By Willie Howard

    Here's my tip of the month: Walk the beach with a fishing rod.
    Casting from the beach is an enjoyable way to catch snook and other fish as bait schools move close to shore in September. By later in the month, the annual fall mullet run might have started.
    Watch for the dark brown “clouds” of mullet in the surf. Schooling mullet often leap out of the water as they are chased by tarpon, bluefish, snook and other predators.
    Throw a heavy casting spoon or a plug rigged with 40- to 50-pound leader around the edges of the schools. If the mullet have not arrived yet, try fishing for snook along the beach in the morning. Consider bending down the hook barbs to facilitate the release of snook.
    Even though snook season opens Sept. 1, snook must be 28 to 32 inches in total length to be legal, meaning many will be released.
    Try fishing for snook with a soft-plastic bait such as a D.O.A. CAL Shad Tail or hard lures such as MirrOlure’s MirrOdine or the Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow. If the water is clear, try tying your snook lure to 30-pound-test fluorocarbon leader.
    Daily bag limit: One snook.
    Reminder: Stay away from swimmers, and don’t fish in guarded swimming areas when fishing from the beach.

A Delray Beach fishing team won the 20th Annual Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament

with this 34.2-pound kingfish, caught by Tim Knapp (second from right). Joe Lucas (second from left)

and Knapp fished with sons Ryan Lucas (far left) and Miles Knapp (right).

Photo by Emiliano Brooks Productions

Flotsam
    • Joe Lucas of Delray Beach and his son, Ryan, won the 20th Annual Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament with a 34.2-pound kingfish caught using live bait off Highland Beach. Lucas and his son were fishing with another father-and-son team — Tim Knapp and his son, Miles — in the Aug. 9 tournament. Craig Elmore won the dolphin award with a 27.6-pound mahi mahi. Steve Sasso’s 14.8-pound bonito won the mystery fish award. Nicholas Samousakis won top junior angler with a 13.8-pound kingfish. Joan Vertefeuille’s 16-pound kingfish won top lady angler. No wahoo were weighed in this year’s Gerretson tournament. Mark’s brother, Jim Gerretson, won the Family Fun Award for fishing with his daughters and their husbands.
    • The X Generation 440 Challenge fishing tournament is set for Sept. 13 based at Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo.  Cash prizes will be awarded for the heaviest kingfish, dolphin and wahoo.
 A $500 award is being offered for the largest cobia, mutton/yellowtail snapper, bonito and blackfin tuna.
Organizers guarantee $5,000 for the heaviest kingfish. The entry fee is $225 per boat through Sept. 9 and $250 by Sept. 12. The captain’s meeting and final registration are set for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo. Call Pete Cammarano at 502-7022 or go to www. xgenerationtournaments.com.
    • The International Coastal Cleanup is set for the morning of Sept. 20 and will include waterfront cleanup locations in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. Participants are asked to preregister at most locations by contacting the site coordinator. Most cleanups begin at 8 a.m. A list of locations and site coordinators can be found on the Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful website, www.keeppbcbeautiful.org.
    • Peter Hinck of Dragonfly Boatworks will share tips for fishing from kayaks and stand-up paddleboards Sept. 3 at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. Capt. Ray Rosher of Miss Britt Charters will discuss late-season dolphin fishing at the club’s Sept. 24 meeting.
Both meetings begin at 7 p.m. at the fishing club’s headquarters, 201 Fifth St., West Palm Beach. The meetings are free and open to the public. Call 832-6780 or www.westpalmbeach fishingclub.org.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

The Osprey inflatable paddleboard sells for about $1,500 with a pump and case.

Photo provided

By Willie Howard

    As a boater and angler, I’m always on the lookout for products that make my outdoor experiences more frequent, fun and successful.
    Hundreds of noteworthy products were on display at the American Sportfishing Association’s annual ICAST trade show, an international gathering of producers of fishing- and boating-related gear held this summer in Orlando.
    Here’s a small sampling of water-related products spotted during a whirlwind tour of the ICAST show:

    Osprey inflatable paddleboard: This fishing paddleboard measures 11 feet, 2 inches. It’s 36.5 inches wide and 6 inches thick when inflated and has tie-down rings for mounting coolers, footrests and a seat. But the real beauty of this paddleboard is transportability. It weighs 36 pounds and rolls up into a duffle bag, meaning you could carry it in the trunk of a car or check it as baggage on an airline flight. Offered by The Creek Co., the Osprey fishing paddleboard sells for about $1,500 with a pump and case. Details: www.creekcompany.com.

    Olukai water shoes: This California company enlists Hawaiian lifeguards to test its sandals. Olukai’s Nohea mesh boating shoes looked cool, comfortable and water-friendly. Their removable footpads can be machine washed. The Nohea men’s boating shoes sell for about $85. Details: www.olukai.com.

Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

    Borboleta fishing lures: These brightly colored lures come straight from Brazil with names such as Perversa, loosely translated from Portugese as “nasty girl.” They’re designed to catch snook, tarpon, largemouth bass and are known in Brazil for catching peacock bass. Hand-painted Borboleta lures are available for about $13 through Fishfreak Online, a Palm Beach County tackle retailer. Details: fishfreakonline.com/perversalures.html.

    Hot-Spot flashers: These colorful pieces of metal made in Canada are designed to reflect light and attract fish. In the ocean, spear fishers use flashers to attract fish such as dolphin and wahoo. They’re also becoming popular among anglers fishing from boats. Dangled under a boat, flashers have been known to attract wahoo. They sell for $10-12 each. Details: www.hotspotlures.com.

    Engel live-bait cooler: This small cooler has a tight-sealing lid, meaning it can roll over in your car, full of shrimp and salt water, and it won’t spill. This bait cooler comes with an aerator and can be used as a regular cooler. The 13-quart bait coolers are popular with anglers fishing from kayaks and paddleboards because they can double as a seat. The Engel bait cooler sells for about $75. Details: www.engel-usa.com.

    SnowLizard waterproof cellphone case: The company’s cellphone cases keep water out, have built-in batteries and solar panels that can help keep a phone charged when you’re out there. The SLXtreme 5 for the iPhone 5 sells for about $150. Details: www.snowlizardproducts.com.

    Vigor sunglasses: Ever broken a pair of expensive sunglasses? It hurts. The frames of Vigor sunglasses are flexible, meaning they’re less likely to break when you sit on them. The polarized versions come with a one-year warranty and sell for about $65. Details: www.vigoreyewear.com.

    Mustang Elite inflatable life jacket: This next-generation inflatable life jacket has a back panel that reduces strain on the neck. It provides 26 pounds of buoyancy when inflated. The company says the hydrostatic trigger won’t blow up the jacket until it enters the water, meaning it should not inflate when drenched by rain. The new life jacket is scheduled to be available in January and will sell for about $260. Details: www.mustangsurvival.com.

