Everglades Foundation environmental community workshop

Environment Florida, a citizen-based environmental advocacy organization, will hold a Community Activist Workshop in Palmetto Bay, Florida, at the offices of the Everglades Foundation on Sat. Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Registration is free and the event is open to the public, with a $10 donation at the door to defray the cost of training materials, staff, and food.

Environment Florida has partnered with the Florida Public Interest Group and The Public Interest Network to stage this unique training workshop. The Everglades Foundation, located at 18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 625, Palmetto Bay, Florida will serve as the host location.

Run by trainers affiliated with The Public Interest Network, the Activist Workshop will cover the best techniques for organizing fellow students and the broader community to take action.

Everglades Foundation Florida Public Interest Group community workshop

Trainers will discuss how to plan a community environmental campaign and develop the campaign’s goals, strategies, and tactics. Attendees will also learn ways to recruit volunteers and get residents plugged into the campaign.

The workshop is an opportunity to learn, share ideas, and connect with other environmentally-active citizens and activists from other causes.

Click HERE for more details and to register, or contact Jessie Miller at jmiller@publicinterestnetwork.org or 978-621-7367.

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The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will be providing a convenient method to renew a driver license, obtain a replacement license, change a name or address on a driver licewnse, get an identification card,  renew a vehicle registration, and purchase a specialty license plate.

Florida Licensing on Wheels (FLOW) Mobile Unit

FLORIDA LICENSING ON WHEELS (FLOW)

Pinecrest Community Center
5855 SW 111 Street
Friday, November 4

9:30 am – 2:30 pm

For more information, please call 305-284-0900

To renew an expired or expiring license or to obtain a Florida Identification Card, you must bring a valid passport or certified birth certificate. Married females must bring a marriage license for name verification. Other requirements are a Social Security card or W-2 or 1099 Tax Form, and two proofs of residence including voter registration card, deed or rental receipts, and utility bills. Fees are based on services.

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Palmetto Bay Village Voice is hosting a free mayoral forum between Carlos Gimenez and Julio Robaina on Thursday, June 16, 2011. All are welcome.

The Palmetto Bay Village Voice (pbvv) will host a mayoral forum between candidates Carlos Gimenez and Julio Robaina this coming Thursday, June 16th at 8:00 AM at the Palmetto Bay Village Center located at Old Cutler Road and SW 184th Street.

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Residents in Palmetto Bay Can Participate In Year's Largest Food Drive

The biggest food drive of the year is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, and Palmetto Bay residents can easily participate and help feed needy South Floridians.

The United States Post Office will hold the 19th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) ” Stamp Out Hunger” food drive on Saturday, May 14. On that day, residents of the Village of Palmetto Bay can place a bag containing nonperishable food items next to their mailbox, which letter carriers will pick-up when they deliver the mail.

Examples of needed non-perishable items are:
*Canned and boxed meals (i.e., soup, chili, stew, macaroni & cheese)
*Peanut butter
*Baby Formula and baby foods (check expiration dates)
*Canned meats (i.e., tuna, chicken, salmon) that do not require refrigeration before opening
*100% Fruit Juice (canned, plastic, or boxed)
*Canned or dried beans and peas (i.e., lentils, black beans, pinto)
*Pasta, rice, and low sugar cereals

The food collected will be taken to the Feeding South Florida food bank, sorted and distributed to over 800 nonprofits with food banks, pantries, and shelters that serve children, families, the elderly, and people with disabilities in Miami-Dade county.

Imagine going hungry, right here, in the wealthiest country in the world. It hardly seems possible, but it’s true. The reasons are many:  job losses, declining wages, escalating costs, and high medical expenses.

49 million Americans are at risk of hunger – that’s one in six Americans, and many of them are children and the elderly.

The NALC food drive is the largest single day food drive in the country, and last year over 1 million pounds of food was collected in the South Florida tri-county area.

For more information on how to get involved, please call Anthea Pennant at 954-518-1832.  If you will open your heart and make the short trek, volunteers are needed to assist at Feeding South Florida’s West Palm Beach distribution center on the day of the event (May 14, 2011). To volunteer for the Stamp out Hunger food drive, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Leroy Green at lgreen@feedingsouthflorida.org.

