The Wyndham Boca Raton and others ‘have been annihilated’ as never before, an industry executive says. Photo provided

By Mary Hladky

COVID-19 has slammed the Wyndham Boca Raton.
“It is grim,” said general manager Phillip DiPonio. His average occupancy rate has plunged to 25%, “which clearly does not pay the bills.”
About one quarter of his staff has been laid off or furloughed. The bellman is gone. The shuttle service is on ice.
Nearly all his corporate business has canceled to the end of the year. Weddings are way down, and the couples who are booking have dramatically downsized their guest lists. International travelers have disappeared.
One recent bright spot was the arrival of parents bringing their children to start classes at Florida Atlantic and Lynn universities, boosting his occupancy to nearly 40%.
DiPonio has an advantage, though. His Wyndham franchise hotel at 1950 Glades Road is locally owned by Mitchell Robbins, who also is co-owner of the Farmer’s Table restaurant adjacent to the hotel. “I know our owner will sustain us,” he said.
His plight is shared by hoteliers across the county and country.
“Things are probably the worst for the hotel business in its history,” said Peter Ricci, director of FAU’s hospitality and tourism management program.
He expects a very slow recovery, with a return to a “reasonable” amount of business in 12-24 months. But a return to pre-pandemic occupancy, room rates, profit margins and staffing levels will take five to seven years, he says.
A June forecast by hospitality industry data firm STR and Tourism Economics was only a bit more optimistic, saying that U.S. hotel demand will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023, and average daily hotel rates will not fully recover in the next five years.
Roger Amidon, president of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Palm Beach County chapter and general manager of the oceanfront Palm Beach Marriott resort on Singer Island, also said the hotel industry is in dire straits.
“We have been annihilated,” he said. “We have never seen anything like this. There is no light at the end of the tunnel as we see it now.”
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is pressing Congress to provide hotels with economic relief.
“It’s hard to overstate just how devastating the pandemic has been for the hotel industry,” AHLA president and CEO Chip Rogers said on July 29. “We have never seen a crisis of this magnitude.”
A July AHLA survey of hotel owners, operators and employees found that 87% of hotels laid off or furloughed staff because of the coronavirus pandemic and only 37% of hotels have been able to bring back at least half of their full-time employees.
On Aug. 18, the AHLA cited a national report that the hotel industry is facing a wave of foreclosures and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs.
Many Palm Beach County hotels temporarily closed in March when occupancy rates plunged and began reopening in May. Business picked up a bit until July when COVID-19 cases spiked, driving guests to cancel reservations.
Hotels were showing a very modest recovery in August.
Ricci said occupancy rates range from 10% to 40%, far less than the 70%-75% that is considered healthy.
Hotels are showing their best results on weekends. “The weekdays are miserable,” he said.
Oceanfront hotels were doing better than those inland, with a few hitting 70% occupancy on weekends, Amidon and other hoteliers said. Hotels that cater to leisure travelers had the edge over large conference hotels, Ricci said.
“The bottom line is there is slight improvement,” Ricci said. “But if we were to stay at this level even for another two months, I definitely think there would be more layoffs and foreclosures.”
As of late August, he and Amidon were unaware of any hotel foreclosures or bankruptcies in the county,
To keep their heads above water, hoteliers are reinventing the way they do business.
With business travel at a halt, international travelers scarce and many U.S. residents avoiding air travel, they are marketing to guests who live within driving distance to Palm Beach County.
They have slashed room rates and are emphasizing on their websites the steps they are taking to keep their hotels clean and sanitized so that guests will feel safe.
The lobby of DiPonio’s Wyndham Boca Raton was cleaned three or four times a day before the pandemic. Now, the cleaning is constant.
Guests want that and are paying attention to sanitation procedures, he said.
“People absolutely want to see the elevator buttons wiped down. They want to see we are all wearing masks,” he said.
Over the long term, he thinks the new procedures will become permanent. For example, his hotel now uses electrostatic disinfectant sprayers to kill any viruses in guest rooms and common areas. That protects both guests and hotel housekeepers, he said.
“We will get through this COVID thing,” he said. “Going forward, hotels will have things in place to keep guests safer” and even protect them from cold and flu viruses. “That is a wonderful thing for the future.”
The Aloft Delray Beach at 202 SE Fifth Ave., a Marriott franchise hotel, has no plans to throw in the towel, but its occupancy rate and revenues are way down.
‘It’s an unbelievably incredible impact,” owner Alan Mindel said of COVID-19. “It has wrecked our world.”
He too has laid off or furloughed staff, although some are now back at work. But since the hotel is not hosting banquets, he can’t bring back banquet staff, and he remains down four or five housekeepers, one front desk employee and some others. He is trying to give as many employees as possible enough work hours so they can make ends meet.
Before the pandemic, most of his guests were international or out-of-state; now they are mostly Floridians. Mindel is marketing to in-state residents and promoting his hotel’s cleaning and safety protocols, including electrostatic sprayers.
Weekday business remains low, but occupancy is back up to 30% to 40% on weekends.
One of the challenges is providing excellent service despite the difficulties. “We must maintain customer service at a high level,” he said. “The chef has a smaller captured audience and we want to make sure we impress each time.”
Mindel said his company, Samar 202 Florida LLC, has a partner who is well financed.
“We can weather it,” he said. Even so, “we could really use a vaccine by the end of the year. We could use a little more federal assistance.”
In the spring, Cathy Balestriere, general manager of privately owned Crane’s Beach House in Delray Beach, pivoted from the leisure market to extended-stay guests, which was possible because each of her 28 rooms has a kitchen. But she is constantly readjusting.
She too is now focusing on the drive market, and her occupancy rate was about 40% to 50% on weekends in late August. But when COVID-19 cases spiked in July, the cancellations rolled in.
Her hotel at 82 Gleason St. is a short distance from the beach, which is attractive to guests. She is offering a “7-night getaway” at reduced rates aimed at people desperate to get out of their houses.
“Stay at Crane’s. Stock up the fridge. It is like having your own beach house at Crane’s. You don’t have to be concerned about exposing yourself by dining out every night,” she said of her message to potential guests.
She has not laid off staff, but has trimmed costs and adjusted duties to keep them working. For example, she stopped using a landscaping company and instead is having some of her employees do that work.
Having a robust safety and sanitation program is essential because guests demand it. “People are being very careful and cautious,” she said.
Nick Gold, public relations director for the Eau Palm Beach in Manalapan, did not provide an occupancy number except to say, “It certainly is not where it was last year at this time.”
The oceanside resort temporarily closed in March but continued to pay salaries and provide health insurance for three months. It has since cut almost 50% of its staff.
The resort reopened on July 1 in anticipation of strong demand for the July Fourth weekend. But the county closed beaches, dealing a blow to many hoteliers. Since the beaches opened, “we see guests returning,” he said.
The resort’s conference business is at a halt but couples are beginning to book weddings, albeit small ones. Guests are mainly South Floridians who drive to the resort for staycations.
“They feel it is time for a break and to have a change of scenery from being at home,” Gold said.
The Eau Palm Beach has launched a “Stay Safe Program” that affects every part of the resort’s operations. The detailed list, and videos, on its website explain contact-free check-in, social distancing measures, linen cleaning procedures, electrostatic sprayers and UV light technology to disinfect everything from luggage carts to the air, and new seating layouts at restaurants.
“It is all about making the guest feel safe and comfortable in the new world we are living in,” Gold said.
Guest surveys show they appreciate the changes. “They say, we really appreciate you’re taking this seriously and we feel good about being here,” he said.

