By Mary Hladky

Nine new electric vehicle charging stations will be installed at seven city locations thanks to a Florida Power & Light program that will provide the stations at no cost to Boca Raton.
Under agreements with FPL that City Council members approved on Sept. 22, four existing EV charging stations at City Hall, the Downtown Library and the Spanish River Library will be replaced by new ones.
Stations also will be installed where none now exist. Red Reef Park, South Beach Park and Spanish River Park will get one station each. Two will be located at the Municipal Services Complex at 2500 NW First Ave.
FPL will install and maintain the stations. The city will be responsible for paying for the electricity dispensed through the stations, an expense city officials said will be “nominal.”
“I am pleased to know we are upgrading and expanding our current four EV charging stations to nine, in areas across the city,” said City Council member Monica Mayotte, an advocate for environmental protections.
City staff initiated the agreements with FPL, “which tells me that the city is committed to providing EV charging stations to EV owners who reside in and visit Boca Raton,” she said.
The FPL program, announced Sept. 18 during National Drive Electric Week, will install more than 1,000 electric vehicle ports at more than 100 locations across the state.
Many will be for public use at parks, shopping malls and Brightline train stations in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Some will be for both public and employee use, such as at Jupiter Medical Center.
“Our new Evolution program will help the state significantly expand the amount of EV charging stations, so more Floridians can enjoy the benefits of using electric vehicles,” FPL said in its announcement.
The charging stations are expected to be installed and operational in late December or early January, said city spokeswoman Chrissy Gibson.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the city a $16.35 million grant in September that will offset a substantial portion of the costs of building a Brightline train station and parking garage immediately east of the Downtown Library.
Under the deal with Brightline approved by the City Council in December 2019, the city is responsible for building the 455-space garage. The grant will reduce the city’s costs to $9.9 million from $11.4 million.
The grant also will lower Brightline’s costs for building the station and rail line improvements.
Brightline officials have said they expect to break ground at the beginning of next year, with the station opening in mid-2022.
The grant “will improve mobility, connectivity and safety, while reducing emissions,” Mayor Scott Singer said in a statement.
Brightline suspended passenger service on March 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has not announced when service will resume.
But the company is moving forward on building additional stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami and is laying new tracks for train service between West Palm Beach and Orlando.
In July, the company reclaimed the Brightline name after announcing it was scrapping a “strategic partnership” with British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Enterprises that had rebranded Brightline as Virgin Trains USA.

— Mary Hladky

An article that appeared in The Coastal Star’s September/October print edition about updated plans for a proposed Boca Raton performing arts center at Mizner Park incorrectly stated an aspect of the city’s role in the project. The cultural group behind the plans wants the city to continue paying for the existing public programming at the amphitheater. The cultural group would assume the cost of amphitheater maintenance.

By Steve Plunkett

Boca Raton’s City Council must reconsider its 5-0 decision not to grant permission to build a duplex on the beach, Palm Beach County circuit judges say.
Council members Andrea O’Rourke and Monica Mayotte prejudged the application by 2600 N. Ocean LLC proposing a four-story, 14,270-square-foot residence east of A1A between Spanish River Park and Ocean Strand, the judges decided.
At a Feb. 26, 2019, City Council meeting, attorney Robert Sweetapple, representing the landowner, showed a campaign video of then-council member and now Mayor Scott Singer standing on a dune and declaring he could not support plans for a house on the beach. Sweetapple also had copies of emails that O’Rourke and Mayotte had sent constituents saying they would vote against variances for construction seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line.
In a ruling issued Sept. 16, Circuit Judges Jaimie Goodman, Janis Keyser and G. Joseph Curley said Singer’s statements constituted a “general political stance made in a campaign video” and were permissible. But O’Rourke’s and Mayotte’s emails to residents — saying they had “no intention of granting [the application]” and “[would] do all I can to prevent this from happening” — showed they were not impartial, the judges said.
“This was more than mere political bias or an adverse political philosophy — it was express prejudgment of Petitioner’s application,” the judges wrote.
Their ruling said 2600 N. Ocean LLC “is entitled to a new hearing without the participation” of Mayotte and O’Rourke, who has since become deputy mayor. That would leave Singer and council members Jeremy Rodgers and Andy Thomson to rehear the application.
But Rodgers, a Navy Reserve officer, has been deployed on active duty to the Mideast and has not attended a council meeting since late June.
Sweetapple promised even more litigation over the parcel, which was recently appraised at $7.2 million.
“Boca Raton has engaged in a decades-long program to deny any development of this private, taxpaying, oceanfront property. To date it has failed to acquire the property as part of its spectacular oceanfront park system,” he said. “The continued denial of any reasonable development of this parcel constitutes a taking. The ongoing illegal actions of the city will continue to be addressed in the courts.”
Each side of the proposed duplex would have had a rooftop with a pool, spa, fire pit and outdoor kitchen. Sweetapple said the building would have special glass facing the ocean that would transmit only 10% of interior light, below the city’s request for 15%, and have only 8% reflectivity. Lighting is a concern for nesting and hatchling sea turtles.
Council members caused an uproar when they gave a zoning variance in late 2015 for a four-story beachfront home two parcels south, at 2500 N. Ocean Blvd. The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice to proceed with that project, which still needs review by the city’s Environmental Advisory Board and another council vote. Ú

