Overdoses of tranquilizers
The National Center for Health Statistics doesn’t keep track of Xanax overdose deaths, but it provides the number of overdose deaths attributable to benzodiazepines, the class of tranquilizer that includes Xanax, Valium, Librium and other central nervous system depressants.

Number of benzodiazepine overdose deaths in the U.S.:
2004        2,627
2005        3,084
2006        3,835
2007        4,500
2008        5,010
2009        5,567
2010        6,497
2011        6,872
2012        6,524
2013        6,973
2014        7,945
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Palm Beach County deaths where alprazolam (Xanax) toxicity or intoxication was a factor:
2004          3
2005          3
2006          4
2007          7
2008        12
2009          6
2010        18
2011          7
2012          8
2013        12
2014          4
Source: Palm Beach County Medical Examiner Year End Statistics

— Compiled by Michelle Quigley

A 2003 memo was found as city officials analyzed why the mixed-use Mark at CityScape near Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road is less attractive than promised.  File photo

By Mary Hladky

    The approval process for proposed downtown Boca Raton projects has ground nearly to a halt as city staff investigates whether developers have included as much open space in their designs as is required.
    The root of the latest controversy to erupt over downtown development lies in the discovery of a 2003 memo used to guide planning staff on what developers can and cannot count as open space in their projects.
    City Manager Leif Ahnell and City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser say that memo misinterprets a 1988 city ordinance that sets out open space requirements. As a result, developers may have been able to skimp on open space intended to create more pleasing and attractive downtown projects.
    Ahnell told City Council members sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board on Jan. 25 that his staff is reviewing 74 projects approved since 1988 to determine whether they comply with the ordinance. The analysis should be completed no later than the end of February, he said.
    The staff is also trying to determine why the 2003 memo was written and why no top-level city officials knew of its existence until recently.
    In the meantime, staff is reviewing new development proposals that are submitted, Ahnell said. But the reality is that no project will be approved until staff determines if there is a problem and the City Council decides what to do about it.
    Many downtown activists are outraged that a potential mistake could have gone undetected for 13 years.
    In city meetings, they have brandished accusations including “corruption,” “collusion” and “conspiracy.” A few are threatening lawsuits. Al Zucaro, chairman of the watchdog organization BocaWatch, has gone so far as to seek Ahnell’s resignation.
    “I am calling for the resignation of the city manager,” Zucaro said at a Jan. 11 meeting. “He is the person ultimately responsible.”
    “I, my neighbors and my friends are outraged by the theft of public space,” resident Barbara Powers said at the same meeting. “Someone should be held accountable.”
    “We created an ordinance decades ago that promised the citizens public space, and it’s probable that the citizens have been robbed of the space,” said resident George O’Rourke.
    The issue has particular resonance now because a number of high-profile projects are under construction downtown — including the Via Mizner mixed-use development and the Hyatt Hotel — and residents are concerned they will lack enough open space to be pleasing to the eye.
    Ahnell said staff discovered the memo when analyzing why the mixed-use Mark at CityScape near the corner of Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road emerged from the ground as a less attractive building than had been promised.
    He, other officials and council members said they had never seen the memo before. It was written by city employee Robert George, who died in 2012, and reviewed by then-CRA Director Jorge Camejo.
    Camejo, whose duties as director were assumed by Ahnell in 2006 and who now is the City of Hollywood CRA executive director, told The Coastal Star in a Jan. 13 interview that there was no hidden agenda in drafting the memo.
     “There was nothing secretive about it,” he said. “It was disseminated to everyone in the planning staff. I find it hard to believe it was not distributed to the higher-ups.”
    There were relatively few downtown projects before 2003, he said. But as a growing number of projects were submitted for approval, planning staff had to decide how to adhere to the open space requirements.
    He and planners thought it was appropriate to “memorialize” how they were doing this to provide future guidance.
    “Every developer tries to push the envelope,” he said. “In order to have an understanding where the envelope stood, we felt it was appropriate to issue that memo and get everyone on the same page of what was permitted and what was not.”
    He had not been contacted by any Boca Raton officials asking him to explain why the memo was drafted or its intent, Camejo said. But after hearing that it was stirring controversy, Camejo said he called Deputy City Manager George Brown on Jan. 12. (At the Jan. 25 meeting, Ahnell said he had called Camejo the previous week but had not heard back.)
    “George was pretty well aware how it came to be,” Camejo said. “I don’t know if I shed any new light on how it came to be.”

‘Space’ definition questioned
    The memo accurately states the basic open space requirements of the ordinance. For example, if a building is taller than 75 feet, 40 percent of the land must be open space. At least 65 percent of required open space must be uncovered from the ground to the sky. The remainder can be covered areas such as colonnades or areas under balconies.
    But Downtown Manager Ruby Childers told the City Council on Jan. 11 that the memo goes on to incorrectly allow developers to count certain features as open space, such as areas under archways. Over time, the list has been expanded to include upper-story balconies, pool decks and more.
    “We believe those areas above the ground level diminish the quality of the public realm,” she said.
    The memo also incorrectly states that open space language in the ordinance was adopted as a guideline, not a requirement, she said.
    It allows developers who object to a limitation on their plans to request an exemption, although such requests would be subject to review and approval by the CRA board. Childers asked that this section of the memo be eliminated.
    Another issue is the definition of “open space.” Saying that residents were using the terms “open space” and “public space” interchangeably, city officials have attempted to rein in expectations. They issued a notice on Jan. 22 saying the two are not the same thing and there is no requirement that open space be open to the public.
    As an example, the notice said a condo pool deck may qualify as open space, but the public does not have access to it. If it is visible to the public, though, it could enhance the “public realm” — that is, be an attractive feature pleasing to the public even if they could not use it.
    City  Council member Scott Singer, who chairs the CRA board, has assured residents that the review will be done in the open. “I am very concerned to learn this memo existed,” he said on Jan. 25.
    He asked Frieser whether the memo simply could be rescinded.