Agencies stage a mock manatee rescue in the Intracoastal Waterway near Boynton Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby

    Sick sea mammals that land on Florida’s beaches are a sad fact of coastal living. Florida is the No. 1 state for marine animal strandings.
    Sympathetic humans want to help, but they often cause more stress to already stressed-out animals:
    • They crowd around a beached dolphin, posing for selfies.
    • While pouring water on dolphins and whales to cool them, they pour water into their blow holes.
    • They stroke and talk to them, which frightens a wild animal.
    • Many people touch the animal, which greatly increases the chance of transmitting diseases to the sick marine mammal (and also increases the chances of the animal giving people — especially children and persons with compromised immune systems — diseases, bacteria and fungi).
    • They push the animal back to sea because it looks OK; but if a marine animal is on the beach, it’s sick or injured.
    These were some of the points made during a Marine Mammal Rescue Workshop Aug. 20 at the Intracoastal Club House in Boynton Beach. About 100 law enforcement officers, first responders and Marine Animal Rescue Society volunteers attended.
    Speakers included scientists from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University.
    There are only three things you should do when you see a stranded marine animal on the beach, said the experts: Call for help (888-404-FWCC or local law enforcement), keep the animal upright and stay quiet.
    And if you’re really serious about helping, prepare for a long stay; it may take five or six hours for a rescue crew to get there, so organize shifts to stay with the animal.
    Most importantly, listen to law enforcement who will arrive on the scene and set up perimeters. In mass strandings, the situation can quickly get out of control when crowds gather.
    Other things to remember when you see a stranded whale, dolphin or manatee, said Pamela Sweeney, Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves Manager: Tell the dispatcher at the wildlife hotline as much information as you can, including the estimated length of the animal, the precise location (including GPS coordinates), and any human interaction such as propeller injuries and nets binding the animal.
    Take photos to send to the dispatcher and include the name and phone number of the person who took the photos. Look for scientific tags and record the number on the tag.
    Dead animals should not be disposed of. Officials will want to perform necropsies to determine the cause of death.
    “When a marine mammal is on the beach, we need all hands on deck,” said Steve Burton, stranding coordinator and marine mammal specialist at Harbor Branch. “You need to stay calm and quiet. Help is on the way.”
    Burton showed photos of 22 pilot whales that stranded at Avalon Beach near Fort Pierce on Sept. 1, 2012. The whales needed constant care by volunteers under the direction of rescue supervisors from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Fish and Wildlife and Harbor Branch. Local law enforcement and lifeguards helped manage the situation.
    A complicated scene with many bystanders quickly became organized with tents providing shade for animals and volunteers, and water and food for volunteers until transportation could arrive for the animals to be moved to wildlife hospitals.
    Topics at the workshop included mass-stranding event coordination, rehabilitation protocols, necropsy techniques, and in-water training and exercises. On-the-water mock manatee rescue and rehabilitation and rescue techniques with dolphins and whales were demonstrated.
    The workshop was presented by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves along with the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, MARS  and FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.

Cameras along A1A and bridges can identify suspect vehicles

By Rich Pollack
    Police departments along the coast of southern Palm Beach County are studying the feasibility of cooperating on an automated system to scan the license plates of every car traveling along State Road A1A from Boca Raton through Manalapan.
    For more than a year, representatives from several coastal police departments, and a small group of private communities, have been exploring the costs and benefits of implementing an automatic license-plate recognition system that scans license plates on passing cars and compares them to criminal and other databases.
    Growing in popularity throughout South Florida, the automated license-plate recognition systems are already being used by police in Manalapan and also on a limited basis in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
    “Our goal with this initiative is to provide an enhanced level of security to everyone who resides on the barrier island as well as to those who enjoy all the area has to offer,” says Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi, who has been leading the discussions. “This is a way to put more eyes on the road. Instead of paying additional salaries, we’re looking at the possibility of buying equipment that scans license plates automatically.”
    The license-plate recognition system works by scanning tags of passing cars and comparing that information to tag numbers entered into databases by law enforcement agencies. If a tag registered to a stolen vehicle, for example, is spotted by the system, an alert is sent to a dispatcher who verifies the information and then notifies officers on patrol.

    In May, the Ocean Ridge Police Department conducted a nine-day test with a mobile license-plate system, scanning more than 15,000 tags. There were 319 alerts, mainly for expired tags and licenses.
    Yannuzzi and other proponents of license-plate recognition cameras say the system has multiple uses and can be implemented to prevent crimes as well as to solve them.
    The system also could be used in Silver Alerts, for example, where older drivers who may be incapacitated are being sought.
    In Manalapan, Police Chief Carmen Maddox says his department, which has had license-plate scanners in place for more than eight years, uses the technology primarily for investigative purposes.
    “In cases where a crime occurs, we can go through the data provided by the cameras,” he said.

Privacy questions raised
    But questions have been raised about whether the cameras go too far in invading individual privacy and whether the information could be used by those outside of law enforcement.
    The question of whether the cameras are a privacy intrusion surfaced during a recent Highland Beach Town Commission meeting. It was quickly addressed by Police Chief Craig Hartmann, who told commissioners that cameras do not record any personal data, only the license plate information.
    Commissioner Carl Feldman said he’s in favor of the cameras if the other towns go along with it, but added there are still concerns among residents that the cameras could be used by those outside of law enforcement.
    “We need to prove to residents that the system can’t be used for malicious purposes,” he said.
    During a recent meeting in which members of the Palm Beach County team studying the technology visited Lighthouse Point — where a system has been in place since 2010 — Boynton Beach Police Chief Jeff Katz asked if information gleaned from the system could be obtained in legal cases, such as a divorce case, to track a spouse’s movements.
    But information gleaned from the system, according to Yannuzzi, is now exempt from Florida’s public-records law and can be used only for law enforcement purposes.
    “We’re not here looking at the actions of law-abiding citizens,” said Lighthouse Point Commander Michael Oh. “The system doesn’t tell us who you are, where you’re going or who is with you.”

Benefits of cooperation
    Banding together to implement a system could have multiple benefits for the coastal communities in South Palm Beach County, according to Yannuzzi and Paul Abbott, a consultant who helped communities in Miami-Dade County with a similar project.
    “If eight or 10 communities work together, they can all benefit by having just one expense during the purchasing and design process,” said Abbott, adding that departments could also share a single server to house a database rather than having several individual ones.
    Added Yannuzzi: “We’re sharing data, we’re sharing resources and we’re sharing costs.”
Although some communities have included tentative costs for the system in budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, actual costs have not yet been determined, nor have vendors been selected.
    In the next few weeks, members of the project team will be bringing the concept to elected officials, according to Yannuzzi.
    “Because there are many entities involved, we want to determine if there is a consensus before we move too far forward,” he said.
    In Ocean Ridge, Commissioner Gail Aaskov said she favors the scanner but Commissioner Rich Lucibella indicated he has some doubts about the system.
    “I’m not sure at this point that the money being proposed for cameras might not be better spent on a different type of deterrent,” he said.

Cathy Conlin at Gulfstream Park.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Cathy Conlin would decorate the lifeguard’s tower in Gulfstream Park each year at Christmas.

