SEPT. 21 King tides and strong swells from tropical weather started the king tide season off with higher-than- expected flooding.

ABOVE: A stranded motorist calls for a tow truck after her car stalled out on Ocean Avenue in Ocean Ridge.

OCT. 19 Offshore breezes combined with king tides for more flooding.

ABOVE: Alex Granda slogs through flood waters as he works at Deck 84 restaurant in Delray Beach.
BELOW: Lia Schultz prepares to recover the trash can that floats in front of her home in Briny Breezes.

Photos by Jerry Lower/
The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

A relationship that has flowed faithfully for 60 years abruptly ended on its anniversary in September.
The long-running water partnership between Manalapan and the Town of Hypoluxo died for the foreseeable future, after Hypoluxo switched to Boynton Beach Utilities for services.
About 2,200 Hypoluxo residents, roughly 550 accounts, are getting their water from Boynton now. The change has been in the works for the last three years, since the Hypoluxo Town Council unanimously voted not to renew the Manalapan contract — originally signed in 1960 — when it expired on Sept. 1.
“We just can’t compete with what they’re offering,” Manalapan Town Manager Linda Stumpf said.
Boynton is promising Hypoluxo users a 25% reduction in their monthly bills and charging them the same preferred rate as in-city residents.
The fast-growing Boynton utility serves close to 120,000 customers and is looking to expand further. Manalapan has about 250 accounts remaining and is searching for a replacement for the roughly $1.2 million annual revenue stream Hypoluxo brought to the town.
“We’re looking for someone, and there’s been some interest,” Stumpf said.
Meanwhile, both towns are trying to settle on a price for the infrastructure Hypoluxo is taking over. Manalapan still owns the network of pipes west of the Intracoastal Waterway and wants roughly $1.2 million to give them up. Hypoluxo has submitted an appraisal that puts the value at around $490,000. An independent appraisal is in the works. “Hypoluxo has put $1 million in an escrow account for us while the appraisers are trying to agree on a value,” Stumpf said.
In other business, the Town Commission has unanimously approved two ordinances with provisions that shift review authority for building projects from Manalapan’s appointed boards to commissioners.
The changes give the commissioners the discretion to sign off on dock design plans and other building code issues without waiting for recommendations from the Planning and Zoning or Architectural commission. Input from the review boards is no longer mandatory.
The intent is “to streamline the review processes for both applicants and the town,” according to language in the ordinance passed to restructure the role of the planning board.
Another purpose is to prevent delays caused when a review panel is unable to meet because of absences that prevent assembling a quorum.
“It’s because of the way we’re structured and the way people are in or out of town,” Mayor Keith Waters said before the July 28 vote. “We’re trying to expedite to some extent the things that come before the commission. Sometimes it may take two or three months to get everybody together because people are not necessarily here 12 months a year.”

By Rich Pollack

Following through on inquiries from state regulators, Delray Beach’s Utilities Department is finishing up efforts to clean water storage tanks that had not been properly maintained in at least five years, while at the same time it takes steps to enhance maintenance procedures and improve drinking water quality and aesthetics.
“Our goal is to assure that people will be happy with their water and we’re hoping we can also further improve the color of the water,” said Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry.
Since September — when the Florida Department of Health began investigating Delray’s failure to inspect and, if necessary, clean water storage tanks at required intervals — the city has completed cleaning of its north water storage tank and last month completed cleaning of its 2-million-gallon south water storage tank.
Cleansing of another south tank, which holds 500,000 gallons, was scheduled to be completed by the end of October and cleaning of the city’s clear well — a tank that contains water as it moves through the treatment process — is set to begin in early November. That cleaning will take up to three weeks.
Once that project is completed, Delray Beach will have cleaned all of its water storage tanks and will be in compliance with state regulations that require water storage tanks to be inspected and cleaned at least every five years.
The city is still awaiting results of the state health department’s investigation into the storage tank cleaning, as well as an investigation into an issue Delray Beach had with reclaimed water commingling with drinking water.
Those issues are also the focus of an inquiry by the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General, which will make recommendations for corrective actions, should they be needed.
Hadjimiry and his team are already a few steps ahead of that investigation, having instituted several new processes and procedures.
In recent weeks Hadjimiry has implemented a new method of tracking tank inspections and cleanings, with the process now becoming the responsibility of the department’s regulatory compliance division. Additional maintenance activities are being tracked through a public-asset management program that tracks projects to completion.
Under Hadjimiry, who came to Delray Beach from Palm Beach County Water Utilities in June, the department also stocks critical parts so they’re on hand if needed and the city has vendor contracts in place to provide parts and service on short notice.
The department is also in the process of hiring a new water plant manager, filling a position that has been vacant since May.
“We’re going to do the most we can do for the overall quality of water,” Hadjimiry said, reinforcing his contention that the city’s drinking water is safe and in compliance with state and federal regulations.
One of several projects the Utilities Department has planned going forward is a study of ways to improve the aesthetics of the water coming out of faucets. An often-repeated complaint from residents is that Delray’s water is discolored, frequently with a yellow tint.
Hadjimiry said he hopes to further improve the color through a combination of processes. “I want to see if we can bring up the color of the water,” he said.
Also in the works is a study to see if the city can provide an extra level of disinfection into the water treatment process, one that goes beyond regulations and is currently used by the Palm Beach County Water Utilities department.
The city Utilities Department recently completed cleaning of the aerators used in the water treatment process and Hadjimiry is expected to ask the City Commission to approve spending $900,000 to replace filters that are critical to the treatment process. Ú

