Ocean Ridge is teaming with the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County to hold a virtual candidates forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Feb. 11.
 The forum will be held through Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/99394405913?pwd=cGM3N3l0dEZwaGMrb1BQVm5DNGpaZz09.
By telephone, dial 646-558-8656. The meeting ID is 993 9440 5913, passcode 219478.
  Residents can submit questions to the candidates until 3 p.m. on Feb. 11 by emailing mjrange@comcast.net.
All questions must be addressed to the group, not any individual candidate. 

The legislative branch of the Ocean Ridge town government consists of five commissioners elected at-large, including a mayor selected by the Town Commission. Two seats will be filled March 9, including one currently held by departing Commissioner Phil Besler. Of the four candidates, the two getting the most votes will be elected.

Related Story: Candidate forum set for Feb. 11

Candidate profiles were compiled via telephone interviews. Candidates were asked to supply personal information regarding their age, education, marital status and number of years residing in their municipalities. They were also asked to provide a brief history of their professional life and experience, if any, in holding public office. Finally, they were asked about their positions on issues facing their communities and to provide an overarching quote detailing the reasons they believe they should be elected (or re-elected) along with a current photograph.

Candidate profiles compiled
by Steven J. Smith

By Dan Moffett

Gulf Stream commissioners are poised to begin a year of planning and deliberation to prepare for some significant construction projects aimed at improving the town’s defenses against king tides and storm surges.
The work ahead comes in response to an engineers’ report in December that identified a half-dozen upgrades needed to address vulnerabilities in the town’s stormwater drainage system.
“I think the rest of this calendar year is a planning year,” Town Manager Greg Dunham told the commission during its meeting on Jan. 11. “A year for planning, design, risk assessment and bidding out the projects.”
Dunham said construction should begin in 2022. It is likely to take months to complete.
In December, consultants from West Palm Beach-based engineering firm Baxter & Woodman recommended replacing and adding more Intracoastal drainage valves, regrading stretches of low-lying streets — in particular, the west ends of Banyan Road and Palm Way — and working with owners of The Little Club to upgrade areas at the golf course.
Dunham said the town is already shopping for the valves and estimates put their cost at about $68,000. Installation is expected to begin this year. Other improvements will be more complicated.
Jeff Hiscock, one of engineering consultants who wrote the report, put it simply to Dunham: “You guys need a pond.”
The idea is to construct a retention/detention pond that would help collect stormwater in low-lying areas before discharging it into the town’s drainage system.
Dunham knows something about these ponds. “I’ve done that in Ocean Ridge,” he told the commission. Dunham was the town manager there from 1998 to 2002 and implemented a stormwater study that led to the winning of several grants and loans to build the town’s detention pond at Woolbright Road and State Road A1A. The pond remains an important piece of Ocean Ridge’s drainage network today.
One thing Gulf Stream doesn’t have to worry about is ready cash. The town has about $5.6 million in unrestricted reserves that can be put to work on upgrades.
“It’s great to be able to make these improvements and still be in good financial condition,” said Commissioner Paul Lyons.
Also during the January meeting, the commission unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that updates coastal management policies in the town’s comprehensive plan. The amendments go hand in hand with the proposed drainage improvements and satisfy the state Legislature’s order that municipalities adjust to rising seas.
The statewide focus on king tide response comes in the wake of a South Florida Water Management District study that found the average high tide has risen about 6 inches over the last 35 years and could rise more than twice that by 2070. Ú

By Mary Thurwachter

When it comes to election law, or any law for that matter, the more precise the language, the better. Crystal clear is best.
So says Max Lohman, Lantana’s town attorney, who ought to know.
“I have the dubious distinction of probably litigating more election lawsuits in the last two or three years than nearly any other attorney in Palm Beach County,” Lohman told the Town Council on Jan. 11. He advised the city to tweak its election law to avoid lawsuits or runoff elections, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Town Council approved these two tweaks: adding a subsection related to the regulation of invalid votes cast for a candidate who has died, withdrawn or is ineligible for having been arrested for or charged with a felony; changing the word “petition” to “petitions.”
The second change came about because of a Lantana litigation last year after one candidate failed to file all his petitions. Candidates need to obtain signatures via the petition process to have their names on the ballot. 
“During the lead-up to last year’s council election we had an issue with petitions and qualifications, and we ended up in litigation because our code used to say petition instead of petitions,” Lohman said. “We needed to change that to make it crystal clear what paperwork is required for the candidates.”
The other change stemmed from a lawsuit in Palm Beach Gardens, a municipality Lohman also represents. The suit was precipitated because of a withdrawn candidate, he explained.
“Back then, Palm Beach Gardens required a majority of votes to win, just like we do here still. After the ballot was printed, one of the three candidates withdrew and said he didn’t want to be elected.
“We posted signs at polling locations, we tried to inform people that this person was not running, they cannot take office if someone votes for him, yet miraculously 1,100 people still cast their votes” for that person, Lohman said. “This precipitated a lawsuit over whether those votes should be counted in the total. If the votes were counted, nobody got a majority and so then you have to have a runoff,” which the city avoided.

Related Stories: Former police officer seeks to unseat mayor | Third mayoral candidate withdraws from race | Mayoral candidate forum set for Feb. 18

By Mary Thurwachter

Two prominent Lantana citizens called for a halt in cyberbullying by a group of residents on a private Facebook page.
Kem Mason, a retired firefighter and Lantana’s Santa Claus for holiday events, and Dave Arm, president of the Chamber of Commerce and the owner of a local gym, took advantage of the public comments portion of the Jan. 25 Town Council meeting to air concerns about what Mason called “the venomous words of individuals who only seek to promote themselves and their own agenda.”
“There’s been some talk around town, ugly remarks that are being made,” Mason said from a prepared statement. “My name has finally come to the forefront so I’ve written these words. We need to bring back civility.”
The ugly remarks are coming from a private group on Facebook, Arm said. He described the group as being “closed off in their own little cocoon.” He said members have attacked the mayor, town manager, Town Council, the entire town staff, the Chamber of Commerce, Arm himself, his business and others.
People have the right to free speech, but there is a better way to go about airing criticism, Mason said.
“While we do have a First Amendment, we must each use restraint and respect when making statements that others will read,” Mason said. “This is also true within our own town, when people use corrosive words on websites to denigrate and manipulate the truth.”
He said if someone is going to express discontent, he or she should do it “in a form which is respectful and dignified.”
“Respect for one another, even when we disagree, is of the utmost importance within our society, otherwise chaos ensues,” Mason said. “While I am sure these words are falling on the deaf ears of those who feel justified in their ugly remarks and rumors, I ask those who read their words not to empower them by attending their website of abuse. We must use restraint when we voice our opinions and consider the consequences of our words. We must overcome the passion of our hearts with the reason of our minds.”
Although Mason did not name the Facebook group during his remarks, after the meeting he confirmed he was referring to Lantana Raw. The group describes itself as “a friendly neighborhood group for all past and present residents of Lantana and people who work in Lantana.”
Arm said when he and his wife moved to Lantana 15 years ago, they were impressed by how friendly everybody was. “Back then, Facebook was just a venue for Harvard students to get to know each other,” he said. “Obviously that’s changed. Now you’ve got a cancer on the town. They can yak all they want, but they’ve got this group that really believes this.”
Neither Mason nor Arm is a member of Lantana Raw but learned of the attacks after seeing printed copies of posts from the group that have been circulating around town.
Members of the Facebook group who are suspected of being disloyal, or of leaking information, are tossed out, former members of the group have said.
One major target of the attacks has been Mayor David Stewart, who is up for re-election in March. The mayor says he doesn’t belong to Facebook, but is aware of the rebukes aimed at him, courtesy of friends who share printed copies of posts. He declined to comment on the matter.