By Mary Thurwachter

BOCA RATON — Jay H. Van Vechten II, a Boca Raton public relations pro who honed his skills in New York City and later used that experience to found the Boating and Beach Bash for People with Disabilities, died on July 11 at Hospice By the Sea. He was 75.
The annual Boating and Beach Bash, launched in Boca Raton in 2009, became the largest free outdoor event in Palm Beach County for people with disabilities. Mr. Van Vechten himself was disabled since a fall in 2001.
“Jay was such a genuine friend and a real ambassador for people with special needs,” said his close friend Mark Hansen. “That was his life, always on a mission to help others, always wanting to add a voice where others couldn’t. He had a personal touch in all his ways that left lasting positive impressions to all whom he came in touch with.”
Mr. Van Vechten was born Sept. 17, 1944, in New York City. He studied graphic design at Carnegie Mellon University and later founded his own company, Van Vechten & Co. in Manhattan, where he represented medical, pharmaceutical and health care clients. He was fond of travel and enjoyed organizing trips with groups of friends from around the world.
“As a devoted husband, father and friend, Jay’s capacity for love — the genuine, true, unconditional love — was large,” his wife, Lowell, wrote. “He loved people, and everyone who knew him understood that in him they had a friend for life. In his honor, we need to take the ‘lessons’ he gifted us with and pay them forward. Stay connected, celebrate life, practice forgiveness and be kind to one another and to strangers. Don’t be afraid to reach out, make a difference and see the positive aspects of life and the lives of those you come in contact with.”
Mr. Van Vechten was preceded in death by his parents, Isabel H. and Jay H. Van Vechten. In addition to his wife, Mr. Van Vechten is survived by their son Nicholas, grandson Alex and countless friends.

By Dan Moffett

MANALAPAN — Tom Gerrard became Manalapan’s mayor in 2008 and quickly earned a reputation as a progressive leader who was popular with town staff and residents.
People at Town Hall couldn’t wait to see him show up in the morning — yes, partly because of his good nature, but also because of how he might arrive.
“You’d never know what kind of classic car he’d drive up in,” said Linda Stumpf, the Manalapan town manager. “Every time it was something different. It was great fun.”
Mr. Gerrard was fond of his 12.5-bathroom home on South Ocean Boulevard, but what he really wanted to talk about was the garage he built beside it that housed dozens of his prized vintage automobiles. He considered them works of art and scoffed at modern vehicles as “computer-produced and bean-counter engineered” abominations.
The classic American rides of the ’50s and ’60s, convertibles and pickups, were his consuming passion. “If it were treatable, it would be a disease,” he confessed to The Coastal Star in 2011.
Mr. Gerrard died on July 23 in Big Sky, Montana, after a short illness. He was 74.
William Thomas Gerrard served as Manalapan’s mayor for two years before moving to Montana to be closer to family. He also kept a home in Fort Lauderdale. During his time on the commission, he guided projects that have left a lasting mark on the town.
“He had a great impact on the community,” said Keith Waters, the current mayor. “Many of the things we’re working on now he brought to the table. He was a good man.”
Mr. Gerrard pushed for improvements to the town’s water delivery system and stormwater drains. He oversaw the renovation of the water plant, and helped negotiate a sand transfer plant agreement with Ocean Ridge.
It was his passion for vintage autos, however, that gained him a national reputation among collectors and aficionados.
“Tom loaned the museum cars on multiple occasions,” said Jeffrey Bliemeister, executive director of the Antique Automobile Club of America in Hershey, Pennsylvania. “I’m sorry to hear of Tom’s passing.”
Mr. Gerrard donated his collection of thousands of owner’s manuals, brochures, engineering diagrams, fabric samples and catalogues to the AACA’s Library and Research Center in Hershey.
“Tom was an exceptionally generous man with an incredible eye for detail and a dedication to preserving automotive history,” says Chris Ritter, the library’s head librarian.
Ritter said Mr. Gerrard’s love of classic autos was infectious: “It was always a joy to see Tom in person and see how much fun he had with his cars.”
Mr. Gerrard was born in Queens, New York, but grew up in Indiana, where he worked as a gas station attendant and his love of cars began. He moved to South Florida in 1957 and graduated from Broward Junior College and Florida Atlantic University. He established his business career as president of CMH Corp., a supplier of high-rise cranes and elevators.
He transitioned from cranes into telecommunications, owning Air Space Radio services and Advanced Radio Communications Services, companies that grew to rank among the industry’s largest. In 2003 he became chairman of Interlaken Inc., which specialized in Everglades restoration work for the South Florida Water Management District.
Mr. Gerrard is survived by his children, Lisa Marie Gerrard and Mark Thomas Gerrard; a sister, Darcy Jean Gerrard; and grandchildren Miles Barrett and Brenden Patrick Radick, and Grace Kendal and Jack Thomas Gerrard. His family asks that memorial charitable donations be made to Eagle Mount of Bozeman, the Yellowstone Park Foundation, Big Sky Community Organization or the AACA Library.

DELRAY BEACH — Ralph Goodrich Boalt II of Delray Beach died on July 28. He was 83. He was born June 28, 1937, in Ramsey, Minnesota, the son of Eben L. & Virginia M. Boalt.
  Mr. Boalt was a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee and played pro football in Canada. He was a CEO for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mr. Boalt lived in Delray Beach most of his adult life and was instrumental along with Maury Power in starting the legendary St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Mr. Boalt was an amazing, kind, generous, handsome, 6-foot-6 man who possessed a positive attitude even with his 30-plus-year battle with MS. He found great enjoyment dining with all his dear friends. The funeral service was private.
— Obituary submitted by the family

By Sallie James

LANTANA — Hypoluxo Island resident Agnes Conroy, a lifelong academic who was married to her beloved husband, Francis, for 62 years, died on July 31 at Hospice By the Sea in Boca Raton after a lengthy illness. She was 82.
Born April 29, 1938, in Lettermore, County Galway, Ireland, Mrs. Conroy grew up on a farm when times were tough. But it didn’t stop her from becoming a standout in school. She attended Ireland’s prestigious Kylemore Abbey School on scholarship, embarking on a lifetime of academic achievement.
The school “was run by nuns and it was a secondary school and operated as a boarding school from 1922. She attended that boarding school,” her son Martin Conroy recalled. “But the local Catholic priest thought she would be better served to come home and help her mother.”
Nevertheless, Agnes Conroy went on to earn two bachelor’s degrees.
Mrs. Conroy moved to London in the 1950s, where she met her future husband, Francis. The couple was married in 1958 at St. George’s Cathedral. Mrs. Conroy later became deputy headmistress of St. Bernard’s Prep School in Slough, and headmistress of the Brigidine School in Windsor.
She met Queen Elizabeth in 1975 when the queen toured the Brigidine School. A photographer captured an image of a young Agnes Conroy shaking the queen’s gloved hand.
“She was proud she was asked to be deputy headmistress and headmistress at the other school in Brigidine,” her son said.
Mrs. Conroy also crossed paths with celebrities during her tenure at St. Bernard’s Prep School. Her students included the children of British actor Roger Moore, known for his role as James Bond; and the children of the former CEO and chairman of the H.J. Heinz Co., Tony O’Reilly, a renowned international rugby player.
Martin Conroy said his mother was always trying to help others and when she learned that the Catholic Church was reluctant to baptize Moore’s children because he was divorced, she stepped in.
“My mother took it upon herself to make sure they were baptized,” Martin Conroy said.
Mrs. Conroy left the world of academia when Francis Conroy’s construction business took off. Together, they worked at Fera Construction until moving to Palm Beach in 1988, where they rented a home on Orange Grove Road, Martin Conroy recalled. His parents lived in Palm Beach until 2004, before moving to Hypoluxo Island.
Agnes Conroy lived much of her life battling multiple sclerosis, but was not diagnosed until the late 1980s. Along the way, she tried many holistic treatments. One of the craziest involved bee venom therapy, which involved having a bee sting the base of her spine, her son recalled. The bee had other ideas.
“The bee ended up stinging my dad,” he chuckled.
Mrs. Conroy is survived by her husband; three sons, Martin of Hypoluxo Island; Francis of Palm Beach; and Peter of Naphill, Buckinghamshire, England; three grandchildren; and two sisters, Sara Kelly and Kathleen Pelletier. She was preceded in death by her brother Padraigh and her sister Moira. Services were private.

