By Mary Thurwachter, managing editor

The start of a new year is invigorating. It’s not so much about resolve (as in “I resolve to lose 10 pounds” or “I resolve to be more timely with my thank-you notes)” as it is about beginning anew. A new year is a blank canvas ready to be transformed into whatever we decide to make of it.

If history is any indication, we will find that many people will decide to be generous with both their time and treasure. 

So many in our community have enriched lives by volunteering for organizations designed to help others. These are the kind souls we find delivering meals to shut-ins, shuttling patients around the hospital, leading a sing-alongs at nursing homes, or perhaps tutoring a youngster with his math homework. 

And then there are those who serve on boards and write out large checks so that charities known to help so many, can continue to do so even during these challenging economic times.

Last year, we saw record-breaking generosity from our residents, including a $25 million grant for neuroscience center on the campus of Boca Raton Community Hospital and a $25 million gift to a project to cure paralysis. 

We celebrated the birthday of a local philanthropist who, with her husband, gave charities more than $40 million over the years and served on the boards of 16 organizations.

In our Coastal Star feature, we turned the spotlight on volunteers, too, although many were not eager to be recognized. That’s not why good folks do good things, after all, they told us. They help others because, for them, it’s simply the right thing to do.

What’s right for you this year? 

Here’s wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous new year. And keep up the good work! Our community is a better place because of it.

Newly planted sea oats in Highland Beach are expected to help stablize the dunes.

By Rich Pollack

With the impact of Hurricane Sandy still being felt along its coastline, the town of Highland Beach is seeking a consultant to determine what can be done to restore the affected beach and what might be done to prevent further beach erosion.

The Town Commission, at its meeting in December, authorized a search for a coastal engineer who could provide the town with short-term and long-term options to address beach issues caused by Sandy and their estimated costs.

The action came in the wake of requests from several residents with beachfront property seeking help from the town.

“This is the first step, and it’s a good first step,” said resident Al Giachetti, who has spoken before the commission repeatedly seeking solutions to the beach erosion issue since Hurricane Sandy arrived in October.

While all of the 3.5 miles of beach within the town’s limits were affected by the high seas kicked up by Sandy, the beaches on the southern end were hardest-hit. “The south mile only has a beach at low tide,” Giachetti said. While residents have been seeking town assistance in getting the beach restored, town officials says they are limited in what they can do, in large part because all of the beaches in Highland Beach are private beaches — above the high tide mark — and there is no public access to the beach within the town limits.

“In many ways, our hands are tied,” said Town Manager Kathleen Weiser. “We just don’t have jurisdiction over the beach.” Since the beaches are private, the town is not eligible for federal beach restoration financing.  The responsibility for repairing any damage to sand dunes or structures along the dune, such as stairways, lies with private property owners, not the town, Weiser said. They have until Jan. 27 to apply for dune restoration permits.

“Our hearts go out to the residents, and we’re doing what we can within the confines of our jurisdiction,” she said. Residents, who argue that having a attractive beach benefits all the town’s residents, have suggested a variety of solutions, among them financing a beach restoration project using a bond issue, which would require a referendum. 

“None of us knows what the best course of action is, that’s what we’re hoping to find out from a coastal engineer,” she said. The engineering firm will provide cost and time estimates for available beach restoration options. 

Commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District had hoped the City of Boca Raton would receive money from FEMA for beach restoration after Sandy, but that hope was dashed with FEMA’s decision to give no money for Florida’s beaches. 

The board recently reimbursed Boca Raton $2 million, in addition to $2 million already paid, for beach restoration that took place several years ago.

Cheryl Blackerby contributed to this report.                           

Larry Thomas Jr., general manager of Salt 7 restaurant, crosses Northeast Second Avenue at Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach.  City officials say downtown Delray Beach is especially attractive to multifamily housing developers because the city did not overbuild before the recession. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Tim Pallesen

Delray Beach’s downtown is emerging from the recession as a place where young professionals can live, work and play.

The recovery is fueled by banks willing to lend money to build rental apartments and a downtown master plan that allows density bonuses to encourage development.

The controversial Atlantic Plaza II project was the first in the recent flurry of downtown development projects.

That project plus two others totaled 528 new apartments that city commissioners approved last month. Another new project, Uptown Delray, would add 150 apartments if approved.

“The reputation of our downtown as a happening place is one of the keys to our recovery,” retiring City Manager David Harden said. “Our goal is to get a complete downtown that is sustainable.”

Ideally, urban residents won’t need vehicles if they can walk from their apartments to work, shop and play. That’s the vision of downtown development leaders.

But some coastal residents are skeptical whether that ideal can be achieved. They fear that density incentives to encourage more downtown apartments will simply lead to more traffic congestion and parking problems.

“The city needs to ask where the incentives are still necessary,” Beach Property Owners Association president Andy Katz said. “It’s time to review the downtown master plan.”

The master plan was drafted 14 years ago with high-density housing seen as the means to generate year-round customers for Atlantic Avenue shopkeepers.

“The goal is a balanced mix of retail and housing so businesses can survive and make a year-round go of it,” Harden said.

City zoning normally allows 30 housing units per acre. But city regulations give commissioners the authority to allow higher densities and taller buildings as incentives.

City planners point to Worthing Place as the best example of a new housing project that accomplishes the city’s vision for a future downtown.

“Density should not be the issue. It’s really about how well the buildings are designed,” said Paul Dorling, the city’s planning and zoning director.

Worthing Place was designed by Richard Heapes — the same urban architect who created Mizner Park in Boca Raton. City commissioners granted 92 units per acre, and construction began in 2008 as the recession began.

“Density wasn’t an issue,” Worthing Place developer Bill Morris recalled. “The city was just very excited to have someone come in and build.”

Delray Beach’s downtown remained stronger than others during the recession. Two new hotels, the Seagate and Hyatt Place, were built. Downtown property values remained stable, unlike in other cities.

Now, as banks begin lending to build apartments again, planners believe Delray Beach’s central business district is positioned to redevelop more quickly than other downtowns.

“The character of our downtown has provided an opportunity that is larger than in most other downtowns,” senior city planner Scott Pape said. “When the economy turns around fully, we’re going to see Delray Beach further ahead than other communities.”

The appeal of Atlantic Avenue is like no other. Visitors from Boca Raton to West Palm Beach bypass the manufactured look of Mizner Park and CityPlace to dine, window shop and enjoy a traditional downtown where historic buildings such as the Colony Hotel and Old School Square have been preserved. 

“We’ve created a place that’s inviting to the creative cultural class,” city economic development director Vincent Nolan said.

The appeal is such that young professionals want to live near the downtown.    

“Renting has become the preferred option for people moving from one community to another,” Nolan said. “Banks have figured out there’s a demand, so building rental units can be financed.”

Delray’s downtown is particularly attractive to multifamily housing developers now because the city didn’t overbuild before the recession. “There’s a demand for Delray Beach and not a lot of overbuilt capacity,” Nolan said.

The recent demand appears greater than five years ago when Worthing Place received incentives to build. But the city continued to grant developers their requests for higher densities last month.

Atlantic Plaza II developers originally wanted 51 units per acre for their mixed-use project on East Atlantic Avenue near the bridge. City commissioners reduced the density to 40 units per acre when neighbors on both sides of the bridge objected.

The Related Group received densities of 65 and 62 units per acre on its two apartment buildings south of downtown on Southeast Second and Third avenues. Uptown Delray, a mixed-use project on Federal Highway at Southeast Second Street, wants 71 units per acre.

Mixed-use projects are attractive to downtown development advocates because they include office space — the missing element if Delray’s downtown is truly to become a place where residents can live, work and play without automobiles.

Banks aren’t lending money to build office buildings.

“People love downtown Delray Beach and would love to work here, but we don’t have the office space available,” said Nolan, who says he frequently turns away law firms seeking to locate downtown.

“Class A office space is one of the biggest concerns,” agreed Gregg Weiss, the economic development chairman for the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce. “Our downtown has a magic vibe which makes people want to be here, but we’re losing business to Boca Raton.”

Atlantic Plaza II developers included 79,000 square feet of office space to win City Commission approval last month for conditional use permits for higher density and building height.

“We need to give vibrant young people a place to live and work,” McDuffie said. “This project brings us office space we’re looking for.”