Related  Stories: Four candidates compete in two commission races | Two vie to be mayor | Three candidate forums can be viewed virtually

By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach mayor’s race is turning into a battle between the locals and the outsiders.
Shelly Petrolia, the incumbent, raised $91,697 as of Dec. 31. That amount includes $53,715.90 in self-loans. In December, 87% of her contributors had Delray Beach addresses.
In addition, Alan Mindel and his sister, Marlene, who built the Aloft Hotel in downtown Delray Beach, each donated $1,000 to Petrolia’s campaign.
Political newcomer Tracy Caruso raised $101,275 as of Dec. 31. That amount includes a $51,000 self-loan. In December, about 48% of her contributors had Delray Beach addresses.
Caruso, who is married to state Rep. Michael Caruso, received four $1,000 donations from political action committees that were not based in Delray Beach. The donors include Ethics and Honesty in Government of Coral Gables and the Palm Beach County Police Political Benevolent Association PC & Issues Fund in West Palm Beach.
For the two other commission races, none had the obvious difference in the Delray Beach addresses of donors as the mayoral candidates did in the December report.
Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston is facing a former commissioner he beat in 2018, Mitch Katz, for Seat 3.
Boylston raised $40,439 as of Dec. 31, including a $10,000 self-loan. His December donors gave a range of money from $3 to $1,000. Ten of his 139 donors gave $3 each, while 17 donated $1,000 each.
His big donors include five tied to the Opal Grand Resort, formerly the Marriott hotel, which faces the beach. In 2020, Boylston played a key role in getting the sea grapes trimmed to improve the views of the beach and the habitat of the dune.
Friend Lee Cohen, a personal injury attorney, donated $1,000 to Boylston in December. Boylston also received $1,000 from the county police political action committee.
Match Point, which runs the Delray Beach Open, gave his campaign $1,000. Boylston boasted of his negotiating prowess in ending the city’s lawsuit against Match Point. The city had sued to end a no-bid contract. The 2019 settlement resulted in Match Point’s continuing to run the tennis tournament.
His challenger, Katz, just entered the race in December. He raised $6,036, including a $500 self-loan.
His biggest donor was Ken MacNamee, who contributed $1,000. MacNamee is a retired bank executive and a prolific public records requester who is focused on how the city spends taxpayer dollars.
JoAnn Mower, retired health industry executive and wife of Sandy Zeller, who sits on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board, donated $500, as did Benita Goldstein, who runs a bed and breakfast in Delray Beach.
Price Patton, a veteran journalist, is running against incumbent Adam Frankel in the Seat 1 race.
Patton worked for more than two decades at The Palm Beach Post. He was a founding partner of The Coastal Star in 2008. He has taken a leave of absence.
In November, he started his campaign with a $10,000 personal loan.
Patton’s December contributors mirror those who donated to the Katz campaign, including MacNamee and Goldstein. Patton also received $1,000 from his wife, Carolyn.
Jestena Boughton, whose family owns the Colony Hotel in downtown Delray Beach, donated $1,000 to the Patton campaign.
Sandy Zeller donated $500 in November.
Incumbent Frankel raised $22,500 in December to bring his year-end total to $34,500. He did not lend his campaign any money.
Frankel’s contributors mirror those of Boylston. Five $1,000 contributors have ties to the Opal Grand Resort. Frankel also received $1,000 contributions from Match Point and the county police political action committee.
In addition, four firms tied to the O.G. bar on Southeast Second Avenue donated $1,000 each to Frankel’s campaign.
He also received $1,000 from Neil Schiller’s law firm. In the past year, Schiller has come before the commission or the city’s CRA for two Delray Beach property owners: the Doc’s Place owner and BH3 Management, which is trying to redevelop three blocks of West Atlantic Avenue and owns the Pour & Famous bar, which wanted to add an outside restaurant on West Atlantic.
The municipal election is set for March 9.
Commissioners decided on Jan. 12 not to hold early voting for city races. Because the county or state is not holding an election in March, it would have cost the city about $125,000 to host seven days of early voting, the city clerk said.

Keith Rowling, shown beside his renovated Gulf Stream home, says South Florida is like New York was in the ’60s. ‘It's definitely growing but there's a lot more runway.’ His five-bedroom home was built in 1948. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