Photo provided

By Jane Smith
    
    Cathy Conlin does not see herself as a groundbreaking feminist.
    When she retires Sept. 3 from Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue after 30 years of service, she will be South Florida’s first woman ocean rescue lifeguard to achieve that milestone.
    No Florida department tracks ocean rescue lifeguards and years of service, said her immediate supervisor, Capt. Phil Wotton. He checked with other agencies and found another female lifeguard who retired in Volusia County after 30-plus years of service.
    “So glad I am getting out in one piece without any chronic injuries,” Conlin, 54, said. “You know the stuff they tell you about how to lift properly, bend your knees and not your waist. I try to be mindful of that every day.”
    She likes working outdoors and says every day is different from her tower perch at Gulfstream Park. Conlin spent about half of her career at the oceanfront park near the town of Gulf Stream.
    Her tower mate, Michael Soutter, also will retire in September with 30 years of service.
    “I love learning about the ocean, and the weather is ever-changing,” she said. “I can take pictures. There are opportunities to do other things.”
    Wotton will miss Conlin’s willingness to take on additional assignments.
    “She often volunteered to go to the schools for public-safety lectures and oversaw the junior lifeguard program for numerous years,” he said. “When our office was located at Gulfstream Park, she assisted with a variety of administrative tasks.”
    Conlin’s father encouraged both her and her twin sister to take an advanced lifesaving class at age 15, so “that we would have something to fall back on.” While her sister ended up as a financial analyst in Reno, Nev., Conlin turned lifesaving into a career, first serving as a pool lifeguard in Howard Park in West Palm Beach during her senior year in high school.
    She stayed there for three years and then spent four years at Wellington pools. Then she decided to try out for an ocean rescue lifeguard position with Palm Beach County. She took the test at Carlin Park and was hired Aug. 25, 1984.

Learning curve was steep
    Her first six months were rocky, with marginal reviews. “I didn’t want to give up,” she said. “I knew I had a lot to learn about the ocean, currents and marine life.” By her third annual review, she was rated “exceeds job requirements.”
    She does not like to talk about lives she saved, saying, “We focus on education and prevention, so that people don’t get in trouble in the ocean.” They also administer first aid to beachgoers.
    Even so, she can recall the specifics of May 31, 2013, when she and her tower mate told three groups of high school boys not to go swimming.
    “I remember that there was a single red flag, just one level below ‘the ocean is closed’ (because of rough surf conditions),” Conlin said. “We were restricting people from using skim boards and telling them to go into the ocean only up to their thighs. There were three groups of male teens. … We blew the horn twice at them, knew they heard it.”
    Then one of those teens came up to the tower and asked for help finding his friend, later identified as Rodelson Normil, 17.
    “My partner (Soutter) ran down the beach with him,” Conlin said. “I stayed and closed up the tower, following protocol: Put up the second red flag (closing the ocean to swimming), call everyone out of the water, call supervisor, call fire main, take extra equipment down the beach.
    “It was an unbelievable weather day, the conditions were so rough,” she said. “My adrenalin was going, so I was not exhausted, even though it was cold and rainy. We spent hours searching; I just did not want to quit. Even helicopters were called out to help with the search.
    “It was scary and sad,” she said. “The next morning, I thought his body might be wedged in the rocks. So I went down there and swam around, but I could not see him.”
    His body never was found.

Won’t miss early mornings
    She has no strength-training secrets. “People ask me that all of the time, ‘You are so little, how could you pull a 250-pound man out of the water?’ That’s why we work in pairs; and in the water, a person floats,” she said.
    She plans to travel and volunteer after she retires. She and her husband, who just retired last fall after 30 years with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will go on an Alaskan cruise. Then she will volunteer at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach and Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter.
She also will ride her bike, hike and snorkel.
    But she won’t miss the early-morning training.
    Lifeguards take their positions at 9 a.m., but they start at 7:30 a.m. with training and seminars.
    When she was first hired, she had to pass competency tests twice a year: Run a mile in seven minutes and swim 850 meters in 17 minutes.
    According to Conlin’s supervisor, Lt. Joe Peloquin, each ocean rescue squad had its own standards back when Conlin started. But in 1996, the United States Lifesaving Association established a national swim standard for ocean lifeguards.
    “Now it’s every six months, you have to swim 500 meters in 10 minutes,” she said. “And every year run a quarter-mile in two minutes.”

    Even though the temperature keeps rising, there have been no summer doldrums at The Coastal Star.  
    A larger space with better parking has lured us across the street and into a section of the old TD Bank on A1A just south of Woolbright.
    By the time this August issue hits the streets, we should be officially setting up shop at 5114 N. Ocean Blvd.
    We’re not moving the office very far, so we hope you’ll continue to stop in and say hello.
    Another bit of excitement this past month was our showing in the Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest held at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. We were recognized with 13 awards — seven of these first-place awards in the Division A category for newspapers with a circulation of more than 15,000. The first-place recognition was awarded for:
    • Education Reporting — Galaxy Elementary, Paula Detwiller
    • Environmental Reporting — Lessons from Hurricane Sandy, Cheryl Blackerby
    • Front Page Design — Scott Simmons, Jerry Lower, Mary Kate Leming
    • Health, Medical and Science Reporting — Remembering those who no longer can, Mary Jane Fine
    • Overall Graphic Design — Staff
    • Photo Series in One Issue — Beach renourishment dredge The Texas, Jerry Lower
    • Sports Feature Story — Dye hard at work on golf course overhaul, Steve Pike
    Other staff members recognized for their work were Bonnie Lallky-Seibert, Jane Smith, Thom Smith and the late Tim O’Meilia (who we still deeply miss).
    Congratulations to all.
    Now, it’s time for vacation. See you in September.

— Mary Kate Leming
Executive Editor

Ann Margo Cannon with her 6-month-old son, John.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    Ann Margo Cannon can remember growing up in Delray Beach and playing in the big yard of her family’s 1928 home in what is now the Del-Ida Park Historic District.
    She remembers visiting shops that helped define Delray Beach in the 1970s and 1980s, such as Rosella’s Bakery and Neal’s Farm Market, and she remembers buying her first Brownie uniform at the Mercer Wenzel department store downtown.
    She and her brothers often could be found on the beach with their father, John Peart, who started his Universal Beach Service in 1973. And when she wasn’t in the water, she’d most likely be wearing her dancing shoes at the Southern Dance Theater.
    “My childhood was spent either playing in the big yard or at the beach, and then dancing,” says Cannon, a Delray Beach native whose great-grandfather, Lowell Davidson Kern, was Delray Beach’s mayor in 1956.
    The fourth-generation Delray Beach resident ventured away for a while from the town she’ll always call home, moving to West Palm Beach while working in public relations for the Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Breakers Palm Beach.
    She returned to Delray five years ago, however, and now lives with her husband, Chris, in a 1960s-era condo building, a few blocks away from the beach.
    The new addition to the family is their first child, 6-month-old son John Peart Cannon — named after both of his grandfathers and now the fifth generation of Kern offspring to call Delray home.
    Throughout the years, Cannon, 36, has continued to be an active member of the Delray Beach community, serving on several boards and organizations, especially those focused on the city’s history and preservation.
    Most recently, Cannon joined the board of directors of the Delray Beach Public Library.
    “My mom would take my brothers and me to the Delray Beach Public Library all the time to check out books,” she said. “Now, I’m looking forward to bringing John there.”
    The combination of a deep historical understanding of Delray’s past and Cannon’s focus on her son’s future helped lead to her selection as a new member of one of the city’s oldest institutions.
    “Ann Margo is a great addition to the library board,” says board member Sarah Flynn, who recommended Cannon for the position. “She brings a unique perspective of someone who was born and raised here and is now living here with her young family.”
    In addition to her work with the library board, Cannon is active in the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, serving on the board of governors, and its Young Friends Committee. She is also a member of the Delray Beach Preservation Trust, the Delray Beach Historical Society and Sandoway House Nature Center.
    And she is one of the founders of a networking group of younger people with Delray Beach ties, Preservation Generation, which was started in 2010 to help support history, nature and preservation in Delray Beach. The group has held several events and raised awareness for the Sandoway House Nature Center, the Delray Beach Historical Society and the Delray Beach Preservation Trust.
    “It’s important that Delray Beach keeps its small-town charm by preserving the historical neighborhoods, buildings and stories that make this city such an interesting place,” she said. “It’s the reason people visit here and want to live here.”
    Cannon will tell you that getting involved in the community and helping to make Delray Beach a better place is a family tradition that runs deep, one passed down by her mother, JoAnn Peart.
    “I grew up going to all kinds of historical society and civic meetings with my mother,” she said. “One time my brother and I were playing in the trees outside City Hall, entertaining ourselves while our mother was attending some meeting.”
    Through her work in the community, Cannon hopes to help Delray Beach maintain its unique character etched over the years.
    “I have so much appreciation for what the people before us did for this city,” she said.

