By Mary Hladky

Plans to build a performing arts complex on city-owned land in Mizner Park hit a roadblock on Sept. 23 when Boca Raton City Council members unanimously delayed a key vote for one month so that city staff can hire a consultant to evaluate the project’s feasibility.

Under a 2022 agreement between the city and The Center for Arts and Innovation, the city must approve revised project plans by Oct. 21. If that deadline is missed, the agreement would be terminated unless the city and TCAI agree to an extension.

Council members balked at approving the new plans after city staffers spelled out concerns they have about some of the changes. But staff members said those issues could be worked out over the next two years before the next deadline — this one for final project approval — and recommended that the council allow the project to go forward.

Those changes, made after TCAI selected the renowned architectural firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop last year to design the project, include demolishing the amphitheater and incorporating its function into a main venue, replacing a planned parking garage with underground parking and installing a new type of canopy over a central piazza.

Issues raised by staff included whether the Boca Raton Museum of Art would be adversely affected if the main venue faces west, as now proposed, whether ground conditions allow for the garage to be built underground, and if TCAI should be allowed to build a canopy over an outdoor piazza that provides shade but does not protect from the rain.

Council members had similar concerns and questioned whether they should vote before knowing whether TCAI is meeting its fundraising goals. That report is due this month.

Marc Wigder, who was not elected to office when the council approved the 2022 deal, disagreed with the staff recommendation and proposed hiring a consultant.

City Manager George Brown pushed back, saying city staff had recommended hiring a consultant when the project was first proposed, but the council rejected that.

Deputy Mayor Yvette Drucker also objected, saying the council had nixed the idea because of the high cost.

“I do not want to hold up the process to hire a consultant,” she said. “Staff is comfortable with what has been presented.”

Mayor Scott Singer and Council members Andy Thomson and Fran Nachlas were willing to support Wigder’s proposal even though it was doubtful that a consultant could be hired and provide an analysis in a month.

Brown said that was “unlikely.” Thomson agreed but said a consultant could provide the city with future guidance.

Although the decision stands the chance of imperiling the project, it appeared that both the city and TCAI officials had anticipated some turmoil before the meeting.

Staff presented its report nearly one month before the Oct. 21 deadline, leaving some time for concerns to be addressed. The early report gives both sides time to resolve any issues, TCAI Chair and CEO Andrea Virgin said after the meeting, adding she expected no problems doing so.

“I hear your concerns,” the center’s attorney, Ele Zachariades, told the council. “We are not necessarily opposed to postponement for one month.”

The Renzo Piano design retains the original concepts, which include building flexible performance spaces with no fixed walls so that the various parts of the facility can be used for any imaginable function. Indoor events can be projected onto outside walls so that patrons need not always buy tickets to see a performance.

TCAI officials say maximum audience sizes in the various venues remain the same.

Nonetheless, there are notable changes.

Chief among them is that the amphitheater will be demolished and the types of events now held there can be accommodated in a new main venue, they say.

Instead of facing south as the original plans showed, the main venue now will face west toward the art museum. Fronting it will be a large piazza.

For amphitheater-type events, the theater walls can be opened up so that patrons can use the covered theater space as well as the piazza.

Originally, TCAI officials said they would build a retractable covering over the piazza that would shield the sun and protect from the rain. But the new type of covering now proposed, called tendidos, would not provide rain protection.

Virgin says the change was made because a hard cover canopy is expensive and would not be needed in most cases because if it rains, the theater area is available.

Eliminating a building saves land area and is a more efficient use of space because the amphitheater and main venue rarely would be used at the same time, she said.

The team has opted for underground parking instead of a parking garage to free up space and to improve the project’s appearance.

It also has calculated that the original size of some of the buildings was too large and made trims that reduce the project’s footprint by 33% without reducing audience capacity, Virgin said.

The changes allow the team space to create a linear park along the perimeter of the buildings and to plant 150 trees.

The formerly proposed jewel box theater is now known as the flex cube with seating for 200, and an education and innovation building includes flexible working, startup incubator, co-working and educational spaces.

The Belvedere, a small building that can have as many as 100 seats, will jut up into the sky and offer 360-degree views of the city. A restaurant and lounge are part of the project.

The roofs would have hybrid photovoltaic solar collectors to produce all the electricity and hot water the complex needs.

One segment of the 1.3-mile project would reduce the number of traffic lanes from three to two, allowing for more space for bikes and for a wider sidewalk and landscaping.
Rendering provided

Barriers to protect cyclists may not be possible, but compromise is

By Mary Hladky

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to add bicycle lanes to a 1.3-mile section of Federal Highway in Boca Raton from Camino Real to Northeast Mizner Boulevard, but at least two City Council members aren’t satisfied.

At issue is that the FDOT is proposing buffered bike lanes, with bike and vehicle lanes separated by a 2-foot striped buffer.

The city’s bike advocates have long sought protective barriers instead of buffers to better safeguard cyclists, and Deputy Mayor Yvette Drucker and Council member Fran Nachlas told FDOT officials at a Sept. 9 meeting that they too want barriers.

“A bike lane is not a bike lane if it is not protected. We have been trying to move to that,” Drucker said. “Let’s do it right the first time.”

FDOT officials said they also prefer protected bike lanes. But the relatively narrow width of that section of Federal Highway downtown leaves too little room to build them without substantially increasing the project’s size and cost.

Some sort of middle ground may be found, said Nathan George, the city’s transportation, mobility and connectivity director.

He said city staffers are looking at options such as thick tubular markers and flexible posts often seen in protected bike lanes.

There’s time to find a solution. The FDOT will hold a meeting where the public can weigh in during the first quarter of next year. The road’s new design is scheduled for completion in December 2025, with construction beginning in the winter of 2026.

As it stands now, the state has proposed dividing the project area into three sections.

Between Camino Real and Southeast Mizner Boulevard, three vehicle travel lanes in each direction would be reduced to two to make way for 5-foot bike lanes on both sides of the highway, a wider sidewalk and a landscaped area between the street and sidewalk. Concrete pavers would be placed at intersections.

The section between Southeast Mizner Boulevard and Northeast Second Street would maintain two vehicle lanes in both directions, but the center median would be narrowed and the width of one lane in each direction would be reduced by 1 foot to add 4-foot bike lanes.

The section between Northeast Second Street and Northeast Mizner Boulevard also would maintain two vehicle lanes in both directions with no reduction in width. But the center median would be narrowed to allow for 4-foot bike lanes.

This volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment has taken place annually for 39 years and is supported in more than 100 countries.
ABOVE: Members of the Florida Atlantic University track team pick up trash at Spanish River Park as part of a local ICC effort managed by Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
BELOW: 4Ocean handed out free bracelets to volunteers and presented this display of what 1 pound of plastic looks like when isolated. It normally charges $24 and up for a bracelet and other environment-related fashion. Each sale helps remove 5 pounds of trash from oceans, rivers and coastlines. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton’s tax rate remained almost unchanged for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, marking the 10th year in a row that the rate has remained virtually the same.

The tax rate unanimously approved by the City Council on Sept. 23 was $3.67 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

The owner of a home with a taxable value of $450,000 will pay $1,655 for the city’s portion of the property taxes.

The $155 fire assessment fee for residential properties also is unchanged from last year.
The city has long boasted about its low tax rate, which falls below that of many other Florida cities. For comparison, Delray Beach’s rate is $5.94 per $1,000 of taxable property value, Boynton Beach’s is $7.80 per $1,000 and West Palm Beach’s is $8.19 per $1,000.