Crews last month finished installing pedestrian-activated crosswalk signals at eight locations along State Road A1A in Highland Beach, closing the book on a three-year effort. The solar-powered lights each feature a diamond shape crosswalk sign with a horizontal light bar below. When activated, the lights flash across the horizontal bar to alert motorists of a pedestrian in or approaching the crosswalk. ‘This is definitely an improvement for crosswalk safety,’ said Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann. ‘Drivers can see the flashing lights from several hundred feet away so they now have more time to react and stop.’ Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

As town commissioners struggle to restructure water and sewer charges, one thing is certain — most customers will soon be paying more for a gallon of water when they turn on the faucet or flush the toilet.
But there is a silver lining: As water rates go up, residents will likely see a small decrease in the town’s property taxes.
While commissioners have spent weeks discussing a consultant’s proposal to adjust the way the town determines how much water users pay — and have yet to reach agreement — there is consensus on making the town’s utilities cover their costs.
Like most municipalities, Highland Beach has separate funds — called enterprise funds — for water and sewer. Unlike other communities, however, the town uses property tax dollars to cover the debt rung up during water and sewer projects.
Under the proposal from consulting firm Raftelis — and at the urging of the town — about one-third of the annual $1.4 million cost of debt service would be shifted in the next fiscal year to the enterprise funds and away from the town’s general fund, which is supported by tax dollars. The remainder would be shifted to the enterprise funds over the next four years.
“The commission has made a commitment that the enterprise funds for water and sewer should be independent and entirely supported by the utility rates,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said. “For it to be independent, we have to raise revenue to cover costs.”
He pointed out that moving the debt from past utility projects, which now stands at about $11.4 million, will benefit taxpayers, especially those with larger homes.
“The rate increase will be slightly countered by a tax decrease,” Labadie said.
During a recent meeting, commissioners learned that the owner of a home with a taxable value of $250,000 would save about $59 a year in property taxes over a five-year period.
In addition to moving the debt services to the enterprise funds, the town plans to raise utility rates to cover operational and other costs.
Because the current rate structure does not generate enough revenue to cover the full cost of water and sewer operations, the town has had to dip into reserves in each of the enterprise funds.
During the current fiscal year, $570,000 is expected to be taken from the water enterprise fund to cover operations and $735,000 from the sewer enterprise fund. That leaves the water fund with $3.2 million and the sewer fund with $1.5 million.
Raising water and sewer rates will also help the utilities cover the cost of routine replacement and repair and help pay for potential capital projects.
As the town looks to the future, it anticipates having to repair or replace some of the aging sewer lines and is waiting for an engineering study to estimate the cost. How much is needed could affect how the town designs its rate structure.
As commissioners continue to review the water and sewer rates, which they do every five years, they will consider changes to flat “ready to serve” fees that all users pay, as well as charges for usage.
On the wastewater side, users currently pay a flat “ready to serve” fee with no charge for usage. In its study, Raftelis proposed increasing the flat fee and adding a fee for usage.
On the water rate side, the consultants recommended raising the “ready to serve” fee slightly and making adjustments to a tiered system based on usage.
While town leaders search for a rate structure that is fair to residents of condominium and multifamily buildings — as well as those living in single-family homes — they’ll be researching rate structures of other towns, getting more detailed costs of the sanitary sewer pipe improvement project and studying the feasibility of transferring money in the general fund reserves to the enterprise funds.
In addition, they’ll explore spreading expected increased costs over longer than just five years and consider ways to educate utility customers on ways to improve water conservation, which is encouraged by the South Florida Water Management District.
“There’s a lot to be done,” Mayor Doug Hillman said. 