    Previously suspended City Manager Louie Chapman cost the residents of Delray Beach $15,000 a month due to the current requirement of at least four commissioners voting in favor of a city manager’s termination. As of the settlement, with Chapman agreeing to leave, it was reported the costs skyrocketed to $100,000.
    To avoid this costly and detrimental effect to our city in the future, the three commissioners who voted to terminate Chapman (Mayor Cary Glickstein, Vice Mayor Shelly Petrolia and Deputy Mayor Jordana Jarjura) have proposed a charter amendment requiring just three commissioners’ votes to terminate a city manager.
    We the people get to put our stamp on this one and I’ll be voting a resounding YES for its approval. I hope as many people as possible will do the same.
    If people will not be in Delray Beach on Aug. 26 to vote, they can call the Supervisor of Elections at (561) 276-1226 for early voting information.
Benita Goldstein
Delray Beach

    How often I see an elderly person struggling to navigate what used to be a familiar and comfortable world. Whether a trip to the bank, grocery shopping, a doctor appointment, all have become such a struggle and risk.
    But what eclipses this ordeal is the ever-present apathy of younger generations to acknowledge their struggles, let alone offer a helping hand.
    Remember, our aging population fought for, built and helped create the luxuries of life we are all so accustomed to enjoying.
L. Kim Jones
Ocean Ridge

A passenger-side mirror was recovered at the crash scene.

INSET BELOW: Michael Russo

By Steven J. Smith

    A car hit Michael Russo while he was riding his bicycle along A1A in the early evening of March 20, and authorities have yet to bring the perpetrator to justice.
    According to information released by his lawyer, Craig Goldenfarb, Russo, 46, of Boynton Beach, was riding his bike on the shoulder near 610 N. Ocean Blvd. in Delray Beach when the car struck him, causing multiple injuries to his back, including a fractured tailbone.
    “You think about how audacious this person can be, that they just hit you and left you on the side of the road,” Russo said.
    Witnesses described the driver as a 20- to 25-year-old man with dark hair and sunglasses, driving a white 2006-2008 BMW 3-series, possibly with a Connecticut or Kentucky registration tag. A witness attempted to stand in the path of the car to stop it, but the driver sped off after the collision, Goldenfarb said.
    A passenger-side mirror housing was recovered at the crash scene, which has been used by investigators to identify the make, model and year of the car.
    “This driver knew he struck Mr. Russo and decided to flee anyway,” Goldenfarb said. “It may be because he was nervous or afraid that he hurt the man, or maybe because he simply thinks he can get away with this crime. Let’s find this man, and hold him accountable for his actions.”
    Leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, Goldenfarb said, is a third-degree felony and, unfortunately, not uncommon in Palm Beach County.
    “In June, a woman improperly crossing Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver,” he said. “Recently, a woman was in critical condition after being struck while walking in Boynton Beach by an unknown fleeing driver. That driver has since been identified.”
    Even now, months after his accident, Russo has struggled to recover from his injuries and return to bicycling.
    “I haven’t been able to get out and really go ride anymore,” he said. “I tried the other day and my back was killing me. It was too much. I had to bring the bike right back in the house.”
    Goldenfarb said anyone with information about the driver or the car — which might have had damage and repair to the passenger side — is asked to call (561) 697-4440.

By Cheryl Blackerby

    Loggerhead sea turtles will get another layer of federal protection Aug. 3 when 685 miles of coastal beaches in six states — including all of Palm Beach County’s  beaches — are designated “critical habitats” for loggerheads.
    The new designation will not affect beach renourishment projects, beach access or beach recreation, said Chuck Underwood, spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North Florida office.
    “During the public-comment period, there was concern that there would be a change in business such as tourism and beach renourishment,” he said. “In this case, it doesn’t really change a lot.  It won’t stop people from enjoying the beaches.”
    “Critical habitat” is a term in the Endangered Species Act that identifies areas essential to the conservation of a listed species. Designations also inform the public of areas that are important to the species’ recovery.
    “The designation is an additional layer of scrutiny,” said Underwood. “It identifies that part of nesting beaches that have the greatest impact on loggerheads. But just because a beach is not in a designated habitat doesn’t mean it’s not important.  Those nests are still protected, but we’ll focus our efforts on the critical habitats.”
    Specifying habitats essential to the conservation of loggerheads helps federal agencies identify where to use their authority. The designation also helps focus the conservation efforts of state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations and individuals.
    Coastal residents won’t be affected unless they need a federal permit, Underwoood  said. In those cases there will be two questions: “Is the impact high enough to have an adverse impact on this particular species and will it jeopardize the beaches?”
    These questions are already asked, but it will bring a sharper focus to the nesting areas. “We already consult on all those critical habitats,” he said.
    Critical habitat designations do not create preserves or refuges or affect land ownership, and only result in restrictions on human activities in situations where federal actions, funding or permitting are involved.
    In those cases, the federal agencies work to avoid, reduce or mitigate potential impacts to the species’ habitat.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 88 nesting beaches in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, which account for 48 percent of an estimated 1,531 miles of coastal beach shoreline used by loggerheads.
    Newly classified critical habitats also include the gulf and ocean. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service designated offshore marine critical habitats, including nearshore reproductive areas directly off of nesting beaches from North Carolina through Mississippi, breeding habitat in Florida and constricted migratory corridors in North Carolina and Florida.
    The Sargassum habitat, home to the majority of juvenile turtles in the western Gulf of Mexico and in U.S. waters within the Gulf Stream, is also included in the designation.
    “Protecting endangered and threatened species, including loggerhead sea turtles, is at the core of NOAA’s mission,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries.
    “Given the vital role loggerhead sea turtles play in maintaining the health of our oceans, rebuilding their populations is key as we work to ensure healthy and resilient oceans for generations to come.”
    The Endangered Species Act requires that NOAA Fisheries and the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, the two federal agencies responsible for administering the act, designate critical habitats.
    The loggerhead is the most common sea turtle in Southeastern United States, nesting along the Atlantic Coast of Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina and along the Gulf Coast. It is a long-lived, slow-growing species, vulnerable to threats including alterations to beaches, vessel strikes and fishing nets.