By Steve Plunkett

After some back-and-forth communications between city and state transportation officials, the plan for a “diverging diamond interchange” at Interstate 95 and Glades Road is back on track.
“Our engineering staff raised a number of questions, and [state workers] have gone back and made modifications and adjustments, and talked to the staff,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said. “And I believe everybody’s happy now, and we’re all fully supportive of the project.”
In March the City Council threatened to call on its state and federal lobbyists to fight the plan after the city’s municipal services director and traffic engineer raised concerns about safety and traffic operations.
A diverging diamond interchange makes vehicles switch sides of the road at multilane X crossings guarded by traffic signals at either end of the diamond.
Paul Lampley of the Florida Department of Transportation told council members Aug. 24 that the goal of a DDI is “to improve traffic operations and system performance, reduce congestion and increase safety.”
Another benefit: The design will replace 4-foot-wide bike lanes on Glades Road to 7-foot-wide, buffered bike lanes with a 10-foot-wide “shared-use” lane for bicyclists and pedestrians in the middle, he said.
Backup generators on automatic transfer switches will be installed to power the traffic signals in case of an outage, he said, answering one of the city’s primary questions.
Other FDOT representatives said plans are also being made to convert the I-95 interchanges at Lantana Road and 45th Street in West Palm Beach to DDIs.
Design engineer Jose Otero said the Glades project will reduce crashes by 9% and reduce the severity of crashes. It will increase throughput of traffic along Glades and decrease delays, he said. And it eliminates 8,000 linear feet of retaining wall that would have been needed for a no-longer-planned “flyover” ramp.
The state agency expects work on the DDI will begin in the first three months of 2021. The schedule calls for 700 days of construction.
The Glades Road interchange is part of a $148 million project to add express lanes to Interstate 95 through Boca Raton and into Delray Beach. The overall project is supposed to open in late 2023.
In other transportation news, council members endorsed a plan to slim Federal Highway south of Southeast Mizner Boulevard from six lanes to four while adding bike lanes and widening sidewalks. Money to design that project will not be available until 2024.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach barrier island residents have endured three reclaimed water shutoffs in less than two years.
The first two were short, under 10 days. This year, the entire reclaimed water system was shut down for months, starting in early February.
By late August, slightly more than 7%, or 55 parcels, of the barrier island homes were still waiting to have the reclaimed water service restored.
“It’s the safest reclaimed water system in the country,” said Hassan Hadjimiry, new utilities director for Delray Beach. “It was disconnected, and every installation was inspected and surveyed for crossed connections before the parcel was placed back into service.”
Delray Beach has spent at least $1.05 million to bring its reclaimed water system into compliance with state standards by inspecting every reclaimed water connection in the city.
At the Aug. 11 City Commission meeting, Hadjimiry broke down the expense into three categories: $254,876.13 for materials, including backflow preventers; $558,647.14 for contractors; and $228,845.83 for staff overtime.
He also said 55 of the 68 offline accounts had switched to drinking water for irrigation. Most of the switched accounts sit along South Ocean Boulevard.
“The properties there are complex. They are large, 2 to 3 acres, with lots of concrete,” Hadjimiry said. “It’s too hard to bring them into compliance.”
The estates also sit below 801 S. Ocean Blvd., where a resident called the Florida Department of Health on Jan. 2 to say she was not adequately informed of a crossed connection issue in December 2018.
Some of the South Ocean residents reported they were getting sick from drinking the contaminated water between October and December 2018. Their complaints were not reported to the Florida Department of Health, as required.
That investigation led to notes compiled by a Utilities Department inspector who was hired in June 2017. Christine Ferrigan claimed whistleblower status in early January.
On Feb. 3, three Utilities Department managers and an assistant city attorney met with six representatives of the Florida DOH. The six included two department attorneys.
City staff “felt intimidated by the unexpected firepower they were confronted by,” according to a staff Feb. 20 draft letter to Rafael Reyes, environmental director at the Florida DOH.
The health agency wanted Delray Beach to issue a citywide boil water order.
Instead, the city offered to shut down its entire reclaimed water program, which was accomplished on the evening of Feb. 4.
With approval of the Florida DOH, the city is restoring the reclaimed water service in phases.
The reclaimed water lines provide partly treated wastewater meant solely for lawn watering. The lines were installed as part of a settlement that Delray Beach reached with state and federal regulators to stop sending raw sewage into the ocean.
The city must reuse 4.6 million gallons a day by 2025, according to the settlement. Its current level is 2.6 million gallons a day, which can fluctuate depending on the rainwater received, Hadjimiry said.
Most of the city’s water customers on the barrier island have reclaimed water service for lawn irrigation. The golf courses, city parks and master-metered communities west of the interstate also use reclaimed water for irrigation.
A crossed connection happens when reclaimed water pipes are mistakenly connected to the drinking water supply. The reclaimed water can be used only on landscaping, not for watering vegetable plants, filling pools or connecting with outside showers.
Backflow preventers are needed to stop the reclaimed water from mixing with the city’s drinking water supply. When Delray Beach contractors inspected every reclaimed water location earlier this year, they reported 194 backflow preventers were missing on the barrier island — a little over 25% of the required installations.
It was also discovered that 130 city water customers were never connected to the Delray Beach reclaimed water program, despite the city rule that mandates connection to the reclaimed system if lines exist in front of the homes.
Most sit on the barrier island, Hadjimiry said. No records exist to explain why they were not connected.

Investigation underway

Delray Beach hired a forensics firm in late April to investigate the reclaimed water system since its start, Hadjimiry said. That report will determine responsibility of the system — including construction and inspections. It will be ready in late September, he said.
The city also is trying to avoid civil fines from the Florida DOH, which sent a warning letter to Delray Beach on July 1. That letter listed 13 possible violations of the reclaimed water program in Delray Beach.
In response, the city has created a Regulatory Compliance Section with four employees who report directly to the utilities director. They will carry out the city’s cross-connection control program and audit all accounts requiring backflow preventers.
The city expects full implementation in about 12 months, Interim City Manager Jennifer Alvarez wrote in her July 16 reply to the Florida DOH.
Alvarez also said the city will supply reclaimed water customers with annual notices about the origin, nature and characteristics of reclaimed water; how it can be safely used; and limits of its use.
In addition, Delray Beach will provide instructions for complying with the reclaimed water design standards for homebuilders, according to the July 16 letter. The city standard calls for reclaimed pipes and fixtures to be purple in color and drinking water pipes and fixtures to be dark blue.
City leaders, including Hadjimiry and Alvarez, met on July 22 with Florida DOH staff to review the possible violations and Delray Beach’s response.
“The Florida DOH is currently reviewing the city’s responses,” Gina Carter, city spokeswoman, wrote in an Aug. 18 email. The Florida DOH declined to say when it will issue a final report.
Meanwhile, the city has found two other crossed connections this year at two barrier island condominium buildings.
In April, inspectors discovered the reclaimed water pipes were wrongly connected to the drinking water pipes at 120 S. Ocean Blvd. The city issued a boil water order for that 30-unit building on April 22.
The Ocean Place property manager can use the drinking water system for irrigation while it investigates the crossed connection, Carter wrote.
The other condo building, known as Commodore Apartments, has eight units and sits at the northeast corner of Gleason Street and Langer Way. The cross connection was discovered July 7 by city inspectors.
The city notified the Florida DOH, as required.
As long as the backflow device was installed, inspected and certified, the city did not have to notify the Commodore Apartments residents within 24 hours, according to a July 8 email from the Florida DOH.
Hadjimiry sent a July 10 email asking the city water resources administrator to “please notify the eight residents at 1029 Langer Way and advise them that we discovered an onsite cross connection.”

