By Jane Smith

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

By Jane Smith

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

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

Town plans aerial photo to show how crowded beach would be

By Rich Pollack

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

By Mary Hladky

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

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

— Mary Hladky

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

By Steve Plunkett

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

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

By Rich Pollack

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

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

By Mary Hladky

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

By Mary Hladky

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

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

By Mary Hladky

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

By Mary Hladky

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

By Mary Hladky

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

By Mary Hladky

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

By Sallie James

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

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

— Staff report

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

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Mary Hladky

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