Critical habitats for loggerheads

have at least one of these criteria:

• Suitable nesting beach habitat.
• Sand suitable for nest construction and embryo development.
• Suitable nesting habitat with sufficient darkness so as not to deter nesting turtles.
• Natural coastal processes or artificially created or maintained habit mimicking natural conditions.

By Rich Pollack

    The South Florida Safe Roads Task Force, the driving force behind a stepped-up law enforcement effort along State Road A1A in April, will be at it again in September as it continues to promote the need for bicycles, motorists and pedestrians to safely share the road.
    This time, however, the task force is adding a Back to School Safety Fair to the police saturations along State Road A1A, which will include free bicycle helmets for children and adults and helmet fittings, as well as road safety demonstrations and giveaways.
    Supported by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Dori Slosberg Foundation, the Back to School Safety Fair will be 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 13 at Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park.
    It will feature free food and music as well as demonstrations from the Florida Highway Patrol that includes a rollover simulator and a seatbelt-convincing slide.
    “The safety fair is designed to spread awareness of road safety along State Road A1A,” says Tara Kirschner, executive director of the Dori Slosberg Foundation and a spokesperson for the task force. “Our goal is to educate motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians to help improve their own safety as well as the safety of all of those who are sharing the road.”
    The fair will follow the first of four police saturation efforts on A1A, from 7 to 9 a.m.  Police officers and sheriff’s deputies from North Broward to South Palm Beach counties will be out in force, writing warnings and citations for violations of laws designed to make roads safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.
    The other law enforcement saturations along State Road A1A are scheduled for  7 to 9 a.m. Sept. 14, and also  6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 16 and Sept. 18.

    To find out more about the September Back to School Safety Fair or about the Safe Roads Task Force, contact the Dori Slosberg Foundation, (561) 488-7900.

A sign hangs from a truck parked in the Gulf Stream Town Hall parking lot.

Dan Moffett/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

    Hardly anyone expected budget problems to surface in Gulf Stream, one of South Florida’s most affluent enclaves — a place where government reserves and property values have always been high while tax rates stayed low.
    But then, who expected the town’s soaring legal bills, run up in defense against two frequently litigious residents, Martin O’Boyle and Chris O’Hare?
    On July 11, town commissioners voted unanimously to do what had seemed unthinkable years ago: raise the tax rate.
The proposed 11.5 percent increase over the rollback rate (to $3.90 per $1,000 of assessed value from $3.497) is projected to raise an additional $175,000 during the next fiscal year, money that will be set aside to cover the costs of the many court cases brought by O’Boyle and O’Hare.
    “It’s an absolute shame,” said Mayor Scott Morgan, “the wastage of reserves from this town as a result of what has been a legal onslaught on the integrity of our neighborhood. We’ve had to take the necessary steps to oppose it and protect this town. That costs money, unfortunately.”
    Gulf Stream has seen its reserves fund fall from about $1.6 million to less than $700,000 during the last several years of legal fighting with O’Boyle and O’Hare. Separately, the two have filed dozens of suits and complaints against the town and made numerous public records requests that officials say have been costly to handle and a strain on staff.
    “We’re in a unique situation,” Morgan said. “You can’t budget for the onslaught of lawsuits from Mr. O’Hare and Mr. O’Boyle, but the expense seems only to go up … It’s the uncertainty of the litigation costs. It’s the uncertainty of the end game.”
    He said O’Boyle and O’Hare had each brought up new legal issues in recent weeks, and called some of their actions “frivolous.”
    “How can you make such a statement?” O’Boyle asked the mayor and insisted on an answer.
    “If you want a response to your questions, you should look in the mirror when you ask them,” Morgan shot back at O’Boyle.
    O’Boyle accused commissioners of being unwilling to negotiate: “They want to fight, and when they want to fight, that’s OK.” He said he was willing to participate in “a slugfest in which the town is hemorrhaging cash,” but he called the town’s approach “foolishness” and said the commission was acting out of “ego, hostility, but certainly not sense.”
    O’Hare also criticized commissioners. He said they were ignoring his public records requests and creating their own legal problems.
    “All this stuff would go away and go back to normal,” he said, “if you’d just tell staff to follow the law.”
    The town has hired outside counsel and spent about $360,000 in legal costs during the last fiscal year and is setting aside another $400,000 in the proposed budget for next year. 
    Vice Mayor Robert Ganger said the depleted reserves could hinder the town’s ability to recover quickly from hurricane or storm damage. He said the commission has to do what it takes to protect residents — even if that means raising taxes.
    “The fact of the matter, and everyone knows it, is the money is going for a purpose that does not serve the community or do much good,” Ganger said. “Gosh, to say that we’re willing to put at risk our citizens’ ability to recover in a natural disaster… just seems a shame to me.”
    Ganger suggested that the commission might consider cutting a street lighting project from the budget, but Commissioner Joan Orthwein objected, pointing to the town’s rising property values (up 14 percent this year, the highest increase in Palm Beach County, in part through annexation) and the town’s tax rate, which has been the county’s lowest.
    “I think we should go forward and be positive,” Orthwein said. “We can’t stop everything because of the legal expenses.”
    How nasty have things gotten in Gulf Stream?
    O’Boyle has posted a sign on a truck that reads: “Mayor Scott Morgan is Destroying Gulf Stream. BANKRUPTCY IS COMING!” and hired a plane to fly a banner over the town with a similar message.
    And his public records requests may have hit pay dirt, uncovering a scandal involving lots of dough in the affluent enclave. It seems Town Manager William Thrasher turned in for reimbursement several receipts from Dunkin’ Donuts — $7.99 each for boxes of a dozen doughnuts,  fuel for the town’s overworked staff and unpaid volunteers, according to Thrasher.
    “I got a hot one,” O’Boyle said of the doughnut disclosure. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

By Dan Moffett

    Delray Beach commissioners are beginning a nationwide search for a new city manager and say they are committed to avoiding the mistakes made in hiring the last one.
    The commission voted 4-1 on July 15 to approve the final details of a settlement with former City Manager Louie Chapman Jr. that will pay him about $100,000 as a buyout for his resignation.
    Commissioner Shelly Petrolia voted against the deal, saying the city should have fired Chapman with cause and given him nothing.
    But it takes four votes under the city charter for that to happen, and the commission didn’t have them. Voters will decide in an Aug. 26 special election whether to change the requirement for termination to a simple majority.
    Under the settlement, Chapman receives a 90-day suspension with pay, 20 weeks’ additional pay, paid vacation time and a pension contribution. The commission’s relationship with Chapman broke down after the county inspector general found he misled them on a $60,000 purchase of garbage carts.
    Mayor Cary Glickstein called the settlement “distasteful” but said it was something the city had to do to move forward.
    “The city needs closure on this,” Glickstein said, “and the staff needs a permanent city manager.”
    Glickstein, Petrolia and Commissioner Jordana Jarjura were not in office when the city hired Chapman in January 2013 without using a professional executive recruitment company, relying instead on the cursory recommendations of an unpaid volunteer group of municipal executives.
    This time, commissioners say they first will select a qualified private-sector recruitment firm to do the search and then seek candidates from across the country.
    “I do think it is important that the community has input into the hiring,” Glickstein said. “I don’t think this should be done in a vacuum. It is a city manager, not a commission manager.”
    One potential candidate may already be working at City Hall: Terry Stewart, the interim city manager who replaced Chapman last spring. Stewart, formerly a city manager in Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral, has won praise from commissioners.
    Commissioner Adam Frankel suggested that Stewart has earned a chance to claim the job himself. “I think we got a great guy here,” Frankel said. “Give him a tryout.”
    Glickstein agreed with the glowing reviews of Stewart’s performance and encouraged him to “throw his hat in the ring” if he wants, but also argued that the city had to go forward with a search and screening of candidates.
    “The city has been a classic case of giving the job to the No. 2 person because the No. 2 person is there when the No. 1 left,” the mayor said. “As good a job as Mr. Stewart is doing, we owe it to the city to conduct a real search, so that when people look to us we can say we did the best we could.”  
Commissioners chose the executive recruitment firm Baenziger & Associates over three competitors to screen candidates to replace Chapman. The city has set an application deadline of Sept. 3, and commissioners are scheduled to choose finalists by Oct. 6 and the new city manager on Oct. 20.