By Jane Smith

At the end of October, the Florida Department of Health was still waiting for complete information on some barrier island reclaimed water installations in Delray Beach.
More than three months have passed since local DOH environmental leaders met with Delray Beach utilities and legal staff to review 13 possible violations in the city’s reclaimed water program.
“The department expects the report to contain a full accounting/inventory and compliance history of all reclaimed water connections,” wrote Jorge Patino, water and wastewater administrator at the Florida DOH. “Any omissions may be construed as reporting violations.”
That Sept. 21 email to the city Utilities Department director seemed to be about the South Ocean Boulevard customers who were allowed to switch back to potable water for irrigation after having been converted to reclaimed water.
Delray Beach requires its water customers to switch to reclaimed water for irrigation when that service is available in their neighborhood. Reclaimed water is highly treated wastewater that is suitable only for irrigation and not human or pet consumption.
Patino was alerted to the latest issue by Christine Ferrigan, a Delray Beach utilities inspector, who sent a Sept. 15 email to the environmental health director and the local DOH legal director.
Ferrigan was hired in June 2017, six months before the city contracted with Lanzo Construction to install the reclaimed water system in the southeast portion of the barrier island.
Ferrigan had claimed whistleblower status in 2008 after she was fired from Boca Raton’s water department. She sued the city over the firing. Ferrigan and her attorneys received a settlement from the city’s insurance company the day before the trial started. The city did not admit any wrongdoing.
In her email to the DOH, Ferrigan wrote about a Sept. 11 meeting with city Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry and the department’s compliance manager, at which she said she was told “to remove all history of several locations that have shown prior reclaimed violations/cross connections.”
Ferrigan explained that the properties were located along South Ocean Boulevard and had converted back to potable water for irrigation.
A cross connection discovered there in December 2018 triggered this year’s review of the citywide reclaimed water program. A woman who lived in that area called the local office of the Florida DOH on Jan. 2 to say she was not adequately informed of the 2018 cross connection. A cross connection happens when drinking water pipes are mistakenly connected to reclaimed water pipes.
In the fall of 2018, many South Ocean property owners said they and their pets were sickened by drinking tainted water.
Hadjimiry, though, saw the Sept. 11 meeting differently.
“Part of the discussion with Ms. Ferrigan was to clarify what information is to be reported on the cross-connection inspection form,” Hadjimiry replied via an Oct. 19 email sent by Gina Carter, city spokeswoman.
Ferrigan was told to list her observations in the field on the day the cross-connection inspections were conducted, including previous inspections, he wrote.
“Any additional information gathered in the field from customers or other sources pertaining to the history of the site’s connection — which was not specifically inspected and verified by Ms. Ferrigan on the date of inspection — should be included as an attachment to the inspection form with a note on the form to see the attachment for additional information,” Hadjimiry wrote.
He declined to give a time when Ferrigan would complete her inspections and write the reports about the properties no longer connected to the reclaimed water service.
“The Utilities Department is working closely with FDOH on completing the required information,” Hadjimiry wrote.
Separately, the South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment plant used the outfall pipe in Delray Beach twice in the first 20 days of October to send treated wastewater into the ocean. Those discharges are allowed under a 2009 administrative order from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
When the plant needs to use the outfall pipe, reclaimed water is not available for Delray Beach water customers who live east of the interstate.
The first occurrence happened on Oct. 1 during heavy rainfall in Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. The reclaimed water system shutdown lasted a week.
The second took place on Oct. 20, and reclaimed water service had not been restored before press time.

ABOVE: Workers prepare a socially distanced, pod seating layout at Old School Square in Delray Beach for the return of its Friday Concert Series on Oct. 23. The first concert featured ‘The Long Run: A Journey Through the Music of the Eagles.’ BELOW: The 100-foot Christmas Tree was assembled in October. Because of COVID-19 precautions, the city will not have a tree-lighting ceremony and it canceled the holiday parade.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

The revised Community Heartbeat mural commissioned for the windows of Boynton’s new fire station returns faces that had previously been removed. Rendering provided

By Jane Smith

As Boynton Beach maintains its role as a public art supporter, the city is juggling three arts-related issues.
In August, city commissioners hired a Boca Raton events firm, Zucker & Lewis Media Group LLC, to produce its fifth International Kinetic Art Festival. The firm will be paid $40,000. Next year’s festival is slated for March 6 and 7, instead of the first weekend in February. The extra month will give the event firm more time to find artists and organize the festival.
Boynton Beach also is on its second search for a public art manager. One candidate, selected in early September, dropped out at the last minute when she received a better offer that the city could not match, Kathryn Matos, assistant city manager, said on Oct. 8.
And in early November, the city will unveil the restored Community Heartbeat mural to be placed on the lobby windows of the new fire station in town. City commissioners and others will be invited to a small ceremony.
The juggling situation was created in early June after Debby Coles-Dobay, the city’s public art manager, was fired when she was blamed in the whitewashing of the faces of two Black fire chiefs from the Community Heartbeat mural. The mural is a collage of firefighters in action and at city events with a red heartbeat line running through it.
The change created an uproar in the local Black community at the same time as international racial unrest was growing over the May 25 death of George Floyd. The Black man died while in the custody of Minneapolis police.
The Boynton Beach mural was taken down on June 4, two days after it was installed and one day after the soft opening for the fire station.
From June 4 through 6, City Manager Lori LaVerriere interviewed Coles-Dobay, Fire Marshal Kathy Cline and then-Fire Chief Matthew Petty. “Coles-Dobay admitted that changing the skin color was her idea and decision,” according to the draft notes of Human Resources Director Julie Oldbury, who was present during the interviews. The original notes were hand-written and difficult to read.
Coles-Dobay denies the allegations in the HR notes: “I did not want any changes to be made to the mural. Fire Chief Matthew Petty and Fire Marshal Kathy Cline directed changes to be made. Documents were provided and approved by city officials,” Coles-Dobay wrote in an Oct. 18 email to The Coastal Star.
In late April, Cline and Petty were involved in last-minute discussions about the mural, according to Oldbury’s notes. Both said they wanted to have blurred faces of the 39 firefighters shown in the mural.
Cline, who had not seen the mural, expressed concerns about seeing identifiable firefighters in the station lobby. The mural “would then create a ‘why is this person on here, why am I not on here?’ issue,” she said.
Cline also objected to the mural because as the city’s fire marshal she is responsible for fire safety. The mural’s placement in the fire station’s lobby windows was not letting enough light through to see inside the building or out onto the street, she said.
In addition, Oldbury’s notes reflect that Petty said he had concerns about the circumstances under which the two Black chiefs left the city. He asked, “Is that pressure? No, that’s me voicing my concerns before I’m being requested to give an approval.”
Petty admitted he failed when he replied to an April 23 email from Coles-Dobay about the mural, “Looks good, approved, moving on.” He said he had not looked at the latest rendition of the mural before replying.
On June 6, Petty and LaVerriere agreed he would step down as fire chief.
Since then, the city Arts Commission on June 11 decided to try to restore the original mural. Releases were sent to all 39 people in the mural asking for permission to use their images.
Thirteen responses were received. Twelve approved of having their images in the mural and one did not.
The city’s second Black fire chief, Glenn Joseph, who retired in November 2019, asked that his image be removed. Joseph did not want to be in the mural because he had worked only a few years for the city.
Former Deputy Fire Chief Latosha Clemons, who is Black, did not respond to the second request. She sent a text message to The Coastal Star on Oct. 5, saying, “I had consented when I issued the photo to be on the mural and also when I stated that little Black girls can pass by and see who they can become.”
Clemons, a Boynton Beach native, grew up in the neighborhood adjacent to the fire station. She still lives in that area after retiring in March with nearly 24 years of service.
The reprinting of the mural will cost about $1,400, Nicole Blanks, public art assistant, told the Arts Commission members on Oct. 8. In addition, Matos told the members they will receive invitations to the mural unveiling.
Also on Oct. 8, Matos received recruiting ideas for the public art manager position from the Arts Commission members. She said the city received about 100 applicants for the opening, but most were not qualified.
“If you’re only getting two serious candidates out of 100 submissions, maybe the ad wording can be improved,” said Martin Klauber, an alternate member.
Member Susan Oyer said, “Our position is so unusual that it requires the person to be knowledgeable about public relations and marketing, along with knowing about art and public art. Maybe advertise in New York City?”
For the kinetic art festival, Valerie Zucker, a principal in the events firm, came to the September meeting of the Arts Commission to hear its ideas. Her firm has an extra month to plan for the event.
Submissions are due Nov. 1. Highlights will include the formal dedication of Ralfonso’s kinetic piece, Reflections. It sits at the northeast corner of Seacrest Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, serving as the gateway feature to the city’s Town Square redevelopment.
Zucker hopes that Ralfonso will attend the VIP reception on March 5. In addition, she wants to have companies sponsor some of the programs, such as the kinetic sculpture kits for kids.
“We’re not reinventing the formula for the kinetic festival,” said Courtlandt McQuire, Arts Commission chairman. “Art will bring the people.”
He said Coles-Dobay made a lot of the decisions, from the artwork displayed to the type of music played. “Now, we will work with Valerie.” Ú