The rate is made possible because, at $37.6 billion, Boca Raton has the highest taxable property value of any city in Palm Beach County — more than the total for Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Highland Beach, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge and Lantana combined.

Despite the city’s tax rate, property owners will see higher tax bills because property values increased by 8.5% this year.

Yet most homeowners are shielded from the brunt of higher taxes because state law caps the annual taxable value increase for homesteaded properties at 3%. Non-homesteaded properties are capped at 10%.

The city would have had to lower its millage rate by 6.9% to $3.42 per $1,000 of taxable value to bring in the same amount of tax revenue as the previous year, except for the taxes on new construction.

Council members also approved a total citywide budget of $785.3 million, up from last year’s $663 million. The general fund portion of the budget, which is supported by property taxes and pays for most day-to-day activities, is $245 million, up by nearly $22 million.

The majority of that, or about $14 million, will go to higher salary, benefits and pension costs. Ten new full-time positions will be added, including a police officer, park ranger, environmental officer, grant specialist and construction project manager.

Elsewhere in the budget, money is set aside for an additional 10 positions, mainly for information technology and water and sewer operations.

By Rich Pollack

With the town’s 75th anniversary coming soon, Highland Beach residents and community leaders are putting together plans for a celebration that will kick off in December with a geared-up Mingle & Jingle event and span several months into the new year.

It was in December 1949, back when Harry Truman was in the White House and the baby boom was in full swing, that a handful of residents got together to incorporate the small beachfront community with a lengthy history that included a Native American community and Japanese-American colonies.

As it celebrates the major milestone in its evolution, the town will be remembering the past but also looking forward.

“The 75th anniversary is an opportunity to pay homage to the past, the present and the future,” said Jason Chudnofsky, president of the Highland Beach Police and Fire Foundation, a volunteer organization that will be producing anniversary events. “We’ll be paying respect to the people who made this community what it is today, and we’ll give credit to the people in place who are taking it to the next level.”

Throughout it all, Chudnofsky said, the celebration will focus on community and on bringing residents together in recognition of all that makes Highland Beach “3½ miles of paradise.”

“Togetherness is one of our themes,” he said.

That will be evident during the Mingle & Jingle, an annual event that will be bigger than ever before.
Set for 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, the event will be held in the St. Lucy Catholic Church parking lot. It will feature food and entertainment, a community vendor fair, and an opportunity for residents to meet one-on-one with town leaders and with members of the town’s new fire department, as well as with some of the town’s Police Department team.

The event will have music, free food from food trucks, a laser show, a caricature artist and a balloon artist, as well as hat and shirt giveaways courtesy of the foundation.
With about 1,500 people expected, the town will be increasing transportation, providing more trollies to bring residents to and from the event. The celebration will also highlight the confluence this year of the first night of Hanukkah on Christmas Day.

Chudnofsky said that giving back is also a key theme of this year’s event. With that in mind, there will be a toy drive in which residents can drop off toys at the fire station.

As part of a months-long 75th anniversary celebration, the Highland Beach Library will be offering an exhibit centered on the town’s history, with displays of old photos and newspaper clips.

The library is still looking for Highland Beach memorabilia to include in the exhibit, which will be up during December.

Library Director Lois Albertson said the library team is looking to include interactive opportunities from which residents can learn more about the town history. It is also looking at hosting concerts and a lecture series celebrating that history.

Highland Beach commissioners last month gave final approval to a $28 million budget for fiscal year 2025 that includes leaving the town’s tax rate the same as in the previous tax year.

The overall budget, which includes a general fund budget and separate building fund, as well as water and sewer fund budgets, shows a reduction of about $5 million, down from $33 million in the previous tax year’s budget.

The reduction comes, in large part, because the town no longer must account for construction and startup costs associated with its new Fire Rescue Department, which became operational in May.

The town will maintain a total tax rate of $3.58 per $1,000 of taxable value, including operating and debt service funds, which is the same rate as in the previous two years. The new fiscal year started Oct. 1.

“We are keeping our low tax structure and still getting capital projects done while replenishing reserves,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.

— Rich Pollack

The Roots and Wings ribbon-cutting party at the new headquarters in Boca Raton included (l-r, in back) Doug Mithun, Karyn Keil, Ted Hoskinson, Ashley Bacon and Mark Burns, with Aidalyn Magsayo (holding scissors) and Marcia Mithun. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Roots and Wings, a nonprofit focused on promoting grade-level reading skills as well as excellence in teaching, has named two new board members and hired two new staff members.

Joining the board are Sid Breman, whose expertise is in financial management, and Marcia Mithun, whose expertise is in community leadership. Joining the staff are Karyn Keil and Sherry Zepatos. Keil’s title is director of operations, and Zepatos’ title is volunteer coordinator.

In other news, Roots and Wings, in partnership with the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the organization’s new headquarters on Congress Avenue in Boca Raton. The event featured light refreshments, special giveaways and remarks from Roots and Wings founder Ted Hoskinson.

“I want to sincerely thank all those who helped celebrate our ribbon-cutting and new headquarters, especially the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce,” Hoskinson said. “We are excited to have this new space to aid in our continued growth across South Florida and expansion into additional classrooms this upcoming school year.”

Hoskinson, a 15-year elementary-school teacher whose charitable group sprouted in 2016, notably has been recognized by the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation. He received a Catalyst Award along with a check for $40,000.

“Carl was a man of action,” said Jeff Perlman, the foundation’s grants administrator. “To honor that spirit, which led to so much good in the world, we wanted to create an award that recognizes the catalysts in our midst.”

For more information, call 561-404-0455 or visit rootsandwingsinc.org.

Coastal Stewards names 3 new members to board
The Coastal Stewards, a conservation organization dedicated to studying and protecting marine life and the ecosystem, recently welcomed three fresh faces to its board of trustees: Alan Blumberg, Darren Phillips and Ata Sarajedini.

Blumberg has more than four decades of experience in oceanography while Phillips is a veteran of the yachting industry. Sarajedini is a physics professor at Florida Atlantic University.

“We are thrilled and honored to have such experienced and knowledgeable individuals join our board of trustees,” said John Holloway, president and CEO of The Coastal Stewards. “Their individual commitment to marine conservation and education aligns perfectly with our mission, and we are confident with them on board, our organization will continue to grow and thrive into the future.”

For more information, call 561-310-9921 or visit thecoastalstewards.org.

Entering its 13th year, the Witches of Delray ride has turned into a powerful fundraising event for the Achievement Centers. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

The 13th annual charity bicycle ride organized by the Witches of Delray promises to cast a record-breaking spell upon its beneficiary.

With the event on track to welcome 300 hat-wearing, broom-wielding Wiccans on Oct. 26, it could conjure up $40,000 for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families.

“The funds raised make a huge impact here,” Achievement Centers CEO Stephanie Seibel said. “It allows us to run the programs, pay our teachers, turn the lights on and more.”
ACCF, which serves under-resourced children and families in Delray Beach and the surrounding communities, has received proceeds of more than $183,000 from the ride since 2012.
“I’ve been on the ride with the witches since its inception,” Seibel said. “There were just a handful of us in those early years. People really have been following this event for a long time, and it’s turned into more than just a race.”