By Dan Moffett

    Town ­­Manager Rex Taylor likes to begin budget talks by taking a look at what’s happened to property values in South Palm Beach during the last decade.
    In 2008, the town’s taxable value was $429.2 million.
    Then came the recession and the collapse of the South Florida real estate market, during which South Palm Beach saw its taxable property values fall to about $250 million.
    Unlike most of Palm Beach County, however, the town has not seen a robust recovery in real estate prices. The taxable value in 2013 was $258.2 million, a 40 percent decline from the high point of six years ago, and a minuscule 0.54 percent improvement over 2012 — a long way from the double-digit increases many of South Palm Beach’s coastal neighbors have enjoyed.
    “We all know we’ve been going through an economy that’s been turned down for the last four or five years,” Taylor said. “It started to improve a year ago, but unfortunately our values have not followed suit very much.”
    Taylor said the town has had little choice but to do a good job holding the line on expenses.
He proposed for the next fiscal year the same tax rate of $4.32 per $1,000 of assessed value that the town has had for the previous three budget years. And the proposed general fund budget of $1.76 million is $34,000 less than last year’s, he said, primarily due to salary savings from the retirement of several senior town employees last year, including the police chief and town clerk.
    South Palm Beach has benefited during the last year from what Taylor describes as “an uptick in the number of building permits” and an overall increase in construction activity — signs that South Florida’s economic recovery might finally be trickling into the town.
    “I think we’ve done a good job of keeping our services going, our Police Department operational and the other things going that this town has typically done for its citizens,” Taylor said. “So I certainly feel good about that.”
    Most of the capital expenditures, about $65,000, in the proposed budget will go to the Police Department for replacement of a vehicle, in-car video systems, handguns and tactical weapons.
    During the Town Council meeting on July 22, Taylor had good news and bad news about the inter-local agreement with Lake Worth for sewer services.
The town will have to deal with a 14 percent rate hike to cover the cost of improvements to the Regional Sewer Treatment Plant, but, Taylor says, there will be no rate increase for property owners.
    “Our existing rates can absorb the increase,” he said. “I’m not proposing any rate increase for next year. That’s not saying that some time in the future you might have to.”
    One unknown in South Palm Beach’s fiscal future is a new contract with the Police Benevolent Association. The town is in the third year of a three-year agreement and began negotiations for a new deal with the union in July.
 Taylor has allotted $990,900 for police and public safety in the new budget, down from $1.02 million in 2013-14.
    The Town Council unanimously approved the proposed budget (4-0, with council member Stella Gaddy Jordan absent because of illness) and set the tax rate at $4.32 per $1,000 in assesed value.
    The town will hold public hearings on the budget at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 and Sept. 23.

By Dan Moffett

    For about as long as anyone can remember, Delray Beach has budgeted money to groups that do good work in the community — supporting organizations such as the city’s Public Library, Historical Society and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
    Those times may be changing.
    Chief Financial Officer Jack Warner showed the City Commission a 2014-15 budget proposal on July 15, and with it came his recommendation that commissioners take a hard look at grants for nonprofits.
    To underscore the point, Warner recommended eliminating the $25,000 annual donation the city has made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Nothing against its “wonderful” work, said Warner, but BGCA will do all right without Delray’s money.
    “It’s not a financial decision,” he said. “It’s more a conceptual decision. The Boys & Girls Club that serves us has a total budget of $7-plus million and a $15 million endowment. They simply don’t need our $25,000, and we can use it elsewhere.”
    Warner is recommending keeping grants at last year’s level for other nonprofit groups such as the library and historical society, but going forward, as the city gets more aggressive about tightening its budget, commissioners should think about finding alternatives to writing checks — perhaps through collaboration that involves sharing services or facilities.
    Mayor Cary Glickstein said the city has to make a priority of “untethering” itself from a 30-year tennis stadium commitment that “jumps out to me as the albatross, white elephant … black hole” that is draining the budget of around $2 million annually. Warner said the tennis stadium obligation “has planted a time bomb in the middle of the city’s budget.”
    The cost of police service went up 5.4 percent in the new budget, and fire service rose 12.4 percent. Total expenditures are up about 6 percent, year over year. Warner said he was “flabbergasted” to learn that 25 percent of the city’s property tax revenue goes to fund the police and fire pension obligations.
    The proposed budget does not reflect possible increased revenues from the installation of downtown parking meters, which commissioners are considering.
    The commission voted unanimous approval for Warner’s recommendation that the city set the property tax rate for the next fiscal year at $7.46 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from the current rate of $7.51. Delray Beach’s taxable values rose about 9 percent from last year, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office, but, Warner said, the city is still about $1.5 billion below its peak assessed value in 2008.
    The commission will hold final hearings and seek public comment on the proposed budget on Sept. 4 and Sept. 16.

By Steven J. Smith

    In southeastern Palm Beach County, the Aug. 26 primary elections will see six candidates compete for two School Board seats — Districts 4 and 7 — that represent a good deal of the county’s midsection.
    In addition to the School Board races, five candidates will vie for two judgeships on the 15th Judicial Circuit: Diana Lewis and Jessica Ticktin in Group 14 and Maxine Cheesman, Jaimie Goodman and Peggy Rowe-Linn in Group 30.
    Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said there will be one ballot question posed to voters in the Lake Worth area — a $63.5 million bond referendum to acquire and improve roadway, sidewalk, streetlight, streetscape, drainage and water and sewer facilities in the city.
    “There is also a Delray Beach question,” Bucher said. “Theirs is a charter change. … They had changed one of the provisions of their charter to require a super-majority for the city manager to be terminated. They now want to change it back to only a majority vote.”
    Bucher added her office is seeing an uptick in absentee ballot requests.
    “It’s higher than we’ve ever seen it before,” she said. “And we’re pleased to say we’ll open more early voting sites than we’ve ever had. We’ll have 14 in the primary election.”  
    For more information on ballot questions, candidates and voting sites, visit www.pbcelections.org. Early voting takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Aug. 11-24.