By Mary Thurwachter

After hearing residents’ concerns about house parties at suspected short-term rental properties, the Lantana Town Council, at its July 13 meeting, said it was addressing the problem, but warned that a resolution won’t be easy.
In a letter to the Town Council, Hypoluxo Island resident Lyn Tate said that on the weekend of July 11 a house on South Atlantic Drive appeared to be rented out for Saturday night only.
“When it got dark, seven cars arrived and parked all over the front lawn,” Tate wrote. “Various young people poured out of the cars and the occupants partied with music until midnight and then left the next morning. A single guest met with the owner’s housecleaner and drove off. This makes the third weekend in a row that it appears the property has been rented out as a short- term vacation getaway.”
Lantana does not permit rentals for less than 30 days in the residential zoning districts (R-1 and R-1A).
Additionally, Palm Beach County restricted short-term rentals at the start of the pandemic. Those restrictions continued as COVID-19 cases began to surge.
But Hypoluxo residents suspect some houses are being used for short-term rentals.
Realtor Patricia Towle, who lives next to the party house Tate mentioned in her letter, said she had observed several houses on the island being advertised as rentals.
“I found one property that was posted for $2,000 a night. There are various prices and locations, but I really see it as a health and safety issue with COVID-19. I don’t know whether property owners are required to clean, what their standards are. Just before I came here tonight, I saw something in the news about house parties in various states where young people gather to tempt fate.”
She said she hoped that wasn’t happening here.
Towle said enforcement seems to be a problem.
“Since most of these rentals take place on the weekends when code enforcement isn’t around, and they seem to happen at night, is there a way that you envision we can enforce this?” she asked.
Town Manager Deborah Manzo said it didn’t matter that the parties took place on the weekend and explained how the town handles illegal short-term rentals. She said once code enforcement officers are made aware of a suspicious house, they check to see if the property is being advertised on online sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo.
“Then code enforcement will send a letter,” Manzo said. Seven letters have already been sent to property owners. The letters are friendly reminders advising that this is not permitted, she said. “If the rentals continue, a notice of violation is issued.”
If sufficient evidence is found, the case goes to the special magistrate, who could fine the property owner up to $5,000.
Nicole Dritz, the town’s director of development, said code enforcement is proactive. “We check the regular sites and we do that more for reaching out to the property owners to try to gain compliance from them. A lot of times, educating them is our best first step.”
Proving the violations is difficult, Dritz said. “Just seeing cars outside with out-of-state license plates is not evidence enough for the magistrate to rule against them. Firsthand knowledge is what our magistrate is looking for.”
That knowledge may be gained when an officer asks someone at the house pertinent questions, such as how long the renter is staying on the property. “If the renter says, ‘I’m just here for a night or two,’ that is firsthand evidence that we can take to the magistrate,” Dritz said.
Dritz has issued a depart-ment rule that each of the town’s three code enforcement officers spends one hour per week visiting the properties in question.
There are seven or eight properties now on the list.

A proposal for redevelopment along Federal Highway between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard includes an eight-story apartment complex, shown below. Renderings provided

By Larry Barszewski

A $65 million complex of apartments and stores with a free, public-access parking garage could become a pivotal part of Boynton Beach’s downtown revival efforts.
The proposed eight-story project on 2.6 acres owned by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency includes 229 apartments, with 20% dedicated to workforce housing, ground-level and upper-deck pools, a clubhouse, gym, 18,000 square feet of commercial space and a 544-space public-private garage.
Developers said they would enhance the city’s Dewey Park, incorporate it into the overall project and make the alley used by Ocean Avenue businesses on the project’s south side more pedestrian friendly.
Two years ago, the CRA paid $3 million for the land on the west side of Federal Highway that is to the north and south of Northeast First Avenue. It is being used as surface-level parking and includes the Congregational United Church of Christ building, which most recently served as the city’s temporary library.
City commissioners, meeting Aug. 11 as the CRA board, unanimously approved giving Ocean Avenue Residences and Shoppes, LLC, 90 days to work with the city, CRA staff, adjacent property owners and the public to refine its unsolicited proposal.
During that time, others can submit their own project proposals. Commissioners could then move forward with the proposal or any other one received, open the process to more proposals, or leave the property as it is.
“We do think this is the center of the doughnut, something that will activate this whole area,” said William Morris of Southcoast Partners, who proposes developing the project with Harold and Max Van Arnem of Van Arnem Properties. “It’s going to be a real people place.”
Morris compared the project to Worthing Place, which “has become an incredible catalyst for the whole downtown area of Delray Beach.” The mixed-use residential and commercial project he helped develop includes public parking and is connected to Worthing Park on East Atlantic Avenue.
The fear of some businesses and property owners near the proposed Boynton Beach project is it will end up a Delray Beach clone.
Susan Oyer’s family owns Ocean Avenue buildings immediately south of the project. She would be fine with the proposal if its height was reduced, but “parts make my head want to explode,” she said.
“You’re trying to make this into a Delray Beach/Atlantic Avenue scenario and I can honestly say I don’t know anyone who likes Atlantic Avenue and goes down there, because of the hot mess it has turned into,” Oyer said. “The people who live there are miserable because now you’ve got clubs all night long making all kinds of noise.”
Kim Kelly, owner of Hurricane Alley Raw Bar & Restaurant on Ocean Avenue, started a change.org petition against the proposal and opposing more downtown residential development. It collected more than 2,000 signatures in less than a week.
“Look around you and realize the buildings and storefronts they have already built are vacant and gives a bad look,” Kelly’s petition said.
She plans to lead a march from her restaurant to City Hall on Sept. 8.
Commissioners saw plenty to like in the 115 N. Federal Highway project that wouldn’t be completed until 2024 at the earliest.
“Overall, I think this project is fantastic. I think this may be what we need to really light that fire in this corridor,” Vice Mayor Ty Penserga said.
Developers hope for a future Brightline railroad station to the west of the property. They also would try to lease Florida East Coast Railway land on the west side of Northeast Fourth Street to add landscaping and more parking for downtown visitors.
Instead of paying cash for the CRA property, developers would build free public parking in the garage. They estimate the garage would have 120 public spaces, costing about $25,000 each, to cover the property’s $3 million value.
The site currently has 114 spaces in its surface lots and adjacent on-street parking, city officials said.

June 30 was the first day for many shipments of books and DVDs to the new library location.

