4 September 11-17, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE TECHNICAL FOUL FORT LAUDERDALE IS PAVING BASKETBALL PARADISE TO PUT UP A PICKLEBALL COURT. BY B. SCOTT McLENDON T he South Florida basketball com- munity is mourning the impend- ing loss of an iconic set of beachside courts at Fort Lauder- dale Beach Park, which will soon be the site of four pickleball courts adjacent to a $2 billion development. In January 2024, Fort Lauderdale officials approved a 100-year lease for a new develop- ment on taxpayer-owned land at 801 Seabreeze Blvd., across the street from Bahia Mar, with North Miami-based real estate de- veloper Jimmy Tate, according to the Sun Sentinel. The deal will create the St. Regis Re- sort & Residences Bahia Mar, including 160 condos starting at $2 million. But it also calls for the city to convert its iconic beachside basketball courts into pickleball courts by January 2027, a move that appears to be heartbreaking to many, including about 8,100 people who signed a Change.org petition to preserve the courts. “Any visit to the court on a sunny after- noon echoes with laughter, cheers, and the vigorous spirits of players from all walks of life,” the petition reads. “It’s not just about basketball, but about community, unity, and tradition. “We urge the city officials to reconsider their decision and preserve this unique bas- ketball court, and with it, our cultural sports heritage.” In response to months of uproar about the issue, developers have agreed to build a new set of basketball courts at a different spot on the beach, but many argue they don’t want the spot touched at all. Critics argue that the upheaval of popular basketball courts in favor of pickle- ball courts is a clear sign of gentrification. “This basketball court holds such a special place in our community’s heart,” wrote one commenter on the petition’s page. “My son and I have enjoyed playing there for the past several years, especially when my wife takes us to the beach. It’s not just a court, it’s a space for locals and tourists alike to come to- gether and foster a love for the game.” “This is just another way to gentrify the beach that’s already been gentrified heavily,” wrote another. Developers did not respond to New Times’ request for comment. Fort Lauderdale Beach Ballers, the peti- tion’s organizers, say they have been active on the court for the past 20 years. The city’s agreement to move the courts isn’t final, Shaun Hall, a member of Fort Lauderdale Beach Ballers told New Times in a written statement, and the city has changed its stance on another decision after community outcry. “The Fort Lauderdale Commission and Mayor recently reversed course on removing LGBTQ street murals after public pressure, yet they refuse to return to the negotiation ta- ble regarding the beach park giveaway,” Hall said. “This selective responsiveness raises questions about whose interests the city truly serves.” The City of Fort Lauderdale has not re- sponded to New Times’ request for comment. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Fort Lauderdale basketball fans are heartbroken about a city decision to move iconic beachside courts in favor of a $2-billion development’s plans for pickleball courts. Photo by Chuck LaChance via Flickr ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA WATCH YOUR STEP! IT’S LAND CRAB SEASON. BY B. SCOTT MCLENDON C reepy, crawly arthropods have been in- vading homes and terrorizing people with their presence since the dawn of human history, so much so that knowing how to deal with interlopers like spiders and cock- roaches is an evolutionary trait. But would in- stinct kick in if one of their much larger arthropod cousins — say, a blue land crab with a five-inch- long claw — crept its way into your home? For one unfortunate Redditor, the answer seems to be no. The poster shared an image of a blue land crab, which apparently was the second one to sneak into their home. The post has garnered nearly 2,000 upvotes and more than 200 com- ments, with several humorous takes on the situa- tion, which beg questions like: How did it get there? Are they dangerous? To understand exactly what kind of Looney Tunes situation this person was in, New Times sought out University of Miami Professor Maria Criales, curator of the Voss Invertebrate Collec- tions and adjunct assistant professor of marine biology. She identified the animal in the photo as a blue land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi), a com- mon species in the family Geocarcinidae, which includes other land crabs. “Despite its name, only the males have a bluish coloration,” she tells New Times. “These crabs dig burrows on land, so it is not surprising that one was found inside the house. This species occurs in the western tropical Atlantic, from Brazil to Flor- ida, and is common throughout the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and Florida.” Unlike many of their seafaring relatives, these crabs spend most of their time on land and only return to the water to spawn, like reverse sea tur- tles.Yes, these crabs migrate up to six miles from their burrows to the ocean, unlike many of their land-dwelling cousins. Their closely related cousin, the black land crab, creates an “extraor- dinary sight” when the juveniles, who are red, re- turn to Providencia Island in the Caribbean. Criales tells New Times that “the roads turn red.” “After approximately two weeks, the eggs hatch into zoea larvae, which remain in the plankton for about four weeks,” she explains. “Following development, the megalopae [juve- niles] migrate back to land. Several spawning events may occur per year, with the season vary- ing across the species’ range. In Florida, spawn- ing lasts from June to December and peaks in October and November. During this period, large migrations of crabs can be observed.” So if you see one out and about this fall, mind your business; it may be late for a beachside booty call. They aren’t known for being dangerous, any- way, Criales said, “but they have large claws and if they feel threatened, they can bite you.” Marine biologist Elizabeth Mills offers tips on how to safely pick up “any type of crab found around the world “ in a YouTube video. Reach for the farthest two points on the cr- ab’s body from behind to avoid the claws. By hoisting them up from behind, with their claws facing away from you, “they should never be able to pinch you,” Mills explains. From there, take the crab outside, preferably near a water source. Depending on the time of year, you definitely shouldn’t kill a blue land crab, which the Reddi- tor admits they accidentally did to the first one that broke into the home. In Florida, it’s illegal to kill the crabs during spawning season — July 1 through October 31, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Outside of the prohibited season, people may kill and bag up to 20 blue land crabs a day. The meat is supposedly delicious, Criales tells New Times, “but I haven’t tried yet. It is a very com- mon meal in some Caribbean Islands.” ▼ TALLAHASSEE FILE UNDER ‘IRONIC’ FLORIDA’S DOGE CZAR WASTES $30K OF TAXPAYER MONEY. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN A fter Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped Blaise Ingoglia as Florida’s next chief finan- cial officer in July, the for- mer state senator vowed to reduce wasteful spending and rid local governments of abuse and fraud. When he took charge of the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he later renamed the Flor- ida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO), Ingoglia quickly requested financial re- cords from Broward County and Gaines- ville. As his FAFO efforts expanded, Orange County, Pinellas County, Manatee County, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg were next on the CFO’s radar. “Counties and cities should be ac- countable to the taxpayers they serve,” Ingoglia wrote on X, the platform for- merly known as Twitter, in July. “They should NOT be treating their citizens like a piggy bank for bloated budgets. I was proud to travel with @GovRonDeSantis to announce our @DOGEFLA audit of Broward County and City of Gainesville spending. We are on a mission to prove that local governments CAN cut taxes if they take a hard look at unnecessary spending. I look forward to bringing in a new era of accountability.” Ingoglia added in another tweet last week: “I have problems with wasteful spending regardless of who does it. The taxpayers have had enough, and so have I.” Well, state lawmaker Carlos Guillermo Smith would like a word. The Orange County senator noticed that the Florida Department of Financial Services recently spent $30,000 on photography >> p 5
