By Nirvi Shah

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol unit no longer uses the Boynton Inlet as its headquarters and the area will also lose the deputies that patrol Ocean Inlet Park.

The Marine Unit moved because of its cramped quarters and because its south county location meant it was sometimes inefficient to patrol some of the northern coastline, sheriff’s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said.

The 12 deputies, two sergeants, a lieutenant, two mechanics and other staff simply didn’t fit anymore in their offices at Boynton Inlet. They have moved into bigger digs at Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach.

Barbera said there will always be some members of the Marine Unit working at Boynton Inlet, though she couldn’t say exactly how many because of homeland security rules.

She said although there will be fewer deputies and their patrol boats at Boynton Inlet, the area will be no less protected.

“The coverage will be the same, but we are saving money,’’ Barbera said. “”It took us an hour to get to Jupiter. We’re definitely more centralized.”

Local police agencies said they liked having the Marine Unit close by, but they understand the need to become more efficient in times of tight budgets.

“Those more personal relationships where our officers know their officers, if you need us call — we’ll miss that, which makes for a good working relationship,’’ Manalapan Police Chief Clay Walker said. “I still think they’ll be here when we need them.”

The Sheriff’s Marine Unit helps with immigrants coming ashore, boat fires and other distress calls from troubled boaters.

Amy Tolderland at SeaTow said she can’t see the harm in a change in the unit’s office headquarters.

“As long as they’re out there in the water, where they have their office is irrelevant,” she said. “Our whole thing is what goes on away from the dock.”

Still, though they will still be patrolling the waters near the inlet, Capt. John Allen of Loggerhead Dive Charters said Boynton Inlet needs the Marine Unit to be close at hand.

“You can read the sign: It’s a nonnavigable inlet designed for drainage,” Allen said. “It’s so narrow. The current is so fast going in and out. There’s a sandbar out in front of the inlet.

“We’re going to miss them,” he said. “They’re able to respond to pretty much anything.”

County park officers cut

At the same time the Marine Unit’s presence may diminish, the sheriff’s office is cutting the 52-member parks enforcement staff to save about $7 million — part of a larger budget-cutting undertaking. The deputies will be reassigned to other duties, and the county’s Parks and Recreation Department will have to take on some of their responsibilities, said Eric Call, assistant director of the department.

“It’s a pretty significant hit,” Call said. County parks have had a dedicated law enforcement unit for more than 30 years. The downsizing isn’t supposed to go into effect until Oct. 1, but Call said most deputies have already been reassigned to other jobs away from the county’s 81 parks, including at Ocean Inlet Park at Boynton Inlet and Gulfstream Park near Gulf Stream.

The county has about 17 park rangers who will remain at work. Maintenance staff will take over the duties of opening and closing parks. Sheriff’s deputies on road patrol duty will be called in when needed — but it’s not the same, Call said.

“It’s certainly a greater deterrent seeing a green and white vehicle driving through the parks,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough one.”

By Margie Plunkett

The South Lake Worth Inlet project just keeps pounding on and the rhythmic driving
will resound through the beginning of next year.

The pile driving at the inlet is part of a $7 million project that started last
year to rebuild the sand transfer plant and jetties, as well as rehabilitate
the seawall on Bird Island.

The sand transfer plant, which pumps drifting sand from the north side of the inlet
to the south beaches of Ocean Ridge, has already been completed, made more
efficient and quieter with a brand new electric engine. The Bird Island seawall
was expected to be completed in the last week of August with the last pouring
of seawall cap concrete. All that will be left for the island construction is
replanting.

But work on the jetties is still in progress.

The overall completion date of the project stands at March 2011, the initial
projection, said Tracy Logue of Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental
Resources Management. “We had planned, however, to keep one jetty open for
fishing while the other one was under construction, but things didn’t go as
planned.”

The sheet pile driving on the south jetty was slower than expected because of rock
and the contractor wasn’t able to finish in the four-month window outside of
turtle nesting season, which runs from March through Nov. 1.

“Getting a crane on the south jetty requires moving it along the beach, and we couldn’t
put it on the beach in nesting season,” Logue said in an e-mail. “If the
contractor only has four months per year to work in an area, everything had
better go perfectly, or he has to wait for the next four-month construction
window.”

The jetties, now closed to fishing and pedestrian traffic, should be finished by
March, when contractors complete driving the concrete piles on the south jetty.

The contractors will be driving steel sheet piles on the north jetty for about two
weeks into September. On the same jetty, it’ll probably be the end of November before
the concrete piling work is done, according to Logue.

More than half of 200 concrete piles have been put in at the north jetty and a third
section of new deck had been poured as of an Aug. 12 ERM update of the project.
The fourth concrete pour was scheduled for late in August.

On the south jetty, work will resume as soon as nesting season ends, Nov. 1. The
sheet pile driving will go on at that jetty for four to six weeks and will be
followed by the concrete piles.

Beach access south of the inlet is open, and an ERM update notes that north of the
inlet, the beach is accessible by the footpath north of the contractor’s chain
link fence.

The county has posted an “Entrance” sign that directs people into a beach area
behind residential properties in Manalapan since the construction, Police Chief
Clay Walker said. The Police Department has reported an “uptick” in activity in
the 2000 to 4000 blocks of South Ocean Boulevard involving trespassing,
littering and possession of alcohol and has stepped up enforcement in the area,
Walker said.

By Emily J. Minor

His last haircut — before The Big One — was in southern California in February
2009, during an impromptu family trip to Disneyland. He and his dad dodged into
a local shop and got it all cut off for reasons involving immediate personal
comfort.

It was hot.

Then, after that, the beautiful boy with the amazing smile was spending time with his
second cousin, a young man with a brain tumor who had gone bald because of
chemotherapy.

And he began to ask questions.

“You know, he was just curious about what was happening,” says his mother, Sharon
DuBose. “They were just natural questions a child would ask.”

And that’s how 8-year-old Nong Ex DuBose wound up at Colby’s Barber Shop in Ocean
Ridge one recent morning, Tim Cox, the barber, cutting it all off, practically
right down to the scalp. A day later, his mom dropped off the 18 ponytails to
Locks of Love, a charity that’s based in West Palm Beach and distributes
hairpieces to children under age 18 who have permanent hair loss because of
illness.

