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By Jane Smith

The historic Seaboard Air Line Railway Station in Delray Beach will be renovated and become home to the city’s Health and Wellness Center and Human Resources offices, city commissioners decided Jan. 12.
The $2.6 million rehabilitation cost will come from two sources, Public Works Director Missie Barletto said at the workshop.
The bulk, $1.8 million, will come from an insurance payout after vandals set the station on fire in February 2020. Her department will contribute another $209,000, leaving about a $630,000 gap.
She estimated that moving the Health and Wellness Center would save $530,000 in rent over 10 years. The center is in a privately owned building at 525 NE Third Ave. It provides annual physicals, flu shots, X-rays, acute care and generic drugs at no cost to city employees and their families.
“We do not have dates for the construction completion for the depot as the construction management company is still in the planning, design and permit phase. In general, we expect construction to be complete within two years,” Gina Carter, city spokeswoman, wrote on Jan. 22 in response to a question from The Coastal Star.
 The wellness and human resources centers will move into the facility when it’s complete, she wrote.
Moving Human Resources will free up space in City Hall.
The train station sits just west of Interstate 95 and north of Atlantic Avenue. Designed by Gustav Maass in the Mediterranean Revival style, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The city listed it on the Local Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Amtrak last used the train station in 1995.
Delray Beach paid $1.58 million in 2005 for the historic train station on nearly 1 acre. At one time, commissioners discussed spending $325,000 to renovate it.
A Fire Department official toured the site on Feb. 25, 2020, the day of the fire, Roger Cope, a Delray Beach architect, told the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency Board. The official determined the walls were structurally sound, said Cope, who was involved with restoring the train station.
“But the wooden structure supporting the roof was destroyed,” Cope said.
The station can be restored, he said.
“The train station did not have sprinklers to prevent the fire from spreading,” said Bill Bathurst, then a CRA board member. “Our historic gems need to be protected.”

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By Jane Smith

Delray Beach will allow its Human Resources Department to conduct a search for city manager candidates, a majority of the commission agreed at a special meeting held on Jan. 19.
Faced with the higher cost of hiring a search firm, about $55,000, versus the lower cost of an internal recruitment process at $7,000, three commissioners decided to go for the lower cost approach.
Using an outside search firm “is the wrong choice because the cost is wrong in these pandemic times,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson. “And it didn’t work the last two times.”
The commission ended up firing Mark Lauzier and George Gretsas, two recent city managers found by outside search firms.
An outside search firm would cost the city an average of $50,000, plus costs for candidates’ travel and lodging at $2,000, and then hosting a reception and tour could be an additional $3,000, according to Ebony Olivier, a Human Resources generalist.
Using an internal recruitment method, Olivier estimated, the advertising cost would be $2,000 to the various job websites and specialty associations, such as the International City/County Management Association. The travel, lodging, reception and tour costs would be similar.
Commissioner Adam Frankel said he preferred to let the new commission make that decision. City Commission elections will be held in March.
“But if we can’t do that, I say we give it to Ms. Alvarez,” Frankel said. Jennifer Alvarez, the former purchasing director, has been interim city manager since late June. “I haven’t seen employee morale this high at City Hall,” he added.
Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston did not attend the special meeting.
The last time the city used an internal recruitment process for a city manager was in 2012, Olivier said. That search produced Louie Chapman as the city manager.
Chapman eventually was let go by the City Commission in mid-2014, after the body tried to fire him but did not have the required four commission votes. Chapman received nearly $73,000 in taxpayer money as severance.
Johnson wanted to involve a citizen advisory committee to help review the initial selection of qualified candidates. Doing so would add another month to the selection process, Olivier said.
“I think we should do this in stages and see what comes in,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said. “Most people are not aware of how the city works. City employees are the most impacted by this decision.”
A lawsuit against the city filed by Lauzier has been postponed to start sometime between April 26 and May 21. He is seeking a jury trial. The county court system recently started holding jury trials in criminal cases that had previously been delayed because of pandemic concerns.
Delray Beach fired Lauzier in March 2019 and he sued the city for wrongful dismissal in April 2019.

