South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Repeal of stadium funding pool again proposed
TALLAHASSEE — A proposal is once again in play to eliminate an untouched pool of state money approved in 2014 to help build and renovate professional sports stadiums.
The House Ways & Means Committee on Thursday voted 16-1 to approve a proposal (HB 6011) that would repeal the funding program, which spells out steps for state dollars to become available for stadium construction and renovation.
Bill sponsor Mike Beltran, R-Lithia, said ending the program, which has never been used, would prevent taxpayer money from being “diverted to professional sports facilities in lieu of other public infrastructure.”
He added, “Sports teams are going to play here whether we pay them or not.”
The program makes available $13 million a year for work involving professional stadiums and for events administered by the Breeders’ Cup Limited and NASCAR. It was set up to prevent a repeat of the type of lobbying that occurred in 2013 when the Miami Dolphins unsuccessfully sought $350 million for stadium upgrades.
House members have repeatedly targeted the program in recent years, but a repeal has not passed.
In casting the lone vote against the repeal proposal Thursday, Rep. Thad
Altman, R-Indialantic, said professional stadiums help improve the quality of life for communities.
“There is a misconception that we’re giving money to the sports, professional sports franchises or athletes,” Altman said. “That money is spent here in Florida. And a lot of those athletes end up living in our local communities and offering a lot of different opportunities for our youth and spending a ton of money.”
However, Rep. Dianne
Hart, D-Tampa, said Tampa is still paying for its facilities and “we’re getting no real benefits back.”
Based on past decisions, eight facilities in Florida receive up to $2 million a year in sales-tax dollars:
Hard Rock Stadium in Miami
The BB&T Center in Broward County
American Airlines Arena in Miami
TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville
Tropicana Field in St.
Petersburg
Amalie Arena in Tampa Raymond James Stadium in Tampa
The Amway Center in Orlando
Funding for all of the venues except the Amway Center, home of the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic, was awarded in the 1990s, with payments halting between
2023 and 2028. Money for the Amway Center started in
2008 and continues through
2038.
Walgreens will expand its pharmacies that give out the COVID19 vaccine in Florida from 12 to 97 locations, including four in Palm Beach County.
Two of the additional Walgreens pharmacies offering vaccinations are in Loxahatchee, as well as one store each in Belle Glade and Wellington. Appointment scheduling began Thursday, and the pharmacies began giving out shots on Friday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said each Walgreens is giving out 80 shots a day and 60 shots a day on the weekends. Walgreens has not yet added pharmacies in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, but Broward and Miami-Dade are among the counties that are getting more CVS vaccine locations.
A total of 157 CVS pharmacies in 30 counties are providing the inoculations, including locations in South Florida. Appointments are available online at CVS.com.
Each week, the state receives more doses from the federal government, and as they arrive, more distribution locations are added. The criteria for each site may vary, so be sure to check the site requirements before you make your appointment.
The governor said this week he will announce even more pharmacies in Florida that will give out doses.
Here is a list of places where you can sign up for a vaccine, even though your appointment may be scheduled a few weeks out. Spots open as vaccine doses become available.
Florida
The Department of Health “pre-registration” website can be found at myvaccine.fl.gov. Residents can be notified directly when appointments near them are available at state-run COVID19 vaccine sites.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program sends vaccines directly to area drugstores. The pharmacies in South Florida include CVS, Publix, Winn-Dixie, Walgreens and Walmart.
CVS: CVS Pharmacy, CVS Pharmacy y más, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations across Florida will distribute the vaccine. Sign-up will be at cvs.
com/immunizations/covid-19vaccine. People without online access can contact CVS customer service at 1-800-746-7287. Specific locations are activated based on dosage allotments to the stores.
Walgreens: Walgreens is delivering vaccines in Florida, including in four Palm Beach County locations. No sites have been added in Broward or Miami-Dade counties yet. The signup will be at walgreens.com.
Walmart and Sam’s Clubs. Eligible individuals can make an appointment at walmart.com/ COVIDvaccine and samsclub.com/ covid. Appointments will be scheduled based on vaccine availability, and sites are limited.
Southeastern Grocers Inc., Winn-Dixie’s parent company, is administering COVID-19 vaccines at its Florida WinnDixie stores, and its Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket locations. The company offers the vaccines to health care workers, residents and staff of long-termcare facilities, and people ages 65 and older. Updates can be found at its websites: Winn-Dixie: winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine; Fresco y Más: frescoymas. com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine; Harveys Supermarket: harveyssupermarkets.com/pharmacy/ covid-vaccine.
Publix All Publix pharmacies in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties are taking appointments. Signups occur every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and on Wednesdays, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be offered exclusively. Sign up at publix.com/ covid-vaccine/florida.