By Dan Moffett

The town of Briny Breezes has been running on a largely improvised collection of rules and regulations since its incorporation as a municipality in 1963.
That could change next year after the March election.
Briny voters will get the chance to approve amendments that would give the town a formal charter with detailed guidelines, definitions and procedures for governance.
The Town Council, during its Oct. 22 meeting, unanimously approved an ordinance putting the amendment on the March 9 ballot, culminating six months of review and deliberation, led by Town Attorney Keith Davis.
A citizens charter review committee, chaired by former Alderman Bobby Jurovaty, met multiple times through the summer to put together the proposed charter. Other members of the committee were Jim Phillippi, Karen Wiggins, Susan Atlee, Suzanne Carroll and Jerry Lower, publisher of The Coastal Star.
Most of the new document simply restates practices that the town already has in place. Two of the most noteworthy 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 the Town Council created three years ago.
The proposed charter also outlines procedures for the recall and removal of elected officials and clarifies the role of the nonvoting mayor position.
In other business:
• The council unanimously approved during its October meeting a new policy for satisfying large public records requests that require extensive work by town employees. The policy allows 15 minutes of employee work at no charge for requests, but if more time is required, the town now will charge the requesting party a service fee based on the employee’s hourly pay.
Town Manager William Thrasher said some recent extensive record requests have forced him and Clerk Sandi DuBose to lose too much time from doing the town’s necessary work. They are the only employees in Town Hall and both are part-time.
Thrasher said the new policy is modeled after those used in neighboring communities.
• The Town Council has scheduled its regular monthly meetings for Nov. 19 and Dec. 17 to adjust to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Both are to begin at 4 p.m.

By Jane Smith

The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency board members have expressed reservations about taking parking spaces in exchange for money for the proposed Ocean Avenue Residences and Shoppes along Federal Highway.
The development team for the proposed project on the property that had housed the temporary city library has suggested providing the city with 120 public parking spaces in a multistory garage instead of paying the $3 million that the CRA spent acquiring the land at 115 N. Federal Highway.
“We’re not getting our $3 million up front,” Steven Grant, CRA board chairman, said about his concerns at the board’s Oct. 13 meeting. “We don’t need garage parking there.”
He suggested the developer could make scheduled payments over time.
Board member Justin Katz also expressed concerns about the project.
“This board has not approved of anything specific here,” Katz said. “Maybe we should get community input before we put out the request for proposal?”
Grant said he talked with William Morris, one of the developers of the proposed Ocean Avenue Residences, about the project.
Morris also was involved with Worthing Place, a residential development in downtown Delray Beach. When Morris talked at the Aug. 11 Boynton Beach CRA meeting, he touted the success of Worthing Place.
But, when Grant visited the project recently, he did not see it as anything special. “It had two vacant lots next to it,” Grant told his fellow CRA board members.
Grant said he also talked with developer Davis Camalier, who owns the land and building that is rented to the Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery at 209 N. Federal. Camalier said he had not talked with Morris, according to Grant. 
“These are adjacent properties not involved but affected by the upgrade,” Grant said. “They are street-facing properties.”
Earlier in the meeting during public comment, Kim Kelly, owner of the Hurricane Alley restaurant on Ocean Avenue, said she had collected 4,000 signatures to oppose the project. She suggests building a hotel on the site to help the CRA’s nearby marina.
Morris and his partners want to turn the alley north of Kelly’s restaurant into a pedestrian walkway. If that happens, Hurricane Alley will lose most of its parking, Kelly said.
The CRA board did not take any action Oct. 13. Even though a 90-day window for the developer to see whether anyone else is interested in the property will not be expired by the Nov. 10 meeting, board members asked Executive Director Michael Simon to make sure the Ocean Avenue Residences development team attends.
The project would have 229 residential units, 18,000 square feet of commercial space and a parking garage with 544 spaces on 2.6 acres. The estimated cost is about $65 million. The developers want to include Dewey Park, a city park on Ocean Avenue, as its green space.
On Aug. 11, CRA board members unanimously accepted the Ocean Avenue Residences’ letter of intent. They gave the development team the 90-day window then. CRA rules require issuing a request for proposals if more than one letter of intent is received. As of the Oct. 13 meeting, no one else had submitted a letter, said Simon.
“By November, we should know more about train transit locations,” Grant said. The property sits next to the Florida East Coast railroad line that the Brightline express train used before the company suspended service in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Two other board members also said they remain flexible and want to see what is proposed.
One of them, Woodrow Hay, said: “We want to have some kind of train station there. Where are the citizens with their plans? I’m not in a hurry, but I would like to have all the cards on the table.” Ú

By Mary Thurwachter

Despite a robust boost in property values — an increase of $78 million to $1.21 billion for the new fiscal year (including $14.4 million in new construction), Lantana will still need to pull $37,937 from reserves to balance its $20 million budget.
“We are not allowed to print money, we are not allowed to not have a balanced budget,” Mayor Dave Stewart said during the final public budget hearing Sept. 23. “So, in layman’s terms, if we didn’t go into reserves, or have them to get that money, we could be losing one in personnel, one police officer or someone like that along the way. So, we’re going into reserves for that amount, which is minimal in the scope of things.
“It’s nice that our councils for the last 20 years have tried to take a fiscally responsible approach,” Stewart said. “We haven’t had to lay anyone off and we haven’t had to stop services, we haven’t had to do any of that because we’ve been able to keep money in the reserves and act fiscally responsible.”
The money collected from property taxes amounts to about 20% of what it costs to run the town, Stewart said. Other money comes from gas tax revenue, sales tax sharing, revenue sharing from the state and various grants.
The tax rate is the same as last year, $3.50 per $1,000 of taxable value — which represents an increase of 5.58% from the rollback rate of $3.3151 necessary to fund the budget.
Employees will get a 1.5% cost-of-living raise and may be entitled to merit raises up to 5% based on annual evaluations.
The town will add a detective and another dispatcher for the Police Department. And part-time staffing hours will be increased at the town library.
From its share of the 1-cent sales tax, Lantana will spend $9,000 for a deck at Sportsman’s Park, $129,000 for improvements at the beach, $120,000 for a playground at Bicentennial Park and $453,000 for upgrading roads.
“Next year we will be paying off our debt for all except about $65,000 and we’re finally paying off our 1998 revenue bond,” Stewart said. “The money we borrowed in the early 2000s for the water plant, the money we refinanced for new water and sewer lines, the money we borrowed for all the road paving we did in the early 2000s, all of that will finally be paid off.”