It’s a wonderful circle-of-life kind of story. Handsome kid with loving parents has
enough social conscience to do something amazing — and suffer some along the
way.

A third grader, Nong Ex — the Ocean Ridge family just calls him Ex — has
accomplished more social good than most of the grown-ups around him.

And it wasn’t always easy — like the time at tennis this past summer when the boys
were telling him to go stand in the girl’s line.

“I was against him growing his hair long,” says his father, Michael DuBose, whose
20-year-old cousin, Dallas DuBose, was the young man who died of cancer in
April 2009.

“There were difficulties,” DuBose said. “There was teasing.

“But he was so strong and so dedicated. It just made me so proud.”

Locks of Love is the charity started 13 years ago when Palm Beach County resident
Madonna W. Coffman’s daughter developed alopecia, a confounding disease that
causes often-permanent hair loss. Coffman herself began suffering from alopecia
in 1984, so she knew what her pre-teen daughter was going through.

The nonprofit operating south of downtown West Palm Beach has just the one office
and handles incoming hair from all across America.

Spokeswoman Lauren Kukkamaa says they provide hair prostheses foryes""> about 400 people a year, all courtesy of donations.

And while you might not think that doing for others is child’s play, Kukkamaa knows
otherwise. The majority of their donors are children, she said — even though
the likes of Ann Currie, Lisa Ling and Sammy Hagar have donated their hair to
the cause. (Hagar had his hair cut live on Jay Leno.)

“We estimate that 80 percent of our donors are children,” Kukkamaa says.

Why?

“A child can do this. They latch onto the idea of having to grow their hair to
help someone. “They don’t have to pull out a checkbook.”

They just have to have a good heart and a fair amount of stamina — like an
8-year-old boy we happen to know who recently started the third grade with a
very short buzz cut.

Locks of Love
Started in 1997 by Palm Beach County resident Madonnna W. Coffman, Locks of
Love uses donated human hair to provide prosthetic pieces for anyone under age
21 who is suffering from permanent medical hair loss. To donate or apply for
help, call 561-833-7332, or visit locksoflove.org.

By Mary Thurwachter

Who can forget Hurricane Wilma, the menacing Category 3 of 2005 that sneaked up on us from the southwest and left us without power for days?

Now here we are smack dab in the middle of another hurricane season that experts
predict to be busier than usual and we wonder what, if anything, has changed to
help us navigate another big storm.

There’s nothing we can do to prevent a hurricane from blowing our way, but some
improvements have been made to help us better cope with a storm.

For starters, several grocery stores and filling stations have installed back-up
generators, so that we shouldn’t have to drive 20 miles or more, wait in line
and cross our fingers that we will be able to fill up our tanks or restock our
pantries after the storm.

Of course, not all filling stations have generators, and that includes Vin’s
Gulfstream Texaco at 5002 N. Ocean Blvd., near Briny Breezes, the only gas
station east of the Intracoastal Waterway.

However, with the loan of a generator during the last hurricane, the station was able to provide gas to employees of Bethesda Memorial Hospital. The station is likely to do the same for the next hurricane, says manager Vin Dinanath, whose wife works at the hospital. But since Vin’s is in an evacuation area, Dinanath and company will skedaddle like the rest of us before any hurricane strikes the barrier islands.

In Highland Beach, a large generator has been added to serve municipal buildings
since Wilma, said Town Clerk Beverly Brown. In case of a power outage, the
generator will provide power to all three municipal buildings — Town Hall, the
water plant and the library.

In Lantana, The Carlisle Palm Beach, a luxury retirement living facility, added
generators so power will be up and running quickly. Before a hurricane strikes,
residents will be bused to the Carlisle in Naples, according to spokeswoman
Natasha Deomath.

The Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan has had a generator since it opened in 1991. The
generator, said Christine DiRocco, director of public relations, will start
automatically when the hotel loses power. The life safety systems — one
elevator in each tower, corridor stairs, public area emergency lighting, exit
signs, storm water pumps and a few miscellaneous items are on the emergency
plan. Because it is mandatory to evacuate and close the hotel for hurricanes,
it is only required to have life safety systems on the generator. However, it
does have resources available that can provide a portable generator to operate
the entire hotel after a hurricane in order to reopen as soon as possible,
until power is restored.

Work done in the past year by Florida Power & Light may make life a little more
tolerable after the storm, too. The power company installed stronger concrete
power poles along A1A.

“It was part of our comprehensive plan since the hurricanes of 2004,” said FPL
spokeswoman Sarah Marmion. “Replacing the old wooden poles with concrete ones
will help reduce outages and shorten the duration,” she said. “Of course, we
can’t promise there won’t be power outages.”

City fathers, local clubs and school officials have taken steps to fortify
buildings. In Gulf Stream, for example, the Town Hall got a new barrel tile
roof last year and installed impact windows and doors. And at the exclusive
Gulf Stream Golf Club, impact windows have replaced less sturdy glass.
Hurricane windows also have been added at the Gulf Stream School.

Regardless of how sturdy the windows or power poles are, coastal residents still need to follow the traditional drill as a hurricane approaches — and that means leaving
to ride out the storm out of harm’s way.

There are shelters nearby, but residents who haven’t already left to spend the hot
season elsewhere typically escape to a friend’s home or a hotel.

Watches, warnings and police

This year there have been some changes in the definition of the common terms used to describe certain storm conditions, so it is especially important that residents
understand and respond to these situations if announced, says Ocean Ridge
Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi. “Due to the increased accuracy in predicting the
direction and characteristics of an approaching storm, the advance notice for a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning have been increased,” he says. “A hurricane watch will now be issued 48 hours in advance. A hurricane warning will be issued 36 hours in advance.”

“Police will leave if there’s a mandatory evacuation,” Yannuzzi said, even though the
Ocean Ridge Police Department was built to sustain 155 mph winds. And before
the storm, when an evacuation is called for, police will go door to door to
make sure everyone knows it’s time to go.

“If they refuse to go, and we can’t force anyone to go, we give them a next-of-kin
form and tell them to fill it out and put it in the freezer,” he said. “That
way we know where to look if things go badly. If they need us during the storm,
we won’t be there.”