But that and the 4,925 square feet at Uptown Delray aren’t enough space to meet the need, according to Nolan. More high-density apartments will be built without enough downtown jobs to employ residents within walking distance.

“We’re going to have larger, taller and more dense structures in the downtown as a norm,” said Bob Ganger, chairman of the Florida Coalition for Preservation.

“It seems as though the city has abandoned the density part of its land-use regulations,” he said.

Ganger and Katz want city commissioners to limit the density bonuses only to properties that would be difficult to develop without them. The two Related Group projects, for example, are near railroad tracks south of downtown.

“Incentives are no longer needed along Atlantic Avenue itself because everyone wants to be there,” Katz said.

They warn that a downtown without stricter density controls will no longer be as attractive because of traffic and parking problems. 

“The city needs to step back and rethink the downtown growth plan to ask if we’re killing the golden goose,” Ganger said.                              

Suzanne Bower of coastal Delray Beach is involved with this year’s 20th Annual Caribbean Cowboy Ball, which benefits the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Linda Haase

For Suzanne Bower, volunteering is as natural as breathing.

The coastal Delray Beach resident immerses herself in the community, helping out everyone from the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce to the Boca Raton Junior League to Boca Ballet and St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church.

This time of year, however, she’s busy with another of her favorite organizations: the George Snow Scholarship Fund.

Bower, the mother of an 8-year-old daughter, is on the organizational and auction committees diligently at work on the 20th Annual Caribbean Cowboy Ball, scheduled for Jan. 26. The event, which draws about 550 people, raises money for scholarships for local students.

Last year’s event raised more than $130,000, part of the more than $509,000 in educational grants awarded to 73 students that year.

And that, she says emphatically, is something to be proud of.

“It is amazing to see what this group does for kids. When I go to the awards ceremony, it brings it all home. I love seeing the joy on these kids’ faces and knowing we gave them an opportunity they wouldn’t have had,” said Bower, a broker associate at Mizner Grande Realty LLC, who began volunteering for the organization in 1995.

“The event is known as the hippest, hottest, coolest event in South Florida. They have entertainment, fireworks, amazing auctions and great food. And you walk away feeling good knowing the money is going to a very worthy cause.”

Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Having a great volunteer like Suzanne return year after year and help us bring enthusiasm, experience and new ideas to the Caribbean Cowboy Ball is a great asset to the organizational committee,” said Debi Feiler, the fund’s program coordinator.

Although Bower is  über-busy spending time with family, working and volunteering, she makes time to walk and run — and, she says, Delray Beach, where she has lived since 1995, is the perfect venue for those activities (and so much warmer than her previous home in the Northeast.)

“What is not to like about Delray Beach? It has a beautiful beach; it’s a small town with character and is filled with warm and interesting people. There’s never a dull moment, but it can be as quiet or as loud as you want it to be. It‘s just one of those special places,” she said.

“I like being involved in the city, getting the pulse of what is going on.”                            

The 20th Annual Caribbean Cowboy Ball
An annual event sponsored by the George Snow Scholarship Fund to ‘ensure that no deserving scholar in our community will be deprived of higher education because of a shortage of funds.’

When: 6-11 p.m. Jan. 26

Where: Red Reef Park, 1400 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton

Tickets: $175
For information: Call 347-6799 or see www.scholarship.org

Days of pounding waves during Hurricane Sandy left much of Delray Beach eroded. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby

Delray Beach’s beach restoration, part of a routine, 10-year renourishment plan, will start in February, but beach property owners say the present plan doesn’t go far enough to repair damage from Hurricane Sandy.

Owners want the city to ask for an emergency state permit to put additional sand north and south of the planned project because of sand loss in those areas and damage to the dunes, said Andy Katz, vice president of the Beach Property Owners Association in Delray Beach.

The current renourishment project will include the beaches that run from just north of Atlantic Avenue south to 700 feet south of Linton Boulevard.

“We would like the city to add sand on beaches north of Atlantic at the end of the public beach, and on the south end from 700 feet south of Linton to the city line at the south,” he said. “We’re at the point where there is no sand beach at high tide in the area north of Atlantic. And water is very close to the condos in the south end.”

“We had an excellent dune system that did its job protecting the road and houses, but that dune system did take a hit, and that makes us more vulnerable to future storms until the dunes are restored,” said Katz.

Sand permits can take two to three years to process, he said, but an emergency permit could be done in a matter of days or weeks.

The deadline for emergency permits was late December, but that deadline has been extended, according to Dan Bates, Deputy Director of Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management. 

“As of now the deadline has been extended to late January, but that deadline may be extended until late February. The city of Delray Beach has to declare an emergency, and they need to move on it right away,” he said.

“Property owners are very much in support of asking the city to treat this as an emergency. And adding sand to those sections at the top and south ends at the same time as the rest of the beach restoration would save a lot of money,” Katz said. 

  Delray officials heard a report on the association’s concerns at a recent meeting, said Rich Reed, the city’s public information officer. “The city staff has been looking into various options with this issue and are investigating those options we have. At the next commission meeting or workshop we will bring a consultant in to talk about it.” The date for discussing emergency permits has not been set.    The money for the present project has been approved. The city has received reimbursement authorization of more than $4.02 million from Palm Beach County and the state Department of Environmental Protection to complete this project. 

The city of Delray Beach will pay the remaining $5.2 million. FEMA will not be giving money for Florida beach restoration.

Many residents didn’t know that there was no dune in Delray Beach until the 1970s when the city started the dune system and planted native vegetation including sea oats, Katz said. The water came almost to the sidewalk on A1A. 

“The city was very forward-thinking when they started the dune program in the early ’70s. Over the years, the beaches have gotten wider so we have more protection. Citizens want to continue that successful program,” he said.

At the association’s December meeting, residents discussed how lucky they were to have had those dunes to protect them against Sandy and other storms.

Other problems in the areas north and south of the planned project include loss of beach that is forcing beachgoers to walk on fragile dunes and trample sea oats and other native plants. Sunbathers are putting blankets on sea oats, severely damaging vegetation. Those dunes should be roped off, Katz said.  In addition to asking for more sand in those areas, homeowners want the city to plant sea oats and other native plants on new dunes. 

Katz stresses that healthy dunes benefit everyone, including homeowners to the west of A1A. 

“If the dunes fail, and water breaches A1A, which is on a ridge 15 feet above sea level, streets on the west side of A1A including Gleason, Venetian and Andrews as well as the Seagate neighborhood, which are in a basin 4 to 7 feet above sea level, will flood,” said Katz, whose house is on the west side of A1A.

Katz said the association will ask the city for the additional sand and emergency permit. “We need to make this a high priority item,” he said. “We hope to get on the agenda at the next commission meeting. It’s a time-sensitive issue.” 

Asking for sand after Sandy has turned into a family matter for Katz. “Oddly enough, my brother lives in Fort Lauderdale and they were able to get emergency permits for sand when the barge is there in February.”              

A satelite image taken in 2011 shows a wide beach at Atlantic Dunes park.              

 An image a few days after Hurricane Sandy unleashed days of pounding surf, eroding much of the beach. Photos by Google Earth and Andy Katz     

About a year ago, TLC Recovery rented a 7,000-square-foot home on the Intracoastal Water in the Cove neighborhood in Deerfield Beach. At the same time, the Caron Foundation purchased two homes in Delray Beach of comparable value.

Delray residents were up in arms. They put up tiny protest signs through the neighborhood.

After reading about the uproar, Pat Jolivet went to look at the signs and spoke with the residents. He returned to the Cove and called a meeting of the Cove neighbors. Pat had similar signs printed and TLC continued forward.

He returned to discuss the Delray signs with residents, critiquing the signs as too small and worded so as to have no impact on Caron’s clients. The signs in fact had little effect and Caron is fully functional.

The Cove residents changed their tactics.  New, larger signs were printed, attacking by name TLC Recovery and its business model. They were up for the duration with no thought on how the neighborhood looked.

Residents became activists to protect their neighborhoods. Cove residents spoke at the hearing for reasonable accommodations; neighbors installed video cameras and pictures were taken of people going in and out; articles were posted to dissuade potential clients.

