Remarks by Joanne Simone
32 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 2
- Play at 5:13
“Okay. Any board member comments? Public?”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 42:04
“Thank you. My issue with the carnival is that, well, several things. One of the big things is that we've always allowed it and it has always gone against our event policy. And we shouldn't have had it all these years knowing that it goes against our event policy. Because our event policy says the use of the CRA property shall be restricted to sponsors who have a business, nonprofit organization, or religious institution in the city of Margate. And so the carnival doesn't qualify under any of those. So all these years, it has gone against our policy, but yet we've allowed it. A couple other…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 44:34
“No, I don't think this is an opportunity. We've had, what, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years? I don't even know how long the carnival has been coming to Margate. And every year there are issues. So I understand that you are representing a client and you're trying to do your best to get that representation. But I don't think that you understand fully what's gone on in the city for all these years. And to say that everything's gonna change this year, I don't believe it is because it's been a proven track record for 20 years that this has not been successful in our city. The police, if you ask our…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 47:54
“We don't allow a petting zoo. So if there's going to be a petting zoo there, we need to have some sort of discussion because we don't allow a petting zoo. Big one. Big petting zoo.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 48:28
“Okay, we heard that strategies are going to be used. Well, what makes this different from all the previous years where we heard the same thing? Oh, we're going to have strategies in place. We're going to have strategies in place. None of that has ever happened. And truthfully... I don't see this bringing any benefits to the city of Margate, really. People are not coming back to the city of Margate to shop and go to our restaurants because they've come to a carnival in Margate that has a bad reputation already from previous years. Thank you.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 1:01:10
“Yes. You know, I heard the attorney say, well, you know, let's meet with the chief and work things out. Well, we've tried to work things out for years. What's going to make this year different than any other year that we've been promised the same thing. The thing that keeps going over in my mind is our chief stood up here and said, our police officers, my police officers don't want to work the detail. That speaks volumes. So you can work things out, but if the police don't feel safe, don't feel like they are keeping their residents safe, they don't wanna work the detail. And I think that's a…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 23, 2026
- Play at 38:21
“I would like to extend my condolences to Andrew Valentino's family. He was our chief structural inspector who suddenly passed away last weekend. He was an awesome individual and a very dedicated employee and he is certainly going to be missed by this city. I know I was just speaking with him not even a month ago about different types of bicycles and the trips that he's taken in the good bike paths and good bike trails all over the state that he had visited and ones that I should possibly think about going and doing myself. So he's deeply going to be missed. Next, the household hazardous waste…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:00:59
“think somebody read my mind on this because i was actually going to ask that we have a new mpo city representative because unfortunately in the past three years we have had zero and i repeat zero city representation with the mpo and before that from 2021 to 2023 attendance by our representative was very limited i don't know what projects we've missed by not having any representation for the past three years and limited before that on the mpo but i can tell you that by not participating for the last three years together and being very limited for three years prior to that that the city lost a…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:03:18
“I'm termed out in one month. That's true.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:03:23
“No, I think you'll be very good on it. I know you're progressive, and I know that you have an interest in bike pass. Safety. So I think that you would be good as our representative on the MPO.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:03:38
“But as far as me not doing anything with the MPO, that is totally false. I was working with Andrew. with the MPO constantly and the MPO.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:04:09
“I also had the MPO come to commission meetings and speak about various things. I was involved in the Southgate intersection with the MPO and the North Lauderdale one. So I was very involved. As a matter of fact, when I was on the MPO, I let all the commissioners know every month what was going on on the MPO because I sent out the minutes of our meeting to every commissioner every month again so there was no excuse for not knowing what the mpo was doing for the city of margate or what the mpo was doing because i sent out those minutes so the commissioners could read those minutes to keep…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:07:27
“I'll make a motion to insert the name Anthony Casiano as our MPO representative for the city. I'll second it.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:21:37
“I think it is a good cause. I've always had a problem with giving waivers for our covered programs. sports plex. Um, regardless of what the organization is, I just don't think that, um, we should taxpayers should be paying for something like this. I don't think it's the city's responsibility to give waivers. Um, I wish you a lot of luck, but that's been my position since day one. I've sat on here, so please don't take it personally. It's just the position that I have that I don't think it's the city's responsibility, and I don't think the city should be giving waivers for our covered sports…”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 1:28:58
“Commissioner Simone. I agree. I think that we should wait because we don't know what's going to happen with Amendment 3. and also it is not a federal holiday. So for those reasons, I am not in favor of this at this time.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 16, 2026
- Play at 6:56
“I'd like to know the reason why it's being tabled. If it's a hardship, then that's one thing. But if it's not a hardship, then I'd like to know the reason for it being tabled since it is on the agenda and it has been posted. So the petitioner knew that it was coming up tonight.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 21:53
“Thank you. Thank you for what you're doing to help beautify Margate. I'm excited to see this project completed. I think it's going to look beautiful. It's certainly putting a new facelift on some dreary shopping centers. I know the residents will be anxious to see it come to completion as well. And also it sounds like you have some good tenants that are going to go in that shopping center. So we're excited to have them come to Margate and have our residents patronize them. So thank you very much for taking the interest and doing what you do so well to help our city and our residents.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 26:34
“Yes, I have some comments and some questions on it. Okay. Okay, I'm bringing it up. A couple of things that I noticed. I have some questions on it. The permits for the covered field, the actual in 2024 was $1,834. It was amended in 2026. It went down to $1,000. And the proposed 2027 went down to $1,000. So are we not Are we giving so much away at that covered field that we're not taking in what we did in 2024?”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 27:39
“Okay. Another thing I have on my list is the Winter Festival. 2024, it was $67,000. Now it's $100,000 for the Winter Festival. What are we doing that's increasing that Winter Festival by $40,000? Seems to be excessive. I know it's always been popular. And 2024, it was a good festival. Why the need to go up $40,000?”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 28:38
“Okay. The other one that I have is, again, July 4th. I know how popular it is. $85,000 seems to be an excessive amount of money to just blow up in the air. I would like to see that one definitely come down. I don't want to spend $85,000 on fireworks. I'm sorry. The sports complex field improvements, $3 million. I thought the only part, and correct me if I'm wrong, on that sports complex, the only part that's in the CRA is the covered part. But yet we're putting money towards the fields. Is that in the CRA?”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 29:34
“So that whole complex, including the fields, is in the CRA, not just the covered portion?”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 30:05
“Okay. Thank you. Travel. $28,814 in 2024. And then it was $22,106 in 2025. Now it's going to $40,000. We already have a developer. The downtown is already being worked on. I understand, you know, the FRA conference, that's okay, but why the need for $40,000 on travel? Seems to be excessive there. And the last... And I guess that's it for something on C. So... I think we're spending a lot of money where we don't need to spend a lot of money or put it in the budget with times that are very tough. I think that we're being excessive on some of our expenditures for the CRA.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 32:02
“I know that these are placeholders. I just think the placeholders are a little bit on the high side that they can be lowered on some of these things. Seeing what the actual cost was in years past and going up this amount.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 35:33
“Thank you. So if I understand this correctly, we're spending $1,713,000 and change for funding for city employees that perform work for the CRA.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026
- Play at 36:15
“$1,700,000 for that compensation. Before I approve this, I certainly would like to see a breakdown. That just seems like a lot of money for city employees that perform work for CRA. $1,700,000.”
Regular City Commission Meeting · Sep 9, 2026