GAS STATIONS AND GROCERY STORES

Gas stations with generator back-up from I-95 east (Lantana-Boca)

* Moe’s Sunoco, 106 S. Dixie Highway, Lantana

* Good Way Oil, 810 S. Dixie Highway, Lantana

* Shell Gateway,yes""> 2360 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach

* Pinewood Texaco 645 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., Boynton Beach

* Woolbright Petroleum, 1601 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach

* Delray Chevron 1909 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach (just near the I-95 exit on west side)

* Nexstore Gas, 8081 Congress Ave., Boca Raton (just near the I-95 exit on west side)

* U Gas, 5101 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

* Ron’s Camino Real Mobil, Pearson Enterprises, 1 Camino Real, Boca Raton

Grocery stores with generator back-up

* Publix, 1589 W. Lantana Road, Lantana

* Winn-Dixie, 1491 S. Dixie Highway, Lantana

* Publix, Sunshine Square, 501 SE 18th Ave., Boynton Beach

* Publix, North Delray Commons, 555 NE 5th Ave., Delray Beach

* Publix, Boca Valley Plaza, 7431 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

* Publix, at Spanish River, 141 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

* Whole Foods in Boca 1400 Glades Road, #110, Boca Raton

* Publix at Palmetto Park Square, 1339 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton

* Publix at Mercado Real, 1001 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton

Where to find shelters

The four closest shelters are:

• Park Vista High School, 7900 Jog Road, Boynton Beach

• Boynton Beach High School, 4975 Park Ridge Blvd., Boynton Beach

• Atlantic High School, 2455 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach

• Boca Raton High School, 1501 NW 15th Court, Boca Raton.

Special needs

People with physical, medical or other disabilities, as well as the elderly, need to
plan for their safety during a storm like anyone else. But their needs may call for more
detailed planning and entail friends, family, neighbors and health-care attendants.

You can go online and sign up if you need help with transportation or to reserve a
bed. If there are evacuations, some shelters will be available for folks with special needs. To reserve, call (561) 712-6400.

Fetching a safe home for Fido

Most pet owners will take their four-legged buddies along wherever they go, but, if
you need to board your pooch or kitty, you can find a list of local animal
hospitals and facilities that will do that at Animal Care & Control,
www.pbcgov.com/publicsafety/animalcare/, or phone (561) 233-1200.

Residents looking for a public shelter that welcomes pets will find one at the gymnasium at the West Boynton Beach Recreation Center, east of the high school at 6000 Northtree Blvd., Lake Worth. It’s between Hypoluxo Road and Gateway Boulevard
off the east side of Jog Road. Phone: (561) 233-1266.

Preparation is key

If you haven’t already, stock your pantry with canned goods, your freezer with ice
and make sure you have plenty of bottled water, batteries for flashlights and
radios, and gasoline for your generator (if you have one). Have your storm
shutters handy and get ready to roll if you need to evacuate.

Then pray the experts predicting a busier-than-usual season are wrong and enjoy
what’s left of the summer.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Mary Thurwachter is a West Palm Beach freelance writer and founder/producer of the
travel e-zine INNsideFlorida.com.

The Lilly Pulitzer dresses worn by our local models in the August edition were provided courtesy of C. Orrico, 1218 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. 278-5353. The store is open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday.

I don’t think I’m a snob. But, except on rare occasions, I don’t go west of I-95 or south of Linton to dine or shop.

I have friends who live south and west, but I don’t see them very often. I can’t explain it. I used to work in Miami Beach and in Boca Raton. My husband worked in Fort Lauderdale for years and we would socialize, dine and shop in those towns when we worked there.

But now that I’m working where I live, I also shop and dine where I live. I like it here. A lot.

So why are we starting a new edition of The Coastal Star for the residents and businesses in Highland Beach and coastal Boca Raton? Because the readers and advertisers in that coastal area to the south are hungry for a local newspaper and it makes good business sense.

This Coastal Boca Raton and Highland Beach edition will be significantly different from the edition that lands in your driveway. We will share some features, but unless a story is of
regional interest, you won’t be reading about these two towns in your edition of the paper. I hope you don’t mind.

Honestly, it’s been a difficult decision to commit to this expansion. But, we are excited to increase the involvement of a couple of our core staff members:

Scott Simmons will assume the day-to-day responsibilities for news coverage in the two towns to our south. We’re excited that he’ll also be more involved in the design of both papers, and I’m especially pleased that he will be the one delivering the paper to the single-family homes in this new circulation area!

On the advertising side, Maureen Kelly is expanding her responsibilities and will take the sales lead in Boca and Highland Beach. She knows the market and brings great connections with her from her years at the now-defunct Boca Raton News.

Jerry Lower (the above-mentioned husband) and I will expand our roles as Publisher and Executive Editor, respectively, to oversee both editions. Chris Bellard stays as Advertising Manager.

All of us remain committed to our mission of providing local news, information and advertising dedicated to our coastal neighbors.

— Mary Kate Leming, editor

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

We’ve had a long, hot summer that’s made cooking and even eating seem like a chore. But you can perk up heat-weary appetites with the help of three local chefs
whose Caribbean and Asian cuisines are perfect for steamy weather.

We talked to Beverly Jacobs, chef/owner of Bamboo Fire Café, and Pauline Hutchinson-Smith, who was chef/owner of the recently sold Pauline’s Island Time
Bar & Grill, both in Delray Beach, as well as Toi Duong, chef/owner of La
Tre in Boca Raton.

Their recipes take advantage of chilies not only for their sweat-producing heat (which actually cools the body), but also for their flavor.

You can grow your own chilies in your backyard or in containers on a balcony. Many varieties of peppers do well in our tropical climate. Or, you can purchase chilies in markets and green markets,
making them the perfect seasonal, local addition to summer meals.

Much like South Florida, the climate in Vietnam is tropically hot year round, says Duong of La Tre, who has had his restaurant for more than 20 years. So he
recommends a cooling salad such as the popular Goi-Ga or Chicken Salad With
Grapefruit.

He remembers his mother making this dish when he was growing up in Nha Trang, a beach resort in central Vietnam. Duong says the people of this area of Vietnam
are “spicy experts,” and he’s a fan of the food. “I eat raw chili peppers on
almost anything,” he says.

His mother would serve this chicken salad with beer and sake as an appetizer, but here in South Florida it makes a refreshing meal.

Vietnamese salads are known for their layers of flavor and texture. For this salad, you begin with a base of finely sliced cabbage, carrots and onions that you let
macerate in a mixture of white vinegar, water and sugar. This makes the
vegetables softer and more digestible as well as more flavorful.