By Mary Thurwachter

The Lantana Town Council voted unanimously to purchase body cameras for the Police Department.
“We are lucky in that we have a very good force,” council member Karen Lythgoe said at the town’s Oct. 26 meeting. “People I have met are very courteous, caring, very professional and I would like to be able to protect them because I know there are people who are out there who will skew the truth.”
The cost of body cameras for five years is $364,520, according to Police Chief Sean Scheller. Along with the body camera equipment, Scheller said he would need to hire a civilian employee at an additional cost of $67,000 (including benefits) to manage what the chief calls a “labor intensive process.”
More than half of the 23 municipalities in Palm Beach County that have their own police departments are already using body cameras, according to a recent Palm Beach County Justice Commission survey.
Lantana has an agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. (formerly Tazer), which provides Tasers and supporting software and management. Axon included 35 cameras, docking stations and new Tasers in the $364,520 quote.
In other news, the town:
• Authorized a one-time $34,240 ($400 per employee) pandemic pay compensation for its staff.
• Asked Town Attorney Max Lohman to research what it would take to set up a nuisance abatement board to deal with frequent illegal activities (drugs, prostitution and aggravated assaults) at motels on Hypoluxo and Lantana roads.

The Centennial, a 16-foot sailboat, will be installed in Lantana's Bicentennial Park. Rendering provided

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana council members considered four proposals for artwork to mark the town’s 100th birthday next spring before settling on a 16-foot sailboat sculpture appropriately called The Centennial.
The sculpture, which will light up at night, will be on permanent display in Bicentennial Park, with an unveiling during the town’s centennial party on April 24.
The sculpture was designed by Aphidoidea, a Los Angeles- based creative collaborative led by Jesus “Eddie” Eduardo Magaña and his wife, Paulina Bouyer-Magaña.
It will be constructed by Southern Custom Iron and Art, a Boynton Beach company headed by artist and metal fabricator Joe Hernandez and his wife, Ashleigh, CEO and cofounder, who live in Atlantis.
“With a history of a fishing town, the sailboat is a symbol of tradition, community, livelihood and exploration,” Eddie Magaña said. “The traditional sailboat is composed of two sails, the head sail which provides direction, and the mainsail for power and propulsion. These dual elements break up the horizon and create a constant change in the composition as the artwork can be seen from different directions.
“We believe the concepts of community, character and nautical elements that resemble the history and character of the town provide a wonderful opportunity to create a sculpture that reveals and elevates the town of Lantana,” Magaña said. “The location at Bicentennial Park is also the ideal scenario for the sculpture as it provides an opportunity for both locals and visitors to engage and admire the commemorative sculpture.”
Ashleigh Hernandez said data from the Lantana Historical Society provided through the library was used for inspiration.
“We started with the 100-year-old history of Lantana, which includes the Lyman family,” she told the council on Sept. 14. “We found Lantana was not navigable with anything other than a sailboat. And so the sailboat represents the very beginnings of Lantana when the Lyman family founded the town.
“We have seven bricks or pavers as part of the artwork that represents the Lantana flower and the colors of Lantana, because the town was named after the lantana flower.”
Benches to accompany the sailboat sculpture will feature old-style compass roses with north, south, east and west inscribed on them.
The cost of the sculpture — made of either marine grade aluminum or stainless steel and capable of surviving hurricane-force winds — could be as much as $100,000.
Other proposals with a sailboat design came from Agata Ren and Peter Garaj and Eulises Niebla and Juan Grillo. The fourth design featured a sailfish and was submitted by artist Norman Gitzen.
“We have four fantastic, great proposals here,” Mayor Dave Stewart said before a unanimous vote gave the contract to Southern Custom Iron and Art and Aphidoidea. “Every one of them is that top-shelf type of quality. I don’t know how we can go wrong with any of them.”
In other action, the town approved a $48,750 contract with StarGroup International, based in Lake Park, for the design, production and printing of Lantana’s centennial book. The hardcover books will be given to residents during the town’s 100-year celebration in Bicentennial Park next April.

By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach is facing months of continued delays to beginning its much-anticipated beach restoration project.
The town had hoped to start work on its eroding beachfront this fall. But Mayor Bonnie Fischer now says it’s unlikely anything will happen until after the first of the year, at the earliest.
“We’re still at ground zero,” Fischer said. “We still have issues with easements. We’re having a really difficult time.”
The plan calls for partnering with neighboring Palm Beach and buying as many as 1,000 truckloads of sand the town is currently dredging as part of a large beach renourishment project to the north. The sand would be hauled south and then used to fortify the South Palm Beach dunes.
The problem is the town still has no way to deliver the sand to its beach. Property owners have been reluctant to allow access for the work.
The project got a huge boost on Oct. 19 when the Palmsea condominium voted unanimously to grant the town an easement and use of the east-west thoroughfare that runs from State Road A1A next to the condo building.
“That’s a big one — getting Palmsea’s support,” Fischer said.
Still other access issues and opposition remain with the owner of a private single-family residence, other condo residents and potentially even the Town of Lantana.
“We’re still trying,” Fischer said, “but it’s a controversial project.”
The plan is a substitute for a joint project with Palm Beach County to install groins on the beach. That project fell apart early last year because of skyrocketing costs and objections from neighboring communities to the south that feared the groins would steal sand flowing their way.
The partnership with Palm Beach would cost the town between $700,000-$900,000 to buy the sand and install erosion-resistant plants along the dune line. Unlike the groin plan, Fischer says the substitute project has “no long-term value” because, without groins, there is no guarantee the new sand wouldn’t be swept out to sea by the first storm surge.
The clock is running on South Palm Beach. Work has to be completed by May to avoid interfering with turtle nesting season. “We hope something can happen,” Fischer said.
In other business:
• Despite a tough budget year with revenues diminished by the COVID-19 pandemic, South Palm Beach was able to deliver a slight tax break to residents at a time when most Florida municipalities were struggling to make ends meet.
In September, the council voted to drop the town’s tax rate for the 2020-2021 budget to $3.54 per $1,000 of property valuation — which is below the $3.55 rollback rate that would hold taxes flat year over year, and below the $3.59 of last year. Though most taxpayers aren’t likely to notice the small reduction, Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb says it demonstrates the council’s commitment to fiscally conservative budgets.
“We’ve cut the tax rate five years in a row now,” Gottlieb said. “That is important.”
Taxable values are up 22% in South Palm Beach, the highest increase in the county, thanks to the opening of the $72 million 3550 South Ocean condo building.
• The council approved a two-year contract renewal for Town Manager Robert Kellogg, maintaining his annual salary at $100,000.
Hired in December 2018 after serving as manager in Hillsboro Beach and Sewall’s Point, Kellogg has brought stability to a position that went through a period of administrative turmoil. South Palm Beach had three managers come and then go in the three years before Kellogg’s arrival.
The council originally agreed to give him a one-year contract but then unanimously approved his request for two years.
“We had five managers in five years,” said Councilman Bill LeRoy. “Now we’ve got a hardworking, responsible manager. I’d be happy to have him signed up for a multiyear contract as opposed to a one-year contract.”

