By Mary Hladky

City Council member Monica Mayotte has drawn a challenger as she seeks a second three-year term in the March 9 city election.
Brian Stenberg, vice president of the Boca Raton medical office real estate management firm the Greenfield Group, will also try to win Seat D. He is well known for his leadership roles in the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations, Rotary Club and Boca Square Civic Association.
He was among 31 unsuccessful applicants to replace Jeremy Rodgers on the City Council until Rodgers’ term of office ends on March 31 or he returns from overseas military deployment.
On his website, Stenberg said the most pressing issues facing the region are clean water, including eliminating fertilizer and pesticide runoff, traffic congestion, education, recreation and open space.
The City Council appointed longtime volunteer Yvette Drucker to temporarily fill Rodgers’ seat on Oct. 27. She is seeking election to that position in March, and her appointment potentially gives her an advantage over three other candidates for Seat C — Constance Scott, Bernard Korn and a newcomer to the race, Josie Machovec.
Machovec drew attention last summer as one of four plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn Palm Beach County’s mandate that masks be worn in public places. She has said she can’t wear a mask because she has asthma.
The lawsuit, filed June 30, describes masks as “harmful medical devices” and states, “The absurdity of the mask mandate is revealed by overwhelming scientific evidence showing masks can’t stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge John Kastrenakes tossed the lawsuit in July, saying the plaintiffs had failed to show their constitutional rights were violated.
“The right to be ‘free from governmental intrusion’ does not automatically or completely shield an individual’s conduct from regulation,” he wrote in his order. The case is now on appeal.
Mayotte, a strong proponent of environmental protections and sustainability, was first elected in 2018. She also serves as chair of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
Mayotte loaned her campaign $50,000 as of Nov. 30. She listed no contributors.
Stenberg has not yet filed a campaign finance report.
In the race for Rodgers’ seat, Scott is director of local relations at Florida Atlantic University. She served two terms on the council from 2009 to 2015 and was deputy mayor during her final year in office.
Scott raised $42,093 as of Nov. 30 from a long list of contributors, including many well-known names such as architects Derek Vander Ploeg and Juan Caycedo and political consultant Rick Asnani.
Perennial candidate Korn is a real estate broker who has twice lost elections to Mayor Scott Singer.
Questions about where Korn lives cropped up in the 2018 and 2020 city elections. If he does not live in the city, he is not eligible to run.
The uncertainty prompted the City Council later in 2020 to require that all candidates provide proof that they live in the city.
Korn complied by submitting a driver’s license and voter registration card showing he lives at 720 Marble Way on the barrier island just west of State Road A1A.
Both those documents don’t completely clear up the mystery about his domicile. The home at that address continues to be owned by real estate broker Richard Vecchio, county property records show. The records also show that Korn and his wife still own a home and claim a homestead exemption for 19078 Skyridge Circle, which is outside the city limits.
And as was the case with the last election, Korn lists his address as a P.O. box in the city’s downtown post office on his campaign financial reports.
Korn lent his campaign $11,500 and donated $100 as of Nov. 30 and listed no contributors.
Drucker 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 Junior League of Boca Raton.
She raised $27,718 as of Nov. 30, including a $5,000 contribution she made to her campaign.
Candidate qualifying for the March election ended on Dec. 10.

By Rich Pollack

Boca Raton’s innovative use of wastewater, its creative billing of reclaimed water customers, and its use of state-of-the-art monitoring technology are gaining national attention.
The city’s Utilities Department was recently named one of 65 departments nationally to be designated a Utility of the Future Today by the Water Environment Federation and several partner organizations.
The award, according to Boca’s Director of Utility Services Chris Helfrich, focused on the city’s reclaimed water program, which offers highly treated wastewater effluent to golf courses, other organizations and homes for irrigation.
“This award recognizes our use of cutting-edge technology to determine what we can do to make our system better,” Helfrich said.
The award recognizes Boca Raton’s designation as a 100% water-reuse facility, meaning that all treated effluent is used for irrigation, except in unusual circumstances. That results in several environmental benefits, including a recharging of the aquifer as the reclaimed water percolates through the ground.
By repurposing wastewater effluent for irrigation, the utility can avoid discharging the treated water into the ocean or going through the costly process of deep-well injection. At the same time, Boca Raton is able to conserve potable drinking water that might be otherwise used for irrigation.
The city estimates that it saves about 4.1 million gallons of water every year as a result of the reuse program.
Helfrich says that about 13 million gallons a day of reclaimed water goes to seven golf courses in the Boca Raton area, and is used for irrigation for the courses and some landscaping at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club. Reclaimed water helps irrigate lawns and landscaping at about 1,600 homes, including most east of the Intracoastal Waterway and south of Camino Real.
To oversee the water flow, Boca Raton uses a high-tech telemetry system that can monitor pressure in water pipes remotely and can ensure that water levels in golf course storage ponds aren’t too high or too low.
Boca Raton’s utility was also recognized for its innovative billing system for reclaimed water. Rather than charge its largest users a per gallon rate, the utility enters into a 10-year contract with the user where it charges a fixed monthly rate and in exchange, the user receives a 40% discount.
“This was something we brainstormed internally,” Helfrich says, adding that he isn’t aware of any other utility using a similar billing system.
With the billing system in place, customers know what their monthly bills will be and the utility knows how much revenue to expect from those users on a monthly and annual basis.
Helfrich said city leaders have been supportive of the initiatives and have been forward thinking when it comes to the water and wastewater treatment needs in the community.
Since 2016, the Utilities of the Future Today program has celebrated the achievements of water utilities that transform from the traditional wastewater treatment system to a resource recovery center. It also recognizes utilities that serve as leaders in the overall sustainability and resilience of the communities they serve.Ú

The winning proposal for the Mizner Park Amphitheater stage door mural depicts a musician on cello and a dancer. Boca Raton City Council members selected the work by artist Eduardo Mendieta from 29 submissions. Rendering provided by City of Boca Raton

By Mary Hladky

The Mizner Park Amphitheater stage doors soon will feature a large mural intended to be a focal point for downtown visitors.
West Palm Beach artist Eduardo Mendieta’s mural, titled “On Stage” and featuring a musician and a dancer, was selected by City Council members on Dec. 8 from 29 submissions.
The stage doors, consisting of six panels, are about 30 feet high and 60 feet wide. After reviewing the submissions, council members quickly settled on two finalists before unanimously selecting Mendieta’s mural.
“It is a compelling piece of art,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke.
Council members thanked all the artists who submitted entries. “We appreciated your creativity, your vision and your desire to participate,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
Mendieta will get a stipend for expenses such as supplies, preparation and installation. The mural is expected to be completed by March 31.
The stage doors project is the latest effort by the city to feature art in public places, an initiative championed by O’Rourke.
Past projects by Mendieta, a well-known Florida artist, have included murals in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Delray Beach, Riviera Beach, Hallandale Beach, Ocala and Bradenton as well as in other states.