Then add even more flavor with a layer of shredded chicken, grapefruit segments and slivered chili peppers. Chopped
cilantro gives a sprightly taste and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds
provides crunch.

It’s all dressed with a mixture based on nuoc mam, or Vietnamese fish sauce. This dressing is particularly light because it doesn’t contain oil.

Today, Duong grows chili peppers, vegetables and herbs in the garden of his Boynton Beach home. “Chili peppers are part of Vietnamese cuisine. Every house that has
a garden has them to use every day,” he says.

Hutchinson-Smith, who lives in Delray Beach, enjoys preparing the Jamaican dishes she learned to make from her Aunt Carmen while growing up in Montego Bay.

However, she admits she didn’t enjoy her time in the kitchen as a child. “I had to sit at the end of the counter and watch her cook when I wanted to be somewhere
else. I was so resentful,” she says.

Hutchinson-Smith lived in the Caribbean until she was 15 years old, then moved to New York with her family. At 20, she got her own
apartment. It’s then that she started to appreciate her culinary talents as she
entertained friends with seven-course meals and created holiday dinners that
included five meat dishes.

She’s known for making her own hot pepper sauce and jerk seasoning. But that doesn’t mean her food is overly hot.

“I like my food well-spiced, not spicy,” she says. That’s why she particularly likes Scotch bonnet peppers. “They
can give you heat if you ask for it, but they don’t have to.” For less spice,
you merely remove the seeds before using them or use the peppers whole and
remove them from the dish before serving. That way they provide their fruity
flavor, not heat.

To show off her favorite chilies, Hutchinson-Smith created two recipes for us. The Spicy Ginger Pepper Sauce is a simplified version of her jerk sauce that has 22
ingredients. This recipe has less than half that many, but gives good island
flavor using those Jamaican favorites ginger root, Scotch bonnet peppers,
scallions, garlic and fresh thyme leaves.

Her Hot Pepper Chicken With Tomatoes is quick to prepare when you don’t feel like cooking. The colorful grape tomatoes tempt your eyes even before you take a
bite. And the simple combination of jalapeños and Scotch bonnets will perk up
your appetite.

Elsewhere in Delray Beach, Jacobs of Bamboo Fire Café is a very busy woman. Weekdays she works for Miami-Dade County as a paralegal. But weekends, she’s at her
restaurant. “Cooking there gives me a chance to show my creative side,” she
says.

Here, the island food is lovingly prepared by this woman from Guyana, who learned to eat peppers as a baby and to cook from her mother. The idea for her restaurant
started when friends asked her to cater parties from her Loxahatchee home.

After catering for a while, she opened a small takeout spot but decided she didn’t want her food served from a steam table. So in 2008, she and her husband,
Donald, opened their restaurant with her mother helping do the prep work. She calls her cooking “Caribbean,” but
it is partly based on the food of her homeland.

She hails from a country that, according to her, is 60 percent Eastern Indian with blacks, Chinese, Native Indians and Portuguese rounding out the population. All
these cultures influence the national cuisine.

Thus she flavors her curries with garam masala and Madras curry powder. And she puts ginger root and star anise in her oxtail stew. Each week she makes a batch of her own rum Scotch bonnet
hot sauce in which she uses celery and onion to cool down its taste.

“My cooking can be as spicy as you like,” she says. But as she’s gotten older, she eats less spicy food. “There’s a balance I try to strike.” But she adds that
sometimes “when I’m in the mood, I crave something so hot it makes my nose
run.”

You’ll find a nice balance in her recipe for Spicy But Mellow Coconut Chicken. This is a braised dish that is best made with bone-in chicken pieces so the meat
doesn’t dry out. The chicken is simmered with coconut milk that mellows the
peppers.

The addition of stock to the braising liquid keeps the dish from being too heavy. “I add my own twist to make things lighter,” she says.

IF YOU GO

Bamboo Fire Café

149 NE Fourth Ave.

Delray Beach

561-749-0973 or 954-907-4174

La Tre

249 E. Palmetto Park Road

Boca Raton

561-392-4568

By Steve Plunkett

Homeowners would pay $800 to $1,100 a year for 20 years to put overhead electric, telephone and cable TV wires underground, the town’s consulting engineer says.

The cost will depend on how much each household benefits from burying the wires based on aesthetics, safety and reliability of the new system, engineer Danny Brannon told town commissioners at their August meeting.

Brannon also told commissioners that Florida Power & Light Co. recently adopted a policy of refusing to allow outside contractors to connect high-voltage underground cables in pad-mounted transformers or switching cabinets. That could make an underground project more expensive and time-consuming, both for Gulf Stream and future towns that wish to convert.

FPL wants the contractors to leave the work site after they install the cabinets, send in company crews to connect the cables, then let the contractors back in to finish up. It would affect roughly 150 connections in Gulf Stream, Brannon said.

“We’ve found it’s better — construction-wise and schedule-wise and community-harmony-wise—for the town to undertake the [whole] installation,’’ he said after the meeting. “In Jupiter Island we did that and it worked very well.’’

Brannon said FPL has cut some engineering positions and is taking much longer to develop cost estimates. He’s hopeful he can get the utility to abandon the new policy on connections.

“It’s just another issue that needs to be ironed out,’’ he said.

Wildan Financial Services is canvassing Gulf Stream now to rank each household’s benefits and should have its ratings to Town Manager William H. Thrasher by mid-September, Brannon said. That should give the town enough time to educate voters on specific costs and hold a Town Hall meeting in November, he said.

The rating can be different for two sides of the same street, Brannon said. For example, while Hidden Harbor Drive already has underground service, a house on the north side of the street also has overhead wires along the back of the lot. Aesthetically, it will benefit more from the project than a house on the south side because its occupants will no longer see wires when they’re out in the backyard.

Neighborhoods with only overhead wires would benefit the most and pay the most, Brannon said.

By Margie Plunkett

The Delray Beach City Commission’s decision to explore turning to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for police protection was dropped as quickly as it was launched early last month, deflated after the panel learned that seeking a quote would be a one-shot opportunity, among other drawbacks.

Mayor Woodie McDuffie relayed at an Aug. 10 meeting his discussion with Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who said his team could put together a quote in time for this year’s budget approval. “He made this very clear: It’s a one-bite-at-the-apple deal. He’ll go through the process once only. If we say ‘no,’ it’s over,” the mayor said, adding, “We’re not ready for it at this moment.”