Reynaldo Torres, front, an employee of Seminole Equipment in Miami, prepares a section of the Haven Ashe Bridge for painting. The bridge runs over the Boca Raton Inlet and was closed to traffic for seven weeks. The bridge reopened to vehicles and pedestrians at about noon Oct. 8. Painting operations were expected to be done by early November. The state Department of Transportation changed the paint color from light blue to dark blue.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

A cultural arts group’s ambitious proposal to build a performing arts center at Mizner Park moved closer to becoming reality on Oct. 13 when the City Council unanimously agreed to enter into negotiations to reach a deal.
The Boca Raton Arts District Exploratory Corp. hopes to completely renovate the existing 3,500-seat amphitheater and add a new theater building, additional indoor and outdoor performing arts spaces, a rooftop terrace and more parking.
As now envisioned, the Boca Raton Center for Arts and Innovation would cost $121 million, including $20 million for an endowment fund and reserves. It would be financed by donations from cultural arts supporters and corporations that have long wanted such a facility in the city.
If the city and the exploratory group agree, fundraising would start next year and the project would open in late 2026 or early 2027.
“On behalf of our organization, the donors who’ve funded this vision, and the countless stakeholders who’ve participated in its shaping, we are very grateful for the council’s support in moving this partnership forward and look forward to working with (city) staff to work out the details,” Andrea Virgin, the group’s president, said in a statement.
City Council members have conceptually supported the creation of a performing arts center, which was first proposed two years ago, and they did so again at the meeting.
“We all just want to make sure it succeeds in a way that works for everyone,” said Mayor Scott Singer. “To have this in our city would be a huge coup.”
“It is difficult to believe Boca does not have a concert hall or performing arts center,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke. “I think we should take advantage of this opportunity.”
But hurdles must be cleared to reach a final agreement.
The arts district group wants a 99-year ground lease on 3.6 city-owned acres in Mizner Park adjacent to the amphitheater, for which it would pay a nominal $1 per year, and is asking the city to continue paying $1.2 million a year for existing public programming at the amphitheater. The arts district group would assume the cost of maintaining the building.
The city has entered into such lease deals before. The Boca Raton Museum of Art, located on city land west of the amphitheater, has a 99-year ground lease and Brightline has a 29-year ground lease on city land east of the Downtown Library where its train station will be built.
Council members offered no objections to the ground lease, but its length will be negotiated. Singer said a 49-year lease is more “palatable.”
The two sides also will have to work out amphitheater operations. Council members want the city to continue operating the amphitheater, where it stages about 70 concerts and other events a year. Representatives of the exploratory group said they could agree to the city’s continuing to hold events, but they want to be in operational control and to hold their own events when the city isn’t using the building.
Although the meeting ended amicably, Singer nearly upended it when he said he had asked an economist he met in college to offer his thoughts on the proposed project.
Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College, delivered sharp criticisms, saying the exploratory group’s statements that the project does not pose a financial risk or cost to the city and will generate a big economic benefit “are not accurate.”
The group’s analysis used a faulty method that is not “scientifically reliable or valid,” he said.
“The method relies upon a variety of unrealistic assumptions and was designed back in the 1930s to aid in Soviet economic planning,” he said. “We all know how that turned out.”
Clearly stunned by Zimbalist’s comments, Brett Egan, president of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management and a project consultant, responded forcefully. He said Zimbalist made “many, many misleading and blatantly inaccurate statements” and asked for a transcript of the comments so he could respond point by point.
The economic analysis methodology has been used by many other businesses and cultural organizations, including the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, Brightline and many others, he said.
If the group does not raise enough money to fully fund the project, no construction will begin and the group will pay for any cost overruns, not the city, Egan said.
O’Rourke reacted quickly, saying Zimbalist’s comments were “a little bit of blindside and I think it is really unfair to the people who have worked so hard to make this presentation.”
Singer said he had not known what Zimbalist would say. “I didn’t ask Dr. Zimbalist to come today to torpedo anything,” he said.
Singer followed up at the City Council meeting the next night, offering a “mea culpa.” He said he had apologized to Virgin, Egan and Zimbalist.
“I didn’t mean to create confusion, dissension, heartache,” he said. “I try to bring people together.”
A member of one of the cultural groups that banded together to propose a cultural arts complex, but who has since withdrawn her support, also has raised concerns about the project.
Wendy Larsen, co-founder of the Festival of the Arts Boca, said, “It is a very ill-conceived project” that would be unaffordable for not-for-profit organizations such as hers to use.
“It is too expensive to build and too expensive to operate,” said Larsen, who started the Center for the Arts at Mizner Park along with her law partner, the late Charles Siemon. The two also raised money to build the amphitheater.
Other members of the consortium, however, remain strong project backers, including Dan Guin, executive director of Boca Ballet Theatre; Carole Boucard, president of the board of the Symphonia chamber orchestra; and Irving Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
“It is certainly time for Boca Raton to have a performing arts center that can accommodate local arts groups with the kinds of programming Andrea has in mind,” Lippman said of Virgin. “I think you will find people eager to rally around the cause.”
Noting the wealth concentrated in the city, Boucard said she expects it will be possible to raise enough money to build the complex.
“I don’t see why we can’t raise that money, between corporations and businesses and private individuals,” she said. Ú