TLC couldn’t get clients and was not operational within 90 days. It did not meet this reasonable accommodation and couldn’t make money. It left.
How does this relate to the coast? California and Florida are becoming the rehabilitation and sober-living capitals of the U.S. More will be coming. The cities must work together and be strong as communities to fight the invasion. Many of the clients are court-ordered drug and sex offenders. Our children are in danger. Our house values and selling abilities will collapse.

Delray and Boca Raton need to learn from the Cove residents, or their neighborhoods will be filled with rehabilitation and sober-living facilities. The Cove’s strategies may not be popular; however, they worked!

Judy Giller

Deerfield Beach

The Boca Raton Police Department has a fleet of unmarked cars that include hybrids.  

Photo from Boca Raton Police Chief Daniel Alexander’s Facebook page

By Rich Pollack

There was a time when you could spot a police car, marked or unmarked, a mile away.

After all, just about all the police cars on the road in South Florida were Ford Crown Victorias, those large boxy models with the big grill and the square headlights. 

Even the unmarked police cars used in most TV shows are Crown Victorias. 

But that’s all changing. These days, that Toyota Prius or Ford Fusion next to you at the red light might just be driven by a detective or possibly even a police chief. 

Even before Ford stopped making its Crown Victoria, about a year ago, local police departments were looking at nontraditional vehicles for their plain-clothes officers, who generally didn’t have to worry about having to chase down a fast-fleeing felon. 

In Boca Raton, for example, the department retains a fleet of what it calls nontraditional police cars that include a handful of 7-year-old Priuses and a lot of other vehicles most people would never suspect are being driven by police.

And that’s the whole idea, according to Boca Raton Assistant Police Chief Edgar Morley.

“When you need to blend into the community, you need vehicles that blend into the community as well,” Morley says. “Our officers drive everything and anything.”

And it’s not just stealth that is leading police departments in South Florida away from those large, gas-guzzling vehicles. It’s also economics and environmental consciousness. 

In Boca Raton, 13 of the vehicles driven by detectives and administrative personnel are hybrids. 

That fleet includes a few Ford Fusions and a couple of older Mercury Milans. 

You’ll also find hybrid vehicles in the fleets of other area police departments.  

In Boynton Beach, for example, detectives and administrative police officers are driving four Ford Fusions and another four will be arriving soon. 

One of the downsides to hybrids, and what might be keeping departments from using more of them, is the high purchase price. Hybrids in some models can have an upfront cost that is $5,000 to $10,000 more than traditional versions of the same model. 

How much departments save taxpayers in fuel costs — and environmental costs — over the long-term still remains to be seen.

“It’s not just a monetary issue, it’s also an environmental issue,” say Boca Raton’s Morley. 

While having hybrids and other nontraditional cars in a police fleet may work for some larger departments, the practice doesn’t always work for smaller departments like those serving Palm Beach County’s coastal communities.

In towns such as Ocean Ridge and Highland Beach, most cars in the police fleet are used for road patrol and are designed specifically for that purpose.

With the phasing out of the Crown Victoria, more and more departments will be shifting to new Ford Police Interceptors, the Chevy Caprice or Dodge Charger designed specifically for police use. 

  The Gulf Stream police department will be making a dramatic change to its five- car fleet, planning to phase in Ford Police Interceptor Utility SUVs, with the first one expected in early spring.

Police Chief Garrett Ward said the department, which buys two cars a year, found that the SUV was better suited for the town’s usage than the Ford sedan, which has a similar engine and fuel mileage. 

He said the department expects to make a final decision on whether to convert the whole fleet to SUVs based on the how well the early vehicles perform.

In Ocean Ridge, the department recently began using a brand-new Ford Police Interceptor Utility SUV, built on the Ford Explorer frame. The vehicle, purchased with money donated by an independent group that supports department needs, will replace a 2002 Ford Escape.

That vehicle, like all others in the Ocean Ridge Fleet, is equipped with a powerful and durable engine and has room for the equipment road patrol officers require.

“Patrol is patrol,” says Chief Chris Yannuzzi. “They need a mobile office.”                           

By Rich Pollack 

The cracks are back along Highland Beach’s 3.5 miles of walking paths, and town leaders say something needs to be done soon before someone gets hurt.

The Town Commission, in its December meeting, agreed to explore the cost of putting a 1-inch asphalt coating along the entire walking path, rather than spending a budgeted $75,000 to do patchwork repair in the most hazardous spots. The town also will be exploring the cost and feasibility of removing tree roots that have created hazardous conditions on the path.

“The 1-inch overlay of asphalt would fill in the holes and cracks in the walk path and appear like a brand-new walk path on the surface,” Public Works Director Jack Lee wrote in a memo to Town Manager Kathleen Weiser. “It would mitigate the chances of someone tripping on the walk path.”

A contractor already doing work in Highland Beach estimated the cost of the overlay to be about $125,000.

Town commissioners agreed that any work done to the path now would be only a temporary fix until the town can move ahead with a complete overhaul of the path. That extensive repair, which could include landscaping and other beautification efforts, is estimated to cost anywhere from $400,000 to $1 million. No timetable has been set for the overhaul, which is part of the town’s long-range capital plan.

“The one-inch overlay is a nice Band-Aid that adds a safety element to the walk path,” Weiser said.                  Ú

Architect Doug Mummaw (left), Marta and James Batmasian, their son
Armen Batmasian, Boca Raton Mayor Susan Whelchel and Vice Mayor
Susan Haynie join 7-Eleven officials at the ribbon cutting on East
Palmetto Park Road.  Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

 By Jan Norris

A ribbon cutting for a convenience store in Boca? Yessiree. Then again, the new 7-Eleven at 831 E. Palmetto Park Road isn’t your run-of-the-mill convenience store.

“This is the Ritz of 7-Elevens,” proclaimed an enthusiastic Mayor Susan Whelchel, on hand for the Dec. 19 ribbon cutting. “I think many of the people who opposed it may turn out to be some of its best customers.”

Indeed the national chain store — known for Slurpees, roller food and being open 24 hours a day — sparked controversy when the idea first surfaced in 2011. 

Owners of the property, James and Marta Batmasian’s Investments Limited, wanted to expand and enhance the building once occupied by a surf shop to make it more attractive for a lease with 7-Eleven. It was (is) all part of the effort aimed at revitalizing a commercial center developed in the late 1960s and in need of a face-lift. The redevelopment area (from 800 to 899 E. Palmetto Park Road) was recently dubbed “Boca Beach Shops.”

Promoters pitched the convenience store as “Starbucks-like” with much healthier food options than Big Bite hot dogs and those humongous sugary soft drinks that make Michael Bloomberg wince. But neighbors, who packed City Hall to oppose the 7-Eleven, worried it would be a magnet for beer-guzzling bums and noxious fumes from garbage bins. They feared noise and light shining into nearby homes as trucks made nighttime deliveries.

Not to worry, says Doug Mummaw, architect and representative of Investments Limited. Deliveries for the 7-Eleven are made at the front of the store during the day. And as for bums, well, a few were spotted peering into the glass doors early on the morning on opening day but turned away as if the place was just too darn swanky.

The store’s clean and crisp beachy interior motif, handled by the architect’s wife, designer Diana Mummaw, sports tasteful glass tile walls, dark porcelain tile floors that look like hardwood and a granite coffee bar with an impressive array of blends. “There’s even a nice selection of wines,” Doug Mummaw says. Pizzas, fresh from the oven, are available for take-out. Deli salads, fruit cups, sandwiches under 400 calories and other healthy options similar to those you might find at Whole Foods are attractively packaged and displayed. 

Security is first rate with cameras are plugged directly into the city police department. Someone threw a rock through the front window before the 7-Eleven opened and cops nailed the culprit before you could knock back a Big Gulp. 

Get your swing ready — duffers can get in on the 13^th annual Allianz Golf Championship Feb. 4-10 at The Old Course at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca Raton. 

Amateurs will get a chance to play with some of the legends of golf coming for the tournament in a Pro-Am game preceding the championship rounds.

Along with 2012 Allianz winner Corey Pavin, expect past winners Tom Lehman and Bernhard Langer, and top PGA players Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Couples, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson and Fred Funk. They’re all playing for a piece of the $1.8 million purse in this first of the season full-field tournament.

This is the seventh year for the tournament in Boca Raton. 