If you cruise the A1A corridor in south Palm Beach County it’s a familiar sight: A buyer purchases a multimillion-dollar mansion on the beach, then has it torn to the ground and starts over with his own design.
Not Keith Rowling. Already one of the most successful wealth advisers in the nation at age 39, Rowling has moved into four residences in Delray Beach and Gulf Stream since coming from Michigan in 2016 and chosen to renovate each one.
The latest is a five-bedroom house on a one-acre lot in Gulf Stream built in 1948 that he purchased last August.
“Many people would have looked at it as a tear-down,” said Rowling, whose family includes a fiancée and an 11-year-old daughter. “Instead of tearing it down we gutted it, and it’s kind of a bohemian beach house now. It’s really cool, actually.
“I love renovating houses. We modernized this one effectively: new floors, new kitchen, new bathroom, put a lot of light into it. Took out all the old crown moldings, all the heaviness of the old house. So now it’s very airy, very white. It’s kind of a really cool beach-house look now.”
Rowling launched his investment career as a teenager, using his lawn-mowing money to buy five shares of Boeing stock after reading in U.S. News and World Report that the company was about to launch the 777. He became a vice president at UBS Paine Webber and moved on to become managing director and financial adviser at Morgan Stanley in Michigan for nine years.
He’s been managing director at Merrill Lynch in Palm Beach since 2017. Forbes ranked him No. 4 on its list of Next Gen Best in State Wealth Advisors in 2019 and No. 5 in America’s Next Gen Advisors in 2020.
He first moved to coastal Delray Beach, then to a townhouse in Gulf Stream before he “kind of stumbled across” his recent purchase.
“Walking down the beach in the middle of COVID, I kind of realized if I didn’t do it now I never would be able to,” he said. “And since then the real estate numbers have just been amazing. I found this place pre-COVID, then decided to buy it during COVID.”
To say he’s bullish on the future of the area is putting it mildly.
“South Florida is like New York was in the ’60s,” he said. “It’s definitely growing but there’s a lot more runway. The financial capital has always been attracted here, but the intellectual capital that’s coming is going to change this place.
“Florida booms and busts, but you’ve never seen intellectual capital flood a very small place.”
— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and went to Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills. I then attended Notre Dame University, meaning I went to Catholic schools all the way through. I liked it a lot. Most of the time you’re there with mostly middle-class kids, and the work ethic and Midwest values that instilled were very beneficial in my growth. I had one sister, Jennifer, who also went to Notre Dame.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: Only one profession. I started in wealth management at the age of 17 as the protégé of a top female adviser, Martha Adam. I worked for her all through my time at Notre Dame and then joined her as a partner in 2004. I’m on the Barron’s and Forbes top financial adviser lists, and crossed $1 billion in asset-funded management in 2020.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Start early, you can pay now or pay later. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Adjust your sails often, and when you find your spot, be 110% committed to make it succeed.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream?
A: My 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte, is extremely asthmatic and the Midwest winters were torture for her. The salt air of South Florida is an incredible therapeutic. Gulf Stream is an ideal locale, a small town situated in the middle of what is rapidly becoming the “new world.”

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream?
A: The combination of incredible beauty, low-key lifestyle and a group of neighbors who are equally accomplished and genuine. For me it’s the best-kept secret in South Florida.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: I’m rereading Abundance, by Peter Diamandis. It reminds us how the technological revolution is creating incredible opportunities and advancements in all areas of our lives. In these times we must remember there are always reasons to be optimistic; even the vaccine and how quickly it came about is revolutionary. Humanity finds a way.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: It’s all pretty much the same to me. My fiancée does the playlist, so whatever she’s listening to. I wish I had a better answer, but that’s it.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: Starting in high school working for Martha Adam. She was my mentor and one of my best friends from 16 until she passed several years ago. She was one of the top female brokers at Paine Webber in Michigan when she started in the late ’60s. She gave me my start in the business and taught me everything from stocks and bonds to clothing and wine.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: My daughter, Charlotte Rowling, and my fiancée, Kristy Rao. The combination of the wit of my 11-year-old and that of a lifetime New Yorker, neither of whom hold much back!  

Q: Do you have a favorite cause? If so, why is it important to you?
A: I love being a father; my daughter is my life. We spend an inordinate amount of time together.  Whether it’s on the boat, in the backyard or struggling through Singapore math, we celebrate life together.

By Dan Moffett

Like other municipalities across the state, South Palm Beach is struggling to strike a balance that prevents government meetings from spreading COVID-19 while also ensuring they allow public access and transparency.
Shortly after the virus outbreak began last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that allowed governments to meet virtually, using technology, and suspending the statutory requirement for in-house quorums. But that order expired in October, and what followed was a hodgepodge of meeting strategies throughout the state as cities, towns and counties strived to maintain both access and safety.
South Palm Beach essentially went to a hybrid formula with a quorum of council members present in Town Hall and other council members, officials and the public participating by phone.
During the town’s Jan. 12 meeting, the council unanimously passed new rules and procedures for meetings going forward.
Specifically, the resolution gives the mayor the power and responsibility to authorize hybrid virtual meetings and restrict public participation in the Town Hall chambers to eight people, so social distancing is maintained. Upon the mayor’s order, the town manager becomes responsible for setting up the internet or telephone access. The rules still require a quorum of at least three council members to be physically present.
Mayor Bonnie Fischer said it’s important to guarantee that meetings are accessible to the public and that people understand how they will operate. But she’s not in favor of going exclusively to in-person meetings until the pandemic subsides.
“I’d like to have some semblance of integrity in the town, some continuity that, yes, we’re meeting again,” Fischer said. “No matter what we do, it’s important we have public participation.”
Town Attorney Glen Torcivia told the council that any changes to meeting formats come with legal perils and raise the prospect of clashes between Tallahassee control and principles of home-rule governance.
“There’s a risk for this,” Torcivia said, “because it has not been tested” in the courts.
The council is in unanimous agreement that the town must improve its audio system and technological equipment. Callers participating in meetings have complained about muddled sound and dropped transmissions.
Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb said the town has about $40,000 set aside in the budget for technology upgrades and should use it to fix the problems.

In other business
• The council expects work to begin this month on the town’s dune restoration project, a joint venture with the town of Palm Beach.
Fischer said Palm Beach officials believe they have solutions to access problems, enabling them to move the sand to South Palm beaches. The plan, estimated to cost the town between $700,000 and $900,000, calls for buying as much as 1,000 truckloads of sand from an ongoing Palm Beach dredging project and using it to repair the erosion damage done by recent storms. The work must be completed before turtle nesting season in May.
• The town has begun handing out thousands of COVID-19 face masks to residents. The council used grant money to cover the $10,000 cost of the masks, and the plan is for each resident to receive five of them.