By Mary Hladky

The City Council held the line on its tax rate this year, approving $3.68 per $1,000 of taxable property value that is unchanged from last year’s rate.
But the rate is 6.6% higher than the so-called rollback rate that would have generated the same tax revenue as the previous year. Also, property valuations in Boca Raton continued to increase this year.
The council on Sept. 21 also unanimously approved a $772.6 million budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, down slightly from last year’s $784 million.
City administrators kept a tight rein on spending, adding only three new employees to the city’s workforce. The most significant increased cost was $2.6 million for salaries and benefits. But other expenditures were trimmed, including $1.4 million for vehicles and $422,000 for travel.
“I think all our residents can be pleased that our millage rate is not increasing, our water and sewer rates are not increasing, our other fees are not increasing, and we continue to have a healthy budget, AAA bond rating and exceptional services provided at low cost to taxpayers,” Mayor Scott Singer said.
As budget planning began earlier this year, city officials feared the city’s finances could be slammed by property value declines next year and more immediate drop-offs in sales tax and user fee revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But City Manager Leif Ahnell told council members on Sept. 8 that while the pandemic did have an impact, especially in May and June, it was less than expected.
This year’s property valuations, based on data gathered before the coronavirus hit, increased by 4.75%. Ahnell’s concerns about next year’s valuations have been eased by an influx of out-of-state residents buying homes in Florida.
“We are seeing a huge number of purchasers coming to Florida to buy property,” he said, and it now appears that property values will increase substantially next year.
He and his staff also think that user fees and sales tax revenues will swing up once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available.
Singer underscored Ahnell’s point by noting that a recent New York Times article about Florida’s hot property market featured Boca Raton and included a photograph of Mizner Park.
In other good news for city homeowners, the amount they pay for fire protection will remain at $145 after last year’s $10 increase. Water and sewer rates also are unchanged.
But residents will see some cost increases.
The City Council’s 2019 decision to keep residential garbage collection and recycling services in-house, rather than outsourcing them to a private company, immediately resulted in new employee hiring, plans to buy new collection vehicles and an increase in sanitation rates.
Sanitation rates will increase again this fiscal year — by $1.99 to $23.58 per month for single-family residents and $1.20 to $14.27 per month for multi-family dwellings — to pay for two more employees, vehicles, equipment and facilities to store sanitation vehicles.
New user fees will be charged to people using the city’s parks. These include a fee for new picnic shelter rentals at Hillsboro El Rio, University Woodlands and George Snow parks.
Golf course, cemetery and mausoleum fees also will increase slightly.

ABOVE: The station on South Dixie Highway, designed by Chester G. Henninger, opened in 1930 and operated until 1968. The buyer plans to renovate the station and use it for cultural events. BELOW: A restored 1947 dining car. Photos provided by Peter Lorber

By Mary Hladky

The $2.1 million sale of the former Florida East Coast Railway station in Boca Raton has been finalized nearly three years after the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum selected Mizner Arts LLC as the buyer.
The Mizner Arts principals are Boca Raton-based GEO Group founder and CEO George Zoley and his family, but the driving force behind the purchase is his daughter, Holly Meehan.
The sale was completed on Aug. 26, according to county property records.
“We want to save it,” Meehan said of the train station, which opened at 747 S. Dixie Highway in 1930 and remained in operation until 1968. “We want the community to be able to use it. It really is for the community.”
The building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be used for cultural and arts events, she said. More specifics will come after she and her mother, Donna Zoley, renovate the building, a project that she expects will take some time.
Meehan, a longtime Junior League volunteer and a former historical society board member, will maintain the society’s Ticket to Ride education program at the train depot.
The program has long been very popular with school groups, which learn about the railroad and its impact on city and state history while visiting the depot and two restored 1947 rail cars, a steam engine and caboose.
Mary Csar, the historical society’s executive director, said the difficult decision to sell the station was made in 2015 because the society could not afford to operate and maintain both it and the historic Town Hall building at 71 N. Federal Highway.
“We can now focus on the Town Hall,” she said. “I think it will be a win-win.”
The historical society’s board agreed early on that Meehan’s proposal for the train station was the best one submitted, Csar said.
“It is exactly what we would want to do ourselves if we could do it,” she said. “It is fantastic for the community.”
Csar and Meehan both anticipate the train depot will become a gathering place for residents and visitors attending special events and community activities.
The historical society will invest the sale proceeds to sustain itself and the Town Hall museum.
It is in the midst of renovating the Town Hall, which was built in 1928 and designed by famed architect Addison Mizner. It also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The project initially was expected to cost $1.5 million but has risen to about $3.9 million because of the complexity of updating an old building, Csar said.
The historical society is financing the project through reserves and a fundraising campaign. The city, which owns the Town Hall, contributed $650,000 to the project in 2019.
Csar expects to reopen the building and its museum to the public in late 2020 or early 2021.