ABOVE: Librarian David Lucas selects titles to highlight on the end caps of the bookshelves.
BELOW: Patrons can use their library cards to check out laptops for use in the library. The new City Library is part of the massive Town Square project aimed at creating a defined downtown. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

Boynton Beach City Commissioners narrowly voted on Sept. 1 to direct city staff to see whether JKM Developers can fulfill its contract on Town Square construction or else end it.
John Markey, principal of JKM Developers, wanted until Sept. 15 to present an additional option — using the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency tax dollars to help underwrite the private portion of the project.
That pledged money would be used to finance two parking garages and three residential buildings with retail and restaurant space on the ground floor. In return, JKM promised a community benefits package of workforce housing, a rent-to-own program and a scholarship fund.
“It pains me to be in this position,” Commissioner Justin Katz said about taking a hard line with the city’s development partner. “I implore my colleagues to make a decision tonight and stop us from listing in the sea.”
Commissioner Christina Romelus was equally frustrated: “I’m at my wit’s end. I want to throw in the towel. This makes no sense to me.”
Katz, Romelus and Vice Mayor Ty Penserga felt the city already has given JKM too much.
Commissioner Woodrow Hay and Mayor Steven Grant voted to hear another presentation in two weeks, with Grant saying: “It’s not our money. It belongs to the taxpayers in the CRA and the city. We haven’t had an opportunity to see the final solution.”
For its role in the partnership agreement, the city gave JKM 8.6 acres in the project area, $1.9 million in cash and new water and sewer lines and underground utilities at no cost.
“I walked into the meeting with my position firm,” Penserga said. “The idea of doubling down is not working for me. ... The current contract should be fulfilled or ended.”
Markey said the south garage, closest to the new City Hall/Library building, was not supposed to be finished until 18 months after the City Hall building received its certificate of occupancy. That just happened in July.
Commissioners first learned about the delay in the garages’ construction from Markey at their July 21 meeting.
The six-story south garage received a building permit on Sept. 5, 2019, and was supposed to be finished by June 5, 2021, Colin Groff, assistant city manager, said at the July 21 Town Square update. The south garage will not be finished in June as promised. In fact, the city would be lucky to get it financed early next year, Markey said July 21.
The north garage is estimated to be finished by Dec. 5, 2021.
Town Square is a private-public partnership between the city and its CRA and private developers. The 16.5-acre area, sitting between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Southeast Second Avenue, is supposed to give the city a downtown.
When complete, the $250 million Town Square will have a mix of municipal buildings and privately developed apartment buildings, a hotel, restaurants and shops. The city’s share is slightly more than $118 million.
Markey blamed the souring of the deal on how the bonds were financed.
“Your staff proposed that the bonds be issued by a Community Development District that they would create,” Markey said Sept. 1.
In 2018, city staff decided a nonprofit, based in Wisconsin, could issue the bonds faster than a Community Development District, Markey said Sept. 1.
Then, he said, Mark Hefferin of E2L Real Estate Solutions, Town Square’s lead developer, “comes to me and says we cannot underwrite the garages because a nonprofit issued the bonds.”
Markey’s recently hired attorney, Bonnie Miskel, asked for more time to allow Markey’s staff to prepare a third option. “It’s better for the partners and the city,” she said.
Hay was willing to give that time.
“We are looking at something that will last a long time, decades even,” he said. “I would like to see his plan. Then, if it does not pan out, we can do what Katz suggested.”

By Jane Smith

Parking at Oceanfront Park and Harvey Oyer Jr. Park will become more expensive in some cases starting Oct. 1.
At Oceanfront Park, four meter kiosks will be added and in operation from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., Boynton Beach city commissioners decided Aug. 4. The kiosks will replace the beach tollbooth, which had been staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The new fee will be $1.50 per hour, or about $10 for an average beach stay of 6.67 hours, Andrew Mack, Public Works director, said at the Aug. 4 meeting. The kiosks accept cash or credit cards.
The in-season fee and year-round weekend and holiday fee were a flat $10. The $5 fee for summer weekdays will no longer be offered.
Boynton Beach’s new beach parking rate is comparable to the hourly rate in Delray Beach. Lake Worth Beach, though, charges $3 per hour and Boca Raton charges $2 an hour on weekdays and $3 an hour on weekends, Mack said.
He said the kiosks will be installed in September and then go live on Oct. 1. Park rangers will enforce the parking times with a laptop that will check each vehicle, Mack said.
“The proposed revenues from daily parking fees will be $680,000 in the next financial year,” Mack told commissioners. “The current revenue is $320,000.
“The city will see an additional $50,000 from parking citations,” he said. Parking pass income will remain at $170,000.
Boynton Beach residents will still be able to buy a beach parking pass for $50. Ocean Ridge residents can buy a beach parking pass at the same rate. The cost for annual passes stayed the same after the mayor and vice mayor, at the July 21 commission meeting, objected to the residents’ paying more.
The city will no longer sell decals, starting Oct. 1. Instead, the system will be based on the vehicle license plate, Mack said.
During a July 29 Facebook live video, Mack said there should not be backups on State Road A1A to get into the park. Searching for a place is similar to searching for a space in a packed shopping center, he said.
“You ride around until you see someone leaving, then follow the person to the vehicle. Put on your blinker and allow that car to back out until you can pull in safely,” Mack said on the video.
The toll booth workers’ last day will be Sept. 30. They can apply to be park rangers. The two full-time and two part-time positions were advertised in late August, Mack said.
Hal Hutchins, Ocean Ridge police chief, said he had talked with the former Boynton Beach Recreation and Parks director about installing the kiosks about one year ago. Ocean Ridge patrols Oceanfront Park.
“The ParkMobile program is a common method of parking,” Hutchins said. “We don’t have too many times when Oceanfront Park needs to be closed because there are no more parking spaces. When that happens, we will work with Boynton Beach to close it down.”
At Harvey Oyer Jr. Park, on the Intracoastal Waterway, Boynton Beach will charge up to $10 on weekdays and $25 on weekends to park boat trailers in the long spaces. Ten shorter spaces will be free to park users, commissioners decided Aug. 4 after Susan Oyer, daughter of the late Harvey Oyer Jr., who served as mayor, told commissioners that residents’ taxes already paid for the park.
“Boaters take up extra space,” she said. “It’s wrong that families will pay a fee for parking there when they come to play or have picnics.”
Currently, boaters pay $50 for an annual boating decal that allows free parking on weekends and holidays. Without a decal, the fee is $10 on weekends and holidays. Boynton Beach does not charge for weekday parking at Oyer Park.
That will change in October, Mack said.
The city will charge any vehicle that uses the long spaces $1.50 per hour, payable at the two parking kiosks. The maximum daily charge is $10 and $25 on weekends. The rates are in effect 24 hours.
Boynton Beach will offer boat owners an annual parking pass at $350.
The city also will find free spaces for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers to use at Oyer Park. The volunteers offer free boat inspections and teach boating safety classes. Ú

By Mary Hladky

Lord & Taylor is closing its Boca Raton store in Mizner Park and has filed for bankruptcy court protection along with its new owner, clothing rental company Le Tote.
The venerable retailer, which traces its roots to 1826 in New York, joins a long list of companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy since May as the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on those that were already teetering. Others include Neiman Marcus, J. Crew, J.C. Penney and Brooks Brothers.
Le Tote and Lord & Taylor are seeking a new owner, the companies said in an Aug. 3 release.
Lord & Taylor initially announced that it was closing 19 of its 38 stores, including its Mizner Park location. On Aug. 27, the company said it is closing all of its stores. All are holding closing sales.
“Today, we announced our search for a new owner who believes in our legacy and values,” the company said in a full-page ad appearing in the Aug. 4 New York Times. “Part of our announcement also includes filing for Chapter 11 protection to overcome the unprecedented strain the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on our business.”
At an Aug. 3 bankruptcy court hearing, Lord & Taylor received a judge’s permission to close all of its 38 stores if that became necessary, Forbes reported. Its existing stores are down from 45 in 2019.
It is not clear how long the Mizner Park store will remain open. The Aug. 3 release did not specify, and the company did not respond to an inquiry by The Coastal Star.
Dana Romanelli Schearer, general manager for retail for Mizner Park owner Brookfield Property Partners, did not respond to a voicemail seeking information on what Brookfield will do with the Lord & Taylor building.
Lord & Taylor’s website stated in early August that returns would no longer be accepted at the Mizner Park store and that all closing sale purchases were final. As of Aug. 14, the Mizner Park store would not accept online returns. The store also would not honor coupons, mall certificates, Lord & Taylor Reward/Award Cards or prices offered at other Lord & Taylor locations.
Customers could continue to shop on the Lord & Taylor website.
Lord & Taylor stores dotted South Florida in the early 2000s. But the company exited the state in 2004, closing stores in Boca’s Town Center mall, the Mall at Wellington Green and the Palm Beach Mall, among others, in the wake of an ill-fated expansion strategy.
As the chain regrouped, Lord & Taylor opened in Mizner Park in 2013. It is the chain’s only brick-and-mortar store in Florida.
But Le Tote, which purchased Lord & Taylor last November from Hudson’s Bay Company, struggled to breathe new life into the chain before COVID-19 forced the temporary closure of many stores in March. The Mizner Park store reopened in May.