By Sallie James

LANTANA — He was a gifted surgeon and beloved doctor who used his skills to restore sight to thousands of patients, many who swore he changed their lives forever. Lawrence B. Katzen, the founder of Katzen Eye Care and Laser Center in Boynton Beach, was also a devoted philanthropist who traveled regularly to developing countries to teach physicians how to operate. 
Dr. Katzen died Oct. 20 after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. He was 71.
“He was an amazing man. An absolutely extraordinary man,” said his wife, Jane, a nurse who worked together with her husband at their eye surgery center for years. “He loved giving back. That was his favorite thing to do.”
A pioneer in the field of laser vision correction, Dr. Katzen founded the Katzen Eye Care and Laser Center in 1981 in Boynton Beach. Since then, more than 50,000 LASIK and cataract surgery and general ophthalmology patients have had their vision surgically improved at the center.
The native Floridian was born on June 11, 1949, to Rose and Harry Katzen, and was raised in Miami Beach. He and his two brothers all became well-respected physicians.
The surgery center’s Facebook page blossomed with condolences from adoring patients and staff.
“So sorry to hear of his passing. I thank Dr. Katzen and his wonderful team for the incredible quality of life I now enjoy. My deepest condolences to his family and the entire Katzen team. May God bless you and comfort you,” wrote Steven C. Traynor. 
“One of the best doctors I’ve ever had. He clearly loved what he did and was very compassionate to all his patients,” Wendy Marks said in another post.
Wrote Patricia Érika Germosén, “I’m SO incredibly sad to hear this news. I will be eternally grateful to Dr. Katzen; he literally changed my life when he personally performed my LASIK surgery back in 2013.”
One of his pet projects was to share his eye surgery skills by training physicians in underserved countries through Project Orbis. The organization supports a Flying Eye Hospital that allows leading physicians to train and educate local ophthalmologists, medical students and nurses in underserved countries.
Dr. Katzen made 19 trips abroad, helping to save thousands from blindness and eye diseases that were previously untreatable by local practitioners. His goal was to leave each community with a better-equipped medical staff that could continue with its new skills. He made his first trip overseas in 1982 to Africa.
His son Harrison remembered accompanying his father to Peru at age 13 and seeing the need that his father filled. It was something he could never forget.
“It had a profound impact on me as a person because I got to see the impact he was having across the world,” his son said. “Just to see the gratitude. He operated on kids for the most part. He did ocular plastic surgery.” 
In one particular instance Dr. Katzen rebuilt an eyelid for a child in Malawi who had been run over by an oxcart. Because of the injury, the child’s eye had remained open around the clock.
“He was very deformed,” Jane Katzen recalled. She said when Dr. Katzen returned to the village to check on the child after his surgery, the chief and numerous tribesmen lay across the tarmac to show honor to her husband.
“They felt a miracle had been performed,” Jane Katzen said.
In another instance, Dr. Katzen operated on a Peruvian woman in her 80s who had been blind since age 13 when she was struck by lightning. She saw her family for the first time as an octogenarian.
“We take for granted eye surgery in this country,” Jane Katzen noted.
Dr. Katzen was also one of the founders of the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation, created in memory of one of Dr. Katzen’s best friends who had died of skin cancer.
Dr. Katzen and his wife gave countless hours and financial support to build the foundation over the past 25-plus years. Dr. Katzen received the RDK 2020 Vision Award for the vision he had to lead and guide the organization for all its years.
Dr. Katzen met the woman who would become his wife in 1972, when the two were students at Jackson Memorial Hospital. She was studying nursing and he was a medical student. They married in 1976 and worked together at their eye surgery center until Dr. Katzen’s death.
Dr. Katzen attended Miami Beach High School and the University of Miami before graduating from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completing his ophthalmology residency training at the Washington Hospital Center.
“He was respected by the optometric community. He also taught at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute as a visiting professor,” his wife said. “He was a gifted surgeon and loved teaching other physicians.”
Dr. Katzen was also a passionate boater, golfer, diver, fisherman and skier. He instilled the love for the water in his children and grandchildren. 
He is survived by his wife, Jane; a daughter, Janine Katzen, and a son, Harrison Katzen; a brother, Barry Katzen; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews. His parents; his stepfather, Al Astor, and his brother Melvyn Katzen preceded him in death. 
Services were held virtually on Oct. 20. Donations can be made to the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation at https://melanomafoundation.com/, or to Orbis at https://www.orbis.org/en/how-you-can-help.

