Deerfield Beach because of its unique character.  The OSOB has become, out of necessity, the voice of the majority of residents.  We are a diverse group, who with every challenge, attract new members.  The group is brought together by one mission; keep atypical Deerfield Beach from becoming the standard over-developed Florida city, thereby protecting the quality of life of our residents. 

 

The bottom line is that we are ordinary people who love our community and care passionately about protecting it for the residents, future generations and their quality of life.

 

Members talk about our victories being charted by the local Observer Newspaper.  After our first campaign, the newspaper called us “disgruntled housewives”.  After other successes, we were described as a “polished political group” and then by this same frustrated newspaper, as “home grown terrorists”.  That last description puzzled us as we could not understand how representing the majority of residents, attending meetings, collecting signatures for ballot amendments and passing out flyers could be termed "terrorism".   The Observer Newspaper Owner has stopped allowing his editor to print any letters from our group.  Kind of makes you wonder what they are afraid of.  I guess the truth.

 

TAX TIPS FROM LORI

FOR THE OSOB, INC.'S VISION OF THE PIER , CLICK HERE.

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world" - Ghandi

LINKS

ABOUT DEERFIELD BEACH

Deerfield Beach USA Website

City of Deerfield Beach Website

Hometown Democracy Amendment Website

Broward County Commission Website

Broward County Voting Information Website

Environment News Service

Blog by Bett