A few new components have been added this year to celebrate the much-anticipated unlucky anniversary, including the “Not Your Basic Witch” hat-decorating event that took place Oct. 1. Also, two post-ride brunches have been reserved, at Deck 84 and Tin Roof. Those are in addition to Oct. 9’s Trivia Night and Oct. 18’s Witches Brew — both at Tim Finnegans Irish Pub.

“It has grown to such a huge party,” Andie DeVoe, co-founder of the ride, said of the Witches Brew. “We sell that out every year. Our witches can really dress up for the brew and then have something sporty for their bike.”

The 1½-mile route down Atlantic Avenue will take off at City Hall and fly by the Delray Beach Green Market, the Cornell Art Museum and the Colony Hotel, ending at Old School Square for the presentation of awards.

Awards such as Best Costume, Best Witch Cackle, Best Decorated Broom (Bike) and Best Group Theme will be bestowed as well as the Golden Broom award honoring a longtime local philanthropist.
“It just became this magic event that it is now,” DeVoe said. “To see what we’re doing go back into this community is really part of the magic for all of us.”

The 2024 dance-off concluded triumphantly, marking a record-breaking success for the George Snow Scholarship Fund by bringing in $1.3 million. The dazzling ‘Viva Las Vegas’-themed event supports the fund’s mission of providing scholarships and support services to local students with financial need. The fundraising champions were Matt Williams and Zoe Lanham, the latter of whom set a record at $390,000. ‘I want to thank everyone involved in Boca’s Ballroom Battle,’ scholarship fund President Tim Snow said. ‘The funds raised through this spectacular event are a reflection of the compassion and altruism in our community.’
ABOVE: (l-r) John Clidas, Williams, Gina Harrow, Jacqueline Moroco Maloney, Lanham, Al Goldberg, Alex Price, Sarah Doyle, Sayra Vazquez, Loreta Kriksciukaityte, Jan Clancy and James Brann. Photo provided

The club elected new officers for the term beginning last month and continuing through May 2026. Now in its 86th year as a civic organization, the club is a diverse group of both amateur and skilled gardeners, whose purposes include cultivating and sharing knowledge of gardening and floral arts, and working with others to beautify the community while protecting the environment. Projects include maintaining the bird-friendly habitat at Boynton Hills Neighborhood Garden, Seacrest Boulevard and Northwest Sixth Street, and the Butterfly Garden at the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, 129 E. Ocean Ave. INSET: (l-r) Sonja Zalutko, corresponding secretary; Bonnie Paton, gardens director; Ingrid Moore, treasurer; Tricia Humphrey, recording secretary; Linda Anderson, president; Pat Inturrisi, second vice president; Lori Wolff, fundraising director; and Toni Cvetko, civic/community projects director. Not pictured: Maria Freed, first vice president. Photo provided

The ‘chocolate salon‘ is a feature of Norman Love Confections, which just opened a new shop in Delray Beach. It has seven stores in Florida, with plans for 10 more. Photo provided

By Jan Norris

Let’s talk breakfast. Restaurant prices have soared, and dinner out has become more of a special occasion. That has made the morning meal, or brunch, somewhat trendy and easier on the wallet.

Several places offer more than just the typical eggs or pancakes, too, though Americans love that standard.

At Costa Delray on Atlantic Avenue, diners will find organic, gluten free, paleo and traditional fare to kick off a day. Extras on every dish elevate flavors and nutrients.

The P.B. Nana pancakes are griddled paleo cakes with caramelized banana and peanut butter, drizzled with maple syrup. Diners can choose a cassava wrap to make the Farm Fresh Burrito gluten free. It wraps up organic eggs, nitrite-free bacon, and a tomato-and-chipotle aioli sauce.

Trumpet mushrooms, hemp hearts, micro greens, nut “mylks” and other health foods are on the menu that’s served till noon here.

Diners dot the landscape in each town, each with its own personality. Full parking lots hint at favorites.

The Diner on Gateway in Boynton Beach is popular for its friendly servers, varied menu and breakfast served all day.

Five-egg baked omelets can be custom made with a field of ingredients, or chosen from a long list. For those wanting healthier fare, egg white frittatas, described as open-faced omelets, have similar options.

You’ll also find peameal bacon, the cornmeal-crusted favorite of Canadians, along with eggs Benedict several ways, steak and eggs, and a “lite” menu with quinoa, avocado toast and veggie scrambles. Giant fluffy pancakes come in stacks of two or four. Servers recommend two even for hearty eaters.

Boca Beach House, a family-owned spot on East Palmetto Park Road, was closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but has rebounded nicely.

Unique additions and upscale offerings keep diners recommending it. Coconut pancakes (you can add Nutella) make for a twist on the common stack. Breakfast tacos or huevos rancheros in tortillas with black beans, cojita and jalapenos will wake you up.

A lobster and blue crab “egg scramble” is served with hollandaise and avocado. Smoked salmon elevates the avocado toast.

If it’s traditional Scandia pastries you prefer, Palm Beach Bakery and Cafe in Lantana is the one. The owner is the baker, turning out traditional cardamom bread, with or without almonds and raisins, danishes filled with a variety of fruits, strudels, honey buns, marzipan tarts and the unique Finnish cheesecake, rahkapiirakka.

The breads include the dark Finnish rye, a bestseller, Swedish limpa, and mysli — a honey, fruit- and seed-studded bread.

A selection of espresso coffees rounds out this small spot just off Ocean Avenue.

Here are some other longtime favorites to consider:
John G’s in Manalapan. The new owners kept many of the breakfast favorites from the former ex-Detroit owners. Try the corned beef hash.

The Green Owl in Delray Beach. Traditional breakfasts reign. Mickey cakes (with ears) and peanut butter as a side option make it kid-friendly.

Sande’s in Delray Beach. Go for the service alone: friendliest around, and it’s an everybody-knows-everybody spot. Traditional diner fare with breakfast all day. Creamed chipped beef on toast and kielbasa hash are here.

Saquella Cafe in Boca Raton. Italian touches: prosciutto and ciabatta egg sandwiches, zucchini omelets, overnight muesli, and several bottomless cocktails all day — served with potatoes.

Dune Deck Cafe in Lantana. With ocean views and open-air dining, it’s the place to take out-of-towners (especially in winter). A crab cake Benedict is a favorite, and savory crepes are worth a taste. Bloody marys also notable.

East Ocean Cafe in Boynton Beach. A tiny cafe with pet-friendly sidewalk seating and a few seats indoors; be prepared to wait, especially weekends. Quiche of the day, shrimp and grits, and a signature gooey cinnamon roll topped with bacon are among the nontypical dishes.

Love comes to Delray
Chef Norman Love is coming home, sort of. The acclaimed artisan chocolatier and pastry chef, owner of Norman Love Confections, opened a “salon” in Delray Beach in September on Federal Highway south of Linton Boulevard.

It is No. 7 in the brand’s shops, with 10 more planned in Florida. The shop serves artisan chocolates, gourmet desserts and pastries as well as drinks and savory sandwiches.

Love grew up in Hollywood and started in pastry at various restaurants and hotels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

“L.A. was where cuisine was happening, so I moved out there,” he said, “then came back and became the corporate pastry chef for Ritz-Carlton.”

As the hotel expanded internationally, Love had a chance to experience the best foods in every culture.

When he left the Ritz to open his own chocolate and pastry business, he drew from premier ingredients, he said, with a goal of creating the top chocolates in the country, while using his artistry to make them beautiful as well.