OCEAN RIDGE — Prudence “Prue” Sanford Regan, beloved wife of the late John M. “Jack” Regan Jr., and matriarch of the Regan family that grew to include six children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, died peacefully at her home in Westerly, Rhode Island, on Sept. 11. She was 97.
Raised in Cranford, New Jersey, Mrs. Regan was the daughter of Harold Crooker and Prudence Rindell Sanford and sister to the late Jane S. Ziegler. The two sisters grew up as best friends; their parents placed them in the same class at the Kent Place School in Summit, New Jersey, so that they could experience high school together.
A few years after graduating from Bradford Junior College, Prue met Jack Regan on a blind date in January 1949. They soon married and began a 62-year magic carpet ride together that took them to places at home and abroad and exposed them to experiences they scarcely imagined when first they met.
As the family expanded and moved to Morristown, New Jersey, Wellesley, Massachusetts, Bedford, New York, and Manhattan in support of Jack’s flourishing career, Mrs. Regan provided the unifying force at home. She juggled with ease and grace the duties of spouse and mother. She thrived in her role as the guiding light for the family. Mrs. Regan shepherded her six children gently through life while providing a wonderful example in how to select the right life partner and build a strong marriage.
She was consistently warm, engaging, gracious and elegant.
Mrs. Regan delighted in painting and working in her gardens at her homes up North and in Ocean Ridge.
She was an award-winning member of the Bedford Garden Club and the Garden Club of America. In 1984 and 1985, she served as gala chair of the Friends of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, a foundation that supports students in the schools of the Archdiocese of New York City. She was particularly proud that art, education and philanthropy have played a central role in all of her children’s lives.
The Misquamicut Club, the Watch Hill Yacht Club, the River Club, the Gulf Stream Golf Club, the Ocean Club and the Bedford Golf and Tennis Club provided her with years of enjoyment.
Mrs. Regan is survived by her children — John M. “Mac” Regan III (Tracy) of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, Deborah R. Edwards (Douglas) of Hartsdale, New York, Peter M. Regan (Aviva) of Cooperstown, New York, R. Christopher Regan (Leslie) of Katonah, New York, Prudence R. “Rindy” Hallarman (Peter) of Lincolnshire, Illinois, and William M. Regan of New York City; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Jack (2011), and her grandson Parker M. Regan (2012).
The family extends its heartfelt thanks to the nursing teams from St. Elizabeth at Home and Hope Health and to Grace Brown, Mrs. Regan’s home manager, all of whom cared for her in a devoted, loving manner for several years.
A private funeral service will be held by the family. A celebration of Prue’s life is planned for July in Watch Hill. For online condolences visit www.gaffneydolanfuneralhome.com. The family requests any donations be made to the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, 1011 First Ave. #1400, New York, NY 10022-4112, in memory of Prue and Jack.
— Obituary submitted by the family

OCEAN RIDGE — Iris Matthews Kern of Ocean Ridge died Oct. 7. She was 87.
Mrs. Kern will be sadly missed and fondly remembered by her loving husband of 61 years, Alfred “Al” R. Kern. She was the loving mother of Roy (Lori) of Peters Township, Pennsylvania; Dr. Tara (Pete) Rose of Peters Township, Pennsylvania; and a son, Dennis (Loraine) of Mesa, Arizona, who preceded her in death.
Mrs. Kern is also survived by her six grandchildren: Rod and Dr. Darby Kern; Nolan and Brea Kern; Jake and Ryan Rose.
Mrs. Kern was born to Herman and Velma Matthews in Philadelphia, on Sept. 22, 1933.
She attended Penn State Ogontz, then moved with her family to Atlantic Beach and met the love of her life, Al, at an officers dance at the nearby Jacksonville Naval Air Station. Iris and Al would spend three years at Naval Station Mayport and then another three years stationed in Honolulu, where they started their family.
In 1962, the couple moved to Moon Township, Pennsylvania, where she raised their children. They moved to Florida in 2000.
Mrs. Kern was an active lifelong member of the United Methodist Church, an avid reader and golfer and a member of Montour Heights Country Club, Moon Township, Williams Country Club, Weirton, West Virginia, and the Lost City Golf Club in Lantana.
Her hobbies included arranging flowers, and she loved to raise and tend orchids in her house and outside garden. Mrs. Kern held memberships in the Moon Township and Ocean Ridge garden clubs. She also enjoyed arts and crafts, including her much sought-after needlepoint Christmas stockings and pillows.
Mrs. Kern enjoyed a well-lived life and was a beautiful, soft-spoken, kind and gentle soul who will be sorely missed.
A celebration of life service will be planned after the coronavirus pandemic has eased.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the First United Methodist Church, 101 N. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach, FL 33435, or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 W. 44th St., Suite 609, New York, NY 10036.
— Obituary submitted by the family

BRINY BREEZES — Virginia P. Brown, 91, died on Aug. 23. She was born in Detroit and started coming to Florida as a little girl.
She and her husband, Ralph, owned a home in Cape Coral before moving to Briny Breezes in 1983 as snowbirds. They were active in the Briny community and formed wonderful friendships and memories. They would travel with the travel club and looked forward to the monthly parties, especially the Michigan party.
Every month she looked forward to reading The Coastal Star, even when she was up North.
Mrs. Brown was married to Ralph Brown for 58 years before his death in 2010. They had four children plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Florida held a special place in her heart and the hearts of her children. She and her husband loved boating and would cruise the Intracoastal Waterway as well as the waters in Michigan.
They traveled throughout the United States and Europe.
Besides their home in Briny Breezes, the Browns had a home in Livonia, Michigan, waterfront property in Omena, Michigan, and waterfront property in Sugar Springs, Michigan.
She was preceded in death by her husband and her son, Tom, as well as her brothers and sisters, mother and father, and many friends.
She would say that getting old is not for the weak.
She is survived by her children Ralph and Jon of Livonia, her daughter, Jackie (Roger) of Casper, Wyoming, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Michigan.
— Obituary submitted by the family

Eau Palm Beach in Manalapan boasts a 3,000-square-foot oceanfront terrace, two pools, a large fitness center and a deluxe spa. Room amenities include marble baths and inviting balconies, most with ocean views. Photo provided by Eau Palm Beach

By Christine Davis

Manalapan’s Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa came in No. 3 of 30 properties that earned spots in Condé Nast Traveler’s  Readers’ Choice Awards in the category of “Top Florida Resorts.” 
The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, which is temporarily closed, came in at No. 24. The awards rank the best hotels, resorts, destination spas, countries, cities, islands, trains, airlines, airports, cruise lines, tour operators and villa companies in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveler. 

The Boca Raton Resort & Club has begun to offer an oceanside education remote-learning program for children, which can range from a weeklong family vacation to a long-term stay. The resort’s custom-designed education suites, located at the Boca Beach Club, connect to adjoining guest rooms. Also offered are curated hands-on extracurricular activities that include ocean-related experiences, athletics, nature excursions and field trips.
The suites also are available as an add-on to a two-night stay at the resort, starting from $199 per day.
Enrichment activities are priced a la carte. For information, visit www.bocaresort.com or call 561-447-3000.

CEOs of hotel brands that include Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG and Best Western wrote a letter dated Oct. 15 to President Donald Trump asking him to take action to provide the hotel industry with relief by utilizing funds from the Main Street Lending Program. According to a recent survey of hotel owners, more than two-thirds of hotels report they will be able to last only six more months at current projected revenue and occupancy levels without further relief.
The letter notes that the Main Street Lending Program was established to provide up to $600 billion in financing for small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition prior to the pandemic. To date, only a small fraction of available loans has been utilized.

Jeff Dash, chief experience officer of Delray Beach Experience, has introduced a new app (both iOS and Android) that presents a guide of places to eat and drink and things to see and do in Delray Beach and beyond.
Users can search for businesses, view business details, offers, directions and safety protocols for COVID-19. There is also a hotel program in which guests can receive a 10-day complimentary VIP membership that offers savings around the city. For information, visit DelrayBeachExperience.com. 