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Joe Farrell, a 20-year Lantana resident and an alternate on the town’s planning and zoning commission, has ended his run for mayor. The election will be March 9.
Town Clerk Kathleen Dominguez said Farrell’s name will not appear on the ballot.
Farrell, a 58-year-old flooring distributor, said he was getting out of the race because he wouldn’t be able to commit 100% to the position due to family obligations.
“I have advocated for a change in the mayor’s office and do not want to split the vote for change without being very confident that I would carry the day,” he said.
With Farrell out, it is a two-man contest between incumbent David Stewart, 67, and Robert Hagerty, 56.
Farrell said he would support Hagerty.
— Mary Thurwachter

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The Lantana Chamber of Commerce will host a mayoral candidate forum at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at the town’s recreation center, 418 S. Dixie Highway. Masks and social distancing requirements will be enforced.
To attend online, go to https://zoom.us/j/92691678712?
pwd=Z3pV3A1Sk8vYklneDdJRlN6V0s2dz09. Meeting ID: 926 9167 8712. Passcode: 771713.
Questions may be emailed to the Chamber of Commerce at debate@lantanachamber.com.

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Ocean Ridge is teaming with the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County to hold a virtual candidates forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Feb. 11.
 The forum will be held through Zoom at: https://zoom.us/j/99394405913?pwd=cGM3N3l0dEZwaGMrb1BQVm5DNGpaZz09.
By telephone, dial 646-558-8656. The meeting ID is 993 9440 5913, passcode 219478.
  Residents can submit questions to the candidates until 3 p.m. on Feb. 11 by emailing mjrange@comcast.net.
All questions must be addressed to the group, not any individual candidate. 

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The legislative branch of the Ocean Ridge town government consists of five commissioners elected at-large, including a mayor selected by the Town Commission. Two seats will be filled March 9, including one currently held by departing Commissioner Phil Besler. Of the four candidates, the two getting the most votes will be elected.

Related Story: Candidate forum set for Feb. 11

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Candidate profiles were compiled via telephone interviews. Candidates were asked to supply personal information regarding their age, education, marital status and number of years residing in their municipalities. They were also asked to provide a brief history of their professional life and experience, if any, in holding public office. Finally, they were asked about their positions on issues facing their communities and to provide an overarching quote detailing the reasons they believe they should be elected (or re-elected) along with a current photograph.

Candidate profiles compiled
by Steven J. Smith

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By Dan Moffett

Gulf Stream commissioners are poised to begin a year of planning and deliberation to prepare for some significant construction projects aimed at improving the town’s defenses against king tides and storm surges.
The work ahead comes in response to an engineers’ report in December that identified a half-dozen upgrades needed to address vulnerabilities in the town’s stormwater drainage system.
“I think the rest of this calendar year is a planning year,” Town Manager Greg Dunham told the commission during its meeting on Jan. 11. “A year for planning, design, risk assessment and bidding out the projects.”
Dunham said construction should begin in 2022. It is likely to take months to complete.
In December, consultants from West Palm Beach-based engineering firm Baxter & Woodman recommended replacing and adding more Intracoastal drainage valves, regrading stretches of low-lying streets — in particular, the west ends of Banyan Road and Palm Way — and working with owners of The Little Club to upgrade areas at the golf course.
Dunham said the town is already shopping for the valves and estimates put their cost at about $68,000. Installation is expected to begin this year. Other improvements will be more complicated.
Jeff Hiscock, one of engineering consultants who wrote the report, put it simply to Dunham: “You guys need a pond.”
The idea is to construct a retention/detention pond that would help collect stormwater in low-lying areas before discharging it into the town’s drainage system.
Dunham knows something about these ponds. “I’ve done that in Ocean Ridge,” he told the commission. Dunham was the town manager there from 1998 to 2002 and implemented a stormwater study that led to the winning of several grants and loans to build the town’s detention pond at Woolbright Road and State Road A1A. The pond remains an important piece of Ocean Ridge’s drainage network today.
One thing Gulf Stream doesn’t have to worry about is ready cash. The town has about $5.6 million in unrestricted reserves that can be put to work on upgrades.
“It’s great to be able to make these improvements and still be in good financial condition,” said Commissioner Paul Lyons.
Also during the January meeting, the commission unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that updates coastal management policies in the town’s comprehensive plan. The amendments go hand in hand with the proposed drainage improvements and satisfy the state Legislature’s order that municipalities adjust to rising seas.
The statewide focus on king tide response comes in the wake of a South Florida Water Management District study that found the average high tide has risen about 6 inches over the last 35 years and could rise more than twice that by 2070. Ú