By Charles Elmore

An eight-story residential and retail project has won a green light from city commissioners, despite a planning board’s earlier rejection and objections from some neighbors that it will sever part of a downtown street and worsen congestion.
With 5-0 votes Jan. 19, Boynton Beach’s commission set the stage for developers to proceed with Legacy at Boynton Beach. The plan includes 274 apartments, 12,422 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 530 parking spaces, mostly in an enclosed garage.
It marks the latest step in a redevelopment surge downtown.
The 2.76-acre site at the northeast corner of Southeast Second Avenue and Federal Highway encompasses parcels of land obtained by an affiliate of Beachwood, Ohio-based Goldberg Cos. Inc.
One source of friction in public meetings since last fall has been that the plan permanently would close a portion of Southeast First Avenue, ending its connection to Federal Highway.
Property owners near the project, including Tony Mauro, told commissioners in a Jan. 6 meeting the closure would be a “calamity” that crimps access to neighboring businesses. Periodic traffic backups and flooding on East Ocean Avenue would make the loss of alternatives worse, while also limiting access by ambulances or other emergency vehicles, he argued.
“It’s irresponsible,” Mauro said.
Mayor Steven Grant said alternate routes are available that he has driven himself, and he dismissed the inconvenience as “negligible.”
The partial closure “was something we were asked to do,” said developer representative Bonnie Miskel. 
Consulting with traffic agencies, city staff members said that for reasons of safety and traffic flow they favored closure of an outlet that puts turning vehicles close to the busy intersection of Federal Highway and Ocean Avenue. 
Developers have pledged to enhance sidewalks along the remaining portion of Southeast First Avenue and improve areas where trucks can unload to support businesses.
Other owners of properties in the area voiced support for the partial road closure, saying the span was often used for parking in a way that hindered traffic moving through.
At the Jan. 19 meeting, attorney Jason Evans, representing property owners concerned about the plan, renewed what he called “vehement” objections as his clients consider options for legal challenges. He said he requested but never received traffic studies to back up the claims of developers and city staff.
“This is a taking,” Evans said. “This is something that’s not going to be taken lightly.”
Miskel disputed that, saying developers had consulted with multiple experts and met all regulatory burdens.
Grant maintained the net effect would be good for all involved.
“I believe the adjacent property owners will receive higher property values because of this development and improvements in the area,” the mayor said.
The city’s planning and development board voted 4-3 against one component of the plan in September, and 6-1 against two other pieces. Among the concerns expressed was a “rushed” timetable while many seasonal residents were not present to weigh in on traffic and density issues.
At the same time, board members acknowledged the City Commission has final say.
The project will feature a modern coastal architectural style, according to city staff reports.
“The project’s materials include simulated weathered wood planks, clear glass at the retail level, black window frames, vertically oriented windows and subtle tan tones that create a warmth to the building while maintaining clean lines,” staffers wrote.
At least 20 smaller apartments are planned to be “attainable,” Miskel said Jan. 6, meaning affordable to workers with limited incomes under rules that allow developers to put more residential units than usual in the same space. Further details of those plans were expected to be discussed at future meetings.

Police Officer Peter Cummings received a lifesaving award for giving emergency aid to Mateo Parker, who had just been delivered by his mom, Daydra Parker, in a car and was not breathing. Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Officer Peter Cummings was given a lifesaving award — and a standing ovation— for saving the life of an infant last fall.
Police Chief Sean Scheller, who made the presentation during the Jan. 11 Lantana Town Council meeting, said that on Oct. 22 police were dispatched to a woman who called saying she was delivering her own baby in her car. Since she was not familiar with the area, she wasn’t able to tell dispatchers exactly where she was. They were, however, able to track her location — at Lantana Road and North Broadway — through her phone.
The baby’s father had been driving the woman to the hospital, but the birth couldn’t wait and the mother, Daydra Parker, delivered her son, Mateo, herself in the car.
“Officer Peter Cummings was the first to arrive and found the woman holding the infant in the passenger seat,” Scheller said. “The infant was not breathing and beginning to lose color.”
Cummings, 30, had a suction bulb in his equipment bag and used it remove mucous from the baby’s nose and mouth until the baby began to cry. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue transported both mother and baby to JFK Medical Center, where the baby made a full recovery.
Daydra Parker brought her baby to the award presentation and expressed her gratitude to Cummings and all first responders who were there for her.
“It was a very exciting moment in my life, but I was very scared,” she said, attempting to hold back her tears.
Cummings has since been promoted to investigator at the Lantana Police Department, where he has worked for 8½ years.
“I was glad I was able to help her,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time he saved a newborn, Cummings said. While the first child also survived, Cummings did not have a suction bulb then and bought one shortly after so he was better prepared the next time.

Three more properties (above) were added to the scope of the seawall project in Ocean Ridge after approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mary Kate Leming/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

The large seawall project in Ocean Ridge has grown larger, but town officials remain confident work will be completed by the end of March to avoid interfering with turtle nesting season.
Town Manager Tracey Stevens said the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved the construction of three more seawalls in order to close the protection gap near Anna Street.
The walls will go behind the properties at 6059, 6057 and 6029 Old Ocean Blvd. No other seawall extensions are likely to be considered by the DEP, Stevens told the Town Commission during its Feb. 1 meeting.
The project has forced the closure of two public crossovers to the beach at Anna and Edith streets, and some residents in the neighborhood have objected. Last month, residents complained that the contractor was moving heavy construction equipment along the beach instead of using the crossover access points as some believed the town intended.
Stevens said closing the crossovers didn’t mean the contractor would keep heavy equipment off the beach.
“One of the reasons we closed both crossovers was to give the contractor the ability to complete both projects simultaneously while keeping beachgoers as safe as possible during construction,” Stevens said. “The movement of equipment along the beach was never precluded.”
She said the crossover access allows the contractor to keep busy even during high tides and ensures the project will be completed on a tight schedule.
Mayor Kristine de Haseth has urged residents to be patient and consider the importance of the project.
“Those seawalls are the first line of defense for the entire town,” she said.
In other business, commissioners gave Stevens high marks during her evaluation as she begins her third year as manager. She worked two years as town clerk before rising to her current position.
“Tracey’s transition to town manager has been seamless,” de Haseth wrote in the evaluation. “Our town is lucky to have her leadership and dedication.”
Vice Mayor Steve Coz advised Stevens to “work on the talent of motivating others in a team mentality versus a boss mentality.”
Coz said: “She is on a learning curve that so far is working out reasonably for Tracey, the commission and the town. I only expect Tracey to continue to improve. … Great managers aren’t made overnight.”
Commissioners Susan Hurlburt and Martin Wiescholek commended Stevens for her performance during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hurlburt said: “Tracey has steered Ocean Ridge through these arduous times with strong leadership, perseverance, dedication and good cheer.”
Wiescholek said he “could not be happier” with her performance and said she showed “exceptional skills” in coping with “some complex problems.”
Commissioner Phil Besler, who is stepping down from the commission next month, worried about the town’s finances down the road.
“You need to work harder to get the budget back to a surplus,” Besler told the manager. “The future is going to be tougher than the past as there are major infrastructure issues coming.”
Besler also said the town’s evaluation forms tend to be skewed toward unreasonably high ratings and encouraged the commission to consider changing the format.

By Jane Smith

James Stables became chief of the Boynton Beach Fire Department on Jan. 4.
“It’s been a whirlwind for the first two days I’ve been here,” Stables said at the Jan. 5 City Commission meeting. “I’m looking forward to getting busy in this great community.”
Stables, 54, has more than 30 years of fire service experience. He most recently was the fire chief in Johnson City, Tennessee. He started as a fire inspector/volunteer firefighter in Wilton Manors in 1985.
Before leaving for the Johnson City position, Stables was the fire chief in Palm Bay. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the Melbourne branch campus of Barry University.
In Boynton Beach, he will make $144,000 annually and receive 12 vacation days, plus 32 additional vacation hours during his first year.
Boynton Beach provides fire-rescue services to the barrier island towns of Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.
Since early June, retired Chief Ray Carter had been the interim Boynton Beach fire chief. That’s when the city manager and former Fire Chief Matt Petty agreed Petty should resign because of his role in the altered mural at the new fire station in Town Square.
“I can’t end the night without thanking Ray Carter for bailing me out and helping us through a difficult time,” City Manager Lori LaVerriere said at the Jan. 5 meeting.
Carter, who retired in 2016, responded, “My pleasure to come back to help during a difficult situation. … But I’m happy to be retiring again.”
He received a standing ovation from commissioners and city staff in the chambers and from the other commissioners and LaVerriere appearing online in the virtual meeting.

