23-Year-Old Shoots Himself With Homemade Gun

"Criminals can get a gun if they want a gun," the head of the Miami ATF office tells the Sun Sentinel. So why did a Lake Worth-area 23-year-old make one with spare parts he found in his dad's backyard? Because he was too broke to buy a gun, and his driver's license was suspended and he was bored out of his skull.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-felon-gunmaker-lake-worth-20120806,0,2833096.story



Manny Garrido of Lake Geneva Drive

Manny Garrido made a .40 caliber handgun that he kept in his pocket. It went off on March 29, and shot him in the leg. After a long investigation, he was arrested yesterday and charged with possessing a firearm as a felon. (Last year, he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of drug possession.)


Manny Garriodo's father told police he guesses his son learned how to make a gun from....the internet.

** The Sun Sentinel describes Manny Garrido as a "Lake Worth man." But he was living with his father, according to the article, and Palm Beach County property records show his father's home is a few blocks outside Lake Worth's town limits, at 1120 Lake Geneva Drive. So this is not technically a Lake Worth story. But it's close!

Fort Walton Beach Regrets Name Change

Lake Worth's name was almost changed this summer to Lake Worth Beach. Luckily, clearer heads prevailed. Now, little Fort Walton Beach, a nice community in Florida's panhandle, is wishing it had resisted adding "Beach" to its name back in 1953:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/worth-51502-lake-officials.html

According to this, as a result of Fort Walton's name change, the first word in the town's name is often abbreviated as Ft., which doesn't look so nice. Also, many people, including top political leaders, don't use the word "Beach" when talking about the town, referring to it just as "Fort Walton." So it didn't really work out that well.

What's Open, What's Closed

The Lake Worth Municipal Pool before it closed in the fall of 2010

The Golf Course is closed Mondays and Tuesdays in August for renovation of the greens. Play will be on temporary greens all month, Wednesday through Sunday (weather permitting) from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Play all day for $18, or $15 if you come after 3 p.m.

The Boat Ramp in Bryant Park is still closed. It is being rebuilt, with floating docks added to replace the old rickety wooden docks. This was scheduled to be completed by September, but work appears to have slowed this summer and there is no word on whether it will in fact be opened next month.

The Boat Docks, Kayak Launch and Fishing Pier at Snook Islands Natural Area, just north of the Lake Worth bridge, have been open since the end of February. There's usually plenty of dock space available, and boaters can walk four blocks to downtown Lake Worth restaurants.

The Beach is open, though with limited parking. You can park below and walk up, or take your chances on limited parking on the upper level across from Benny's or at Kreusler Park on the north end.

The Pool, which the city's web site refers to as offering a "one-of-a-kind oceanfront pool experience" has been closed since 2010 and remains closed with no date scheduled for re-opening.

The Lake Worth Historical Museum on the second floor of the City Hall Annex is now open Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1-4 p.m.