By Mary Hladky

Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been postponed for the fourth time, and is now set to begin on Jan. 11, 2021.
Prosecutors and Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s criminal defense lawyer, agreed to move back the trial date from Oct. 26, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional time needed to complete pretrial discovery and the possibility that not enough potential jurors would be available.
Palm Beach County Chief Judge Krista Marx suspended all jury trials in April because of the coronavirus pandemic but issued an administrative order on Sept. 9 allowing a limited number of trials to begin after Oct. 9.
Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen ordered the new trial date on Sept. 11.
Haynie, 65, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.
Haynie has pleaded not guilty. Zimet has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal.
Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended Haynie from office, but she never resigned. Scott Singer won a special election to claim the position in 2018 and was re-elected in March.

By Mary Hladky

Wasting no time, the City Council formally accepted the donation of the 167-acre Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club just eight days after the gift was announced.
In casting their unanimous vote on Oct. 14, council members brushed aside pleas from nearby property owners to postpone the decision.
Members of the Boca Golf and Tennis Property Owners Association complained they were never consulted or even told that the new owners of the Boca Raton Resort & Club were offering the country club to the city.
They voiced concerns about the loss of privacy and safety when the private club becomes public, increased traffic and whether the city had completed adequate due diligence.
“What’s the rush?” several property owners asked.
“We were surprised and shocked as to the clandestine and seemingly surreptitious agreements … we were not aware of,” said one resident.
But council members said the donation offer was too good to pass up.
It gives the city a golf course to replace the municipal course that is in the process of being sold to GL Homes for $65 million.
Golfers also won’t have to wait for the Boca National golf course to be built by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District after a contentious battle with the city over control of the project.
“I think it is a slam dunk for the city,” said council member Andy Thomson.
Other cities would be “salivating” over such a gift, said Mayor Scott Singer, who described it as “the most generous donation” ever made to Boca Raton.
Responding to objections to the quick vote, City Manager Leif Ahnell said, “The donation is available now. … I am not under the impression it is available at a later date. This would be a fantastic opportunity.”
Thomson, who has taken an active role on golf course matters, said he did not consider the vote rushed. The city will assume control of the country club on Oct. 1, 2021, giving the city plenty of time to address concerns.
Ahnell said he expects Boca Raton will break even on operating the golf course, or possibly make a small profit.
The golf course, which Ahnell described as “first class,” was completely renovated in 2018, he said.
“It is our intent to operate it as a premier public facility,” he said.
The country club, located outside the city limits on Congress Avenue north of Clint Moore Road, includes an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, clubhouse and pool. Deputy City Manager Mike Woika said it is debt-free.
The new owners of the Boca Raton Resort & Club — MSD Partners, formed by billionaire Michael S. Dell’s private investment firm, and Northview Hotel Group — acquired the country club as part of their purchase of the resort for $875 million in 2019.
The resort is now in the midst of a $150 million renovation. In announcing the donation, the owners said they want to concentrate on completing that project. They also said the country club had been underutilized for over a decade.
Under the deal, which is expected to close soon, the city will get title to the property and then lease it to the resort, which will continue to operate and maintain it as a private club until the city takes over.
Over the next 11 months, the city will meet with residents, create a budget for management and operations and develop user fee schedules.
Once it becomes a public facility, all city residents and visitors will be able to use it, as will members of the resort and the country club.
Those living in the country club’s residential areas, who are not city residents, will be able to purchase golf passes at the same rate as city residents. Premier members of the resort also will pay city resident rates.
Still to be resolved is what impact the donation will have on the Beach and Park District’s plans to build Boca National.
Ahnell said city and district officials will discuss this. Thomson expects that land to become a “first-class” park instead.
Beach and Parks Commissioner Craig Ehrnst, who attended the meeting, urged council members to accept the gift. “Donations like this don’t come around very often,” he said. “This really makes a lot of sense for the entire community.” Ú

By Mary Hladky

The city has received additional money that it is making available to residents who have fallen behind on their mortgage or rent because of COVID-19.
The state allocated the city $230,285 that it received through the federal CARES Act in mid-October. That is on top of $317,322 the city received in September.
The money is available to homeowners or renters who have experienced financial hardship, such as being laid off, furloughed or having work hours reduced.
The October allocation increases the amount that each household can receive from $5,800 to $10,000.
To be eligible for assistance, applicants must live within the city limits and have household income that does not exceed 120% of area median income. A family of four, for example, could have a maximum income of $105,360.
Additional requirements are listed on the city’s website under rental and foreclosure programs at https://myboca.us/1923/Rental-and-Foreclosure-Programs. Those in need also can call 561-544-8667 (or 561-393-7043 for the hearing impaired) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Applications will be accepted online only on the city’s website through Nov. 30. All the money must be distributed by Dec. 30. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Residents who have received previous economic assistance from Palm Beach County or a nonprofit agency can receive additional money for months not covered in their previous requests.