Oenophiles can get in on the action as well with the Grapes on the Green Golf and Wine Experience. It’s a chance to mingle with the golfers near the 18^th green on Saturday, Feb. 9. 

 A number of golfers have their own wine labels, and along with those, wines from international vineyards will be poured by the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel, with food samples from area restaurants served. Live entertainment and an auction are part of the after-game event that will benefit the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. 

From last year’s event, the hospital received $50,000 from the Boca Raton Champions Golf Charities, organizers of the tournament.

It’s big money for the area, too, according to Ryan Dillon, BRCGC director, who said $15 million came into the area from the 65,000 spectators and others attending the games.

Tickets for the Grapes on the Green are $85, with other ticket packages available that include hotel stays and tournament passes. General admission for the tournament is $20 for adults. Ticket information and the tournament schedule is available at www.allianzchampionship.com.

A Neil Simon play is first billing at the new theater opening in Boynton Beach downtown. Stage Left Theatre, a non-profit, comes from principals from the Royal Playhouse in West Palm Beach, run by Peter Pagliao. 

I Ought to Be in Pictures will run Feb. 8-17 at the 98-seat theater two blocks south of Boynton’s City Hall at 145 S.E. Second Ave.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County helped Pagliao working on the theater as a non-profit venture secure the abandoned building. In a statement, Rena Blades, president of the council, said, “We’re thrilled to see Stage Left Theatre come to Boynton Beach. It’s a great addition to the city and the downtown cultural corridor.”

Boynton’s Community Redevelopment Association also played a role in bringing the playhouse to the area that already houses the Avenue of the Arts, the Children’s Schoolhouse Museum and a number of restaurants and stores.

The theater has an 18-month lease approved by the City Council in November; the building refurbishment also was approved. 

A full youth program as well as workshops and summer plays are planned. Rehearsals began this month for the Neil Simon play — the only play announced at presstime. 

Volunteers are needed at the theater for the upcoming season. For information and tickets to upcoming performances, call 301-5404.

Top dog London poses with his owners, Jamie Danburg  and
Michele Molnar of Boca Raton, and his handler, Ann Rairigh,
at the Eukanuba World Challenge in Orlando.  Photo provided

A green squeaky snake is the comfort toy of the world’s Top Dog. That would be London (formally known as Jaset’s Satisfaction). The black standard poodle competed in December at the Eukanuba World Challenge in Orlando, and beat out dogs from 155 other countries to win Best of Show.

Owners Jamie Danburg and Michele Molnar of Boca Raton were with London at the event that netted them the $10,000 purse. This was London’s 89^th Best of Show award, Danburg said. “It’s an amazing feat for any one dog.”

Off stage, the poodle is “just like your pet,” he said. “He likes squeaky toys, he plays Frisbee, likes to swim in the lake. He just gets dressed up once a week or so.”

The dining scene is growing again. Gary Rack, of Rack’s Downtown in Boca’s Mizner Park is opening his newest concept, Rack’s Fish House and Oyster Bar in the old VFW hall in Delray Beach. It’s scheduled to open this month.

Sustainable “ocean to table” seafood will be a hallmark of the New England-style fish house, with retro cocktails that are trending again. The steam kettles will be reminiscent of the Grand Central Station Oyster Bar, and décor will be a contemporary twist on nautical design. Look for hand-painted brick walls and a zinc bar — and expect something unusual in lighting — chandeliers at his other restaurants are notably quirky.

Some of the menu items proffered are Ipswich clams, oysters Rockefeller, oyster and fish pan roasts, po’ boys and a live raw bar.

Rack’s Fish House & Oyster Bar is at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Southeast Second Avenue. 

Smashburger, one of the fastest growing chains in the U.S., opened in Boynton Beach as the year ended. The chain is known for the Angus beef burgers formed, seasoned and “smashed” on the 400-degree grill. The “Smashfries” are seasoned in rosemary and olive oil with sea salt. Unique to the group is their menu, offering regional favorites as well as traditional burgers, other sandwiches, salads, and Haagen-Dazs shakes.

Powers that be decided Florida wants Cuban-style burgers, and thus created the Miami Burger for the menu here: grilled Spanish chorizo, frita potatoes, aged Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and spicy chipotle mayo on a Cuban roll.

Smashburger is at 1729 S. Federal Highway (Sunshine Square), Boynton Beach, open for lunch and dinner hours.

Rumors apparently are true: The Fresh Market will come to Delray Beach. The grocery store will be at South Federal Highway and East Linton Boulevard, and the lease negotiations still have the details trickling. No opening date has been announced.

Fresh Market news effectively quashes the rumor of a Trader Joe’s coming to the same area. The Greensboro, N.C. based grocery chain has 128 other stores scattered around the states primarily east of the Mississippi. There are 33 already in Florida.

About 100 jobs will come with the market, officials say.

The Arts Garage kicks off with legends — namely Bob Margolin, one of the last members of Muddy Waters’ band, a trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He’ll perform Jan. 19.

Randy Brecker, a big name and Grammy winner in blues and jazz, also appears on the 26th.

The Theatre at Arts Garage brings its second production, a black comedy — Gloucester Blue — by renowned playwright Israel Horovitz to the stage.  

Also at midmonth, the student band, The Grease Monkeys, of the Performing Arts Academy will perform at an open house for the academy. The Arts Garage Guild also will hold an open house.

For dates and ticket information, go to www.artsgarage.org, or call 450-6357.

Lindsay Autry, chef about town who competed on Bravo’s Top Chef Texas, and who helped Michelle Bernstein open MB’s at the Omphoy in Palm Beach, has been named executive chef of the Sundy House. The botanical-garden restaurant set in the historic mayor’s home in downtown Delray Beach will get a makeover, Autry said. She’s already replaced napery color schemes and dishware; a kitchen makeover may be coming — including a theater kitchen with other updates. The menu will be eclectic. Autry blends her Southern roots with Mediterranean in a contemporary style.

Mozart Café, a Kosher dairy restaurant, opened recently in Boca at 7300 W. Camino Real. Authentic Mediterranean and Israeli dishes are served, including shakshuka, and makalav along with other Mediterranean favorites.

Anne and Norman Jacobsen of Boca Raton have given a $1 million gift to name the Jewish Family Services’ food pantry. The Jacobsen Family Food Pantry is in a new 2,600-square-foot warehouse on Congress Avenue in Delray Beach. It serves more than 550 people with bi-monthly food packages.

Jan Norris writes about Food and Florida on her blog, jannorris.com. Email her at jan@jannorris.com.

Thom Smith is on assignment working for FEMA in the Northeast in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. He hopes to return to Around Town soon. 

By Rich Pollack 

Pets can be clever, and sometimes, no matter what you do, Fido and Fifi will find a way to spring themselves from the confines of home or yard.

Now, the Highland Beach Police Department is taking extraordinary steps to help reunite dogs on the lam with their worried families.

Recognizing that there are a lot of dogs in town — cats, too — and that escapes do occur, the department is creating a pet registration database that will enable officers to better identify dogs found wandering through neighborhoods as well as those that are injured.

To launch the database, the department is holding a pet registration event in front of Town Hall from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 12, and asking pet owners to bring their dogs by so they can take a photo and get some vital contact information.

The event will also feature presentations from Petsmart on the advantages of having pets microchipped as well as K-9 demonstrations and pet adoption opportunities.  There also will be hot dogs and hamburgers available for visitors.

“Creating a pet database is one more way we can provide a valuable service and at the same time stay connected to our community,” said Police Chief Craig Hartmann.

Hartmann and Officer Paul Shersty, who is leading the registration initiative, said the idea for the database and registration sprang up after the department had found a few lost dogs and had difficulty locating the owners.

In the past, officers who found a lost dog or cat would do everything they could to find its home but, at the end of their shift, would have to turn an unclaimed pet over to Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control in West Palm Beach. That could mean an additional inconvenience for owners once they located their lost pets.

“We just don’t have any place to keep them here,” Hartmann said.

To minimize the chances of that happening, the department’s database will include emergency contact information and cellphone numbers, which can be important if the homeowners are away or at work when the wandering pet is found.

While the Police Department is encouraging residents to come to the Jan. 13 event, Shersty says residents who can’t make it will be able to bring their pets to the department during regular hours and get them registered.