Economic woes led to the collapse of the iPic Theater, but International Materials Inc. signed a lease to move its corporate headquarters into the third floor of the building in downtown Delray Beach. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

International Materials Inc., an international trading and logistics provider, signed a lease on a 20,052-square-foot space in early July to relocate and expand its corporate headquarters. Moving from Boca Raton to The Offices at 4th & 5th Delray Beach, the company will occupy nearly two-thirds of the mixed-use building’s third floor to accommodate its roster of 45 full-time professionals and have room to grow. 
The Offices, located a half-block south of Atlantic Avenue, is a 144,733-square-foot, four-story mixed-use project, developed in a joint venture between the Boston-based Samuels & Associates development firm and American Realty Advisors, a Los Angeles-based private equity real estate investment manager. 
The development consists of iPic Theater, retail space, office space and a parking garage. In December 2019, after iPic Entertainment changed hands in bankruptcy court, the lender — Retirement Systems of Alabama — canceled iPic Entertainment’s lease for headquarters office space in the new theater building, known as 4th & 5th Delray.
Founded in 1987, IMI is an independent trading company of bulk, raw materials that serves customers in cement, construction and steel markets in more than 60 countries. In addition to its South Florida headquarters, it has offices in Madrid, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Bogota, Melbourne and Hanoi. 
“This IMI corporate headquarters relocation to the Delray Beach central business district is a testament to the strength of our city and evidence that the investments in our public-private partnerships strategically located for economic development are beginning to pay off,” said Stephanie Immelman, president and CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
In the transaction, Samuels & Associates was represented by Keith O’Donnell and Gary Gottlieb of Avison Young, a Toronto-based commercial real estate firm, and IMI was represented by Ingrid Kennemer of Coastal Commercial Group, a Delray Beach commercial real estate firm.

JLL Capital Markets announced in August that it arranged a $9.26 million refinancing for The Forum, a 73-unit apartment complex at 1361 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. JLL worked on behalf of the borrower, Boca Raton-based Rosemurgy Properties, to secure the 120-month, fixed-rate loan through Freddie Mac. The loan will be serviced by Jones Lang LaSalle Multifamily LLC, a Freddie Mac Optigo lender. The property is undergoing $1.3 million in renovations, and to date, Rosemurgy Properties has contributed $2 million in upgrades.

A recently completed ocean-to-lake estate at 640 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, sold for $36.05 million in July. A revocable trust named after the property’s address was on the seller’s end of the transaction, with West Palm Beach real estate attorney Maura Ziska as the trustee.
On the buyer’s side, City National Bank of Florida acted as trustee of the 2401-3315-00 Trust. The listing broker was Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates.
The nine-bedroom estate and guest house, with 23,187 total square feet, features 150 feet of waterfront on its east and west sides. The 1.9-acre property was listed for $41.75 million in January and last sold in March 2017 for $11 million. 

Delray Beach’s Frank McKinney sold his latest spec home for $10.1 million on July 2. This project, a contemporary residence at 3492 S. Ocean Blvd., South Palm Beach, with 90 feet of oceanfront, was bought by Republic First Bancorp Chairman Vernon W. Hill II and his wife, Shirley, with Corcoran Group agent Steven Presson handling both sides of the deal.
Last year, McKinney told The Coastal Star that this was to be his “final masterpiece,” and he shared changes he’s seen in Florida real estate over his 30-plus years in the business.
“A lot of trends that start at the top trickle down and make their way into the everyday home,” he said. “Examples include granite countertops, stainless steel and the under-the-counter coffee makers. Three decades ago, these features could only be found in luxury homes; today, they are a must in nearly every home, thanks to demand and cost reduction.”
In this five-bedroom, 7,850-square-foot residence, sold furnished with interior design by McKinney’s wife, Nilsa, he went above and beyond. Highlights include a kitchen countertop made of 11,000-year-old azure-blue lava; a sphere-shaped aquarium filled with jellyfish in the living room, rooftop terrace, and a beachfront pool.

The Thousand for 2020, an annual national award ranking the top 1% of the nation’s real estate professionals, published its results in July, with a number of agents who are with firms serving the coastal area in south Palm Beach County included.
Here are the results: Individuals by volume: No. 15, Suzanne Frisbie, Premier Estate Properties Inc., Boca Raton, $196,230,116; No. 74, James McCann, Premier Estate Properties Inc., Boca Raton, $112,360,000; No. 159, Marcy Javor, Signature One Luxury Estates LLC, Boca Raton, $79,545,500.
Individuals by transaction sides: No. 68, Paul Saperstein, eXp Realty, Boca Raton, 164 transaction sides.
Small teams by volume: No. 34, Pascal Liguori, Premier Estate Properties Inc., Delray Beach, $164,316,000; No. 51, Candace Friis, The Corcoran Group, Delray Beach, $133,158,500; No. 52, The Cotilla Luxury Team, Douglas Elliman, Boca Raton, $131,867,734.
Agent-owned brokerage by transaction sides: No. 2, Ralph Harvey, ListWithFreedom.com, Boynton Beach, 1,636 transaction sides.
Agent-owned brokerage by volume: No. 3, Ralph Harvey, ListWithFreedom.com, Boynton Beach, $444,911,020; No. 6, David W. Roberts, Royal Palm Properties, Boca Raton, $335,116,000.
The Thousand is sponsored by Real Trends and Tom Ferry International coaching.

Two South County government leaders were recognized recently for their roles.
Lori LaVerriere, Boynton Beach city manager, is serving as the secretary/treasurer on the Florida City and County Management Association board for the financial year of 2020-2021. She was elected in May. An association member for more than 20 years, she has served as a District IV director for the past three years. After serving as secretary/treasurer, LaVerriere is slated to serve as president-elect and ultimately as president of the association in the next three years.
With more than 30 years of public service, LaVerriere has worked for three Palm Beach County towns. Since 2008, she has served the city of Boynton Beach, where she became city manager seven years ago. With 16 departments, she leads a team of more than 800 employees who serve nearly 80,000 residents.
She has a bachelor of arts degree from Florida International University in business administration and a master’s in business administration from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Hassan Hadjimiry, the new utilities director for Delray Beach, is the other honoree. In early August, he received the 2020 Government Engineer of the Year award, presented by the Florida section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Hadjimiry has more than 38 years of management and engineering experience in the water utilities industry. He started as a staff engineer at the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department in early 1982. Over the years, he progressed to become deputy director for the third-largest water utility in Florida.
At the county department he developed and implemented a reclaimed water program that provides more than 30 million gallons per day to local golf courses, residential areas and constructed wetlands. Reclaimed water is treated wastewater suitable for irrigation but not for human consumption.
Hadjimiry holds a master of science degree in water resources engineering from Florida Atlantic University, was named the 2009 Water Reuse Person of the Year in Florida, and is a five-time winner of the County Administrator’s annual Golden Palm Award, the highest level of recognition for county government employees.