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April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month

Everyone is aware of the recent challenges in our foster care system and the deadly consequences of its flaws. Many of us wonder what can be done to help.  Can everyday citizens even make a difference? Thankfully, the resounding answer is, “YES.”

Residents of the Village of Palmetto Bay can become a “voice” for children in the foster care system by becoming a volunteer for Foster Care Review. Volunteers from the Foster Care Review provide a check and balance system for the courts by monitoring agencies and cases firsthand. “If there’s no independent oversight of this very complex thing that’s happening, then it frequently doesn’t happen” explains Mike Samway, a volunteer with the Foster Care Review for the past three years. From ensuring that services are provided and that progress is made, Foster Care Review volunteers advise family court judges and help fill the gaps for those in Foster Care. Volunteers are asked to dedicate just one day a month.

Imagine – just a few hours of your time could change a life forever!

To get involved with Foster Care Review, call the volunteer coordinator at (305)573-6665 ext. 230 or go online to Foster Care Review NOW!

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Christmas Trees to be Converted into Mulch, Available Free to Residents

Now through January 7, 2011, Palmetto Bay residents can recycle their natural Christmas trees by taking them to one of Miami-Dade County’s Neighborhood Trash and Recycling Centers (TRCs).

All trees brought in for recycling must be free of lights, tinsel, ornaments and tree stands.

The trees will be converted into mulch, available free to residents on a first-come, first-served basis beginning in mid-January, 2011.

TRC’s are open seven days a week, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The closest TRC’s for Palmetto Bay residents are:
Eureka Drive – 9401 SW 184 Street
Chapman Field – 13600 SW 60 Avenue

Residents who choose not to recycle their Christmas trees will have the following two options for disposal:
1.  Residents may cut the tree into smaller pieces and place it inside their green waste cart for collection on any of their regularly scheduled waste collection days. The tree must fit entirely inside the waste cart. Trees placed next to the waste cart cannot be collected by the automated waste collection truck.
2.  For those residents who cannot drop off their Christmas tree for recycling or cut it in pieces and place it in their waste cart, the tree may be placed at the curbside no later than Friday, January 7, 2011, and it will be collected. Christmas trees placed at the curbside after January 7th will NOT be picked up and must either be taken to a drop-off location or placed in the waste cart for collection as described above.

Be green, Palmetto Bay residents, and recycle your Christmas tree!

Mulch Availability

Christtmas tree mulch will be available to Palmetto Bay residents at the Eureka Drive TRC location (9401 SW 184 Street) beginning in mid-January, 2011 for residents to pick up using their own bags or containers, on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.

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Citizen's Crime Watch Offers Safety Tips for Shoppers

This report comes to the Eye on Palmetto Bay from the folks at Citizen’s Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County.  Palmetto Bay residents need to remain ever-vigilant – whether shopping in our village or at any of the nearby mega-malls.

The holiday shopping season is here, and we all try to get the best deals. Criminals are in the same state of mind, looking for potential easy victims — so let’s look at some ways we can deter them from ruining our holiday spirit while shopping and assist the police at the same time.

• Women — Is it really necessary to carry a purse at all times?  It may be wiser to just put the essentials, such as keys, credit cards and ID cards, in our pockets. If you must take a purse, use one that crosses your body, keeping it always in front of you and thus making it harder for someone to grab. Carry as little cash and as few credit cards as possible.

• Men — Put your wallet in your FRONT pockets to avoid pickpockets. It’s easier to steal a wallet from your back pocket than the front pocket, especially if you are dealing with a distraction team.

• Everyone — Be aware of camera phones. There have been instances in which these phones have been used to steal someone’s merchandise. Here’s how it works.  You’re standing in line making your purchases while the person behind you is pretending to be on the phone. That person is actually taking a picture of you. By the time you have finished paying, that picture has been sent to a contact outside. They’ll follow you to your car and either wait for you to put all the merchandise in your trunk and continue shopping, or they follow you home and wait for you to pop the trunk open.

• There are ways to protect your self from this scheme. For example, when you’re shopping — and this usually happens when you’re buying big items such as electronics — don’t go to your car and leave the packages in your trunk and then continue shopping.

• When you go home, remove all your purchases from the trunk before doing anything else, including rushing inside to use the restroom. Pay attention to your surroundings and look for tell-tale signs such as a car or a pedestrian near your home.