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach town commissioners appear to be modifying a ban on Saturday construction work, a move highlighting the divide between many single-family homeowners and some condo associations.
Two years ago, in a move championed by residents of the Bel Lido Isle neighborhood, the Town Commission enacted an ordinance that prohibited “construction, demolition, alteration or repair of any building” on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with few exceptions.
That same ordinance also prohibited construction work before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
Now, however, a new commission led by Mayor Doug Hillman appears to be focused on allowing “quiet work” on Saturdays and expanding the work hours during the week to 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday work would still be prohibited.
Hillman contends that the current ordinance is too restrictive and, in many cases, adds time and costs to construction projects.
“The net effect on large projects is that it took an 18-month project and made it a 24-month project,” Hillman said.
Hillman said he and other commissioners want to be fair to all residents and are focused on “the needs of the entire town.”
That, he says, is the rationale behind limiting construction to “quiet work.”
“We’re not going to let loud noise and major construction take place on Saturdays,” he said. “It’s not going to happen. If it does, we’re going to stop it immediately.”
Some residents of Bel Lido, however, aren’t buying it.
“This is about peace and quiet and enjoyment of our homes,” says Mayde Weiner, one of the community’s residents speaking out against changing the ordinance. “We get bombarded five days a week and we just want peace and enjoyment on Saturdays.”
Weiner says that Bel Lido is different from most of the rest of the town because it has narrow streets and many of the homes are on the water, where noise carries. She also points out that the community does not have a homeowners association, which can enact rules against noisy work.
Condominium communities, she says, can pass rules to ensure peace and quiet on weekends, while Bel Lido cannot.
Another issue for Bel Lido, she says, is that it is a very desirable community, with construction of new homes seemingly always taking place.
“It’s a constant cycle,” she says. “It rolls over from one project to another.”
She also contends that changing the hours won’t dramatically shorten the time to complete projects.
When it comes to enforcing the proposed quiet work on Saturdays, Weiner disagrees with Hillman on how effective enforcement can be.
The town has only one code enforcement officer and although Weiner says the Police Department is responsive on weekends, there are still times when work is done on Saturdays.
For example, she says, workers have cut tile inside a garage and people have put debris into a dumpster on a construction site on Saturdays.
Town Manager Marshall Labadie says that the code enforcement officer will work at least four consecutive Saturdays to ensure compliance if the ordinance is modified.
In a draft of the proposed ordinance, the town specifically mentions what work is not permissible and town officials have made it clear that the ordinance pertains only to work that requires a permit. The ordinance, for example, would not apply to painting a house since that does not require a permit.
Among the work that would be prohibited:
• Use of dump trucks, backhoes, bulldozers, cranes or similar equipment.
• Large-scale delivery or removal of construction material such that it requires unloading by a forklift or other machinery, or otherwise creates a noise disturbance.
• Use of compressors, nail guns and generators.
Commissioners last month delayed passing a revised ordinance on first reading after asking Labadie to draft a provision that would allow for some projects to proceed even if they did not comply with the quiet provision.
That request was prompted in part by a request from a condominium undergoing a large construction project that asked to allow work on Saturday before the bulk of residents return for the season.
“Our parking deck is torn up and we have nowhere to put our residents when they return for the season,” wrote Steve Sassone of Penthouse Towers.
While no formal vote has been taken on the ordinance, the commission appears split 4-1. Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who lives in Bel Lido, is against revisions while Vice Mayor Greg Babij, also a Bel Lido resident, supports the changes, as do some other residents of Bel Lido.
Hillman and Commissioners Evalyn David and John Shoemaker, who live in condominium communities, also support the changes.
Hillman says he hopes the commission will enact the changes to the ordinance and give it a chance to have an impact.
“If we’re wrong, we’ll change it,” he said.

By Rich Pollack

For the second year in a row, Highland Beach will get at least one new member on the Town Commission without having an election.
At the end of the qualifying period last month only one candidate, newcomer Natasha Moore, had filed to run for the vice mayor seat being vacated by Greg Babij, who chose not to seek re-election.
Also running without opposition was Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who will begin her second three-year term in the spring.
Last year Babij, Mayor Doug Hillman and Commissioner John Shoemaker ran without opposition, a year after the town went through a contentious referendum for a $45 million bond issue that was overwhelmingly defeated.
Although no one can say for sure why few residents choose to run for commission seats, after several years of contested elections, Hillman says it could be because calm has been restored to the commission dais.
“I suspect it’s a good sign,” Hillman said. “I suspect people are pleased with their representation and the way the town is being managed.”
Others say it could be a combination of the time commitment involved or just plain apathy that keeps people from running. The pandemic could also be a factor this year, Hillman said.
During a recent meeting, Shoemaker questioned whether raising the commission stipend, which is $1,000 a month, would help attract candidates.
As a result, the town will conduct a study of compensation for elected officials in neighboring communities.
For his part, Babij says his decision not to seek re-election stemmed from his need to devote more time to his role as CEO of an asset management company.
“I didn’t know how I could keep giving two Tuesdays a month,” Babij said, referring to the scheduled two commission meetings a month.
He said he will remain involved in the town but “on a much lower level.”
The time commitment also prevented Moore from running for office years earlier while she worked full time as a senior actuary and practice leader at NCCI in Boca Raton.
Moore, who now operates a real estate business with her husband and lives in Bel Lido Isle, says she has more time to get involved in the community.
She says the bond referendum in 2018 triggered her decision to get involved.
“It opened my eyes that I really needed to be more knowledgeable,” she said.
Moore applied for an open position on the town’s Financial Advisory Board and has been serving for a little more than a year. She is currently vice chairwoman.
“It worked out well being on an advisory board,” she said. “It forced me to get involved in the issues.”
A self-proclaimed numbers person, Moore believes her analytical skills, especially in the finance arena, and her knowledge of the real estate industry will be a plus for the Town Commission.
Moore says that she makes it a point to watch commission meetings to help her prepare for issues that might come before the Financial Advisory Board.
“Another important factor about being a commissioner is you have to be prepared,” she said. “I intend to be as prepared as possible.”
Gossett-Seidman also has put a premium on being prepared for commission meetings and doing all the needed homework.
She said her decision to seek reelection came after encouragement from residents and because she feels much remains to be accomplished.
“I feel my work isn’t done,” she said. “We’re partway there and we have a good team to carry it through.”
Moore and Gossett-Seidman will be sworn in during a March commission meeting. Ú

Ralph ‘Buddy’ Butler from Suez Utility Service Corp., of Perry, Georgia, puts the finishing touches on Highland Beach’s new logo on the west side of the town’s water tower. The seal updates the one that was first introduced almost 20 years ago and is now more modern and slightly less cluttered in appearance. Highland Beach resident Rodrigo Griesi designed the update and donated his services. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Larry Barszewski

      The Coastal Star captured five first-place awards and eight other commendations in the annual Florida Press Club competition.

      The press club held the annual awards ceremony online Dec. 19. The Coastal Star won top awards in its class in five categories:

• Breaking news writing: Ron Hayes, Jerry Lower, Tim Stepien and Rachel O’Hara and staff for their 2019 coverage of Hurricane Dorian.
• Commentary writing: Mary Kate Leming for columns about helping the Bahamas following its Hurricane Dorian devastation, gratitude in the time of COVID-19, and a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office “snowstorm” in South Palm Beach over providing police services.
• Environmental news writing: Larry Keller for his story about Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s sea turtle crew.
• Government news writing: Steve Plunkett for a compilation of beat stories he wrote out of Boca Raton and Gulf Stream.
• Religion news writing: Ron Hayes for his story about two Sister Elizabeths — “Happy” and “Kind” — who came from Poland and teach at St. Vincent Ferrer Church and School.

      In addition, the press club awarded second-place awards to Lower for sports feature photography and Joyce Reingold for health writing.

      Third-place awards went to O’Hara and Lower for feature photo essay; to Rich Pollack for in-depth reporting; to Jan Engoren, Hap Erstein, Greg Stepanich and Sandra Schulman for arts news writing; to Mary Thurwachter for community news writing; to Mary Hladky for COVID-19 reporting; and to Brian Biggane for sports features writing.