District 4 School Board candidates

Justin Katz
Personal: 30; bachelor’s from Florida Atlantic University in secondary  education; single.
Professional: Teacher at Park Vista High School.
School Board experience: None.
Position on issues: Raising student achievement and expectations; assuring safety of students and faculty; modernizing teacher training and professional development; offering more career academy choices; improving fiscal responsibility in the district; keeping district salaries competitive.
Quote: “I’d like to bring some firsthand experience from the classroom to the School Board so that we can better identify the problems that exist in the school system and better come up with practical solutions.”

Larry Rosensweig
Personal: 63; bachelor’s from Harvard and a master’s from the University of Michigan in Asian studies; married, two sons.
Professional: Consultant with not-for-profits, particularly museums and gardens.
School Board experience:  None.
Position on issues: Seeks to define School Board policies and budget allocations in terms of how they will benefit students. Wants to bring together the cultural and scientific communities in which he’s worked into a more proactive relationship with the school district.
Quote: “I strongly believe that America’s future — and our county’s future — is going to be based on creativity and innovation. I don’t think we’re teaching that or encouraging that currently in as strong a way as we should.”

Tom Sutterfield
Personal: 48; master’s degree from Georgia Tech in management and technology; married; three children.
Professional: Director of IT operations for the South Florida Water District.
School Board experience: None.
Position on issues: Wants to find a way to prosper under the district’s $2.37 billion budget without raising taxes and selling bonds to cover shortfalls.
Quote: “I am a big believer in school choice. We need to have lots of options, because we have a very diverse population. We need high standards for college fund students, and we also need to understand that every child is not college-bound. So we need to have more focus on trade schools and other options for them.”

Erica Whitfield
Personal: 36; bachelor’s in health science education from the University of Florida and a master’s in public health from Emory University; married; one child.
Professional: Wellness coordinator for the school food service department in the Palm Beach County School District.
School Board experience: None.
Position on issues: Believes a strong vision is required to direct the School Board to lead the district, which includes bringing physical education, music and art back into the curriculum.
Quote: “We need to make sure we’re educating the whole child. And I plan to focus on wellness. I’m also passionate about private and public partnerships for when we want to do things that are a little more adventurous and exciting within the district. I think we have a lot of really good resources in the community and I look forward to working with the district to tap into that.”

District 7 School Board candidates

Piaget “Peppi” Hendrix
Personal: 43; associate of arts with Faulkner University; bachelor’s in elementary education from Alabama A & M University; did graduate work at Nova Southeastern University; married, four children.
Professional: Elementary teacher in the Palm Beach County School District.
School Board experience: None.
Position on issues: Wants better focus on curriculum, primarily making sure students get foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
Quote: “I want to make sure we have policies in place to make sure our students are learning, especially in reading. I also want to empower our parents to take back charge of their children’s education as well as giving them more say-so in decision processing. And I want our teachers to be autonomous so they can teach, and not be dictated to as to what to teach and how to teach.”

Debra L. Robinson
Personal: 57; bachelor’s of science and biology from Michigan State University; M.D. from Howard University; married, three children.
Professional: Physician at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.
School Board experience: Has been on the School Board since 2000.
Position on issues: Two top priorities are (1) working with community partners to address the psycho social needs of children who may be grieving or suffering from trauma, and (2) creating success profiles that clearly outline the experiences and competencies of principals and administrators.
Quote: “My main goal if re-elected is to continue to increase the graduation rate.”

By Ron Hayes

    At noon on Aug. 26, 1964 — 50 years ago this month — a small group of men and women gathered at the Chamber of Commerce building to make history — and to make history matter.
    With Ethel S. Williams as president and Roy C. Diggans as vice president, the Delray Beach Historical Society adopted its charter, establishing a nonprofit organization committed to “the organization and preservation of records to form a definite and authentic history of the city of Delray Beach.”
    Fifty years later, those records number more than 10,000 items, they’re housed on a campus of three historic buildings and the Delray Beach Historical Society is ready to sing “Happy Birthday.”
    “We’ll be having a 50th birthday party this Aug. 26 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m., and the entire community is invited,” says Winnie Edwards, the society’s executive director and daughter of founding member Roy Diggans.
    The party, which is free, will feature pineapple cake and punch in the courtyard, kicking off “The Golden Pineapple Jubilee,” a six-month celebration and membership drive culminating in a gala fundraising dinner in December.
    The Delray Beach Historical Society is at 3 NE First Street.
    For more information, call 274-9578.

Retiring Delray Beach Police Chief Anthony Strianese (front)

and Assistant Chief Jeffrey Goldman at their Delray Beach headquarters.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    They came up through the ranks together, one joining the Delray Beach police in May 1989, the other joining less than a month later.
    Now Police Chief Tony Strianese, 54, who has spent the last six years at the helm of the department, is retiring and he’s passing the figurative baton to his longtime colleague, Assistant Chief Jeff Goldman, 45, who will become Delray’s new police chief Sept. 1.
    The choice of Goldman to succeed his longtime friend and mentor comes as no surprise to those who know the two veteran law-enforcement professionals. Strianese has been preparing Goldman to be a police chief — whether in Delray or anywhere else — for years, helping him learn the finer points of being a successful leader in an organization with more than 225 employees.
    “Jeff has the skills to be a good police chief,” Strianese said. “He’s got the local knowledge and he’s got the people skills. His greatest strength is his attention to detail.”
    Strianese is not sure what he’s going to do next, but says he’s probably going to relax for a while and then go back to work. “Whatever I do next for work, it’s going to have to be fun,” he said.
    Work for Strianese has involved paying attention to details — a hallmark of Strianese’s management style that helped him as he led the department during a down economy in which departments throughout the city worked to maintain the same level of service with limited resources.
 “As a whole, our department weathered the storm,” Strianese said. “A lot of our people stepped up to the plate and we didn’t miss a beat. We were able to do a lot more with less.”
    Although it would have been easy to jettison programs that didn’t directly correlate to the department’s primary mission of reducing crime, Strianese and his senior leadership team maintained a commitment to youth programs and to a community-policing program aimed at being proactive rather than reactive.
    The department continued its support of the Law Enforcement Academy, which it runs in conjunction with Atlantic High School, and maintained a strong Police Explorer program.
    To help weather tough economic times, when falling home prices led to reduced tax revenues for cities such as Delray Beach, the department harnessed technology by introducing a software system that streamlined the reporting process, making it more efficient and timely.
    Under Strianese’s leadership, the department also used technology in its intelligence-led policing initiative, which uses information culled through detailed analysis of crimes and other information to ensure that resources are deployed effectively.
    The department now has a criminal intelligence unit, made up of two detectives and two civilian analysts, who focus efforts on studying trends and information gathered through community policing to prevent crime.
    Over the years, the Delray Beach Police Department has garnered a reputation for professionalism, and Strianese has been a big proponent of ensuring the work force is well-educated.
    The majority of officers have bachelor’s degrees and command-staff members are all required to have master’s degrees.
    Goldman, who started at the Delray Beach Police Department when he was 20 and earned his master’s degree in criminal justice from Florida International University, says he will continue to build on the programs that Strianese put in place and hopes to add to them.
    A student of leadership, Goldman is transitioning into the chief’s position with a set of values under the acronym of LEAD — Learning, Excellence, Accountability and Diversity.
    “We need to be accountable to our community and to our mission, which is to ensure public safety,” he said.
    In coming months, Goldman will focus on priorities that include increasing the department’s work force to keep up with the city’s growth, increasing the use of information technology and building relationships with the community to help tear down barriers between police officers and the people they serve.
    Goldman, who was born in South Florida, grew up here and is now raising two teenagers with his wife, plans to become even more visible in the community.
    “I believe your police chief needs to be accessible,” he said.
    Goldman says he remembers what Strianese said when he first took over the department.
    “I remember him saying he was honored and humbled,” Goldman said. “For me, being able to lead an agency you call home is an honor but it is also humbling.”