Rocco Mangel, founder of Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar, was appointed by the Delray Beach City Commission on Aug. 11 to serve on the board of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority. Mangel operates nine restaurants throughout Florida and New York. He has been an active member of the downtown Delray Beach community as a business owner since 2010.

Max Weinberg, the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and a four-year resident of Delray Beach, was appointed to the Delray Beach Planning & Zoning Board by the City Commission on Aug. 18. Weinberg has purchased and restored old homes on the East Coast and in Delray Beach. Weinberg also serves on the board of the nonprofit Delray Beach Preservation Trust.
The commission also appointed Allen Zeller, a land-use attorney and Delray Beach resident since 2003, to the P&Z Board. He has also served as a board member of the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, president of the Marina Historic District and serves on the Preservation Trust.
Incumbent P&Z Board members Julen Blankenship and Robert Long were reappointed. A fifth board member will be appointed at the commission’s Sept. 10 meeting.

The Seagate Hotel & Spa in Delray Beach announced the addition of two new members to its leadership team: Jamie Erler, director of membership, marketing and communications for The Seagate Clubs, and Sonny Grosso, director of golf for The Seagate Country Club.

In August, John M. Campanola was named a member of the 2020 executive council of New York Life. The council recognizes the top 21% of New York Life’s field force of more than 12,000 licensed agents in sales achievement. Campanola, a Boynton Beach resident, has been a New York Life agent since 2012.
He is associated with New York Life’s South Florida General Office in Sunrise, and he works out of its offices at 401 W. Atlantic Ave., Suite 09, Delray Beach.

Debbie Abrams, president of the Gold Coast PR Council, announced in July this year’s Bernays Awards winners, honoring excellence in local public relations campaigns, marketing programs and media coverage.
The council’s Presidents Award, which goes to a person or organization for outstanding performance, was given to Sandy Collier of Hey Sandy PR & Communications in Wellington for her work on behalf of evacuees from the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian.
Other awards include: PR Campaign/Large Company or Firm award went to The Moore Agency; PR Campaign/Small Company or Firm award went to Katnip Marketing; Crisis Communications award went to Loggerhead Marinelife Center; Nonprofit Project or Campaign award went to The Buzz Agency; Social Media Campaign/Nonprofit award went to  Florida Atlantic University; Social Media Campaign/Corporate award went to Mugsy PR; Special Event award went to Food For The Poor; Marketing Material/Print award went to Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County; Marketing Material/Digital award went to Clerk & Comptroller, Palm Beach County.
The organization’s PR Star Award went to Scott Benarde, for the reopening of the Norton Museum of Art, the Founders Award went to Abrams, who is also senior vice president of The Buzz Agency, and Judges Awards went to BlueIvy Communications and Labor Finders International.
The council paid special tribute to two previous award winners who recently died: John Shuff of JES Media, publisher of Boca Raton magazine, who was remembered by Group Editor-in-Chief Marie Speed; and Jay Van Vechten, founder of the Boating and Beach Bash for People with Disabilities in Boca Raton, a four-time Bernays Award recipient, who was eulogized by his widow, Lowell Van Vechten.

In response to increasing dependence on reliable internet connectivity due to COVID-19 stay-at-home precautions, QXC Communications’ fiberoptic network technology is offering a solution for South Florida customers. QXC designs and installs fiber-optics using Active Optical Network direct fiber-to-the-home architecture to deliver internet, WiFi, HD TV, and VoIP phone services to condominium communities, businesses, outdoor events, and U.S. military bases. Unlike coaxial cable, QXC’s AON fiber installments run a dedicated fiber strand to every home or condo directly. With this technology, in the event of a power outage, customers connected to the wireless backup won’t lose service.
QXC’s service contracts include Villa Magna Condominiums in Highland Beach, Seagate of Highland Beach, and East Wind Beach Club in Delray Beach.
Founded in 2011, Boca Raton-based QXC Communications serves customers throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.qxc.us.
— Jane Smith contributed to this column.
Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

By Mary Hladky

The City Council wants to tighten rules so that candidates for mayor and the council must present proof that they have lived in the city for at least one year at the time of qualifying to run for office.
At present, a candidate is required to live in Boca Raton for only 30 days before qualifying and must simply sign an affidavit stating that without offering proof.
The council members also want to eliminate a qualifying fee. Instead, they would require candidates to submit petitions signed by at least 200 residents, which would indicate they have at least some supporters.
In addition, the council is changing the qualifying dates. Instead of qualifying during the first seven regular business days in January, candidates would qualify during the first seven regular business days in December so that the county supervisor of elections has adequate time to get candidate names on the March ballot.
The impetus for the proof of residency was the candidacies of Bernard Korn, a real estate broker who twice has lost elections to Mayor Scott Singer.
Questions about where Korn lived cropped up in both the 2018 and 2020 city elections. If he did not live in the city, he was not eligible to run.
In 2018, he gave an address at 720 Marble Way on the barrier island, a home owned by real estate broker Richard Vecchio. He also gave the supervisor of elections a mailing address of 19078 Skybridge Circle, a house far west of the city.
This year, he listed his address as a P.O. box at the city’s downtown post office.
Under changes the city wants to enact, candidates could prove where they live by submitting a voter’s registration card, driver’s license, recorded deed, property tax receipt, homestead exemption documentation, lease agreement or utility bill.
The City Council is expected to approve an ordinance in September that will set the one-year residency and proof of residency requirements and eliminate the qualifying fee. A person who had a homestead exemption for a home outside the city within one year of the start of qualifying would not meet the residency qualification.
The ordinance includes two proposed City Charter amendments specifying those changes that people would vote on in the March 9 city election. The changes would only be made if voters approve the charter amendments.
The new qualifying dates are being set in a second ordinance that the council also is expected to approve in September. No charter amendment is needed to change the dates.
Council member Jeremy Rodgers’ seat will be open in the March election; he is term-limited out of office. Fellow member Monica Mayotte’s seat will also be on the ballot; she will be ending her first term on the council. Ú

By Steve Plunkett

After weathering a firestorm of protests against a hefty tax hike proposed last year, Beach & Park District officials chose the rollback rate for no change in property taxes for the coming fiscal year.
“We’re going to be probably struggling in the future for a year or two,” said District Commissioner Robert Rollins, voicing concern about the coronavirus pandemic.
While the rate dropped about 3 cents, from 91 cents per $1,000 of taxable value to a proposed 88 cents, the net effect will be no increase or decrease for most households. Keeping the 91-cent rate would have meant the owner of a $300,000 house would have paid almost $10 more.
Meanwhile, the city set its tentative property tax at $3.68 per $1,000 for a 6.6% increase.
Tentative rates can be cut during September budget hearings but not raised. How they affect individuals depends not only on a property’s assessed value but also how long the owner has held a homestead exemption.
If the tentative rates are adopted, Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke and her husband, for example, will pay about $90 in Beach & Park taxes and $374 in city taxes on their Mizner Court penthouse condo. Last year they owed a total $13 less — the same Beach & Park amount and about $361 to the city. The O’Rourkes have had homestead exemptions since well before 2008, when the state’s property tax cap became portable.
The Beach & Park District’s $38.7 million budget for the year beginning Oct. 1 includes $5 million to start building the Boca National Golf Course, $955,000 for renovations at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and $300,000 for beach renourishment.
“I don’t see how we cannot go forward” with funding the golf course construction, Rollins said. “We put ourselves in a box with our ad valorem revenue last year. No way can you get tax (revenue) relief this year given the business environment and the COVID.”
The City Council will have its first of two public hearings on the budget at 6 p.m. Sept. 8. The Beach & Park District’s first hearing is set for 8 p.m. Sept. 10.