      The awards marked the first state journalism competition to honor coverage of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in Florida.

      For nearly 70 years, the Florida Press Club, originally called the Florida Women’s Press Club, has honored the best in Florida journalism. Honorees have expanded into digital-only publications, but officials say what draws the judges’ eyes has remained consistent over the years: engaging storytelling.

By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach has postponed its Dec. 8 council meeting and restricted access to town hall after a town employee tested positive for COVID-19 this week.

Mayor Bonnie Fischer said the building is being sanitized and no rescheduling date for the meeting has been set. Fischer said the employee reported for work but went home after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. She said the employee was feeling better by the end of the week.

Town officials are urging residents to take advantage of free testing for the virus beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 11 in the town hall parking lot. The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is administering the tests and the town will offer free ice cream to those who attend.

Surfer Bernard Micalizzi recently helped save two boys from drowning at the Boynton Inlet. Lt. Brian McManus (left) of Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue calls Boynton ‘the most dangerous inlet in the universe.’ Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Bernard Micalizzi had a split-second life-or-death decision to make.
A veteran surfer, Micalizzi was on his multicolored board in the water just north of the Boynton Inlet waiting to catch a wave when he heard shouting and saw a commotion among fishermen gathered near the ocean end of the jetty.
As he peered down to the water’s surface, Micalizzi saw two teenage swimmers struggling to stay afloat while being pushed out to sea by a ferociously fast stream of water. One of the boys was grasping part of a fishing line, which was of little help.
A strong swimmer who’s usually comfortable in the water, Micalizzi, 42, of Boynton Beach, took off toward the two boys, paddling about 75 yards.
“I knew I was putting myself in harm’s way,” he recalled. “But I said, ‘What am I going to do, let them drown?’”
With the help of another surfer — who, with his board, jumped off the jetty to assist — and thanks to Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue lifeguards, Micalizzi and the two swimmers made it back to shore safely.
Micalizzi, who plucked one of the boys out of the ocean just as he was going under and rested him on his surfboard, is certain that swimmer would have been lost had Micalizzi not reached him then.
“His head was under water when I got there,” Micalizzi said. “Another two or three minutes and he wouldn’t have made it.”
One of the lifeguards — who helped Micalizzi and the second of the rescued boys fight the current and return to shore using an inflatable rescue boat — says the boys were lucky others came to their aid.
“If those surfers weren’t there and they didn’t help, it could have been a very different story,” said Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue Lt. William DeMartino. “This is a great outcome because somebody could have lost their life. The surfers that got in the water to help these people out are heroes.”

Particularly treacherous
While the October rescue — which occurred during an outgoing king tide and a full moon — was dramatic, it was far from being an isolated incident at the Boynton Inlet.
Over the years, several drownings or near drownings have happened at or near the inlet, including several in 2014 that led the county to post warning signs throughout the area.
County lifeguards assigned to the public beach south of the inlet say they are called on a half dozen or more times a year to rescue swimmers, and about the same number of times to rescue boaters thrown into the water when inlet currents capsize their boats.
By contrast, lifeguards estimate about half that number of rescues take place at the Boca Inlet — in large part because of their different configurations. The Boca Inlet, for example, is wider and more difficult to access by car or on foot than the Boynton Inlet.
“The Boynton Inlet is the most dangerous inlet in the universe,” says Lt. Brian McManus of Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, who has been working in the area for more than 30 years.
McManus and others say a number of factors make the area so treacherous, ranging from swift-moving currents to the unprotected beach to the north of the inlet that’s popular with younger swimmers.
“There’s all kinds of dangers at the inlet because of the structures there and because people disregard the warning signs,” says Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins, whose officers assist the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office with enforcement of safety regulations.
A man-made channel, the actual inlet is sandwiched between two jetties, both of which are used for fishing.
It is a narrow channel, with a curve at the end that can create problems for boaters unfamiliar with the area.
There have been so many rescues of boaters in the water, in fact, that YouTube has an entire collection of videos of boating mishaps — some as recent as just a few months ago, as well as some from almost a decade ago.
“It’s long and narrow and the energy makes it more precarious,” says John Ferber, who lives on the beach in Manalapan, just north of the inlet. “There’s a multitude of different dangers in relation to the inlet.”

A crowd watches waves crash north of the Boynton Inlet as a result of Hurricane Irene in 2011. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Weather can be a factor
Ferber lives not far from the unprotected public beach wedged between Manalapan’s private beach and the north wall of the inlet.
Swimming off of that beach can be dangerous during certain weather conditions, lifeguards say, and the problem is compounded by teenagers jumping off the jetty or off the sand transfer station.
Lifeguards say that when the wind is out of the northeast, water is pushed against the north jetty wall, creating fast-moving rip currents.
“The rip currents are formed when the water is pushed against an obstruction,” said Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue Chief Julia Leo. “They’re going to push someone out very quickly.”
Leo says that an especially strong rip current can push a swimmer out into the ocean as quickly as eight feet per second.
Compounding the problem is a deep pocket in the ocean floor created by the sand transfer station, which pumps both sand and water away from the north side of the inlet across the inlet to the sand-starved beach on the south side.
The inlet and the popular unprotected north-side beach also draw teenagers who disregard warnings and jump into the inlet from the State Road A1A bridge or from the jetty.
“We have some teens making bad decisions and jumping off the north jetty,” Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue’s DeMartino says.
Because the inlet and the north beach are in a county pocket, law enforcement in the area is the responsibility of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Ocean Ridge Chief Hutchins says that his officers and those of neighboring Manalapan work closely with the Sheriff’s Office while “discouraging” people who disregard the county safety warnings and regulations.
“Anyone who has jurisdiction to the south or north of the inlet understands the dangers and doesn’t turn a blind eye to the safety issues,” Hutchins said.

Making no headway
Micalizzi isn’t sure how the two swimmers he rescued ended up in the water, nor does he know how the grandmother of one of the boys ended up wedged against the jetty and needed help to get free.
He is sure that they were lucky that others were present to help them, including DeMartino and other lifeguards who arrived in an inflatable boat and helped Micalizzi and one of the boys get back to the beach.
Micalizzi says that after he pulled the first swimmer out of the water, he was able to get him onto the board of the other surfer who had jumped off the jetty. While they paddled to shore, Micalizzi headed to the second boy, who appeared to be a better swimmer.
With the young man on the board and Micalizzi swimming alongside, they headed for shore but couldn’t battle the current.
“I’m swimming and he’s paddling and we’re going nowhere,” Micalizzi said, adding that he feared the current would take them farther from shore. “I’m thinking this is really bad. Then out of nowhere comes Ocean Rescue to save the day.”
Micalizzi, who has been surfing for three decades, says he wouldn’t hesitate to come to the aid of swimmers in trouble again.
“Without a doubt,” he said. 

Waves engulf the jetty at Boynton Inlet as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida in 2017. Photo by Jim Rassol

Highland Beach used a drone to take photos of 106 people who turned out at the planned Milani Park near high tide Nov. 18 in an effort to show the county that 42 parking spaces would be enough. The parking area is at upper left. Photo provided

By Rich Pollack

Some came from the south concerned that a county park with parking for 100 cars would create traffic problems.
Others came from the north concerned that a packed beach at the planned Milani Park in Highland Beach would lead to trespassing on neighboring private beaches.
In all 106 people came to a town-sponsored “sit-in” Nov. 18 designed to convince county officials that there isn’t enough room for all the people that a second phase of development — from 42 parking spaces to 100 — would allow.
The idea worked to the satisfaction of town leaders.
While aerial photos show the beach could handle the 100 visitors that town leaders expect would come with phase I, they say the photos also show the beach couldn’t hold the additional 145 visitors who would come with 58 more parking spots proposed for a second phase.
“We saw that with 106 people — without umbrellas and without coolers and without children — there’s barely enough room to accommodate phase I and certainly not enough room for phase II,” said Mayor Doug Hillman.
The presence of turtle nests during seven months of the year would add to the congestion, Hillman said.
“The aerial photos clearly show that phase II will not work,” he said. “Phase II would overpower the beach.”