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By Mary Thurwachter

When it comes to election law, or any law for that matter, the more precise the language, the better. Crystal clear is best.
So says Max Lohman, Lantana’s town attorney, who ought to know.
“I have the dubious distinction of probably litigating more election lawsuits in the last two or three years than nearly any other attorney in Palm Beach County,” Lohman told the Town Council on Jan. 11. He advised the city to tweak its election law to avoid lawsuits or runoff elections, which could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Town Council approved these two tweaks: adding a subsection related to the regulation of invalid votes cast for a candidate who has died, withdrawn or is ineligible for having been arrested for or charged with a felony; changing the word “petition” to “petitions.”
The second change came about because of a Lantana litigation last year after one candidate failed to file all his petitions. Candidates need to obtain signatures via the petition process to have their names on the ballot. 
“During the lead-up to last year’s council election we had an issue with petitions and qualifications, and we ended up in litigation because our code used to say petition instead of petitions,” Lohman said. “We needed to change that to make it crystal clear what paperwork is required for the candidates.”
The other change stemmed from a lawsuit in Palm Beach Gardens, a municipality Lohman also represents. The suit was precipitated because of a withdrawn candidate, he explained.
“Back then, Palm Beach Gardens required a majority of votes to win, just like we do here still. After the ballot was printed, one of the three candidates withdrew and said he didn’t want to be elected.
“We posted signs at polling locations, we tried to inform people that this person was not running, they cannot take office if someone votes for him, yet miraculously 1,100 people still cast their votes” for that person, Lohman said. “This precipitated a lawsuit over whether those votes should be counted in the total. If the votes were counted, nobody got a majority and so then you have to have a runoff,” which the city avoided.

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Related Stories: Former police officer seeks to unseat mayor | Third mayoral candidate withdraws from race | Mayoral candidate forum set for Feb. 18

By Mary Thurwachter

Two prominent Lantana citizens called for a halt in cyberbullying by a group of residents on a private Facebook page.
Kem Mason, a retired firefighter and Lantana’s Santa Claus for holiday events, and Dave Arm, president of the Chamber of Commerce and the owner of a local gym, took advantage of the public comments portion of the Jan. 25 Town Council meeting to air concerns about what Mason called “the venomous words of individuals who only seek to promote themselves and their own agenda.”
“There’s been some talk around town, ugly remarks that are being made,” Mason said from a prepared statement. “My name has finally come to the forefront so I’ve written these words. We need to bring back civility.”
The ugly remarks are coming from a private group on Facebook, Arm said. He described the group as being “closed off in their own little cocoon.” He said members have attacked the mayor, town manager, Town Council, the entire town staff, the Chamber of Commerce, Arm himself, his business and others.
People have the right to free speech, but there is a better way to go about airing criticism, Mason said.
“While we do have a First Amendment, we must each use restraint and respect when making statements that others will read,” Mason said. “This is also true within our own town, when people use corrosive words on websites to denigrate and manipulate the truth.”
He said if someone is going to express discontent, he or she should do it “in a form which is respectful and dignified.”
“Respect for one another, even when we disagree, is of the utmost importance within our society, otherwise chaos ensues,” Mason said. “While I am sure these words are falling on the deaf ears of those who feel justified in their ugly remarks and rumors, I ask those who read their words not to empower them by attending their website of abuse. We must use restraint when we voice our opinions and consider the consequences of our words. We must overcome the passion of our hearts with the reason of our minds.”
Although Mason did not name the Facebook group during his remarks, after the meeting he confirmed he was referring to Lantana Raw. The group describes itself as “a friendly neighborhood group for all past and present residents of Lantana and people who work in Lantana.”
Arm said when he and his wife moved to Lantana 15 years ago, they were impressed by how friendly everybody was. “Back then, Facebook was just a venue for Harvard students to get to know each other,” he said. “Obviously that’s changed. Now you’ve got a cancer on the town. They can yak all they want, but they’ve got this group that really believes this.”
Neither Mason nor Arm is a member of Lantana Raw but learned of the attacks after seeing printed copies of posts from the group that have been circulating around town.
Members of the Facebook group who are suspected of being disloyal, or of leaking information, are tossed out, former members of the group have said.
One major target of the attacks has been Mayor David Stewart, who is up for re-election in March. The mayor says he doesn’t belong to Facebook, but is aware of the rebukes aimed at him, courtesy of friends who share printed copies of posts. He declined to comment on the matter.

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Related  Stories: Four candidates compete in two commission races | Two vie to be mayor | Three candidate forums can be viewed virtually