It was a success. Norman Love Chocolates has won countless awards, and was named best chocolate in the country 2002, exploding his brand. He’s won the same title five times since.

His innovation has swept the chocolate world.
“I was the first chef to put color on chocolate. My friends thought I was crazy: ‘You can’t put red or green on chocolate.’ But I did and they were an instant hit. They look like jewels,” Love said.

Cocoa butter is colored and airbrushed onto the surface, giving the chocolates a shiny, jewel-like appearance.
“Americans eat with their eyes,” he said.

But Love said that when he began, Americans had to be taught about artisan chocolates.
“In Europe, you go to a chocolate shop to buy chocolates. Not a grocery store or a drugstore. Our chocolates have no preservatives, nothing artificial. Pure chocolate and the finest ingredients. They have a shelf-life of a few days. They’re meant to be consumed right away.”

He also knew American palates and designed flavors they recognized.
“They want easily identifiable foods,” he said. “They don’t want to have to think ‘what am I eating?’ It’s difficult to eat a chocolate and not know what it is you’re tasting.”

So Love focused on single-flavor profiles, but the most intense he could make them, knowing that sensory or flavor associations that take you back to happy childhood memories sell products.
“If you go into an airport, and smell cinnamon baking, wafting from a counter, you’re remembering that scent from your mom’s or aunt’s or grandma’s kitchen. It’s a happy memory. So now you’re going to go get a Cinnabon, no matter how unhealthy it is,” he said.
“So how do you create a flavor profile inside a chocolate with that same reaction?”

By using intense flavor coaxed from myriad ingredients — even peanut butter and jelly.
“My friends called me out on that one, and thought I was nuts,” Love said. “But you bite into the squishy center and it all mixes together. You’re taken right back to your childhood. It’s one of our most popular flavors.”

His personal favorite is the Tahitian vanilla caramel, made with a top vanilla, and finished with flakes of fleur de sel. Simple, he said, yet complex.

He credits his team members for his success and empowers them to create new products while maintaining the favorites.
“They come to work wanting to do something right every day,” Love said. “We are focused on the best ingredients, and making a consistent product.”

For now and in the foreseeable future, he’ll keep his main production factory in Fort Myers, but will ship several times a week to this coast. He figured out temperature-controlled packaging early on.

He supplies hotels, restaurants and other shops with his upscale products.

Shipping is the crux of his business, but he’s building 10 more salons in Florida with a focus on the east coast. Boca Raton is next; it will be on the periphery of Town Center mall.

He said he’s glad to be back on this coast, and Delray Beach has been welcoming.
“We want to be part of the community. We give back, and are looking forward to being here,” Love said.

Norman Love Confections, 1911 S. Federal Highway, Suite 104, Delray Beach. Phone 561-749-9049; normanloveconfections.com. Open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com.

Some simple diagnoses can be accomplished with your pet and a laptop connected to a veterinary professional. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

Veterinary clinics and other pet professional businesses in Palm Beach County are unleashing a new way to provide health care. Welcome to the emerging era of veterinary telehealth.

Yes, help for your cat, dog or other pet may be just a computer click, phone call or text away, any time of the day or night. Think of it as house call Version 2.0. Expert advice may come from a veterinarian or veterinary tech who is not in an exam room with you or even in the same city or state as you.

“There is the convenience of speaking to a veterinary team by telephone, text or video at any time,” says Dr. Lowell Ackerman, DVM, an in-demand global expert on pet health care. “It can be used for prescription requests, virtual examinations and post-surgical checkups.”

Veterinary telehealth delivers speed and convenience.

“Telemedicine serves the needs of all ages,” says Dr. Hazel Carney, DVM, past chair of the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ guidelines committee, who is based in Emmett, Idaho. “I have older clients who can no longer physically drive and bring in their cats. I also have younger clients who grew up with technology and are more comfortable communicating about their cats via a live chat with their veterinarians.”

In doing a quick look online, I discovered that all Banfield Pet Hospitals in Palm Beach County are now touting virtual office visits and a service known as Pet Chat. Clients can get questions answered by veterinary teams 24/7 online or on the Banfield app. The service is available for no extra charge to clients who have Banfield’s Optimum Wellness Plans.

Imperial Point Animal Hospital of Delray Beach recently announced its connection with Airvet, founded in 2018 by Dr. Jeff Werber, DVM, and his son, Brandon Werber.

“Airvet has been a game changer for veterinary medicine,” says Dr. Werber, based in Los Angeles. “Airvet offers clients access to affordable veterinary care 24/7. Clients love having access to talk to veterinarians one-on-one any time of the day or night.”

Regal Animal Hospital in Lake Worth Beach now offers BetterVet, an online service in which virtual veterinarians help pet parents determine if their pets need an in-home exam, urgent care appointment or evaluation at an emergency clinic.

Even non-veterinary clinics are offering veterinary telehealth services to their practices. Woofie’s, a pet company offering mobile grooming, pet sitting and dog walking in several states, recently partnered with a telehealth company called Pet Vet Connection.

“In doing a snout-to-tail inspection on a dog, one of our groomers may find a hot spot or a tick or a lump or bump,” says Liz Gibbs, general manager for the Woofie’s in Delray Beach. “Having immediate access to veterinary telehealth services gives our clients that much-needed peace of mind.”

She shared two recent situations requiring access to a veterinary team. One involved a shih tzu named Dilbert, a newly adopted rescue dog whose body was covered in mats.

“While grooming him, we discovered a wound by his eye that was open and bleeding,” says Gibbs. “It had been covered underneath the mats. Pet Vet Connection gave us advice on how to provide him with immediate care and keep him comfortable. His owner was able to take him to her personal veterinarian shortly after the groom.”

A senior-aged English bulldog named Rocco, known for having arthritis, fell and had trouble getting up during a recent Woofie’s visit.

“We immediately did veterinary telehealth, and they asked for videos of him walking and how he was acting to rule out any neurological impairments,” says Gibbs. “They recommended pain medications and solutions for his pain.”

The rules surrounding veterinary telehealth are evolving. Depending on state laws, telemedicine providers can evaluate, diagnose, consult and provide treatment for pets. And they must establish what is called VCPR. That stands for veterinarian-client-patient-relationship.

In Florida, a new law went into effect on July 1. The PETS Act lifted the ban on veterinarians from practicing medicine or prescribing medications unless they have examined the animal in person.

To learn more about telehealth, see these two sites:
• Veterinary Virtual Care Association: https://vvca.org
• American Veterinary Medical Association: www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/telemedicine

Telehealth options
Here is a rundown of some companies offering veterinarians and veterinary technicians 24/7 by phone or app. The services and fees vary.
• Airvet: www.airvet.com
• Dutch: www.dutch.com
• Pet Vet Connection: www.petvetconnection.com
• Pawp: www.pawp.com
• Pet Chat: www.banfield.com/services/pet-chat
• BetterVet: https://bettervet.com
• Pet Desk: www.petdesk.com
• AskVet: www.askvet.app

Arden Moore is an author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. She hosts the syndicated radio show Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life (www.fourleggedlife.com) and the popular Oh Behave! podcast on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

By Jan Engoren

Pooja Garg, an ophthalmologist and retina specialist at Delray Medical Center, has a simple warning for people: “Don’t take your eyesight for granted.