Following a discussion at the Dec. 1 commission meeting, town leaders plan to set up a meeting with Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call and possibly county Vice Mayor Robert Weinroth to discuss the finding.
In October, Call said that he is open to working with the town on additional compromises.
“This is just a first brush,” he said after a conception plan for the park was sent to Highland Beach officials. “We want to negotiate further and see if there might be something less intense.”
For more than 30 years Highland Beach residents have been battling the county, hoping to halt development of the Cam D. Milani Park, which encompasses 5.6 acres straddling State Road A1A at the town’s south end.
Sold to Palm Beach County in 1987 by the real estate developer’s family for close to $4 million, the property has been at the center of legal wrangling that resulted in a settlement a decade ago delaying development for up to 10 years.
In October 2019, county commissioners agreed to put off ground breaking for another five years, but asked the parks staff to begin making plans so construction could begin at the end of that period.

In September town and county leaders came up with a plan for reducing the parking from 125 spots originally approved to the 42 spots. Hillman and other town leaders were surprised when they saw that the second phase of development of the park included an additional 58 spaces.
Using a calculation of 2.5 people per car, town officials estimate there would be about 250 people on the beach if every space were filled.

Mayor Doug Hillman directs participants, including Town Manager Marshall Labadie, to spread out along the beach side of the planned Milani Park.

“The beach just can’t handle upwards of 200 people,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.
Residents on the beach for the sit-in included people from Parker Highland, the first condominium north of the park site.
“We already have people trespassing on our beach,” said Parker Highland resident Tonya Peer. “It’s going to be a thousand times worse if there’s a park there.”
Other residents say they’re concerned about the impact parking spaces would have on the environment.
“You would have to take away green space,” said town resident Felice Naide.

Vaccines, cabin fever offer hope for gloomy tourism forecast

The Renzi family shops for souvenirs at Beach Planet in Delray Beach. (l-r) Joe; Stacy; Mia, 8; and Ari,10, live in Chicago but came to Florida for a week to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends who live in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. They stayed at the Delray Beach Marriott. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Canadian Carol Baker and her husband, Ralph, have wintered in Briny Breezes for more than 20 years. But not this year.
“I think we will wait until next fall when we have the vaccine and everything seems to be settled down,” said the Ottawa resident. “We are sorry to miss it this year. You have to weigh the pros and cons. There are too many cons this year.”
Lanny and Beth Farr of Ontario, who have come to Briny Breezes each winter for 10 years, also will be no-shows.
They wanted to come.
“We decided no,” Lanny Farr said. Since they were stuck in Canada, Beth underwent a hip replacement and Lanny had a knee replacement.
The situation is unfortunate for both Canadians and Americans, Lanny said. “You need our money, we need the warmth.”
These two couples and other Canadians interviewed by The Coastal Star cited varying reasons for their reluctance to travel to Florida during a pandemic.
The U.S./Canadian border is closed to nonessential travel until Dec. 21, and the closure could be extended. That makes it impossible to drive down.
Oddly, Canadians are still allowed to fly into the United States. But it is far more expensive to fly to South Florida from Canada than it is if people cross the border and take a flight down from a U.S. city. They’d also have to ship a car down or rent one here, another big expense.
Canadian health insurance does not cover them if they become ill in the United States. Canadians can buy additional insurance, but it is very costly.
Lorna Huber of Ontario has underlying health issues and said she can’t take a chance of coming to a state where COVID-19 cases are spiking.
“A lot of Canadians don’t have any plans for going down unless there is a vaccine,” said Joan Nicholls of Ontario.
In 2019, 3.6 million Canadians visited Florida, according Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing corporation. Visit Florida estimates only 6,000 came in this year’s third quarter, a decrease of 98.8% from the same period last year.
The missing Canadians, as well as Europeans who are barred from travel to the U.S., are among reasons that tourism officials predict that Palm Beach County’s tourist season this year will be nothing like the record-breaking 2019 season.
“We expect a season, but we expect a light season in comparison to normal,” said Peter Ricci, director of Florida Atlantic University’s hospitality and tourism management program.
In October, Ricci was getting reports that hotel bookings for the winter season were increasing. But as the number of COVID-19 cases spiked for the third time this year, people began canceling their reservations.
If the rate of infections doesn’t stabilize or decrease, his outlook will darken, Ricci said.
Even though the hospitality industry adapted quickly to the pandemic, “certainly there will not be a season that is anything close to what you and I consider a season,” said Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce.

Surge in virus is worrying
Discover the Palm Beaches, the county’s tourism marketing organization, reported an all-time-high 8.22 million visitors to the county in 2019.
Jorge Pesquera, Discover’s president and CEO, expects about 6 million visitors in 2020, a 27% decrease from last year.
Hotel occupancy crept up from 30% in April to 47% in mid-November, Pesquera said. He forecast 55% occupancy in December and more than 60% in January through March — which would be a good showing during a pandemic but still down from the high 70s to mid-80s in the recent past.
The resurgence of COVID-19 could change that. “It is unfortunate the trends have been going in the wrong direction for the last several weeks,” he said on Nov. 18. “The encouraging news are (vaccine) announcements from Pfizer and Moderna, which are getting the entire world excited, in particular the leisure and hospitality industry, which have been most affected.”
Since then, AstraZeneca also has announced its vaccine is effective. But a dosing error involving some study participants has raised questions about whether additional testing would bear out the vaccine’s initially strong results.
Safe and effective vaccines “will bring back a tremendous amount of confidence in the traveling public,” Pesquera said.
Tourism is vital to the state and local economies. In 2017, out-of-state visitors added $85.9 billion to the state’s economy, according to Visit Florida.
Visit Florida estimates that 22.1 million visitors traveled to Florida during the third quarter, a decrease of 31.8% compared to the same period last year. But that was an improvement over the second quarter, which saw a 60.3% drop.
With Gov. Ron DeSantis vowing not to lock down the state and giving counties and cities no leeway to enforce the wearing of masks to control the coronavirus, the tourism industry’s fate likely will depend on how soon people get vaccinations.
Until then, tourism officials are forging ahead with their efforts to attract visitors.
With international tourism flatlined, they first marketed to Florida residents — urging them to take short vacations at local hotels and resorts to give them a respite and offer hotels and restaurants some business.
They then expanded to the “drive market,” airline-averse travelers who can drive to Palm Beach County.