By Rich Pollack

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 25 recovered the body of a 24-year-old pilot from inside a plane that crashed into the ocean south of the Boynton Inlet and settled almost intact on the ocean floor under 40 feet of water.
The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-28, disappeared shortly after 8 p.m. the day before after taking off from the Palm Beach County Airport in Lantana and was headed for Merritt Island, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A Mayday alert from the plane was received by the control tower at Palm Beach International Airport after contact had been lost with the aircraft.
A search that included more than a half-dozen local, state and federal agencies continued into the morning, and crews aboard a Sheriff’s Office helicopter spotted the plane less than a mile offshore.
Dive teams recovered the body of Abhishek Patter, who was wearing a pilot’s uniform, before noon. Patter, according to published reports, had recently earned a certification from a flight school in Merritt Island. Earlier in the day, walkers on the beach recovered landing gear and what was believed to be an emergency beacon from the aircraft and turned them over to Ocean Ridge police.
The cause of the crash was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Police Chief Carmen Mattox honors property manager Andrew Klinginsmith for his ‘bravery and selfless attitude for putting his life in danger in order to save a fellow citizen.’ Klinginsmith rescued a passenger who was ejected from a box truck on Dec. 18 when it crashed against a wall along A1A. He tried to rescue the driver, who was unconscious inside the cab as the truck burst into flames. The driver died. Klinginsmith sustained first- and second-degree burns to his arms and face. Town Clerk Lisa Petersen said ‘his actions were not unexpected. He’s one of the good guys!’ Photo provided

By Dan Moffett

Manalapan officials are exploring ways to slow down Jet Skis and other recreational vessels in the Intracoastal lagoon.
Residents have complained for years about the high wakes caused by watercraft traveling too fast and too close to docks and shorelines, especially during weekends and holidays.
Mayor Keith Waters says the speeding problem goes as far south as the Boynton Inlet and extends to Point Manalapan.
“That is a racetrack on weekends,” Waters said. “I’m going to say upwards to 50 or 60 miles an hour.”
The mayor says the high wakes have damaged some residents’ boats at docks.
The Town Commission asked Police Chief Carmen Mattox in December to consult with state officials and see whether the town can put up more signs or take other enforcement actions to slow down the traffic.
Mattox spoke with officials from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and reported to commissioners during their Jan. 26 meeting that the town’s enforcement area is limited and expanding it would not be easy.
The only navigational channel in the jurisdiction of Manalapan is a short, narrow passage located west of Lands End Road, the chief said.
“There are no idle speed zones or no-wake areas in the jurisdiction of Manalapan,” Mattox reported to the commission, and moreover, “creating a restricted zone is a very difficult process.”
The town would have to show compelling evidence that a public safety hazard exists before the state would consider expanding restricted areas and widening Manalapan’s enforcement reach.
Unless that happens, the town’s options are limited.
“We don’t have any authority over the waterways,” said Town Manager Linda Stumpf. “So there’s nothing we can do.”
However, Mattox said the FWC would be willing to station a marked state vessel in the area that might serve as a visible deterrent to speeders. What the state wants is permission from a property owner to use dock space for a year.
Also, state officials say there is no regulation prohibiting residents from placing no-wake signs on their docks, though authorities cannot enforce them.
Commissioners might have to adjust the town’s ordinances to allow dock signs to be erected.
Waters hopes that part of the solution might be improving the signage and making boaters and Jet Skiers aware that they must minimize their wakes because high speeds can cause damage.
“There’s no signage along the way,” the mayor said. “You can’t blame people for not knowing that.”
The commission is expected to discuss the problem further at its next meeting, Feb. 23.

Election Results:

By Dan Moffett

Mayor Gene Adams and Town Manager Bill Thrasher have been working to drive down the costs of holding a March 9 special election to consider a ballot referendum that would give Briny Breezes its first real town charter.
Their efforts are paying off.
Adams told the Town Council during its meeting on Jan. 28 that the town had secured a $2,000 grant from the political action committee People for Coastal Common Sense to reduce the election expense.
Also, Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link has agreed to create a new rate schedule category for very small municipalities and charge them less.
“We’re beyond small,” Adams said. “We are now micro.”
Taken together, the two developments should keep the town’s cost for the election somewhere “well under budget,” Adams said. Council members had worried that the expense could rise above $10,000, but that appears unlikely now.
Because no candidates came forward to challenge council incumbents in the March 9 vote, Briny is required to pay the supervisor the cost of running the election on the charter amendments. The council had voted to postpone the amendment vote until the next statewide election to save the money, but reversed the decision during a Dec. 22 special meeting after Thrasher objected.
The amendments, the result of six months of work by a citizens committee, outline procedures for governing Briny through a formal charter — something the town hasn’t had since its incorporation as a municipality in 1963.
Most of the charter proposal simply restates practices that the town already has in place. Two of the most significant changes are a measure that makes the job of town clerk an appointed position, rather than elected, and a section that defines the role of the town manager, a position created just three years ago.
In other business:
• Town Attorney Keith Davis showed the council the first draft of a proposed ordinance that seeks to bring the town’s sign codes in line with recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions protecting free speech.
Davis said the ordinance would restrict the “time, place and manner” of temporary signs — for example, those for political campaigns, garage sales, real estate agents, birthday parties, etc. — but would not restrict content. Permanent signs would not be affected. Davis, who helped rewrite sign ordinances for Manalapan and other municipalities, said “this is bar none the most difficult thing to regulate I have ever encountered.”
Council members said they would review the draft and discuss possible revisions at their upcoming meetings.
• Briny is looking for a Plan B to throttle down Intracoastal watercraft traffic that is sending damaging high wakes into the town’s marina.
Thrasher said he had hoped to partner with Ocean Ridge, Delray Beach or other neighboring municipalities in a consortium to persuade state officials to slow down vessels. But he told the council that larger communities have decided to appeal individually to the state for relief, so Briny is on its own.
Council members decided to monitor the progress of other communities and hope for a path forward. Ú