By Jane Smith

The Delray Beach mayor’s race is turning into a battle between the locals and the outsiders.
Shelly Petrolia, the incumbent, raised $91,697 as of Dec. 31. That amount includes $53,715.90 in self-loans. In December, 87% of her contributors had Delray Beach addresses.
In addition, Alan Mindel and his sister, Marlene, who built the Aloft Hotel in downtown Delray Beach, each donated $1,000 to Petrolia’s campaign.
Political newcomer Tracy Caruso raised $101,275 as of Dec. 31. That amount includes a $51,000 self-loan. In December, about 48% of her contributors had Delray Beach addresses.
Caruso, who is married to state Rep. Michael Caruso, received four $1,000 donations from political action committees that were not based in Delray Beach. The donors include Ethics and Honesty in Government of Coral Gables and the Palm Beach County Police Political Benevolent Association PC & Issues Fund in West Palm Beach.
For the two other commission races, none had the obvious difference in the Delray Beach addresses of donors as the mayoral candidates did in the December report.
Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston is facing a former commissioner he beat in 2018, Mitch Katz, for Seat 3.
Boylston raised $40,439 as of Dec. 31, including a $10,000 self-loan. His December donors gave a range of money from $3 to $1,000. Ten of his 139 donors gave $3 each, while 17 donated $1,000 each.
His big donors include five tied to the Opal Grand Resort, formerly the Marriott hotel, which faces the beach. In 2020, Boylston played a key role in getting the sea grapes trimmed to improve the views of the beach and the habitat of the dune.
Friend Lee Cohen, a personal injury attorney, donated $1,000 to Boylston in December. Boylston also received $1,000 from the county police political action committee.
Match Point, which runs the Delray Beach Open, gave his campaign $1,000. Boylston boasted of his negotiating prowess in ending the city’s lawsuit against Match Point. The city had sued to end a no-bid contract. The 2019 settlement resulted in Match Point’s continuing to run the tennis tournament.
His challenger, Katz, just entered the race in December. He raised $6,036, including a $500 self-loan.
His biggest donor was Ken MacNamee, who contributed $1,000. MacNamee is a retired bank executive and a prolific public records requester who is focused on how the city spends taxpayer dollars.
JoAnn Mower, retired health industry executive and wife of Sandy Zeller, who sits on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board, donated $500, as did Benita Goldstein, who runs a bed and breakfast in Delray Beach.
Price Patton, a veteran journalist, is running against incumbent Adam Frankel in the Seat 1 race.
Patton worked for more than two decades at The Palm Beach Post. He was a founding partner of The Coastal Star in 2008. He has taken a leave of absence.
In November, he started his campaign with a $10,000 personal loan.
Patton’s December contributors mirror those who donated to the Katz campaign, including MacNamee and Goldstein. Patton also received $1,000 from his wife, Carolyn.
Jestena Boughton, whose family owns the Colony Hotel in downtown Delray Beach, donated $1,000 to the Patton campaign.
Sandy Zeller donated $500 in November.
Incumbent Frankel raised $22,500 in December to bring his year-end total to $34,500. He did not lend his campaign any money.
Frankel’s contributors mirror those of Boylston. Five $1,000 contributors have ties to the Opal Grand Resort. Frankel also received $1,000 contributions from Match Point and the county police political action committee.
In addition, four firms tied to the O.G. bar on Southeast Second Avenue donated $1,000 each to Frankel’s campaign.
He also received $1,000 from Neil Schiller’s law firm. In the past year, Schiller has come before the commission or the city’s CRA for two Delray Beach property owners: the Doc’s Place owner and BH3 Management, which is trying to redevelop three blocks of West Atlantic Avenue and owns the Pour & Famous bar, which wanted to add an outside restaurant on West Atlantic.
The municipal election is set for March 9.
Commissioners decided on Jan. 12 not to hold early voting for city races. Because the county or state is not holding an election in March, it would have cost the city about $125,000 to host seven days of early voting, the city clerk said.

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Meet Your Neighbor: Keith Rowling

8511313688?profile=RESIZE_710xKeith Rowling, shown beside his renovated Gulf Stream home, says South Florida is like New York was in the ’60s. ‘It's definitely growing but there's a lot more runway.’ His five-bedroom home was built in 1948. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

 