Businesses work to be safe
Tourism officials and hoteliers are emphasizing cleaning and sanitation protocols so guests feel safe.
For example, Discover the Palm Beaches supports hospitality businesses pursuing the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s GBAC STAR accreditation program. Those accredited have established a cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention program. Among them are Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach County Convention Center and the convention center hotel.
Until vaccines become widely available, Palm Beach County has advantages that can lure snowbirds and tourists despite the pandemic.
It’s cold up North, forcing people inside, where infection can spread more easily. But locally, the weather is usually lovely and people can still dine outside, spend a day at the beach or visit a park.
Nick Gold, public relations director for Eau Palm Beach in Manalapan, which has enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols, said the resort is expecting a good season.
For Christmas and New Year’s Eve, guests have the option of dining in oceanfront cabanas, private spaces in the hotel, or can have holiday meals delivered to their rooms.
Guests “want to be on the beach in the peak of winter season,” he said.
Luke Therien, whose family owns the Prime Catch and Banana Boat restaurants in Boynton Beach, knows the season will take a hit, “but I don’t think it will be as bad as some people think” because people who live up North “don’t want to be stuck in the house all winter long.”
“A lot of people can’t go to Europe or the Caribbean or travel around the world,” he said. “What are they going to do? They are going to come to Florida.”
Therien closed his restaurants when the pandemic hit, and used the time to do renovations before reopening.
His employees get temperature checks every day and must wear masks. Six-foot distancing is maintained.
Lots of outdoor seating is his ace in the hole. “We are lucky,” he said.
Guests “can go to a restaurant and not stress over the experience,” he said. “It is an intelligent way to have lunch or dinner with a spouse or friends.” 

I purchased the angel that sits atop our Christmas tree while on a trip to Mexico many years ago. She’s hammered tin with a painted face and poised to sing carols from a songbook clasped in her hands.
This year she’s going to take a break and sit on the skirt beneath the tree, replaced by a shiny little star purchased online.
Why? Quite simply because I’m in need of a guiding light to get through what’s left of this difficult and unusual year.
My inspiration for the star comes from the Christian tradition, but other religions also find symbolism in light. Most noticeable is Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights — celebrated for eight days this month and casting light toward better times ahead.
I’ve been hopeful recently that light will be shining into the darkness soon.
The brilliant scientists who have worked tirelessly to create and test a successful vaccine in record time give me this optimism. It may be months before most of us have the remedy available, but knowing it’s coming soon to frontline workers and the most fragile in our communities is a bright first step toward ending the dark grip of this coronavirus pandemic.
Still, I know it’s going to be difficult for many of us to forgo holiday gatherings this month. Like many of you, I’m canceling my annual family tree-decorating dinner. Even with family nearby, health considerations make it prudent to limit the number of people at any gathering.
And the friends and relatives who typically travel to the area for the holidays are wisely staying home. We will miss them. But, hopefully, this is the only year we’ll need to postpone gathering. I’m convinced that by 2021, we’ll be back eggnog-ing with the best of them!
We are lucky to be in South Florida where it’s easy to hold activities outdoors in the balmy December weather.
So if our gatherings stay small and we wear our masks indoors — or when unable to maintain social distancing outside — it’s really not that much of a sacrifice on behalf of the health of our loved ones and our community.
I believe that if we’re kind, patient and share a little empathy for others over the next few months, we can cautiously plan for a future without the dark cloud of a novel coronavirus hovering overhead.
Next year, the angel should be back on top of the Christmas tree.
This year, I’m hopeful the new star will not only shine a light toward an end to this pandemic, but also inspire me to be a light, helping to guide the way for others struggling in the dark. After all, that is the true holiday spirit. Pandemic or not.
Happy holidays!

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Stephanie Dodge of Delray Beach has been part of all five Empty Bowls fundraisers and has amassed quite a collection of bowls. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

When the Delray Beach Empty Bowls program needed some creative thinking, it couldn’t have picked a better chairwoman than Stephanie Dodge.
“I grew up with a hippie globe-trotting mother, so I changed schools 17 times as a kid,” said Dodge, who along with honorary chairman John Brewer is organizing the fifth annual Empty Bowls program Dec. 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church.
“There were three of us (children), and wherever her heart went we would follow,” Dodge said about her mother, Grace Divine, and the family’s frequent moves.
In its previous four years, Empty Bowls created a picnic-like atmosphere at Old School Square, with local celebrities serving up an offering of soup, bread and water to hundreds.
With the COVID-19 pandemic making that impossible this year, Dodge and her 10-member committee will go a different route.
“It’s going to be a drive-thru experience with all the CDC regulations in place,” she said last month. “The soup is already prepared and packaged. We’re trying to keep it somewhat the same, where there will be celebrity community leaders serving the soup. As you drive through we’ll have your favorite orthodontist, principals of the school, people like that, handing out the soup.”
The fundraiser benefits the Palm Beach County Food Bank, which as a result of the pandemic’s hardships has been busier than ever this year.
“The need is twofold compared to other years,” said Dodge, who lives in Delray Beach. “The Food Bank in the past was (distributing) a million pounds of food a month, and now it’s doing 2 million.
“We’re hoping that because the need is greater, people will come out of the woodwork and support this event, even though we’ve had to reinvent the wheel. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s going to be heavily supported.”
Dodge said her involvement in Empty Bowls is largely a tribute to Billy and Shelly Himmelrich, the owners of Old School Bakery who brought the program to Delray.
“They spearheaded this whole thing five, six years ago,” Dodge said. “Whatever they do, they seem to have the Midas touch that always turns to gold. I’m happy to participate in any fundraiser that they ignite, and I pay homage to them.”
Patty Jones, who chaired the 2018 event and is a member of the Empty Bowls executive committee, said her high expectations are largely due to the work Dodge and Brewer have put in.
“She brought new ideas, pretty much a fresh start,” Jones said. “She’s the leader and we look to her. It’s a little different but it’s going to be a great success.”
Brewer, who founded the Delray Socially Distanced Supper Club and has a close relationship with many of the 30 or more participating restaurants, has played an important role.
“Because of his connection to the community he’s been invaluable,” Dodge said. “He’s been an inspirational force for all the restaurants in town, keeping them connected and keeping them busy: curbside pickup, drive-by, delivery.”
Trinity Lutheran School principal Jamie Wagner has also been a huge asset.
“When COVID started they did a drive-thru feeding a lot of people in Delray,” Dodge said. “So they had the blueprint of how the traffic flow will work out.”
Participants are asked to go to www.pbcfoodbank.org/emptybowlsdelray and make a reservation in one of the four hour-long time slots between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Dec. 5. Cost is $30 for one order or $50 for two. Choices of soups include clam chowder, chicken and vegetable.
Former local news anchor Suzanne Boyd will host a program on site that will broadcast on Facebook and YouTube from noon to 1 p.m.
A yoga teacher for 30 years, Dodge opened Boca Raton’s first yoga studio, Boca Yoga, in 1996. She opened the city’s first health food sandwich shop and juice bar at age 18. She now teaches two yoga classes a week by Zoom on the platform iYoga and enjoys that “new normal” so much she doesn’t envision working out of a studio again.
Dodge, a stay-at-home mom for much of the past 20 years to sons Connor, 20, a sophomore at the University of Colorado, and James, 16, a junior at American Heritage, said her life experiences have made her stronger.
Students from American Heritage will assist with Empty Bowls distribution and other schools are invited to participate.

For volunteer opportunities contact volunteer chairman Sandra Maier at msmaier126@gmail.com.