Broward County
Drive-thru sites: Call 866-2016313 to request an appointment through the Florida Department of Health. For those requiring TTY access, the phone number is 833-476-1526. Agents will call people back to make drive-thru appointments as new appointments become available for the following sites:
Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek.
Vista View Park, 4001 SW 142 Ave., Davie. The site is open for second doses but will close at the end of the day on Feb. 11 due to construction in the park. Anyone scheduled to receive the second dose of vaccine at Vista View Park on Feb. 12 or later should go to Tree Tops Park in Davie instead. Be sure to go on the day written on your vaccination card and bring your card with you.
Tree Tops Park, 3900 SW 100th Ave., Davie.
Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84, Sunrise.
Snyder Park, 3299 SW Fourth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. People who received their first COVID19 vaccine at Holiday Park before Jan. 22 should go to Snyder Park to receive their second dose 21 days later, on the date written on their appointment card at the time they arrived for their first dose. Also, Florida residents who are age 65 or older, or frontline healthcare workers, can request an appointment for their first dose.
Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium, 3700 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill.
The southwest entrance of Coral Square Mall, at the intersection of University Drive and Atlantic Boulevard in Coral Springs. This is a park-and-walk-up site, not a drive-thru.
Broward College — North Campus, 1000 Coconut Creek Blvd., Coconut Creek, 33066. This site will administer up to
200 vaccines per day, seven days a week, to frontline healthcare workers and individuals 65 and older. To make an appointment visit myvaccine.fl.gov
Lauderhill: Residents 65 or older can get vaccinated at John E. Mullin Park. Appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, call 954-730-3008 or go online at lauderhill-fl.gov/covid19. Call center hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Miramar: For seniors 65 or older, Southcentral/Southeast Focal Point Senior Center members can register for the
COVID-19 vaccine at miramarfl. gov/vaccine. The vaccination site, by appointment only, is at Vizcaya Park, SW 49th St., Miramar, between 9-10 a.m. and noon-1 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Although all appointments are now booked; individuals can sign up to get notified when new appointments are available at MiramarFL.gov/ vaccine.
Oakland Park: The facility is not a walk-in location and the city requests that people make an appointment. Vaccine appointments are available to people 65 and older Monday to Saturday, 10
a.m-3 p.m. For an appointment, call
954-630-4335, Monday to Friday, 8
a.m-5 p.m.
Pompano Beach: beginning March 17 at Citi Centre,1955 N. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach. The site will service eligible persons Persons 60 years of age and older; K-12 school employees
50 years of age and older; Sworn law enforcement officers 50 years of age and older; Firefighters 50 years of age and older; and Health care personnel with direct patient contact. The Department of Health-Broward is utilizing the statewide appointment system .Pre-register for the vaccine by calling: 866-201-6313 or 844-2522003 for TTY users, or by visiting myvaccine.
Broward Health: Broward Health provides vaccines at the Inter Miami CF Stadium at Lockhart Park, at 1350 NW 55th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Seniors should check BrowardHealth.org for updates on when new appointment requests are available. The health system maintains a wait list as day-of appointments become available. Anyone who needs to cancel or reschedule an appointment should complete the form at BrowardHealth.org/COVIDReschedule.
CVS: CVS Pharmacies across Florida will distribute the vaccine, although not every CVS location provides the vaccine yet. Sign-up is at cvs.com/immunizations/covid19-vaccine. People without online access can contact CVS customer service at 1-800-746-7287. Specific
locations are activated based on dosage allotments to the stores.
Publix: All Publix pharmacies in Broward County are offering
COVID-19 vaccines. Appointments slots will continue to open weekly as supply is available, 7 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesdays, appointments are made exclusively for the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. People can book up to four appointments at a time. Vaccinations are by appointment only at publix.com/covidvaccine
Winn-Dixie: The grocery chain, which is offering the Moderna shots, has vaccines at 5600 W. Sample Road in Margate. The company offers the vaccines to health care workers, residents and staff of long-term-care facilities, and people ages 65 and older. Updates can be found at its website winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine
Walmart is distributing vaccines at its Florida stores. Eligible individuals can make an appointment at walmart.com/COVIDvaccine. Appointments will be scheduled based on vaccine availability. Participating Walmarts: 4700 S. Flamingo Road in Cooper City;
401 E. Sheridan St. in Dania Beach;
4301 S. University Drive and 8550 Stirling Road, both in Davie; 2500 W. Broward Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale; 301 S. State Road 7 in Hollywood; 1800 S. University Drive in Miramar; 12800 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines; 2300 W. Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach; and
13550 W. Sunrise Blvd. in Sunrise. Walmart is operating a “popup” drive-thru vaccine site until March 18 at 3001 N. State Road 7, in Lauderdale Lakes. Eligible patients can schedule an appointment by calling 833-886-0023.
