Margate News

Forget the sigh of relief when you see that the officer behind you is outside his jurisdiction. If you drive in Broward County , those jurisdictional lines soon will disappear.

Under a new policing-without-boundaries plan set to launch in two weeks, city officers could make traffic stops in any other city in Broward.

Sheriff Al Lamberti has quietly signed agreements with several cities in Broward that have their own police departments and hopes to get all the Broward cities signed on. Under the sheriff's plan, city officers in Broward would be like county deputies, able to enforce traffic laws countywide, even when they're off duty and driving to the grocery store.

Four political newcomers are trying to unseat Commissioner Joe Varsallone, who has served for more than two decades.

Varsallone said he doesn't see the competition as a response to his performance on the commission.

'I don't take it personally,' he said. 'They want an opportunity also to serve. They are concerned about Margate.'

He said his opponents chose him to run against so they can catch some name recognition and run for office again.

On Aug. 26, residents head to the polls in a citywide race to vote for Seat 4. The commission seat is a four-year term and commissioners earn $28,315. Challenging Varsallone are Joyce Bryan, Dennis Cantlay, Lesa Peerman and Scott Yardley.Seat 5 did not draw any challengers, so Pam Donovan, who was first elected to the commission in 1991 and lost one term in 1997, sails back into office unopposed.

Saigon Deli is all of nine tables housed in a simple storefront tucked into the elbow bend of a u-shaped shopping center.

La Choza means the knee buckling aromas of garlic, onions and cumin and the best Cuban food I've tasted in South Florida.

A big statement, I know, but the kitchen at this pleasant but unpretentious restaurant heads the black beans and rice brigade like a charging Don Quxiote armed with robust flavors and generous portions. The menu mixes the ethnically comforting flavors of Cuba and Mexico, with changing daily specials, taking rough edges and smoothing them away so the two blend like peaches and cream.

Seekers from all over the world are flocking to see Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley and what is called the "Florida Outpouring." People say there's a modern-day Pool of Bethesda in Lakeland, Fla.

Margate Police Officer Michael McQuade was off-duty and on his way to lunch with the SWAT team to which he belonged when the motorcycle he was riding collided with an SUV about half a block from the restaurant.

The accident occurred at about 11:30 a.m. June 20 as McQuade was heading east on Coconut Creek Parkway. Even though he was wearing a helmet, the 36-year-old officer was killed instantly.

'All of the guys came out of the restaurant to see what had happened,' said Lt. Andy Zeddick, McQuade's platoon commander. 'He was one of the team's leaders, the type of guy you'd want backing you up when things get rough.'

Denise Bennett, like many Americans during the boom times of the housing market, decided to refinance her home.

When Gene Klein paid a contractor $18,000 to install a permanent generator at his Coral Springs home two summers ago, he thought the company had all the necessary permits and inspections. He was wrong. The city rejected the permit application from Complete Power Systems, but the now-defunct company installed the giant power box anyway. Klein discovered this in January when a city code enforcement officer handed him a notice of violation.

'I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have to move it,' said Klein, a mortgage broker who recently signed a contract for $5,000 with an electric company to bring the generator up to code and get the necessary permits and inspections.

Here are some of the locations where you can watch fireworks and celebrations on the Fourth of July.

Find a show that will start and end with a bang. Total Locations: Pine Island Park Start the fun at 10 a.m. with a free family splash pool party.

Her lottery ticket had the magic numbers, but her mom was the real lucky charm. Susanne Brussels, 50, of Margate, won a $1.6 million Mega Money jackpot on May 30 using a ticket her mother bought at a Coral ...

A Margate man who accepted a plea deal on charges of production and possession of child pornography has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Two lawsuits were filed today against a former Broward County priest awaiting trial on sexual molestation charges, accusing him of paying two men for sex with cash and toys when they were children.

Margate's Fourth of July celebration, complete with fireworks display, will go on as planned.

Several months ago, City Manager Frank Porcella told the City Commission he did not think the city could afford to sponsor the celebration. But he and other members of city staff hit the phones to come up with the $25,000 needed to pay for the traditional fireworks display.

'The word got out that we needed money. There were no letters sent out, but lots of phone calls were made,' said Janet Randolph, assistant to the city manager.

Kathy Cicero, a telephone network manager for STS Telecom in Cooper City, had considered looking for a job closer to her Deerfield Beach home. Then the CEO offered a company benefit that changed her mind: extra money for gas in every paycheck.

'It made a difference for me filling my tank twice a week' rather than once a week, Cicero said. 'It's huge in today's economy.'

The perk was a nice surprise for employees, said Cicero, who drives a Toyota Corolla about 60 miles a day round-trip to work.

In a 30-minute decision Thursday, Broward County jurors rejected felony vehicular homicide and instead convicted a Parkland man of misdemeanor reckless driving for running a red light and killing a community stalwart.

Blair Mrachek, 25, is now looking at a maximum 90-day jail sentence rather than 15 years in prison.

Mrachek was not injured in the March 2005 afternoon crash that killed Douglas Endsley, 69, of Boca Raton , who headed Broward County 's United Way for nearly two decades.

The woman went to court Thursday, her 42nd birthday, to tell a Broward County judge that her rapist was getting an 'immense break' with a 28-year prison sentence.

Though she complains of nightmares, headaches and ongoing pain and suffering, the woman agreed to the plea deal that would put David Searcy, 34, of Margate, behind bars for nearly three decades. She said she hoped the prison sentence would 'give him enough time to really realize all of the damage he has done to others and myself.'

A Boca Raton woman died and a father and son were critically injured in a two-vehicle wreck early Sunday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.

A 36-year-old off-duty Margate police officer was killed Friday morning in a motorcycle crash in Coconut Creek, authorities said.

Police are seeking the public's help in locating a 30-year-old woman who disappeared more than two weeks ago.