The latest version of plans for Mizner on the Green are for a nine-story, all-residential tower with about 384 luxury condominiums. Rendering courtesy of Garcia Stromberg

By Mary Hladky

    Will the third time be the charm for developer Elad National Properties?
    The Plantation-based company submitted preliminary plans to the City of Boca Raton on Jan. 5 for yet another vision of what it wants to build on the site of Mizner on the Green on Southeast Mizner Boulevard.
    The latest proposal, named Mizner 200, calls for one all-residential building with about 384 luxury condo units on the nearly 9-acre site. In a significant departure from past proposals, this project would be nine stories, or 100 feet tall — exactly in line with the city’s height limits for that part of downtown.
    Features along Mizner Boulevard would include covered walkways, trellised sitting zones, park areas and gallery space. The roof would be available for social events. The average condo size is 2,000 square feet.
The project also meets the city’s requirements for open space.
    Mizner on the Green’s 18, three-story buildings with 246 rental units would be demolished.
    The developer’s representatives met with city planning staff on Jan. 19. The staff has asked for more, largely technical, information, but did not indicate any major objections.
Staff members did advise that Elad should present its plans to nearby residents.
    Elad stunned downtown Boca Raton residents in September 2014 when it unveiled plans for 500 luxury condos designed by prominent “starchitect” Daniel Libeskind. The project’s four towers rising as high as 30 stories well exceeded the height limits and drew impassioned objections from downtown activists who don’t want the city to lose its low-rise look.
    When that proposal proved to be a nonstarter, Elad returned to the city last May with a completely new condo project called Sol-A-Mar, designed by the West Palm Beach architectural firm Garcia Stromberg. Four of the seven buildings would have 13 stories — once again more than allowed.
    Elad asked for “two minor amendments” to downtown development rules that would have allowed the project to proceed, but city officials rebuffed the request.
    This time around, Elad is seeking no variances for Mizner 200, also designed by Garcia Stromberg.
    Elad will submit final plans to the city this month, chief executive Amnon Safran said in a statement.
    “We plan to soon meet with our neighboring residents and businesses so that city staff and officials, residents and businesses and prospective buyers understand all of the benefits to be enjoyed by our pedestrian-friendly residences,” he said.
    Andrea O’Rourke, the newly named editor of the watchdog website BocaWatch.org, said it is more likely that the proposed project’s neighbors and other downtown residents will accept Mizner 200.
    “I think this is a case where citizens had an impact,” she said. “To come into the community and think you can build 400-foot skyscrapers was completely off the charts.”

By Sallie James

    The Boca Raton Children’s Museum will get essential roof and window repairs along with a structural assessment under a recently approved agreement with the city.
    City Council members in January approved $50,000 for building repairs and $30,000 for exhibit enhancements. The funding will allow the popular museum to continue serving thousands of children in a quaint venue that promotes hands-on learning.
    Florence Fuller Child Development Centers, a Boca Raton-based nonprofit organization, took over the struggling 35-year-old entity in September 2014.
    An estimated 20,000 people visit the museum, at 498 Crawford Blvd., annually, according to Ellyn Okrent, CEO of the Florence Fuller centers.
    “It is a gem in our community. It really is an opportunity to keep this beautiful campus here in the heart of Boca Raton,” Okrent said. “To lose this and let those beautiful buildings fall apart would just be criminal. It’s a very special place.”
    Funding for repairs is sorely needed. The $50,000 will cover absolute necessities.
    “It’s terrible. I’m not talking about cosmetic repairs. I’m talking about very serious repairs,” Okrent said. “The buildings have not been maintained.”
    The Children’s Museum occupies three buildings, two of which are owned by the city. One of the buildings, Singing Pines, was built in 1913 and is the city’s oldest building.
    Of the money allocated to the museum, $30,000 is earmarked for exhibit enhancements.
    Okrent said the museum is partnering with Publix to create a water table exhibit that will illustrate the importance of water in life. This science, technology, engineering and math project will be interactive.
    The museum is also seeking a sponsor to help create a health-related exhibit aimed at kids.
    Meanwhile, a “once upon a time” story tent is being installed in Singing Pines.
    Okrent said money for the museum will always be an issue.
    Okrent said her organization will have to raise an additional $300,000 to cover the museum’s annual budget. That’s on top of the $1.7 million already needed to cover its own annual budget, she said.
    Florence Fuller Child Development Centers took over museum operations in late 2014 after museum officials told the City Council the museum would run out of money in late April 2014 because donations and grants had been sparse.
    A “wine carnival” fundraiser is scheduled for March 10 at the museum; a “hero walk” is planned for mid-April. More details on both fundraisers will be available at a later date.

By Sallie James

    Boca Raton voters will decide in August if their elected officials should get pay raises that more than quadruple their salaries.
    City Council members in January approved the proposed referendum 4-1, saying higher salaries might help attract a wider slate of candidates.
    “It’s almost a full-time job — about 20 to 30 hours,” said council member Mike Mullaugh, who proposed the salary hikes. “Passing this is the best way to get the people you don’t like off. If you want to change what is on the council now, increase the salaries and encourage more people to run and you can find the kind of person you want.”
    In Boca Raton, pay raises must be approved by voters through a charter change.
    The ordinance links Boca salaries to those of the Palm Beach County Commission, with the mayor’s salary equal to 40 percent of a county commissioner’s salary, or $38,550, and council members’ salaries equal to 30 percent of a county commissioner’s salary, or $28,766.
    It also provides for annual increases.
    According to the ordinance, if Palm Beach County commissioners’ salaries are raised, Boca officials’ salaries will be raised the same amount.
    The ballot measure will be added to the Aug. 30 primary election so voters can approve or disapprove the proposed salary hikes. If approved, the pay hikes would become effective in October 2017.
    Boca’s mayor currently gets $750 a month, or $9,000 a year. Council members earn $600 a month, or $7,200 a year. Previous attempts in 2004 and 2006 both failed.
    Council member Scott Singer has opposed the measure from inception and continued to do so, saying he believes the idea of salary hikes should originate with voters, not the elected officials it would affect.
    “I continue to think that a charter amendment to increase salaries should start organically with the residents,” Singer said. He suggested that residents circulate petitions seeking support for the salary hikes to amend the charter as a city initiative.
    “I thought it should start with the people to garner enough support for the measure based on two previous (unsuccessful) attempts to pass this,” Singer said.
    Mayor Susan Haynie said Boca officials serve on more than 13 state, regional and county boards in addition to the time spent preparing for Boca’s meetings. In August, Haynie will also take on the role of president of the Florida League of Cities. Her message was simple: The jobs of elected official are very time-consuming and the pay is low.
    “We are just voting to put this before the people. I do think it will open up the availability of individuals who would like to serve here,” Haynie said.
    Council member Robert Weinroth said higher salaries will make it easier for people to serve in a position that is so time-consuming and might increase the field of people willing to serve.
    “This will allow other people to come out and run for election,” Weinroth said. “I think it’s time to put this before the electorate.
    “I am sure whether it is voted up or down, that none of us is going to make a decision whether we are going to run for the position based on the salary,” Weinroth said.
    City activist James Hendrey voiced support for the measure but didn’t want anyone on the current council to be eligible for the salary hike because of the way sitting council members seemed to favor development.
    “I think this is an important move to get more people engaged in the process,” Hendrey said.

