Port de Mer has a private beach and two swimming pools, one on the ocean and one on the Intracoastal. Our professionally managed property has four buildings, each with two elevators, a waterfront social room, underground parking, a key fob entry system, security cameras and a laundry room on every floor. There is a total of 209 two bedroom units.
Small pets are welcome at Port de Mer. We allow homeowners one cat or one dog weighing 20 pounds or less. Renters and visitors are not permitted to have pets on the property. Trucks, RVs and motorcycles are also not permitted. A summary of our rules and regulations is available on this site.
Port de Mer is a tranquil beach community where we enjoy sun and surf just a few miles from the conveniences of a thriving metropolitan area.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DATE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019 7:00 P.M.
PLACE: MEETING ROOM, 1236 HILLSBORO MILE
AGENDA
Clear the Clutter Hillsboro Beach
On Saturday, October 26th the Town will host a FREE Shred Day for all residents for onsite document destruction of their personal information.
Also, great opportunity to drop off any unused or expired prescription drug medication and Household Hazardous Waste for safe disposal.
Electronics Recycling will be collected as well…FREE!
Come and join us at Town Hall on Saturday, Oct. 26th from 9:00 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Dear Neighbors,
Recent mediation efforts between legal counsel for Deerfield Beach and Hillsboro Beach regarding beach erosion/beach management have resulted in a proposed Settlement Agreement. That proposal was reviewed by the Commission on Friday, October 4, at a Special Public Meeting. Thank you very much to those of you who attended that meeting.
Coastal Science Basics
In order to understand the content of the proposed settlement, it is first necessary to have a basic understanding of coastal science. Back in the ’60s, Deerfield was granted permits to install 53 sand-catching structures/groins. Today, it is an undisputed fact that this type of structure provides a benefit for beaches updrift of the structures (Deerfield) while causing erosion to beaches downdrift of the structures (Hillsboro Beach.) On our section of the Atlantic Coast, sand moves from north to south for a majority of the year (debatably about eight months), with a shift in sand-flow for a lesser portion of the year (debatably about four months). The sand loss incurred downdrift of the structures is partially reversed when the direction of the sand-flow shifts. However, as history has shown time and again, the recovery time for beaches that are downdrift for most of the year is not sufficient to restore the beach completely. Scientifically speaking, there are only two ways to negate the impact of a sand-catching structure: 1) remove the obstacle, or 2) make sure the obstacle stays covered with sand and literally disappears from the equation by becoming part of the beach itself. The proposed settlement approaches the problem using the latter strategy.
Proposed Settlement Recap
It was determined at Friday’s meeting that while the proposed settlement may theoretically address the issue, there are a number of points in the documents that must be clarified. In addition, the Commission was given just over 48 hours to absorb the contents of the documents before being asked for a vote. As a result, the Commission voted to table the proposal for 30 days in order to address points needing clarification. There are several areas in the documents where dollar amounts for cost caps were left blank and several areas where the language was vague or contradictory, however, the three major points needing to be addressed are:
How Third-Party Funding Works
To drive home the importance of third-party funding, consider these scenarios as they relate to a $10 million nourishment:
Scenario 1 – $10 million – The full $10 million must be paid by Hillsboro Beach taxpayers if qualifications for third-party funding are not met.
Scenario 2 – $2.5 million – The State pays 50% of a $10 million project (this is the State’s typical contribution for a regular beach nourishment), bringing the remaining amount down to $5 million. The County typically pays 50% of whatever remains after the State contribution. This brings the remaining amount down to $2.5 million.
Scenario 3 – $1.25 million – In an effort to encourage Regional Sand Management, the State pays 75% of nourishment costs if the sand comes from a regional inlet (such as Boca Inlet or Hillsboro Inlet), as opposed to off-shore borrow sites or inland sand mines. For a $10 million project, this leaves $2.5 million remaining. If the County pays 50% of the remaining amount, that leaves $1.25 million.