If you cruise the A1A corridor in south Palm Beach County it’s a familiar sight: A buyer purchases a multimillion-dollar mansion on the beach, then has it torn to the ground and starts over with his own design.
Not Keith Rowling. Already one of the most successful wealth advisers in the nation at age 39, Rowling has moved into four residences in Delray Beach and Gulf Stream since coming from Michigan in 2016 and chosen to renovate each one.
The latest is a five-bedroom house on a one-acre lot in Gulf Stream built in 1948 that he purchased last August.
“Many people would have looked at it as a tear-down,” said Rowling, whose family includes a fiancée and an 11-year-old daughter. “Instead of tearing it down we gutted it, and it’s kind of a bohemian beach house now. It’s really cool, actually.
“I love renovating houses. We modernized this one effectively: new floors, new kitchen, new bathroom, put a lot of light into it. Took out all the old crown moldings, all the heaviness of the old house. So now it’s very airy, very white. It’s kind of a really cool beach-house look now.”
Rowling launched his investment career as a teenager, using his lawn-mowing money to buy five shares of Boeing stock after reading in U.S. News and World Report that the company was about to launch the 777. He became a vice president at UBS Paine Webber and moved on to become managing director and financial adviser at Morgan Stanley in Michigan for nine years.
He’s been managing director at Merrill Lynch in Palm Beach since 2017. Forbes ranked him No. 4 on its list of Next Gen Best in State Wealth Advisors in 2019 and No. 5 in America’s Next Gen Advisors in 2020.
He first moved to coastal Delray Beach, then to a townhouse in Gulf Stream before he “kind of stumbled across” his recent purchase.
“Walking down the beach in the middle of COVID, I kind of realized if I didn’t do it now I never would be able to,” he said. “And since then the real estate numbers have just been amazing. I found this place pre-COVID, then decided to buy it during COVID.”
To say he’s bullish on the future of the area is putting it mildly.
“South Florida is like New York was in the ’60s,” he said. “It’s definitely growing but there’s a lot more runway. The financial capital has always been attracted here, but the intellectual capital that’s coming is going to change this place.
“Florida booms and busts, but you’ve never seen intellectual capital flood a very small place.”
— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and went to Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills. I then attended Notre Dame University, meaning I went to Catholic schools all the way through. I liked it a lot. Most of the time you’re there with mostly middle-class kids, and the work ethic and Midwest values that instilled were very beneficial in my growth. I had one sister, Jennifer, who also went to Notre Dame.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: Only one profession. I started in wealth management at the age of 17 as the protégé of a top female adviser, Martha Adam. I worked for her all through my time at Notre Dame and then joined her as a partner in 2004. I’m on the Barron’s and Forbes top financial adviser lists, and crossed $1 billion in asset-funded management in 2020.


Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Start early, you can pay now or pay later. Don’t be afraid to take chances. Adjust your sails often, and when you find your spot, be 110% committed to make it succeed.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream?
A: My 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte, is extremely asthmatic and the Midwest winters were torture for her. The salt air of South Florida is an incredible therapeutic. Gulf Stream is an ideal locale, a small town situated in the middle of what is rapidly becoming the “new world.”

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream?
A: The combination of incredible beauty, low-key lifestyle and a group of neighbors who are equally accomplished and genuine. For me it’s the best-kept secret in South Florida.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: I’m rereading Abundance, by Peter Diamandis. It reminds us how the technological revolution is creating incredible opportunities and advancements in all areas of our lives. In these times we must remember there are always reasons to be optimistic; even the vaccine and how quickly it came about is revolutionary. Humanity finds a way.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: It’s all pretty much the same to me. My fiancée does the playlist, so whatever she’s listening to. I wish I had a better answer, but that’s it.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: Starting in high school working for Martha Adam. She was my mentor and one of my best friends from 16 until she passed several years ago. She was one of the top female brokers at Paine Webber in Michigan when she started in the late ’60s. She gave me my start in the business and taught me everything from stocks and bonds to clothing and wine.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: My daughter, Charlotte Rowling, and my fiancée, Kristy Rao. The combination of the wit of my 11-year-old and that of a lifetime New Yorker, neither of whom hold much back!  

Q: Do you have a favorite cause? If so, why is it important to you?
A: I love being a father; my daughter is my life. We spend an inordinate amount of time together.  Whether it’s on the boat, in the backyard or struggling through Singapore math, we celebrate life together.

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By Dan Moffett

Like other municipalities across the state, South Palm Beach is struggling to strike a balance that prevents government meetings from spreading COVID-19 while also ensuring they allow public access and transparency.
Shortly after the virus outbreak began last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that allowed governments to meet virtually, using technology, and suspending the statutory requirement for in-house quorums. But that order expired in October, and what followed was a hodgepodge of meeting strategies throughout the state as cities, towns and counties strived to maintain both access and safety.
South Palm Beach essentially went to a hybrid formula with a quorum of council members present in Town Hall and other council members, officials and the public participating by phone.
During the town’s Jan. 12 meeting, the council unanimously passed new rules and procedures for meetings going forward.
Specifically, the resolution gives the mayor the power and responsibility to authorize hybrid virtual meetings and restrict public participation in the Town Hall chambers to eight people, so social distancing is maintained. Upon the mayor’s order, the town manager becomes responsible for setting up the internet or telephone access. The rules still require a quorum of at least three council members to be physically present.
Mayor Bonnie Fischer said it’s important to guarantee that meetings are accessible to the public and that people understand how they will operate. But she’s not in favor of going exclusively to in-person meetings until the pandemic subsides.
“I’d like to have some semblance of integrity in the town, some continuity that, yes, we’re meeting again,” Fischer said. “No matter what we do, it’s important we have public participation.”
Town Attorney Glen Torcivia told the council that any changes to meeting formats come with legal perils and raise the prospect of clashes between Tallahassee control and principles of home-rule governance.
“There’s a risk for this,” Torcivia said, “because it has not been tested” in the courts.
The council is in unanimous agreement that the town must improve its audio system and technological equipment. Callers participating in meetings have complained about muddled sound and dropped transmissions.
Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb said the town has about $40,000 set aside in the budget for technology upgrades and should use it to fix the problems.