By Steve Plunkett

Negotiations are still underway on how much the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District will pay to renourish the city’s central beaches, a project scheduled to begin this month.
Boca Raton is counting on getting $3.7 million from the district for the three-month project, which covers the area from the southern edge of Red Reef Park to the Boca Raton Inlet. District commissioners budgeted $2.6 million but informally agreed in a joint meeting last June to pay the higher amount.
The district has generally funded one-third of beach renourishment costs, although in 1982 it paid 100 percent of the city’s first restoration project. The district agreed at June’s meeting that it would pay for half the local costs of the central beach project.
“We have stepped outside of that (one-third) envelope in the past,” Arthur Koski, the district’s interim executive director, said as commissioners discussed the issue Feb. 1.
Commissioners signed an agreement the city prepared in July to contribute 50 percent this year. Boca Raton, in turn, spent five months revising the agreement and now wants the district to pay 50 percent of all beach restoration projects for the next 25 years.
District commissioners said they don’t want to make such a long-term commitment.
“Doing it on a case-by-case basis makes a lot more sense,” Commission Chairman Robert Rollins said.
The board tentatively agreed that it should help pay to renourish Boca Raton’s southern beaches, which go from the inlet to the Deerfield Beach city limits. Until now, the district has funded only projects in the central and northern beaches.
The northern area runs from the north boundary of Red Reef Park to the Highland Beach town limits. Red Reef Park itself is never renourished because its reefs are too close to the beach.
Koski said residents in the southern part of the barrier island pay beach and park taxes just like other residents of the district. And while the lack of parking might make it hard for some people to use the public access paths to the southern beaches, it’s an easy walk for taxpayers who live just west of A1A.
“We may have an obligation to protect all of the beaches,” Koski said.
Commissioner Earl Starkoff agreed. “We have to look at the entire district,” he said.
But Koski did not know when the south beaches are scheduled to be renourished and said commissioners should not promise to pay for such a project until he finds out.
In the meantime, he has asked the Boca Raton City Council to schedule time at its Feb. 22 workshop for an appearance by Rollins. The district’s chairman wants to discuss the relationship between the council and the district, which he and fellow commissioners consider “strained.”
The central beach project is scheduled to start this month and be completed by the end of April.
The renourishment will cost $11.3 million, with the state and county paying about $4 million. That left $3.7 million each for the district and the city if they were to split the local share.

By Steve Pike

    Renovation of the marina at the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton — part of the private club’s multimillion-dollar enhancement program — is expected to be complete in May, according to club General Manager Robin Blankhorst.
    The removal of the concrete docks, Blankhorst said, will be followed by repairs and replacement of the seawall bordering the marina, followed by installation of a new TimberTech floating dock system. When it’s complete, the marina will have flexibility to accommodate vessels up to 130 feet long.
    The marina project encountered some rough water early on as it was delayed due to concerns surrounding an endangered and protected species of fish — the smalltooth sawfish — that prompted a Fisheries review of the permit released by the Army Corps of Engineers.
    “The Fisheries’ findings were in agreement with previous opinions drawn from research of the marina area, that there was no evidence of the existence of the smalltooth sawfish in the yacht basin, marina or nearby waterways,’’ Blankhorst said.  
    “Our members who have had boats in the marina have been very understanding and patient with the delays as they have been temporarily displaced to other dockage both in and out of the area.  
The marina will be open for use prior to completion of the new yacht club, which is on schedule for a November grand opening, and we are all anxious to see our boats return.’’
    The marina and yacht club are the latest phases in the club’s enhancement program. In 2014, Royal Palm’s Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course was renovated by the Golden Bear himself.
    Blankhorst said the club enhancement project is a $30 million endeavor that includes the new 38,000-square-foot yacht club, pool, entertainment patio, renovations to the marina, additions to the maintenance facility and enhancements to the country club, which will begin after the completion of the yacht club.
    “Our goal with these projects is to adapt to the needs of our members and build in the flexibility to meet the interests of future generations,’’ Blankhorst said. “As our membership grows younger, we are committed to expanding the activities available for young families and children. In fact, long-range plans include expansion of our wellness center and youth activities programming.’’