By Dan Moffett

The Briny Breezes Town Council wants to set up a COVID-19 vaccination pod, so that when vaccines become available, the town can deliver them quickly and efficiently to residents.
But like so many things in 2020, even the good ideas come wrapped in complications and unintended consequences.
Mayor Gene Adams, who is leading the vaccination pod effort, told the council during its Nov. 19 meeting that two options from county health officials are feasible.
One is to bring in a mobile unit from the Palm Beach County Health Department to vaccinate residents, much in the way a county unit came to Briny Breezes and tested people last summer.
The other option is for the town to set up its own vaccination pod, recruiting volunteers and finding a nurse practitioner or other licensed medical professional to run it.
If Briny chooses to rely exclusively on the county, the town likely wouldn’t have much control over how and when vaccines are administered. But then, the town’s trying to run its own pod could come with expenses, be difficult to staff and raise potential legal and statutory issues.
“Where the town has more control, it also brings with it additional responsibility,” Town Attorney Keith Davis told the council. “In that scenario it’s required to comply with all HIPAA requirements, providing appropriate insurance and maintaining the appropriate confidentiality protections for all records.
“When the Health Department puts us on their schedule, they assume responsibility for all those things.”
HIPAA refers to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, designed to protect people’s privacy. Another issue that must be resolved is whether the pod should be open only to Briny residents or to neighboring communities as well. Council President Sue Thaler said that decision isn’t as important as ensuring the town complies with the sizable list of federal and state laws and regulations.
“I’m more concerned about the legal liability issues, records confidentiality and insurance issues,” Thaler said. “We have support for the (vaccination pod) idea but then the question becomes, do we do it ourselves?”
The council and staff decided to research the choices and discuss the pod plan again at the Dec. 17 town meeting.
No matter which way Briny goes, demographics likely will work in the town’s favor.
“The fact that we have an older community may help us get the vaccines sooner,” Adams said.
In other business, the council unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance that puts a series of charter amendments on the March 9 municipal election ballot.
The amendments, if approved by voters, would give the town a formal charter, with specific regulations, definitions and procedures for governance.

The Delray Beach Utilities Department will grow by four people under a unanimous budget amendment approved Nov. 17 by the City Commission.
Finance Director Marie Kalka explained the $491,000 would come from the city’s Water and Sewer Fund.
The money will be used to hire two engineers and two utility inspectors and buy two vehicles, four personal computers, four cellphones and fuel.
—Jane Smith

After Eta’s deluges, Floridians looking for all the help they can get

ABOVE: North Atlantic Drive looked more like a lake than a road on Hypoluxo Island after Tropical Storm Eta blew through Nov. 8-9. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
BELOW: Boca Raton resident Natalie Conte walks her dogs Nico and Rocky next to a flooded sidewalk in Highland Beach on Nov. 9. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star

By John Englander
Rising Seas Institute

Following the U.S. presidential election, many pundits speculate that Joe Biden will use executive orders to deal with many issues that do not require Congressional legislation.
That would follow the precedent of both Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama. It raises an interesting question as to whether executive orders can affect flooding. Of course, flooding fundamentally comes from forces of nature, which residents of South Florida learned once again last month.
Tropical Storm Eta dumped up to 14 inches of rain in western Broward County, a dousing that might have amounted to a once-in-100-years event, Robert Molleda, a Weather Service meteorologist, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
As the planet warms, scientists predict that we will have to cope with more tropical storms and that they’ll contain more water. Eta delivered that lesson. Florida has been called “ground zero” in the United States for climate damage, and 2020 has delivered the flooding to warrant that designation.
In recent decades it has become clear that rising seas are contributing to the increased flooding as the warming planet melts polar ice caps. In fact, there are two approaches for a president to try to reduce flooding: mitigation and adaptation.
Mitigation in this context refers to slowing the warming, by policies that might reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the principal greenhouse gases. Executive orders could well focus on that issue, perhaps regarding vehicle emissions standards, rule-making with the Environmental Protection Agency, encouragement of renewable energy, and other policies. Taken together, over decades, such policies can flatten the curve of rising CO2 emissions and eventually slow the warming. Over decades such policies can begin to reduce the problem of rising waters that cause worse flooding.
The second approach is adaptation. To reduce flooding we can raise buildings and infrastructure in Florida and other coastal areas. In the United States, building codes — the regulations — are typically set at the state and county levels.
The president does not set them. But he can issue an executive order with regard to all federal buildings and infrastructure. In fact, Obama did just that. The order directed that all federal new construction and major renovations would allow for an additional two feet of higher sea level, or three feet for structures that were deemed critical. Also, the order used the 500-year flood plain as a reference point, far more conservative than the usual 100-year flood plain guideline.
Such an executive order to raise the design criteria for buildings and infrastructure has several virtues.
With the vast property of the federal government, raising elevations in flood zones can reduce the flooding potential, damages and recovery expenses, and result in fewer lives lost.
Perhaps as important, such a leadership policy sets an example for all the states, municipalities and private companies to emulate.
Just the idea of following “best practices” would help professions such as architecture, engineering and planning.
Presidential executive orders to raise the design criteria for federal buildings and infrastructure are perhaps the simplest way to reduce flooding, with the potential for the orders to make an impact for decades and centuries.
However, a weakness to executive orders is that another administration can reverse them: Obama’s 2015 Executive Order 13690 was rescinded by Trump’s Executive Order 13807 just two years later.
I think it’s reasonable to expect many executive orders under the new administration.

John Englander is an oceanographer and author of “High Tide On Main Street.” He is also president of the Rising Seas Institute, a nonprofit think tank and policy center.

Started in May 2018 by the editorial boards of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald and The Palm Beach Post, with assistance from WLRN Public Media, the project now encompasses 25 Florida newspapers, including The Coastal Star.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach city commissioners finally fired their city manager on Nov. 20, after waiting a tumultuous five months.
The vote was 3-2, with Mayor Shelly Petrolia, Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson and Commissioner Juli Casale voting to fire George Gretsas on misconduct charges.
Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston and Commissioner Adam Frankel voted no because, they said, they had not heard anything during the hearing that warranted firing Gretsas.
At the June 24 meeting, where the vote was a 3-2 decision along the same lines, the commission first put Gretsas on notice of being fired. The elaborate process, part of Gretsas’ contract, played out during the summer and into the fall. He hired new attorneys in mid-October and the city agreed to postpone the hearing one more month.
Boylston and Frankel did not want to see Gretsas’ return to the city, because of the turmoil he had created during his five-month suspension, but voted no because they believed he deserved the $180,000-$190,000 payout stipulated in his contract if he were terminated without cause.
“We are hearing allegations, not facts,” Frankel said during the Nov. 20 hearing, which Gretsas did not attend.
Frankel has been averse to firing city managers in the past. Six years ago, during his first stint on the commission, Frankel refused to fire Louie Chapman as city manager in the spring of 2014.
The commission had just three votes to fire Chapman for buying $60,000 worth of garbage cans without City Commission approval. At the time the city required four votes — or a super majority — to terminate a manager.
Petrolia was not hesitant to get rid of Chapman. Then a city commissioner, she voted to fire Chapman. But without the super majority vote, Chapman received a nearly $73,000 taxpayer payout on his contract as part of a settlement agreement in which he resigned.
City voters later changed the charter in August 2014 to allow removal of the city manager by a simple majority vote, or 3-2.
At the Nov. 20 hearing, Frankel and Johnson said they wanted to hear from Gretsas.
He was in Montana, “dealing with the birth of a child,” said Carmen Rodriguez, his employment attorney.