Delray Beach resident Sugar McCauley has begun selling her line of bra-free “sugarshirts” online. Prices for her nautical sweatshirts and her classic oxford shirts range from $143-$148, with 10% of profits donated to the Caridad Center, a provider of free health care services. For details, visit sugarshirtsbysugar.com.

Incapital, an underwriter and distributor of fixed-income securities and risk-management investment solutions, is moving its Florida-based operations from Boca Raton to The Offices at 4th & 5th, at 25 SE Fourth Ave., Delray Beach. Incapital will occupy the 18,066-square-foot fourth floor by mid-summer 2021.
“We are thrilled to not only be moving to Delray Beach, but to be moving into an extraordinary new property,” said John DesPrez III, CEO of Incapital. “The community offers our team many rich quality-of-life benefits, with the dynamic environment of Atlantic Avenue steps from our front door. … We’d like to thank Mayor Shelly Petrolia, the City Commission and the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency for engaging with us and for their ongoing commitment to making Delray a destination of choice for employers. We are especially grateful to our partners in this transaction, Peter Sougarides of Samuels & Associates and Stanley Iezman of American Realty Advisors.”

Recorded on Oct. 14, a residential 1.26-acre lot with 130 feet on the ocean located at 611 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, sold for $15.5 million.
The seller, Sea to Seaside Development, a Deerfield Beach-based homebuilder led by Randal Perkins, was represented by Chris Lowry with Chris Lowry Realty Services. Fried Business Holdings, a Delaware limited liability company with a New York City address, was the buyer. The property last sold for $14,693,200 in 2018.
“Based on all MLS land sales in Delray Beach since January 2000, this $15.5 million sale is the highest sale,” said Steve Fisher of Fisher Appraisal Group, Boynton Beach.

701 South Ocean LLC, managed by Mark Timothy Inc., bought the lot at 701 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, from Michael J. and Judith F. Rothberg for $11.375 million in September. Mark Timothy is led by Mark Pulte, son of the late founder of Atlanta-based PulteGroup, Bill Pulte. Pascal Liguori and Antonio Liguori of Premier Estate Properties represented both the buyer and sellers. The Rothbergs bought the 1.19-acre oceanfront property in 2017 for $13.4 million. 

The Boca Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual business awards celebration virtually on Oct. 23. Recognized for their commitment to economic growth and dedication to the mission of the Boca Raton Chamber, honorees included Pastor Bill Mitchell of Boca Raton Community Church, business leader of the year; Ahnich Khalid of Maggiano’s Little Italy, small business leader of the year; and TherapeuticsMD, business of the year. The chamber announced that Michael Daszkal will remain as chairman for another year.

The Boca Chamber’s Boynton Beach First Responders Awards Program, which was held virtually in September, recognized police officer Agent Shaun James, firefighter/paramedic Roxanne Girardi and firefighter Capt. Jeff Powers.
“Since our merger with the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce almost two years ago, this program was a priority for us to bring back,” said Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Boca Chamber. “This program showcases the passion for service, dedication to a higher cause, and personal sacrifices that are at the core of being a first responder.”
Program sponsors included Baptist Health, Get Dry, Inc., ADT, All Dry USA and Florida Power and Light. 

The Florida League of Cities announced in September that Boca Raton Deputy City Manager George Brown was appointed to serve on its 2020-2021 municipal administration legislative policy committee. Brown will help develop the league’s legislative action agenda and will help league staff understand implications of proposed legislation.
Brown has served Boca Raton in administrative and management roles for 37 out of the past 43 years as a city employee, and he has been deputy city manager since 1999. He has been involved in the Florida League of Cities legislative policy process since 2007 and was recognized by the league as a “Home Rule Hero” in 2012.

The board of Florida Peninsula Insurance Co., a homeowners insurance company headquartered in Boca Raton, promoted Virginia Austin to the position of director of special investigations. Austin, who began her career with the company as a claims examiner, has managed its special investigations unit for the last seven years. In her new role, she will represent the company regarding claims suspected of fraud in conjunction with the Department of Financial Services and associated Florida law enforcement agencies.

With the launch of an inaugural holiday ornament, Downtown Delray Beach encourages shopping locally this holiday season as well as celebrating Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27-28.
To participate, customers are asked to save receipts of $200 or more at venues within the Downtown Development Authority district, after which they can receive a limited-supply fused-glass-mosaic ornament.
It can be picked up from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 28 at a location to be announced.
 The offer is one ornament per customer, limited to the first 200 people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Exclusions include food or beverage purchases, hotel accommodation receipts, parking or transportation receipts, as well as any retailer that does not fall within the DDA district.

The Boca Real Estate Investment Club will present “Deal of the Year” on Nov. 12, a competition featuring deals closed in 2020. Ben Sens of Boss Construction Group will speak on permitting during the pandemic. Social distancing will be followed and wearing masks is required.
The meeting, which starts at 7 p.m., will be at the DoubleTree Hilton, 100 Fairway Drive, Deerfield Beach. The cost is $20 and free to members.
For information, call 561-391- 7325 or visit bocarealestateclub.com.

Lang Realty agent Brian Battaglia of Boca Raton, a native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, helped organize aid for the Lake Charles community, which was hit by Hurricane Laura.
Lang Realty and its agents made a donation of $4,600 and collected supplies. Battaglia then rented a truck to transport the donated goods to Lake Charles.

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

By Jane Smith

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of the Boynton Beach & Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade.
“How would we allow people to come out and safely watch the boat parade?” asked Michael Simon, executive director of the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, at its Oct. 13 board meeting.
Since COVID-19 arrived on the scene in mid-March, no large events have been held in Palm Beach County.
The Boynton Beach CRA had allocated $14,750 to host the event, with holiday-decorated boats traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway into neighboring Delray Beach.
But on Sept. 30, Boynton Beach CRA staff received an email from the Delray Beach Parks and Recreation staff saying that the Delray Beach City Commission was not allocating any money to share in the costs of the 49th annual Boynton Beach & Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade.
Delray Beach has reimbursed the Boynton Beach CRA for 50% of the shared expenses related to event marketing, including T-shirts, participant prizes and the awards dinners in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 
“I’m leaning toward not continuing this for now,” said CRA Vice Chairman Ty Penserga. “It’s hard to proceed without our partner.”
The holiday boat parade is something the Boynton Beach CRA does well, Grant said.
“But we don’t want to be part of a super-spreading event.”
CRA Board Chairman Steven Grant asked whether the agency had money allocated to light up Ocean Avenue.
Simon said the CRA has about $6,000 to spend this year on installing lighting along the avenue. Unlike last year, there will be no holiday lighting ceremony at Dewey Park.
The city of Boynton Beach has already canceled its holiday parade.
Delray Beach also will not hold a holiday parade this December. It is putting up the 100-foot Christmas tree to put some life into the holiday season. But the city will not host a tree-lighting ceremony. The city may have a menorah- lighting ceremony on the first night of Hanukkah, Dec. 10.
Parks staff is look at the city’s Tennis Center, according to Mayor Shelly Petrolia.
The location was selected because it is large enough to allow residents to gather in small, socially distanced groups. Then the menorah would be walked to the Old School Square grounds.