By Sallie James

POMPANO BEACH — She was a beloved newspaper editor and devoted mother and wife whose legacy of caring will long be remembered by people who loved her. Four years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Marguerite “Margie” Malandro Plunkett died on Jan. 20, at home surrounded by family. She was 65.
As news of her death trickled out, her former colleagues expressed shock and grief on social media, remembering Margie for her good nature, media savvy and overwhelming kindness.
“Margie was such a nice person, the kind you instantly liked upon meeting. And a fine professional who did great work. She will be missed,” said Gail Bulfin, a former Sun Sentinel colleague.
“Always with a smile and a kind word,” wrote former Sun Sentinel colleague Bonnie DiPacio on Facebook. “Just heartbreaking,” added Willie Fernandez, also a former Sun Sentinel colleague. “One of the nicest people in the newsroom.”
Jaclyn Giovis Wolff called her “kind, patient, meticulous and cool under pressure.” Sun Sentinel alumna Ann Carter described Margie as “quiet, kind and capable, with a wicked sense of humor.”
“Sorry to hear this. She maintained a pleasant disposition amid all the chaos of putting out those fat business sections in the ’80s. … Margie was too young to go,” former colleague Jim McNair posted on Facebook.
Margie was born on Oct. 23, 1955, in Vineland, New Jersey, to Eugene Malandro and Gloria Passino Malandro.
From a young age she was always interested in facts. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, then landed a job on the Vineland Times Journal, her hometown paper. It was there she befriended Malinda Elek, another young reporter who became a lifelong friend. The two worked together years later on the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale.
Margie was always committed to her career in journalism, and took pride in her research and writing. Shortly after starting her job at the Vineland Times Journal, she was selected winner of the 1981 Times Graphics Property Award for her four-part series on “Nursing Homes.”
“She was a good listener. When she came into the room you just felt like smiling,” Elek said. “We were both pretty serious about writing and journalism. Outside of work, she was just there for you, always there to listen. One of those people you are not afraid to tell anything to. I am going to miss her forever.”
Her sister Jeannie Malandro said Margie had a passion for learning and never wavered when she set her mind to something. As a child, she taught herself to play piano.
When she decided to learn French, she excelled at it, Jeannie Malandro recalled.
Margie and her husband, Steve Plunkett, met at the Sun Sentinel in 1985. Their first date was at a French restaurant, in line with Margie’s interest in the French language. Five years later they married, on March 31, 1990, in Washington, D.C., where Margie was working on the Washington Times. They honeymooned in Paris.
Jeannie’s most vivid memory of her sister was Margie’s determination to make others feel special. She was an amazing hostess, who always watched out for others’ well-being.
“She wanted to let everyone know she cared about you and wanted to take care of you,” Jeannie said. She never forgot birthdays, made sure everyone on her Christmas list was taken care of, and would remember special facts that made you feel special, she recalled.
Mary Kate Leming, editor of The Coastal Star, where Margie worked for several years, said Margie’s capable presence was unforgettable.
“On top of being an excellent journalist, Margie was kind and a genuinely lovely person,” Leming said. “Town officials often confused us in the early days of the newspaper. We’d share a laugh at that. I was happy to be mistaken for someone as capable and kind as Margie.”
When Margie fell ill with cancer, she researched the disease instead of panicking, her sister said. Margie remained hopeful that medical innovations would help improve her life.
“She was a lifelong learner and fascinated with learning about new topics, which is what I think led her to journalism,” her sister said. “She would do research on that disease and it helped her to dispel a lot of her fear. She was always hopeful. She had such a good attitude I couldn’t believe it.”
She was close with her daughter, Kerianne, and was comforted by the one-on-one time she had with her in her last days, her sister said.
Margie’s career included stints at an array of newspapers: She worked at The Coastal Star as a reporter and editor on and off from 2011 to 2020; as communications director at Global Response from 2015-2020; business editor at the Tampa Tribune from 2013 to 2015; assistant business editor at the Sun Sentinel from 1999 to 2008; was business writer at the Palm Beach Post from 1993 to 1999; and business editor at the Washington Times from 1988 to 1993.
Margie will be remembered for her love of life, her charm and personality, devotion to family and friends, and her warm heart.
She is survived by her husband, Steven Plunkett; her daughter, Kerianne Plunkett, and her grandson, Judah Plunkett Gamble, of Pompano Beach; sisters Marilyn Shreckhise of Virginia, Jeannie Malandro of New Mexico, Gloria Malandro of New Jersey, Dianne Kobayashi of Vineland, and Trish Solomon of Colorado; along with many loving nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
Margie’s family and friends will hold a celebration of her life at a later date.

OCEAN RIDGE — Eileen Ryan Pettus died on Jan. 17 at the Health First’s Holmes Medical Center in Melbourne, the result of an automobile accident. She was 74 years old. 
Born Eileen Ryan in New York City on Oct. 28, 1946, she was an alumna of Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City; Sacred Heart Greenwich (Connecticut); and the Convent of the Sacred Heart Kenwood, in Albany, New York, from which she graduated in 1964. She attended Briarcliff, Briarcliff Manor, New York, and in 1968 she graduated from Maryville University, St. Louis, with a degree in English literature.
During her early years in New York she was a runway and magazine model, and in St. Louis worked for the old Southwest Bank and Commerce banks. 
Her marriages to John B. Mitchell Jr., of St. Louis, and Theodore T. Pettus, of New York, ended in divorce. She returned from St. Louis to New York City in 1985, and worked as a client representative in the private banking group at JP Morgan. 
In 2004 she relocated to South Florida, close to where her family had a longtime second home.
In Florida, Eileen was active in several charities and nonprofits, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. She was supportive of Paul’s Place in Delray Beach, an after-school program that provides mentoring and nourishment to underprivileged children. 
She was alternately known by nicknames such as Leendog and Rosebud, but by whatever name she was also described as a brilliant and beautiful force, a woman who had a significant and profound impact on scores of people she encountered on her sometimes bumpy journey.
Eileen was charismatic, they agree: quick-witted, well-read, outspoken, charming, magnetic, sophisticated, exceptionally generous, captivating, creative and artistic, dazzling, optimistic, possessed of an extraordinary sense of humor; and indelibly fashionable. 
She was an avid angler, an occasional golfer, a fanatical baseball devotee and sports fan; she was a dedicated philanthropist, an impassioned theater and music lover, a gifted artist, a dog lover extraordinaire. She enjoyed the best that life had to offer, and had a thirst for mischief. She always threw the best party.
Eileen was a devoted mother and grandmother, sister and friend. She had a close and joyful relationship with her only grandchild, Blake Jr., who received her undivided attention and affection. Coincidentally, they also celebrated the same birthday.
She is survived by her children, John Blanton Mitchell III (wife, Anita) of San Francisco, and Mariah Mitchell Davis of New York City; by her grandson, Blake Tamblyn Davis Jr.; and by her brothers John Ryan (wife, Virginia) of Chevy Chase, Maryland, Kevin Ryan (wife, Lynde) of Beaufort, South Carolina, and Michael Ryan of Bradenton, along with numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Eileen was preceded in death by her siblings Charles Patrick Ryan Jr. (wife, Cissy) of Garden City, New York, and Cathleen Ann Ryan of New York; and her parents, Charles Patrick Ryan and Mary Dwyer Ryan of New York.
Plans for a memorial service will be announced later. The family thanks the caregivers at Holmes Medical Center in Melbourne for their extraordinary dedication. In lieu of flowers, donations may go to Big Dog Ranch Rescue animal rescue service, 14444 Okeechobee Blvd., Loxahatchee Groves, FL 33470.

