The pattern of criminal cases associated with the Sandalfoot area continues. Mr. George Paris, whose mugshot is shown at right, is accused of witness tampering in a homicide investigation. The Sun-Sentinel has some details though we’re not sure how reliable they are.
What we have from the Sheriff’s website is that Mr. Paris is accused of violating Florida Statute § 914.22, labeled in their system as “Obstructing Justice – Tampering in 3rd Degree Felony Proceeding”. If we’re reading that right (we’re not sure) that means he’s facing a 2nd degree felony charge. This is an example of the confusion – if it’s a homicide investigation, why would it only be a 3rd degree felony proceeding?
The address listed for Mr. Paris is on Flotilla Place near the intersection with Branch Street. The red arrow in the photo below indicates the property we think it is, but again we’re not sure as the address provided by the Sheriff and the maps we use may be unreliable. As of this date it appears Mr. Paris is still in the mail.
Of course, there’s more. Mr. Erick Pennington was arrested late Saturday night and is still being held. He’s accused of battery and marijuana possession, along with three probation violations.
It’s unclear from the blotter whether the battery charge is a misdemeanor or a felony, though we would guess it’s the lower level offense.
Mr. Pennington (probably no relation to Chad) is listed with an address in the southeast corner of the Sandalfoot area, just south of SW 18th Street not far from Boca Rio.
Kelly Ann Raper is accused of two counts of trespassing. She was arrested this morning and released in the afternoon “on recognizance” (bail was not required). When we see such a short time in custody we refer to it as a catch and release. Ms. Raper’s listed address is also just off SW Sandalfoot and just west of 441.
Category: Neighborhoods
Street Lights on Palmetto Park
We heard from a reader that the street lights on Palmetto Park, west of Loggers Run, have been inconsistent at best. There have been moments where it’s “pitch black” at night. After forwarding the information through channels we’ve heard back. FPL should resolve this issue within ten days, and quite possibly sooner.
West Boca Map – Roads and Neighborhoods
Here’s a rough draft of a simplified map of West Boca.
We’d love to hear comments.
Boca Falls Considers Expanding Fitness Room
At tonight’s meeting of the Boca Falls board meeting, there was extensive discussion of problems with the fitness room. Certain machines suffer excessive wear, requiring repairs as often as once a month.
The discussion was well attended. The fitness room sees heavy use and the board talked about getting an architect to look into expanding the fitness room by eliminating the wall between it and the hallway, and by taking space from the large bathrooms.
Expanding the space would allow for more machines and a safer layout. There was no word on how long it might take to get this done.
The board also reviewed a variety of issues in the community, including fence maintenance and the status of a sidewalk cleaning project. The community is changing the gate operation from clickers to bar codes and residents are not coming in for their stickers timely, and thus a rush is expected in the next few weeks as the changeover looms.
A number of volunteers responded to the board’s request for volunteers to various committees and were appointed by unanimous vote.
Finally, at the risk of a lack of objectivity: The board also voted to create an “Emergency Preparedness Committee” at my request and appointed me to chair the committee. The purpose of the committee is to review and improve the community’s emergency plans, and make sure Boca Falls has plans and people in place to deal with emergencies that might arise, especially regarding the common Florida problem of hurricanes and flooding.
West Boca Community Council Report
The West Boca Community Council had a meeting tonight at Boca Lago Country Club at 7:30 pm. There were 40-50 people in attendance (pictures below were
Perhaps the most impressive appearance was Capt. Matt Eisenberg who was also at the Chamber breakfast meeting at 7:30 am.
The meeting started with brief comments from a Fire Rescue speaker talking about fire safety and stories of recent incidents.
If you have a fire in the garage close the door from the garage into the house. If your house has a fire inside close the door as you leave. These steps reduce fire damage.
Justin Culp from Commissioner Berger’s office told us that she has been meeting with lots of politicos at the state and national level.
COBWRA speaker about efforts to influence state legislature. Changes sought include something called the HOA/Condo Bill. Extend time for retrofitting elevators. Opt out of telephone directory. Authority to turn off cable TV for delinquent owners.
Mike Pratt – property appraisers office. Exemption filing time has passed. Talked about process of dealing with appraisals with their office. His brief remarks led to eager questions from the audience.
Capt. Eisenberg spoke about adverse possession. Keep an eye out for squatters. An audience member asked about street corner beggars. Capt. E. said its not illegal. There are reports that the beggars make a lot of money. Concerns were also expressed about school kids soliciting for sports teams at intersections.
There are also reports of a big homeless camp at Glades and 441 near the Home Depot & Publix Plaza. There was talk of plaza proposes toclear the spot by adding more commercial space there. Residents didn’t like that idea. Capt. E. noted that deputies routinely offer help getting public assistance but are almost always turned down.
Skate Park should open in June in Loggers Run Park.
Lou Kaplan – Ask The Lawyer – spoke about HOAs and condo associations. Proposals to tax associations per member, to allow members to make copies with their phones and not pay copying fee, limiting timing on challenges to association elections, prohibiting associations from cutting off cable to delinquent owners, hurricane safety for condos, etc. Association personnel records are exempt from inspection.
Kaplan took a number of questions dealing with the intricacies of condo/HOA law. His answers were thorough and impressive.
Overall the WBCC seems more focused on representing the associations rather than residents, which fits with how it was created.