Materials and tarps cover both of the unmoveable portions of the bridge over the Boca Raton Inlet in late August. The bridge is getting a cleaning and new paint. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

The bridge over the Boca Raton Inlet, which connects the south barrier island to all points north, closed to land traffic in August for a 60-day paint job.
The Florida Department of Transportation, which is responsible for the bridge on State Road A1A, said the construction schedule is actually 80 days, not counting weather delays and holidays. It expects the project to be finished by late fall. 
The bascule bridge, officially named the Haven Ashe Bridge after a long-term bridge tender, will change in color from light blue to a darker blue called Federal Standard 15052.
Tarpon Springs contractor Seminole Equipment Inc. won the $802,818 contract to clean and paint structural steel and concrete portions of the bridge as well as its concrete barriers, deck, overhang and bridge tender house.
Highway vehicles are being detoured to Federal Highway via Palmetto Park Road and Hillsboro Boulevard. The bridge, which normally opens on demand, will be kept raised so the repainting does not affect boat traffic.
The original wooden bridge was replaced by the current structure in 1964, a year after Ashe died. It opened electrically but had to be closed manually by Ashe, who became its tender in 1942, according to wikimapia.org.

By Mary Hladky

Brightline’s parent company is scrapping a “strategic partnership” with British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Enterprises, and its Miami-to-West Palm Beach rail service once again will be known as Brightline.
The company announced the change in a revenue and ridership report filed on Aug. 7, saying it notified Virgin on July 29 that it was terminating a trademark license agreement. The company, which has been operating as Virgin Trains USA, will change its name to Brightline Trains LLC.
“Virgin has no remaining affiliation with us, our parent or its affiliates (whether through equity ownership or otherwise),” the company said.
Virgin is disputing the termination, the report said. Brightline and Virgin provided no additional information on the disagreement.
The end of the branding deal will not affect the upscale rail company’s plans for construction of new stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami, according to the report.
Mayor Scott Singer also said during an Aug. 13 address to the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce that the Boca Raton station will not be affected.
He said Brightline is “proceeding as a company” and that the city still thinks the Boca Raton station “is going to be a significant game changer … for decades to come. The COVID times will end and people will be commuting again.”
Construction of the Aventura station has begun and the Boca Raton station’s design and engineering is “well advanced,” the report said.
Brightline is still negotiating with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez about creating a commuter rail system between Miami and Aventura that would be financed by the county. It also is moving quickly to build tracks between West Palm Beach and Orlando.
Before the name change was announced, the company had pushed back the expected Boca Raton station completion date until early 2022, in part because of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced a suspension of passenger service on March 25. The company has not announced when service will resume.
The partnership was announced with much fanfare in 2018. Virgin said at the time it would take a small equity stake in Brightline, but Branson told Forbes in January that while he wanted to, he had not yet done so.
The partnership was intended to boost both Virgin Enterprises and Brightline. The idea was that people would fly to Miami on Virgin Atlantic Airways, stay at a planned Miami Virgin hotel, take a cruise on Virgin’s cruise line from PortMiami and then ride to Orlando theme parks on Virgin Trains.
Ben Porritt, Brightline’s senior vice president for corporate affairs, told The Coastal Star one year ago the partnership was a “tremendous” cross-marketing opportunity.
Although Brightline’s report did not state why the company was terminating the deal, the decline in Virgin’s fortunes due to the pandemic is a likely reason since it decreases the value of the partnership to Brightline.
On Aug. 4, Virgin Atlantic Airways filed in the U.S. for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection, meant for businesses with assets in more than one country. Virgin’s Australia airline filed for bankruptcy in April. In May, Virgin Voyages pushed back its maiden voyage until at least October. Airlines and cruise lines are among the industries hit hardest by the pandemic.
In a letter to employees this spring, Branson wrote, “Over the five decades I have been in business, this is the most challenging time we have ever faced,” Forbes reported in April.
In its report, Brightline reiterated its earlier statements that the suspension of rail service “is not expected to have a material net financial impact on our business and we have access to ample operating liquidity to withstand a protracted slowdown in the travel market.”

A new gate at the entrance to Ocean Strand will give pedestrians access to a 6-foot-wide mulch trail leading to the Intracoastal. Bicyclists can coast down the park’s old asphalt road. The current gate will continue to keep cars out. Kayakers can paddle in from the west. Rendering provided

By Steve Plunkett

Ocean Strand, which will soon open to pedestrians and bicyclists as a minimal park, is an acre larger than commonly thought. And its price tag was almost $1.3 million more.
News outlets including The Coastal Star have routinely reported with various rounding that Ocean Strand’s 15.2 acres cost $11.88 million.
But those are just the numbers from the original 1994 purchase. To straighten Ocean Strand’s northern boundary, the district in December 1999 bought the home of William Veit, at 937 Ocean Strand, for $475,000, property records show. Ocean Strand was also the name of the street that runs through the tract.
Eight months later the district agreed to pay Veit’s neighbor, Electa Pace, almost $800,000 for two parcels that made up her home at 955 Ocean Strand. The settlement came after she sued the district claiming it was letting the surrounding land deteriorate in an effort to make her property less desirable.
It was Pace’s tireless lobbying of city and district officials that led to the purchase of Ocean Strand in the first place. She started her campaign after a developer announced plans to build 79 condominiums and six beachfront homes on the site.
“It’s the ultimate irony,” attorney Robert Sweetapple, who represented Pace in the dispute, told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper at the time.
The differing figures for Ocean Strand’s acreage came to light after the Beach & Park
District in June filed a declaration of restrictive covenants with Palm Beach County stating, “Any and all future uses of the Property shall be limited to open space, which shall include parks and recreation uses.”
Accompanying the declaration was a sketch of Ocean Strand with the former Pace and Veit parcels labeled “not included.”
District attorney Jacob Horowitz, who drafted the declaration, could not immediately say whether he would need to amend the document.
“Please allow us to review. We will follow up further shortly,” Horowitz said in an Aug. 26 email.
Meanwhile, a team from Maracore Builders and AGTLand Landscape Architecture was on-site surveying the coming park in late August.
Maracore, the only bidder for the $100,000 project, plans to clear exotic Brazilian pepper trees from about one-fifth of the 13.2 acres west of State Road A1A and install a pedestrian gate at the entrance opening to a mulch trail that meanders across Ocean Strand and connects to a new kayak beach on the Intracoastal Waterway. Two picnic tables with benches will also be installed.
“It’s more of a destination point” rather than a launch site, Carol Perez of AGTLand said of the kayak area.
The gate keeping A1A traffic out of Ocean Strand will remain. The beach portion of Ocean Strand will also be off-limits.
While the plan shows three spots where public artworks could go, none will be installed at this time.
Beach & Park District Commissioner Robert Rollins and Maracore President Nate Custodio both mentioned having heard “rumors” of a Native American burial ground in Ocean Strand while reviewing the construction plans at an Aug. 11 meeting.
But the district’s settlement with Pace seems to memorialize the existence of Indian artifacts there:
“The parties further agree that Plaintiff’s dog ‘J.J.’ is buried in an archeological midden located on the North side of the property. Defendants shall not disturb this marked grave during construction,” it reads.
The district plans to open Ocean Strand by year’s end.Ú

Written in the Wind, a 41-foot sailboat, became disabled in rough weather, challenging its live-aboard owner and state and local officials who struggled to have it removed. Because of its size and disrepair, along with the cost of getting it back in the water, the boat remained beached and was ruled a derelict vessel by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. ABOVE: David Matthewman retrieves a gas can for boat owner James Mitchell Trice. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star