In other business
• The council expects work to begin this month on the town’s dune restoration project, a joint venture with the town of Palm Beach.
Fischer said Palm Beach officials believe they have solutions to access problems, enabling them to move the sand to South Palm beaches. The plan, estimated to cost the town between $700,000 and $900,000, calls for buying as much as 1,000 truckloads of sand from an ongoing Palm Beach dredging project and using it to repair the erosion damage done by recent storms. The work must be completed before turtle nesting season in May.
• The town has begun handing out thousands of COVID-19 face masks to residents. The council used grant money to cover the $10,000 cost of the masks, and the plan is for each resident to receive five of them.

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By Charles Elmore

An eight-story residential and retail project has won a green light from city commissioners, despite a planning board’s earlier rejection and objections from some neighbors that it will sever part of a downtown street and worsen congestion.
With 5-0 votes Jan. 19, Boynton Beach’s commission set the stage for developers to proceed with Legacy at Boynton Beach. The plan includes 274 apartments, 12,422 square feet of retail space on the ground floor and 530 parking spaces, mostly in an enclosed garage.
It marks the latest step in a redevelopment surge downtown.
The 2.76-acre site at the northeast corner of Southeast Second Avenue and Federal Highway encompasses parcels of land obtained by an affiliate of Beachwood, Ohio-based Goldberg Cos. Inc.
One source of friction in public meetings since last fall has been that the plan permanently would close a portion of Southeast First Avenue, ending its connection to Federal Highway.
Property owners near the project, including Tony Mauro, told commissioners in a Jan. 6 meeting the closure would be a “calamity” that crimps access to neighboring businesses. Periodic traffic backups and flooding on East Ocean Avenue would make the loss of alternatives worse, while also limiting access by ambulances or other emergency vehicles, he argued.
“It’s irresponsible,” Mauro said.
Mayor Steven Grant said alternate routes are available that he has driven himself, and he dismissed the inconvenience as “negligible.”
The partial closure “was something we were asked to do,” said developer representative Bonnie Miskel. 
Consulting with traffic agencies, city staff members said that for reasons of safety and traffic flow they favored closure of an outlet that puts turning vehicles close to the busy intersection of Federal Highway and Ocean Avenue. 
Developers have pledged to enhance sidewalks along the remaining portion of Southeast First Avenue and improve areas where trucks can unload to support businesses.
Other owners of properties in the area voiced support for the partial road closure, saying the span was often used for parking in a way that hindered traffic moving through.
At the Jan. 19 meeting, attorney Jason Evans, representing property owners concerned about the plan, renewed what he called “vehement” objections as his clients consider options for legal challenges. He said he requested but never received traffic studies to back up the claims of developers and city staff.
“This is a taking,” Evans said. “This is something that’s not going to be taken lightly.”
Miskel disputed that, saying developers had consulted with multiple experts and met all regulatory burdens.
Grant maintained the net effect would be good for all involved.
“I believe the adjacent property owners will receive higher property values because of this development and improvements in the area,” the mayor said.
The city’s planning and development board voted 4-3 against one component of the plan in September, and 6-1 against two other pieces. Among the concerns expressed was a “rushed” timetable while many seasonal residents were not present to weigh in on traffic and density issues.
At the same time, board members acknowledged the City Commission has final say.
The project will feature a modern coastal architectural style, according to city staff reports.
“The project’s materials include simulated weathered wood planks, clear glass at the retail level, black window frames, vertically oriented windows and subtle tan tones that create a warmth to the building while maintaining clean lines,” staffers wrote.
At least 20 smaller apartments are planned to be “attainable,” Miskel said Jan. 6, meaning affordable to workers with limited incomes under rules that allow developers to put more residential units than usual in the same space. Further details of those plans were expected to be discussed at future meetings.