“Your vision is part of your overall health — be preventive and proactive,” she says. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

The National Eye Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health, says vision loss can hurt people’s quality of life, creating challenges in everyday life and causing fear, stress and anxiety.

Eye health is of particular interest this month since Oct. 10 is World Sight Day, according to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

Some serious eye conditions, including glaucoma, macular degeneration and retinal diseases, do not display noticeable symptoms until significant damage has already been done.

Among her older patients, Garg said cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy are most common. Symptoms of retinal diseases may include spots or floaters in vision.

To maintain eye health, Garg recommends getting annual checkups; eating green leafy vegetables and fatty fish such as tuna and salmon; avoiding tobacco use; and wearing UVA and UVB eye protection to block harmful sun rays, which may cause cataracts.

She notes that wearing wraparound sunglasses or polarized lenses can reduce glare and she touts the benefit of contact lenses with UV protection, something she uses herself.

As a vegetarian, Garg doesn’t eat fish, but takes an omega-3 supplement that can promote eye health and help with dry eyes. She also recommends wearing protective eye gear if you’re playing sports, or working in construction or with dangerous chemicals that might splash in your eyes.

She advises using a blue light filter for computer screens and setting your phone screen on the night setting to reduce the blue light. Using any digital devices, including TVs, computers, phones or tablets, can cause dry eyes and eye fatigue.

“If you are spending a lot of time on your computer, rest your eyes periodically and add any over-the-counter brand name of artificial tears,” Garg said, noting it’s best to use a reputable brand name and not a generic or store brand. 

According to the American Foundation for the Blind, vision loss falls within a spectrum, ranging from total blindness to so-called low vision, which can’t be fixed with glasses, contact lenses, medication or surgery.

More than 50 million American adults experience a degree of vision loss, as indicated in the government’s 2022 National Health Interview Survey. Of these, 3.89 million adults have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses, and 340,000 cannot see at all.

By 2050, the National Eye Institute expects the number of people with visual impairment or blindness to double.

Besides a healthy diet and annual checkups, what can you do to maintain eye health? Here’s some advice:
• See your ophthalmologist when you have flashers or floaters.
• See your doctor if you experience sudden blurry or fuzzy vision (especially in one eye). This can be a sign of age-related macular degeneration or a detached retina.
• If straight lines suddenly appear to be wavy, check with your doctor. This is also a sign of ARMD.
• If you experience double vision, especially in both eyes, call your doctor. This may be an indication of a stroke, or, if you are also experiencing sudden eye pain, a symptom of glaucoma.

Visit nei.nih.gov or retinaeyedoc.com to learn more.

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@hotmail.com.

Delray Medical Center completed its 100th ION robotic bronchoscopy procedure this summer. 

A robotic-assisted platform for minimally invasive lung biopsies, ION can help to diagnose lung cancer earlier and with improved accuracy.
“Performing over 100 ION procedures means that we are on the front lines of catching cancer early, which gives our patients the best chance of a good outcome,” says Delray Medical Center CEO Heather Havericak. “We look forward to the continued success of our ION program and investing in some of the latest medical technologies.”

This system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung, and its stability enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to manual techniques.

The ION procedures are performed by Dr. Stephen Milan, Dr. Carlos Gutierrez, Dr. Joshua Lung and Dr. Jeffrey Newman.

For more information, contact Carolyn Kern, patient navigator, at 561-716-2654.

***

Dr. Joseph Ricotta, chairman of the vascular surgery program at Delray Medical Center, earned a position on the Newsweek America’s Best Vascular Surgeons 2024 list, which includes only 200 doctors in the country. The surgeons were determined based on evaluations of how they conducted procedures, recommendations from peers, and their certifications.

***

Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital now uses high-intensity focused ultrasound for patients suffering from essential tremor, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary, rhythmic shaking. The HIFU technology uses concentrated ultrasound waves to heat the brain tissue and block signals causing the tremor. No incision or general anesthesia is used. 

Call 561-955-4600 or visit https://baptisthealth.net/services/brain-and-spine-care/services-and-programs/neurology/movement-disorders/hifu to learn more.

***

Studies conducted by researchers from Florida Atlantic University and two other schools found that a little bit of leisure time during business trips helps employees adjust to their travels, boosting overall job satisfaction.

The studies included a pre-COVID travel study at airports in North and South America and a post-COVID online data collection of business travelers to determine how leisure time might mitigate the impact of travel stress during international business trips.

The findings have implications for how companies might adjust work trips for their employees and ways the travel industry can adapt for these business trips, researchers said.

***

CHG Healthcare Services, a Utah-based staffing company that provides placement for health care professionals, will soon shut down its RNnetwork travel nurse unit, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice the company submitted. CHG will separate from 56 employees who work at or report to its Boca Raton location at 4700 Exchange Court, Suite 125.

This entire business unit eventually will close permanently. Employee separations are expected to begin during the 14-day period starting on Nov. 8 and will occur in phases.

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

Interfaith Committee volunteer Sandy Rowland works in the laundry truck, cleaning and folding clothing each Tuesday and Friday at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Judy Fenney and Kathleen Megan met 10 years ago at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach. Fenney mentioned to Megan that she was interested in volunteer work, and Megan put her to work immediately.

Their camaraderie and friendship grew, and they made a good pair with their positive attitudes, ready smiles and calm demeanors. They stepped up whenever and wherever they were needed — and they still do.

Seven years ago, the duo started the Interfaith Committee for Social Services to fill the void left by the scaling back of the CROS Ministries Caring Kitchen.

The Interfaith Committee generally meets twice a month at St. Paul’s Episcopal, the same place it had its first meeting, on Nov. 15, 2017.

One of the first projects was to find a shower truck where homeless people could bathe on a regular basis. In 2018, the committee acquired a well-used truck that still had some life in it and offered the homeless population a place to shower twice a week.

Then in June, the committee raised enough money for a new four-stall (each with a toilet and vanity) shower truck, where up to 25 people shower each Tuesday and Friday outside St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Fenney said.

At a September committee meeting, representatives from St. Paul’s, St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, Spanish River Church, Recovery Church, Temple Torah, the Delray Beach Police Department, plus Shona Castillo from the Caring Kitchen and Jackie Ermola from Eat Better Live Better, were present. The program focused on unhoused veterans, a growing issue.

The percentage of homeless who are veterans is rising, the Bob Woodruff Foundation, a veterans advocacy group, reported in April. “Specific to veterans, Florida also has the third-largest population in the nation, approximately 1.4 million. With 7% of the nation’s homeless veteran population, Florida is also ranked one of the five worst states for veteran homelessness.”

Homelessness is increasing across the board, for both single people and families. Rising housing costs and increases in homeowners association dues are pushing some fixed- and low-income folks over the edge.

Ermola sees it. “We’ve always had need, but I’ve never seen need like this,” she said.

But Delray Beach is special, Fenney and Megan say. An attitude of cooperation and ability to operate as a cohesive unit instead of component parts make a difference.

“We want to do more than pay someone’s electric bill. We want to help people become self-sufficient,” Fenney said. But it’s hard when the cost of being self-reliant keeps going up.
Another problem they have is letting people know when and where they can find services. “We’re known as the shower truck people,” Fenney said, “but we do so much more than that.”

For example, volunteers wash, dry and fold laundry, serve sandwiches and provide a caring outlet for people who want to talk.