“This is just an added protection we’re offering pet owners,” he said.                       Ú

For more information about the registrations, call  266-5800 or visit the town website, www.ci.highland-beach.fl.us.

Jan. 21: LPGA greats Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon will serve as official tournament hosts and will welcome a slew of other golf professionals at the fourth annual Bethesda Hospital Foundation Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Time is 10 am to 3 pm. The event is free to the public, with a $5 parking charge. $6,600 per foursome. 737-7733 or www.bethesdahospitalfoundation.org. From left: Mallon, Bethesda Memorial Hospital President and CEO Roger Kirk, Daniel, former President and CEO Robert Hill and Kay Harvey, Bethesda Hospital Foundation executive director. Photo provided

 By Amy Woods

JANUARY 5

Saturday - 1/5 - Your Medical School Gala at The Royal Palm Yacht Club, 2425 Maya Palm Drive W., Boca Raton. Support the “Compassionate Care Through Education” Medical Scholarship Campaign at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine during a black-tie-optional reception, auction, dinner and dance. $295. 6:30 pm. 699-7198 or http://med.fau.edu.

JANUARY 6-12

Wednesday - 1/9 - In-Store Shopping Event at Evelyn & Arthur, 3011 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. Peruse the newest merchandise of the season while sampling tidbits and libations, getting advice from a personal wardrobe consultant and benefiting Ruth Rales Jewish Family Service. Time is 6-8 pm. Cost is free. 572-0900 or www.evelynandarthur.com.
1/9 - Bell Society Dinner at The Colony, 155 Hammon Ave., Palm Beach. Don black-tie attire for this benefit for Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County. 7 pm. $500. 832-2755 or www.mhapbc.org.
Friday - 1/11 - Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers Gala 2013 at The Breakers, 1 South County Road, Palm Beach. Ring in the beginning of a new year and stay through the night for the Young Friends After Party. 7 pm. gala; 10 p.m. after party. $500-$1,000. 841- 1048 or www.hanleycenter.org.
Saturday - 1/12 - 51^st Annual Boca Raton Regional Hospital Ball at Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real. Pay tribute to Elaine J. Wold and celebrate the Wold Family Center for Emergency Medicine. 7 p.m. $400. 955-4142 or www.brrh.com.

JANUARY 13-19

Monday - 1/14 - Lymphoma Research Foundation’s Seventh Annual South Florida Luncheon at St. Andrews Country Club, 17557 Claridge Oval W., Boca Raton. Delight in a welcome reception, silent auction and raffle while enjoying a Best of Spring 2013 Fashion Show and Boutique. 10:30 am. $125. 646-465-9103 or www.lymphoma.org.

Thursday - 1/17 - Lion of Judah Luncheon at Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton.  Luncheon speaker is Lara Logan, CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs and 60 Minutes Correspondent. 10:30 am. $85 couvert with gift of $5,000 or above to the 2013 UJA/Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Annual Campaign. 852-5054. www.jewishboca.org.
Friday - 1/18 - Iron Chef Competition at Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real. Grab some kitchen utensils and join a team to compete in a heated showdown that will benefit Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum. 6:30 pm. $175. 395-6766 or www.bocahistory.org.
Saturday - 1/19 - OPAL Award Gala at Boca Pointe Country Club, 7144 Boca Pointe Dr., Boca Raton. Honor five nominees for their dedication to Boca Raton. 6:30 pm. $250. 477-7180 or www.rotaryclubbocaraton.com.

JANUARY 20-26

Sunday - 1/20 - 2013 Palm Beach SCOPUS Award Gala at The Breakers, 1 South County Road, Palm Beach. Take in a performance by Broadway and television sensation Megan Hilty as American Friends of The Hebrew University honors philanthropists who have shown extraordinary support to the organization. 7 pm. $1,000. 750-8585 or www.afhu.org.
Monday - 1/21 - Annual Gala Luncheon and Fashion Presentation at The Polo Club of Boca Raton, 5400 Champion Blvd. Take in the fashions of Badgley Mischka while helping the Pap Corps’ Greater Boca Raton Cancer Chapter raise money to fund research toward a cure. 11 am. $145. 637-5960 www.papcorps.org.

1/21 - Kravis Center Annual Gala at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Experience a performance by Pink Martini with a pre-performance black-tie reception. 6 pm. $375-$750. 832-7469 or www.kravis.org.
Wednesday - 1/23 - American Red Cross Designers’ Show House Preview Party at 123 Santa Lucia Drive, West Palm Beach. Appreciate architecture and interiors during an evening celebration. 6-9 pm. $200. 248-2700 or www.redcross-pbc.org.
Thursday - 1/24 - Palm Beach Watercolor Society’s 30^th Anniversary Luncheon & Art Auction at Latitudes Ocean Grill, 2809 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach. Support Very Special Arts for the Handicapped, as well as art supplies in public schools. Noon-4 pm. $30-$3. 452-0276, 865-0013 or www.pbwatercolor.org.
1/24 - Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures Gala at The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. Savor a four-course gourmet dinner with wine pairings and silent auctions to benefit Food for the Poor. 7:30 pm. $450. 888-404-4248 or www.foodforthepoor.org.
Saturday - 1/26 - Caribbean Cowboy Ball at Red Reef Park, 1400 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Enjoy the ocean breeze at one of the coolest events in South Florida and help raise money for George Snow Scholarship Fund. 6-11 pm. $175. 347-6799 or www.scholarship.org.

1/26 - Impact Gala: Celebrating the Art of American Fashion at Boca Raton Museum of Art / Mizner Park Amphitheater, 501 Plaza Real. Delight in artful cocktails, food, fashion anf fun during a thrilling black-tie event. 7-11 pm. $375. 392-2500, Ext. 208. www.bocamuseum.org.

JANUARY 27-31

Monday - 1/28 - 20^th Anniversary Luncheon of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton. Eat lunch and listen to a keynote speaker after enjoying a lovely reception. 11:30 am-1:30 pm. $125. 995-6773 or www.ushmm.org.
1/28 - Hearing the Ovarian Cancer Whisper “Time is of the Essence” Luncheon at Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach. Support a serious cause while learning from speakers Dr. Robert Bast and Dr. Judith Reichman. 11:30 am. $325. 837-2285 or www.ovariancancerpbc.org.
Thursday - 1/31 - Palm Beach Wine Auction at The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. Enjoy an elegant evening featuring a five-course wine dinner to benefit Kravis Center. 6 pm. $1,000. 651-4320 or www.palmbeachwineauction.org.
1/31 - Country Club Chef Showdown at Boca West Country Club, 20583 Boca West Drive, Boca Raton. Get ready for a showdown when specialty chefs go knife-to-knife in a celebrity-judged competition benefiting Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation. 7-10 pm. $100. 651-4320 or www.hpbcf.org/chef.

Building Hope Gala

The Polo Club of Boca Raton

Feb. 2: The annual Building Hope gala raises money that empowers citizens of third-world countries by providing safe and secure shelter for them and their families. The Food for the Poor event returns with an extravagant night of dining, dancing and live-auction bidding. Time is 6:30 pm. Cost is $250. For information, call (888) 404-4248 or visit www.foodforthepoor.org/boca. From left: Becky Carlsson, Kara Seelye, Allison Venditti and LaMae Klos walk with hundreds of new homeowners in Olivier, Haiti, who waved branches and signs while they danced and sang to greet members of the Building Hope Gala committee. Photo by Benjamin Rusnak

Flavors of Boca: A Culinary Journey 

The Shops of Boca Center, Boca Raton

Feb. 7: Delight in the decadence of all things indulgent, including chocolate, fine wine, sparkling jewelry and other temptations, to benefit the Junior League of Boca Raton. Time is 5:30-9:30 pm. Cost is $40-$75. Call 870-9083 or visit www.jlbr.org. Front, from left: Stephanie Economos and Johanna Tibavisky; Back, from left: Co-Chairwoman Melissa Roberts, Laura Nowadly and Co-Chairwoman Jennifer Yuil. Photo provided

FEBRUARY

Saturday - 2/2 - All American Tailgate Party at Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. Join Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce Men’s Group and Achievement Centers for Children & Families at the All-American Tailgate Party, featuring traditional tailgate fare, live entertainment, raffles, auctions and a children’s activity area. 2-8 pm. $5-$20. 266-0003 or www.delraytailgate.com.
2/2 - HaNadiv Gala at Woodfield Country Club, 3650 Club Place, Boca Raton. Celebrate the 30^th anniversary of Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center at the “Diamonds & Pearls” themed extravaganza. 7 pm. $250. 852-3253 or www.levisjcc.org.