By Sallie James

    Tourists are always stopping by the Boca Raton Historical Society to get directions or ask questions about places to go. So when the nonprofit tourism organization Discover the Palm Beaches requested the Historical Society become an official South County Welcome Center, it made sense to say yes.
    It became more feasible last month when the City Council allocated $50,000 for funding a Welcome Center at the Boca Raton History Museum at Town Hall. The city grant will be used for staffing, a promotional brochure, marketing and advertising.
    “We started working on it a year ago,” said Mary Csar, executive director of the Boca Raton Tourism Center. “We knew it would be a gradual project. We asked the city to help support it, and they gave us a grant for $50,000.”
    Tourism is one of Palm Beach County’s major industries.
    Part of the history museum’s existing gift shop has been converted to house the Welcome Center. A monitor has been installed so visitors can watch local videos, and brochures featuring Boca Raton’s parks, beaches, cultural institutions, shopping, restaurants and hotels are available for distribution.
    The Welcome Center also has Boca Raton souvenirs.
    “It’s just another thing we do and it’s a nice introduction to our history exhibit,” Csar said. “If you learn the history about a city, you learn about the community and you learn what makes the community tick.”
    Staff is also being trained to assist tourists from out of town, out of state or out of the country.
    “Generally, when people come in we always have someone who greets them. Everybody sort of takes part in it,” Csar said. “I think it’s going to be cool for the city. We are kind of like a mini tourism agency.”

By Rich Pollack

    Peggy Gossett-Seidman was out of town when a Highland Beach neighbor called one early September afternoon with frightening news.
    Fire trucks, Gossett-Seidman heard him say, were parked in front of her home and the road was filled with other crews responding to a leak from a propane gas tank buried about four yards from two of her home’s bedroom windows.
    It took three hours before Gossett-Seidman’s husband, Barry — who rushed home after learning that a contractor grading a construction site next door accidentally struck the buried tank and caused the leak — was allowed back in the home. It took another three hours to air it out.
    What concerned Gossett-Seidman wasn’t so much the inconvenience; it was what she didn’t know.
    “People on our street were surprised, if not shocked, to find out that many of our homes may have propane tanks buried on their property and no one knows it,” she said. “We don’t know what we’re sitting on, and apparently no one in the area knows.”
    Gossett-Seidman quickly learned that no central database lists where abandoned or active buried propane gas tanks can be found. Even fire departments are unaware of which homes in their communities might have tanks buried on their lots.
    Gossett-Seidman, a former journalist, discovered that it is possible in Highland Beach to determine whether there’s an abandoned propane tank on a property. Getting that information isn’t easy, though, and can take a lot of legwork.
    Highland Beach officials say permits are required when tanks are installed. A problem, said the town’s building official, Mike Desorcy, is that municipalities are required to keep records on single-family homes for only 10 years.
    “You can look it up for the past 10 years, but what about 20 or 30 years ago?” Gossett-Seidman said. Propane has long been a popular choice for cooking and heating hot water for homes and pools.
    There is also the possibility that some tanks might have been installed by homeowners illegally without a permit.
    “The only time we would know if there’s a gas tank on a property is if there was a permit,” Desorcy said.

No one knows how long this tank was buried underground. Photo provided

    What Gossett-Seidman found out is that most propane providers in South Florida do keep records of where their tanks are. Since there are several companies that serve the area, however, a homeowner would have to check with many companies in order to know if a tank is on his or her property.
    A spokesperson for Florida Public Utilities, one of South Florida’s largest providers, said the company maintains records of all tanks it installs or fills.
    While it does not keep records of tanks installed by other companies, Florida Public Utilities would most likely have an idea of what companies saturated a particular geographic area and often shares that information with inquiring homeowners.   
    The spokesperson said the company pulls permits and makes sure to comply with all codes and will not fill any tanks if it sees evidence of a safety issue or if the tank is not code complaint. The company also makes it a point to fill abandoned tanks with water or sand after removing all the gas to render the tanks useless — and safe.  
    While abandoned tanks can remain underground for years without any problems, those who have dealt with the issue recommend that homeowners who discover a tank no longer in use have it removed.
    “If you discover an abandoned tank on your property, have it come out,” says Kevin Green, assistant chief at Delray Beach Fire-Rescue.
    Green said underground tanks are generally safe but are susceptible to deterioration.
    “There isn’t usually a problem as long as the tank is in the ground and the valves don’t get damaged,” he said.
    Green said that one of the problems with propane gas, when it does leak, is that it is heavier than air and does not dissipate like natural gas does. Danger comes when the lingering gas comes in contact with an ignition source, such as a spark from a lawn mower.
    In Florida, steps are taken to minimize the chance of tanks being damaged by construction crews or others working on a property. State law requires that contractors call 811 to determine what utilities are buried on a property before any excavation can begin.
    In Florida, Sunshine 811 receives calls and uses a database to determine what utilities are likely to be under a property. 811 then notifies the provider of the utility, which arranges for a visual inspection. The utilities then are marked with color-coded flags or paint.
    According to an 811 spokesperson, however, providers of propane tanks are not required to register with the system. If companies do register and have overlapping service areas, 811 would notify each of the companies if there is a dig scheduled in their area.
    Gossett-Seidman said she was told that an inspection was done on the property next to hers but that the tank — which she suspects had been underground for decades — was not discovered.
    In the end, both the gas and the tank were removed. Still, she said, it is the unknown that remains a concern.
    “People don’t know what’s under their property,” she said. 