Gretsas to appeal in court
Gretsas will appeal what he called a wrongful termination to the courts, and he is considering other claims as well, according to his Nov. 23 text to The Coastal Star. He did not say when a lawsuit would be filed.
“Every charge was false and the documents I provided proved that. Yet, they were ignored by three of the five commissioners,” Gretsas wrote.
At the Nov. 20 hearing, Rodriguez disputed the report made by Julia Davidyan, the city’s internal auditor. In July, the City Commission ordered Davidyan to investigate Gretsas’ actions.
“Davidyan was not charged with doing an investigation, but with bringing back a result,” Rodriguez said. “All of the resources were used to smear Mr. Gretsas.”
Robert Norton, the city’s outside labor counsel, gave an opinionated opening statement using information from Davidyan’s report. He talked about Gretsas’ hiring his “cronies” to work in Delray Beach.
Norton said Tim Edkin, an information technologies consultant Gretsas knew from his stint as Fort Lauderdale city manager, was hired to do a $64,000 report on Delray’s Information Technology department and later ran the department on an interim basis. That hiring was noted by Davidyan in her report.
Another alleged “crony” was Joshua Padgett, who was hired at $50 an hour to be a videographer. Gretsas had hired Padgett, who worked for Homestead in a similar capacity while Gretsas was manager of that city, according to Davidyan’s report. But the report stated that Gretsas did not explain why Padgett deserved such a high hourly rate or review his time sheets, as required.
Norton recounted Davidyan’s questioning Padgett about his work on weekends or longer hours during the week. Padgett told her, “When the creative process is going on you continue working.”
The third “crony” mentioned was Jason King, who also had worked for Gretsas in Homestead. Gretsas used an open Utilities Department position to hire King as the intergovernmental affairs director in Delray Beach.
King was paid about 35% more than the minimum salary and Gretsas did not provide any documentation to explain why, according to Davidyan’s report. In Delray Beach, new employees start at the base salary unless the city manager includes a memo stating why that person deserved a higher salary.
Davidyan never spoke during the hearing.
Instead, City Attorney Lynn Gelin answered questions as a witness, but did not sit on the dais providing guidance to the commissioners.
“I anticipated being called as a witness and the bar rules precluded me from doing both,” Gelin wrote in a Nov. 22 text to The Coastal Star.
Assistant City Attorney Lawanda Warren guided commissioners through the slightly longer than four-hour hearing. Of the four people who spoke during public comment, two were from Homestead. They were former Mayor Steve Shiver and Eric McDonough, publisher of the True Homestead online newsletter. Both made disparaging remarks about Gretsas, suggesting he was not always truthful.
The two others were Delray Beach residents. Retired accountant Ken MacNamee reminded the commission about his open public records requests. He had asked for the letters or emails sent to the commission from Gretsas about drinking water quality problems that Gretsas mentioned in a July 31 letter to the commission. Gretsas claimed he was a whistleblower in that letter. He said he wrote to the commission about the water quality problems and was being fired for disclosing the problems.

Attorney responds to charges
In response to Norton’s presentation at the hearing, Rodriguez questioned how Norton’s firm could do an independent investigation into the bullying charges against Gretsas that were the subject of the June 24 hearing when his firm had a 10-year relationship with the city.
The bullying charges were dropped because the terms of Gretsas’ contract called for a new investigation. Rather than cast a negative light on the city and divide the staff again by renewing the bullying investigation, Gelin said at the Aug. 24 commission meeting that commissioners should focus on the policy violations because those issues were valid.
In addition, Rodriguez stressed that Davidyan’s report did not mention the emergency resolution the city had passed in mid-March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. That is why Gretsas had hired Padgett to set up a broadcast studio in the Arts Garage, a city-owned property, she said. Padgett produced daily shows on the pandemic.
Rodriguez also countered the city’s allegation that Gretsas refused to participate in Davidyan’s investigation of him.
“Tell us what you are investigating, so we can come prepared,” Rodriguez said she told Davidyan in response to her report. “We were told on four separate occasions that our ‘objection was noted.’” Rodriguez said the report had given them only a broad statement about what misconduct was being investigated.
The emergency declarations were about purchasing items such as hand sanitizers, Gelin said in response to a question from the commission. “We did not know about the hires from Homestead until they showed up at City Hall,” she said.
Everything that Gretsas did, “he could have done by following city policies,” Gelin said.
Gelin said she was consulted by Gretsas in early June when he wrote a pre-termination letter to Suzanne Fisher, then assistant city manager. Fisher was out on leave as a result of emotional distress she said was caused by bullying from Gretsas. He had referred to Fisher as a “cancer,” Gelin said.
Fisher was able to resign from the city in September with the promise of not suing the city for its handling of her employment contract.
“‘We don’t do that here,’” Gelin said she tried to warn Gretsas about not explicitly stating what the employee had done wrong. “It’s a little much, but I didn’t document it.”
That made Rodriguez say, “You didn’t document it. That’s the very thing you are accusing Gretsas of doing.”
Rodriguez also questioned why the mayor was participating in the hearing when she was biased against Gretsas.
Mayor Petrolia had received a written opinion from the state Ethics Commission that she could participate because doing so would not financially benefit her or her family. A copy of the Nov. 6 letter was included in the city’s response to a lawsuit filed Nov. 10 by a different law firm representing Gretsas.
He described that firm, Stuart Kaplan of Palm Beach Gardens, as his litigation firm seeking public records and injunctions.
Rodriguez said she never received the letter.
Gretsas was paid his annual salary of $265,000 plus benefits during the first four months of his suspension. That amounted to nearly $116,000, not including his accrued leave days. City commissioners agreed to postpone the termination hearing in October in exchange for no longer paying Gretsas.
Gretsas was the fourth city manager for Delray Beach in eight years. Five others have served as interim city manager, including one who served twice. Mark Lauzier, fired in March 2019, has a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the city. It will go to a jury trial in February, Gelin has said.
“The issue here is whoever doesn’t follow the agenda is dragged through the mud,” Rodriguez said of the commission. “It’s a reign of terror that has caused a revolving door of top administrators. The citizens deserve better.”

Tina VaLant of Boca Raton, who rescued HERbert, changed the spelling of the name when she found out the crab was female. The severed legs may grow back as part of HERbert’s molting process. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

On the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 29, Tina VaLant drove to Gulf Stream to pet-sit Racer, an adorable golden retriever puppy owned by her friends Linda and Turner Dean.
Sorry, but this story is not about that puppy.
As VaLant and Racer walked east along Banyan Road between Gulfstream Road and Oleander Way, her gaze fell on a very weird rock by the south side of the road.
VaLant walked over, picked up the weird rock — and screamed.
Oh, my God, it’s got eyes and it’s moving! She was holding a disabled Cardisoma guanhumi — a giant land crab — without any legs that would soon become a minor media sensation.
VaLant, 59, is a “freelance photographer, nature enthusiast and mental health advocate” who has raised and released butterflies — monarchs, yellow barred sulfurs, zebra longwings — for more than 20 years.
She brought the legless crab home to suburban Boca Raton and turned one of the mesh butterfly enclosures in her second bathroom into an apartment for the injured crustacean.
“Words have power, so you don’t want to call it a cage,” she reasons. “It’s an apartment.”
The apartment is adorned with an amethyst crystal and small American flag.
Now, for a name.
After her neighbors Martha and Larry moved to Orlando, VaLant named two of the ducks in her local park Martha and Larry so she would still see her friends every day.
“I name everything,” she explains. “I’m a highly sensitive person, so I looked at the crab and ‘Herbert’ came to me.”
After butterflies, VaLant’s latest passion was TikTok, the trendy social network that hosts homemade, 60-second videos both sweet and silly. VaLant had become a TikTokker back in April after a friend sent her an inspirational video.
“I had thought it was a stupid kids’ app,” she says, “but it’s great for people with short attention spans and hamster brains.”
On Friday, Oct. 30, Herbert starred in his first TikTok video, and then a second on Halloween.
“And when I came back from a walk, my phone was hot!” VaLant exclaims.
Before Herbert, her TikTok butterfly videos had garnered about 4,000 followers.
Now she had 16,700 in just two days, and 204,000 likes.
When Herbert’s third performance appeared on Nov. 1, her following jumped to 35,000.
“Not that I care about being TikTok famous,” she emphasizes. “I just want to spread positivity.”