With budget constraints as the backdrop, commissioners moved at an Aug. 3 meeting to investigate whether there would be significant dollar savings from hiring the PBSO. The effort appeared weak-hearted from the start, as commissioners noted they felt a duty to explore the costs but strongly preferred keeping the Police Department under the city’s control. The issue is raised routinely by residents who say it could save millions of dollars, the panel said.

The mayor commented after City Manager David Harden implored commissioners to put off requesting a PBSO proposal until after completion of a Police Department Staffing and Deployment Study they just approved. “The results of that study would give us a data-driven service-level analysis on which to base our request to the sheriff for a proposal,” he said in a memo.

Harden also recommended holding a public hearing to determine the residents’ wishes before seeking the proposal. “Giving up a Police Department is an extremely serious decision with far-reaching consequences and implications,” the memo said.

Harden offered several other reasons to reconsider, beginning with “haste makes waste.” While Delray Beach wanted the PBSO proposal by late September, it took Greenacres eight months to get a completed proposal and Davie spent a year and a half evaluating whether to switch to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the memo said. “Staff believes it is impossible to obtain a thorough analysis of the costs involved in time to affect the FY 2011 budget.”

Some cities that have made the switch have experienced significantly higher costs rather than expected savings, Harden said. Cities often make the change when they’ve either had complaints about their police department or have hit the tax-rate ceiling of $10 per $1,000 of taxable property value.

There are also unexpected logistical consequences, including times when the PBSO has to sign off on ordinances, attorney Brian Shute said.

“Do you really want to give up your Police Department?” Harden asked, pointing out there are alternatives to contracting out all police services, including exploring savings from shared services — such as dispatch — with neighboring communities. “Once you give up (the Police Department), it’s almost impossible to recreate.”

The commission ultimately unanimously agreed it would not seek a PBSO proposal.

McDuffie expressed doubts that the city would have time to provide the info the Sheriff’s Office needs in time for a proposal to be submitted before budget approval. And the community is largely opposed to contracting out police services, according to the mayor: “It’s 100 percent against.”

“I’ve heard so many negative things about doing this, I personally want to take it off the table,” said Commissioner Fred Fetzer, who initiated the issue. “I don’t think it’s appropriate. I think the timing’s bad.”

“Our Police Department has a major identity,” said Commissioner Adam Frankel, and because officers are familiar faces, known in the community, they’re often able to resolve issues peacefully. To seek a sheriff’s proposal right now, he said, “in a rushed manner — I don’t think it serves anyone.”

Delray Beach has set a course to boost the price of storing a sailboat on the beach.

Commissioners passed an ordinance on first reading Aug. 17 to increase the annual fee for storing a sailboat on the municipal beach to $250 plus sales tax, up from $200. The rate hasn’t been changed since 1995.

Second reading and a public hearing were set for Sept. 7.

— Margie Plunkett

By Thom Smith

Colonel Sanders was the chicken king, but Michelle Bernstein may be the new queen, and if enough of her subjects seek an audience, it could be good news for the troubled Omphoy Resort just north of the Lake Worth bridge.

The rage at her Miami restaurant for years, Bernstein’s fried chicken is now an all-you-can-eat item on Wednesdays at Michelle Bernstein at the Omphoy. Price: $36 including cornbread, cole slaw and watermelon Greek salad, plus a red velvet cupcake.

Let’s face it, The Omphoy can use all the help it can muster. Stabfund (USA) Inc., a Swiss investor, filed a foreclosure suit against Ceebraid-Signal Corp., parent company of Omphoy and Lake Worth’s Gulfstream Hotel. Stabfund wants its $60 million back.

Ceebraid-Signal has been blessed by bad timing. After several delays and nearly a $100 million investment, The Omphoy opened last summer, just as the economy was tanking. This after Ceebraid-Signal had bought the historic Gulfstream, on the city side of the bridge, in 2005, just in time for Hurricane Wilma. It hasn’t opened since. Fortunately for Ceebraid-Signal, its old standby, the Brazilian Court, is a condominium, so it still realizes income from those fees.

Meanwhile the Omphoy limps along, hoping to restructure its debt. “Ceebraid has rallied from numerous setbacks over the years,” a source said, noting that Bernstein’s restaurant and the Exhale Spa continue to do well. But the Omphoy is “not running as a four-star resort,” and the company is “looking for a partner.”

When we last visited Callaro’s in this column, the Manalapan restaurant was providing hors d’oeuvres for Florida Stage’s farewell party. The stage is now empty, but business must go on, so Callaro’s is augmenting its steaks and seafood with something new: SOB dance parties.

That’s SOB as in South Ocean Boulevard.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 10, the lights go down and the music comes up for late night dancing designed to attract singles, couples, singles who may become couples and couples on the verge of going single. Different drink and food specials are offered each night.

In a twist on the old adage, the Delray Beach Public Library seems to be on a course that the path to a man’s heart — and brain — is through his stomach.

When city cut the library’s funding by 5 percent, the library turned to the city’s vibrant restaurant community to take up some slack. “Dine Out for a Cause” — begun in 2008 as a summer promotion — features city officials “performing” as celebrity chefs. On Aug. 26, at the Triple 8 Lounge at Falcon House, Mayor Woodie McDuffie took his turn in the kitchen. More customers for Falcon House, and the library got 10 percent of the total tab.

The library also has a deal with Ken Bebout, who owns a Subway two blocks away on Atlantic Avenue. Realizing that young readers make good customers, Bebout began donating food and free coupons to neighborhood children who take part in the library’s summer reading programs.

On Aug. 19, he opened his second sub shop at the corner of Federal and Atlantic, and proceeds from opening day went, natch, to the library.

Just across the street from the library is the Delray Beach Tennis Center, which has hosted the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships for 13 years. For its contribution to the county’s tourism, the tournament was just named recipient of the 2010 Providencia Award by the Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Due largely to the tournament, Delray was voted one of the “10 Best Tennis Towns” in the nation by the U.S. Tennis Association. Who can forget February’s match on Atlantic Avenue featuring John “You can’t be serious” McEnroe and Ronald Agenor?