— Obituary submitted by the family

A look, then and now, at the Delray Beach hotel site at the northwest corner of State Road A1A and Atlantic Avenue. LEFT: The Seacrest Hotel, circa 1925, which stood for 57 years. Photo provided by Delray Beach Historical Society. RIGHT: The newly refurbished Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa. Image provided

By Rich Pollack

After 57 years as a steady landmark at the corner of State Road A1A and Atlantic Avenue, the Seacrest Hotel found its time had run out in the early 1980s.
Once a luxurious gathering place for wealthy Northerners who shunned the glitz of Palm Beach for the more relaxed ambience of Delray Beach, the 1925 hotel suffered from old age. By 1982 its decrepit condition was unrepairable and the Seacrest succumbed to the bite of the bulldozers.
Yet as Delray Beach evolved, a series of hotels would rise from the rubble, first as a Holiday Inn, then as a Marriott and now as the new Opal Grand Oceanfront Resort & Spa — each reflecting the community of its time and each taking the quality of the hotel up a notch.
With finishing touches being added to the multimillion-dollar transformation of the former Delray Beach Marriott into a 277-room, full-service luxury resort, one of the oldest and most sought-after hospitality corners — on both the beach and Atlantic Avenue — has come full circle.
“For almost 100 years there has been a hotel on this corner and it has played a significant role in this city,” says Mark Walsh, vice president of Delray Beach Ocean Properties Hotels & Resorts, which has owned a hotel on the Opal Grand site since the late 1970s.
Delray Beach’s renaissance from “Dull Ray” in the 1980s to the vital community of today influenced the evolution of the hotel.
But the influence was mutual.
“They go hand and hand,” Walsh says. “This location is Main and Main, it’s where you want something significant to the community.”
The Opal Grand certainly fills that role as Delray strives to remain a magnet for leisure and business travelers from around the world.
“We’ve become a world-class destination and the Opal Grand has been a reflection of that,” says Stephanie Immelman, president and CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce. “The hotel is a destination.”
As Delray lures more visitors and more hotels spring up to meet the demand, the Opal Grand stands out: It’s part location and part event capacity. The 8,000-square-foot ballroom, which can accommodate more than 500 people, received a significant upgrade during the transformation.
The Opal Grand, one of about 20 eclectic luxury resorts in Ocean Properties’ Opal Collection, has a concept that was in the works for several years, according to Walsh, although work on the complete renovation didn’t start until last year.
The vision, he says, was “to make it the best hotel on the beach you’ll find in South Florida.”
“This new look, this new feel — it’s what people are looking for now,” he said. “It’s casual elegance. You feel comfortable walking in wearing shorts and a T-shirt and you feel comfortable all dressed up.”
Visitors returning to the Opal Grand will notice changes before they even set foot in the door. The Mediterranean style of the Marriott has made way for what architect Gary Eliopoulos calls a Floribbean look.
“You want something that says Florida,” he says. “This is a coastal look.”
Inside, the lobby is bright and unusual — with swinging chairs, fountains, a water wall and check-in “pods,” rather than a long desk.
“It’s going to give you that wow,” says General Manager Julia Phillips, who is focused on ensuring guests — and even their pets — get the highest-quality service. “We want them to feel like they’re the only guests in the resort.”
Adjacent to the lobby is the Monkey Bar, an airy gathering spot, featuring a living wall with natural plants.
An Atlantic Avenue-facing restaurant, Drift, will be accessible from the street and the hotel, and is expected to be completed by late spring. The resort also includes two pools and a spa.
With the renovations has come an expected increase in room rates that reflects the product.

‘A bet on Delray’
To better understand how far the property has come, just look at the challenges that faced Tom Walsh, the founder of the company now run by his children, when he sought financing in the early 1980s.
Walsh had purchased the 2.26-acre Seacrest Hotel site in 1978 after the hotel had been shuttered. But starting almost from scratch, he was able to reopen it in 1983 as the Holiday Inn Camino Real.
Lenders who were familiar with the growth of the hospitality industry in nearby Boca Raton were skeptical.
“There was no history of a new significant hotel in Delray,” Mark Walsh says. “It was a bet on Delray, that it would grow and expand.”
For the Walshes, the bet paid off.
The Holiday Inn, says longtime resident and former City Commissioner Bill Bathurst, helped Delray once again attract Northern tourists.
“It was the beginning of the tourism renaissance because people had a place to stay on the beach,” he says.
Ocean Properties expanded the hotel in the late 1990s and switched to the Marriott brand. It was during that expansion that the hotel added meeting space, becoming a destination for larger community events, local weddings and other celebrations, as well as meetings and conferences for out-of-town visitors.
Now, the Opal Grand is the next step in the evolution that began with the 1925 opening of the Seacrest Hotel.
“Delray has come a long way and so has this hotel,” Mark Walsh says.

By Christine Davis

Ronald and Cindy McMackin of Pan-Pacific Mechanical have purchased the new six-bedroom, Intracoastal-to-ocean estate — with approximately 21,000 total square feet — at 1660 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan.
The purchase price was recorded at $38.875 million, making it the highest-priced sale in Manalapan in 2020, and the highest price ever recorded for an Intracoastal-to-ocean property in Manalapan.
The seller was 1660 S. Ocean LLC, which is managed by Stewart A. Satter, a Manalapan town commissioner.
Tom Benedict of the Benedict Group was the architect and Robert Burrage of RWB Construction was the general contractor. The estate spans 150 feet along the Intracoastal and the ocean, with amenities such as a lakeside pool, 10-car garage, private beach tunnel under State Road A1A, loggia with a summer kitchen, and lower level spa and exercise room.
It is fully furnished by Marc-Michaels Interior Design.
Pascal Liguori listed the contemporary-style estate at $44.85 million on Nov. 10. It went under contract eight days later, and closed Dec. 30.
The transaction was recorded on Jan. 5.
Broker Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates represented the McMackins.
Ronald McMackin is chairman/CEO and Cindy McMackin is president of Pan-Pacific Mechanical, a leading full mechanical design/build subcontractor for large-scale construction projects.
In mid-December, the McMackins sold their Palm Beach estate to a trust affiliated with actor Sylvester Stallone.
Satter developed the estate through his Carnegie Hill Development. This is one of four estates he has developed and sold in Manalapan, totaling over $100 million in sales.
Satter is the former chief executive officer of Consumer Testing Laboratories — a leader in quality assurance services for the retail industry. Underwriters Laboratories acquired CTL in 2016 in a transaction handled by Citibank. Satter is also the founding partner of NYU/Stern Endless Frontier Labs, a tech startup accelerator in New York City.

