Do People in Fort Lauderdale Watch Too Much TV? (Miami: real estate, insurance)

[HotandHumid]

Seeing high rise condos built that most of the residents of Fort Lauderdale can't afford to buy because of the median wage scale here while affordable housing for the citizens here isn't happening makes me wonder if the residents of Fort Lauderdale are spending more time watching television than paying attention to what the City government does here?

Since television is mostly fantasy and scripted reality tv shows where the situations are set up beforehand by script writers, one has to wonder where the residents of Fort Lauderdale are when it comes to the decisions that are being made in the government here that ACTUALLY affect their lives.

Most of the parks I see are pretty barren of the people who say they moved here for the weather and it's rare to see anyone not in an automobile except maybe in Wilton Manors where people park their cars and walk to destinations there so I'm curious as to how much time a day people here are involved in watching television.

I only know of one major corporate book store here and one used book store so it doesn't seem to me people are sitting at home curled up with a book and they certainly aren't very involved in the communities they live in as is pretty much in evidence when the government lets developers tear down older homes built to withstand hurricanes as they've been through many and build two and three story spec homes with big round windows on the second and third floors which were the first things to cave in during Hurricane Andrew in south Miami-Dade County.

Those no-regard-for-the-neighboring-houses new developments often put the neighboring yards and pools into shade most of the day where they used to have sun so if you buy a house here with sun on the pool most of the day, there's no guarantee unless you live in controlled community that someone might buy the house next to you as a tear-down and build a big place that shadows out your pool and yard because city officials here seem to be all about paving the way for new building instead of restoration and re-purposing.

That's created a situation where the government in Fort Lauderdale is allowing developers to keep building glass walled high rise buildings that windows popped out of and crashed down onto Broward Boulevard during Hurricane Wilma, not even that strong of a hurricane by most standards. I guess people don't realize that there's no such thing as hurricane proof windows but I guess memories are short and people don't recall Hurricane Andrew blowing down concrete block walls and leaving multi-story residential buildings looking like some giant had sliced off the outer wall so they could see how the dwellers lived inside.

I've read several magazine articles about how many Americans are downsizing and not building monster houses but I guess those magazines aren't being read in Fort Lauderdale where the motto seems to be, "The bigger the better and don't worry about hurricanes, you can buy insurance."

Which doesn't do a lot of good when your house has blown to bits and you're left without a place to live unless you can relocate to an area that wasn't hit so hard while your house is being rebuilt with a very good chance that it could be hit again because they don't call this area "Hurricane Alley," for nothing.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Some of these high rise condos are probably money laundering schemes.

[Nolefan34]

Most of these new condos are built with hurricane proof glass. They are also built with concrete walls. If you don't like them, then don't move there. The US1/Broward Blvd area is prime real estate on the verge of a large boom. Would you prefer if they built single family cookie cutter homes on one acre tracts there?

[jhlcomp]

And your point is???

[Ft Laud Guy]

You should petition the city commission that their residents are watching too much tv.

[canesfan33068]

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

Seeing high rise condos built that most of the residents of Fort Lauderdale can't afford to buy because of the median wage scale here while affordable housing for the citizens here isn't happening makes me wonder if the residents of Fort Lauderdale are spending more time watching television than paying attention to what the City government does here?

That is Capitalism. Build it and they will come. Ft. Lauderdale has a large community of Snowbirds which are wealthy people and pensioners from up north and from Europe and Latin America. They like Condos too.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

Since television is mostly fantasy and scripted reality tv shows where the situations are set up beforehand by script writers, one has to wonder where the residents of Fort Lauderdale are when it comes to the decisions that are being made in the government here that ACTUALLY affect their lives.

Most likely they suffer from the same distractions as do most Americans. They are preoccupied with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Your lament is more about what has happened to our culture than why do people consciously choose not to participate in their Civic duties.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

Most of the parks I see are pretty barren of the people who say they moved here for the weather and it's rare to see anyone not in an automobile except maybe in Wilton Manors where people park their cars and walk to destinations there so I'm curious as to how much time a day people here are involved in watching television.