Nominees included the Boca Raton Museum of Art, CityPlace, David Feder, International Polo Club Palm Beach, Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Nancy Marshall and the Palm Beach International Boat Show. Previous winners include Jack Nicklaus, The Morikami Museum, the Norton Museum of Art, SunFest and the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

Presentation is set for Sept. 30 at the County Convention Center.

Love’s labors won’t be lost this Labor Day weekend, thanks to Il Bacio. The Delray nightclub’s “Amazonia,” party on Sept. 5, will feature a glow-in-the-dark body paint fashion show, neon jungle models and a seven-piece reggae band. Guests are urged to wear all white. Reservations required (561-865-7785).

Restaurateur Burt Rapoport anticipates a mid-autumn opening for his new waterfront restaurant in the site formerly occupied by Busch’s Seafood. It won’t, however, be called Burt’s At The Bridge, as previously reported. Stay tuned.

The other Intracoastal bridge, on George Bush Boulevard, is closed for repair, and so is Pauline’s Restaurant … for good. A sign in the window by the new — undisclosed — owner says it will reopen in November.

We’ll give the just-opened Caliente Kitchen some time before deciding if it’s just another taco stand, no matter that they’re served in bright orange shells. Lots of tequilas behind the long red bar. The trendy cantina at the west end of Atlantic shares a courtyard with Tryst.

So Aunt Sophie in Topeka is on a diet and you want to punish her? Why not have TooJay’s send her a “Killer Cake”? The popular deli that spread from its original location in Palm Beach’s Royal Poinciana Plaza to 26 locations in Florida, including Boca, Boynton and Lake Worth, is going semi-national.

From the decadent Killer Cake ($37.95) to the Ultimate Deli Lunch (serves 6-8) for $74.95, TooJay’s Online Store will ship anywhere east of the Mississippi for just $19.95 and guarantee it’s fresh. Call 888-537-8380 or visit www.toojays.com.

One of the largest nonprofits anywhere and one of the smallest hooked up for a fund-raiser at Crane’s BeachHouse in Delray Aug. 19.

As custodian for a 146,000-acre National Wildlife Preserve, the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation may be the largest nonprofit on earth. The Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach only occupies 10 acres.

Both, however, need money, and since they are two of Palm Beach County’s “greenest” organizations and both feature names that begin with M, it was fitting that green M&Ms were the treat of the day.

A handful of guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a raffle that included exotic plants and airboat rides to raise money and awareness for the crucial environmental groups.

“It’s a start,” said Mounts Friends Chairman Mike Zimmerman.

Thom Smith is a freelance writer. He can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.

By Angie Francalancia

Leaders in the coastal communities were rejoicing over the recent news that controversial Senate Bill 360 had been declared unconstitutional — a bill they believed would have opened the door to rampant coastal development and thousands of additional drivers on A1A.

“We were very glad. In fact, we feel rather vindicated,” said Bob Ganger, president of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, a group focused on preserving the low-density lifestyle on the barrier islands. The group formed in 2007 to fight the proposed development of Briny Breezes from a trailer park into a dense resort with a hotel and condominiums.

On Aug. 26, Chief Judge Charles Francis of the Second Circuit declared SB 360 unconstitutional. The 2009 law, which loosened state planning requirements and controls on urban sprawl, had been challenged by four counties and 16 cities, but none from Palm Beach County.

The grounds for the decision was Francis’ view that the law resulted in an “unfunded mandate,” unfairly burdening local governments with state requirements, and violated a 1991 statute.

It would have required every government in the big counties to pay for rewriting their comprehensive plans, an estimated cost high enough to declare the bill a violation of state law, the ruling said.

Sen. Mike Bennett, the bill’s chief sponsor, told the News Service of Florida that state lawmakers — in the session beginning next March — would address the flaws and pass similar legislation.

For now, though, coastal watchdogs and city leaders were breathing easier. The barrier islands — and all of Palm Beach County — won’t be declared a “dense urban land area” as the bill had indicated.

Earlier versions of the bill had made an exception for the so-called high-hazard coastal areas, Ganger said. But when the final bill was finished, the exception had been removed.

“The final package read the same as if the Mona Lisa had been painted by committee,” Ganger said. “We don’t know if that was just sloppiness, but to declare the whole county a dense urban land area, it’s a classic case of some bureaucrat deciding the fate of literally millions of people.”

Any county with a population greater than 1 million would have been declared a dense urban land area under the 18-month-old law, and all governments within such areas would have had to change their comprehensive plans. Supporters pushed for the law to encourage urban development by removing what they considered excessive regulation, making development less expensive for the developers. Critics, including the plaintiffs, said it placed more burden on local governments and taxpayers to cover the costs incurred by growth.

“I was a strong supporter of the lawsuit, but I couldn’t get any of the other commissioners to go along,” said Ocean Ridge Commissioner Terry Brown. “I’m completely excited and elated that it was ruled unconstitutional.”

Even though the proposed sale of 43-acre Briny Breezes had fizzled long before the 2009 legislative session in which the bill was passed, locals feared a resurrection of a proposal that would similarly increase density tenfold, as the earlier concept would have done.

Briny Breezes Mayor Roger Bennett said he hadn’t paid attention to the bill. “Since our deal fell through, we didn’t think it would have much of an affect on us,” he said.

Brown said he and others would be paying attention when the state Legislature reconvenes next year. “I’m not so sure in the long run that Briny was going to get too far, but it woke up a lot of people along the coast,” he said. “I just don’t think the battle is over.”

By Tim O’Meilia

Basil Diamond, the man who led the battle to revamp Manalapan’s voting system eight years ago, is back on the Town Commission. But he isn’t the mayor, as many had hoped.

Instead, commissioners chose Vice Mayor Kelly Gottlieb, who was Diamond’s cohort in the 2002 electoral skirmish, to succeed Tom Gerrard as mayor. Gerrard resigned July 28, citing family medical reasons.

Diamond, who served six years on the commission before retiring in 2008, got a consolation prize from the commission. He was picked to fill Gottlieb’s commission seat. Both positions have seven months remaining.

Neither selection came easy. In response to a letter from the town clerk gauging the interest of town voters, 81 respondents favored Diamond and 46 backed Gottlieb, although the letter was not meant to be a straw poll. But Gottlieb, a commissioner for eight years, got the votes of four commissioners.

“How are we ignoring our constituents?” asked Commissioner Louis DeStefano after Gottlieb was nominated. “I assume we are here to represent the voters. I have found time and time again it’s a self-serving commission.”