Peter Rodis sits in front of an African painting at his Highland Beach home. A documentary of African-American singer Nina Simone he made as a young man is now incorporated in an Academy Award-nominated documentary. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    Peter Rodis was a young film-school student at New York University in the late 1960s when he decided to embark on an ambitious project.
    Using his own money, Rodis enlisted the help of some classmates and set out to produce a documentary about singer Nina Simone.
    “I love music and I always loved Nina Simone,” said Rodis, 74, now a full-time resident of Highland Beach.
    Rodis’ film, Nina Simone: To Be Free, first aired on a New York television station in 1970 and became known as one of the most definitive films about the singer’s life.
    Now, most of the footage included in that 28-minute film is playing a major role in a new documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? which last month was one of five documentaries nominated for an Oscar.
    “This is a lifelong dream,” he said. “It only took 50 years.”
    For Rodis, who spent a year on-and-off with Simone, the use of his material in an Academy Award-nominated film is the result of determination and dedication to help get Simone’s story out to the public.
    “I never gave up on Nina or on the project,” he said.
    Then a resident of Queens, Rodis was a young real estate broker in his mid-20s when he decided to go back to college.
    “I always loved film,” he said.
    During his last year in school, he approached Simone’s husband, who was also her manager, about the idea of doing a documentary with the singer, pianist and civil rights activist.
    For the project, Rodis interviewed Simone in her Mount Vernon, N.Y., home and also followed her on the road — along with a small crew that included the film’s director, fellow student Joel Gold.
    The short documentary includes candid conversations with Simone as well as rehearsals and performances that show the true scope of her talent and her connection with audiences.
    During trips with her, Rodis saw firsthand the prejudice the singer encountered when servers at hotels kept walking by without stopping to take an order and when rooms that had been available to white customers were no longer available for the entertainer.
    Once it was completed in the early 1970s, the film appeared on New York’s WOR television station and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It was later used in a segment of the Great America Dream Machine, a television program produced by New York’s public broadcasting station WNET from 1971 to 1973.
    Rodis’ career in film was somewhat short-lived. He co-produced a feature film that featured Richard Burton and O.J. Simpson and later worked as a production director on several commercials but spent most of his career in real estate.
    His film, however, enjoyed resurgence in the mid-2000s following Simone’s death, when Sony Records put out a CD set of recordings and included a DVD of the film. The set received a Grammy Award nomination and Rodis’ documentary received recognition, 35 years after it was made.
    Then a couple of years ago, Rodis received a call from Liz Garbus, director of What Happened, Miss Simone? who told him about the project she was working on with Netflix.
    “She said, ‘You have the most amazing film with Nina Simone,’ ” Rodis said.
    After their conversation, he agreed to let the film be used in the documentary, now available through Netflix.
    “A number of people wanted to license the film over the years, but I never allowed it,” Rodis said. “I figured if I ever wanted people to see it, this was the opportunity.”
    Rodis, who leads a monthly film discussion group at the Highland Beach Public Library, has already shown and discussed What Happened, Miss Simone? and plans are being made to show it again this month.
    Today, Rodis is pleased his footage is being used in an Academy Award-nominated film and is proud of his 28-minute documentary’s newfound exposure.
    “It was a matter of love for me,” he said.

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach residents could see a slight increase in their water bills next fall if town commissioners follow the recommendation of a consultant hired to study the town’s water rates.
    During a meeting last month, Robert Ori, president of Public Resources Management Group, recommended the town consider raising rates a small amount every year, rather than burden residents with a hefty increase every few years.
    He recommended the town tie the rate increase to the Municipal Cost Index, essentially a government version of the Consumer Price Index. That index is projected to increase at a rate of about 2.4 percent annually.
    For a home using 6,000 gallons of water, the monthly increase would be about $1.13, according to the consultant. For a multifamily building using 32,000 gallons per month, the increase would be about $2.91.
    The last time rates were increased was in December 2009, when commissioners set a base charge of $30 per water customer every two months and then a graduated rate schedule based on water usage.
    Rates currently range from $2.15 to $4.60 per thousand gallons, depending on consumption.
    “This is a good investment in the town,” Vice Mayor Bill Weitz said.
    He said town leaders have known for some time that expenses incurred to provide water and sewage services were expected to surpass the revenue the town gets from water bills.
    “We’ve been advised that there is no money set aside for repairs and restorations,” Weitz said.
    In his presentation, Ori showed that water and sewage revenues in the current year were about $3.1 million while expenses were about $3.06 million. But expenses were projected to shoot up to about $3.4 million in 2017.
    Ori recommended the town create a repair and replacement fund to cover maintenance and replacement of equipment. He suggested the town use about $1 million from the $6 million in utility reserves to create the fund, then transfer 7 percent of the prior year’s revenue — about $238,000 — into the fund each year.
    A full discussion of raising rates won’t take place until commissioners begin the budgeting process this summer.  Ú

Mock protesters were part of the fun of the ‘60s exhibit grand opening. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

    Women in tie-dyed dresses and psychedelic makeup took selfies in the parking lot. Inside, a new exhibit at the Boca Raton History Museum made this Throwback Thursday anything but routine.
    “Those Were the Days, My Friend: Boca Raton in the 1960s” showcases what Susan Gillis, the museum’s curator, says was “such a pivotal era” in the city’s development.
It was the decade that Florida Atlantic University was started, the time when IBM first came to town. The city’s population swelled from 7,000 in 1960 to 28,500 in 1970.
    Photos from the era line the hall, including shots of the old bridge over the Boca Raton Inlet, which was replaced in 1963, and aerials of IBM’s new headquarters going up. A 1967 ad from Publix announces chicken on sale for 29 cents a pound.
    Also present is a photo of a Halloween dance at Teen Town, across the street from the present-day City Hall. The city converted a wartime housing project building into a gathering spot for its growing younger population after youths complained they had nowhere to congregate. Teens at the time had to travel to Delray Beach to attend high school.
    Museum volunteer Steve Bellanca eagerly pointed out large glass cases containing artifacts from the decade. Among the historical finds is a T-shirt from the Keg, a beer and burger establishment that thrived at Palmetto Park Road and State Road A1A — on the beach side — from 1967 to 1971.
    Borrowed from the FAU archives is the gold-colored rotary dial telephone that connected President Lyndon B. Johnson to the White House when he came to the city for the Oct. 25, 1964, dedication of the university.
    On another shelf is an LP and album cover for Boca Raton’s Own Banjo Man Ray Wood. The musician was a regular entertainer in the early 1960s at the Bayou, a New Orleans-themed restaurant at the northeast corner of East Palmetto and Fifth Avenue, next to the now-city-owned Wildflower property.
    The reason for the new display was simple.
    “All things retro are popular,” Gillis said. Besides being educational, “it’s fun and nostalgic. People really enjoy history they can remember.”
    Patrons at the Jan. 28 opening reception for members were invited to wear their ’60s best.
For Betsy Fletcher, a museum director, that meant getting her paisley, British Mod dress out of the closet.
    “It actually is ’60s. It’s old, old,” Fletcher said.
    Bonnie Dearborn, who gives tours of the museum, chose a blue tie-dyed, floor-length dress.
“I tried teasing my hair. That was my effort,” she said.
    Keylina Kitchen, an eighth-grader at Eagles Landing, wore a flowery maxi dress with ribbons in her hair.
She called the exhibit “really interesting” after Gillis explained what LP and 45 records were and told her how the musical group the Monkees had their own show on television back before there was MTV.
    Keylina’s friend Olivia Santana also was impressed with the display.
“I think it’s cool,” Olivia said. 