Rodrianna Antoine, an intake specialist for the Delray Beach Police Community Outreach team, signs people up for the services and helps them navigate the government rules and paperwork as painlessly as possible.

Sandy Rowland volunteers on the laundry truck, using two stackable washer-and-dryers nonstop to clean her clients’ clothing. Volunteers use a military method of putting all one person’s clothing in a drawstring bag with a two-part tag. One stays on the laundry and the other stays with the person. Turn in your tag, then pick up your laundered clothes.

Rowland used to run a beauty salon before COVID killed that business. She’s happy she found a way to serve. Of her fellow volunteers she says, “It takes someone with passion to serve the homeless. I think the volunteers are the winners.”

Jonathan Pereira Neves is one of just a few employees and he does the heavy lifting, moving boxes of donated clothes, fixing broken equipment, and cleaning up the lot after everything is put away, all in good humor.

Some of the unhoused like to enjoy breakfast at Cason United Methodist Church at the corner of Lake Ida Road and Swinton Avenue, and if it’s raining like it was on a recent Tuesday, the church brought the people down to the shower and laundry vans at St. Matthew’s.

Interfaith is about helping each other, making contacts and building relationships, Father Bernie Pecaro of St. Paul’s said. The former Navy chaplain reminded everyone at the meeting that St. Paul’s Veterans Ministry is committed to helping both veterans and active duty in need.

In 2022, the Interfaith Committee, along with CROS Ministries Caring Kitchen and the Delray Beach Police Community Outreach, won the Community Collaborators Award given by Nonprofits First. It was a testament to the work they do together to make positive change in Delray.

“We want to help the homeless find out where their next step is going to be,” Fenney said. And, she added, if they can intercede early enough, maybe they can prevent homelessness.

The Interfaith Committee has limited funds to help with necessities like bus passes and bike locks, but it does provide a place to get mail for people who have no address — and they can count on the shower truck being at St. Matthew’s, 404 SW Third Ave., from 9 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday.

How to help
Cash donations: Are used exclusively for the nonprofit’s program operations, supplies and expenses.
Clothing donations: Needs include men’s boxer briefs, shorts, and jeans in sizes 32, 34 and 36. Backpacks are also needed.
Volunteers: Are needed to help in a variety of positions, such as sorting donations, doing clerical tasks and manning special events.
Info: interfaithcommittee.com

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events.Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.

After serving St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach for more than two decades, Father Marty Zlatic has donned his pilgrimage jacket to walk a different path, with the Lord and his wife, Dee, by his side.

On Sept. 3, an official announcement appeared on the church’s Facebook page:

“We give thanks to God as we bid farewell to Father Zlatic, who is retiring after 26 years of faithful service as an Episcopal priest. His ministry at Saint Joseph’s and within our diocese has touched countless lives, guiding many closer to Christ.
“As Father Zlatic enters this new chapter, we pray that God blesses him with joy, peace and time well spent with his beloved family. His legacy of faith and love will continue to inspire us all. Thank you, Father Zlatic, for your unwavering dedication!”

On Aug. 31, the church hosted the “Father Marty and Dee Celebration Dinner” at Benvenuto Restaurant in Boynton Beach. Father Marty was known for openly sharing his love of good food, exotic travel destinations and music with his congregation, and this was a fitting tribute.

When he spoke to the congregation the next day for the last time, he talked about how “St. Joseph’s is our thin place.” A thin place, he said, is where the veil between heaven and earth, between man and God, is very thin.

Father Marty also told a story of how when he arrived at St. Joseph’s in 2001, he had to borrow a pair of Father Michael Cassell’s shoes. They were huge, he said. He told the congregation at the time, “I will not attempt to fill these shoes and I hope you do not expect me to.” Then he continued: “I carry that image to you today because I do not leave my shoes behind.”

The departure of the pastor and his wife, who led the children’s ministry, is not the only change going on at St. Joseph’s. The Rev. Mary Ellen Cassini, called “Mother Cassini,” has stepped in as associate rector, along with the Rev. Michael McManus, the interim associate priest.

Of Father Marty, Cassini said, “We are so grateful for his service. He is a man of great integrity, honor and love for the Lord. We wish him the best.”

St. Joseph’s offers a traditional service at 9:30 a.m. and an “Unplugged Service” with the band at 11:45 a.m.

St. Joseph’s is at 3300 S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach. 561-732-3060 or www.stjoesweb.org

EJS Project fills vacant school space at St. Joe’s
Finally, there will be teaching and learning, playing and coaching, laughing and new friendships filling the buildings and grounds of the former St. Joseph’s School on Seacrest Boulevard in Boynton Beach, which closed in 2023.

On Sept. 16, the EJS Project, founded 10 years ago, hosted a ribbon cutting at the former school. The move is a big step for the organization whose stated mission is “to provide a safe space for teens throughout Palm Beach County while creating and empowering tomorrow’s leaders.”

Dozens of advocates for children, donors, volunteers and other supporters lined up to have pictures taken with the founder, Emanuel Jackson Jr.. The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, which featured food, speeches, a formal ribbon cutting and a lot of happy people.

“This new space will help us further our mission to educate, empower and inspire the youth of Palm Beach County,” Jackson wrote on the EJS Project Facebook page, a message he echoed in his welcome speech.

Jackson, known as “Dupree,” grew up in The Set, the historically Black community in the heart of Delray Beach, between Interstate 95 and Swinton Avenue, north and south of West Atlantic Avenue.

Jackson’s bio on Facebook says he has always had a passion and a skill for connecting with at-risk youth. After getting an associate’s degree at community college, he “earned a full athletic scholarship to North Dakota State University where he studied communications and minored in psychology. Upon his return to Delray Beach, Dupree noticed youths needed more mentors, and the idea for the Emanuel Jackson Senior (EJS) Project was born.”

Jackson lives in Delray Beach with his wife, Janay, and two daughters.

Next up for the EJS Project is its benefit gala “Journey Through the Decades,” from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at The Addison of Boca Raton, 2 E. Camino Real. The suggested dress is 1940s fashion in memory of Emanuel Jackson Sr., for whom the project is named. Individual tickets are $350 and sponsors are needed.

Visit ejsgala24.givesmart.com or contact Adrianne Kurman at Adrianne.kurman@ejsproject.org or 561-400-4720.

Flea market coming up at St. Paul’s Episcopal
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is hosting a Flea Market & Fall Boutique from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18 and 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.

The sale will feature new and gently used furniture, quality clothing and shoes, fine and costume jewelry, framed artwork, small appliances, fine housewares and linens, home décor, sporting goods and holiday décor.

A 50-50 raffle takes place Oct. 19. Raffle tickets are $5, or three for $10 or eight for $20 or 20 for $40. You do not need to be present to win. A silent auction is also planned.

Call Ann at 904-710-2416 or Kari at 609-619-9234 for more information.

Flag retirement ceremony at St. Lucy Catholic Church
Father Brian Horgan will lead an official “Flag Retirement Service and Ceremony” on Nov. 10 at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3510 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach.

Sometimes called a Ceremony for Disposal of Unserviceable Flags or a Ceremony of Final Tribute, this solemn event is especially important to Horgan, who joined the U.S. Air Force and became a commissioned officer serving as a social and trauma counselor. He rose to the rank of major while earning a doctorate in philosophy and psychology.

The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. and refreshments will follow. Anyone with an old/worn/used flag is asked to bring it or, if you can’t attend, you can drop your flag off at the Rectory Office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Call 561-278-1280.

