Today, on behalf of the BCSB, Lennar unleashed a desperate and inaccurate public relations gambit on social media.  The effort flies in the face of over 1200 (on and off-line) residents who have publicly committed to oppose the project as presently constituted (either 8.8 to 10/du acre depending on whether road right of ways are included in the calculation).  Nearly every candidate for city council opposes these high density in-fill projects.  And now, through the wonder of social media, you are being taken for a ride.  This latest campaign was spurred on by the BCSB’s interim loss at the September 1, 2020 Planning and Zoning Board meeting wherein the Chair moved to table the application principally because the row townhome project was too dense for the 3/du acre zoning required in the current land use plan.  When our group reviewed the entire public recording of the meeting it was confirmed that the main basis for tabling the application was just that – it was too dense and didn’t meet the density requirements imposed by the land use plan and that the applicant was required to return to the drawing board, meet with the surrounding communities and reduce the scope of the project to meet their concerns (i.e., the meet the underlying land use plan of 3/du acre).  Did Lennar actually meet with one stakeholder to refashion its site plan and reduce its density as required by the Planning & Zoning Board?  Of course not.  In a classic and amateurish public relations game of "hide the ball," the applicant now seeks to avoid the mandate set by the Planning and Zoning Board chair while attempting to fool the citizens of Plantation by claiming that the project of this incredibly large density is actually a ‘good thing’ for the city in that the abnormally high land sales price (‘nearly 11mm’) will go back into making our school system a better place!  While this rip off of the MAGA trademark is both transparent and ludicrous at the same time, it is disingenuous at its core.  What the PR author fails to reveal is that the BCSB has failed to pay ANY tax dollars for nearly 23 years ripping off both the County and the City of a tax base revenue stream that undoubtedly would have provided steady and reliable tax dollars to both city and county had a single family home community been built at 3/du acre.  Instead, the BCSB absconded with a parcel that was, at all times, too small to house a middle school and, following the construction of Central Park Elementary, was always considered to be surplus and unnecessary for an elementary school.  (Does the silly PR piece even mention these facts?  Of course, not).  Bottom line, the BCSB is seeking a bailout and Lennar is using the specter of this particular deal to advance a spurious PR campaign to mislead our residents and hide the simple fact that the project is misplaced, too dense and completely ill-suited for the subject parcel. 

Don’t take our word for it.  Examine a copy of the latest Broward County 2020 property tax trim notice for this parcel showing exactly how much the school board will pay in property taxes for 2020 and has paid for EVERY YEAR since its purchase of the property 23+ years ago.  See, 

https://bcpa.net/RecInfo.asp?URL_Folio=504107150020   That’s right.  ZERO!  Not even $750.00!

By all means, sign on to the PR-built site at www.EnclavePlantation.com and let Lennar know that you aren’t fooled by its ridiculous tactics.  You are smarter than that.  Tell them that this project is too dense for the parcel and that you are entitled to the actual facts, not some half-baked PR post.