By Jane Smith

Boynton Beach boaters were able to persuade the City Commission to reduce the annual parking pass from $350 to $200 at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park on the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Sept. 22 decision was made at the city’s final budget hearing. The new rate of $200 for Florida residents took effect on Oct. 1.
“The $350 rate is causing quite an uproar,” Boynton Beach resident Sven Mautner told The Coastal Star on Sept. 9. “They are basing it on $1 a day.”
But he said the annual parking pass cost just $50 in the financial year that ended Sept. 30.
“I have a 21-foot boat with a single motor,” Mautner said. “I use it to go snorkeling with my wife. We bring along some sandwiches.”
He first read about the proposed $300 increase in The Coastal Star.
Resident Clifton J. Bell sent an email on Sept. 9 to Commissioner Christina Romelus and Public Works Director Andrew Mack with this subject line: “City Resident Boat Decal 700% Increase is EXTREME.”
He objected to Boynton Beach residents’ having to pay the increased cost of the annual permit when the city has installed metered kiosks that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Our taxes already go towards funding of city parks,” he wrote.
The city now charges any vehicle that uses the long boat spaces $1.50 per hour, payable at the two parking kiosks.
The maximum daily charge is $10 weekdays and $25 on weekends.
Boynton Beach offers boat owners an annual parking pass at $200 for Florida residents and $350 for nonresidents.

Ramp replacement in the works
At the Sept. 22 final budget hearing, Mack explained that the city is using penny sales tax money and a Florida Inland Navigation District grant to replace the boat ramp. Requests for proposals will go out in the first quarter of the new financial year, he said. Actual construction will start in late spring or early summer, Mack said.
Because of the boat ramp construction, Commissioner Justin Katz proposed a $100 annual parking pass. “Boaters might not be able to use the ramp,” he said.
But Mayor Steven Grant wanted to keep the parking pass at $200.
“If you use the boat ramp eight times during the weekends or 20 times during the week, the pass will pay for itself,” he said. “People abuse the boat ramp and leave their trailers there.”
The idea of charging for parking is to allow more boaters to use the park, said Colin Groff, assistant city manager. “Ten shorter spots will be free. But if you park in the longer spaces, you will have to pay,” he said.
Reducing the pass cost by $150 would mean about $50,000 in reduced revenue to the city, Groff said. “But the city could sell more passes at the lower rate. We just don’t know where the numbers will be,” he said.
City commissioners narrowly approved the $200 annual parking pass rate, with Vice Mayor Ty Penserga and Katz voting no. Penserga had said at the first budget hearing that the pandemic was not the time to be raising rates.

Town plans aerial photo to show how crowded beach would be

By Rich Pollack

A potential compromise in plans for the initial development of the county’s long-disputed Milani Park is gaining traction, while a proposed second phase concerns Highland Beach leaders who say it would bring the beach more visitors than the park can adequately handle.
To prove their point, town commissioners are planning to stage a beach sit-in of sorts, bringing 100 people to the area during high tide for an aerial photograph that they hope will show just how tightly packed beachgoers would be.
The county parks department sent a conceptual drawing to the town in October showing 42 parking spaces in phase one of the park’s development. It showed an additional 58 parking spaces in the second phase, which would take place when additional demand is demonstrated.
While Highland Beach commissioners are willing to accept phase one’s 42 spots, which was a compromise hammered out during September meetings between town and county leaders, they believe the beach portion of the planned park is often too narrow and too short for a large number of beachgoers.
By bringing 100 people to the beach at high tide for the photo, Mayor Doug Hillman — using a calculation of 2.5 people per car — is hoping to demonstrate just how crowded the beach could be with only the initial phase.
“It behooves all of us, including the county, to see just how crowded the beach is at 100 people,” Hillman said. “If the beach can’t even accommodate 100 people, then it demonstrates that one can’t even consider phase two.”
For more than 30 years Highland Beach residents have been battling the county, hoping to halt development of the park, which includes 5.6 acres straddling State Road A1A at the town’s south end.
Sold to Palm Beach County in 1987 by the family of real estate developer Cam D. Milani for close to $4 million, the property has been at the center of legal wrangling that resulted in a settlement a decade ago delaying development for up to 10 years.
In October 2019, county commissioners agreed to put off groundbreaking for five more years but asked the parks staff to begin making plans so construction could begin at the end of that period.
Since then town leaders have been meeting with county Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call — and later with Robert Weinroth, the county’s vice mayor — to come up with a compromise that would minimize the impact the park would have on the area.
That led to the development of the phase one concept, which is modeled after Ocean Ridge Hammock Park, an 8-acre oasis with beach access in Ocean Ridge.
That tentative conceptual plan, which would have to be further detailed and would need County Commission approval, includes a walking path through a wooded area on the east side of A1A that would have educational signs pertaining to the history of the site. The 42 parking spots are on the west side.
The first phase does not include bathrooms, a lifeguard station and a parking attendant station that were in the original development plan, which was approved as part of the settlement. That plan called for a total of 125 parking spaces.
“The original plan is more intensive than what we have in phases one and phase two,” Call said.
The second phase, Call said, includes the bathrooms and a lifeguard station and a lifeguard stand on the beach and the 58 additional parking spaces.
Call said the county bought the property with the intent of providing public beach access and wants to ensure that access is available.
“I think it’s important that taxpayers have access to the ocean,” he said.
Still, he said, enough access to meet demand for many years may be available in the first phase of development. He predicted that expansion in phase two might not be needed for another decade.
“I don’t know if it will be necessary for at least until 2030,” he said.
He said one of the criteria for determining if phase two is needed will be if nearby public beach parks fill up early in the morning.
As part of the settlement agreement, the county is required to charge for parking at Milani Park and Call says there is a plan to have automated parking stations installed. One caveat is the county must charge at the least the same amount as nearby parks, including Spanish River Park in Boca Raton, which is a short distance away.
The cost for those without a city permit is $20 a day. City residents and Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District residents can purchase a permit for $62 a year. There also are some parking meters on Spanish River Boulevard for $3 an hour.
Spanish River Park, which has amenities such as bathrooms and lifeguards, as well as a wide beach, is attractive to families and sunbathers, while the Milani Park area — which includes Yamato Rock — attracts snorkelers, anglers and surfers.
Call said that he is open to working with Highland Beach to see if there might be ways to work out additional compromises.
“This is just a first brush,” he said. “We want to negotiate further and see if there might be something less intense.”
Town officials are hoping that the aerial photo of 100 people on the beach will play a role in further negotiations and are planning to gather everyone sometime soon.
“I’m sure we’ll find a way to social distance and wear masks,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.