Don’t miss Dania After Dark this Saturday and every 2nd Saturday!

Join us for a monthly street festival in Broward’s First City!

Dania After Dark is held on the second Saturday night of each month. Conveniently located on the closed off streets right in front of Dania Beach City Hall – SW 1st Ave between 1st Street & Dania Beach Blvd.

▶️ ART
• Enjoy an artisan marketplace, featuring a variety of local makers, designers, and curators.
• Monthly art exhibitions & showcases.
• Visit the Dania Beach Art Atrium to see original artwork by featured artists.

▶️ MUSIC
For October, we’re featuring:
Shaw Davis & The Black Ties
&
JM and The Sweets

▶️ FOOD & DRINKS
• A variety of local food trucks on site
• Food stands with street style fare
• Visit the pop-up bar for beer & cocktail specials

▶️ VINTAGE
• Known for its’ vintage charm, Dania Beach is home to a number of local antique & vintage shops!
• Shop local vintage dealers with an eclectic mix of antique, collectible and retro goods.

▶️ CULTURE
• Enjoy on-site activities & mingling with like-minded guests
• Learn about new Dania Beach projects and plans

FREE ADMISSION • ALL AGES • PET FRIENDLY
Free Parking Garage on-site!

The Hidden Value of Homeownership!

Driving through Dania Beach, Hollywood and Hallandale, You have probably noticed apartment building after apartment building being built along Us-1. As exciting as it is to see development and new shiny buildings It might be setting us up for a less than bright future. The problem, they are all Rentals! As a millennial, I have witnessed my generation throw their money away renting year after year with no end in sight. With more rentals showing up in desirable urban areas, I’m concerned that Millennials will be trapped in a cycle of renting forever.

Yes, renting has it’s perks like amenities, proximity to work and play, and no taxes, insurance or maintenance.  But the lack of headaches will never replace the joy of owning a home and making it your own.

Since purchasing and renovating my home I have experienced the highs and the lows and wouldn’t change a thing. It is incredible waking up every morning to a kitchen that I designed and created. I love it and have dreams of expanding it to accommodate a family.

The National Association of Realtors published the following from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Here are some of their findings on the Hidden Value of Home ownership.

Homeownership positively correlates to longer healthier lives, decreases the likelihood of suffering from depression and better understanding of community! 

Don’t forget! Whether you are Buying, renting and want to move or just want to chat about options, I am available at 954.258.1985.

 

 

 

Dania Beach Has it!

What does Dania Beach Have you might ask?

I will keep my answer very simple!

DANIA BEACH HAS AWESOME PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE AWESOME THINGS HAPPEN!

Introducing…. Dania After Dark!  a fun new series for everyone to enjoy!

The series began in June and will run through September and falls on the second Saturday of every month. City officials already expect to continue the event into the Fall and Winter Months.

From 5-10pm on SW 1st Ave. between Dania Beach Blvd. and NW 1st St.  The block party features talented live bands, and over 50 artists, vendors and food trucks!

 

 

 

The Future of Dania Beach in Everyone’s Hands @ The Dania Redevelopment Community Charrette

What the Heck is a Charrette? Let’s start here….

A Charrette is a structured, topic-oriented open forum where a group meets to discuss and resolve complex design issues. The primary goals of a Charrette are to generate design ideas from the public in a “hands-on” way and build consensus for development and design solutions. The Charrette has three goals:

 Give the public a voice in determining the future of City Hall;

 Develop consensus regarding uses and redevelopment of City Hall, and;

 Most importantly, allow the public to develop and present specific development concepts, ideas and plans for the City Center, which will be used to complete a final development plan.

My new favorite word and they are so much fun!

The first portion of the evening was Lead by Kevin T. Greiner, a Research Fellow representing FIU College of Arts and Sciences. His presentation encompassed statistics and info graphics catching us up on the current state of Dania Beach.

Then came the Main Event! The announcement of a brand new City Center in Dania Beach. Here is the map of the area to be redeveloped.

The room was broken into small groups. Mom and I found ourselves perfectly paired with our group of entrepreneurial business owners, who brought so much to the table and created something extraordinary in just under an hour.

First we addressed the needs of the city center,  voted on funding options and then it was to the drawing board!

Everyone in the room was then able to vote on the 8 different proposals and Our Team and another team tied with 12 votes each!

Our concept’s theme was coastal modern with a twist I brought up to install a kinetic Wave over the open promenade area.  This amazing installation would add artistic beauty to the City Center!  I was not able to show this video during the presentation so I has to improvise by using a larger sheet of tissue paper to create a simulated wave while describing the material in vivid detail. (I can’t wait for the pictures!) Apparently, I got my point across and the room was very receptive to it!