Friday - 2/8 - Lynn Travis Stender Art Scholarship  Fundraiser “Venetian Masquerade” at Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real. Take a painting class and enjoy the art creations over a lunch while Women in the Visual Arts presents scholarships. 10:30 am-2 pm. $125. 362-6335 or www.witva.org.
Saturday - 2/9 - Cleveland Clinic Florida’s “Dare To Dazzle” at The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach. Black-tie event will raise money for the nonprofit medical center with locations in West Palm Beach and Weston. 7 pm. $1,250. 804-0264 or www.clevelandclinicflorida.org/palmbeachball.
2/9 - Lake Worth Playhouse’s 60^th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Join guest of honor Burt Reynolds for an evening of cocktails, dinner, dancing and silent-auction bidding, with the theme “Decades.” 7 pm. $150. 586-6410 or www.lakeworthplayhouse.org.

Saturday - 2/23 - Cunningham Bar’s William Holland Scholarship Luncheon at Ritz-Carlton, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan. Keynote speaker is Judy Smith. Event helps provide scholarships for 3rd year law students. 655-9279 or www.cunninghambar.org.

Tuesday-Thursday - 2/26-28 - Wayside House’s 2013 Spring Boutique at Colony Hotel & Cabana Club, 525 E. Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach. Shop for merchandise among 35 vendors from across the country to help benefit substance-abuse treatment programs and outreach services. 10 am-5 pm. $5. 78-0055, Ext. 126, or www.waysidehouse.net.

To submit your event, contact Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

Bernie and Sandra Meyer of Highland Beach are co-chairs of the Jewish Film Festival. File photo/The Coastal Star

Now in its 23rd year, the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival boasts an impressive lineup with 39 films, documentaries and shorts that will be shown Jan. 17-27 throughout Palm Beach County. The festival is directed by Larry Ferber, a veteran television producer and three-time Emmy nominee.

Festival highlights include A.K.A. Doc Pomus, about the incredible life of a Brooklyn Jewish boy who composed many of the finest rock ’n’ roll and pop hits of the 1950s and ’60s; 400 Miles to Freedom, a film that captures the heroic journey of a 2,500-year-old Jewish community that escaped persecution in the Ethiopian mountains after practicing Judaism became illegal; Numbered, which documents the emotional journeys of Holocaust survivors and the numbers they were assigned; and Melting Away, a film about a transgendered youth who reunites with his parents after being disowned.

But Sandra Meyer — the Highland Beach woman who serves as festival co-chair with her husband, Bernie — is most looking forward to showing The Flat, a true-life detective story that uncovers much more than the tangled roots of its maker’s family tree.

“It was riveting,” she said. “One never knows what they are going to find when breaking up the apartment of deceased family members. This family had lots of skeletons in their closet!”

Bernie Meyer, a sports enthusiast, is touting Max Schmeling, a film about the world’s heavyweight German boxer whom the Nazis tried to turn into an Aryan Superman.

New to the festival this year is the Promising Young Filmmaker Series, three short films created by students, to be featured at Cobb Downtown theaters and the Regal Delray. Matthew Baquero and Kelly Berger, local students at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, produced a film titled Marie Goldstein: Perspective of a Survivor.

Also new this year is that four films will be presented in conjunction with Partnership 2gether, which connects Jewish communities outside Israel with ones located there. The partnership, created in 1995, is a program of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County between the communities of the Tzahar region (Tzfat, Rosh Pina and Hatzor Haglilit) and the Greater Palm Beaches. Leading Israeli professors and journalists will be introducing films from the Cinematheque Theater in Rosh Pina. The partnership offers film festival attendees an intimate and unique view of Israeli life.

For opening night on Jan. 17, the festival will screen the Florida premiere of Hava Nagila: The Movie, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m.  Special guest, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, will speak after the film. Raisman made a powerful statement when she dedicated her championship-winning floor routine to the music of  Hava Nagila in memory of the Israeli athletes slain at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

This year also marks the first time the festival has selected a special honoree. Rick Stone, a leading Jewish community philanthropist and Palm Beach resident, will be the first distinguished with this honor for his remarkable achievements in the community.

General admission to opening night is $15. Screenings will be held at several venues, including Regal Delray 18 and Movies of Delray in Delray Beach; the Ross JCC in Boynton Beach; the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the Norton Museum of Art and Tradition of the Palm Beaches, in West Palm Beach; and Cobb Downtown at the Gardens 16 and Temple Judea in Palm Beach Gardens.

For tickets, festival passes or a complete schedule of films, visit www.pbjff.org, call David Yalen at 736-7531 or email DavidY@jcconline.com. 

— Staff report

Sgt. Doug Sills (right) talks to Rick Wohlfarth (in blue shirt) and John Gwynn of Delray Beach to raise awareness of manatees. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby

Right on cue, mother and baby manatees appeared on the surface of the Intracoastal Waterway as Sgt. Doug Sills of the Lantana Police Marine Unit advised boaters Rick Wohlfarth and John Gwynn of Delray Beach to watch out for the marine mammals.

Sills’ Saturday afternoon patrol Dec. 8 was part of Operation Mermaid, a countywide campaign to remind boaters to slow down during manatee season, which is mid-November through March 31.

Manatee patrols are conducted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Marine Units along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and law-enforcement agencies including Lantana, Boynton Beach, Tequesta, Jupiter, West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.

The name Operation Mermaid was inspired by early mariners’ sightings of “mermaids,” which were in fact manatees. It’s easy to understand the confusion if a nearsighted sailor was observing from a distance — manatees will often surface, raise their heads out of the water and turn to look at you, then disappear with a slap of their big tails.

But explorer Christopher Columbus must have gotten a fairly close-up view when he sailed near the Dominican Republic on Jan. 9, 1493. He wrote in his log that he saw three mermaids, and described them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.”

Coastal community residents can get their own close-up sightings as hundreds of endangered Florida manatees seek warm water in South Florida waterways.

Sills sometimes gives manatees a police escort on the Intracoastal Waterway to keep them safe.

“Last year, I had a herd — there must have been 30 of them. I traveled with them with the lights on. They’re so slow and helpless.”

Sills tells boaters to look for the line of ringed ripples manatees leave on the surface; to be alert for their heads when they come up for air; and to note their direction and try to stay away.

“When you see one, there are usually others,” he said.

Recreational watercraft have caused about one-quarter of all manatee deaths since 1974 (when record-keeping began), and are their No. 1 threat, according to Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission research. Many manatees have the familiar long white scars on their backs from propeller injuries.

They feed on seagrass beds in shallow water, where there is little time or room to avoid oncoming boats. Deaths are usually from propeller wounds, the impact with boat hulls, or crushing.

In the first 11 months of 2012, manatee deaths from watercraft, including boats and Jet Skis, totaled 78; two were killed in Palm Beach County. This is a far greater number than the total of manatees killed in 1980 statewide — 16, and none in Palm Beach County — when there were far fewer people and boats.

A statewide survey in winter 2010 showed there were 5,076 manatees, but this is not a true estimate of the population, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Research is being conducted to get a more accurate number.

Many boaters are not aware of manatees, said Sills. He stopped a boater from Jupiter who didn’t even know that manatees ever swam in the Intracoastal Waterway. “You see manatees out here?” the boater asked in amazement.

Other boaters were more informed. “We saw some manatees today,” said Jared Rosen, who was boating with his two young children, who both nodded in excitement. “It’s crazy how people just fly down the waterway without thinking about them.”    

Keep Manatees Safe

Operation Mermaid patrols hand out laminated instructions for boaters about manatees, and what to do if they see one injured or dead. Here are some of the tips:

• Slow down and observe all manatee speed zones and caution areas. The fine is $90 if you don’t. Manatee zones are generally the area of water within 300 feet from shore, where manatees feed on seagrasses.

• While swimming or diving, do not approach or chase a manatee.