Just like anywhere else in the Country their are Communities where they are concerned about their Carbon footprint and recycling and exercising and right next door in a neighboring community they are more concerned with the price of Gas Station Cigars, Jordans, and their Gaming Consoles. This is completely normal. Besides, Television is a dying medium in just about every demographic. It s the Internet and Netflix and Amazon Instant Video etc. today.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

I only know of one major corporate book store here and one used book store so it doesn't seem to me people are sitting at home curled up with a book and they certainly aren't very involved in the communities they live in as is pretty much in evidence when the government lets developers tear down older homes built to withstand hurricanes as they've been through many and build two and three story spec homes with big round windows on the second and third floors which were the first things to cave in during Hurricane Andrew in south Miami-Dade County.

Physical Bookstores are in bad shape. Nobody reads today everything they need to know they learn from YouTube [Sarcasm]. I imagine if people have long since stopped buying new books they probably not able to turn around and sell them to a used book store thus the conspicuous absence of both. As for Developers being allowed to tear down old homes they agree to Build Schools and other such things to get the approval which are out of their pockets. That is why the local governments tend to be open to new development. Since Hurricane Andrew building codes have changed. It will take several more storms to complete the renovation cycle so that the older coded homes which are susceptible to storms are either renovated to code or demolished and new code compliant homes built in their place.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

Those no-regard-for-the-neighboring-houses new developments often put the neighboring yards and pools into shade most of the day where they used to have sun so if you buy a house here with sun on the pool most of the day, there's no guarantee unless you live in controlled community that someone might buy the house next to you as a tear-down and build a big place that shadows out your pool and yard because city officials here seem to be all about paving the way for new building instead of restoration and re-purposing.

The first place we lived when we moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1979 was the same and the house was old to boot. It has been this way for many decades in South Florida with regard to zero lot line houses and obstructed views with limited solar exposure. Restoration is usually cost prohibitive when compared to rezoning rebuilding.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

That's created a situation where the government in Fort Lauderdale is allowing developers to keep building glass walled high rise buildings that windows popped out of and crashed down onto Broward Boulevard during Hurricane Wilma, not even that strong of a hurricane by most standards. I guess people don't realize that there's no such thing as hurricane proof windows but I guess memories are short and people don't recall Hurricane Andrew blowing down concrete block walls and leaving multi-story residential buildings looking like some giant had sliced off the outer wall so they could see how the dwellers lived inside.

Again materials science has come along way and there are glass fixtures that appear identical to those that failed during Wilma and what is being used today that would not have failed in a Storm of similar or greater strength.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

I've read several magazine articles about how many Americans are downsizing and not building monster houses but I guess those magazines aren't being read in Fort Lauderdale where the motto seems to be, "The bigger the better and don't worry about hurricanes, you can buy insurance."

In any large Metropolitan area you have the same. People were downsizing after the housing bubble in 2008 for economic reasons and not because they had an epiphany and realized how there McMansion was wasteful and excessive. Florida flood insurance is among the highest in the U.S. I doubt people have the casual attitude toward that expense as you portray.

Originally Posted by HotandHumid

Which doesn't do a lot of good when your house has blown to bits and you're left without a place to live unless you can relocate to an area that wasn't hit so hard while your house is being rebuilt with a very good chance that it could be hit again because they don't call this area "Hurricane Alley," for nothing.

There was a bad Hurricane that Hit New York/New Jersey and left thousands homeless. Hurricanes are no longer a phenomena solely in the Southeastern U.S.

You entire thread can be summed up as...

1. Florida is overcrowded.
2. Why do people build such expensive extravagant seemingly excessive buildings and homes?
3. Why don't people turn of TV and ride their Bikes more?
4. How can local Governments get away with allowing such sprawl which is clearly contrary to reason and the public good?
5. Why don't people read more books?
6. Don't builders realize tall glass structures present a danger in a High Velocity Wind event like a Hurricane.

All I can say is... The world is a complex place, South Florida in and of itself in particular. What makes this a great country is we can eat garbage if we so chose. Not exercise or get enough sleep if we so chose. Immerse ourselves in whatever seemingly wasteful endeavor we can ill afford even at our own peril. Life is way to short to worry about all the things you worry about. Do what you can and enjoy what you like. Let your fellow Americans be free to live the lives they feel suit them even if you find their choices illogical, wasteful, gluttonous.

[perry335654]

HotandHumid are you a NIMBY ?