Patriotic concert set at First Presbyterian
First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach will host its final concert of 2024 with a salute to the United States of America at 4 p.m. Nov. 10. To honor veterans and celebrate our nation, a performance including This Land Is Your Land and God Bless America is planned at the church, 33 Gleason St.

Tickets are $20 at firstdelray.com/concerts/reserve-concert-tickets. Call 561-276-6338.

The Challah Prince teaches his craft
More than 250 women gathered for a special lesson in challah making from Idan Chabasov, more commonly known as Israel’s Challah Prince. The sold-out event was hosted by B’nai Torah Congregation’s Women’s League in partnership with the congregation’s social action group, the TLC Program.

Challah is a special bread in Jewish culture that is eaten on ceremonial occasions like Rosh Hashanah, which started Oct. 2. Chabasov’s lesson included how to braid a challah, the proper prayer to say before eating a challah, and how the challah should be presented.

The challah dough was prepped at Lenny’s Pizza, a Kosher Pizza restaurant in Boca Raton, which donated the space and equipment for the event. Chabasov’s challah were auctioned off to support women and children’s charities in Israel. More than $1,800 was raised.

B’nai Torah Congregation is the largest conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida with more than 1,300 membership families.

For information on B’nai Torah Congregation’s Rosh Hashanah celebrations, visit https://btcboca.org.

— Janis Fontaine

Samantha Maynes wrote an award-winning news feature highlighting mental health issues that today’s teens face. Photo provided

By Faran Fagen

Samantha Maynes hopes her stories create a safe space for her readers — a space where they feel “they’re not alone.”

Continuing that narrative, Maynes’ award-winning story in last year’s Boca Raton High School Paw Print, “Addressing Stereotypes,” shed light on teen mental health.

“I’d like to think that what resonated with my story was how honest I made it,” said the senior managing editor of the Paw Print newspaper. “Schools should not be afraid to talk more about these topics.”

Her story, which featured mental health issues such as pressure, isolation and anxiety, won first place for feature writing in the South Florida Sun Sentinel annual high school journalism contest.

Aurora Dominguez is teacher adviser for Paw Print and former Boca High teacher of the year. She said Maynes is one of the most dedicated students she’s ever taught.

“She understands and cares about student and teacher mental health and is aware about how a healthy mental state is crucial to live a healthy life,” Dominguez said.

Part 2 of Maynes’ mental health series is in the works. This time, she’s working on a story to help her readers better understand the autism spectrum.

Her cousin is on the spectrum, and although he misses social cues, he’s made huge progress.

She hopes to educate her readers about the similarities they share with people on the spectrum, and how the latter have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else.
“Everyone has a different neurodiversity. It’s just something someone has and it doesn’t have to define them,” she said.

Maynes, 17, has a 5.1 grade- point average and is ranked in the top 10% of the senior class at Boca High.

She’s entrenched in a plethora of extracurricular and volunteer activities, including the Boca Bash at Boca Middle School (where Maynes is an alumna). As a volunteer, she has coordinated the cakewalk part of the event for three years.

Maynes’ own middle school years were during the coronavirus pandemic, so she missed out on Boca Bashes in seventh and eighth grades. Now, she returns as a mentor.

Her favorite aspect — in keeping with advising her fellow students — is answering questions from the middle schoolers on how they can succeed in high school.

Maynes is also president of Project Women. This school club works to empower and support women, creating a safe space to be open and celebrate achievements. The club holds bi-weekly meetings during lunch, with guest speakers sharing their roads to empowerment. Hands-on self-defense classes promote confidence building, so young women go into college safe and prepared.

However, her favorite volunteer activity is at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Her mom, Dawn, took Maynes to Gumbo Limbo when she was younger, and Maynes promised to volunteer there one day.

As soon as she turned 16 — the required age to volunteer at the center — she filled out an application.

Her top tasks at Gumbo Limbo are taking care of the hermit crabs and tortoises. She also befriended a puffer fish.
“If they built a second story, I’d live there,” Maynes said.

As she prepares to head to college — so far, she likes the Florida Atlantic University Honors College in Jupiter and Nova Southeastern University — she’s thinking of majoring in one of her three main passions. They are marine and environmental science, writing, and psychology.
“I want to do something that brings happiness to my life,” she said.

The same attitude has infused the mental health articles she’s written that have made a difference at Boca High.
“Most mental health stories are education,” Maynes said. “I usually get lost in the people I interview. It’s another layer of perspective I don’t think I could have gotten otherwise.”

Her empathy extends to her taste in music. Maynes, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, loves Taylor Swift’s latest hit, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.
“Just like her music, I want whatever I do to resonate with someone,” Maynes said.

Bowling for Bread
Boca Helping Hands welcomed 225 adults and children at its annual Bowling for Bread event on Aug. 25 at Bowlero in Boca Raton. BHH invited kids from children’s charities to attend for free and enjoy an afternoon of bowling, food, and prize giveaways. 

The event also raised enough funds to provide more than 41,000 meals for the BHH weekend meal program. 

Special guests from the Florida Atlantic University football team included offensive linemen Federico Maranges and Andre Lamas and punter Logan Lupo, who came out to cheer on the kids and bowl alongside them.

Trophies were awarded to the top three bowling teams and overall high scores.

Winners were:
• First place: Waypoint Residential
• Second place: Waypoint Residential
• Third place: Law Offices of Pamela Higer-Polani
 • The top score was 180, bowled by Dan Brede. 

Boca Helping Hands has operated the BHH Backpacks children’s meal program for the past 13 years.

Every Friday, the program provides food-insecure students with non-perishable, easy-to-prepare meals to ensure they get enough to eat on weekends.

During the 2023-24 school year, BHH Backpacks helped over 1,600 students in 13 schools, providing 181,362 meals and 60,454 snacks to elementary students in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. 

Bowling for Bread is part of Boca Chamber Festival Days — a series of events intended to raise awareness and money by pairing nonprofits with members of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce.

Upper-floor condominium units provide ideal observation points for anglers and their friends to keep an eye on migrating mullet and other fish activity. Steve Waters/The Coastal Star

By Steve Waters

Palm Beach County anglers look forward to this time of year because now is when schools of mullet swim south along the beaches from Jupiter to Boca Raton.

Fishing what’s known as the fall mullet run became much more efficient and enjoyable thanks to a single technological innovation — the cellphone.

As water temperatures along the state’s northern coastline start to cool, the baitfish migrate to South Florida as they get ready to spawn. A variety of predator species feast on the mullet, notably bluefish, Spanish mackerel, tarpon, snook, jacks and sharks.

In the old days, anglers wasted a ton of time looking for and waiting for mullet schools to show up. The best way to find out the location of the mullet was to have reliable sources who lived in beachfront condominiums.

When those condo residents went out on their balconies and saw a school of mullet — which looks like a dark amoeba as it gyrates through the water — and the hungry gamefish crashing into the school, they would call their fishing friends.

Those anglers would hustle down to the beach with their surf-fishing tackle or head out the nearest inlet in their boats and fish around the schools. Their fishing buddies would find out that they caught some or all of the available species later that day.

Virtually no fisherman was going to take the time to go to a pay phone to call and say that the mullet were currently off Delray Beach or Boca and to get down there ASAP.

Cellphones changed all that.