• Don’t pollute. Pick up trash such as fishing line and plastic bags.

• Respect manatee signs. ‘Idle Speed’ is the lowest speed needed to maintain steerage and forward motion (about 2-3 mph). “Slow Speed” is little or no wake; the vessel must be completely settled in the water. “Resume Normal” means resume safe speed according to water and traffic conditions.

• If you see a sick, injured, dead or tagged manatee, call (888) 404-FWCC (888-404-3922).

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club residents Regina and Bob Vetto
are honorary chairpersons for the University Club’s Fountain
of Youth fundraiser Jan. 13.  Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

The busier you are, the more opportunities to serve come your way. So says Regina Vetto, who — with her husband, Bob — is an honorary chairwoman of the FAU University Club Fountain of Youth fundraiser at the Addison Restaurant on Jan. 13.

The event celebrates Florida’s 500th birthday.

The story of how she became involved with the University Club is a funny one, Vetto says.

“Being involved in a number of things at the time, two friends begged to take me to a luncheon at FAU,” she remembers. “I told them I was unable to join even one more thing, and they promised it was just a lunch. The next thing I knew, I was not only a member but I was on the board of directors. Fifteen minutes later, I was president!”

She soon discovered a fondness for the organization, which has raised more than $400,000 for scholarships and more than $500,000 for libraries at Florida Atlantic University.

“The University Club is a wonderful group of kind, generous and very dedicated individuals,” she says.  “Everyone is a dear friend.”

A longtime member of the Zonta Club of Boca Raton, Vetto was instrumental in founding the Zonta Club of Deerfield Beach last July and serves as the first president. “We already have 35 members,” she says.

The Boca club met evenings, but the Deerfield club has luncheon meetings, a preferential time for members.

Before she was married, Vetto had dreams of becoming a theatrical makeup artist but gave up on the idea after marrying her first husband when she was 20. 

She and Bob have been married for 33 years and moved to Florida in 1982.

“My parents had moved here before we did, and we were ready for a climate change,” she says.

She loves shopping, spending time with friends, traveling and volunteering.

“God has really been good to us, so it’s good to give back,” she says.

                 — Mary Thurwachter

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school?

A. I was born and raised in Stamford, Conn. I attended Southern Connecticut State and later studied in New York City.

Q.  What are some highlights of your life?

A. I have lived in Boca Raton for more than 30 years. My husband and I own 21st Century Auto Center in Deerfield Beach, and our two sons work with us. I have been involved in so many organizations and charities over the years, I lose count. I am a past president of The University Club at FAU, a past district governor of Zonta International and received the Community Service Award from B’nai B’rith International.

I am married to Bob, and I am the mother of three (Veronica, 39, Louis, 38, and Greg, 34) and the grandmother of three (Kate, Addison and Charlie, who was adopted in November).

My parents, who live in Lighthouse Point, recently celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary!

Q.  How did you choose to make your home in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club/Boca Raton?

A. We have lived in our home for nearly 30 years. We always knew we wanted to live near the beach, and Royal Palm is such a beautiful community.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?

A. I love the fact that Boca Raton has absolutely everything! We have so many wonderful friends and business associates here, our church, St. Joan of Arc, wonderful restaurants, the best in shopping and, of course, gorgeous weather.

Q.  If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?

A. Definitely Meryl Streep.  She is awesome, both as a talented actress and gracious human being. I am a very determined person yet very soft-hearted. I love my family and friends with all my heart. I think she would convey that personality very nicely.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?

A. I’m an easy-listening kind of girl, but I absolutely love the ’50s.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?

A. Treat others as you wish to be treated. Everyone deserves respect and recognition. I try very hard to always remember that.

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A. My parents and grandparents are the first to come to mind. My grandfather came to America as a young man alone, not speaking or understanding one word of English. He worked for Connecticut Power and Light for 65 years before he retired. I still have the diamond pins the company gave him for every 10 years of service.

Q. What’s the last book you read, and would you recommend it?

A. Killing Lincoln.  It was a great read, and I would definitely recommend it. It’s funny how the older you get the more fascinating history becomes.

Q. Who or what makes you laugh?

A. My grandchildren, every minute I’m with them!         

If you go

The Fountain of Youth brunch and fundraiser begins at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 13 at The Addison, 2 E. Camino Real #300, Boca Raton. Featured guests include local historian and artist Sandy Simon and The Conquistadors from the Department of Arts and Letters at FAU. There will also be a silent auction. Tickets are $99. For more information, call Arlene Brewer, 391-6776 or visit www. fauf.fau.edu/netcommunity/

Photo: (from left) Mary Jo Pollock, Paul Adkins, YMCA President and CEO Richard Pollock, Tim Devlin, Amy Devlin, Linda Spielmann, Bradley Kitchens and John Mulhall. Photo provided

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County launched its Community Support Campaign with a ruby red-themed dinner that brought in $330,000 in donations, $20,000 above the goal. The campaign ensures the YMCA has the resources to continue to provide South County residents with enriching and rewarding experiences. 

Lula Thomas

By Ron Hayes

BOCA RATON — When she was named its 2011 Woman Volunteer of the Year by the Junior League of Boca Raton, Lula Thomas told The Coastal Star what she thought about growing old.

“Your age is just two numbers put together,” she said then. “I think it’s the spirit. Keep your thoughts right, and it doesn’t matter how old you are.”

Mrs. Thomas died Nov. 21. She was 86 and left behind one daughter, four granddaughters, five great-grandchildren and a long list of local institutions that benefited from her tireless service.

“I get up in the morning and I put on my clothes and my hose and my high heels, and I leave the house,” she said.

And then she might go to the Boca Museum or the Philharmonic, Planned Parenthood, the Red Cross, the FAU Library Group or the Caldwell Theatre. In the 1980s, she was named a “Legend of Boca” by the Boca Raton Historical Society and a life member of the Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Debbie-Rand Service League.

In addition, she was a member of the Silver Palm Garden Club, the Southern Dames of America, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Music Guild of Boca Raton and the Center for Spiritual Living. “Lula was an inspiration to me as a volunteer,” said Debbie Abrams, who succeeded her as the Junior League’s 2012 Volunteer Woman of the Year.

“Her many years of quiet, committed service to our community made her the perfect person to win in 2011.” Born Lula Culpepper on Dec. 16, 1925, in Rocky Mount, N.C., she was the second of 10 children. She came to Boca Raton in 1974 with her husband, Vernon “Pat” Thomas, whom she married when she was 16.

Following his death in the late 1990s, she became even more involved in volunteerism. In recent years, she was a greeter at both the Boca Raton Police Department and the Historical Society Museum, where Director Mary Czar was astonished by her energy and charm.

“Lula just had a knack for dealing with people and making them comfortable,” Czar said. “When we nominated her for Woman of the Year, she came back to me with six or eight pages, handwritten front and back, of all the things she did, and it looked like a history of Boca Raton.”

Mrs. Thomas is survived by her daughter, Francis Marion Lowry; granddaughters Manya, Shannon, Kim and Ginger; and great-grandchildren Sonny, Stella, Sloan, Mac and Savannah.

A celebration of her life was held Dec. 6 at the Center for Spiritual Living.

Christine Lynn hopes her surprise $25 million gift will motivate others. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Tim Pallesen

Boca Raton philanthropist Christine Lynn surprised a Nov. 12 fundraising gala with her largest gift ever: $25 million for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

A tower to be built in her name will house surgical suites, an in-patient rehabilitation hospital and research facilities to help in the Miami Project’s efforts to find a cure for paralysis.

Lynn announced her gift during a $1,000-a-ticket fashion show and dinner to raise money at the Bal Harbour Shops in Miami.

“I knew before that I was going to make the pledge,”Lynn said. “But I kept it quiet so I could announce it at the event.”

Tom Brokaw hosted the event, attended by 2,000 guests including actor Tommy Lee Jones and other celebrities. Enrique Iglesias sang for the guests.

“People gasped when she made the announcement, then cheered like crazy,” said Stephanie Aaguaard, a spokeswoman for the Miami Project.

Lynn hoped her surprise would motivate others at the event to also contribute. Others responded, pledging an additional0 $6 million.

Lynn and her late husband, Eugene, have given many multimillion-dollar gifts in Boca Raton during their years of philanthropy. 