By Sallie James

BOCA RATON — Charles L. Siemon, the land development attorney and visionary who helped design Boca Raton’s iconic Mizner Park and co-founded the Festival of the Arts Boca, died on Sept. 24 in the Florida Keys of complications related to Alzheimer’s disease. He was three days shy of his 75th birthday.
It was his proposal, along with business partner Wendy Larsen, to build a European-designed, open-air plaza on the site of the blighted Boca Mall, which had fallen into disrepair in the 1980s. Mr. Siemon’s ideas changed the city’s downtown forever, transforming it into a destination known for outdoor shopping, fine dining, cultural events and architecture.
“He designed the central plaza. He was very creative and very much a visionary. It was his idea to have the residences in Mizner Park. It turned out to be very successful,” Larsen said. “The face of downtown Boca was really shaped by Charlie.”
Larsen and Mr. Siemon met in 1975 when they worked together as young lawyers in Chicago. They started their own firm, Siemon & Larsen, in 1983, with offices in Chicago and Boca Raton. Mr. Siemon was hired by Boca’s Community Redevelopment Agency in 1985, where he worked with CRA Director Jamie Snyder to develop a downtown plan that the city adopted. Siemon & Larsen, which merged with the law firm GrayRobinson in 2014, were the first office tenants to move into Mizner Park.
“We worked in New Jersey and Louisiana and all over Florida and did the first of everything. Mizner Park, after it was built and became very successful, it became sort of like a slogan — people would say, ‘It’s a Mizner Park-like project,’” Larsen said.
Mr. Siemon and Larsen founded the Center for the Arts at Mizner Park, with a plan to build out the north end with cultural facilities. Their vision became reality.
“We talked the Museum of Art into coming downtown,” Larsen said. “They were originally going to go out west somewhere. They raised their own money and built their museum. Meanwhile we were raising money for the amphitheater.”
The $6.2 million Mizner Park Amphitheater opened in November 2002.
“He was always so proud” of Mizner Park, his daughter Lisa Ziels said. “It was always in the back of everything. It was a big deal to him.”
Mr. Siemon was born on Sept. 27, 1945, to Margaret and Robert Siemon in Washington, D.C., and grew up in West Palm Beach. His family moved to South Florida when he was a young child. He attended Ransom Everglades High School in Miami, then headed to Emory University in Atlanta, where he met and married Laura “Lolly” Magnuson. The couple remained together until she died of brain cancer in 2010.
Mr. Siemon attended graduate school at Florida State University in Tallahassee, followed by Officer Candidate School. He became a naval officer aboard the USS Shangri-La during the Vietnam War. Following his return to the States, he headed back to FSU for his law degree.
Ziels described her father as a stern man and workaholic who traveled a lot while she was growing up but was always there when it mattered most. Having grandkids changed his priorities.
Mr. Siemon “had always made this big deal about how he was never going to hold babies and when my daughter was born he could hardly wait to hold her,” Ziels recalled. “He said, ‘I have a new reason to live.’ Having grandkids changed his whole view on life. It absolutely softened him and gave him just a different view on life.
“It was the soft side of Charlie that most people in Boca didn’t know. He was a great dad and even better grandpa,” his daughter said.
Mr. Siemon was an avid baseball fan who followed the Chicago Cubs and a devoted angler who loved to fish and take others fishing.
“I don’t think there is anything he truly loved more than being on the front of my husband’s boat. I think that was probably his favorite place in the entire world,” Ziels said.
Mr. Siemon retired to the Keys about three years ago, moving in with Ziels and her family in Marathon so they could care for him as his health began to fail and the memory-robbing effects of Alzheimer’s took hold. He was surrounded by family at his death.
According to the Festival of the Arts Boca website, Mr. Siemon was also involved in a beach and downtown redevelopment project in Clearwater titled One City One Future and preparation of a downtown plan and community redevelopment plan for Coral Springs. Mr. Siemon also led the preparation of a downtown master plan, including the design of a new downtown from scratch, and a community redevelopment plan for the city of Oviedo.
He was a member and chairman of Boca Raton Community Hospital’s board of directors; member of the hospital’s finance and outreach committees; and founding chairman of the nonprofit Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park Inc., implementing and designing a cultural facilities center at the park’s north end. Mr. Siemon served on the Festival of the Arts Boca steering committee and as chair since the commencement of the festival in 2007.
Mr. Siemon was preceded in death by his parents and his wife. He is survived by his daughter Laura Seubert, son-in-law Jason and grandchildren Jake, Joey and Lillian; his daughter Lisa Ziels, son-in-law Todd and grandchildren Hannah and Dylan; and his siblings Robbie Siemon, James Siemon, George Siemon and Marge Siemon.
No services have been planned because of the coronavirus pandemic. His family hopes to organize a memorial service sometime after the new year.
In memory of Mr. Siemon, the family requests that donations be made to the Festival of the Arts Boca (www.festivalboca.org/donate) or Amedisys Foundation (Amedisys Hospice at www.amedisys.com).