In our drawing the wave cascades down the tallest building in our concept (10 stories)Map:HUB, reaches across a large outdoor amphitheater, crosses over Dania beach Blvd and continues over our Greenspace/Dog Park. It will be seen from Us-1, Airplanes taking off from FLL and possibly I-95.

Here is the art installation I was referring to so you too, can fall in love.

The wave will reinforce the new city branding and become an asset to the city for any one working and playing in Dania Beach’s New City Center! It will become a destination for locals and tourists alike. A Must See!

Who doesn’t want a giant Wave simulator outside their office window?

I will leave you this evening and my Teams Tag Line…

“Sea the Dania Wave”

It’s happening folks.

Dania Beach: Fab, Fit & Fun Series

Gym work outs got you feeling blue? Does the static environment of working out on treadmills watching fake news make you feel worse instead of better after a work out? You are not alone!

As Floridians, we tend to forget that we live in paradise and that exercising outside is something we can do year round. In this series, I will share with you some of my favorite “alternatives” to the gym that are right in our backyard!

Did you know that there is outdoor gym equipment located on SE 5th Ave one block north of Sheridan Street? Or a 6 story tower at Anne Kolb Nature Center where you can work your glutes and enjoy the sunrise or set surrounded by the freshest air Dania Beach has to offer?

Today I will highlight the The Airport Greenbelt Park! This park is conveniently located along the North end of Griffin Road between Us-1 and I-95. The Greenbelt offers hilly terrain (perfect for interval training), Tropical landscaping which lend to butterflies, birds and yes, the ubiquitous green iguana. I love cruising  past tranquil ponds and towering royal palms and poincianas while working up a sweat!

But wait! there’s more.

The Airport Greenbelt offers the absolute best plane watching!

Situated just steps from the South runway, the greenbelt allows you to see commercial jets, seaplanes and runway operations from every corner of the park! I love running the rolling hills and contemplating where these flights are going and where I AM GOING NEXT!  (exercise is mental too!)

Enjoy our sponsored video of the park!

 

 

Dania Beach: Fun Fact of the Day!

I came across an interesting find today at Dania Beach City Hall!                      My attention was caught by a large solid wood plaque of all the past mayors of our city. On this plaque was an empowering reminder that a woman served as Mayor from 1963-1964.

 

Isn’t that  pretty awesome?

I instantly wanted to know more about her. What was Vera Hill’s Story? How did she accomplish becoming the first woman; one of only a handful, Mayors of Dania Beach?

As I got into my car, I remembered The Dania Women’s Club has Back Logs from meetings going back decades. I had my assumptions that she was  a member, and in fact she was! In the mean time, I foundVera Hill’s obituary in 1986 collection on the Sun Sentinel’s website.

 

Vera Hill, 69

First Woman Dania Mayor

November 12, 1986

DANIA — Vera Hill, the city`s first woman city commissioner and mayor, died Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 69.

After knocking on doors and shaking hands with everyone she met, Mrs. Hill, in 1963, was the highest vote-getter and immediately became mayor after winning a two-year term on the commission.

“She was just an outgoing person,“ said her nephew, Commissioner C.K. “Mac“ McElyea. “She campaigned to bring local government to the people. She was quite active.“

McElyea said that Mrs. Hill, while mayor, was instrumental in getting a sewer system installed in east Dania through a bond issue. She also approved the expansion of the Dania Jai Alai Palace, built in 1953.

Mrs. Hill lived in Dania for 60 years and was a member of the Dania Women’s Club and the Dania United Methodist Church.

 

In case you didn’t already know, Dania Beach is a small town. The Women’s Club is not my only connection to Mrs. Hill.

Nancy Anzalone, My Mother, listed and sold her nephew’s (who is quoted above) daughter’s home last year!                                                                                      Maybe I can reach out to her and ask her a few questions about her Great-Grandmother!

The journey to find out more continues! 

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Dania Beach’s holiday cheer is in full bloom this week. The front that has most of the East Coast under a blanket of snow arrived here on Saturday Evening bringing temperatures into the 40’s.  We have been enjoying lower 70’s during the day which makes for great weather to enjoy all of our local holiday events.

This past Sunday, we attended the Dania Beach Chamber Lai’d Back Dinner and Live Auction. We were joined by several members of our church, St. Maurice at Resurrection and Rev. Monsignor Jean Pierre. We had a great time with our fellow members of the Dania Women’s Club too! All of the proceeds Benefitted the Dania Beach Chamber and it’s 501c3 members.

Delish!

We left with some pretty spectacular gift baskets!

A Tommy Bahama gift basket with a $100 gift Certificate to GG’s Waterfront Grill. We also won bids on gift certificates to Antonio’s Pizza and Historic Dockers Restaurant and Pub, both have called Dania Beach Home for many years.

We even enjoyed some friendly competition at our table! See Link to our Video Below.

IT Parker Laid Back Dinner