Lynn University, Florida Atlantic University and Boca Raton Regional Hospital have been the largest beneficiaries.

But Lynn chose the Miami Project to receive the largest gift after her husband was treated as a patient there for spinal cord irritation. “They were wonderful to him,” she recalled.

Miami Project patients struggle to recover from paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries. Lynn got to know other patients when her husband received treatment.

“When you see all the young people in wheelchairs, your heart goes out to them,” she said.                                Ú

By Cheryl Blackerby

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, beach restoration and how to pay for it were at the top of the agenda for commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District.

“There’s going be a big grab for federal money with the issues in the Northeast,” said the district’s attorney, Art Koski, at the Nov. 19 meeting. “The city is looking for FEMA money. But I don’t think we have the strength politically.”

Boca Raton’s engineers estimate the city’s four miles of beaches lost just under a million cubic yards of sand, which would cost about $5 million to replace, said Jennifer Bistyga, coastal program manager for the city of Boca Raton. This is a guess, she said, because there had been no surveys at press time. Surveys were expected the week of Nov. 26, weather permitting. 

But some of the sand lost from Sandy is already returning. “We’re starting to see sand bars forming, and we will survey that, too, to see how much sand will come back,” she said.

The sand loss from Sandy was more troubling than past storms, she said, because Boca beaches lost height as well as width, which might add to restoration costs. 

Before Sandy damaged the Palm Beach County coastline, Koski already had advised commissioners that federal money for beach restoration had dried up. At a September meeting, he said it had been customary for the government to fund about 70 percent of restoration, which left 30 percent to be paid by state, county and local governments, but now the entire cost is falling on local governments. 

This is particularly troubling to the board, which in October approved the reimbursement to the city of Boca Raton of $2 million, in addition to a partial reimbursement of $2 million already paid, for a beach restoration project that took place several years ago.    

The board didn’t anticipate paying for additional beach restoration projects for another five years or longer. Two months later, board members are already looking at substantial payments for more beach erosion.     The board is still waiting for damage assessments reports, Koski said, on district beaches, including Ocean Strand, a 15-acre property, and Red Reef Park, a 67-acre oceanfront park that includes the 20-acre Gumbo Limbo Environmental Education Center, which has lifeguard stations and elevated walkways.

Raising money through taxes was suggested, but Chairman Earl Starkoff expressed concerns about “the issue of fairness as it relates to western constituents paying into a special district fund for restoration” on beaches they may not use as much as those who live on the beach or at least closer.

Starkoff also considered the option of both the city and district working with other coastal communities on a funding solution with a regional view. 

No official damage reports are in hand, but the beaches undoubtedly lost sand and width and had some damage to beach structures. 

With the district potentially footing the bill for future restorations, attorney Koski expressed hope that the district would now have a say in where and how the money is used instead of simply writing a check to the city, which it has in the past.

“Prior to this, we have never been involved in the design process, other than years ago when there was a question whether a dredging project was going to cover the rocks. That was always left to the city,” he said. “But I’m hopeful that this district will now be able to take a more active role so that we can provide some input, some recommendations, and some ideas to the ongoing problems.”

Commissioner Dennis Frisch suggested exploring a less expensive and mobile, even disposable, design for lifeguard towers on the beach. “We seem to be doing an awful lot of rebuilding,” he said.

Koski said the city has reported back to him that it has “the most functional and practical lifeguard towers that exist.”                                                         Ú

Well-wishers gather to watch Ryan Butts release sea turtle Cindy into the Atlantic Ocean. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

Giving the turtle a name was easy. Giving her back to the sea took months.
On July 28, a loggerhead turtle arrived at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center without a name, without a left flipper, without much chance of surviving.
Two fishermen had brought her to the city marina in Pompano Beach that Saturday night. A shark had taken the left front flipper. Her right flipper was nearly severed and, judging by the teeth marks, her head had been in the shark’s mouth.
“Sea turtles are usually only attacked if they’re already sick or injured,” explained Ryan Butts, the center’s turtle rehabilitation coordinator. “They float when they’re sick or injured, and that makes them vulnerable, so it’s amazing she got away.”
Butts and his team of volunteers named their patient Cindy, and nursed her for the next three months. 

Her right flipper was sutured, her blood drawn to monitor glucose levels, her wounds cleansed daily and treated with honey, a natural disinfectant and antibiotic.
And then, on Nov. 15, Cindy went down to the sea again.
“You almost feel like your children are going off to kindergarten for the first time,” said Butts. “There’s a certain sadness, but that’s overshadowed by the happiness and pride you feel.”
Can a turtle conquer the ocean waves without a left front flipper?
“They learn to adapt with very little problem at all,” he said. “The propulsion comes from their front flippers, with the rear used for steering, so Cindy will use her right rear flipper to compensate.”
As he spoke, a camera crew from television’s National Geographic Wild channel scurried about, taping the preparations. In town to record a segment about the center’s new artificial reef tank, they had happily found themselves able to document Cindy’s release as well.
Nearby, a dozen children lined up to sign a Bon Voyage poster.
Enjoy the seas.
Take care.
Good luck.
We will miss you.
Cindy is the man!
Shortly before 4:30 p.m., Butts and three assistants lifted her out of the blue plastic tank that had been her hospital room and placed her on scales. Cindy had come to the center weighing 115 pounds. She was leaving at 130.

Nearly 350 well-wishers braved the surf and an impending downpour to watch Cindy return to the ocean.

Transferred to a green wading pool atop a cart, they wheeled her out of the rehab center to an ATV, climbed aboard and drove away, followed by other ATVs and the National Geographic crew.
Traveling slowly, the cavalcade rolled into the parking lot and through the gate, crossed North Ocean Boulevard to Red Reef Park, and climbed the dunes.
On the beach below, nearly 350 men, women and children — especially children — awaited her arrival, alerted by the Friends of Gumbo Limbo.
Cindy remained unimpressed by the attention.
“There’s a sandbar not far offshore,” Butts said, “so we may have to give her a little nudge.”
As he spoke, a black thundercloud sailed in from the west.
Butts and three or four volunteers lifted Cindy from her wading pool and placed her gently into the rising tide as the crowd broke into cheers, hoots and applause.
Butts followed along in the surf as the turtle swam into the waves, then south.
Out on the sandbar, a lone nature photographer named Ben Hicks kept watch.
Moments later, as the first fat raindrops fell, he raised an arm and signaled to Butts.
Cindy had passed the sandbar under her own power.
She was gone.

She was home.                  

 Ryan Butts (left) and assistants used a kiddie pool on a landscaping cart to transfer Cindy from her blue plastic home en route to the ocean. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

If ever there were an adage that describes The Coastal Star, this is it.  It really does take a village.

Those of us on the editorial side of The Coastal Star recently received 10 awards from the Florida Press Club for work in the categories of Light Feature Writing, Government News Writing, Sports Feature Photography, Portrait/Personality Photography, Front Page Design, Feature Page Design, Business Writing, Feature Photography and Religion Writing. It’s great to have this recognition from our peers.

Individual writers and photographers earned the awards for their outstanding work, but in this business, no man or woman is an island. Behind the scenes were assignment editors, headline writers, photo editors, copy editors and proofreaders who made each of these stories shine. It really does take a village, and I feel proud to work with such a talented group of journalists.

As we enter 2013, I marvel at the number of talented individuals who contribute to our publication each month. From our dedicated calendar editor, to our sales team and the artful ad builders they work with, to the graphic artists who make sure each of our photographs and advertisements are in the correct format for the printer — we couldn’t give you the quality publication we do without each and every one of them. 

I feel lucky to work with such a dedicated and talented group of people.  You guys are the best. Thank you.

Combine all the above talent with some of the classiest advertisers in South Florida, and I believe our “village” holds up a mirror to reflect back your “village,” this special place along the coast that we call home.

And because we live, work and play here, we need to contribute to our community.  That was the theme for this year’s Holiday Shopping Guide: The Gift of Giving. Each gift we feature shares the proceeds of the sale with worthwhile organizations. We hope you find this guide helpful as you look for those last-minute (and meaningful) holiday gifts.

Best wishes for a great holiday season and a happy New Year.

By Mary Kate Leming

Executive Editor