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January 1, 2021December 28, 2020

CORAL SPRINGS COMMISSION

Happy New Year to all our residents and local businesses! As we put what was an unprecedented year behind us, it is important for us to focus on the future and what the promise of a new year can bring to the City of Coral Springs.

As we start the year, we encourage you to be optimistic, embrace diversity, and work together to ensure our city is the best community to live, work, and raise a family.

We look forward to kicking off strategic planning with city staff. This type of preparation assists us to clearly identify our new initiatives, and creates a path to meeting the needs of our residents and business owners.

The input we receive from our residents, the very people who elected us to hold office, plays a large role in our decision making. Participation in public meetings, sending us an email, connecting with the city on social media, and using the My Coral Springs App are all ways you can offer input and help guide our city’s direction.

As the demolition of One Financial Plaza continues, making way for the development of Cornerstone, we will start to see great improvement of our Downtown area. This revitalization in the heart of Coral Springs, will not only improve revenue, but will also create a true sense of place. In the coming year we look forward to seeing plans for Village Square, the creation of a nature trail at Kiwanis park, and the development of a Surf Park at Sportsplex.

With the distribution of promising vaccines, we are hopeful to see the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our city has held a long-standing partnership with the Florida Department of Health, to ensure our city receives vaccines for distribution once they are made available for mass distribution. It is important to stay informed about the potential for this availability by texting the keyword CORALSPRINGS (one word) to 888-777 or visiting our website www.coralsprings.org.

We continue to serve as a host city for two free, state-run, public COVID-19 test sites: Mullins Hall, 10150 NW 29th Street, Coral Springs and at the Panthers IceDen, 3299 Sportsplex Drive. For instructions, days, times of operation and closures, follow the city on social media or visit our website.

As we look to 2021 with optimism, we are hopeful that with a vaccine, we can plan for and welcome back exciting events and activities this year! Stay informed about important city updates and events by following us on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Nextdoor. We wish you all a safe and healthy 2021!

October 2, 2020October 8, 2020

My ‘aha’ moment with Ram’s Gate

It all began with an email from Ram’s Gate Winery announcing the updating and upgrading of their label and website, which proved about as exciting as an email announcing national rutabaga day. (Editor’s note: I resemble that remark.) There was, however, some interest in the name Ram’s Gate Winery as it was a name I had never encountered. Some judicious research turned a question into one of those very pleasant “aha” moments.

Ram’s Gate Winery is located in the Carneros district of Sonoma County California, the place where some of the world’s finest grapes are grown. As you can well imagine, that piqued my interest. I proceeded to order some of their wine and learned that I had missed a winery that, without much fanfare, was producing excellent quality, and not simply “off the shelf” wine, but rather classical art in liquid form.

Ram’s Gate 2019 Rosé ($38). This pink wine captures all of the flavor and aroma nuances of the Pinot Noir grape and then wraps them in the free and open floral style of a rosé. Made from 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Grenache, this wine displays an aroma that will delight the senses as the flavor dances across the palate. Strawberries, raspberries, and pomegranates abound in the aroma while it is citrus which captivates the tongue.

Ram’s Gate Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($38). Sauvignon Blanc is brought to new heights of excellence in this offering from Ram’s Gate. This wine accentuates all the fruit flavors rarely found in some of the current varieties. Gone are the overpowering grassy flavors and aromas that have always been associated with this wine, and in place are the rich fruit-tastes of nectarine, melon, and mandarin orange. Oak and vanilla are also present as under-flavors as they add their individual charm. If you have tried Sauvignon Blanc in the past and had been turned off by the grassy and vegetative aromas and flavors, try this wine; it is totally different and totally exquisite.