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8511293694?profile=RESIZE_710xPolice Officer Peter Cummings received a lifesaving award for giving emergency aid to Mateo Parker, who had just been delivered by his mom, Daydra Parker, in a car and was not breathing. Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

Officer Peter Cummings was given a lifesaving award — and a standing ovation— for saving the life of an infant last fall.
Police Chief Sean Scheller, who made the presentation during the Jan. 11 Lantana Town Council meeting, said that on Oct. 22 police were dispatched to a woman who called saying she was delivering her own baby in her car. Since she was not familiar with the area, she wasn’t able to tell dispatchers exactly where she was. They were, however, able to track her location — at Lantana Road and North Broadway — through her phone.
The baby’s father had been driving the woman to the hospital, but the birth couldn’t wait and the mother, Daydra Parker, delivered her son, Mateo, herself in the car.
“Officer Peter Cummings was the first to arrive and found the woman holding the infant in the passenger seat,” Scheller said. “The infant was not breathing and beginning to lose color.”
Cummings, 30, had a suction bulb in his equipment bag and used it remove mucous from the baby’s nose and mouth until the baby began to cry. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue transported both mother and baby to JFK Medical Center, where the baby made a full recovery.
Daydra Parker brought her baby to the award presentation and expressed her gratitude to Cummings and all first responders who were there for her.
“It was a very exciting moment in my life, but I was very scared,” she said, attempting to hold back her tears.
Cummings has since been promoted to investigator at the Lantana Police Department, where he has worked for 8½ years.
“I was glad I was able to help her,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time he saved a newborn, Cummings said. While the first child also survived, Cummings did not have a suction bulb then and bought one shortly after so he was better prepared the next time.

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8511288678?profile=RESIZE_710xThree more properties (above) were added to the scope of the seawall project in Ocean Ridge after approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Mary Kate Leming/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

The large seawall project in Ocean Ridge has grown larger, but town officials remain confident work will be completed by the end of March to avoid interfering with turtle nesting season.
Town Manager Tracey Stevens said the state Department of Environmental Protection has approved the construction of three more seawalls in order to close the protection gap near Anna Street.
The walls will go behind the properties at 6059, 6057 and 6029 Old Ocean Blvd. No other seawall extensions are likely to be considered by the DEP, Stevens told the Town Commission during its Feb. 1 meeting.
The project has forced the closure of two public crossovers to the beach at Anna and Edith streets, and some residents in the neighborhood have objected. Last month, residents complained that the contractor was moving heavy construction equipment along the beach instead of using the crossover access points as some believed the town intended.
Stevens said closing the crossovers didn’t mean the contractor would keep heavy equipment off the beach.
“One of the reasons we closed both crossovers was to give the contractor the ability to complete both projects simultaneously while keeping beachgoers as safe as possible during construction,” Stevens said. “The movement of equipment along the beach was never precluded.”
She said the crossover access allows the contractor to keep busy even during high tides and ensures the project will be completed on a tight schedule.
Mayor Kristine de Haseth has urged residents to be patient and consider the importance of the project.
“Those seawalls are the first line of defense for the entire town,” she said.
In other business, commissioners gave Stevens high marks during her evaluation as she begins her third year as manager. She worked two years as town clerk before rising to her current position.
“Tracey’s transition to town manager has been seamless,” de Haseth wrote in the evaluation. “Our town is lucky to have her leadership and dedication.”
Vice Mayor Steve Coz advised Stevens to “work on the talent of motivating others in a team mentality versus a boss mentality.”
Coz said: “She is on a learning curve that so far is working out reasonably for Tracey, the commission and the town. I only expect Tracey to continue to improve. … Great managers aren’t made overnight.”
Commissioners Susan Hurlburt and Martin Wiescholek commended Stevens for her performance during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Hurlburt said: “Tracey has steered Ocean Ridge through these arduous times with strong leadership, perseverance, dedication and good cheer.”
Wiescholek said he “could not be happier” with her performance and said she showed “exceptional skills” in coping with “some complex problems.”
Commissioner Phil Besler, who is stepping down from the commission next month, worried about the town’s finances down the road.
“You need to work harder to get the budget back to a surplus,” Besler told the manager. “The future is going to be tougher than the past as there are major infrastructure issues coming.”
Besler also said the town’s evaluation forms tend to be skewed toward unreasonably high ratings and encouraged the commission to consider changing the format.