Scenario 4 – $650,000 – If the combined efforts of Deerfield and Hillsboro together can result in being recognized by the USACE (Corps) as a Regional Sand Management project, the Corps pays 75% of a $10 million project using Federal dollars, leaving $2.5 million. The State then pays 50% of that, leaving $1.25 million. The County then pays 50% of that, leaving $650,000.As you can see, third-party funds can take a $10 million sand project and reduce the cost to Hillsboro Beach taxpayers from $10 million to $2.5 million, $1.25 million, or $650,000, depending on the amount and source of third-party funding.
What About the Lawsuit?
It is the general consensus of the Commission that for a number of reasons, agreeing on a settlement is preferable to duking it out in court. That said, the terms of any agreement obviously need to be acceptable to both parties, or the lawsuit will proceed. Currently, we are on Broward County Judge David Haimes’ docket for a calendar call on November 1st. The trial would likely be scheduled for mid-November based on that calendar call date. In an effort to work with the settlement proposal, the Commission voted to table the proposal for 30 days so that questions can be answered and clarifications made. This means the trial date will have to be moved back on the Judge’s docket to the next available time slot. At this point, it’s not clear exactly when that would be.
Another Important Consideration
If accepted, the Settlement Agreement is an actual contract. The semi-annual monitoring laid out in the contract will provide hard data that can be used in a courtroom should litigation again become necessary. According to the legal team, enforcing a contract from 2019 will be much easier than enforcing 50-year-old permits.
Hopefully, this information is helpful. As always, I will keep you apprised of the situation as it unfolds.
Sincerely,
Deb Tarrant
Mayor
Below is a link to the Agenda for the Special Commission Meeting this Friday, October 4, at 1:00 pm. You can read the full text of the proposed settlement with Deerfield Beach by clicking on the link below.
View Proposed Settlement Agreement
Commissioners must vote whether to accept or reject the Settlement
Proposal “in the Sunshine,” which means at this Friday’s public meeting.
In order to abide by Florida Sunshine Laws, I cannot comment on my position, however, I wanted to make the document available to Hillsboro Beach residents.
Deb Tarrant, Mayor
Thank you for your continuing patience as the project winds down.
Sincerely,
Deb Tarrant,
Mayor
The AKAM family joins the rest of the community in its sadness for all of the residents in the Bahamas that have been affected by the unprecedented damage created by hurricane Dorian. It goes without saying that our neighbor is in need of considerable assistance not only in the short run but rather also in the months to come as they move towards rebuilding critical infrastructure.
For this reason, AKAM has formed a Bahamas Relief Committee that will be working towards providing as much meaningful assistance for both the short term and long term.
Upon communication with various charities and actions groups over the past week, we have decided to focus our short-term efforts on collecting Medical Supplies & Personal Hygiene Items.
Our relief program requests donations per the list of items below:
We feel great pride not only within the walls of the AKAM family but rather also with the cumulative efforts of the entire community on behalf of our neighbor!
Sincerely,
Susan G Fitch, LCAM
President
AKAM® On-Site, Inc.
Please see the linked flyer that shows what is recyclable and what is not recyclable in Hillsboro Beach. Thank you in advance for following these requirements.
https://portdemer.org/download/general/WastePro-HillsboroBeachRecycle-PostCard.pdf
Subject: Port de Mer recycling
To: Commissioner Andrew R. Brown
Hello Commissioner Brown,
We have placed recycling labels on all 24 of the recycling cart lids at Port de Mer.
The contamination was atrocious. We estimate an overall contamination rate of 90% — with food waste, numerous plastic bags full of garbage, a suitcase, dead plants, dirt, etc. Good recyclables that are inside a plastic bag are just going to go to the landfill so it is important that all recyclables are loose in the carts.
NO plastic bags of any kind should be in the recycling carts. (See the attached photo at Waste Management.) The plastic clogs the machinery throughout the day and the plastic bags/shrink wrap, etc., have to be manually cut out.
Your maintenance team could be a great help in monitoring the contamination and removing whatever they can on a regular basis. Reaching out to people who continue to contaminate so they learn proper recycling is key, otherwise, the same people will make the same mistakes.
We hope that with continual outreach and your advocacy, everyone in Town will recycle properly.
Thank you very much!