Commissioner Peter Evans nominated Gottlieb. “I believe we should do what precedent prescribes,” he said, noting that many residents are out of town for the summer.

Commissioners Marilyn Hedberg, William Bernstein, Evans and Gottlieb voted for her. Howard Roder and DeStefano dissented.

“I want to thank those who did support me,” Gottlieb said after she was sworn in. “And for those who didn’t support me, I hope in the next seven months I can gain your confidence.”

Commissioners couldn’t initially decide on a vice mayor. Evans declined the nomination and neither Hedberg, Roder nor Bernstein could get a second to their nominations.

Instead, they decided to fill the newly vacant commission seat. Diamond was quickly approved by a 3-2 vote. DeStefano, Roder and Evans backed Diamond. Hedberg and Bernstein opposed. The mayor votes only in case of a tie.

Diamond was promptly elevated to vice mayor on a 5-1 vote, with Bernstein dissenting.

“We’ve been through a period of time where in the elections process feelings get more extreme than they need to be. That process is over,” he said.

Diamond said he returned to the commission to help soothe the contentiousness among commissioners that has slowed decision-making. He said his time off the commission left him more sensitive to residents’ concerns.

“In my wildest expectations, I didn’t think I’d be vice mayor,” he said. “I had a 2-1 margin on the residents’ responses but I knew I didn’t have the votes on the commission to be mayor. But at least I can vote.”

A Diamond proposal helped resolve an issue that had been hanging since April. The commission agreed to a policy on drafting ordinances for the commission’s consideration.

The commission agreed unanimously to require commission approval before any town commissioner, advisory board or advisory board members can ask the town attorney to research or draft an ordinance. The exception would be housekeeping changes or state mandates under the direction of the town manager.

The issue arose when former Mayor Tom Gerrard asked the town attorney to revise Palm Beach County’s turtle protection ordinance to fit Manalapan without seeking the commission’s approval.

In action taken at the Aug. 4 meeting, the commission:

• Set the tentative tax rate at $3.10 per $1,000 of taxable property value after Town Manager Tom Heck proposed a $3.589 rate, which could be reduced during budget workshops and hearings in August and September. The current rate is $2.80. “This causes us to be more fiscally responsible,” DeStefano said. Commissioners voted five times before settling on the final figure by a 4-2 vote.

• Sent a proposed change in the size of real estate signs in yards back to the zoning commission. The zoning commission recommended maximum 80-square-inch signs after hearing complaints from real estate agents, but the Town Commission prefers a 40-square-inch limit on Point Manalapan to match the ocean limits.

Name: Richard Lincoln

Years in Lantana: 10

Biggest Hurdle: Keeping Lantana’s “fishing village” image while fighting big-city-type crime

Last Day: Sept. 27

Name: Jeff Tyson

Years in Lantana: 11

Biggest Hurdle: Following the popular Lincoln with a smaller department

First Day: Sept. 27

The white cat from the litter born in the impound lot lays spread out in the chief’s desk chair, barely opening his eyes to see who entered the office.

“Some departments have canine units. We have a feline unit,” Lantana Police Chief Rick Lincoln says, explaining how he shares his office with George — or maybe it’s Ringo. Nobody seems to remember which cat got which Beatle’s name.

The station mascots just go with the territory for the man who has run the small-town department — often wrestling with big-time crime — for the past decade.

Lincoln hangs up his badge this month, ending a career in law enforcement that began in the early 1970s as a member of the third Palm Beach Community College police
academy class. His career took him through Delray Beach Police Department, the
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office before taking over 10 years ago in Lantana. But he always fit right into the town that spans little more than two square miles and holds only 10,000 inhabitants.

“Chief Lincoln is one of the best we’ve ever had. He is a people person, and I’ve loved working with him,” said Jack Carpenter, a 51-year resident who volunteers with the Citizen Observer Patrol program. “He’s jumped right in there and got involved with everything.”

“I don’t think I know everybody, but I do know a lot of people,” Lincoln says. “In a community like this, it shows how important it is that the police chief know people.”

He was a calm, unifying force for the town going through the chaos of firing its city manager and the retirement of the former police chief in the late 1990s. His experience would ultimately prove invaluable as Lantana acknowledged it wasn’t a small fishing village anymore, but a diverse community facing crime like much bigger cities.

Then-new City Manager Michael Bornstein asked him for 10 years, and he’s given 10 — almost exactly. “I wanted people to have a sense that we were in this for the long term,” Bornstein said. “To find someone of his caliber was tremendous.”

The man who seems more comfortable giving praise than getting it was responsible for helping Lantana computerize its record-keeping — previously they were on index cards, Bornstein said —get the department accredited, put computers in police cars and create a huge youth program that includes an officer at Lantana Middle School.

“We strive not to say we’re a small town because we don’t deal with small-town problems, Bornstein said. “We changed it to ‘hometown’ in our mission statement. Chief Lincoln got that he’s part of that definition of hometown.”

While he’s made his reputation at police headquarters through major cases like the arrest of human traffickers who kidnapped an 18-year-old from Guatemala, and a double homicide involving the Top 6 gang, the townspeople know him as much through his regular visits to the Lantana Chamber of Commerce and his work with the Kiwanis.

Look for Lincoln to be on the floor with the wrench, putting together bicycles every year during the Hypoluxo Lantana Kiwanis’ annual bicycle giveaway.

“He also chairs the Kiwanis community golf tournament held every year,” said Ron Washam, president of the Greater Lantana Chamber and a fellow Kiwanian.

“He’s been a great public servant,” Washam said. “There’s a lot of mixed emotions going around at this time. We have a lot of confidence in Jeff Tyson. He’s been a real pro. But Rick brought the department to the next level.”

While Lincoln made significant advances, the Lantana Police Department hasn’t been immune to budget constraints, which has shrunk the department by six positions
in the last three budget years — including the loss of the two captain positions. When Capt. Jeff Tyson becomes Chief Tyson, his position won’t be filled.

“Jeff’s certainly going to have his hands full with two divisions but no captains,” Lincoln said.

But Tyson’s biggest challenge may be following in Lincoln’s large footsteps.

Like Lincoln, Tyson served in Delray Beach and at Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office before moving to the Lantana Police Department in 1999. Both men pride themselves on
being accessible, fair and committed to getting the job done.