He’s a she
Almost immediately, however, fame complicated her life.
Some of Herbert’s fans started messaging to insist, “That’s a girl.”
VaLant called Evan Orellana, a marine biologist at the Sandoway Discovery Center in Delray Beach, who watched one of Herbert’s videos and agreed with the messages.
“The underbelly of a giant land crab, called the apron, is wider on a female, more triangular on the male,” he told her.
This crab had a wide apron.
Herbert’s name is now HERbert, and by Nov. 18, her 30 TikToks had hit 1 million likes and 84,000 followers.
Orellana also told VaLant that HERbert had probably lost her legs in a lawn maintenance accident.
“Based on how it’s a clean cut, it’s very possible it crawled in a lawn mower,” he said. “A predator would have eaten her, and they don’t leave behind the crab.”
Orellana estimated HERbert to be at least 5 years old, an adult.
HERbert measures about 3 inches across, which might not seem to qualify her for “giant land crab” status, but size is relative, Orellana noted. Compared to fiddler or mangrove crabs, about the size of a quarter, HERbert is indeed a giant.
Giant land crabs can live to be 10 to 15 years old, if a bird, otter or raccoon doesn’t eat them first, which they often do.
But what VaLant wanted to know, of course, was whether HERbert would ever walk again.
Orellana gave her a firm “maybe.” It all depends on how the molting goes.
Snakes shed their skin and crabs molt.
Once a year or more, as they grow too big for their outer skeletons, crustaceans emerge from the back and hide while they grow a new shell.
“But molting is not just getting a new skeleton,” Orellana says. “If they lose a claw, after two or three successful molts they can grow back.”
It would take time, but HERbert’s claws may grow back.
“I’m optimistic,” Orellana says. “It’s eating, and it’s not cowering or hiding. I think that’s a good prognosis.”
Waiting for HERbert to molt, VaLant continues to release more TikToks while nursing her legless star.
“I’m giving her a critical care supplement,” she reports, “and sometimes I dust her food with a high density nutrient powder. She likes to have her upper shell rubbed horizontally but not vertically.”
HERbert is fed 10 times a day — mango, kiwi, pineapple. “And last night she had shrimp from my husband’s dinner,” VaLant adds. “My husband thinks I’ve lost it.”

Fantastic fan base

Most of HERbert’s fan mail is positive, including one message from an animal psychic who wanted VaLant to know that HERbert is very grateful for her loving care.
Occasionally, the rare cynics suggest that she just eat the crab and be done with it.
“But I’m a vegetarian,” VaLant tells them.
On Nov. 30, HERbert’s 47 TikToks had tallied 1.4 million likes and almost 117,000 followers.
“Most people who know me think I’m a little out there,” VaLant is happy to concede. “I’m a little woo-woo, but I embrace my weirdness.”
And should HERbert fail to regrow her legs, VaLant has already envisioned another way to spread positivity.
“Maybe she will become a therapy crab and go to hospitals to visit patients,” VaLant says. “What if somebody has lost their limbs? Here’s a crab who lost her limbs in a lawn mower accident, and she’s still inspiring millions.”

HERbert’s apartment:
https://www.tiktok.com/@tinavalant/video/6892827895522282757?lang=en

Evan Orellana, marine biologist, Sandoway Discovery Center:
https://www.tiktok.com/@tinavalant/video/6891472107889364229?lang=en

By Rich Pollack

Acting on orders from the state health department, Delray Beach will continue testing its drinking water for the presence of cancer-linked “forever chemicals,” even as the city reinforces its contention that the water doesn’t pose a health hazard and is safe to drink.
In a Nov. 23 letter to Delray Beach Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry, representatives of the Florida Department of Health ordered the city to conduct quarterly sampling at each of its 30 water wells — as well as at the point where finished water leaves the treatment plant — for the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
The state is asking that the sampling be conducted over a 12-month period and that results be submitted to the state within seven days.
PFAS compounds, which are synthetic chemicals used in stain repellents, nonstick pans as well as polishes, paints and coatings, have been linked to increased incidences of cancer as well as other health issues such as ulcerative colitis and thyroid disease. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the human body and stay in the environment indefinitely.
The federal government, through the Environmental Protection Agency, has set 70 parts per trillion as an advisory level and Delray Beach says that the amount of PFAS found in its water is well below that level.
In a Nov. 25 letter responding to the correspondence from state officials, Hadjimiry pointed out that the city conducted two tests since August. In the first test, he said, 49 parts per trillion were detected and a second test, conducted in October, showed .43 parts per trillion, which is considered a non-detectable quantity.
Hadjimiry said the city had already planned to conduct another test in December and has requested that a representative from the health department be present during testing.
City spokeswoman Gina Carter said that Hadjimiry had reached out to state health officials prior to receiving the Nov. 23 letter to advise them of the steps the city is taking.
“Our city is being held to a standard that no other city in the state has to meet and our Utilities Department has gone above and beyond to be transparent,” Carter said. “None of our neighboring cities, who use the same source aquifer, will be testing for PFAS.”
Delray’s efforts to reinforce the safety of its drinking water may in part be spurred by a report earlier this year from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility — or PEER, an environmental watchdog group — that criticized the city for what it contends are high PFAS levels.
“The city of Delray Beach is committed to regularly testing water samples for PFAS in order to refute the misleading claims made by PEER earlier this year and to provide clarity to our customers,” Carter said.

By Dan Moffett

Manalapan town officials have been busy huddling with engineers to try to figure out how to respond to newly released flood elevation standards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Town Manager Linda Stumpf said the new requirements are “much higher” than levels set in the town’s current code. This creates the prospect of new multimillion-dollar homes being built with elevations 3 or 4 feet higher than those of their next-door neighbors, raising concerns about where the stormwater runoff would go.
“We’re trying to change the code so that property owners don’t always have to come and request a variance for construction,” Stumpf said.
If projects fail to satisfy the FEMA requirements, homeowners will be unable to buy flood insurance.
One possible solution is allowing retaining walls to the rear and sides of properties, which is not allowed in the current code. Stumpf said she hopes to bring options to the commission for consideration soon.
No matter what commissioners decide, the building rules in Manalapan are certain to change significantly because of FEMA’s response to rising sea levels. Ordinance proposals are expected to come before the commission by early next year.
In other business:
• The town is appealing a decision by FEMA to reject reimbursement for COVID-19 hazard pay. The reason the agency gave for denial is that Manalapan did not have a policy in place to deal with a pandemic before April 1.
The question Manalapan officials have is, “What municipality in the country had a policy in place to cover pandemics?”
The town spent roughly $13,500 through June in police and staff hazard pay connected to the COVID-19 outbreak. Full-time officers and water plant employees received $200 per month extra for working during the pandemic, and part-time police and sanitation workers got $100. Stumpf said she’s hopeful FEMA will reconsider the reimbursement request.
• The town has canceled its December holiday events because of the pandemic.
• The next commission meeting is scheduled for Dec. 15, beginning at 10 a.m. Seating is limited in Town Hall because of social distancing requirements and those wishing to attend will be admitted to the chambers on a first-come, first-served basis.
There are no plans to offer telephone or internet participation for the meeting.