You could be at work when a friend calls to say that the mullet are off Juno Beach and jacks and bluefish are busting up the schools. That sends the baitfish flying, and the stunned mullet are gobbled up by those and other gamefish, which also pounce on half-eaten mullet as the remnants sink to the bottom.

Although anglers no longer have to drive along A1A from one end of the county to the other in search of mullet schools, or head to a local beach and wait for the mullet to show up, they do need sources they can count on.

I had a buddy who was not at all reliable, which I didn’t discover until after several fruitless trips to the beach. He’d call me to say the mullet were off Juno or Boynton or Boca. I and a couple of other friends would drive there and trudge down to the beach with our rods, tackle boxes and coolers, only to find that there were no mullet and no mackerel or bluefish or jacks.

It was late in the afternoon on a day when we hadn’t even gotten a bite when one of my friend’s friends showed up. When I expressed my disappointment that the mullet hadn’t shown up, he said that he told my friend that the mullet had been at the beach every morning around 7:30.

My friend, who liked to sleep until 10 a.m., perhaps because he drank a bottle of wine every night, never told me that.

Happily, the reliable fisherman also said that one of his good sources said a mullet school was heading our way and to stick around.

Sure enough, as the sun began heading toward the horizon behind us, the mullet showed up. Casting a 5/8th-ounce silver Krocodile spoon — which is one of the most effective lures for fishing the mullet run because you can throw it a long way and it wobbles and flashes as you reel it back — we caught a bunch of bluefish.

As we packed up our fish and tackle, I exchanged cellphone numbers with that fisherman, and vowed to let future calls from my fishing buddy go to voicemail.

The classically inspired stairway provides a strong focal point to the home as it ascends to the second floor and the luxe primary suite, which has an angled glass wall and terrace overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. It serves as a calm retreat with an exercise room and a spa-inspired marble bath.

This Intracoastal estate, designed by architect Randall Stofft for his own family, has been detailed with the highest level of craftsmanship and appointed with the finest of finishes. It captures his style of a timeless design with endless interior and exterior experiences that interlace into a cohesive creation. This Bermuda-style residence covering 8,555 -/+ total square feet includes five bedrooms and five and one-half baths. The home has a gracious flow and numerous light sources. The first floor has three living domains. A sense of spaciousness and a light-filled ambience pervade the water-view living room, topped by an intricately coffered volume ceiling. The elegant formal dining room commands picturesque garden views. A gourmet center-island kitchen, with a breakfast room, functions as the heart of the residence. It is appointed with lustrous mahogany contemporary cabinetry incorporating a mix of stainless steel and glass doors that complement gleaming stainless-steel professional-grade appliances. Completing the layout are a first-floor guest suite, library, cabana bath, sauna, powder room and three-car garage.

The second floor includes the primary suite as well as the loft/media room and two guest bedroom suites, one with a cupola sitting area and an adjoining 257-square-foot “secret room.” Offered at $14,900,000.

The outdoor living area consists of two covered terraces, a pool with spillover spa, summer kitchen and dock. The property is on a private yacht basin, which is set back 120 yards from the Intracoastal.

Contact the Pascal Liguori Estate Group, 561-789-8300. Premier Estate Properties, 900 E. Atlantic Ave., #4, Delray Beach; pascal@premierestateproperties.com

Each month, The Coastal Star features a home for sale in our area.
The House of the Month is presented as a service to our advertisers
and provides readers with a peek inside one of our homes.

Bedsheets cover the monument signs for the 365 Ocean boutique extended-stay hotel on State Road A1A in Boca Raton on Sept. 23, three days after gunfire in the hotel's parking lot killed two people from Oakland Park and hospitalized a third shooting victim. Police think the shooter and victims may have known each other. The hotel is at 365 N. Ocean Blvd., several blocks north of Palmetto Park Road.  Staff photos/The Coastal Star

By Larry Barszewski

The shooter and victims in a Sept. 20 double-homicide at a Boca Raton beach hotel may have known each other, police said Monday, adding that the assailant and at least two of the three victims were not from the city.

Mayor Scott Singer and Police Chief Michele Miuccio gave a mid-day briefing Sept. 23 on the status of the investigation, where they stressed that the altercation at the 365 Ocean extended-stay hotel across from South Beach Park was “an isolated incident” and that the city was a safe place to be.

The hotel is at 365 N. Ocean Blvd., several blocks north of Palmetto Park Road on State Road A1A.

Miuccio provided more details about the incident, saying the suspect fatally shot a man and a woman at close range, shot another man who had intervened and then followed that man as he tried to crawl away, shooting him again.

The suspect, identified by police as De'Vante Moss, took off in his Jaguar and fled to Georgia, where he was pulled over and taken into custody barely 12 hours later.

Police identified the deceased as Christopher Liszak, 49, and Chandler Dill, 32, both of Oakland Park. Police did not release the identity of the surviving male victim because he is a witness.

Moss, 30, of Boynton Beach, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm. Miuccio said more charges may be filed in the case.

Miuccio was able to give a detailed account of the incident — reported to police at 4:53 p.m. — because it was captured on surveillance video and confirmed by witnesses, police said. The video also allowed police to get the Jaguar’s tag number and confirm Moss’s identity.

The scene Sept. 20 as police investigated the shootings at 365 Ocean. 

Miuccio’s statement begins with Moss and Dill in her room at the hotel.

“It appears they had an argument and Moss fled the room carrying the victim’s purse,” Miuccio said. “[Dill] ran after him and yelled at him, give her purse back. She argued with him by the silver, four-door Jaguar and tried pulling her purse out of his arms.”

That’s when the man who survived came over and joined in the argument, the chief said. Moss then got out of the driver’s seat and got something out of the backseat, while the man ran to a truck and removed a small bag, she said.

At this point, Liszak had exited his room at the hotel and gone over, apparently to intervene, the chief said. “The male victim returned from the truck, opened the passenger side door of the Jaguar, and, after seeing Moss, quickly moved and took cover towards the rear of the vehicle,” she said.

It’s then that Moss “exited the vehicle, raised a pistol and shot [Dill] and Liszak at close range,” Miuccio said. He then “turned the pistol towards the male victim, who was by the passenger door, fired and shot him.”

The man began crawling toward the hotel and Moss ran after him, Miuccio said. “The male raised his empty hands up over his head and Moss shot him in the abdomen area.”

Police got a search warrant for Moss’s Boynton Beach residence, where his fiancé said “at 5:30 p.m. he had returned home, packed a bag, and said he was headed for Jacksonville for work,” the chief said.

Police were able to determine that Moss was heading for Georgia and alerted the Georgia State Patrol. A Laurens County deputy spotted the Jaguar around 5:20 a.m. Sept. 21, conducted a traffic stop and took Moss into custody without incident.

While she said it’s unknown what the relationship is among those involved in the incident, it appears they weren’t strangers.

“We can’t definitively say they were all friends, but it does appear that they did know each other and it wasn’t random that they were just somebody that was walking by that stepped in.”

Mayor Singer complimented the Police Department for its investigation and quick actions to identify, locate and have the suspect taken into custody.

“The crime was shocking because homicide is so rare” in the city, Singer said. “Let this atypical event be a clear reminder Boca Raton does not tolerate crime.”

Miuccio said crime is decreasing in the city.

“This is an isolated incident,” she said. “We’re fortunate to be in a city with a low incidence of crime. There’s been a continued decrease in violent crime in the last five years.”

 Mary Hladky contributed to this story.