Palm Beach County
The West Palm Beach VA Medical Center is offering the
COVID-19 vaccine to veterans of all ages who receive care at the VA, by appointment and on a walk-in basis. Veterans must be able to return to the same site for their second dose. For more information visit westpalmbeach.va.gov. Vaccines are available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day while supplies last at its main campus in West Palm Beach. The vaccine will also be offered by appointment only at select Community Based Outpatient Clinics:
Delray Beach CBOC, 4800 Linton Blvd., Suite E300, Delray Beach, 33445, Wednesdays and Fridays by appointment only, call
561-422-5220.
West Palm Beach VAMC — Building 14, 7305 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, 33410: Walk in service through Saturday from 10
a.m.-3 p.m. By appointment, call
561-422-5220; Walk-ins, MondayFriday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. each day.
Stuart CBOC, 3501 SE Willoughby Blvd., Stuart, 34997, Mondays & Thursdays by appointment only, call 561-422-5220.
Fort Pierce CBOC, 1901 S. 25th St., Suite 103, Fort Pierce, 34947, Tuesdays by appointment only, call
561-422-5220.
Indian River State College:
COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for Veterans Receiving Care at VA ,March 24, 9 a.m.—1 p.m. Indian River State College Dixon Hendry Campus, Williamson Conference & Education Center, 2229 NW Ninth Ave., Okeechobee, 34972. By appointment or walk-in. COVID19 Vaccine Appointment Line:
561-422-5220.
Palm Beach Gardens: The Burns Road Community Center,
4404 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens, is open as an appointment-only site. No walk-ins. Those eligible to use this vaccination site will be contacted ahead of time with their scheduled day and
time. When notified, people will need to come within the allotted time and on the assigned day. For those 65 years old and older, schedule an appointment, and complete the request form, to placed in a virtual waiting room until vaccines become available, visit vaccine. hcdpbc.org.
Publix: All Publix pharmacies are offering the COVID-19 vaccine. Appointments slots will continue to open weekly as supply is available, 7 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Wednesdays, appointments are made exclusively for the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. People can book up to four appointments at a time. Vaccinations are by appointment only at publix.com/covidvaccine
Walgreens The COVID19 vaccine is being offered y at four pharmacies: Wellington, Belle Glade and two in Loxahatchee. Visit Walgreens. com/ScheduleVaccine or call
1-800-WALGREENS to schedule. The second-dose appointment will be made at the point of vaccination.
Winn Dixie: The grocery chain, which is offering the Moderna shots, has vaccines at
6600 Hypoluxo Road in Lake Worth. The company offers the vaccines to health care workers, residents and staff of long-termcare facilities, and people ages 65 and older. Updates can be found at its website winndixie.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine
Palm Beach County: Seniors can sign up to be on a waiting list and alerted to availability of appointments through the state’s website at myvaccine.fl.gov. The district also is scheduling new appointments at https:// bit.ly/2MM24OJ.
Health Care District of Palm Beach: The Health Care District is providing vaccinations for people
65 and older who emailed the Department of Health requesting a COVID-19 vaccine at chd50feedback@flhealth.gov. Those sites include the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach and Mid-County Senior Center on Lake Worth Road.
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County. Once the appointment request form is submitted, individuals will be placed in a virtual waiting room for scheduling on a first-come, first-serve basis, dependent upon vaccine availability. All registrations must be completed electronically at vaccine.hcdpbc.org/. For those with no internet access, the Health Care District’s helpline at
561-804-4115.
South Florida Fairgrounds: The Health Care District is operating a vaccination center at the fairgrounds. The shots will be given only to residents who have already on the state Department of Health’s wait list. To get on the list, use the pre-registration site at myvaccine.fl.gov.
Fire Rescue: Delray Beach residents can sign up for “Code Red” alerts about when vaccines will be available at http://delraybeachfl. gov/prepared.
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County: Seniors
65 and older and healthcare workers can pre-register just one time, online at miamidade.gov/vaccine or by phone by calling 305-6142014. Someone from the county will contact people to schedule the vaccine appointments at MiamiDade County sites, including Tropical Park, Zoo Miami, and Miami Dade College North Campus..
Little Haiti Cultural Center,
212 NE 59 St., Miami 33137. For people 65 years old and older, by appointment only. To make appointment, call between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday. 305-960-4660.
Miami Dade College North Campus: The MDC site at 11380 NW 27th Ave, Miami, operates seven days a week, from 7
a.m.—7 p.m. It is a walk-up site with appointments scheduled in advance. The site will be vaccinating individuals 65 and older, health care workers with direct patient contact, long-term care facility staff and residents, and teachers and associated childcare workers. To get an appointment, visit myvaccine.fl.gov or call 888-4990840.