    The exhibit will stay up until Sept. 1. The museum is at 71 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students; members are free.

Ricky Marcellini (with wife, Caroline, and daughter, Nina) opened the Little Chalet in Boca Raton as an extension of the family business in Brazil. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    If you were a bride in the 1980s, chances are your shower or wedding gifts included a fondue set. But in recent years, people seem to have forgotten the fun and flavor of this interactive dining experience.
    Not Ricky Marcellini. His family owns fondue restaurants in Belo Horizonte and Sao Paulo, Brazil, and recently opened the Little Chalet in Boca Raton.
    “We’ve invested in the fondue concept in Boca because it’s great. People get to share their meal and talk, not just eat and hurry off,” says Marcellini, who is pleased that some guests stay at their tables for three hours enjoying the fondue, music and friends.  
    Choosing this location that was once a seafood restaurant, a nightclub and then a Thai restaurant, Marcellini said he spent $2 million to redo the building inside and out. Today the Little Chalet is all Old World charm from its outdoor tower and brickwork to its indoor warren of cozy alcoves, fireplace and, yes, live piano music.
    Marcellini, 36, got into the restaurant and nightclub business at age 17 in Brazil, where his father owned restaurants and nightclubs. Although Marcellini dreamed of coming to America to study, his father offered him a place in the family’s entertainment empire and he accepted.
    Over the years he did everything from waiting tables to food marketing, to directing the food and beverage service, to managing the family’s restaurants and clubs. But he never lost his dream.
    About four years ago he decided to bring the Little Chalet to the United States, so he began making trips north every two months — visiting New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Miami.
    He decided to expand into South Florida because of its proximity to Brazil, where he still runs his family’s businesses. But after looking at Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, he wanted a smaller town so he chose Boca Raton.
    “I found this city to be a good match for our style of food and hospitality,” he says. He has plans for further expansion into Palm Beach Gardens and perhaps Orlando.  
    The restaurant is known for its quatro formaggi fondue, a robust blend of emmental, Grand Cru, Parmesan and blue cheeses. If you prefer meat, there’s beef, chicken, pork or filet mignon that you can dip into the restaurant’s signature consommé or its vegetable broth. For dessert, don’t miss the Lindt chocolate fondues created by Marcellini himself.
    “You don’t see other restaurants like ours here,” Marcellini says. “It’s different because it’s not just food, it’s an experience.”

    The Little Chalet, 485 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 325-8000; www.thelittlechalet.com.

(L-r) Kirsten Stephenson and Alyce Erickson, of the National Society of Arts and Letters’ Florida East Coast Chapter with Boca Raton Community High School photography students Blythe Nieporte, 18, and Christine Stephenson, 16; project mentor Vanessa Nieporte; and photography teacher Rob Sweeten. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

    Student shutterbugs from Boca Raton Community High School have stepped up to participate in a pilot project with the National Society of Arts and Letters’ Florida East Coast Chapter that, when completed, will serve as a model for chapters across the country.
    The project, which encompasses a gallery exhibition and master photography class, will debut Feb. 27 at Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab in Boca Raton. The exhibition will feature the work of 12 budding photographers, and the class will be led by award-winning New York Times photojournalist Stephen Crowley.
    “I am so excited about this,” said Alyce Erickson, the chapter’s president emeritus. “I want anyone who is interested in helping young people to come and see what this is all about.”
    The exhibition opens at 10 a.m. The class gets underway after lunch and will run until 3 p.m. Chapter members, FAU supporters, parents and the public are invited.
    “I have a love for young artists,” Erickson said. “I want to find them. I want to help them. I want to promote them.”
    Last May, she attended the society’s board meeting in St. Louis and brought up the idea of involving youths in the creative arts. A plan snapped into action when she returned to her Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club home, the chapter’s unofficial headquarters, where she shared her story with a gathering of students and received a flood of feedback.
    “I explained all the disciplines to them and what the society was about, and when I got to photography, two of the students jumped up and down and said, ‘Yes, yes, yes,’ ” Erickson said.
    Her goal is to chart the course of the project and present it for a vote this May at the society’s board meeting in Phoenix.
    “It’s exhilarating to think that, in some minute way, you might make a difference in the life of a child,” Erickson said.
    Rob Sweeten, the school’s photography teacher, has been busy organizing and preparing his passionate picture-takers for the exhibition.
    “It’s opening up different opportunities for them, so that’s a good thing,” Sweeten said.
“Photography is kind of the art form for this generation. Not many of my students paint or draw, but all of them have a camera in their back pocket.”
    Blythe Nieporte, an 18-year-old senior, is one of them.
    “I chose to take part in this program because of my interest in the arts and the opportunity [that] presented itself to me,” Nieporte said. “I intend to establish the principles of the program so other institutions can follow in our ways, along with encouraging our members to produce exemplary work for our exhibit and master class.”

If You Go
What: High School Pilot Project Photography Exhibition and Master Photography Class
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 27
Where: Florida Atlantic University’s Theatre Lab, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton.
Cost: Free
Information: 391-6380 or www.nsalfloridaeast.org

Conceptual drawing of proposed Mizner 200 project. Image provided by Garcia Strombeg GS4studios

By Mary Hladky

     Elad National Properties has submitted preliminary plans to the city for yet another reimagining of what it wants to build on the site of Mizner on the Green on Southeast Mizner Boulevard.

      The latest proposal, named Mizner 200, calls for one all-residential building with about 384 luxury condo units on the nearly nine-acre site.

      In a significant departure from past proposals, this project would be nine stories, or 100 feet, tall – exactly in line with the city’s height limits for that part of downtown.

      Mizner on the Green’s 18, three-story buildings with 246 rental units would be demolished.

