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.