Newsletter: November 20, 2024

Friends Of Delray Celebrates 3 Years

Friends Of Delray just celebrated its three-year anniversary.  Incorporated 11/05/21 as a 501(c)4 whose purpose is to promote the common good and general welfare of the community. Through our monthly newsletters, web based articles, social media and videocasts on our YouTube Channel, we focus on issues pertinent to Delray Beach.
 
Friends of Delray is a diverse group of Delray’s residents, business owners, non-profit board members, city board members and volunteers. Our members serve on city boards such as The Delray Beach Historical Board, SRAB, Code Enforcement, the Planning & Zoning Board and numerous not-for-profit boards. Our Board of Directors and our Advisory team members immerse themselves in the community and serve it every day. All members of Friends of Delray have always been listed on our website and serve as unpaid volunteers.
 
There has been a question raised by a City Commissioner who absolutely knows better about possible nefarious sources of funding. Our funding is from donations from business owners, hoteliers, individual citizens and stakeholders.
 
Unfortunately, Delray has a reputation for discord, toxicity, and brutal politics.  Friends of Delray is using its resources to reduce the political temperature, encourage productive dialog and address the issues which face our wonderful City.  Sometimes we rub people the wrong way.  But if we don’t share ideas among ourselves, we are condemned to a future which is not all it could be.

On our website we show our motto as Stronger Together: Informed Citizens, Shared Ideas, United Direction.  We are committed to building a future together, not attacking fellow citizens.
 
Most importantly, through our 50,000 plus newsletter subscribers and over 40,000 members of our social media partner sites, we’ve been a constant, critical conduit between the residents and the city and other major stakeholders in Delray Beach. No single media outlet, city or non-profit entity has covered more issues that are relevant to Delray Beach over the past 3 years than FOD.
 
We have covered the following topics:
Delray Parking Rates
Municipal Golf Course
Old School Square Center for the Arts
Affordable Housing
Zach Straghn Monument
Delray Police Staffing
Boca Museum
LEED Green Building
Congress Avenue
Coral Reefs off of Delray
Selling Public Land to pay for neglect of golf course
Homeless Problems in downtown Delray
Supporting Small Business
GEO Bond
Sea Turtles
Proposed Atlantic Avenue historic district

We’ve highlighted some of Delray’s not for profits such as:
HOW Foundation
Delray Beach Concourse D’Elegance
Delray Reads
Education Board
Milagro Center
Greater Delray Chamber of Commerce
Delray Affair
Peach Umbrella
Eat Better Live Better
Delray Beach Playhouse
Miracle League of Palm Beach County
 
We have produced Videocasts such as:
The Beach Keepers
Golf course discussion
Community Greening
Delray water
Education
Candidate Interviews
Changes in Florida legislation
My Delray App
LGTBQ rights in Florida
Leadership Turnover in Delray Beach
 
We realize this article is self-serving patting on our respective backs, but in Delray you have to stand up for yourself.  We are proud of what we have accomplished over the last three years. We are honored when Delray citizens thank us for informative newsletters and videos.  You can always contact us by email or individual phone numbers.  Let us hear from you and we will listen.  We’re not always perfect.  And certainly not a dark money, hidden group, trying to promote an agenda as claimed by that unnamed City Commission member.