Hillsboro Beach Green Team
Stephanie Steinberg
1167 Hillsboro Mile, #515
Hillsboro Beach, FL 33062
Cell 303-819-3131
Check out our Facebook page! New posts all the time!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TownOfHillsboroBeachGreenTeam
We all breathed a sigh of relief earlier this week when Hurricane Dorian stayed off-shore far enough to spare South Florida. As part of the Town’s precautionary preparations for Dorian, work was suspended on the County’s sewer project. All open trenches were filled, and while it wasn’t an ideal driving surface, we at least had access through the construction area during the state of emergency. Now it’s time for the Lanzo crews to gear back up to full speed.
King Tides Create Another Impediment
As expected, King Tides caused flooding in the southern part of Town over the past few days, adding yet another obstacle for egress on and off the island. Once Dorian passed, the construction crews re-started the job in the center of Town, but in deference to the King Tides, Lanzo agreed to keep one lane open for us at the construction site.Additional King Tides are forecast for September 26 to October 3, October 25 to October 31, and November 24 to November 28. We can expect intermittent road closures in the south end of Town during those timeframes; fortunately, the full road closure from the sewer project should be behind us by then.
Impact to the County’s Sewer Project
The County and Lanzo informed us today they will leave one lane open at the construction site through the weekend. Starting Monday, September 9, the complete road closure in the middle of Town will be re-instated.
The County and Lanzo Construction have lost a significant amount of time and progress on the project as a result of:
Prior to the Dorian threat, September 9 was the target date for the end of the full road closure and for opening at least one lane for the duration of the project. Obviously, that has now changed. We are waiting for a re-assessment and a new target date from Lanzo as to when there will no longer be the need for a full closure.
Also, just to clarify, “substantial completion” of the project was originally slated for mid- to late-September. “Substantial completion” means the new system is totally functional. “Substantial completion” does NOT mean that all equipment and construction crews will be gone. It will take several weeks beyond substantial completion to do the final wrap-up for the new system and to repave the entire road. We are hoping all traces of Lanzo’s crews will be gone before Thanksgiving, baring any other unforeseen events.
Others Were Not So Lucky
While we managed to dodge Dorian’s bullet, our neighbors in the Bahamas were not so fortunate. The devastation in the islands is horrific as a result of enduring hours/days of sustained winds up to 185 mph. The Town does not have adequate staff resources to spearhead a relief effort directly, however, there are a number of efforts already underway in our area to assist the Bahamians. I encourage you to get involved. Please do your homework before contributing to a particular entity. Sadly, there are always unethical people looking to profit from a catastrophe.
Continue to Pay Attention to Police Department Nixles
Short messages of urgency relating to any unexpected traffic flow issues will be sent as necessary from our Police Department via their Nixle Alert System. If you have not yet signed up to receive these messages, I urge you to do so by visiting the Town’s website at http://www.townofhillsborobeach.com. In the lower right-hand corner of the Home Page, you will see a box to enter your contact information in order to receive Nixle alerts.
Thank you for your patience as we endure the last few weeks of the County’s monster sewer project. You may have noticed recent articles in local papers (SunSentinel, August 23, 2019, Page 1) detailing the problems Ft. Lauderdale and other municipalities are having with their aging water and sewer lines. Although we have suffered two years of disruption, we are very fortunate to be at the tail-end of updating our infrastructure. Hallelujah! And we’re even more fortunate to have escaped the wrath of Dorian!
Best regards,
Deb Tarrant,
Mayor
TWO KEY WORDS: CLEAN AND DRY
Proper preparation will help ensure your return to a clean, undamaged home. Florida’s environment creates the possibility for mildew growth, storm damage, and pests.
Water from drains and toilets will evaporate and add to the moisture in the house. If all moisture from drains evaporates, sewer gas and pests including water rats can enter the home through the drains. Drain stoppers should be closed, and toilets and tank tops sealed with plastic wrap. Leave house plants outside or with a neighbor because having someone water the plants will add moisture to the air in the home.
****************** BEST PROTECTION *******************
Ask a neighbor, or hire someone, to check your apartment once each month or as needed to: Change A/C filter, turn water on, flush toilets, turn water off, overall apartment check.
Following are additional suggested action steps to take:
Air Conditioning: Set at 78-80 degrees or set to run two hours each day on a timer.