BOCA RATON — Robert Thomas Langford died at his Boca Raton home on Aug. 2. He was 74.
Known as Bob to many, Mr. Langford was the first executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, joining the agency, then known as the Beach Tax District, in the mid-1970s as its accountant. He retired in 2012.
Commissioner Bob Rollins, who served with him for nearly 20 years, likened Mr. Langford to the leader of an orchestra.
“He was a conductor orchestrating the commissioners to ultimately come up with the programming that met the needs of the community,” Rollins said in a statement.
During Mr. Langford’s tenure, the district bought the land that became Red Reef Park and the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Patch Reef Park, Sugar Sand Park and soon-to-open Ocean Strand Park.
He also was an active member of the Scottish Rite for more than 43 years, according to a notice in the Sun-Sentinel.
Mr. Langford is survived by his sons — Neilson, Thomas, Scott and John — and eight grandchildren.

— Staff report

DELRAY BEACH — Robert G. Lukens, a longtime Delray Beach resident, died Oct. 12 in Birmingham, Alabama, with family by his side. He was 84 years old.
Mr. Lukens was born on June 10, 1936, to Robert John and Ruth Adele Lukens. He and his younger brother, John, were raised in Lafayette Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia.
Mr. Lukens graduated from Springfield High School in 1954, serving as president of his graduating class. He was an all-conference selection in both basketball and baseball. He attended the University of Pennsylvania on a basketball scholarship, later transferring to Muhlenberg College to continue his studies and play basketball.
After graduating from Muhlenberg College in 1959, Mr. Lukens joined the Navy and spent two years as lieutenant on the USS Saratoga and three years teaching in Newport, Rhode Island, and the Naval Academy.
Mr. Lukens worked in the insurance business and was licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New York and Florida.
In addition to enjoying his home in Delray Beach, Mr. Lukens spent time with extended family and friends at homes in Vero Beach and Lake Martin, Alabama.
With the Navy instilling a love of the sea, he created special memories with his family while boating. Everyone loved going on a boat ride with Bubba. He was also very fond of his wonderful pets throughout the years. All who knew him would agree that his smile would light up the room.
In addition to his beloved wife of 34 years, Judith Ann Lukens, Mr. Lukens is survived by his daughter, Kristen Hay, his son, Robert Lukens, three stepdaughters, Jennifer Moore, Leslie Kury, and Carrie Lay, and 12 grandchildren, as well as his brother, John. He is also survived by his former wife, Elizabeth Smith, and countless other friends. Should you wish to honor him with a memorial donation, the family suggests contributions be made to the Bethesda Hospital Foundation or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life will occur at a later time.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Mary Hladky

Longtime volunteer Yvette Drucker will replace Jeremy Rodgers on the City Council until his military deployment or his term of office ends.
City Council members voted 3-1 to appoint Drucker on Oct. 27, a decision likely to stir controversy because she has announced her candidacy for Rodgers’ council seat in the March 9 election.
Drucker’s appointment likely will be perceived by some as council members’ using their positions to boost her candidacy.
Council member Andy Thomson made that point as he nominated Rodgers’ wife, Mandy, to temporarily serve.
Rodgers, he said, had recommended that his wife fill his seat, saying she was “best qualified,” had no intention to run for office and would vote as he would on matters coming before the council.
In making an appointment, council members should not “put our finger on the scale,” he said.
Council member Monica Mayotte countered that Drucker would be most accountable to residents because she is running for the position.
Mayor Scott Singer, Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke and Mayotte nominated Drucker.
She was among 32 applicants for the job, an astonishingly high number for a five-month political gig.
Drucker will begin serving at the next City Council meeting on Nov. 10, although she likely will be sworn into office before then so city staff can bring her up to speed on matters coming before the council.
Jeremy Rodgers, a Navy reservist, was called to active duty and deployed in August to Qatar in support of NATO operations in Afghanistan.
He was elected to a three-year council term in 2015 and won re-election in 2018. His term ends on March 31, and because of term limits he cannot run again.
In an Oct. 14 letter, Rodgers asked other council members to fill his position because he could not attend meetings remotely, as he had hoped to do.
Drucker is seeking office for the first time.
She is chair of the Boca Raton Education Task Force and previously served as vice-chair of the Boca Raton Historic Preservation Board. She has been active with the Boca Raton Historical Society and the Junior League of Boca Raton.
Drucker had raised nearly $16,000 from 40 donors as of Sept. 30. She contributed $5,000 to her campaign.
Two other candidates are vying to replace Rodgers.
Former Deputy Mayor Constance Scott is seeking a comeback. Now director of local relations at Florida Atlantic University, Scott served two terms from 2009 to 2015 and was deputy mayor during her final year in office.
She had raised just over $10,000 as of Sept. 30 from 50 donors, who include well-known names such as architects Derek Vander Ploeg and Juan Caycedo and political consultant Rick Asnani.
Perennial candidate Bernard Korn also has announced his candidacy. Korn, a real estate broker, has twice lost elections to Singer. Questions about where Korn lived cropped up in both the 2018 and 2020 city elections. If he does not live in the city, he is not eligible to run.
As he did last year, Korn lists his address as a post office box in the city’s downtown post office. County property records show he owns a home outside the city limits.
He was the only contributor to his campaign as of Sept. 30, giving $10,100.
Mayotte is seeking a second three-year term on the council. As of Oct. 27, she faced no opposition. She has loaned her campaign $50,000.
Candidates will be required to provide proof of residency for the first time. That recent City Council decision was made in the wake of uncertainty over Korn’s actual address.
Candidates must prove they have lived in the city for at least 30 days. If voters approve a charter amendment that will be on the March ballot, the residency requirement will be increased to one year.
Candidates will qualify for office during the first seven regular business days in December.

