Palm Beach County has always been a land of economic extremes. Just a decade ago it was easy to generalize and say that the poorest few among us lived out west near Lake Okeechobee and in urban pockets in our biggest cities. Most of the county’s popu
Read more…Related: Amendment 3: Power struggle?
Readers of The Coastal Star have often commented to me that they appreciate our balanced news coverage. I pray you take this column as a discussion of the merits of a plan, not the politics behind it.
Five month
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Summer in South Florida seems to take forever to end.
Kids may be back in school, the autumnal equinox may be just a few weeks away and Halloween pop-up stores may already be open for business, but summer’s muggy, sweltering days still cling to us
Read more…I want to begin by saying that I respect the South Palm Beach Town Council, our town manager and our staff. The town is fortunate to have people who care deeply about this community.
I am asking for one careful, forward-looking step — that we explor
Read more…The past year has been a blur. It’s not that time flew by too quickly. Cataracts were the culprits.
It was like someone dropped a cheesecloth shade over my eyeballs. Extremely annoying. Very difficult to see. Driving became impossible. I walked aroun
Read more…Patriotic fervor is on full display this month, with Fourth of July fireworks extravaganzas up and down the coast — including in Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton — and even a reading of the Declaration of Independence as part of D
Read more…My dream began in 2019. I envisioned a small coffee place in and of Briny Breezes.
Not just another business, but a welcoming, modest, coastal-style coffee shop that fit the spirit of Briny Breezes — a place for coffee, pastries and conversation, a
Read more…I would like to comment on the May article “Saving lives: What more to do?”
I go to Gulfstream Park every Sunday for a beach walk and ocean swim, and I find the Palm Beach County lifeguards to be extremely on point and attentive.
Any information th
Read more…In several articles, you have mistakenly reported that the termination of Old School Square Center for the Arts (OSSCFTA) was due to financial difficulties. This information is incorrect and does not reflect the actual circumstances.
You previously c
Read more…I am writing regarding the recent passage of Ordinance 405 by the town of Manalapan on May 12 and the growing trend of municipalities attempting to regulate shark fishing and other fishing activity, despite Florida’s longstanding state preemption ov
Read more…It has been 50 years this month since I began my newspaper career here in Palm Beach County, a wet-behind-the-ears Jimmy Olsen hired as a reporter for the weekly Delray Beach and Boynton Beach News Journal.
Back then, Delray Beach was known among us
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I have been a property owner in Ocean Ridge now for 40 years and in Briny Breezes for more than 20 years. Change has been gradual in both communities over those decades, mainly because most of the homes had already been built by the time Mary Kate
Read more…While reading your editorial sadly remarking on the loss of mature trees in South Florida, I can’t help but think of my little miracle here in Royal Oak Hills in eastern Boca Raton. Although this old neighborhood still has many splendid Florida oaks
Read more…Two maxims stand out from South County’s March 10 municipal races: Elections have consequences and every vote counts. Those maxims were true in one of the area’s smallest towns and in its biggest city.
Boca Raton voters squashed plans for a major pri
Read more…Ever since The Coastal Star was first published, I have found it an excellent local newspaper that I have always looked forward to reading. The publication has consistently covered southern coastal Palm Beach County news extremely well, with many int
Read more…As a resident and Briny author, I was pleasantly surprised to see a front-page article about Briny’s library and Briny authors (“Tiny Briny library has an abundance of local authors,” March 2026).
I was equally disappointed to see that the one sent
Read more…I am writing you in reference to John Pacenti’s January 2026 article: “Mayor’s concerns cause ‘chaos,’ spur audit of downtown agency.”
In the article, Pacenti notes that I offer advice to Mayor Tom Carney on occasion. Very true. Also true is that on
Read more…Turtle time is coming, so let’s talk elections.
March marks the start of the annual sea turtle season, when beach lighting dims and stakes marking buried turtle nests begin sprouting along the shoreline.
It’s also municipal election season, when loca
Read more…Anyone who was at the Delray Beach Historical Society on Dec. 6 honoring the life of Bob Ganger had to feel his presence. The people who spoke acknowledged how deeply he had touched their lives, both as a mentor and a friend.
I remember the first ti
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