The Woodlands front entrance at Commercial Blvd.
By Agrippina Fadel
There is a change of power in the Woodlands Homeowners’ Association after all four candidates endorsed by “Save the Woodlands” won the recent at-large HOA delegate election.
The election, initially scheduled for February 7, was finally completed on March 10. It gathered attention due to the clear line dividing candidates and residents into those who support the 13th Floor’s development of the former golf course and those who vehemently oppose it.
The opposing camp, Save the Woodlands, says the WHOA did not have the residents’ or the community’s best interests in mind; and accused board members of having ulterior motives for supporting the development of 335 new homes.
Equally vocal are the residents who support new development and say it could be a saving grace to the 50-year-old community bringing much-needed upgrades, better infrastructure, and social life.
Save the Woodlands president Chris Hodgkins said at the WHOA election, they endorsed candidates who were against the 13th Floor or at the very least not for them – in the case of Tyneka Rene, who was seemingly not in support of the developer at first, but later stated in her interview with Tamarac Talk that she “does not side with any organization, either for or against” the project.
“The bottom line is the residents spoke with their votes, and the votes are clear. The key cheerleaders for 13th Floor were defeated, and you don’t need to be a political scientist to figure out that the residents of the Woodlands are overwhelmingly against the developer’s project,” said Hodgkins.
The winning candidates’ Penny Coleman, Judy Margolis, Trish Newlin, and Tyneka Rene have unseated Kevin Borwick, Sara Jane Rose, and Bonnie Schultz, board members, believed to be in support of the 13th Floor development plan.
The fate of the 13th Floor Land Use Plan Amendment, rezoning, and development was slated for a public hearing last November, but the developer asked for another extension, citing problems with getting the application ready and other Covid-19 related issues.
The Tamarac city commission denied the request, and the developer later sued the city for its handling of the project.
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