Ram’s Gate 2019 Pinot Blanc ($38). The Pinot Blanc grape has seen little service in the United States. One sip of the Ram’s Gate 2019 Pinot Blanc will have you scratching your head in wonderment as to why this delightful wine has been overlooked. The wine’s calling card is its rich apple, peach, and melon aroma. The flavor mirrors its aroma with a suggestion of honey and a hint of oak sitting gracefully in the background. This is an excellent wine that, because of its rarity, should be sought out and sampled.

Ram’s Gate 2017 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir ($48). This wine is a true child of California and reflects the fine hand of Ram’s Gate vintners; it opens with the harmonious aroma of currents, cherries, red berries, and pomegranates, accompanied by a hint of incense in the background. The flavor incorporates the elements of the aroma and merges them with blackberries, blueberries, vanilla, and oak, finishing with a fruity and full experience. I cannot say enough about this wine, nor heap enough superlatives. It is a pure delight and can accompany almost everything. If you miss this wine, you will have missed one of the great joys in the wine world.

Ram’s Gate 2016 Hyde Vineyard Syrah ($70). This wine takes the Syrah grape to new heights and what a “wow” wine it is. Deep and dark in color, it captures the heart and soul of the Syrah grape and all that it offers. Each element making up this wine is massive; it displays a rich and inviting black cherry, plum, blackberry, and coffee aroma. The flavor is expansive and enjoyable, featuring blackberry, coffee, and spice before transitioning to a fruity finish hat lingers on the palate for a very long time. This is very big in all dimensions; however, I can assure you that I put this wine in the “money well spent” category.

By Bennet Bodenstein

October 2, 2020September 25, 2020

Parkland Mayor: Christine Hunschofsky

This time of year, elections are all over the news and the airwaves. While the national elections get so much attention, there are many other elections and charter and constitutional amendments on the ballot this year that deserve your close attention.

In our City of Parkland, four seats are on the ballot – the Mayor’s seat and Commissioner’s seats for districts 1, 2, and 4. While City Commissioners must live in the district they represent, every registered voter in the City of Parkland votes in every race regardless of which district they live in. So please do your research and remember you will have the opportunity to vote for all four seats up in the city election.

Some of the other seats that are also on the ballot include school board, judges, state attorney, supervisor of elections, state representative, state senator, and U.S. Congress.

Additionally, there are six state constitutional amendments on the ballot. Amendment 1 adds language to the state Constitution that only U.S. citizens can vote in federal, state, local, or school elections. Amendment 2 raises Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Amendment 3 establishes a universal, open primary system for state office primary elections. Amendment 4 requires voter-approved constitutional amendments to be approved by voters at a second general election. Amendment 5 increases the transfer period for “Save Our Homes” benefits to a new homestead property from two years to three years. Amendment 6 allows a deceased veteran’s homestead property tax discount to be transferred to the surviving spouse. It is important to read all the ballot initiative language carefully since it can be misleading sometimes. Also, please do your research to learn the implications of a yes or a no vote on any of these items.

Broward County also has two questions on the ballot. The first deals with enabling the County to continue to act as the manager and auditor of all county funds instead of requiring those duties to be transferred to the Clerk of Courts in 2025. The second is a charter amendment, which would allow the County to develop/build surtax-funded transportation system improvements (such as a Park and Ride) on County-owned
or leased property without city input even if it conflicts with municipal ordinances.

Vote-By-Mail ballots will be sent out around September 24. If you would like to request a Vote-By-Mail ballot, please visit https://browardsoe. org. Vote-By-Mail ballots can be tracked online so you can verify when they are mailed out and when they are received and counted. October 5 is the last day to register to vote for the November 3 election. Early voting takes place from October 19 through November 1 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Broward County registered voters may vote at any Broward County early voting location. On Election Day, you must vote at your precinct. Visit https://browardsoe.org for early voting locations or to find your precinct for Election Day. Please do your homework and make a plan to vote either by mail, during early voting, or on Election Day.

As always, please reach out to me at chunschofsky@cityofparkland.org with any questions or concerns you may have. I look forward to hearing from you.