      The developer’s representatives met with city planning staff on Jan. 19. The staff has asked for more, largely technical, information, but did not indicate any major objections.

      Elad stunned downtown Boca Raton residents in September, 2014 when it unveiled plans for 500 luxury condos designed by prominent “starchitect” Daniel Libeskind.

     The project’s four towers rising as high as 30 stories well exceeded the height limits and drew impassioned objections from downtown activists.

      When that proposal proved to be a non-starter, Elad returned to the city last May with a completely new condo project called Sol-A-Mar.

      Four of the seven buildings were 13 stories – once again more than allowed. Those plans also failed to garner city approval.

      Elad is seeking no variances for Mizner 200, designed by the West Palm Beach architectural firm Garcia Stromberg.

      The Plantation-based developer will submit final plans to the city in February, chief executive Amnon Safran said in a statement.

      “We plan to soon meet with our neighboring residents and businesses so that city staff and officials, residents and businesses and prospective buyers understand all of the benefits to be enjoyed by our pedestrian-friendly residences,” he said.

By Jane Smith
    
Delray Beach will join cities from Maine to Key West to create an “Urban Appalachian Trail.”
    At their Dec. 8 meeting, city commissioners unanimously approved the designation of the route along Federal Highway to George Bush Boulevard and along A1A to Highland Beach.
    “The designation will allow us to get grants,” said Randal Krejcarek, environmental services director. He also said the city has a local initiatives grant that can be used to add George Bush Boulevard to the trail.
    The East Coast Greenway currently connects cities in 15 Atlantic coastal states, with a goal of creating a 3,000-mile “spine route” from Maine to Florida. The Greenway would create an urban trail that can be used for recreation, exercise, transportation and tourism.
    The Florida Department of Transportation will be the next approval needed because it owns most of the right of way along those roads.
    Delray Beach has 3.1 miles of sidewalk that is 9.6 feet wide along the ocean and can be used as the trail for pedestrians and bicyclists, Krejcarek said. The sidewalks would have to be striped to create separate lanes for pedestrians and bicyclists.
    City staffers would work with the Greenway Alliance to post markers along the route to identify the trail as part of the national urban Greenway.
    In other action: The city’s employee parking pilot program was pulled from the agenda. City Manager Don Cooper later said the reason was over county concerns about its garage. The program calls for downtown employees to use the South County Courthouse garage in the off hours, a total of 350 spaces at a cost of $20 monthly per vehicle.
 Cooper said the program may come back in late January for commission approval or be incorporated into the city’s overall parking program. Ú

By Jane Smith
    
The city strengthened the future of its tree canopy in December by toughening an ordinance protecting shade trees.
    The first change was renaming the ordinance, last revised in 2008 and formerly called the Tree Ordinance. It is now known as Tree Preservation, Protection, Enforcement and Maintenance.
    The next change will bring the job of protecting specimen trees under the planning and zoning director, instead of the chief building official.
    Other changes for hardwood trees that need to be protected include: lowering the minimum diameter from 24 inches to 8 inches of the trunk measured at 41/2 feet above ground and not allowing palms to replace canopy trees. The revised ordinance also requires trees of 24 inches or less in diameter to be moved, if possible.
    The 2008 revision created a Tree Trust Fund in the city. In some cases, developers preferred to pay into the trust fund instead of preserving or moving the trees, wrote Tim Stillings, planning and zoning director, in an October memo to the City Commission.
    Fees and fines also will be increased, with a final determination of the amounts to come in June, Stillings said.
    Commissioners approved the changes by a 4-0 vote; Commissioner Al Jacquet had left the dais.
    In other business: On Dec. 8, city commissioners unanimously approved design and architectural changes to the city’s downtown and beach area. Highlights are: Seven architectural styles were identified as fitting the city’s image, along with a provision for mixing styles; and width is limited to 75 feet for storefronts on retail streets.
    The commissioners also took advantage of the coming change in ownership of its current trash hauler, Southern Waste Systems, to Waste Management to extract some deals for the city.
    Before the sale is closed, John Casagrande of Southern Waste gave the city the 13 big-belly solar trash compactors at the beach and also agreed to service the city’s parks on Sundays at the rate of $400, instead of $800. But he wanted to keep the cost increase that went into effect in October.

