In 2015, Mark Leibovich, in a prescient NYTimes OpEd warned over using Big Shiny Objects (the "foreign object" routine) to distract from the atrocity in the room. Fast forward to 2021, the Big Shiny Object strategy is now (https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/magazine/the-politics-of-distraction.html) common place in local politics throughout the country.  Take, for example, the February 2 Planning & Zoning Board meeting.  Lennar sought to distract from the fact that its application has no leg to stand on with regard to the Land Use Plan Amendment which requires community buy-in on the massive density increase from low (3) residential to irregular (8.6) residential density.  Out came the artful renderings of an identical project in Doral with color photos of stone work and wall sconces.  Discussion over driveway lengths and garage sizes were permitted to drown the Zoom presentation.  In fact, if you hadn't read Planning & Zoning Staff's September, December and now February's (adopting December's earlier report) decisions recommending DENIAL, you would think Lennar had things all buttoned up. In fact, that is the strategy.  Forget about the LUPA or Land Use Plan Amendment and concentrate on the zoning, elevations, sidewalks, landscape and pretty pictures.  Over an hour and one half was spent focusing on the Big Shiny Object while the Gorilla remained in the room.  And that, is the strategy.  Jettison the LUPA discussion. Forget that the community is 100% opposed to increasing density on the +/- 10 buildable acre site. Forget that the Broward County Land Use Plan (amended again in November 2020) requires all residential projects on the site to be low (3) residential.  Forget that we (Lennar) merely copied a project used in the highly commercial area of Doral.  (A site not even comparable to that under inquiry here). Forget that the site won't even open to Broward Boulevard, yet let us (Lennar) distract you by referring to larger projects up and down the Broward Boulevard corridor while mistakenly referring to this as a "hard corner" site.    (Note: This is not a "hard corner" site).  Most important, forget that countless meetings have already been held at which time 100% of the community stood up against increasing the scale beyond the underlying low (3) residential.  There are so many more deficiencies in the Applicant's position that it would take more characters than permitted in this update to cover them all. For that, we say, Stay Tuned for much more.  Stay Tuned and ENGAGED for the upcoming City Council Meeting.  But in the meanwhile, do keep in mind, all this could be shortened if at the next meeting Council demands that the LUPA application be considered FIRST.  Simple question.  Does the applicant's LUPA application hold water? The community has already spoken unanimously to say "NO."  Were Council to follow that message and reject the "Big Shiny Ball"/Foreign Object Strategy (fueled by an anemic public relations push), the discussion should be less than 20 minutes.  Under this scenario, this is the following suggested approach: 

Council to the Applicant:  1) Does the Underlying Land Use Plan call for low (3) residential detached units to the acre?  (A). Why yes, it does.  2) Does the community oppose upscaling and changing the underlying land use plan?  (A) Why yes, it does.  Council:  No need to move on to discussion of the zoning application.  It matters not whether you have flat or s-barrel roof tiles or whether the row town house barracks style project will be painted white, beige or even maroon.  The LUPA must be DENIED. As a result, the Zoning application must be denied as well.  For Lennar has stated if they don't get the 111 units, it would not be economically viable for it to proceed.   When the facts are clear, there really is nothing to forget.