In another recent transaction, Pascal and Antonio Liguori of Premier Estate Properties report that they represented both the buyer and seller in the $25.75 million sale of an ocean-to-Intracoastal compound at 1040 South Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan.
On 2.14 acres with 200 feet of Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal frontage, the 23,795-total-square-foot estate and guest house, designed by Yates Rainho Architects, was completed in 2018. Its features include two elevators, three laundry rooms, and five garage bays.

Premier Estate Properties surpassed $1.55 billion in 2020 sales of properties priced at more than $1 million. The company was founded in 1993 by brokers/owners Gerard P. Liguori, Carmen N. D’Angelo Jr., and Joseph G. Liguori.

Chicago-based real estate investment firm CA Ventures paid $80 million for the 159-unit student housing complex University Park at 135 NW 20th St., Boca Raton, near Florida Atlantic University, on Jan. 8. The 228,000-square-foot complex, built in 2015, is on 10.5 acres. The seller is an affiliate of Investcorp, a Bahrain-based private equity firm led by Hazem Ben-Gacem and Rishi Kapoor. Investcorp bought the student housing community in 2016 for $70 million.

Members of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce have stepped up to support other members experiencing financial difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic, through an initiative called the Giving Tree.
The donations are intended to allow businesses to keep their chamber memberships, providing each about three months of payment, or $100 worth, into their renewal years.
All About Florida Homes/Lang Realty was among the first to step up to make a donation. 
Other contributors included Stephanie Immelman; Lorraine Plakstis; Lynn Van Lenten; All About Florida Homes, Noreen Payne; BSA Construction; Casa Mannabliss; Caler, Donten, Levine, Cohen, Porter & Veil PA; Festival Management Group; Plastridge Insurance Agency; Susan S. Weinblatt, Evershore Financial Group; UBS Financial Services; and Young Dentistry.

Christel Silver, owner of Silver International Realty in Delray Beach, was selected president of the International Real Estate Federation’s Miami and Caribbean Council for 2021 and was voted in to represent all councils in the country at the federation’s USA board of directors meeting. 

Roger L. Desjadon, co-founder and CEO of Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, plans to retire soon. In the first quarter of 2021, he is transitioning from his role as CEO but remaining as a consultant and member of the board of directors, as well as continuing to lead legislative affairs for the company. 
Paul M. Adkins will assume the responsibilities of CEO. Also, the company hired Gard Olbers as its chief risk officer. Olbers previously worked as senior managing director at Aon Reinsurance Solutions. Cindy Murphy was promoted to vice president of finance and will join the company’s executive management team. She previously served as the corporate controller.

The chamber’s leads group, Delray Business Partners, chaired by Jan Kinder, has set a record for collaboration with one another. 
During 2020, the 31 members generated more than $297,000 of gross sales by doing business with one another as well as by referring their colleagues in the group to other potential clients. For information about the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, contact Carolina Rush at 561-278-0424 or visit www.delraybeach.com.
 For information on Delray Business Partners, visit https://delraybusinesspartners.com.

In January, Margaret Moraskie was appointed CEO of Delray Beach-based Levenger, which sells reading, writing and lighting materials. Previously, she was the company’s chief marketing officer. Before joining Levenger, Moraskie was senior vice president of consumer analytics and intelligence for Chico’s FAS. Moraskie is an active board member of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle. She has a bachelor’s degree with honors in marketing from Boston College.

The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority has welcomed new businesses to downtown as well as supported the relocation of others throughout the district during the past six months. New stores include: Jean-Pierre Klifa, a clothing store at 401 E. Atlantic Ave.; Frankie Beans Coffee House at 190 SE Fifth Ave.; Amar Mediterranean Bistro at 522 E. Atlantic Ave.; Serenity & Tea by the Sea Café at 424 E. Atlantic Ave.; Prime IV Hydration & Wellness at 2 SE Sixth Ave.; Nine Line clothing store at 530 E. Atlantic Ave.; Jamie’s Convenience Store at 1155 E. Atlantic Ave. #103; Deke’s in Delray coffee house at 6 NE Fifth Ave.; Shoes N More at 417 E. Atlantic Ave.; Vicki Soble Couture & Bridal at 200 NE Second Ave. #102; Dereal Mystical clothing store at 200 NE Second Ave. #113; Caesar’s Famous Ribs at 37 SW Fifth Ave.; Stark’s Barber Co. at 317 NE Second Ave.; Smoke N Glass retail store at 1155 E. Atlantic Ave., and That Phone Fix Place at 84 SE Fourth Ave.
Relocated businesses include: Biba clothing at 404 E. Atlantic Ave.; Mare Blu Paris-Milan clothing store at 1130 E. Atlantic Ave.; Delray Camera Shop at 217 NE Fourth Ave.; Huber Health Mart at 321 E. Atlantic Ave.; Wings beachwear at 512/514/516 E. Atlantic Ave.; Mare Blu Swim at 1122 E. Atlantic Ave.; Aqua beachwear at 426 E. Atlantic Ave.; Casa L’acqua Italian restaurant at 9 SE Seventh Ave.; A Blast from the Past clothing store at 812 E. Atlantic Ave., and Lanzetta’s Classic Barbershop at 900 E. Atlantic Ave.
Avalon, a restaurant at 110 E. Atlantic Ave., is scheduled to open by the end of February.

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County has partnered with Solar United Neighbors to launch the Palm Beach County Solar Co-op, which works to help county residents go solar. Other partners on the co-op include the cities of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, Climate Reality Project Boca Raton Chapter, Elders Climate Action, Sierra Club, Southeast Alliance for Clean Energy, and South Florida Regional Planning Council Clean Cities Coalition. The co-op is free to join and open to homeowners and business owners. After a competitive bidding process, co-op members will select a single solar company to complete installations. Joining the co-op does not obligate members to purchase solar. Instead, members will have the option to individually purchase panels and electric vehicle chargers based on the installer’s group rate.
Solar United Neighbors will host several free information sessions to educate community members about solar energy and the co-op. If you are interested in attending, visit https://coops.solarunitedneighbors.org/coops/palm-beach-county-solar-co-op/.
Virtual information meetings are planned for 6 p.m. March 16 and April 7.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.