• When using an ATM to make withdrawals, make sure it is in a well-lit and not-secluded area. Once you get your money, wait until you get into your car to count the cash – with the windows up and doors locked. An added recommendation is to turn on your car alarm.

• Many malls and shopping areas are working with law enforcement to keep crime down. You may see an increase in the number of uniformed officers in and around malls, but many places also will have undercover officers.

• It may put us at ease to know that we have police officers protecting us while we shop, but those officers cannot be everywhere at all times. We need to remember to take extra measures to protect ourselves from becoming crime victims.

In closing, let us not forget after the holidays to take all those boxes, smash them up, and place them in large black garbage bags so that no one knows what you got for the holidays.

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Cutler Bay Resident Uses Halloween Display to Collect Food for Needy

It seems the word, “small,” just isn’t in Al Rapport’s dictionary…or his heart.

Every year on Halloween, the Cutler Bay resident, affectionately known as “Big Al,” turns his entire front yard into a massive display of scary creatures, eerie lights, and ghoulish sounds.

Beware!  The spooky “graveyard” comes alive on Halloween night, as hundreds of parents from Cutler Bay and neighboring Palmetto Bay and Pinecrest drive by with their children to view one of South Florida’s largest Trick or Treat displays!  Visitors delight in “live” ghouls and goblins frolicking in the “Whispering Pines Cemetery.”  The first 125 children visiting the display receive glow necklaces for safe Trick or Treating.

Giving out candy and playfully scaring kids is only part of Big Al’s mission. His annual effort serves as a backdrop for a food drive for the needy.

Large bins are placed in the front of the display and visitors are encouraged to leave donations of canned foods and non perishable food items. All food collected is then donated to the “Feeding South Florida” food bank.

“There are more needy people in South Florida than ever before,” says Rapport. “I set up big Halloween display to entice local residents to bring their families out for a fun evening, while remembering to lend a hand to their less fortunate neighbors.“

Visitors who arrive without canned food can still support the food drive by writing a check payable to Feeding South Florida. “We accept food and money,” says Rapport. “If you have a check, just walk up to the porch and ring the bell, but be ready for a giant ‘Big Al’ bear hug!“

The most-needed food items are:
Canned fruits and vegetables
Peanut Butter (in PLASTIC jars)
Macaroni and Cheese (packaged)
Hot and Cold cereal (packaged, family-size)

You can see the incredible Halloween display “in action” tonight from dusk until 11pm.  The Rapport house is located at 8740 SW 186 St, Cutler Bay, FL.

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Palmetto Bay Residents Can Learn CPR Via YouTube

This information comes to us from long-time Palmetto Bay resident,  Steve Kreisher.

Steve told us about a new CPR technique that is simple to perform and does not require breathing into the mouth of the victim – just a series of chest compressions.

The new CPR method does not require certification and can quickly be learned by anyone via a professional training video on YouTube.

We encourage all Palmetto Bay residents to take a few minutes, and watch this video.  After watching, please forward the link to your family and friends.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO AND LEARN THE TECHNIQUE: Continuous Chest Compression CPR

“You never know,” Steve says, “a life may be saved utilizing this new procedure.”

You’re right,  Steve – thanks for sharing!

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Early Voting Has Begun for August 24th Primary Election

The opportunity for Palmetto Bay residents to cast their ballot in the August 24 primary election has arrived.

Miami-Dade county early voting began Monday, August 9.

Here is the voting schedule:

10/23-10/27:  7am-3pm
10/28:  9am-1pm
10/29:  11am-3pm
10/30-11/3:  11am-7pm
11/4:  9am-1pm
11/5:  11am-3pm

For Palmetto Bay residents, the closest Miami-Dade County Early Voting Sites are Coral Reef Library (9211 Coral Reef Drive) and South Dade Regional Library (10750 SW 211 Street)

If you work downtown, you can vote at the Elections Department (SOE Main Office Building / 2700 NW 87 Avenue) or Stephen P. Clark Center (Lobby, SOE Branch Office /  111 NW 1 Street)

Remember – when voting at any voting location, whether at an early voting site or on Election Day, be sure to bring a current and valid identification that contains your name and photograph and signature.

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