Balconies: Must be cleared of all furniture. Shutters if installed MUST be closed.
Dishwasher – Remove any food particles from the filter. Leave the door closed, but unlatch it to release the pressure on the door seal.
Fresh Perishables: Should be eaten, given away, or discarded.
Garbage Disposal – Grind a batch of ice cubes through the disposal. Rinse a solution of baking soda and water through the disposal. Leave the drain stopper in place.
Interior Doors: Should be open to allow circulation.
Opened Items: Discard or give away bottles or jars of salad dressings and condiments.
Refrigerator: If you unplug the refrigerator, be sure to leave door propped open.
Unopened cans and jars of food can be left on shelves. Flour, sugars, and salt should be stored in tightly sealed containers. Dispose of all cereals, crackers, and pastas.
Water Heater: Turn off if you plan to be gone for a month or more.
Water in A/C Closet: Should be turned off then flush toilets once to leave only enough water to cover the bottom seals in the toilet tank
NOTE: Please let the office know if someone has your key and is looking after your apartment. This could help in case of emergencies.
August 2019
Dear Hlllsboro Beach Neighbors,
It’s been a typical sweltering South Florida summer so far. Nonetheless, the County’s sewer project has been moving ahead. Given the conditions they are working under, the Lanzo construction team deserves a lot of credit. Mid-to-late September is the estimated “substantial” completion date for the project, including testing of the new system and re-paving. There may be “remediation” (tweaking) required following the testing, but the heavy-lifting will be complete in September – assuming the target date is achieved. This will make it a one-year project, as planned. The number of weeks residents have had to deal with a full road-closure, however, has been far greater than planned. Per the County, the final full-closure at 1121 Hillsboro Mile, which began on July 8, is scheduled to last 6 – 9 weeks. For the most part, residents have been cooperative and in agreement that a temporary road-closure is better than raw sewage in our front yards. Thank you for your continuing patience. The traffic flow through Town should be back to normal for the 2019/2020 Season, with no road obstructions in Hillsboro Beach and the Camino Real Bridge in Boca Raton re-opened.
Besides the road-closure, another ongoing source of frustration has been the amount of sargassum seaweed continuing to invade the beach twice daily. This is a problem all along the South Florida coast-line, and according to scientists, will not be going away any time soon. After much discussion, the Commission has agreed that continued use of the beach-raker is the best and only course of action. Research has shown that plowing the seaweed into the sand (as the beach-raker does) actually helps fight erosion, stabilizing the beach. Conversely, trying to remove the seaweed is not only extremely costly, it also removes precious sand from the beach.
Also relating to the beach, the Commission recently approved an ordinance requiring property owners to maintain their beach side property to the same standards as the rest of their property. This means trash on the beach and in the dunes needs to be addressed. The beach-raker does not clear trash from the dune line. A residents’ group with special interest in the beach has come together under the leadership of resident Stephanie Steinberg. The group has been dubbed the Hillsboro Beach Green Team. Any resident interested in joining the group can contact Stephanie at stephstein@msn.com.
Regarding the beach litigation with Deerfield, there is not much to report. Efforts are still being made to reach a settlement. The trial date, previously set for later this month, may be pushed back in hopes of reaching a successful settlement.
Some good news for our beach: As of July, all 31 buoys were finally in place for the first time in a long while. Let’s hope we are spared any major storms in the coming months so we can hang on to them!
In closing, I would like to thank you again for your patience with the County’s sewer project. It may not seem like it, but we are very fortunate the County agreed to replace our aging system. All along the coast in South Florida where people first settled, the infrastructure is aged and in horrible condition. We are now ahead of the curve with a new water main and a new sewer main. These are improvements we can’t see, but for which we should be grateful, nonetheless.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and as always, the Commission stands ready to assist you with Town issues in any way we can!
Sincerely,
Deb Tarrant
Mayor
INTRACOASTAL POOL (B SIDE POOL)
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THE INTRACOASTAL POOL WILL BE CLOSED 8/5/2019 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE FOR REFACING/RENOVATION.
THANK YOU
MANAGEMENT
Hillsboro Beach Residents:
Please find the NOTICE of Total Road Closure effective Monday, July 8, 2019.