By Mary Hladky

The city will raise docks at Silver Palm Park so they no longer will be inundated with water during king tides.
The project will cost about $470,000, including engineering and design work. City officials will have a firm number soon.
City Council member Monica Mayotte raised the issue with city staff after seeing the docks under water during recent king tides.
Other council members agreed with her at an Oct. 26 meeting that this work should be part of building a connected Wildflower/ Silver Palm Park at a cost of $8.25 million.
“It’s a lot of money,” said council member Andy Thomson. “But … we have taken the stance we take climate change in the form of higher tides seriously. If we are going to be serious about making our city resilient, this is a no-brainer.”
“The longer we wait, the more expensive this gets,” Mayotte said.
The work will include raising the decking along the Intracoastal Waterway, raising the boat ramp dock and building a floating dock at the boat launch.
The city is building a higher sea wall at the Wildflower site, but such work is not needed at Silver Palm, city officials said.
The dock work will not affect the January start of the 6.4-acre Wildflower/Silver Palm park project.

Boca Raton will not have a holiday boat parade, a tree-lighting ceremony or a street parade this year “after exploring all options and out of an abundance of caution” during the coronavirus pandemic, the city announced on its website.
The city’s 25-foot holiday tree, with more than 7,500 lights, will sit in Sanborn Square from Nov. 21 through New Year’s Day.
And Mizner Park will put up its 47-foot animated holiday tree at the south end of the plaza near the Yard House restaurant.
There will be five 25-minute free musical tree performances nightly, starting Nov. 21, at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Ú
— Staff report

By Jane Smith

The long-awaited public hearing for suspended City Manager George Gretsas was delayed for another month, the Delray Beach City Commission voted unanimously at a 2:30 p.m. special hearing Oct. 21.

Gretsas has hired new attorneys to represent him at his termination hearing, now set for 10 a.m. Nov. 20.

The attorneys — hired on Oct. 20 — are Thomas Ali and Stuart N. Kaplan of the Stuart N. Kaplan law firm in Palm Beach Gardens.

Ali called and sent an email to Lynn Gelin, city attorney, on the morning of Oct. 21. Gretsas’ lawyers requested a two- or three-week postponement to prepare for the hearing.

But the earliest time the city’s outside labor counsel, Bob Norton, had available was Nov. 20.

The attorneys representing Gretsas agreed that his city manager salary of $265,000 and benefits package worth more than $50,000 will end on Oct. 23. Gretsas was receiving that compensation since he was formally suspended June 24.

Commissioners wanted to stop paying Gretsas while also paying an interim city manager to run Delray Beach. Jennifer Alvarez, purchasing director, was elevated to the interim city manager position on June 24. During her tenure, she will make $189,500 and have a $500 monthly car allowance and $100 cellphone allowance.

If the commissioners had not granted the delay, Gretsas’ attorneys would have sought a court injunction to postpone the hearing, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said.

City commissioners will act as the judge and jury at the Nov. 20 hearing in commission chambers.

The basis for the hearing will be a 38-page report compiled by Julia Davidyan, internal auditor. She interviewed 31 current and former city employees.

In the investigation given to the commissioners on Oct. 9, Davidyan found Gretsas had “disregarded the city’s interests and policies in the areas of personnel, purchasing and information technology.”

In 2019, she also investigated Mark Lauzier, Gretsas' predecessor, who was fired on March 1, 2019, after a similar hearing. Lauzier later sued the city on two counts. The first was dismissed and lost on appeal in February to the 4th District Court of Appeal. The second count — for wrongful termination — is headed for a jury trial expected to start in February, Gelin told commissioners on Oct. 20.