Delray Beach Police History

Nov. 1, 1911 — Town of Delray incorporated with a marshal authorized to keep the peace. He also served as the tax collector. The first marshal was J. M. Walker who served until 1916.
1912-1926 – Town had seven marshals during this period, including: Walker, J.W. Ramsey, Earl Harvel, A.F. Miller, Lee Milton and W.M. Croft. In 1918, the Town Council agreed to buy a police cap for the marshal while the purchase of a revolver was set aside for further consideration.
1927 — Referendum held, town of Delray and town of Delray Beach merge to form city of Delray Beach. W.M. Croft stayed on to become city’s first police chief. He left in 1931.
1932-1933 — Jesse C. Johnson was the second police chief.
1933-1934 — R.V. Priest became the third police chief.
1934-1937 — Charles Lamb was the fourth police chief.
1937-1938 — M.D. Morris became the fifth police chief.
1938-1943 — A.F. Nelson served as the city’s sixth police chief. In 1942, police and fire were combined and neither division had a radio. A red light on top of the building would signal to officers on the road that a call was coming in. There were no police dispatchers.
1943-1972 — R.C. Croft served as the seventh police chief, retiring April 30, 1972.
1950s — Department consisted of five men, one patrol car, two cameras and one man in the detective bureau. City had 6,000 residents.
December 1969 — Department had 32 officers.
1972-1974 — James S. Grantham served as police chief, retiring on June 14, 1974, after 33 years of service. He received from the city: a luggage set, Delray Beach history book and other items. He received a camera from his co-workers.
January 1974 — Starting salary was $8,710.
July 1974 — Murray O. Cochran was named police chief.
Aug. 10, 1974 — Officer John D. Kennedy became the city’s first officer killed in the line of duty. Willie Simpson was convicted in 1977 of Kennedy’s murder.
Nov. 30, 1978 — Committee investigating alleged racial problems delivers report to city officials. Department had 67 sworn officers.
March 2, 1979 — Cochran retired after 4.5 years as Delray Beach chief. In February, the chairman of the county chapter of the ACLU criticized the city council for its silence regarding the racial tensions engulfing the department.
1979-1990 — Charles L. Kilgore served as police chief.
November 1981 — City created a 12-member Human Relations Committee after a Nov. 4 fracas between several officers and two brothers. The fight drew a crowd of about 200 at NW Ninth and Atlantic avenues.
April 18, 1984 — K-9 Cello died on veterinarian’s operating table from internal injuries sustained while catching two burglary suspects.  
Sept. 14, 1986 — The Rev. G.L. Champion told Chief Kilgore that blacks don’t trust white officers and accused the chief of treating the problem like a “wild, wild west shootout.”
June 1987 — Kilgore elected third vice president for the Florida Police Chiefs Association. He became chief in 1979, started working with the department in 1952. Saw force grow from 12 to 171 officers.
Oct. 31, 1990 — Kilgore retired under pressure from the City Commission, received $90,000 to walk away but refused to sign last evaluation. Maj. Rick Lincoln named acting chief.
May 14, 1991 — More than a year after allegations of civil rights violations, corruption and cover-ups involving police, a 22-page report released by Gov. Lawton Chiles’ office said there wasn’t enough evidence to file criminal charges in any of the allegations.
August 1991 — At least five black police officers filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that lucrative off-duty work was being offered exclusively to white officers.
Oct. 7 1991 — Department had 210 employees with 130 sworn officers. Richard Overman, a former Orlando police major, named Delray Beach police chief despite not being on the advisory committee’s finalist list. He started the city’s first Haitian Citizens Police Academy with instruction in Creole.
March 1992 — Community policing expanded to 11 officers who walk or bike their beats.
May 14, 1992 — Twenty-two residents graduated in the first class of the Delray Beach Police Department Citizens Police Academy.
Sept. 23, 1992 — First Delray Beach Citizens Observer Patrol started in Tropic Harbor development.
Jan. 22, 1993 — Temporary traffic barrier installed on Southwest Ninth Avenue, a half block south of Atlantic Avenue, to thwart drug sales.
October, 1993 — Police had 135 officers on its force.
April 11, 1994 — City Commission spent $150,000 to put eight officers on foot patrol on West Atlantic Avenue, between the Interstate and Swinton Avenue.
March 19, 1996 — Six black police officers were awarded $760,000 from a federal jury that accepted their claims that racism inside the department left them emotionally wrecked and financially deprived. The claims were initiated six years before.
June 1997 — Department’s Citizen Observer Patrol had 1,000 volunteers in 22 neighborhoods.
Oct. 21, 1997 — Chief Overman carried his service revolver into the courthouse to meet a judge, violating a long-standing policy that bars weapons in the courthouse.
October 2000 — Starting salary for police officer was $30,900; those with bachelor degrees earn extra $2,000. Of 156 officer positions in the department, only 127 were filled.
Aug. 17, 2001 — Overman retired, replaced by department insider Maj. Joseph Larry Schroeder. Overman remained as a consultant until Oct. 6.
Aug. 20, 2002 — Chief Schroeder named officer of the month in Delray Beach for his role in helping an off-duty rookie officer recover from a car accident.
Dec. 13, 2005 — City’s first police advisory board created with 11 members chosen by the city commission.
June 30, 2008 — Schroeder retired, replaced by department insider Maj. Anthony Strianese, who started July 1.
Sept. 1, 2014— Assistant chief Jeff Goldman to replaces Strianese, who plans to retire. The department averages about 150 sworn officers and more than 70 civilian employees.
—Compiled by Jane Smith

Sources: Delray Beach Historical Society, local newspaper archives

The Lantana beach parking lot has been raised and new metered kiosks have been installed.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

    A drainage and paving improvement project in Lantana for the beach parking lot that began in February is nearing completion.
    In December, the Town Council authorized a $51,000 contract for engineering services for drainage and paving improvements at the beach. Money for the work came from both the utility fund ($44,000) and the general fund ($7,000).
    The project included removal of asphalt followed by a buildup of a new base rock section. Rusty and ineffective old parking meters have been replaced with two kiosks, said Mike Greenstein, the town’s director of operations.
    “All the beach parking lot spaces are usable and the two kiosks are up and running,” he said. “At present, the kiosks only take coins. There is a credit card reader installed. The town is in the process of finalizing the contract to make the credit card readers operational. Once the contract is signed, the kiosks will take both coins and credit cards.”
    The kiosks are paperless, meaning that no paper bills will be accepted and no receipts will be given out.
    The town is also looking into a pay-by-phone option, Greenstein said.
    “Next fiscal year we will add the lights, additional landscaping and irrigation.”