With a smaller staff, “its going to be a challenge,” Tyson said. “I’ll be a bit more of a hands-on police chief. But I expect a smooth transition, and there’s no major changes that need to be accomplished. I’m inheriting a department that’s run very well.”

By Emily J. Minor

Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi is looking into red-light and surveillance cameras for the two major intersections in the town of Ocean Ridge, and he’s including Briny
Breezes in that research.
If it happens, the Briny camera equipment would be at A1A and Cordova Road. The
Ocean Ridge equipment would be at Ocean Avenue and A1A and Woolbright Road and
A1A.
Yannuzzi, who was at the Briny Breezes town meeting on Aug. 26 to discuss his
department’s new contract for police protection that starts this fall, told
officials he’s just beginning to meet with vendors who could provide three
different kinds of options: Red-light and right-turn ticketing, general
surveillance, and license plate recognition cameras.

It’s too early to know what he might recommend, but Alderman Sharon Kendrigan liked what she heard. “We have a lot of red-light runners here,” she said. “That would be great if we could get a red-light camera.”
Red-light cameras — normally paid for by the installation companies, who then get a cut
from the tickets — have been making their way around South Florida, and creating some commotion.

West Palm Beach has been using them for a while, and Riviera Beach just installed dozens along their city streets. Yannuzzi said new state legislation that went into effect July 1 has laid better ground rules.
“Now that the law has been modified in the state, there are a lot of companies
willing to break ground,” he said.
The legislation spells out specifics, like ticketing guidelines and who gets what
money. With this new law, the state gets half of the ticket money; the company
gets one quarter and the town or city gets the remaining one-quarter.
In addition to the red light and right-turn option, Yannuzzi said he’s also
researching surveillance cameras that would tape video 24-7. Police wouldn’t
monitor that video constantly, but could replay it when researching a possible
crime.
“It would be used for evidence,” he said.
He might also like the idea of the license plate recognition cameras now used in
Manalapan. They can be programmed to alert police if a stolen car comes through
town. They can also keep track of the comings and goings of a suspicious
vehicle.
Still, Yannuzzi said he’s just begun his research and he’s not ready to make any
recommendations. “But since I was doing it, I wanted to make sure to include
Briny Breezes,” he said.

By Tim O’Meilia

For the second month in a row, the South Palm Beach Town Council rejected a request by the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn by the same 3-2 vote.

In July, the request was to operate watercraft. On Aug. 25, it was to extend bar hours on Friday and Saturday nights from midnight until 2 a.m.

And the for the second month in a row, a lawyer for the hotel “strongly requested” that two council members not vote, saying Councilwomen Stella Jordan and Susan Lillybeck are personally affected by the motel’s presence next door to their condominium apartments.

But Town Attorney Brad Biggs ruled that because they had no financial gain or loss on the issue, that they were obligated to vote.

Attorney Eric Christu said the hotel lounge needed the extra hours to compete with those in neighboring towns. “It’s not just a revenue-based request, but a matter of satisfying our clientele,” who are often vacationers from out-of-town.

Councilman Donald Clayman suggested the later hours might lead to more noise and problems and suggested a test of extended hours on several holidays to gauge the impact.

Christu said the inn had already operated later on several special occasions without incident. “To deny us outright on the possibility it might happen is fundamentally unfair,” he said.

Mayor Martin Millar said the town had the resources to handle any problem that could arise with later hours.

When no one offered a motion, Millar stepped aside temporarily and moved to extend the hours. No one seconded.

Finally, Jordan moved that the hours remain the same and that was approved 3-2, with Millar and Councilman Brian Merbler opposed.

“The outcome doesn’t come as a surprise,” inn co-owner Pjeter Paloka said in a statement. “We have two council members that live in the building next door who clearly have a personal interest in the outcome of their own vote.”

The council also gave final approval — by the familiar 3-2 vote — to placing two charter amendments on the March 8 Town Council election ballot.

Both affect the inn, the only commercial operation in town. One charter change would limit all non-residential buildings east of A1A — the inn — to a maximum height of 60 feet with a one-story parking garage. The other change would forbid any new — or the expansion of any existing — non-residential buildings except public buildings; affecting only the inn.

Both items already are in the town’s comprehensive plan, but a charter change would prevent a future council from changing the regulations without another townwide vote.

“Both are a colossal waste of time,” Merbler said. “And as I stare at our legal expenditures, I’m curious what we’re spending drafting and researching these ordinances.”

Biggs estimated the legal cost as $2,000 to $2,400.

The hotel has been turned down twice in recent years on requests for 14- and 10-story condo-hotels. Merbler has favored leaving the height limits more open-ended.

By Dianna Smith

The Wachovia Bank near Briny Breezes is closing and consolidating with a nearby branch, leaving longtime customers with one less bank on the island.

The bank is scheduled to close on Sept. 21.

Branch Manager Ray Lanzi would only say that the closing was a business decision and he would not comment further.

Attorney Erik Joh was the first tenant in the bank building, which opened on April Fool’s Day in 1981. He said his office will remain on the second floor of the building after the bank closes.

He has fond memories of the bank, Joh said, because the employees have always been courteous and thoughtful and they’ve made their customers feel at home.

“There was a familiar face and there was a very friendly, ‘Hello Mr. Smith, nice to see you,’ ” Joh said. “That’s how the bank started when they opened in 1981. This branch has always been an extremely friendly branch.”

Though the Wachovia Bank is moving just across the Woolbright bridge on South Federal Highway, Joh said he expects many of the customers to switch to another bank on
the island.

“Their world shrinks to some extent and many of the folks don’t like getting off A1A,” he said of the bank’s longtime customers on the island. “I would not be surprised if two-thirds of the existing customer base switched.”

Wachovia became part of Wells Fargo nearly two years ago and they are still in the process of combining both companies.

According to Reuters news agency, Wells Fargo is now rehiring former Wachovia staff to fulfill positions in the investment banking business. Some analysts believe this means the bank sees a better chance of expanding via investment banking than through its traditional consumer banking business.

Joh said that he was under the impression that the branch on the island has always been profitable, but in today’s economy, many of these banks are consolidating.

However, those who make the decisions don’t live in the area and don’t realize that many of the older customers don’t like to leave their own slice of paradise.

“I think the bank is going to suffer for it,” he said.