North Miami Beach, Miami Springs. Two satellite FEMA locations are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 17. You don’t need an appointment at any of these sites to get either a Pfizer vaccine or a limited supply of Johnson & Johnson shots each day. The sites are also open to anyone over 18 who is either an educator or has a doctor’s prescription for a shot. Locations: Allen Park Community Center at 1770 NE 162nd St. in North Miami Beach, and Miami Springs Community Center at 1401 Westward Drive in Miami Springs.
Florida Division of Emergency Management: The state has been offering vaccine appointments at Miami Marlins Stadium and Hard Rock Stadium. Residents can monitor 1-888-499-0840 for availability. People are urged not to arrive more than 30 minutes before their appointment; anyone with an appointment is guaranteed a vaccine.
Minority Mini-Missions sites: Oak Grove Park, Father Gerard Jean-Juste Community Center,
690 NE 159 St., Miami, 33162 and Overtown Youth Center, 450 NW
14th St, Miami, 33136; Overtown — Parking Lot,1551 NW First Ave., Miami, 33136. Open for appointments to seniors 65 and older and frontline healthcare workers seven days a week. Visit myvaccine.fl.gov or miamidade.gov/vaccine or call
305-614-2014 to make an appointment.
Mount Sinai Medical Center: Mount Sinai has been providing vaccines to Miami-Dade County residents who are 75 and older. Residents can monitor 305-6742312 for availability.
Jackson Health System: Miami-Dade’s public hospital network has expanded its
COVID-19 vaccine program for patients age 55 and older who have certain health conditions. Obtain an appointment via Jackson’s online portal by visiting jacksonhealth.org. In addition to showing proof of Florida residency, people age 55 to 64 must also provide a doctor’s note, which must show the patient’s name, the medical condition they’re being treated for, the physician’s recommendation/order for a COVID-19 vaccine, and the doctor’s signature. Check safeatjackson.org for appointment updates and availability. Vaccines will be at three locations: Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center,
1611 NW 12th Ave., Miami; Jackson South Medical Center, 9333 SW 152nd St., Miami; and North Dade Health Center, 16555 NW
25th Ave., Opa-locka.
CVS: CVS, CVS Pharmacy y más, and Navarro Discount Pharmacy locations across Florida will distribute the vaccine, although not every location provides the vaccine yet. Sign-up is at cvs.com/
immunizations/covid-19-vaccine. People without online access can contact CVS customer service at
1-800-746-7287. Specific locations are activated based on dosage allotments to the stores.
Publix: All Publix pharmacies will be offering COVID-19 vaccines. Appointments slots will continue to open weekly as supply is available, 7 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. People can book up to four appointments at a time. On Wednesdays, appointments are made exclusively for the Johnson & Johnson singledose vaccine. Vaccinations are by appointment only at publix.com/ covidvaccine
Southeastern Grocers Inc., Winn-Dixie’s parent company, is administering COVID-19 vaccines at its Florida Winn-Dixie stores, and its Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket locations. The company will offer the vaccines to health care workers, residents and staff of long-term-care facilities, as well as people ages 65 and older. Participating stores: Fresco y Más: 18300 SW 137th Ave., Miami, and 5850 NW 183rd St., Hialeah; frescoymas.com/pharmacy/covid-vaccine. Winn-Dixie:
1150 NW 54th St., Miami; 1155 NW
11th St., Miami; 11241 SW 40th St., Miami. winndixie.com/pharmacy/ covid-vaccine
Walmart is distributing vaccines at its Florida stores. Eligible individuals can make an appointment at walmart. com/COVIDvaccine. Appointments will be scheduled based on vaccine availability. Participating Walmarts: 9300 NW 77th Ave. in Hialeah and 17650 NW Second Ave. in Miami Gardens.
PRIME PROPERTY
A look at South Florida’s high-end real estate
Curious drivers zipping by on Palmetto Park Road west of Boca Raton may wonder what lies behind the gates that say “Villa Florentyna” that front the busy road just east of U.S. 441. They might be surprised that the gates hide a 10,939-square-foot home on a lush five-acre lot with resortstyle amenities.
The two-story mansion, at
9614 Palmetto Park Road, has five bedrooms and nine baths. The unique property also features a one-bedroom guest house, a six-car climate-controlled garage, an elevator, gym and a theater that seats 12.
Outside, there’s a tennis/ basketball court, resort-style pool and spa, multiple koi ponds, a 37-foot waterfall and lush exotic foliage with walkways flanked by lifesized animal statues crafted from Canadian redwood pine.
The property’s zoning allows for the addition of a private equestrian stable.
It’s listed for $11.9 million. “The property is truly unique,” said Tara West, a director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Miami Beach, who holds the listing with colleague Matt Simon. “Everything about it is meticulous. And at night, it completely transforms.”
The current owners purchased the property for $550,000 in June
1994 and custom built the home, which was completed in 2005. West said they’re selling because they’re downsizing.