By Sallie James

    The Boca Raton City Council postponed discussion of an ordinance that would give city lawmakers a raise, planning to address in January the possibility of setting the wage level at a percentage of Palm Beach County Commission salaries and putting the question to voters in August.        The city’s elected officials say they’re underpaid and need a raise, but how and if they will ever get one is a complicated process that depends on voters.
    City Council members last month spent nearly an hour discussing a proposed ordinance that would have tied council salaries to those of state legislators. They also considered linking salaries to those of the Palm Beach County commissioners.
    In the end, however, they decided to postpone the issue and take a fresh look this month.
    “The reason to do this is simply because it is the right thing to do, not because we absolutely need to,” said City Council member Mike Mullaugh, who proposed the ordinance but wouldn’t be affected by it because he cannot run for office again because of term limits.
    Is this a good idea and how do you feel about attaching it to the salary of other elected officials, he asked.
    Council member Robert Weinroth lauded Mullaugh for proposing the issue, adding that council members “certainly understand (they) signed on for this job at a salary that is modest.”
    Weinroth liked Mullaugh’s proposal but wanted the measure to be considered by voters in March 2016 instead of November 2016.
After much discussion about when the proposal should be placed on the ballot, council members favored August. They instructed the city attorney to draft a new ordinance for consideration that ties council raises to a percentage of the salaries of Palm Beach County commissioners; establishes those percentages of 40 percent for the mayor and 30 percent for council members; and sets the ordinance’s effective date as Oct. 1, 2016.
    As part of the discussion, city activist Glenn Gromann voiced strong support for pay hikes, calling elected officials’ existing pay scale a sort of “archaic indentured servant situation.” Resident Kevin Meaney also favored raises, saying they would enable more people to run for office who otherwise could not afford to.
    Mullaugh suggested tying pay hikes to those of other public officials because any change to Boca’s salaries must be done by referendum. Boca’s elected officials haven’t had a pay hike since 1984.
    Boca’s mayor is paid $750 a month, or $9,000 a year. Council members earn $600 a month, or $7,200 a year. Attempts in 2004 and 2006 to get voters to approve raises both failed. Mullaugh suggested a referendum seeking pay hikes in the hope of encouraging more candidates to run for office.
    The job, considered part-time, often requires 20 to 30 hours a week, because elected officials have to attend city workshops, council meetings, Community Redevelopment Agency meetings and a variety of other municipal events in addition to studying meeting materials to understand the issues, he said.
    Under Mullaugh’s proposal, the annual salary of the mayor would be equal to the salary of the Florida Senate president/speaker of the House, with the annual salaries of council members equal those of state legislators.
    The current salary for the Senate president/House speaker is $41,181; the current salary for Senate/House members is $29,697.
    An alternate suggestion was to link Boca salaries to those of the Palm Beach County Commission, with the mayor’s salary equal to 40 percent of a county commissioner’s salary, or $38,550, and council members’ salaries equal to 30 percent of a county commissioner’s salary, or $28,766.
    Because voters have twice rejected pay hikes, council member Scott Singer wondered if the measure would fare better if it started with voters.
    “If there is a cry in the community to increase the pay and perhaps encourage more candidates to run, I think it should start there,” Singer said. “If you want to enhance the likelihood of its passing, I think it should start more organically.”
    City Council member Jeremy Rodgers disagreed that a “signature-based introduction” was necessary to ask voters to consider council raises.
    “I have heard quite a bit of support for it and I’ve heard some support against it,” Rodgers said. He quipped, “If this was an hourly job we would all have lawsuits because we are not getting paid minimum wage for the time we put in.”
    Mayor Susan Haynie said the proposed pay hikes have the support of the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners, which represents all Boca homeowner associations.
    The new ordinance is expected to come up for review sometime in January.

By Steve Plunkett
    
Boca Raton City Council members are shrewd negotiators, it turns out.
    Barely a month after the Hillstone Restaurant Group withdrew its proposal to build an eatery on the city-owned Wildflower site, it’s back at the negotiating table.
    “Hillstone continues to believe the property is ideally suited for one of its signature restaurants,” Glenn Viers, the group’s vice president, said in a Nov. 24 email to the city. “We also feel one of our Hillstone Restaurants would be economically advantageous to the city while achieving the broadest enjoyment for the public.”
    Council members immediately adopted a wait-and-see attitude when Viers wrote Oct. 22 that Hillstone was no longer interested in making a deal.   
    “I’ve been in business,” Councilman Scott Singer said at the time. “Sometimes when you get a letter saying we’re no longer negotiating, the next thing that happens is negotiations continue.”
    Boca Raton bought the 2.3-acre parcel on Palmetto Park Road in 2009 for $7.5 million so residents could have access to the Intracoastal waterfront. It then decided to lease the land, the former site of the Wildflower nightclub, to a restaurateur.
    Hillstone originally proposed paying $500,000 a year in base rent with a 5 percent increase every five years and 5 percent of any profits over $10 million going to offset property taxes. The city countered with Hillstone paying the same base rent but with a 2 percent increase every year.
    Hillstone then suggested it pay $600,000 in annual rent but be given a $250,000 offset for property taxes. The city proposed a face-to-face meeting, and the restaurant group announced its withdrawal.
    In the latest letter, Viers said Hillstone would pay at least $600,000 in base rent or 5 percent of gross profits, whichever is greater, but the city would be responsible for property taxes.  The company’s plans do not include a dock, he said.
    “Hillstone would not, however, object if the city desired to install and maintain one … along the southern portion of the shoreline which will not affect the (diners’) views of the Intracoastal,” Viers wrote.
    The letter does not specify which brand of restaurant Hillstone would build. The group already operates a Houston’s Restaurant west of Interstate 95 in the city. Its other brands include the Palm Beach Grill and a Hillstone in Coral Gables.

By Rich Pollack

    Saying he’s achieved what he was selected to do when he was appointed to serve on the Boca Raton Airport Authority, Boca Raton Deputy Mayor Robert Weinroth resigned last month from the independent board that oversees airport operations.
“I went on the Airport Authority with the charge by the City Council to improve communication and create a partnership with the board,” Weinroth said. “I believe I have accomplished what I had hoped to achieve on behalf of the city.”
In an unusual step, the City Council appointed Weinroth, along with Deputy City Manager George Brown, to the authority in May, marking the first time a sitting council member was appointed to the board since it was created in 2004 by an act of the state Legislature. The decision — and Weinroth’s casting of the deciding vote on his own appointment — raised eyebrows and led to a complaint to the Florida Ethics Commission.
    At the time of his appointment, Weinroth said he did not plan to stay on the Airport Authority board for his full two-year term.
After announcing his decision to leave the board, effective this month, the deputy mayor said he felt the end of the year was a good time to step down.
    Shortly after joining the board, Weinroth spearheaded efforts to revise its bylaws to improve transparency and to eliminate restrictions that some thought handcuffed board members, limiting their ability to openly discuss airport authority matters without going through a cumbersome reporting process.
    Weinroth said he believes that communication with the City Council improved during the months he was on the board and added that the authority’s executive director, Clara Bennett, played a major role in that goal being accomplished.
    “Ms. Bennett had brought in an open dialogue with the city,” he said. “The transparency that I hoped to bring in with the revision of the bylaws was complemented by what she has done.”
    The deputy mayor said he does not know if the state ethics commission investigation into his appointment will continue but said he hopes it will.
    “I hope there’s a decision that the appointment was a political one and was not an unethical one,” he said.
    Weinroth’s seat on the board is one of seven, with five of those seats appointed by the Boca Raton City Council. The two remaining seats are appointed by the Palm Beach County Commission.
    The seat Weinroth is vacating is reserved, by state mandate, for a Boca Raton resident living west of the airport.
    Weinroth said the city clerk’s office is accepting applications for the board vacancy and he expects the council to fill the seat by the end of January.