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Boynton Beach: New fire chief takes helm

By Jane Smith

James Stables became chief of the Boynton Beach Fire Department on Jan. 4.
8511277057?profile=RESIZE_180x180“It’s been a whirlwind for the first two days I’ve been here,” Stables said at the Jan. 5 City Commission meeting. “I’m looking forward to getting busy in this great community.”
Stables, 54, has more than 30 years of fire service experience. He most recently was the fire chief in Johnson City, Tennessee. He started as a fire inspector/volunteer firefighter in Wilton Manors in 1985.
Before leaving for the Johnson City position, Stables was the fire chief in Palm Bay. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the Melbourne branch campus of Barry University.
In Boynton Beach, he will make $144,000 annually and receive 12 vacation days, plus 32 additional vacation hours during his first year.
Boynton Beach provides fire-rescue services to the barrier island towns of Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.
Since early June, retired Chief Ray Carter had been the interim Boynton Beach fire chief. That’s when the city manager and former Fire Chief Matt Petty agreed Petty should resign because of his role in the altered mural at the new fire station in Town Square.
“I can’t end the night without thanking Ray Carter for bailing me out and helping us through a difficult time,” City Manager Lori LaVerriere said at the Jan. 5 meeting.
Carter, who retired in 2016, responded, “My pleasure to come back to help during a difficult situation. … But I’m happy to be retiring again.”
He received a standing ovation from commissioners and city staff in the chambers and from the other commissioners and LaVerriere appearing online in the virtual meeting.

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By Rich Pollack

Teams from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 25 recovered the body of a 24-year-old pilot from inside a plane that crashed into the ocean south of the Boynton Inlet and settled almost intact on the ocean floor under 40 feet of water.
The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-28, disappeared shortly after 8 p.m. the day before after taking off from the Palm Beach County Airport in Lantana and was headed for Merritt Island, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. A Mayday alert from the plane was received by the control tower at Palm Beach International Airport after contact had been lost with the aircraft.
A search that included more than a half-dozen local, state and federal agencies continued into the morning, and crews aboard a Sheriff’s Office helicopter spotted the plane less than a mile offshore.
Dive teams recovered the body of Abhishek Patter, who was wearing a pilot’s uniform, before noon. Patter, according to published reports, had recently earned a certification from a flight school in Merritt Island. Earlier in the day, walkers on the beach recovered landing gear and what was believed to be an emergency beacon from the aircraft and turned them over to Ocean Ridge police.
The cause of the crash was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

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8511235870?profile=RESIZE_710xPolice Chief Carmen Mattox honors property manager Andrew Klinginsmith for his ‘bravery and selfless attitude for putting his life in danger in order to save a fellow citizen.’ Klinginsmith rescued a passenger who was ejected from a box truck on Dec. 18 when it crashed against a wall along A1A. He tried to rescue the driver, who was unconscious inside the cab as the truck burst into flames. The driver died. Klinginsmith sustained first- and second-degree burns to his arms and face. Town Clerk Lisa Petersen said ‘his actions were not unexpected. He’s one of the good guys!’ Photo provided

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By Dan Moffett

Manalapan officials are exploring ways to slow down Jet Skis and other recreational vessels in the Intracoastal lagoon.
Residents have complained for years about the high wakes caused by watercraft traveling too fast and too close to docks and shorelines, especially during weekends and holidays.
Mayor Keith Waters says the speeding problem goes as far south as the Boynton Inlet and extends to Point Manalapan.
“That is a racetrack on weekends,” Waters said. “I’m going to say upwards to 50 or 60 miles an hour.”
The mayor says the high wakes have damaged some residents’ boats at docks.
The Town Commission asked Police Chief Carmen Mattox in December to consult with state officials and see whether the town can put up more signs or take other enforcement actions to slow down the traffic.
Mattox spoke with officials from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and reported to commissioners during their Jan. 26 meeting that the town’s enforcement area is limited and expanding it would not be easy.
The only navigational channel in the jurisdiction of Manalapan is a short, narrow passage located west of Lands End Road, the chief said.
“There are no idle speed zones or no-wake areas in the jurisdiction of Manalapan,” Mattox reported to the commission, and moreover, “creating a restricted zone is a very difficult process.”
The town would have to show compelling evidence that a public safety hazard exists before the state would consider expanding restricted areas and widening Manalapan’s enforcement reach.
Unless that happens, the town’s options are limited.
“We don’t have any authority over the waterways,” said Town Manager Linda Stumpf. “So there’s nothing we can do.”
However, Mattox said the FWC would be willing to station a marked state vessel in the area that might serve as a visible deterrent to speeders. What the state wants is permission from a property owner to use dock space for a year.
Also, state officials say there is no regulation prohibiting residents from placing no-wake signs on their docks, though authorities cannot enforce them.
Commissioners might have to adjust the town’s ordinances to allow dock signs to be erected.
Waters hopes that part of the solution might be improving the signage and making boaters and Jet Skiers aware that they must minimize their wakes because high speeds can cause damage.
“There’s no signage along the way,” the mayor said. “You can’t blame people for not knowing that.”
The commission is expected to discuss the problem further at its next meeting, Feb. 23.

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